Lani pulled into the parking lot at the ranch and brought her car to a stop in the same place she’d chosen the day before. The planter looked like it had been patched over already, and she smiled. These McClains didn’t leave work undone for long, did they? She felt guilty for adding to their work load, though—they already had so much to do.
She had just gotten out and closed her door when she saw Frank jogging across the grass toward her. “Morning!” she called, lifting her hand.
“Morning,” he said as he came up beside her. “How’s the hotel?”
“Great. Much better than many I’ve seen.” She smiled up at him. She’d convinced herself at some point during the night that he wasn’t really as good-looking or as charming as she’d made him out to be, but she was wrong. He was all those things. And she was in trouble.
“Well, I have to tell you, my mother was none too pleased when she found out you’re staying in town. She says you’re more than welcome to take a guest room here at the ranch and to make yourself at home.”
“That’s really sweet of her. I’ll think about it.” And she did, for about three seconds, and realized that she needed to keep some sort of distance between herself and Frank or she might not be able to leave when the time came. Going to the hotel the day before had been a good way to create some mental and emotional separation and gave her the chance to clear her head.
“I thought that today, I’d take you for a horseback ride around the ranch and show you some of the outlying areas,” Frank continued. “Then when the boys come home from school, you can talk with them, and then we’ll have our Friday night barbecue. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great. I hope lunch happens somewhere in there, though.”
“It definitely does. Mom packed us a picnic to take with us.”
Lani was becoming more intrigued all the time by this Lillian McClain person. She sounded like a mix between June Cleaver and the fairy godmother. She said as much to Frank, and he laughed.
“That’s pretty accurate,” he said. “Just throw a healthy dose of Mama Bear in there, and you’ve summed her up. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
“I’m looking forward to that myself.”
“Let’s swing by the house, have you meet Mom, and grab our lunch. Then we’ll head out on the horses,” Frank said.
They walked side by side, arms sometimes brushing, and Lani felt a tingle race up to her shoulder at the contact. It made her lose her concentration and she stumbled, finding herself caught up in Frank’s strong arms.
“Hey there,” he said, looking down into her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Just being a klutz again.”
She expected him to let her go now that she was solidly on her feet again, but he didn’t. Instead, he slid his hands down her arms and linked his fingers with hers, and they stood that way for a long minute. What was she seeing in his eyes? It was more than flirting, more than just attraction. This wasn’t the kind of man you could hang out with for a few days and then go on your way like nothing that happened—this was the kind of man who made a deep impression on your soul.
“Um, your mom’s probably wondering where we are,” she said after another moment had gone by. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stand there and stare at him forever—that was actually really pleasant. But the longer she did it, the harder it would be to leave, and leaving was going to be necessary at some point. She had an article to finish, and then she’d be on her way to her next assignment.
“Right.” Frank cleared his throat. They started walking again, but he didn’t let go of her left hand, and she liked that. She liked that a lot.
They entered the house, and Frank called out, “Mom?”
“In the kitchen,” a woman’s voice replied, and Frank led the way into the most amazing kitchen Lani had ever seen. Claire was in there too, and both women were chopping vegetables.
“You must be Lani.” The older woman grabbed a dishcloth and wiped her hands, then came around the counter and gave her a big hug. That caught Lani off guard—she wasn’t used to being hugged by random people, but she didn’t mind it from this woman, who seemed to be everything she’d been described as being. Goodness radiated off her, and Lani felt welcome instantly. “I’m Lillian,” the woman said, letting her go and now holding her at arms’ length. “We’re so glad you’re joining us for the barbecue tonight. I love having every table filled to capacity.”
“Frank says you do this kind of thing every Friday?” Lani asked, her gaze wandering from the vegetables on the counter to the pots on the stove and all the obvious work that was going into creating this meal.
“Every single Friday. Life is meant to be celebrated, and we make each family meal a celebration of the things that were accomplished that week. Nick’s favorite chocolate cake is in the oven right now.”
Lani glanced at Frank. “He’s one of our boys who overcame a particularly tough challenge recently,” he explained. There was obviously more to the story, but she understood that there were things he couldn’t share.
