Kara was back at her ranch and she missed the conversations she had had with Matthew. He had only managed to make her love him more. Her days seemed endlessly long without the excitement of knowing she would see him soon. And the silence in her house seemed oppressive, so she avoided it until she could no longer stay outside without raising questions.
She would have to automate some things or at the very least get more hands, but she had still not managed to figure out her grandfather’s filing and bookkeeping system. That was probably the next thing she had to set to work on; she could not keep going if she did not know what she had to work with.
James was standing in front of her when she opened the door. He seemed much happier since he had taken control of the men. He was in his element and she wondered why she had not allowed him to be foreman earlier; he had all the character traits. She smiled her welcome, before they went through to her office. He still refused to just walk in like she had suggested so she would wait in the kitchen or living room for him to knock so she could open the door for him.James was watching her intently. He could see she was missing Matthew. They all knew about the situation, it was clear enough. Why these two young people did not sort things out and get together was a question of its own. Her eyes were far-off every time she thought no one was watching. He
Kara tethered her horse at the border and climbed through the fence. She walked a few steps and then went down on her haunches to check the quality of the earth. The soil had good potential, but it had been drained. The land had been severely over-used and it would take a lot of work to get it back to the quality it had once been. But that did not mean that the soil was not good quality. Thankfully it seemed that erosion had not yet set in and could be prevented when the earth was allowed to recover from the abuse. But it did seem like a good buy. She could till the earth and let the land rest through the remaining weeks of the winter with a layer of manure. They just had to kill off weeds for a while afterwards….allow the grass to sprout again and keep the topsoil from eroding with the rains and snow melting and this land could be prime fields for cattle. Hearing footsteps close by, she glanced up and was surprised to find Matthew standing there. She caught her breath for an
As they came close to the buildings, he suddenly looked at the mill and the pigsty. “Kara, what is the mill for?”“The mill? Oh, we use it to grind the manure from the stables and the pigsty for the fields. It’s much cheaper than buying fertilizer. And the vegetable garden seems to thrive on it; more than it did on the bought fertilizer.” She smiled at him.He frowned in thought for a moment and then smiled. “I would not have thought of that.” He stated with amazement.Kara laughed with amusement. “But then your ranch is already thriving. I had to get creative, since I could not use as much money after the men had walked out. You know, less work, less income.”“That’s true, I suppose.” He smiled at her. “Would you mind explaining the process to me after lunch?”“Sure, if you’re interested it’s really very easy.” She smiled and tugged on the reins to slow her horse to a stop and dismounted. “I have a free stable for your horse. He can stay in there until you’re ready to
“Kara…”“Yes?”“Thank you.” What was the hesitation for?“Sure…” She smiled faintly before they ate in silence. Was that hesitation because he had wanted to tell her something? No, she was imagining it. She had fallen for him, and now she was foolishly thinking that he felt the same. She was not a teenager anymore, why did she have these foolish ideas? She had learned long before that life was not a fairytale. Why was she hoping for a fairytale now?Once they had both finished lunch, he automatically helped her clean up. Kara was thinking how easily they fit back into their ways when she had lived with him and she missed it desperately.“So, show me your pig farm.” Matthew teased while she finished putting the last things away.She smiled. “Sure, let’s go.” She answered before she
Kara had made an appointment with Brad again for early Friday morning. She wanted to discuss some decisions with him, before she could go to the seminar with Matthew.He showed up in casual clothes at around seven, but she realized again that she had forgotten his later working hours. He looked like he had just got out of bed again and thrown on whatever he could find in his closet. He did not look disheveled, but he did look too casual for work.She tried to compensate by giving him fresh muffins and coffee for breakfast. “If this is going to be my breakfast every time I come here, I’ll be here at seven every morning.” He grinned after he had finished.Kara smiled. “Goodness, you’d think since you owned a company you could afford muffins every now and then.” She teased.“Well, bought muffins could never taste as good as fresh home baked muffins.”“Then
They were completely quiet until they had left the ranch; almost as if he had waited for them to be away from her ranch borders. “I didn’t know you and Brad were an item?” He said quietly.Kara glanced at him, before looking out the window to hide the hope of his returned feelings that she was sure showed in her eyes. Why could she not just get over these feelings she had for him. Obviously he did not feel the same. “We’re not.” She stated softly, hoping that her voice did not give anything away.Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her. “Didn’t know he kissed all his clients goodbye.” He stated coldly.“I’m sure he doesn’t.” She answered emotionlessly. “But I believe he does with his female friends.” What did that have to do with anything? Her heart thought that perhaps he was a little j
“I-”But Matthew interrupted her. “Yes, thank you. One grilled chicken salad and one burger, please.”The waitress nodded and left to put the order through. Matthew took the two menus and stacked them on the side of the table.“Would you say something…?” Kara said worriedly.Matthew looked her in the eyes. “I remember that you were running from me when you had your accident, so I believe it was at least partly my fault. Maybe I read the signals wrong.” He stated stiffly.Kara opened her mouth to answer, and then let out her held breath, trying to think on how to answer him. “Matthew…” What could she say without giving away her secret? She was running from herself? That was about as good as a confession of her feelings. She did not want to add another burden while she was trying to remove one.&
Mat opened the door for her and waited patiently for her to get in. For some reason he noticed at that moment that she still retained a slight limp from the accident, though it was hardly evident, unless one knew what to look for.He had no doubt that she was hiding something from him; she was definitely talking in circles at lunch and she had been quiet ever since she had gone to the bathroom. He just wondered what her secret was. He did not dare hope that she had feelings for him. Had she not kissed Brad this morning? He had barely managed to keep his temper when he had seen it. He had never thought that Brad would be competition for her, he must have read the whole situation with this woman wrong, he thought while he got in on the driver’s side and they started on their journey again.“How much time do you need to freshen up?” He asked casually, trying to keep the calm conversation going so they would