Chapter Four

The two kept up a conversation during the whole ride. Grant felt it came so easily with her, and he was relaxed and enjoying himself. He couldn't remember laughing so much with a woman. Sara was not only adorable and sexy as hell, she was also really funny.

The t-shirt she wore fit her better than the ones he'd seen on her before, so he was able to determine that her breasts would be more than a handful for him. Just thinking about them made saliva pool in his mouth.

He had to stop thinking about sex, or he'd be miserable the whole time she was at the ranch. He wasn't going to wait to take her out. In fact, he planned to take her somewhere to eat before he took her home.

Grant slowed down and turned into his driveway. He watched her expression as she looked around. He didn't see greed. She was just curious and asked him a few questions. He also hadn't seen any reaction to the truck he was driving. It was over ten years old and had rust around the fenders. The seats had rips in them, and the inside was a bit cluttered. The women he knew would have hated riding in the vehicle.

"How long have you worked here?" she asked.

"Most of my life." It wasn't a lie. The only time he'd been away from his home was when he went to college to get a degree.

"You've never thought of moving on?"

He shook his head. "No. You didn't grow up around here, right?"

She shook her head. "No, my late husband and I moved here when my boys were still young."

He parked the truck by one of the barns. "Stay there. I'll come around to get you."

She nodded.

Damn, he loved how naturally submissive she was. Women like her were hard to find these days. Being a Dom in the area made it impossible to find a woman that fit him. When the kink club had been built on the outskirts of town, he'd been excited that he would be able to meet and converse with men like him and feel less alone. He also thought it would be easier to find a submissive woman, but he found the majority that went to the club just played at being submissive.

He opened the door and unlatched her belt before lifting her out of the truck.

"You're going to hurt your back if you keep doing that," she said.

He snorted. "A bale of hay is heavier than you."

She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Boss," one of the hands called out.

Grant waved and waited to see what she would do.

"I didn't know you were the ranch manager?"

He relaxed a bit, but then the fact he was lying to her made his stomach knot. He just wanted a woman to like him for himself and not his money. She'd been the only one he'd met who didn't seem to care if he was rich or not. From the look of her house, she also had money, so maybe that helped.

Grant knew he'd eventually have to tell her, but he wanted to wait to see if something grew between them. "I didn't think about it. Let me show you the dog."

He took her hand and led her around the house. He stopped and pointed. "He's under there. I think he comes out at night to roam, but otherwise, he will pretty much stay here. I've caught him a few times going to the bathroom, but he immediately runs back in. Someone has definitely abused him, and it was most likely a man."

Sara knelt and looked under the deck. "Oh, hun," she whispered. She studied the animal and then stood. "He won't come out if you're here. Can you leave for a bit?"

"I don't like that. He might attack you," Grant said.

"I'll scream if he does, but I'm pretty sure we'll be good. Gaining his trust today probably will not happen, so do you think the owner will care if I come back?"

"You're fine." He pointed off to the closest barn. "I'll be watching from there."

"Okay."

He turned back when he got to the nearest barn and saw her sitting with her back to the dog. And he could see her lips moving but couldn't hear a word of it from where he stood.

For the next hour, he had his men walk up to him to ask questions, but he kept his eyes mostly on Sara. He had no idea how long he was supposed to give her.

"I'll be dammed," one of his men said that stood next to him.

Grant looked over and saw she had coaxed the dog out. She stayed still and just talked. The dog crouched a foot from her and stayed for a few minutes before rushing back under the house.

She stood and wiped the grass and dirt off her butt before walking to him. She wasn't exactly smiling, but she looked pleased.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

She grinned. "Good. It's going to take a few more times before he trusts me. Is it okay if I bring treats for him?"

"Sure."

"I'm going to put medicine in them for his fleas and ticks."

Grant nodded. He hadn't thought of doing that.

"We can head out unless you'd like to see Dream Catcher?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up. "Yes. I'd like that."

He took her hand and led her into one of the stables. He'd had his men put the horse into the yard closest to the stables and put a few of the gentler horses with her so she wouldn't get lonely. They came to a gate.

She gasped and smiled. "She looks so happy."

"I hope so. We take pride in taking care of all our animals' needs," he said.

"Can I go into the yard?"

"Sure." He opened the gate, and they both stepped in. He was amazed when she called out for the horse. The mare's head jerked up, and her ears pointed toward where they stood. She whinnied and trotted over to them. He was about ready to push Sara behind him because the horse was coming in a bit fast, but she stopped a foot away.

Sara put her arms around the horse's neck, and the mare held her against her chest with her head. It looked like they were both hugging each other, and he could feel the happiness surrounding them. He'd never seen such a display of affection between a horse and a human.

Sara patted the horse and stepped back before she turned to him. "Thank you. It was great seeing her."

"I want you to see her every time you're here, Sweetheart," Grant said. He saw the surprise in her eyes at the endearment, but she didn't say anything.

He took her hand and led her back to the truck. He got her settled and then climbed in.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"How about pizza?"

She smiled. "That sounds good."

He took them to a privately owned pizzeria he loved. When they walked through the door, the owner lifted his hands in the air dramatically and shouted, "There's the man!"

Grant chuckled. "Hello, Antonio."

The small man came over and shook his hand.

"Are you going to introduce me to this beautiful lady?" Antonio asked.

Grant wrapped an arm around her waist. "Sara, I'd like you to meet Antonio. He owns the place and makes the best pizza in town. Antonio, this is Sara, my new … friend."

Sara and Antonio chuckled.

Antonio lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "It's a pleasure to meet Grant's new … friend."

Grant rolled his eyes.

"Let me get you both seated."

The owner showed them to a table farther back and a little private.

"I will have Thomas come and serve you. Have a good night."

Grant grinned at the man and then pulled her chair out for her.

For the next two hours, they ate and talked. They never had an uncomfortable moment. They just seemed to mesh well.

The check came, and she went for her purse. His brows snapped down. "You're not paying."

Her eyes widened. "I didn't mean to offend you, Grant."

He sighed. "You didn't. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to pay for everything when we're on a date."

Sara bit her lip to keep from smiling. "So, this is a date?"

"It's turned into one."

"I had to ask. I haven't been on a date in close to three decades, so I'm a little lost."

He grinned and reached for her hand. "Sara, this is a date, and I've enjoyed myself tremendously."

She smiled. "I've enjoyed myself, too."

He stood and dropped a few bills on the table before taking her hand again and pulling her up. He wrapped an arm around her waist and waved to Antonio on their way out.

He couldn't have asked for a better first date.