“Did you say something?” Adam turned around as he took a clean T-shirt out of the drawer.
As the front view was even more spectacular than the back, she just shook her head, aware that speech was now beyond her and that drooling was probably not allowed. He had very little body fat, well-defined abs, and the physique of a man who worked hard for a living, and Lizzie was all for it.
He took out a shirt from his closet and put it on over his new T-shirt, before checking his appearance in the small mirror on the wall.
“Ready to go?”
Lizzie stepped back to allow him to move past her, and meekly followed him back to the kitchen.
“What can I do to help?” Lizzie asked.
He pointed to the large pine table set off to one side of the kitchen. “Can you set the table? I put everything out.”
“Sure.” Glad for something to do that didn’t involve staring at him and wishing he’d kept his shirt off, Lizzie got started. “Do you have water glasses somewhere?”
“In the top cupboard to the right of the stove.” Adam bent to check the oven, giving Lizzie a nice view of his jeans-clad ass. For some reason, the Fates seemed to want her to notice everything good about him today.
She went over to fetch the glasses, standing on tiptoe to reach the correct shelf.
“This kitchen was built for giants,” Lizzie grumbled.
“Daisy says the same thing, but she’s all for it because it means she doesn’t have to cook much.” Adam reached over her head and brought the glasses down for her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She peered at the pans of vegetables. “It all looks really good.”
“It will be. Roast chicken is my specialty.” He returned his attention to the stove. “Do you want to tell everyone to wash up and get ready to eat?”
“Sure!” Lizzie agreed and then looked around. “I don’t know where anyone is.”
Adam pointed at the kitchen door where an old-fashioned metal triangle hung. “Use that. They’ll hear you.”
* * *
The food was excellent and the company even better. To Lizzie’s relief, Roman behaved himself and ate well, chattering away to all the Millers as if he’d known them forever. Seeing her son in the middle of such a large family made her feel nostalgic for something she’d never had, and that Roman had never been given a chance to experience.
At the end of the meal, Kaiden cleared his throat and looked over at Adam. “Seeing as you cooked, we’ll clean up. Why don’t you take Roman and Lizzie out to the barn to see the horses, and maybe take them out for a ride down to the creek?”
“Yes, please!” Roman shouted and rushed over to grab Adam’s hand. “Come on.”
Adam allowed Roman to drag him toward the door and Lizzie followed. It was still warm outside, the sky a cloudless blue with only a slight breeze to disturb the stillness of the long, yellowing grass. For every step Adam took, Roman took five, which included a hop and a skip in an attempt to keep up. It was a long time since she’d been to the Miller ranch, yet not much had changed here—except her and Adam.
She went down the slight incline, which took her to the large, new barn overlooking the foothills of the Sierras, and stopped to admire the view. Adam was pointing out things to Roman, who was now perched high on his shoulder.
“You see that fence way down there?” Adam asked.
“No.”
“Well, it’s there, and that’s the boundary of our land in this direction. On the other side, we bump up against the Lymonds and a tiny bit of the Gardins.”
“Where’s the horses?” Roman demanded.
“Don’t be rude, Ro,” Lizzie admonished him. “Adam’s trying to tell you something.”
“It’s all good.” Adam started walking again, ducking down as he entered the open end of the barn so that the kid wouldn’t knock his head off. “Is this enough horses for you, Roman?”
“Yes! Let me down.” Roman scrambled to the floor.
Adam caught hold of him by the back of his overalls and crouched beside him. “Don’t go into any of the stalls or open the doors, okay?”
“I know.” Roman nodded obediently. “Uncle Carlos told me. Just pat their noses and give them apples.”