by Em Petrova
True. She had his interest piqued.
“Besides, I know all about health, breeding, nutrition, reproduction, selection, marketing and handling.”
She sounded like a walking university brochure for the latest beef cattle business management program. “So you got your smarts from Texas A&M,” he said.
Looking around, he realized the airport was still loud and busy but everyone except Ryan Hunter had faded to the background.
“No, I learned everything I know from my daddy.”
Ah. She was a spoiled rancher’s daughter out to prove her worth. Probably a whim until she found Mr. Deep Pockets who would put her on his big ranch and take care of her.
Kade hooked a thumb in his pocket. “Look, I don’t want to insult you.”
“You are right now.” Her sassy tone infused him with heat—and every hint of it was too low in his body to be called his stomach.
“We bust our asses on our ranch, lady, and I’m not sure you’re cut out—”
“What I am is a damn good cowboy.”
“Cowgirl,” he corrected, aware of the obvious. Oh yes, very aware.
She waved a hand again, and his irritation swelled—or was that another body part? He shook himself. He’d definitely been without a female for too long.
She pushed out a sigh, picked up her suitcase and started walking away—striding quickly for the exit. He watched for a second, noting the lines of her calves and how the shafts of her boots gapped enough to fit his index finger in and feel the roundness of her muscle.
He bolted into action and caught up to her quickly. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To find your truck.”
“You don’t know what it looks like.”
“I didn’t know what you looked like either, yet I still found you.” She whirled on him, eyes seeming to swim with sparks of gold and amber. “Your family is expecting me. Depending on me to show up. Do you need help or not?” When she placed her hands on her delectable hips, he choked off a groan.
What was he to do with her? Hank had obviously believed Ryan Hunter suited their situation, woman or not. Kade eyed her. She eyed him right back.
Pushing out a sigh, he said, “Fine. Follow me.” He strode through the exit into the oppressive humidity of Texas—in time to see the flashing lights of the airport police near his truck.
* * * * *
Ryan could barely contain her cackle of laughter when Kade got a pricey fine for parking his jalopy in a forbidden zone. With a scowl the size of Texas, he pocketed the ticket. Then he made a grab for her suitcase.
She held onto the handle. “I got it.”
“I’m going to put it in the back.”
“I got it,” she insisted.
With narrowed eyes, he watched her toss her luggage into the bed of his truck. As he got behind the wheel, she had a glimpse of his strong back and tense shoulders. When he yanked his leg inside, it was impossible not to notice the denim-clad bulge of thigh muscle.
She circled the truck and got into the passenger seat. “Nice truck. ’82?”
He shot her a look. Not any look—the look. The one most men rewarded her with when she’d one-upped them with her knowledge. “Yeah, I know a little about trucks. Also tractors and most ATVs, though some of the new ones have electrical systems I haven’t figured out yet.”
“Well, most of our equipment is old.”
“Good. I won’t have a problem then.” She wiggled her back against the old vinyl seat and fastened her seatbelt. He started the truck and shot into traffic, guiding them between an SUV and a small car. “You’re not totally a country boy, are you?”
His hands flexed on the steering wheel. Long, tapered fingers, tanned by the sun. Black hairs spattered the backs and his right hand bore a few healing cuts. “I’m all country. But I’m not a boy.”
No, he was definitely a man. Six feet of strong, muscled cowboy with dark hair and blazing blue eyes. She’d seen his type before, though. By the way he’d been distracted by her breasts, she gave him twenty-four hours before the good manners his momma had tried to drill into him flew out the window and he hit on her.
She crossed her legs and caught him looking. I take that back. Twelve hours.
“For a country boy, you’re good at driving in traffic.”
Were those his teeth grinding she heard? Blue fire flashed when he fixed her in his gaze. “I’m not some addle-brained cowboy who never sees anything but fields and the back end of cattle. I know how to drive.”
