His Forever Valentine

Rafe had already gone out through the front door. Stopping at the porch, he looked back over his shoulder for a second, nodding his thanks not just to his father, but to Mike, as well. The latter had really surprised him, he had to admit. He was not accustomed to having Mike go out of his way to be nice to him.

“Thanks,” Rafe tossed over his shoulder.

But Mike had already left the room, going to the kitchen to grab a bite of something to eat before he headed out again.

It was his father who called after Rafe, promising, “Do not worry, I will tell him that you are grateful.”

This time, Rafe nodded his thanks to his father.

Val followed Rafe down the front steps and toward where they had parked their individual vehicles. “I don’t think your brother likes me very much,” Val confided once they were clear of the house.

“That’s just Mike being Mike,” Rafe told her. “My older brother tends to be a little standoffish with strangers.”

“I would have thought your father would be guilty of that, not your older brother. You know, older generation, my being an outsider, that sort of thing,” she explained. Val stopped by her CRV. “Instead, your dad seems to be a very warm, friendly man.”

Rather than going to his Jeep, Rafe paused by her light blue vehicle. “He always has been where a pretty woman was concerned,” he told her.

For a moment, the words just seemed to hang in the air between them. And then she laughed.

“I think you’re a little confused,” she told him. “I’m supposed to be flattering you to get you to go along with my boss’s production company using your ranch for the movie, not the other way around.”

Val’s amused smile rose up into her eyes, all but mesmerizing him. Rafe had never believed that eyes could actually smile before.

He did now.

“Didn’t see any harm in stating the truth,” he told her. She probably thought that was a line. The woman was from Hollywood, which undoubtedly made her see everything with a jaded point of view, not to mention that she was probably immune to any kind of a compliment, genuine or not. He cleared his throat and said, “If you wait a second, I’ll go start up my Jeep and you can follow me into town.”

Val looked over her shoulder. The house was some distance away now, but she could still make out Miguel Rodriguez. The man was standing on the porch, observing them. When he saw her looking in his direction, he smiled and waved at her.

Val waved back. “You’re sure I’m not taking you away from anything?” she asked Rafe.

“Just from driving around, looking for that damn break in the fence. Trust me, going into town and introducing you to Miss Joan is a much better proposition. Besides, Mike’s really better at that sort of thing, anyway. It’s like he’s got a sixth sense when it comes to that. He’s a natural-born rancher.”