Nora sucked in her breath as she watched the tall cowboy saunter off the porch and head back her way. She loved the sleek cut of slacks and a dress shirt on a man and never imagined being drawn to the rugged look of jeans and cowboy boots—but holy hot cowboy, did Cade Callahan ever know how to wear a pair of jeans. Whew. The fabric of his T-shirt stretched across his broad chest and muscled forearms. His skin was tanned, and she could see the touches of sun in his sandy-brown hair just visible under his Stetson.
She was going to kill Elle. When her old college friend had called and asked her if she’d be willing to spend a few weeks at a ranch in the mountains helping a teenage girl with physical therapy, she’d specifically asked about the teenager’s dad, and all Elle had said was that he was salty and crotchety. Salty? Ha! Cade was more like pepper and Sriracha sauce blended together in one hot mix of muscles and roguish good looks.
Dang—she was in trouble here.
Stop it. She was here to do a job. To help a teenage girl. And from the looks of Allie and the brief interaction she’d witnessed between the father and daughter, she’d have her work cut out for her. Which meant she needed to stop drooling over the hunky dad with the roguish grin.
She’d been leaning on the fence watching the horses, from a safe and reasonable distance away, and Cade stopped and let out a sigh as he propped his elbows on the fence next to her. “You sure you’re ready for this?”
“This?” Which this? Spending four to six weeks in the middle of the Colorado mountains trying to help a traumatized teenage girl regain her strength? Or spending four to six weeks in the company of a man who made her pulse race and her head a little dizzy just by standing next to her?
He leaned back and spread his arm out to encompass the ranch. “All of this. Being in the country and on a farm and spending every day trying to convince a stubborn thirteen-year-old to do some exercises?”
Oh. This. The farm and Allie. Of course that’s what he meant. Get a grip, girl. She smiled up at him. “Yes, I’m excited for the challenge.”
He grinned as his gaze traveled to her footwear. “I think the first challenge is trying to navigate the ruts in this dirt driveway in those fancy boots. They’re not exactly made for the country.”
“You’re right. But they’re my best pair.” She lifted one shoulder. “I was trying to make a good impression.”
“Nobody around here you need to impress. Just the fact you showed up and agreed to help is impressive enough. And bringing that knee scooter was a stroke of genius. That’s gonna be a real lifesaver.”
“I’m glad. I figured with her injuries, it would really help.”
“You have no idea. Just trying to get her out of the truck and the few steps to the fence, I could tell that crutch idea was going to be a mess. And she’s so dang stubborn, she’s determined to not let me help her.”
She offered him a grin. “Is that stubbornness a family trait?”
He chuckled. “I guess. Considering I’m planning to outstubborn her at every turn and not let her know she’s getting to me, it probably is.” His expression changed to wistful as he knocked the dust off the side of his cowboy boot by kicking it against the bottom of the fence post. “I don’t know how much Elle told you, but I haven’t really been in Allie’s life much, and we haven’t lived in the same house since she was five.”
“She just said that Allie had been primarily living with her mother. Elle’s a good friend and wouldn’t betray your confidence.”
“I hope you still think she’s a good friend after you’ve been here a few days. I’m still in awe that you gave up your whole life to come here and help us.”
“It’s not currently that great of a life,” she muttered. “Although let’s wait until we get to know each other better before we swap life stories. I want you to hold on to that great impression you have of me, despite my poor choice of footwear.” She was sure there was plenty more to his story, but if he didn’t want to talk about his mistakes, it saved her from having to share hers.
He gestured to the car. “Why don’t we get your stuff in and get you settled, then?”
“Thanks. That would be great.” She popped the hatch as they walked to her car. She hadn’t meant to bring much but her mother had insisted on packing her pillows, her favorite throw blanket, and some extra groceries. She peered in at the hodgepodge of two suitcases, a box of books, a tub of therapy equipment, and the Keurig she had taken from her ex-fiancé’s fancy apartment when they broke up. She’d bought it for him as a moving-in-together gift and probably should have left it behind. But why should she miss out on great coffee just because Geoff was an idiot?
The thought of Dr. Geoffrey Aaron sobered her swoony thoughts right out of her head. She did not need or want another man in her life. She had a job to do, and that’s where her focus needed to lie. Pushing the bags of groceries to the side, she grabbed the stack of pillows from on top of the suitcases. But the corner of one of the cases must have gotten stuck under the box because the pillow wouldn’t budge. She pulled harder, trying to yank it free.
It gave way with a sudden jerk, and she stumbled backward, right into the solid arms of the cowboy she was trying to convince herself not to think about.
“Whoa there. You all right?” he asked, peering down at her. His big hands were wrapped securely around her waist as her shoulders rested against his firm chest. He felt so good, so solid, she wanted to melt into him.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she breathed, all of her senses laser-focused on the heat of his hands as they held her waist. What the heck happened to her voice? She swallowed, her throat making a funny click as she extricated herself from his grip. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem,” he said, grinning down at her. “You can fall for me anytime.” His grin faltered. “I mean fall on me.” He ducked his head and reached into the car to grab the suitcases. “I’m gonna shut up now and just carry these bags in for you.”
She couldn’t help grinning as she reached for more stuff. Filling her arms, she followed him across the driveway and up the few steps to the porch of the bunkhouse, trying not to think about how great his butt looked in those jeans.