“I see that.” Her half compliment seemed to soothe him a little. Yes, he was definitely male—if her brain and body hadn’t already recognized the fact. From the tips of his dusty boots to his worn Wranglers and all the way to the hard set of his jaw, he was manly as hell.
Even the shadow of dark hair sprouting around his mouth reminded her. Hell, what was she thinking? Ogling a man who she’d be working with day in and out wasn’t something she ever did. She wasn’t about to start now.
She looked out the window.
“Where are you from?”
She glanced back to him. “Don’t you know anything about me?”
“I know you’re not male.” The way he said that, his tone so deep and gravelly, made her think his stare had fixed on her breasts like a dog in a butcher’s shop.
“I’m from north Texas. The Sky Ranch?” Throwing out the name of her father’s legacy had the desired effect. Kade’s eyes widened, revealing impossibly thick lashes for a man.
He whistled through his teeth. “Big spread. How many acres?”
“Stretches across two counties.”
He nodded, his focus on the traffic again as he navigated them out of the worst of it and onto a stretch of highway. He seemed to relax, his grip easing on the wheel. He dropped one hand to his thigh, where it lay with fingers curled up. Each tip was more callused than the last and he had a thickening across his palm from rope.
She rubbed her right hand, where her own rope callus lived.
“How is it my brother didn’t know you’re a woman?” His accusatory tone matched the expression in his dark blue eyes.
She’d come prepared for this answer, but all her rehearsed words flew out her ear. “We corresponded via email. He only needed my name and credentials.”
He arched a brow. “Never met a girl named Ryan before.”
“Lots of girls have boy names.” Especially when your pa wanted an army of boys to take over the ranch. A ranch that wouldn’t be in their family at all, thanks to their mom. Her brothers weren’t as upset as Ryan was, though. They were spread across Texas with their own homes or working for other ranchers. No, only Ryan’s world had collapsed with the signing of those papers.
“We’ll see how qualified you are when we get to the ranch.”
“Do you plan to put me through some drills?”
“Yeah, I do.” He sucked his teeth. In anyone else, the action would be annoying, but the flash of pearly whites made her uneasy in brand new ways.
She straightened her shoulders. “I can hold my own.”
“I hope you do. Otherwise, I’ll be driving you back to the airport.”
Raising her chin a notch, she watched the miles fly by. What had she really gotten herself into? The Paradise Valley Ranch had seemed like a good fit for her—at least onscreen. Now she wasn’t so sure. The chemistry between her and this Dalton son was off. Working with people she didn’t like would make her situation unbearable.
“Your family’s worked your ranch alone for decades. Why do you need help now? Has your father finally lowered his bones into the rocking chair?” she asked.
He gave her a look bordering on amused. Hooded eyes and a tilt to those hard lips. “Nah, Pa’s going strong. Other reasons.”
When he didn’t expand on those, she cleared her throat.
Irritation was back on his face. Maybe she chafed him as much as he abraded her. Good. Suddenly she had a childish urge to annoy the hell out of him.
&
nbsp; “My brothers got married,” he said.
She waited for more. When nothing came, she waved a hand. His gaze latched onto it until she settled it back in her lap. His flicked his attention back to the road. “And they can’t handle the ranching?”
“Harder now with them on their own plots of land. They’re bringing in more cattle, and we’re stretched too thin. We can’t move them easily even with one other cowpoke.”
She nodded. “So the ranch is divided among you?”
He shook his head. “Not among us. Among my brothers.”
Judging by his tone, she shouldn’t ask further questions. But she burned to. Why would he be left out of the agreement? Maybe he was an outcast or a love child. Her brain pounced on that and for the next half hour she contemplated the dynamics within the Dalton family.
As they entered a small, charming town with a single blinker light, she sat up and swung her head right and left to see the businesses.
“This is Vixen, tiniest town in the west.”
“Doesn’t look so tiny.”
“If you blink, you’ll miss it. But there’s a general store and sometimes they even have what you need.”
