Page 59 of The Texas Ranger: Saddled Up
“Thank you, but next time call,” Aasia joked.
Chapter Nineteen
“Thank you for helping,” Aasia said as she unwrapped two new paint brushes.
“I love to paint,” Bear said in a low rumble that carried the weight of the untouched land around them. The dust settled around his worn boots. He handed her a pair of gloves and pulled on his own.
He opened the can of red paint, stirred it with a stick, then poured some into a small bucket.
She dipped her brush and swiped it down the weathered side of the barn, then took a step back to examine the color. “This is perfect.”
He started on the other end, but he couldn’t stop looking as Aasia stood on the tips of her flip-flops to reach higher on the wall. Her hair was pulled up but tendrils had come loose, brushing her sundrenched cheeks. The cut off shorts raised on her thighs, showing off the toned curve of her bottom. He had a feeling she wore the revealing shorts to drive him mad, and he wasn’t angry.
“Pedora will be so happy that we’re getting this done. She said she knew you were a good man.” Aasia tilted her chin, guarding her eyes from the bright sun.
“Did you tell her that I have an ulterior motive?” He wondered if he could take her into the barn and revisit what they’d started last night that they didn’t get to finish.
“I didn’t know you do.” She wetted her brush. “What’s the motive?” She dragged her bottom lip between her teeth as she focused on making perfect swipes with the brush.
“This gives me an excuse to spend more time with you.”
“That’s very kind of you but you don’t need an excuse.”
“I’ll remember that.” He couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be. “There’s a peace here, don’t you think?”
“But peace has a cost,” Aasia said. “There’s so much work that needs done.”
Bear looked toward the empty, overgrown pasture that edged the outbuildings. “This place needs a lot of TLC, but it has potential. A lot of people are forced to sell.”
“This is my home, but I’ve told her she should consider selling. It’s a lot of stress paying taxes, the upkeep on the outbuildings, the property. She doesn’t have the energy any longer.””
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Take it over.”
“Without a job that’s a huge task.”
“Zack offered you a job,” Bear reminded her.
Aasia paused her brush. “I won’t count my chickens before they hatch. I need the details before I start getting my hopes up. Anyway, they’ll have to pry her old dead body off the land. This land.”
“I could see why,” Bear said. “There’s just something about these old parcels of land that feel like an untouched piece of Texas. I’m guessing a big rancher would buy up the acres for a pretty penny and use it for cattle.”
“I hear negativity. Isn’t cattle ranching a good thing?”
“There are some good factors but to ranch the new owner will have to cut down all those trees, which blocks the house from the harsh winds and elements. Then there’s manure run off, pollution, and the quiet will be lost, among other things.”
“As a rancher yourself, isn’t that considered against the grain of what you do for a living?” She continued swiping the brush in a rhythmic swiping pattern.
“I say it like I see it.” Although he couldn’t complain about ranching, it wasn’t his dream.
“What do you think of our quaint little town?”
“I’ve learned a lot about the people here. Y’all look out for one another. And the view is amazing. Have you ever thought about leaving this place? Start fresh somewhere else?”
~*~
