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On the far side of the garage, a coverall-clad person leaned into the engine compartment of an older model SUV. “Hey, babe,” Ryan called. “Guess who came to visit?”
The coveralls straightened and turned. Tom just blinked for a few moments. Wow. Tall, redhead, gorgeous. She smiled. “You must be Tom. You look a lot like your dad.” She offered her hand, then abruptly pulled back. “Oh, sorry, I’m all greasy. Never mind. I’m Erin Moore, and it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. Dad told me he’d tried to set us up a couple of years ago. Too bad that didn’t work out.” Tom smiled and winked. Ryan growled and slid behind Erin, wrapping an arm around her. Tom laughed. “Don’t worry, I doubt I’d have a chance anyway.”
“That’s true. I’m a happily involved woman.” Erin looked him up and down. “But if I had met you a couple of years ago, well, this might have been a different story.” She laughed, turned in Ryan’s arms, and whispered something in his ear. He laughed, too.
They were a lovely couple, and Tom was suddenly jealous. He wanted that.
Erin turned back. “I really like your dad; he’s a great guy.”
“Dad liked all of you, too. Said he hadn’t laughed that much in a long time.” He grinned. “Oh, and I owe you big time thanks for the steaks. I’ve been trying to talk him into trying them forever, but since we raise cattle, well...” Buy steak? Never.
They both laughed. “Yeah, bet that would be a hard sell. So why doesn’t he want to go natural, so to speak?” Ryan asked.
“So to speak?”
“Sorry, Air Force flying phrase.” Ryan waved.
There was a lot of that in his future, he’d bet. Or hoped, anyway. “Oh. Well, there’s a lot of reasons, but number one is it’s expensive. It costs more to raise cattle that way, so prices are higher and your market is smaller, and sometimes it takes a while to build up a reputation, so you’re living on the edge for a few years with no guarantees. And for a guy like my dad, well, going back into debt is not only a no but a never. Especially if he’d have to talk to Erin’s mom.”
Ryan and Erin both shuddered. No love lost there. “Can’t blame him there. I don’t like being in debt to her either, and she’s my mother.”
“Won’t take long, babe, and we’ll be in the black.” Ryan hugged her close. Erin smiled, but it seemed slightly pained.
“No offense intended.” Tom held up his hands, palm out.
“None taken.” She cleared her throat. “Are you still thinking about Wiz?”
Tom barked a laugh and scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Are you kidding me? I can’t stop thinking about her. And I don’t even know why. It’s not like we had a deep conversation or really any conversation. I talked, she listened. Months ago, and I still can’t forget.”
“That’s more than most people get. Wiz doesn’t have a lot of tolerance for strangers.” Ryan shrugged.
Her wariness had been clear; but at that point, he hadn’t known if it was just him or everyone. “She rescued me, and she didn’t leave me to make my own way down on an iffy horse. She must have a lot of compassion to overcome her dislike for strangers enough to do that.”
“She told us it was extremely difficult for her to do that.” Erin grimaced.
“She did?”
“Yeah. She came to see us right after she dropped you off at the hospital. Which surprised both of us. That was the first time she’d ever come in the shop during normal business hours.” She smiled a little and raised her brows. “You must have made a real impression.”
“Good or bad impression, that’s the question.” Still, his optimism rose. “Maybe there’s still some hope then.”
“Maybe.” Erin’s brows wrinkled and rose. “How willing are you to make a fool of yourself?”
He laughed, a little ruefully. “You must be kidding me. Aren’t I doing that pretty effectively right now?”
Erin chuckled and shook her head. “Not really. It’s sweet. But no, I was trying to think of a way to make you less physically threatening. You’re a big guy and kind of... intense. I can see that already. But if we all do some sort of group activity that’s inherently silly, well... maybe.”
“Huh. Hadn’t thought of that. I offered to teach her to ride. That way, she’d be up on a horse and well above me.”
Ryan shook his head. “I don’t think that would work. She wouldn’t have enough control.”
They all went silent. Tom couldn’t think of anything but typical dating activities, and those clearly weren’t going to work with Wiz.
Then Erin laughed. “Got it!”
Tom noticed Ryan was regarding her warily too.