“Oh, this is the closest town to the ranch then?”
He cast her a sidelong look before making a right turn. A book on the dash slid and shot off. She reached to catch it and so did he. Their hands collided. The book tumbled to the floor, face up to reveal the title.
Cold Fusion Power.
She grabbed the book and turned it over to see that yes, it was a book on nuclear power. What need did a cowboy have for such information? “Is this yours?”
“Yeah. Now you know my darkest secret. I always dreamed of becoming a scientist, but I put in twelve to fourteen hour days—sometimes more if it’s calving season—on my family’s ranch.”
“You don’t like your job.” It wasn’t a question.
The dark look he gave her melted her to the seat. She wouldn’t be surprised to get out and turn into a puddle. “I love my job. Nothing better on earth. But not today.”
They took off down a narrow highway leading deeper into the countryside. “Why not?”
“Today I get to deliver a female cowpoke to my father and brothers. Then I have to train her up. Not to mention find her a place to sleep.” At the mention of sleep, his gaze roved over her form again. Damn, he really was a pig like most men, but her body reacted with a hollow ache of awareness.
Next time she applied for a job as a ranch hand, she should probably mention her sex.
* * * * *
When Kade hit the dirt road leading to the ranch, he slowed—barely. With each mile he drove and every inch the sun slipped down the sky, he’d gotten madder. Damn Hank for saddling him with a woman who wouldn’t be able to keep up. Sure, she might be good on horseback, but she didn’t have the muscle to complete most of the tasks around here.
At the Y in the road, he took the right branch leading to Hank’s place. Ryan bounced in the seat, and Kade clenched his jaw at the sight of her breasts jiggling. Hell, how was he supposed to keep a level head when he hadn’t had a woman in almost a year and there was a ripe one beside him?
The new ranch house came into view and he guided the truck up to the front, stopping on a dirt patch next to Hank’s truck.
Kade looked at Ryan. “Stay here. I need to have a word with my brother.” As he jumped out and stormed up to the house, he fought for calm. Usually Hank was the easygoing brother, but after their group tussle, he wasn’t sure how he’d react to Kade getting in his face.
He pounded on the door. When nobody answered immediately, he threw it open and went inside. The dog ran out, tail a flag in the air. “Hank!”
Charlotte emerged from another room with their toddler in tow. “Kade. Is something wrong?” Concern flashed in her big eyes.
“I need to talk to Hank. I know he’s here.”
“He’s just getting out of his work clothes. What’s going on?”
Hank Jr. crawled up on a barstool and picked up some silverware, which he proceeded to beat on the countertop to a rhythm that wasn’t half bad.
Charlotte eyed Kade and the dog came back and circled his legs, trying to herd him. Kade wasn’t budging until his brother listened to him, though.
When Hank came out with hair wet from a shower and wearing only jeans, he stared at Kade. “What’s happened? Is it Momma?”
Shock tore through him. “What? No. Why would you think it’s Momma?”
Relief etched itself on the lines around Hank’s mouth. “She’s going to the doctor in the city next week. Charlotte’s driving her. I just thought—”
“Well, what’s the matter with her?”
Charlotte’s lips tightened and she grabbed the spoon and fork from Hank Jr. to stop the racket. “Some chest pain, I guess.”
Kade’s own heart did a wild flop and he gaped between husband and wife. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know about this?”
“You’re the only one who does, Kade.” Charlotte gave her son a cracker, and he chomped it down in one huge bite. If Kade wasn’t feeling sick from the news that his mother was having chest pain, he would laugh at the boy.
“Why are you here?” Hank reminded him.
Fresh irritation snagged at Kade like thorns on a bush. He pointed at the door and the woman outside in his truck. “I just picked up the new ranch hand from the airport. Did you know he’s a she?”
The room went silent. The dog came back to Kade and whined.
Suddenly Charlotte gathered her wits. “Ryan Hunter’s a woman?”
“See for yourself.”
