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They met one another’s eyes and both smiled. If they had anything in common, it was this. They had both raised their children on their own for the most part. And they still worried about them. Her thoughts shifted back to when Zeke had told her why he was out in the woods camping rather than being at home. How it had felt different and crowded but also empty at the same time.
Now she understood. Their lives were changing in ways neither one of them was prepared for. But maybe it wasn’t so bad. They were moving on to better things.
Perhaps that included each other.
She wrapped her fingers around his, loving the worn callouses that showed just how hard he’d worked over the years. Every scar, every mark that told his story only added to how she viewed him. Her thumb traced over one such mark on his hand, and she glanced at Zeke. “Tell me about this one.”
He glanced down to where she rubbed at a spot near his wrist. “Oh, that’s an old one.”
It had turned white, no longer the angry red coloring that most scars presented with. She trailed her fingertip along the two-inch-long mark. “Do you remember?”
Zeke captured her hand in his. He laced her fingers between his own and nodded. “I was about eleven.”
She lifted her brows.
“We had this mean old mare that hated getting her girth tightened. But she was an excellent horse to ride once she was all saddled and ready to go.”
“Don’t tell me…”
Zeke brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss along her knuckles. “Yep. That mean old mare took a bite out of me.”
She gasped. “What happened?”
He gave her a funny look. “What do you think? I got it bandaged up and went for my ride.”
Laughter spilled from her lips. “No, what happened to that mare? You didn’t put her down, did you?”
This time he stared at her like she’d grown antlers and started doing a jig. “Why would I do a dumb thing like that?”
She flushed. “Because she bit an eleven-year-old boy.”
“That horse was the best horse by a long shot when it came to working my dad’s ranch. It would have been a poor business decision to get rid of her for her attitude. With that logic, we should send you out to pasture.”
Agatha gasped. “Excuse me?”
He chuckled. “You’re just about as stubborn and mean as that mare was.”
“I’ve never bitten you!” she exclaimed.
“Yet.”
She gaped at him. Then she couldn’t control herself. Her laughter echoed through the trees, sending birds and other critters fleeing from their quiet sanctuary.
“I guess you better be careful then. You never know when a gal like me could turn on you.” Her tone was lighthearted, but when she met his gaze, she sobered.
The way he stared at her once again threw her off. His steady gaze drilled into her as if he could see all of her secrets, all of her flaws—everything that made her human. She blinked but couldn’t tear her focus from him even if she tried.
Zeke cocked his head slightly, his attention never wavering. “You are something else, Agatha Birch.”
Her mouth went dry, and it didn’t matter how many times she tried to swallow; it felt like it was full of sand.
“You just keep surprising me,” he said.
“How so,” she rasped, not certain she wanted to hear what he had to say but at the same time craving to know exactly what he thought of her.
“You raised a boy all on your own. You have a career, and you don’t take flak from anyone. I’ve never seen someone so strong-willed before.”
“I thought you hated that about me?”
