Lily looked crestfallen, but then quickly picked up her shovel and grinned. She waved to Mia and went into the next stall, ready to earn her place at the ranch.
“Would you like a tour of the ranch?” Carter asked Mia.
She turned, surprised by his question. He stood in the doorway, all sexy jeans and easy smile and for a moment, Mia completely forgot how to speak.
“Um, don't I need to watch them?” she finally managed to get out, stumbling over every word. “You know, make sure you're getting your money's worth?”
Carter chuckled. “I'm sure Laura will make sure that they are working hard and being safe,” he assured her. “Tour?”
Her bottom lip was between her teeth as she hesitated for just a moment. She glanced over to see Laura showing Alexander a better way to shovel and telling Grayson he was doing a great job.
“Okay, I'll take your tour,” Mia said, putting a smile on her face. It would be fun. Maybe she'd even get some hints to his identity.
“Excellent,” Carter replied, a grin filling his handsome features. “I'll give you the twenty-five-cent version.”
“Isn't it usually a 'ten-cent' tour?” Mia asked, puzzled as she followed him out of the barn.
Carter winked at her. “My tour is worth the extra charge.”
Chapter 4
Carter
Carter wasn't exactly sure what had prompted him to offer Mia a tour. There were a million things that he needed to do, and walking a social worker around the ranch wasn't one of them. Yet, now that he had made the offer, he found he was actually excited to show her around. He was curious what she was going to think of the place.
He took a step back from the big barn doors and motioned grandly to them. “Here, we have the barn and the stables.”
She laughed, her nose crinkling slightly and her eyes sparkling. The sunlight hit her light brown hair and made it gleam. It caught him by surprise, and he lost his train of thought for a moment. She was beautiful. She turned her smile onto him, and his stomach tightened with desire and something much deeper.
“Where are all the horses?” she asked, glancing about. “I didn't see any in there.”
“They're out in the pasture while it's still nice out,” he replied. He motioned off toward the paddocks. “You want to see them?”
She nodded eagerly. “They're part of the tour, right?”
“The best part,” he assured her, feeling a smile fill his face. He was glad he'd asked her to go on this tour. If she kept up this level of enthusiasm, it would be an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. It was always nice to show things to someone who enjoyed them.
“We'll walk through the arena to get to Paddock Number Three.” He motioned to the large building connected to the stables and started walking toward the small side door leading inside.
The air was slightly cooler inside the arena. It was a huge space that was used for training and exercising the horses when the weather was bad. The scent of clean wood and fresh water filled the building. He could hear the three kids' laughter echoing in from the attached stables.
“This is nice,” Mia remarked. She was looking around; her arms wrapped loosely around her torso. She smiled and shrugged at him. He picked up his pace slightly, wanting to get her to a part of the tour she would really appreciate. He wanted to see her smile light up the room again.
“So, what's the kids' story?” Carter asked, opening up the door to head outside. “How'd they end up with you making sure they pay for broken windows?”
“Because I'm the best,” she replied, giving him a confident smile that made him like her more.
“Is that so?”
She nodded. “I asked for this case. It's a hard one, but I wanted to help.” She looked out at the mountains and sighed. “They didn't have anyone. Their mom abandoned them, and they've gotten into some trouble in the past. Mostly running away and having issues with authority, but it makes their record look bad. When I got them, the state was getting ready to split them up.”
Carter thought of how the older brother had tried to help little Grayson. Granted, breaking into his ranch wasn't the best idea, but it showed love. “The last thing those kids need is to be apart,” he
said.
“No kidding,” Mia agreed. “I took their case because I knew I could keep them together. They deserve a good life. So, thank you for helping them. It really means a lot.”
She smiled up at him, blushed, and then hurried along the path toward the open space. It was a quick walk through the arena to the paddock. The sun had come out from behind a cloud, illuminating the beautiful mountain views. Three paddocks nestled around the barn and arena for the horses to graze and be outside. They then gave way to wild meadow-lands that rose into foothills leading to the craggy mountains.