Page 65 of Cowboy Daddies

Allegra took a minute to think it over. “I guess I can give it a try.” The tone was flat, and her expression showed nothing of what she was feeling.

“It’s not all work. There’s a lot of fun to be had on a ranch. This might not be the vacation you expected, but I think if you let yourself, you could enjoy it.” He made his tone light. “Will you try? For Daddy?” he asked, coaxing her as he reached out to stroke the back of his hand across her cheek.

Her expression shifted from blank to pouty immediately with the Daddy word in play. “Fine, but you owe me, Daddy. I get to pick our next vacation, and you don’t get a vote.”

That was going to cost him. He’d had to veto a lot of her vacation ideas in the past, and for good reasons. He sighed. “It’s a deal. But⁠—”

“Yes!” burst from her, as if she hadn’t thought she’d win that concession.

“But,” he repeated. “You have to really try.”

It got another eyeroll, but she agreed. Promising her the world was apparently all it took to put her in a good mood, because she was all smiles and bright chatter when the van from the ranch pulled up. The name was emblazoned on the side, and he was glad he’d taken the time to warn her.

As it turned out, they were waiting for another couple, but they arrived as Carter was helping the driver load their luggage into the back. There were introductions all around, and then the driver, Manuel, urged them to climb in. “I’ll be making this trip twice more today,” he said as he pulled into traffic. “First day is always busy.”

“How many couples are you expecting?” Jim asked from the row behind them.

Carter turned sideways, so he could see the two men who had joined them. It felt rude having his back to them, especially when they were talking. “It’s usually fifteen, or at least that’s the max, according to the website,” he said, when it became obvious that Manuel was only paying attention to the road.

“See, that’s not bad?” his husband said, elbowing him in the side. Then he turned his attention forward. “Jim’s not a big people person.” With a wide smile he added, “I am though.”

Jim looked about as thrilled to be here as Allegra had. “Thanks for sharing, Kevin.”

His husband’s smile didn’t dim even a little.

Carter didn’t have the heart to tell them that it was thirty guests, probably at least that number in staff, plus Ma and Pa. “You know, a lot of cowboys aren’t into people much either. They’ll understand if you need to walk away sometimes.”

Jim’s head tilted, one eyebrow going up. “You’ve done this before? I guess it didn’t help, if you’re back.” There was a hopeful note to the words, as if wanting confirmation it was a waste of time.

“Uh, not really. My first time as a guest, but I worked there a long time ago.” He noticed Manual was suddenly more interested in the conversation. His eyes, reflected in the mirror, seemed to be inspecting Carter, maybe wondering if they’d worked together once upon a time.

Jim sighed. “Well, I guess it can’t be a bad place if you’re willing to come back as a guest,” he muttered.

“It’s a fantastic place. Couple stuff aside, because I don’t know much about that, the land is beautiful. There’s a lot to do if you like being outdoors, and if you don’t…” He shrugged. People who didn’t like the great outdoors were definitely not going to enjoy being a temporary cowboy, but he wasn’t going to be the one to say it.

The mention of activities caught Allegra’s attention, and she began badgering him for a full description of what they had, which wasn’t that easy. The website had listed some of the activities and there were pictures of others, but things had changed a lot since he’d worked there.

But then, they hadn’t dealt with romantic couples during his time. They’d been a place for troubled young adults then, and his arrival hadn’t been optional. Eventually he’d tell his wife the whole story, but for now he just wanted to avoid it. “Well, they’ve got horses, of course. Lots of animals to pet and feed. There’s a lake.”

“A lake?” She screwed up her face, lips pursed.

“Yep, swimming, fishing, boating … what’s wrong?” He tilted his head as he caught her expression.

“Well, there’ll be … things in it. Won’t there?”

“Things?”

“Animals, fish, bugs.” She said it as if he should just understand the problem. “Things.”

“Um, lakes usually do have those in them, yes.” She was already shaking her head as he confirmed it. “Nothing in it will hurt you. It’s not like Florida, there’s no gaters.”

“I, uh, prefer to do my swimming in a nice clean pool so I can see the bottom,” she said firmly.

Jim chimed in with a muttered, “Amen.”

Carter snorted and shook his head. “You’ll be missing out. There’s nothing like a plunge after a sweaty day of work.” From the looks he got … that didn’t help any. He decided to drop it and tried to think of what other amenities had been listed on the website.

“There’s hiking, and…” He was sure that once they got there and she had a chance to try things, she’d settle down and enjoy herself. Unfortunately, very little he could mention now would appease the storms that were gathering in her expression. He scrabbled desperately and then remembered something. “Oh, I think there’s a sauna and a hot tub too.”