“This is the old bunkhouse,” she said. “I’m about to start refurbing it as a guest cabin, but at the moment it’s mostly empty.”
He supposed that any brothers or a husband lived in the main house with her. Although what caring husband would let his wife drive a disaster on wheels like that truck?
She tossed him a key ring and nodded toward the door. “You can get a hot shower, dry off. There’s a microwave and a few cans of soup in the cabinet. Before you tell me I’m naive and that you might be a master burglar, let me assure you there’s nothing to steal. I doubt you could get thirty bucks on Craigslist for the twin bed and microwave combined.”
He unlocked the door, noting how she kept a casual but unmistakable distance. Once he’d flipped the light switch, he saw that she was right about the lack of luxuries. The “carpet” was the kind of multipurpose indoor/outdoor covering used more in screened patios than homes. There was enough space for three or four beds, but only one was pushed against the wall. At one end of the long, rectangular interior was a minifridge and microwave, at the other a bathroom. Aside from a couple of truly ugly paintings of cows, the place was barren.
He stopped in the center of the room, raising an eyebrow. “The minifridge brings up my Craigslist asking price to thirty-five.”
She gave a sharp laugh, abruptly stifled. “Sorry the accommodations aren’t classier. The ranch is...in a rebuilding phase.”
The note of genuine embarrassment in her voice made him uneasy. “It’s plenty classy. I’ve slept on the ground during cattle drives and in horse stalls on more than one occasion.” By slept, he meant tossing and turning, trying to avoid nightmares of everything he’d lost.
Those hazel eyes locked on him, her expression inexplicably intense. “You work with livestock!”
Isn’t that what he’d just said? “As often as I can.” He preferred animals to people. “Sometimes I do other odd jobs, too. I was headed into Bingham Pass to get more information about a local employment opportunity.”
“Then you haven’t already committed to it?” A smile spread across her face, revealing two dimples. “Because, as it happens, I’m hiring.” She stepped forward, extending her hand. The oversize jacket parted, revealing a still damp but not entirely transparent blouse. Thank God.
“I’m Hannah.”
Hannah, Hazel. He’d been close.
“Hannah Shaw,” she elaborated when he said nothing. “Owner of the Silver Linings Ranch.”
Foreboding cramped low in his belly. Paralyzed, he neglected to shake her hand. “Not the Widow Shaw?” The one who baked cakes and harbored delusions of being a rancher?
She frowned. “People still call me that?”
Crap. It was her. He’d imagined Mrs. Shaw would be a temporary solution to his problems, but now, meeting her earnest gaze, his instincts murmured that she posed far more threat to his safety than any rifle-wielding jealous husband.
Chapter Two
“You know I’m rooting for you, but—”
“No buts, Annette.” Hannah secured the phone between her ear and shoulder, needing both hands to separate the yolk from the egg white. “This is the answer to my prayers! Think about it—I’ve been scouring the county for a halfway-competent ranch hand, and one rides to my rescue on a rainy Wednesday evening? It’s destiny.”
Or, at least, proof that her positive thinking was finally—finally!—paying off. She executed a happy twirl, narrowly missing the antique buffet that served as a kitchen island. Though she’d been too excited to eat dinner after she’d showered off the road grime and changed into dry clothes, she was busy mixing a thank-you batch of devil’s food cupcakes for Annette.
Over the past three months, Annette Reed had become like a big sister. Annette and her husband were trying to have kids; meanwhile they doted on Evan, helping create the extended family he’d never had. Annette was a blessing in their lives, even if she was slow to embrace Hannah’s “bright side” philosophy. The other woman didn’t fully understand that the determined optimism was the only thing that had kept Hannah going during the bleakest period of her life, that Hannah owed it to her son to prove good things could happen if you worked hard enough.
“Sweetie, please be careful,” Annette entreated. “You wouldn’t be the first woman in the world to get in trouble because she confused a hot guy on a motorcycle with destiny.”
