“Hello, Monster.”

“Monster,” Nick repeated, laughing. “That’s not his name.”

Luke smiled at Nick and gave Monster a pet. “It sure is. He gets into everything and loves to shred the toilet paper roll in the bathroom. But he’s a great mouser.”

Monster jumped off Luke and chowed down on his food.

Nick petted the cats while they ate.

Luke ruffled Nick’s hair, then stood next to her. “I’m glad you brought him over. Sorry Jack missed out. But you can bring them back anytime you want. Though I hope you’ll keep it to Thursday through Sunday.”

“Why?”

“Because I drive into the office Monday to Wednesday and I’d hate to miss spending time with you. And the boys,” he added.

“Tell me about your lawyer work?”

“You don’t want to hear about that.”

“It’s called a conversation,” she mimicked him.

He chuckled under his breath. “I work with my family. Grandpa started the business. He practiced criminal law and built quite a reputation. Dad and I followed in his footsteps. Jason, my brother, practices corporate law. We have a few other junior lawyers working in-house who handle things like tax law and intellectual property.”

“I imagine they work closely with Jason.”

“That’s right. He loves the business. So does Dad, though he’s cut back a lot the last couple years. Recently, he’s hardly been practicing at all, so his retiring isn’t a surprise to his clients.”

“And you?”

“I used to love it. Still do sometimes, but I wanted something more. I wanted this to balance the demands of the job. Here, no one’s life is hanging in the balance. If I get something wrong, no one gets hurt. I didn’t put a dangerous or hurtful person back out on the streets.”

“If you’re not happy as a defense attorney, why not change your specialty?”

“I like defending people in court. I’ve just stopped taking high-profile, complex cases. Though lucrative, they suck up a lot of time and take a toll on my life.”

“All work and no play,” she guessed, finding common ground with Luke.

“If I wasn’t in the office or court, I was barely getting any sleep at home before I went back to the office. When I made time for personal relationships . . . they fizzled out or ended badly because of my overscheduled life. I burned out at work and in life. My parents owned this place before I took it over. When I was young, we spent summers here, riding horses, camping, fishing, and hiking. Then the place mostly sat empty for years. I took it over and turned it into a working ranch. I loved this place. Still do. I’ve lived here the past three years.”

“It suits you.” She’d seen it in the way he loved his horses like they were his children.

A horse nickered and kicked at a stall gate.

“That’s Ace,” Luke said. “He must want to see you, too.”

She bent and rubbed Nick’s back as he giggled at Tiger, who had flopped down between his legs on his back and held Nick’s hand to his belly while Nick petted him. “I’ll be right down there.” She pointed to the last stall.