He shoved up from his desk and walked down the hall, angling past a table of drying art projects made of leaves used for papier-mâché. Nina sat beside her son, cross-legged on the floor with a reading tablet in her hand.
Snagging a bottle of water off the snack table, Alex made his way over to her. He sidestepped sleeping children. Every step of the way he enjoyed the opportunity to look at her. Her hair was swept up on top of her head, a couple of red spirals brushed her forehead and one trailed down her neck. His hands itched to test the feel of her hair between his fingers, to tug one of those locks and let it spring back. What was she reading?
He wanted to know that as much as he wanted to touch her hair again, and this time run his fingers through the wavy curls.
Alex squatted down next to her, extending the water. “You need to stay hydrated.”
She glanced up from her tablet, her eyes flickering with surprise, then happiness. She was glad to see him.
“Thank you.” She set aside her book and tugged open her canvas bag to reveal three bottles of spring water. “But I’m set for agua.”
He twisted the top of his bottle for himself. “What are you reading?”
“Madame Bovary.”
“In French?” He thought of her speaking multiple languages.
She tapped her temple. “Keeping my skills sharp.”
Cody stirred on his nap mat.
Alex froze, waited until the boy settled back into sleep with a drowsy sigh. Hesitating for a moment, Nina rose carefully. Alex gestured toward the door, tipping his head to the side in question. She tucked away her tablet and pulled out a bottle of water. Why did he feel as if he’d just won the grand prize? She followed him to the open barn doors, the wind sweeping inside as the low drone of the movie filled the air.
She lifted her drink and tapped his in a toast. “I truly do appreciate the thought even though I brought my own.”
“You’re a planner.” As was he. He liked the regimentation needed to run this place, enjoyed the challenge.
“I wasn’t always, but I have to be now.” She gazed back into the barn at her son with obvious love and protectiveness in her eyes. “My son depends on me.”
There was a strain in the corner of her eyes. He wanted to brush his thumbs along her cheeks until she rested. “I’m sorry you don’t have more family to help out. Family is...everything.”
As if he needed a reminder of the stakes for him here.
An awkward silence settled.
He’d met a woman he wanted to be with and her family posed a threat to his way of life. If she even would have him in the first place. She seemed attracted, but wary as hell—with reason.
An older cowboy brushed past, clapping Alex on the shoulder. “Hey, boss, mind if I take the afternoon off to go to my daughter’s spelling bee?”
Alex waved. “Enjoy. I’ve got this under control.”
“Great. My wife will have my hide if I don’t make this, and I gotta confess, I would have been there anyway.” The older cowboy’s smile spread. “I’ll pull overtime tomorrow.”
“No thanks needed. Just tell the little genius good luck from Uncle Alex.”
“Can do, boss.”
Alex winced at the last word. Boss. So much for telling her on his own terms. He hung his head, wondering how she would react to his identity being revealed. Hell, he should have told her last night. Or even fifteen minutes ago.
Turning slowly, he prepared himself, surprised at the disappointment churning in his gut. He couldn’t blame his grandmother either. This was his own fault... Except he didn’t find anger in Nina’s eyes.
Just curiosity. “You said you wanted to talk?”
Apparently she’d written off the “boss” comment to him being a foreman of some sort. He had to clear this up or it was going to explode in his face. “Let’s go somewhere quieter.”
Away from people who would tell her too much before he was ready for her to know. He guided her into the warm sunshine.
“Um, sure.” She looked around nervously. “But I need to keep Cody in sight.”
“Of course.” He took her hand and tugged her toward a corral a few yards away, the only spot with a clear line of sight to the barn but also out of the hustle and bustle of ranch workers and guests.
She looked around, leaning back on a split-rail fence. “What’s all the activity outside about? Seems like more than regular work and tourists.”
“We host major events around here, parties, rehearsal dinners and weddings.” The last word made him wince. One wedding in particular.
“Even in the middle of the camp going on?”
“Even then. We have a lot of land, more than just this one space, and we intend to keep it that way.” Which reminded him of his grandmother’s test as well as the Lowerys and their plans to convert the place into some Wild West theme park. “We pride ourselves on people feeling their event is private.”
She angled her head to the side, her high-swept ponytail swishing. “And which event are they working on now?”
“A large-scale rehearsal dinner and wedding, actually.” His cousin’s wedding to Johanna. Alex was over any feelings for her, but he wanted the damn awkwardness to go away. “I bet your city-girl imagination is running wild at the notion of a country wedding.”
The corners of her lips twitched. “Are you accusing me of thinking in clichés?”
“If the square dance fits.” He winked.
She laughed, the melody of the sound filling the space between them and filling him up, making him want to haul her close. He needed more time with her. He just had to figure out how to balance his grandmother’s request with his wish to be with the woman all week, no interference muddying the waters.
“Nina,” he said, hooking a boot on the rail as he leaned back beside her, “there are all sorts of things going on at this place, including events planned for the camp parents.”
She looked at him through her long eyelashes. “I read every word of the brochures and registration literature.”
He allowed himself the luxury of tugging a curl, testing the softness between her fingers. “You’re not interested in a spa treatment while your son naps? Or a sitter after he goes to sleep?”
Her eyes fluttered closed briefly and then steadied, staying open. “I’m here for Cody. Not for myself. I can’t just turn off that mom switch.”
He got that. And he sure as hell didn’t expect her to neglect her son. He understood how it felt to be a kid shuffled to the side. “What about riding lessons?”
Confusion shifted across her face. “Excuse me?”
“If you want to be a part of your son’s world, how about experience it firsthand? Cody’s sleeping and the stable is next door.” He set aside their half-drunk water bottles on the split-rail fence and called to one of their gentlest mares. A pudgy, warm chocolate–colored horse walked toward them with slow, ambling steps. And sure, Alex knew he was delaying his real purpose for speaking with her today, but he couldn’t resist enjoying what could be his last chance to spend more time with her. “Consider becoming acquainted with one of our horses?”
She looked at the horse and tucked her arms behind her back, shaking her head. “No, thank you. I don’t think so.”
He hadn’t considered that even as a city girl she might not like the ranch.