“Hot guy?” Hannah froze, glancing out the window into the dark, as if making sure Colin Cade couldn’t overhear them. Which was insane since he was a quarter of a mile away, and she was locked into her house with a watchdog for company. “I never said he was hot.”
“Not in so many words, but it was in your tone. What’s he look like?”
Dark, with that shaggy, rich brown hair and unshaven jaw. Chiseled. And she didn’t just mean the muscles outlined beneath his T-shirt. His features, though striking, looked as if they’d been carved from stone. Had the man ever smiled in his life? Not that it matters. Being charming wasn’t a job requirement. She needed someone efficient and unflinching in the face of setbacks.
“He has blue eyes,” she said noncommittally. Light blue with a hint of green. “And he’s tall.”
Her friend guffawed. “Next to you, sweetie, everyone’s tall.”
She ignored the crack about her height. “Annette, this isn’t me getting my hopes up for no reason. The guy came here specifically looking for me, looking for this ranch.” Granted, Colin had seemed more shell-shocked than enthusiastic when he’d realized he found her. “An old friend of Colin’s told him I was hiring and he wanted more information.” She’d kept her answers in the bunkhouse brief and cheerful, barely mentioning Henry White, the well-intentioned, semiretired ranch hand who came by at least twice a week.
“Did you tell him the truth?”
“More or less,” she said, hearing the defensive note in her tone. “I mean, I didn’t volunteer that today was my fifth bank meeting and that I got turned down again. I said that I’d inherited a family ranch, have plans to turn it into a cross between a small dude ranch and bed-and-breakfast but have yet to put together a staff.” Unless one counted seventy-year-old Henry and his wife, Kitty. “I invited him to the main house for breakfast so we can discuss details. I’m making my homemade coffee cake.”
“Ah. Pulling out the big guns, then.”
Hell, yes.
As far back as Hannah could remember, she’d always had a plan. Her first one had been Get Adopted. That one had never worked out, but years later, for one shining moment in time, her marriage had made her part of a family. Eyes stinging, she batted away the memories and focused on the present. Current plan: rehabilitate the ranch that had been in her late husband’s family, build it into a legacy for her son. And to do that, she needed Colin Cade.
She was a persistent woman looking to hire help, and he was a man with ranch experience who needed a job. A match made in heaven! How hard could it possibly be to convince him to stay?
* * *
“GOOD MORNING!”
Colin hesitated on the bottom step of the wraparound porch, momentarily stunned by Hannah’s brilliant smile. And bright yellow peasant blouse. She would be murder on a man with a hangover.
As he’d mulled over the circumstances last night, he’d tried to keep thinking of her as the Widow Shaw, but he couldn’t reconcile that moniker with the woman who’d stepped outside of the two-story house to meet him. She looked as fresh as a spring morning with her feet bare, revealing hot-pink toenails, and her inky hair pulled high in a ponytail. If it hadn’t been for the jeans she wore and the pair of muddy boots sitting on the porch, he would seriously question whether she actually owned this place.
Behind her, on the other side of the screen door, an unseen dog scrabbled against the metal lower half and barked. Hannah shushed the canine over her shoulder, then flashed an
other sun-bright beam in Colin’s direction. “Don’t worry, Scarlett doesn’t bite. Come on in—breakfast is ready and waiting.”
Even from outside the house, the food smelled too enticing, making his stomach growl in anticipation. He was reminded of the fairy tale he used to read his younger sister. Hansel and Gretel. Hannah’s house might not be made out of candy, but temptation was present just the same.
Then again, she had a job to offer him. It was imperative that Colin stay busy. He needed physically draining, sunup-to-sundown work.
Resigned, he followed her through the front door. “Holy sh—” He broke off, manners belatedly overcoming his shock. “That’s...some dog.”
Hannah knelt down, patting the dog’s head. “Meet Scarlett.”
