at his face.
Rand smiled. “I expect it’s going to beat much faster before tonight is over. I hope so. But first we’re going on that ride. We’ll date and do this right.”
“Be still, my beating heart. The doctor may be a romantic.”
His laugh, and the arm he put around her waist to escort her to his truck, warmed her heart. “I have a blanket in the backseat and a cooler full of soft drinks. In case we find a good place to stop. Do you mind?”
“What are you waiting for, doctor? Let’s go.” He swooped her into his arms and onto the passenger seat, kissed the tip of her nose, and went around to get in.
Marian glanced at the star-studded sky. “If this is dream,” she whispered, “don’t wake me.”
A night sky full of stars and a handsome cowboy who made her heart race, what more could a woman ask for? Marian glanced at Rand as he drove through town and went on following the two-lane highway south.
“I’m thinking of buying some property and building a house,” he explained. “Yesterday after work, our local realtor showed me several properties. I thought you might enjoy seeing my two favorites.”
“Sounds like fun. What do you like best about each one?”
“Good question. Let me see. The first one you’re going to see has more flat land but a nice stream toward the back of the property. It’s about five acres bigger. Farther down the road, we turn east and drive about five miles then turn south again. The last place has more trees and is a little hilly but still has flat grazing land. Near where I’d build the house is a small stream that meanders through the property.” Rand slowed and turned onto a two-lane dirt road. “This is the first property.”
An almost-full moon shone across the vast prairie. They stopped, and Marian got out.
“Would you raise cattle?”
“A few and two or three horses. I won’t have time for keeping up with too many animals.”
“This is the closest to your office.”
“Yes, but in the afternoon I could be anywhere in the county.”
Rand took her hand and led her around the area near the car. “You can’t tell as much at night, but I’d probably build the house a little farther on and off to the side of the road. I’d definitely put up a fence whether I had cattle or not. What do you think?”
“I like the wide-open spaces.”
“The few trees are at the end of the property around the stream. You can see some big bushes and thick vegetation in spots. Come on and I’ll show you the next place.”
When they got to the truck door, Rand didn’t immediately open it. He leaned his body against hers with her back touching the cool metal door. Leaning down, his lips softly touched hers.
“You’re even more lovely by moonlight. Your hair glows.” He sniffed some strands he held in his hand. “Sweet, all of you is sweet, from your head to the scent of your arousal.”
Marian put her arms around his neck and rubbed her breasts across his hard chest. Her lips nuzzled his neck, and he pressed against her abdomen, letting her feel his aroused cock.
Rand stepped back. “We’d better stop. I really want you to see this next property before we play.”
She pretended to pout. “Spoilsport.”
Rand opened the door and lifted her inside. “Anticipation only makes the desire more intense,” he whispered in her ear.
They rode on. After he made the second turn, the land changed. Trees lined the road, and they drove over small hills. After about thirty minutes, Rand turned again onto another two-lane road, but this one had been paved.
Trees initially blocked the view. Then they arrived at an open area with a vast panoramic scene of the prairie and far mountains. The land sloped gently before it flattened out. A silver stream shone in the moonlight, and trees clustered at the edge.
“We’ll drive to the stream and stop there for a few minutes,” Rand said. They got back in the truck, and he carefully maneuvered across the prairie. “I drove