He gave her a teasing grin. “I have a sense about these things.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked.
“No doubt in my mind.” His blue eyes held hers. “So how about it?”
The way he looked at her made heat travel straight through her belly. She swallowed. “All right.”
He gave a sexy little smile. “We can start in the livestock building.”
She slipped her hands in her back pockets as they walked side-by-side under the rooftop that covered the livestock. It was open on all sides, the shade cooling the air even more. They headed down dirt aisles that were well kept. Smells of livestock, manure, dirt, and hay were heavy on the air.
As they strolled down the aisles, adults, teenagers, and younger children greeted Ryan. He stopped to talk with the kids, admiring their bulls, dairy cows, and calves, and congratulating the prizewinners. She gathered that he’d taught a lot of the 4-H’ers about raising and showing their animals.
“These kids will take their livestock to the state fair at the end of October,” he said as they moved on to the sheep and dairy goats. “Our 4-H’ers represent us well.”
As they walked, she enjoyed talking with Ryan and listening to stories he recounted about some of the kids he’d worked with over the years. He was easy to talk with and he made her feel comfortable, as if she’d known him for a while rather than just having met him. From the number of people who greeted him, it was clear he was well known and well liked.
After they’d made their way through the livestock buildings, including the building that housed chickens, ducks, and geese, they went through the exhibit halls. In the exhibit halls it was a little quieter and not as many people stopped Ryan to talk.
“Did you move here or are you just visiting?” Ryan asked as they looked at a quilt exhibit.
“I moved to Prescott a month ago to be closer to my family.” She pushed a lock of shoulder-length brown hair behind her ear. “For the time being I’m staying with them but I plan to buy my own house as soon as things settle down.”
Before he could ask her more questions about her family, she hurried to ask him questions. “Where do you live?”
“I have a ranch just outside of Prescott Valley,” he said. “I raise cattle and horses, and have a small flock of Suffolk sheep.”
“Are you related to Officer John McBride?” she asked.
Ryan nodded. “John is my cousin.”
“He almost ticketed me for speeding.” She gave Ryan a rueful smile. “I wasn’t paying attention to my speed on the highway the day I moved here. He was nice enough to let me off with a warning.”
Ryan laughed. “So you’re a little speed demon?”
“I have a lead foot at times.” She shook her head. “I really need to watch my speed better.”
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“Albuquerque.” She glanced at a photography exhibit and stopped as she spotted a picture of a cowboy riding a bull. The shot was so clear, so vivid, that she half expected the image of the cowboy and bull to move. “I don’t know a lot about photography, but that’s a terrific shot.”
“That’s my youngest brother, Creed. He’s a world champion bull rider.” Ryan came up beside her. “He’s newly married to a gal who’s from the San Rafael Valley in the southern part of the state.”
“How cool, to have a world-famous bull rider in the family.” She noticed the purple rosette next to the photograph. “I must have good taste. It’s the exhibit winner.”
“What did you do in New Mexico?” Ryan asked as they continued walking.
She shoved her hands in her front pockets. “I’m a graphic designer.”
“What are you going to do in Prescott?” he asked.
She glanced up at him. “I’m going to continue what I was doing. I can work from home since my business is Internet based.”
Ryan and Megan walked outside of the cool exhibit hall and into the bright sunshine. They were closer now to the carnival side of the fairgrounds and the music was much louder. The yellow grass was worn down from hundreds of people trampling it.
“Up for a ride on the Ferris wheel?” Ryan asked as they came to a stop.
She shook her head. “I’m scared to death of them. Anything but that.”
“All right.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “I take that to mean you don’t mind going on other rides.”
She returned his smile. “Well, maybe not anything.”
Chapter 3
Megan and Ryan walked through the gate and into the melee of the carnival. As they strolled down the midway, brilliant colors, flashing lights, the shouts of carnies, and the clang and bang of games assaulted her senses. The crowd jostled them and it was almost too loud for them to hear each other talk.