Yesterday, Colin had thought Hannah’s truck an eyesore. Next to the dog, it was a luxury sedan. He’d seen “patchwork” mutts before with traits from different breeds that looked a little mismatched. Scarlett went beyond mixed-breed. She was FrankenDog. It was as if someone had placed a disproportionately large German shepherd head on a squat body—not an attractive head, either. The dog had a comically pronounced underbite and her ears weren’t parallel. One black ear stood up atop her head, as was common with shepherds, and the other seemed to stick straight out of the side of her skull. What were the legs, basset hound? Her red-and-white coat couldn’t decide whether it was supposed to be curly or straight, and her tail was a brindle-colored whip that didn’t match anything else on her. He assumed her neck bolts were hidden beneath the bright blue collar.
“Scarlett,” he echoed. He would’ve gone with “Hellhound,” although that did imply a creature weighing more than forty pounds.
Hearing her name, the dog whined and smacked him with her wagging tail.
“She likes you. That’s a good sign,” Hannah declared as she stood, leading him through a spacious living room with a stone fireplace. He got a glimpse of a back hallway and a set of stairs, but she led him past that and into the kitchen. “I’m not a superstitious person, but everything about our meeting has been so lucky.”
He kept his response to a vague grunt she could take either way. It was probably best not to argue with a potential employer, but mountainside storms and mutant dogs didn’t strike him as auspicious omens.
“Hope you’re hungry. I love to cook. Before I came here, I was a pastry chef.”
“Big change.”
“True, but I’d been studying ranches for years. Running this place was always the plan. Besides, I couldn’t have stayed at my last job much longer.” She scowled. “My boss—never mind. We should be eating,” she chirped.
He was reluctantly fascinated by her total about-face. It was as though she’d flipped a switch. One moment, she’d clearly been remembering something unpleasant, anger seeping into her tone, then, boom, she was back to beaming like a lottery winner.
Maybe she was schizophrenic.
Aware that he was on the verge of staring, he looked away. In appearance, Hannah’s kitchen wasn’t much fancier than the bunkhouse. Chairs at the oblong table were mismatched, and the countertops bore stains and scratches. Faded wallpaper covered the spaces between appliances but had been scraped off the main wall, which was bare. However, the bounty on the island more than compensated for the modest surroundings. Crisp bacon; eggs scrambled with cheese, peppers and sausage; a bowl of fruit salad; piping-hot coffee; and a cake so moist it looked like the cover photo of some food magazine. His mind darted back to the Hansel and Gretel story and the witch who fattened up her prey.
He slanted Hannah an assessing look. “You got any ulterior motives I should know about?”
“Wh-what? You mean, like the old saw about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach? Because I am not interested in you! Not like that.”
She sounded so vehement that he experienced a jolt of surprise. Maybe he was a few weeks—months?—overdue for a haircut, but he wasn’t repulsive.
“I just wanted to make a good impression,” she said. “I don’t cook like this every morning, of course. Too many chores to be done. Although, we do splurge once a week, for Sunday breakfasts.”
We? So far, he hadn’t seen evidence of another person on this ranch.
Handing him a plate edged in feminine purple flowers, she nodded toward the food. “Dig in while the eggs are still warm. I’d love to discuss your references. Then after breakfast, I can give you a tour—”
She was cut off by Scarlett’s frantic barking. The house rattled as the front door swung open with gale force. Hannah turned, an automatic smile blossoming as a child’s voice hollered, “Mommy!” Then a little boy with a curly mop of hair nearly as dark as Hannah’s skidded around the corner, launching himself at her in an exuberant hug.
Colin’s heart clenched. The same delicious aromas that had been making his mouth water now turned his stomach. Nausea and memories boiled up inside him. Physically, the dark-eyed little boy didn’t bear any resemblance to Danny, but he looked about the same age Danny would have—
“I have to get out of here.” Addressing his words to no one in particular, he dropped his plate on the counter and strode toward the living room.
Colin’s nerves had held steady while working with numerous wild-eyed horses too scared to realize he was trying to help; hell, he’d kept his cool during a stampede. But there were limits to his bravery. He couldn’t be around kids.
