One year later The ranch was made up beautifully and it had a festive air dancing on the slight breeze. Kara stood facing Mat barefoot in a light white wedding dress while he spoke his vows to her in front of their closest friends and family. They had decided on an intimate wedding on the small beach near the waterfall. It seemed fitting to close the circle of their first meeting by getting married in the same place. “The moment I saw you here that first time, I knew you would be my water nymph. And though it took me some blackmail, a load of confusion and a fair bit of help…” His words were followed by chuckles of amusement since Brad had shared their story with everyone before the wedding, minus her swimming naked, of course. “I am glad we finally found our way back here in a full circle. The way my life would always circle back to you, my water nymph. You are the greatest discovery in my life and I will do anything and everything to make sure we stay on our full circle; a
Kara was hot and sweaty from the long day’s riding as they dismounted and removed the tack from the horses. Things were harder than she had imagined when she had first come here after her grandfather’s death. Most of the men left the ranch when she had arrived and had left them severely short-handed. She had her hands full trying to keep the ranch afloat, let alone finding someone to help her work through the finances to see what she was working with. She left the three men as they hotwired the cattle and walked towards the wooded part of the land where she could hear the welcoming sound of water. She needed a break from the men so she could wallow in her sore muscles without them knowing and she was not needed at this point. She was long out of practice with riding and taking it up with full-day riding for almost a week was perhaps not the best plan, but then she had had no choice in the matter with the current situation she found herself in.But she would be damned if she show
Matthew had thought it a good day to spend the last remnants of the early autumn afternoon down at the river; the unseasonal heat would bring animals to the water to drink. So he allowed his men to finish early and while they joyously returned to their homes and families, he grabbed his sketchpad and rode his horse to the river nearby to one of his favorite places to find animals to sketch.He was a well-known artist, but he chose to live out here and only travel for art shows if he needed to. The tranquility and the subjects he could find out here were what held him here, along with his love for the area. It helped that he wasn’t constantly harassed by women trying to get him to marry them like he had in the city. So he preferred it out here.Quietly, he placed himself in the shadows and patiently waited to see what creatures the heat would bring to the river. The warmth often brought deer and other wild creatures to drink of the cool water and he wanted to sketch some animals t
Kara was relieved that the drive was over. She had slept the sleep of the just when her head touched the pillow last night which was almost as soon as she walked into the house and just after a shower. She was sore in places she had not known she had and she took a deep steadying breath before she opened her front door to face the day and the few men who would work for a woman. She knew well that it had been some time since she had ridden. And if she’d ever doubted that her muscles were not used to the exercise, all her doubts had been laid to rest. But it was necessary that she did as much as she could. They were severely shorthanded and she was praying desperately that she could keep going at the rate she was and that she could keep this ranch going as it was supposed to be. Despite being exhausted and overworked, she did not miss her previous life in the corporate world. Her heart had always been drawn here where she felt most at home and this was where she wanted to stay
Not being one for dresses, Kara took a hot bath with Epsom salt and baking soda to ease her sore muscles and put on jeans with a nice top and her newer pair of boots. In fact she did not own a single dress and she had no intention to go to that expense at this time. They would just have to meet her as she was. Pulling her auburn hair back in a ponytail with a few strands framing her face that always refused to be tamed, she glanced one last time in the mirror, before she got in the old Jeep and drove to the ranch next door.By the time she got there it seemed that most of the people had already arrived. The yard was filled with vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Clearly the curiosity was greater than she had expected. That or they just wanted any excuse for a party. Brad parked his car just as she was getting out and he greeted her jovially and offered an arm, before he barged in the front door without knocking. She was grateful to know at least one person at this party full of
With a sigh of satisfaction Kara walked among the corrals filled with all kinds of livestock. The steers she had put up for sale had brought in a good price and she was walking around, looking for ideas to minimize her costs and hours of input. She had managed the timeline she had set for herself with the drive despite being shorthanded, but she was under no confusion that she could not keep up the pace indefinitely.She had to find solutions to make her life easier.She came upon a demonstration for cattle dogs and she watched with interest. The dog was so efficient that she wondered if he could help her with the drives, maybe even speed it up a little, not to mention the general work with cattle. After a while she put up her name for a demonstration on her own ranch and then walked on to see what else she could find, even while her mind wandered.She had been on the ranch six weeks now and the work just seemed to keep adding
Mat had a grin on his face as he walked away; he knew she had hated the way he had said goodbye before walking away and he could not explain why he took so much more pleasure out of teasing her than he usually did.Perhaps it was because she seemed to anger so easily and he did like the way her eyes flashed when she was angry, though the blush was quite comely when it graced her face. But the golden shards in her green eyes seemed to flash like lightning if she was annoyed and he could not resist seeing the sparks whenever he met her.After he had met her at the party and had realized who she was, he was more than intrigued as he had realized that his interest was closer to home
She turned around and looked at Matthew to see him smile with a mixture of pride and enjoyment. She did not know how to react. In shock and unable to think of what to do or say, she turned back to the painting.There on the easel was a painting of her in all her naked glory, as she had stood in the river when they had first met. He had perfectly painted her in the surroundings and it seemed so real that she had an insight on what he had seen. He had painted her form perfectly. Her face was very recognizable, as her wet hair had been pushed back to reveal her features; a stubborn strand hung over her shoulder and framed her one breast as if to draw attention to it. Her skin glistened with the moisture still clinging to her. Her hands were at her side, fingertips gently touching the surf