“Very much.”
Rhett helps me off of the counter, and I get dressed while he pulls the condom off and tosses it in the trash. He puts his pants on and reaches for my hand.
We stop first in the master bedroom and bath on the main floor, which boasts a walk-in shower with three shower heads—all of which will be pointed directly at me at some point before we head back. There’s an open staircase that leads to two guest bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, which is a scaled down version of Rhett’s. Best of all, there are touches of him everywhere I look: pictures and trophies scattered throughout the house to remind me of all his accomplishments and the wonderful life he’s made for himself.
“It’s perfect, Rhett. Truly perfect.”
“Now for the best part.”
“You mean the shower with three heads isn’t the best part?”
He shakes his head. “Not by a long shot. Follow me.”
With my hand clasped in his, we walk back through the house and out the back door. There is farmland as far as the eye can see.
“Wow…are you farming this?”
“No.” He leads me toward a large, red barn that sits off to the side. “I rent it out to a local farmer. Hop on,” he says, motioning toward a Gator. I climb onto the vehicle.
Rhett pulls out of the barn and drives along the edge of the property.
“How many acres?”
“One hundred.” He looks at me and smiles. “I always thought I might put up a new barn and bring some cattle out here. Maybe a few horses and chickens.”
“If you’re wanting a ranch, you could just take over your father’s. I’m sure he’d be happy to hand over some of the responsibility.”
“I know he would—and who knows, maybe someday I will—but Allen Family Ranch doesn’t have this…”
Rhett pulls the Gator beneath a large tree and parks it. We climb out and step up to a wooden fence. My jaw drops open at the sight in front of me.
“Oh my God, Rhett,” I laugh, my smile too big to contain. “This is breathtaking.”
His hands land on the fence on either side of me. “This is why I bought the property,” he says, following my gaze as I look out at a perfect view of the Houston skyline.
Technically, we’re standing on a bluff looking down, so it’s more of an aerial view, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so beautiful and impressive.
“It’s pretty nice now, but you should see it at night,” he adds.
“Can we come out here tonight?”
Rhett pulls his phone out and checks the time. “We don’t have much longer until sunset, and we’ve got nowhere to be. We can just stay out here.”
“I’d love that.”
Pushing away from the fence, I walk over to an open patch of thick, green grass. I kick off my shoes and sit down. Rhett follows, but opts to leave his boots on. Leaning back on my hands, I look over at him.
“Tell me something about you I don’t already know.”
“Hmmmm,” he says, mimicking my position. “There isn’t much.”
“Come on, there has to be something.”
“Lincoln and I took a cooking class.”
I gasp. “You did not!”
“We did.” He nods. “Neither one of us had a girl, and we were sick of mac-n-cheese, Spaghetti-Os, and takeout.”