He’d never taken a job where young children lived, and the Silver Linings Ranch would be no exception.
* * *
WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Hannah was so stunned by Colin’s announcement that it took her a moment to process his abrupt exit. This wasn’t the first time someone had turned down her job offer, but none of the other candidates had actually bolted. She’d hit a new low in the interview process. “Wait!”
Gently disentangling herself from her son’s sticky hug—was that jam on his fingers?—Hannah sprinted after Colin. And drew up short to avoid smacking into him. He, in turn, had apparently halted to avoid running over a startled Annette.
The blonde’s mouth had fallen open in a perfect O, making her look like a comic strip character. “Um, hi?” Her eyes darted to Hannah. “Sorry, I...forgot you had a breakfast meeting.”
Fat chance. Given the concern Annette had expressed over a stranger spending the night, Hannah wasn’t surprised her friend had come over first thing to check on her. At least Annette hadn’t dragged her husband, Todd, along. No doubt Annette had plenty of questions about why the man who should be sitting comfortably at the table listing his credentials had almost mowed her over.
Hannah stepped forward to make introductions—which just so happened to strategically place her between Colin and the front door. “Colin, meet Annette. She’s here to drop off Evan and pick up some cupcakes. They’re really good, if I do say so myself.” Deep down, she hoped that if she kept talking, he couldn’t leave. He might be gruff, but surely he wasn’t brusque enough to walk out midconversation? “Annette, this is Colin Cade. We were about to eat and discuss Colin’s previous ranch experience.”
“No, we weren’t,” he said firmly. He gave a curt nod in Annette’s direction. “Ma’am.”
Annette raised a pale eyebrow. “Don’t let me interrupt.”
He shook his head, already moving toward the door again. Something in his demeanor suggested he would pick up Hannah and remove her bodily from his path if necessary. “Nothing to interrupt. I was on my way out.” He opened the screen door, letting it clatter shut behind him.
Gesturing toward the kitchen in an all-purpose indication that Annette should help herself to the food and please keep an eye on Evan, Hannah followed. Was it her son’s appearance that had sent Colin fleeing, or had she been too manic in her perky approach? One of her favorite high school teachers had always said that enthusiasm was contagious, but that didn’t
seem to be the case with Colin. Maybe she should dial it back a notch.
His much longer legs gave him the advantage. He was already down in the yard, but she wasn’t too proud to jog down the porch steps.
“Wait, Colin, I—” Crack.
The board under her gave way, and Hannah gasped as her foot went through the fissure at a wrong angle. Suddenly, he was at her side, his hands warm on her hips as he lifted her. For a big man, he moved surprisingly fast.
“You’re hurt.” Putting his arms around her, he lifted her vertically so she wouldn’t have to navigate the steps and lowered her onto the porch. Tingles of awareness erupted like goose bumps across her skin. It had been eternities since she’d been that close to a man.
“Twisted my ankle,” she said breathlessly, “but it’s nothing ice and ibuprofen won’t fix.”
He glowered, those blue eyes stormy. “You seem to have some strange ideas about what’s fixable. Your truck’s a pile of scrap metal, and you live in a house that’s rotting out from under you.”
“It is not.” Annoyed, she shoved away from him, not even caring that she had to hobble to do so. “I’ll admit the steps need replacing—all the rain hasn’t helped. Maybe some of the railing is a little loose, too. But I made sure the main house was structurally sound before I moved my son here.”
At the mention of Evan, Colin’s gaze skittered behind her, as if she’d reminded him that there was a nuclear warhead inside rather than a four-year-old boy.
“Wow. You really don’t like kids, do you?”
He blanched, but didn’t answer.
Admitting defeat, Hannah shook her head sadly. She was stubborn, not delusional. “Thank you for changing my tire yesterday. Safe journeys wherever you’re headed next.”
Trying to keep her weight off the throbbing ankle, she pivoted toward the door. With a sound of strangled frustration, Colin clamped his fingers around her upper arm.
Her Cowboy Hero (The Colorado Cades) Page 2