“I love chocolate cake,” she replied.
“Then you’ll love Nick.” Lillian bustled over to the large fridge in the corner and pulled out a huge sack. “Here’s lunch, you two. Just be sure to come back in time for dinner.”
“We will, Mom. Wouldn’t miss it,” Frank said as he took the sack from her. “Thanks again.”
They left the house and walked toward the barn. Lani was super curious to know what was in the sack, but she decided that half the fun of it was being surprised. “Your mom’s great,” she said instead.
“Isn’t she? I don’t know where she gets all her energy, but she’s like that all the time. Doing good things for people, sharing herself wherever she goes. It truly makes her happy.”
“I can see that, and I’m sorry for yesterday if I implied that she wasn’t complete if she didn’t have any outside interests. After I got to the hotel yesterday and was jotting down my notes, I realized how judgmental I sounded. I know that I’d need a few outside interests in addition to home and family, but that’s me, and I can’t put that on other people.”
“Thank you. Both for realizing it and apologizing. I, in turn, would like to apologize for coming down on you a little hard. I think we should start fresh today. What do you think?”
“That sounds fantastic.”
He grinned sideways at her when they reached the barn. “And Tiffani’s not at all upset by the fact that we’ve essentially dumped her.”
Lani’s hands flew to her cheeks. “Oh, my gosh. You’re right. Should we go get her?” She turned back in the direction of the office, but Frank reached out and touched her shoulder.
“I mean it—she’s not upset at all. In fact, she’s glad that I’m showing you around because she had some things come up this morning that have to be dealt with right away, but she wants you to let her know at dinner tonight if there’s anything else you’d like to ask her.”
“I think we covered most of that yesterday,” Lani replied. “You’re the one I want to talk to now.” Her cheeks went red as she realized how flirtatious that sounded. “I mean, I think you’re a good resource for the rest of my article.”
He grinned again. “I’d like to spend some time talking to you, too.”
She opened her mouth to say that wasn’t what she meant, but just then they were joined by a man who had to be one of the brothers—he was every bit as handsome and muscular, and he had the same blue-gray eyes.
“This is Ephraim,” Frank said, motioning toward the newcomer. “He’s a veterinarian, and he takes care of all the animals here on the ranch. Eph, this is Lani, the reporter.”
Ephraim stepped forward and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. Have you ever ridden a horse?”
“A few times, but I’m not an expert by any means,” she replied.
“Then I’ll give you Sunshine. She’s a gentle horse who works well with riders of medium ability.”
“Sounds perfect,” Lani said, and with a nod, Ephraim walked back toward the stalls where the horses were kept. She turned to Frank and lowered her voice. “He’s the one who talks to animals, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You have no idea how tempted I am to ask him what Sunshine’s thinking.”
Frank smiled. “You can, as long as no one else is around. None of the hands and none of the boys know about our gifts.”
“So I can ask him when he comes back?” Suddenly, she felt shy. “I don’t know if I dare. Isn’t that kind of embarrassing? Like asking him to perform in public?”
Frank shrugged. “It’s really not a big deal. It’s just part of who we are.”
Lani batted the idea around in her head for a few minutes, and when Ephraim reemerged, leading two horses, she gathered up her courage. “So, you’re the brother who talks to animals,” she said, almost feeling like she was addressing a rock star or something. She was honestly fangirling a little bit.
“That’s right,” he answered with a kind smile. She wondered if he knew what she was thinking. No, it was just Adam who was the empath—Adam and Gideon. She’d written it all down the night before so she wouldn’t forget.
“I just wondered . . . no, it’s silly. Never mind.”
“You’d like me to talk to Sunshine for you?”
“Oh, my gosh. You can read minds too.”
Both brothers laughed. “No, I can’t,” Ephraim replied. “It just seemed like a natural thing for you to ask.”
Now she felt even sillier. “Yeah, I guess it would be. Would you mind? I mean, I know I’m putting you on the spot, but I’m so curious to know what horses think about.”
“Sure. They don’t communicate in full sentences, just so you know—they send pictures to me, or one or two words at a time.” He handed one horse’s reins to Frank and turned his full attention to the other horse. “Hey, Sunshine. How are you doing?”
