This Heart of Mine

Ch. 3: The Gleam in Your Eye

Randy, the ranch hand, greeted Naina with a wide, toothy grin.

"Miz Naina! How you doing?"

"I'm great! How're you?" She looked around, searching for this 'young new owner' who Gigi had mentioned.

"Good, juz great. I been wonderin' how you doing. Haven't seen you here in a while."

Randy was her go to guy whenever her contracted weddings happened at the ranch. He knew the best spots for pictures and had tended the ranch for the past five decades. He was a cute old guy, always wearing his weathered cowboy hat and had a cheerful disposition.

"Yeah, well," she sighed out. "It's summer and tough to have weddings here. But there'll be some in the next few weeks!"

"I look forward to them!" he said, giving her another wide grin.

"I'd love to stay and talk to you Randy, but I have to meet your new boss. Is he around?"

"Shore thing miz. In the barn over yonder. Would you like me to walk you?" He pointed behind her.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for your help!" she said.

She trudged up the hill, trying not to trip over the rocks that led the way. Her heels kept stalling in the sticky dirt. By the time she got to the barn, the light brown mud turned dark and flaked off.

Leaning against the wall, she kicked them off and picked at them, when a slow, crawling drawl slithered up behind her.

"Can I help you?"

No, was her first thought. She pivoted (hopped) as best as she could while balancing on one heel.

Damian stood across from her, wearing only faded jeans and a cap. Tattoos wrapped around his arms and abdomen, the largest of which was a tall, beautiful dragon. Sweat gleamed on his chest, adding further depth to the artwork. A white shirt hung over one of his shoulders.

A trail of hair ended right before the waistband of his jeans. Rock hard muscles flashed everywhere she looked on his body. She tried to stare behind him, a little towards the right of his face, where some paint was fading on the barn wall.

Her eyes kept drifting back to the dragon though.

"Beh—I mean, yes!" she cried out. "I'm Naina Reddy, an event planner from Castle&Whitley. I'm here to meet with the new dra—owner."

"Speaking," he stated, still keeping his eyes on her.

She'd hoped it wasn't him. Unfortunately, there was no one else around. Inside she whimpered.

Couldn't it have been someone a bit meeker? No, I get stuck with Oscar the Grouch. A six-foot tall, muscular grouch.

"Sir—" she started.

"Call me Ian. Don't call me sir," he said gruffly.

"Ian, um," she babbled. "Um, if it's alright with you, could I please know why you're closing off the ranch to any further weddings?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and she took a step back. If anything, he looked even more pissed.

"I'm planning on opening a rehabilitation center for abused animals. I don't think it'd be a good idea to hold weddings where animals reside." He wiped his face with a washcloth. "Personally speaking, weddings and events are a great way to make money. I just don't want trouble for either side, humans or animals both."

She'd been so blind-sided by his reasoning, she gaped at him. It was perfect. She flapped her mouth awkwardly, hoping to come up with something that was substantial.

Then, something occurred to her.

"You'll know when an animal is coming right?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I will. For the next few months, I'll be cleaning up this place. Probably will build another barn away from this one and the mansion."

"If that's correct, then could we still contract weddings for days when there won't be any animals here?"

His scowl lessened quite a bit. "I hadn't thought of that. I mean, here's the thing. There's always going to be an animal here, whether big or small. And there'll be many. I—"

"You said you're building another barn?"

"Yeah, on the far side of the ranch." He pointed to the horizon. As far as she could see, the Carlyle's fence stretched into the beyond.

"What will happen to the mansion and this old barn?"

"Probably will clean it up."

"So will the rehabilitation thingy be held here?"

"No," he said slowly, as if catching on.

"So we could still hold weddings here, right?" She couldn't help it. She kept grinning, despite his furrowing eyebrows.

To her utter surprise, he barked a laugh. Chuckling still, he said, "Fine, you got me. Only weddings can be held here. I don't want anything else. It'll cause trouble, especially at night and I want to minimize any risks. If even one, just one wedding guest, approaches an animal staying here, I'm closing it off forever."

She sighed, breathing out deeply and wholly, and leaned against the barn wall. "Oh my god. Thank you sir—"

"Ian, also, give me your shoes," he snapped.

"I—What?" She cracked her neck while trying to look at him.

"Shoes. Step on this towel." He draped one on the ground and pointed to it. "Is it alright if these get wet?"

She nodded dumbly and handed him her heels. Turning on one of the taps, he slid the heel underneath it and carefully washed it, like he was making sure to not let any water touch the inner lining. After he was done, he gave them back to her along with some shoe covers.

"Always wear these when you come out here. You don't know what exactly you'll be stepping on."

A glint in his eyes hinted to her that he might've been joking.

Two can play that game Grouch man.

"There aren't any animals here currently," she said, making a point to look around and behind him. "So unless you're getting creative with, er, waste management, I think I'll be fine sir. But thank you for washing them."

No doubt about it, she thought. He shared some of the same handsome looks that his brother had. But it only showed when he smiled. His teeth stood out against his dark beard, and his eyes crinkled in a friendly way.

"Here's my card," he said, handing her something. "I'll be in contact with you."

There was a spring in her step as she walked back to her car, phone in hand to give Gigi a most positive report.

~~~

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