“I talked to Blaylock to be sure it would be okay since I didn’t know what type of menu he had planned for them today. I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries since he’s their cook.”
Jake nodded. That was another thoughtful gesture on her part. He was beginning to realize that Diamond Swain was a very unique woman.
“He’s really a nice man.”
Jake frowned. “Who?”
“Blaylock. I talked to him on the phone for over an hour. He gave me a recipe for vegetable soup. I’m going to make some tonight.”
Diamond felt a fluttering in her heart when Jake smiled. “Well, once you get the pies in your Jeep, we’ll be ready to go,” she said, as she began placing the pies inside a huge cardboard box.
“You’re coming?” Jake asked her in surprise.
She glanced up at him. “Sure. Remember I told you that I wanted to meet them.” She studied his features closely. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”
Jake saw the worried look on her face. Her expression indicated she wasn’t sure if she would be doing something wrong or against his wishes.
“No, that won’t be a problem, and I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of it.” And I won’t be able to get a lick of work out of them for the rest of the day after they meet you, he thought further to himself.
He watched her features soften into a relaxed smile. “Good.”
“Do you know anything about cows?”
Diamond glanced over at Jake, wondering about the question he had asked out of the clear blue sky. They had been riding in his Jeep for the last few minutes or so without much conversation. She tried not to concentrate on the large work-hardened hands that gripped the steering wheel and wondered how those same hands would feel on her.
Her brows furrowed. The middle part of her body reacted to that particular thought. “I guess I know the same thing about them as everyone else,” she replied, deliberately turning to look straight ahead.
“Which is?”
“They give milk,” she said, looking back at him, meeting his gaze.
Jake smiled warmly. Another thing he liked about Diamond was the fact that she had a sense of humor. “Yes, they do give milk but I’m not running a dairy, although all the milk served on the ranch is fresh.”
“Even the milk we drank the other day with the cookies?”
“Yes.”
Diamond nodded, smiling. “No wonder it tasted so good. I thought it was delicious.”
Her compliment pleased Jake. “Thanks. My father used to run a small dairy and make door-to-door deliveries to the neighbors.”
“Have you ever considered going back into the dairy business?”
“Nope. We have enough to do just to make sure we get the steers to the market on time. That alone keeps us pretty busy.”
“I’m fascinated by all the things that you do around here. I’d like to learn more about it.”
“Why?”
Diamond shrugged. “I don’t know, I just do.” She didn’t want to tell him that for some reason, she wanted to know all she could about Jacob Madaris. She had a feeling that to know and understand Jacob Madaris, the man, she would first need to know and understand Jacob Madaris, the rancher. From the little bit Sterling had told her about him and what she had observed since arriving, Whispering Pines was his life.
“Just what are you interested in?”
She wanted to say you, but didn’t. “I’m interested in everything about this place. From fixing fences, driving the herd, doing the roundup to this very chic system I understand you use to guarantee you’re delivering the very best beef to the consumer that money can buy.”
“I thought you came here to rest.”
“I will be resting, Jacob. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in years. There’s something about Whispering Pines that’s so exciting and refreshing. Everything here is so clean, pure and unique. I love it here.”
Jake didn’t say anything as he kept driving. Jessie had also been excited when he had first brought her here. So excited that she had been adamant about planting those rosebushes everywhere, even in the least likely places where they would survive. But soon, like it usually happens with city slickers and sophisticates, the novelty wore off and instead of finding the ranch exciting, she had found it dreary and boring. One day Diamond would feel the same way. She was too well-traveled not to. Whispering Pines was just a hole in the wall compared to the other exotic places she had visited. The only saving grace for the ranch was that it didn’t come with reporters and provided her a lot more privacy than she was used to.
When Jake turned the Jeep onto the road that would take them to the ranch house, he glanced over at Diamond and said, “We’re almost there.”
Chapter 6
Diamond fell in love with the sprawling hacienda-style ranch house the moment she saw it. The sight of it simply took her breath away. It was truly magnificent, and the closer she got to it, another word immediately came into her mind.
Gorgeous.
It was as gorgeous as the land and the man. The scenic setting gave a breathtaking view of the ranch, the pine tree–filled valley and the big blue Texas sky. When Jake brought the Jeep to a stop, she just sat there mesmerized. A deep breath filled her lungs. It seemed as if the structure was beckoning her. She closed her eyes momentarily, not understanding this strange feeling that surrounded her, absorbing her. To her surprise, she began wondering what it would feel like to wake up each and every morning here in this house. What would it be like to wake up to the fragrance of pine, mountain laurels and bluebonnets, and be surrounded by such natural beauty?
“Diamond, are you okay?”
Diamond opened her eyes and turned her gaze in Jake’s direction, then tipped her head back and smiled. “I was just thinking of how beautiful your home is. I don’t think there are enough words in the English dictionary to describe it.”
Jake didn’t want to place much stock in her opinion of his home. It was a home he had designed and built after his divorce from Jessie.
“I had no idea,” Diamond went on as she continued to explain, “that a home could be made to look so inviting and welcoming.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile. No one had ever said such things about his ranch house before. The cabin had been a surprise gift for Jessie, one he had painstakingly worked day and night to complete. But she had refused to live in it, even for one night. Then when she had left him a week or so later, he had been determined to one day build another house, one that did not have memories of her. The only lingering memento of her short presence at Whispering Pines was the roses. Unfortunately she had planted several bushes on the site he had later chosen for his home to be built. As beautiful as they were, the roses served as a constant reminder of what could happen if you gave your heart completely to someone else.
Jake took his time watching Diamond, not knowing what was truly real and not just an overwhelming impression that would eventually wear off. “Are you ready to go inside?” he asked, deciding not to dwell on what she thought of his ranch house any longer.
“Yes.”
Jake tried to appear casual as he got out of the Jeep and walked around the vehicle to open Diamond’s door. He even pretended indifference when extending his hand to help her out of the Jeep. But he couldn’t mask the look in his eyes when they met hers, their gazes holding a bit longer than necessary.