He paused for a moment, going very still. Lani almost didn’t dare breathe, she was so curious about what was happening. Finally, Ephraim turned back to her with a smile. “She wants to know what’s in your sack because it smells good. She hopes she gets to ride fast today, and she also hopes she’ll get some oats when you bring her back. Oh, and she wonders if you’re Frank’s mate.”
Lani blinked. “Your horses play matchmaker?”
Ephraim laughed, and Frank looked embarrassed. “Life’s very simple in the animal kingdom. They eat, sleep, work, play, and have families. Everything falls into one of those categories for them.”
“They don’t know about platonic friendships?”
“No, not really.”
She glanced over at Frank. The tips of his ears were now bright red. She was kidding herself in thinking this was a platonic relationship. When she left to go back to Houston, she’d be leaving a piece of herself behind on the ranch, and she believed he knew it too.
They both saddled up after Frank carefully put their lunch in his saddlebags, and they rode out into the sunlight. Lani hadn’t been on a horse in about two years and she found it difficult at first to remember how to relax in her seat and let her body move with the horse’s rhythm, but as they reached the trail that led them farther back onto the ranch’s property, she found herself becoming less stiff.
“We usually bring trucks or four-wheelers out here to do repairs so we can bring supplies and equipment with us, but every so often, it’s nice to bring the horses,” Frank said, riding alongside her. “The boys help keep the horses in shape by riding them a few times a week, and the ranch hands fill in the gaps. There’s something amazing about the healing that can take place when you put people around animals. If you ever want to get Ephraim talking for about three hours without taking a break, just ask him about that.”
Lani chuckled. “I can imagine. You’re all pretty passionate about what you do, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are. Life’s not worth living unless you do it passionately.”
She thought about the family for a moment. “So far, I’ve met you, Tiffani, your mom, Claire, Ephraim, and Adam. Everyone else will be at dinner tonight?”
“That’s right. And hey—I wonder if you could do me a favor. I know I said you could interview any of the boys that you liked, but I’d appreciate it if you’d give Nick a little room. He’s going through a rough patch right now.”
“Sure,” Lani replied. “Not a problem.”
They rode along the fence line, and Frank pointed out various projects they’d undertaken that spring and places in the wire that the boys had repaired. He spoke with pride about all of them.
“So, do you have any favorites among the boys?” Lani asked.
“Nope,” he replied immediately. “There are some I’ve gotten to know better than the others, but each of them bring something special to the ranch, and I’ve learned something from every one of them.”
“And how long have you been working with the boys?” Lani continued.
“Hmm.” Frank rubbed his jaw. “I got my counseling certification when I was twenty-one, but I worked with them unofficially before that—mostly being their friend and teaching them the ways of the ranch.”
“And I think it’s amazing.” Lani looked around at the fields surrounding them and up at the blue sky. “It’s so fresh and clean out here.”
“We love the country life. We’re close enough to town that we can run and get supplies, but we’re far enough away from the hustle and bustle that we can hear ourselves think sometimes.” Frank pulled his horse to a stop. “Does this look like a good place for our picnic?”
Three trees grew close together a few yards ahead, close enough that their branches touched as they reached toward the sky. The shade they created almost made a little teepee. “I think it’s perfect,” Lani replied.
Frank hopped down from his horse, and before Lani had even managed to swing one leg over her saddle, he was there to help her. She slid down into his arms and he just held her there for a moment, smiling, so very close.
She liked cowboys.
“I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but you’ve really got beautiful eyes,” he told her.
“Funny. I was just thinking the same thing about you,” she replied, feeling a little breathless.
“Shouldn’t my eyes be handsome because I’m a guy?” he asked, a note of teasing in his voice.
“You don’t mean to tell me that you buy in to all that stuff about male words and female words, do you? Because I think your eyes are beautiful, but that in no way detracts from your obvious masculinity.” She felt herself blushing again, but she didn’t look away this time. Instead, she held his gaze, and was intrigued by the sparks that seemed to flicker across his eyes.
