She sat up and glanced around at the magnificent scenery. "I know the work is hard and the weather is forbidding at times, but do you know how lucky you are?"
He stared at her intently while he chewed a mouthful of food. Finally he swallowed and nodded.
"I know, but there are a lot of people who don't understand."
She crossed her legs painfully and stared down at her sandwich. "Different strokes for different folks," she quipped, and took a bite of the sandwich.
They ate in silence then, enjoying the tranquility of Mother Nature's work around them. Tomorrow would be another day at the house, and she intended to enjoy every minute of this day with Cade. He made an excellent companion, a fact that hadn't occurred to her before that moment. Who would have thought it? Certainly she wouldn't have on the day he offered her the job. But then, a lot of things had changed since that day.
He stood and walked to the edge of the creek, stooping to wash his hands. He was so meticulous - so thoroughly masculine and sexy. She stared down at her sandwich, shocked that the thought had crossed her mind. Cade...sexy? Yet there was something about the way he moved, so full of grace and power. Animal magnetism. That was it - nothing more.
She finished her sandwich and drank some coffee, shoving the thought to the deepest recesses of her mind. Cade was her boss, and thinking such things was not only disrespectful of him, but job threatening as well - especially if he suspected the existence of such thoughts.
Lunch finished, they mounted and started back to the house. The country was beautiful, poised on the edge of spring. A crisp wind caught up with them on the plateau, where not even a tree hindered its progress. She unfolded her jacket collar and hunkered down in the saddle, cold and miserable.
Cade reined in and pointed. Her gaze followed in the direction he indicated. About two hundred yards away a lone wolf stood poised for flight, watching them cautiously. Its legs were long and lean and its head was held low, ears erect. It looked hungry and cold. Cynthia glanced up at Cade.
"Do you lose many cattle to wolves?"
He shrugged. "It's hard to say. I lose some cattle every year. Usually they succumb to the cold, heat or disease, but sometimes they simply disappear. Most of the losses are calves, though. There again, it's hard to say whether they die from natural causes or attacks by predators. Of course, that includes Pumas and coyotes as well."