Page 3 of Cuddling Carly

He took the Stetson off, approached, and said, “My name is Wade McKennon. I’m the new owner of the Thunder Basin Ranch just over yonder.” He jerked his head back, indicating the land beyond the tree line of Carly’s property.

Carly stifled another giggle as she accepted his offered hand and shook it. “I’m Carly Thedford. Nice meeting you, Mr. McKennon.”

She wasn’t sure if she should call him mister or not. He didn’t look too much older than her twenty-seven years. Though he might be about 35 or so.

Still, it was the polite and respectful thing to do until told otherwise.

“I’d be obliged if you called me Wade, Miss Thedford.”

“And please call me Carly.”

The two kept their eyes locked for a moment, both smiling, before he said, “We better get that cow out of your kitchen before she makes a mess.”

“Oh yeah! Or eats those cupcakes! I left them unattended.”

They hurried inside and thankfully found the cow still just gnawing on the hay.

“Hey, girl. Been looking for you. Come on now,” Wade said.

The cow didn’t appear to be in a hurry to comply.

Casting a glance over his shoulder at Carly, Wade added, “Cows can be curious. They mostly stick with the herd, but every now and then one of ‘em will get a wild hair and wander off to explore a bit.” He was looking at the animal again when he continued. “There’s a gap in the fence behind those trees where the posts on one section fell over. I’ll get it fixed this afternoon or tomorrow. Should keep any more unwanted visitors from moseying on over here.”

“Thank you,” she said. “But I’m sure you have a million things to do and I don’t mind waiting. The herd is welcome on my property any time.”

Wade turned around and smiled at her. “They’ll destroy your yard.”

Carly thought about giving him some excuse, but she hated lying. So, she told him, “I, uh, don’t really have any money right now to contribute. So, if we can wait…”

“No need to contribute, Carly. That fence is my responsibility. It’s my herd that probably trampled it down in the first place anyway.” He chuckled. “Dang cattle have a mind of their own, sometimes.”

She loved the way it sounded when he said her name.

If she wasn’t careful, she’d just stand there sighing and watching him dreamily, so she straightened and said, “Thank you, Wade.”

He nodded and then ushered the cow outside, having a natural way that the animal responded to.

“Sorry about the disturbance. I’ll try to keep ‘em on my range,” he said. “And that fence will be fixed later.”

Carly wasn’t so sure that was good news. Any excuse for the hot cowboy to stop back by was just fine with her.

“No worries at all. Oh, do you want a cupcake before you go?”

The man stopped, turned, and grinned. “Yes ma’am, I surely do.”

“I’ll get you a fresh one,” she said, looking down at the one she’d been holding. “This one has had my hands all over it and it’s kind of smooshed now, anyway.”

“Wouldn’t bother me,” he called out. But she still threw it away, washed her hands, and got him another.

Taking it to him in the backyard, she said, “I’m glad you dropped by. I needed a test subject.”

He chuckled. “Just you here, huh?”

The way he asked it was conversational, and there probably wasn’t any hidden meaning to the question, but still—she wondered if he was fishing for relationship status info.

“Just me,” she confirmed. “This was my childhood home. Lived here my whole life. My parents are gone now, and they left it to me.”

Carly wasn’t sure why she was sharing so much with this stranger, but for some reason, she felt as if she could trust him.