“You left her in the truck? What kind of hospitality is that, Kade?” She bustled to the door and stepped onto the porch.
Hank and Kade followed, along with Hank Jr. and the dog. Ryan hadn’t stayed put—she was outside the truck, bent over petting a ranch dog. Another shock ripped through Kade. Damn, she was pretty. But she belonged in an air-conditioned office getting a manicure on her lunch hour, not tossing hay bales.
She did throw her suitcase with no effort.
Hank caught him looking at Ryan, and Kade shifted his gaze away.
Charlotte walked up to the redhead wearing a genuine smile. “I’m Charlotte Dalton. Welcome to the ranch.”
Ryan straightened and tipped her hat back to greet Charlotte. Kade stood beside his brother, feeling like a dick for telling her not to get out of the truck. But he’d thought to have a few words with his brother and then take Ryan directly back to the airport.
When Charlotte brought Ryan up to the porch, Kade knew his agenda was down the drain. Sitting on a Dalton’s porch forged bonds, and he could already see a friendship forming between Hank’s wife and the new ranch hand.
“I’ll bet you’re thirsty after traveling. I’ll fetch some sweet tea. Hank Jr., would you like to help me?”
Dammit, not the sweet tea. The kiss of death. Ryan was never leaving now.
Hank Jr. nodded so hard his dark hair flopped into his Dalton eyes and they disappeared into the house.
Hank stepped up to Ryan. “So you’re the new ranch hand.”
“Yes, I’m here and ready to prove myself.” She shook Hank’s hand and Kade had a powerful need to knock their hands apart.
He concentrated on his problem with this particular person joining their crew. Namely because he didn’t think he could work with such a sexy little cowgirl. “I’m going to work her hard in the morning.”
“I’m ready.” She looked him boldly in the eyes. The last of the sunlight played in them, revealing a striking shade of green. Wait—weren’t her eyes brown?
“Thanks for making the trip. You have great experience on the Sky Ranch,” Hank said.
Did Hank know it was her daddy’s ranch? That she’d probably fed the chickens and mucked out a horse stall now and then?
Kade shifted his boots on the floorboards and waited for Hank to come to this conclusion too.
“I hope to be an asset to you
. What a beautiful spread you’ve got.” Ryan scanned the valley that stretched for miles. Several houses and outbuildings broke up the lush fields.
“We call it home,” Hank said and turned as his wife appeared with a tray of tea. Hank and Charlotte settled on a bench with their son between them.
Ryan accepted a glass and sank to the edge of an Adirondack chair. She looked right at the wiggling little boy. “Did you help your momma make this sweet tea?”
He bobbed his head. “Danny can’t help yet. He’s just a baby.”
Ryan smiled and Charlotte explained their youngest son had been up all night teething and was out for the count early.
More conversation ensued. Kade downed his tea in a few gulps and slammed the glass back on the tray. The group looked up at him, but he paced out into the yard, unable to listen to any more. It was bad enough hearing more family crap, but nobody cared Ryan wasn’t going to hold her own. Kade was sharing his wages with a woman who’d work out better in the kitchen.
Thoughts of the kitchen reminded him about his mother’s troubles and that only made him antsier. He paced. The dogs tracked with him until Kade barked an order for them to lie down.
Ryan looked up at his command, and Kade swore he could count her goddamn cute little freckles. He jerked his chin at her. “You finished with your refreshment? We got stuff to do.” With that, he climbed into his truck.
She took her time following, placing her glass on the tray, thanking Charlotte and saying something to Hank that made him laugh. Then she bent to speak to Hank Jr. She patted his head and when she pulled her hand free, she had a peppermint in it. The boy took it with an ear-splitting grin. And finally—finally—Ryan came to the truck.
Kade revved the engine and backed out haphazardly. She didn’t compliment him on his country driving skills. By the time she’d met his parents and Manny, Kade’s teeth were on edge. A constant snarl threatened to erupt from him, but somehow he held it together.