Hang Tough(28)
She blinked at him. “Calve? Rancher speak for giving birth?”
“See, darlin’, you’re catching on.”
They walked to the end of the center section, which on either side had been divided into stalls.
“Is Miz G out with her Mud Lilies pals again?”
“Yes. I drove through Muddy Gap. Then I saw the signs for this place and here I am.”
Tobin shifted closer. “Would you like to tour the whole resort? Or just the ranch portion?”
Jade hip-checked him. “I want the whole enchilada.”
“Cool. Walk? Or ride up to the lodge?”
“Ride,” she said slowly. “As in ride a horse?”
“Ride in a golf cart.”
“There’s a golf course here?”
“Nope. That’d be a waste of grazing space and natural resources. We use golf carts to get around the resort. They don’t make as much noise as the four-wheelers. And here at the Split Rock, we’re all about providing guests with the relaxing atmosphere we promise.”
Jade raised an eyebrow. “Is writing ad copy for the resort brochures one of your special talents too?”
He laughed. “Sounded a little rote, didn’t it?”
“But sincere.”
He put his mouth next to her ear as he ushered her outside. “We’re headed up a slippery slope, sweetheart. You get scared or jumpy, you hold on tight to me.”
The rumble of his voice and the heat of his breath on her skin distracted her from dwelling on a deeper meaning to his words. Tobin kept his hand on her as they walked to the golf cart. Every time his touch shifted to a different spot on her back, that swooping sensation in her belly overtook her.
After they were situated, Tobin whipped the cart around and headed up the road she’d driven down.
“So this road . . . isn’t a road, is it?”
“It’s mainly for cart traffic, but once in a while we use the shortcut to drag supplies back and forth between the lodge and the stuff stored in the barn office.”
Once they reached the top, Jade was able to see where she’d missed the turn to the lodge. But how had she missed the big red sign warning NO ADMITTANCE or the arrows pointing the opposite direction? She groaned.
Tobin shot her a sharp look. “What?”
“I’m a terrible driver.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I just got my driver’s license two years ago.”
“There’s not much need for you to drive in New York City, is there?”
“No. And New York drivers are so aggressive. I ended up taking my driver’s test out of the city after I failed it.” She paused. “Because I rear-ended a cab.”
Tobin cringed. “Damn.”
“At least we knew the air bags worked.”
“That’s looking on the bright side.”
“I prefer to focus on the good rather than the bad.” She sent him a sideways glance. “I’m sure our conversation the other night would make you question that statement.”
“Wrong. That was the first honest conversation between us, so I’m done making assumptions about you.” Tobin drove around the edge of the parking lot, stopping in front of the main entrance, so she could see the entire layout.
“This is a gorgeous place.”
“It is now. It was a worthless piece of land because the topography is different from the surrounding area. But once bulldozers tiered the slope, it became usable. The lodge is open year-round except for two weeks at Christmas. I oughta be able to tell you the occupancy rate, since Renner and Janie, the Split Rock’s GM, talk about it all the damn time, but I tend to tune them out.”
“If a conversation doesn’t revolve around cows, it’s not interesting to you?” she teased.
He grinned. “Something like that. But Janie, who is married to a rancher, returns the favor when Renner and I talk about cattle.”
How could anyone ever tune out Tobin’s sexy voice? Not too deep or too raspy, as if he smoked a pack of Camels every day, but smooth like warm honey.
“You want to walk down to the pool?”
“Not really. I’d rather see the scenery.” When Jade saw the steep incline, she said, “Can we make it down? Or should I get ready to pedal like The Flintstones?”
“Funny. But rolling this cart would be a shitty way to end the tour.”
“The tour is over already?”
He looked at her. “You sound disappointed.”
“I am.”
“Then we’ll go the long way around.” His slightly devious smile made her blush.
“So you don’t come in the main entrance when you come to work?”
He shook his head. “My day begins and ends at the barn. There are three sections I check first thing. Cows and bulls are kept in different pastures. We have trail horses that are separate, but Ted usually does that check now.”