He grinned when she bounced up on her tiptoes a few times, clapped, and grinned.
"We're going on a picnic?"
"Yes, we are."
"I've never been to a picnic."
Darian and Ella shared a look.
"This will be the first of many."
Larkin wrapped her arms around him. "I love the idea."
"Well, let's go. I want to show you around."
Chapter Ten
Darian set the cooler and blanket he'd grabbed in the back of the small four-wheeled vehicle called a Gator that the employees drove around the large acreage.
He made sure Larkin's seatbelt was snapped and tightened. He started the small vehicle and drove across his land, smiling at her when she squealed. "Have you ever ridden in one of these before?"
Larkin grinned and shook her head. "No, never. It's fun."
"Would you like to drive it?"
She shook her head. "I don't have a driver's license."
"Do you want one?"
Larkin bit her lip and glanced at him. "No, not really. I'm afraid to drive. I get distracted easily."
He reached for her hand and squeezed. "That's fine by me. I'd worry about you all the time if you drove, so either me or Hicks will drive you where you need to go."
"I can take the bus. That's what I usually do, and I'm getting pretty good at it."
Darian slowed to a stop and turned to her. The way she said it worried him. "What do you mean, getting?"
"I still get lost, but not like I used to."
He gritted his teeth. "Never again, sweetheart. You will never ride a bus again."
"You can't do that. I have to have a way to work, the store, and my friends."
Darian's lips thinned. "We have a lot to talk about. Let's finish the tour and then we'll have our picnic down by the lake. There's a gazebo down there that's very comfortable."
He pulled up to the stables and got off the Gator. Then he came around to her side, unsnapped Larkin, and took her hand. "Have you ever petted a horse before?"
She shook her head. "I've always lived in the city. The only horses I've seen are the policemen's, and they are so big, they scare me."
"I'll introduce you to a sweet mare. I think you two will hit it off."
"You really think she'll like me?" Larkin asked.
Darian cupped her face in his hands. "I can't see anyone not liking you. You're incredibly sweet."
"I don't think a lot of people know what to think about me. I've been called weird, a loser, a baby, and retar—"
"Don't say that word again," he advised her gruffly. "Not only is it extremely politically incorrect, I really dislike it, and it doesn't pertain to you at all. You're a bright, beautiful young woman who will enjoy putting herself into my hands to take care of."