“I’m glad,” he replied. “Things that detract aren’t very good.”
“No, they aren’t,” she agreed, although she’d already forgotten what she’d agreed to. The moment was too filled with chemistry for her to keep her head on straight.
He tipped his head down and touched his forehead to hers, and they both inhaled long and slow. Then he let her go and turned to his saddlebags. “Let’s eat.”
She was left feeling a little unsteady on her feet, curious at how something as simple as touching foreheads could feel as romantic as the best sort of kiss.
Frank pulled a small blanket out of the saddlebag on the far side of the horse and asked her to spread it out on the ground, and then he grabbed the lunch sack. When he opened it, Lani couldn’t blame Sunshine for thinking it smelled good—it did. Lillian had made them ham and cheese subs with pepperoncini and olives, potato salad, Doritos, chocolate chip cookies, and root beer. She’d also thrown in some bottles of water, but Lani headed for the root beer first. She hadn’t had one in forever, not since she was about twelve—not that she’d moved to some far-off land where root beer didn’t exist, but she’d just gotten hooked on Dr. Pepper and that was her favorite drink.
“This is the best sandwich ever,” she said after she’d swallowed her first bite.
“Mom heals people through food,” Frank replied.
“Well, I can’t believe that she put this together for us while getting ready for the big dinner tonight. That’s amazing.”
He nodded. “It really is. We’ve all been blessed to have her for a mom.”
Lani took another bite, swallowed, then said, “You haven’t said a whole lot about your dad.”
“Haven’t I?” Frank swallowed down some root beer. “He’s a pretty quiet guy, but he’s rock solid in his convictions. He never moves forward with something unless he knows in his gut that it’s the right choice, and then he goes for it with everything he’s got.”
“But how does he know for sure that something’s right? Does he use his precog to check?”
Frank thought about that for a second. “He does on some things, but I don’t think he does for everything. It’s more, he knows where his moral center is, and he doesn’t stray from that regardless of anything else. I think that’s the thing I admire the most about him.”
“Your moral center seems pretty solid to me,” Lani said. “Or maybe I’m reading more into what you’re saying than I should be.”
“I’m honored that you see me that way. It means a lot.” He set his sandwich on his knee and contemplated her with those blue-gray eyes. “I try—I really do—but I question myself a lot. How do I know what’s my intuition and what’s just my imagination? Stuff like that. And I have a hard time separating my gift from my gut. Dad’s been trying to help me with that, pointing out that every human ever born has a built-in compass, as it were, their gut or their conscience or whatever you want to call it, and that I should listen to that just as much as I listen to my gift. But it’s hard for me.” He brought himself up short and laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m probably boring you to tears.”
“No, not at all. This is exactly the kind of thing I love—getting to know people beyond the surface.” She looked down at her lunch and then back up. “You just might be one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, Frank McClain.”
“Oh, yeah?” He looked pleased. “Well, right back atcha.” He gave her a wink, then picked up his sandwich again and took a big bite.
After they’d finished their lunch and made sure to gather up all their trash, they mounted their horses again and meandered for a while, just enjoying being with each other. Every minute that went by, Lani found herself more and more intrigued by this man she was spending the day with. She wanted to know what he thought about everything, how he felt about everything. She felt like she could ask him a thousand questions and never get bored of hearing his replies.
“Now, I made a promise I need to keep,” she said.
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Sunshine wanted to go fast today.”
“That’s right. She did.” Frank looked over at her. “Is that okay with you? Do you feel comfortable up there?”
“I think so,” Lani replied. She was a little nervous, but she didn’t think Sunshine would throw her or anything. She really was a sweet horse.
“Okay, let’s give it a try. Just nudge her sides a little with your ankles. She’ll know exactly what you want.”
Lani took a deep breath, gripped the reins tight, and gave Sunshine the slightest nudge. The horse bounded forward as though she could hardly believe it was her turn, glee oozing out of her every horsey pore. They trotted and then ran down the path. Lani leaned forward a little like she’d seen riders do on TV, and that seemed to help. Fear was quickly replaced with euphoria as she almost seemed to fly. She’d never felt anything so wonderful in her life.