For all her worries, the dwelling wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. The wood of the building was weathered, but it looked like a log cabin with thick log posts supporting the roof and encasing a long front porch. Colorful pink trumpet flowers overflowed antique galvanized steel buckets on either side of the porch and a blue-and-white blanket rested over the back of an old glider sofa. An orange-and-white cat eyed them from the corner of the glider, stretching out one paw to rest on the navy blue cushion and adding to the cozy feeling of the place.
How could she complain about a log cabin on a ranch that came complete with cozy furniture, a cute cowboy, and a cat?
Two screen doors sat next to each other, and Cade set down one of her suitcases to open the door on the left. “It’s not much,” he said. “But it’s a heck of a lot better than it was. I’ve been fixing up both of these spaces for the last few months.”
He held open the screen, and she stepped through the door and into her new home.
She let out a tiny gasp, surprised and a little delighted, at the interior. “Wow. I love it.”
The space was small but functional, and she noted several more homey touches. The main area was an open concept with a kitchen area to the right, a living room to the left, and a large kitchen island separating the two. A small dining room table was pushed up against the window, and a bouquet of wild flowers in a jar sat atop a light blue tablecloth. A television and a stack of books sat on a small bookcase in the corner. An older sofa sat against the back wall, giving it’s occupant a panoramic view of gorgeous, lightly snow-capped mountains perfectly framed in the large picture window on the other side of the door.
A hallway led to two small bedrooms, and Cade set her suitcases on top of the double bed in the first one.
He waved a hand around the room, which had been similarly set up as Allie’s. “I’d like to take credit, but Bryn and Elle did all this for you.”
“Wow,” she said, dumping her pillows on the gorgeous floral comforter. She picked up one of the lotions from the basket and opened the lid to appreciate the citrusy scent. “This is so nice. I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”
“They both love this stuff, so I’m sure you’ll find other little surprises.” He pointed toward the door. “Bathroom’s across the hall and there’s a second bedroom. Not much in there. I think Bryn found a secondhand desk for it, if you want to use it as an office or whatever.”
As they brought in the rest of her things, Nora noticed several other of the little welcoming gifts Cade had mentioned—soft towels and fancy soaps in the bathroom and new dish cloths and a pumpkin-scented candle in the kitchen. She set her purse and the bag containing the peanut butter and jelly sandwich her mom had packed for her on the coffee table as Cade brought in the last load of her things.
“There’s no central air, but if you leave the bedroom windows and the front door open, you should get a nice cross breeze through the screen door there. And I think there’s a fan in the closet,” he said as he came out of her bedroom. “You need anything else?”
“No, not right now. This is great.”
“I’ll leave you to get settled then.”
Alone for the first time in her new place, Nora inhaled a deep breath as she peered around the room. Cade had said his grandfather had built the original bunkhouse over fifty years ago. If these walls could talk, she was sure they would have some good stories to tell. The original hardwood floors shone with fresh polish, and she imagined all the bootheels that had trod across the old wood.
She shook her head at her earlier concerns of living on a farm in a bunkhouse with horses as roommates. Instead, she was utterly charmed by the rustic beauty of the whole ranch. It was gorgeous. And the perfect place to escape her current situation.
Situation seemed like a nice way of saying flat broke and living back in her mom’s basement. She should have known better than to get engaged to that creep. Geoff had been one of the doctors in the clinic where she worked, and she’d heard the rumors about him being a flirt. But he’d convinced her she was special. Then a big diamond ring and a smooth sales pitch had been enough to get her to sell everything she owned, break her lease, and happily move in with him.
One of Elle’s arguments for persuading her to take this job was that no one in the small town of Creedence knew her humiliating situation or had ever even heard of Dr. Douchebag.
Elle had already been sold on the idea of helping the teenager with her recovery, but the Dr. Douchebag comment had sealed the deal.
She sighed. Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk or broken relationships. Or the crappy doctor who’d screwed up her life and she was sure had something to do with getting her dismissed from a job she’d really loved.
But look where I landed. She gazed out at the gorgeous view of mountains as she pulled her attention back to the present.
The only problem was that it was too quiet. There were no traffic noises, no sounds of construction or sirens wailing in the distance. She turned on the television and found a funny sitcom, just to have the noise of other voices in the room while she put the few groceries she’d brought away.
After the kitchen, she moved into the bedroom and unpacked her clothes into the drawers and closet. She pushed the empty suitcases under the bed, then swiped her hand across her sweaty brow and pulled at the back of her damp blouse. She’d wanted to make a good impression by wearing the skirt and dress top, but now she was ready to change into something more comfortable and functional. She laid a pair of black leggings and a lavender T-shirt on the bed, then found her sneakers and a pair of socks. She was itching to explore the farm, but first she needed a cool shower to wash the dust and sweat of the road off.
Twenty minutes later, feeling refreshed and smelling like one of the jasmine-scented shampoos she’d found in the welcome basket, she stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet but combed, and she’d wrapped a towel around herself to cross the hall to the bedroom.
Halfway there, she froze at the sound of footsteps in her living room.
Holding her breath, she stood motionless in place as she listened for another step. Had Cade come back? Surely he wouldn’t have just let himself in. A soft scuffling sounded across the hardwood and what sounded like a grunt. Or maybe it was more like an oink.
An oink? What the heck?
She scanned the hallway for any kind of weapon. Seeing nothing, she reached back into the bathroom and grabbed the hair dryer from the sink, then took a tentative step forward. She paused as she considered her options—she could shrink back and hope whoever, or whatever it was left on their own, she could tiptoe forward, or she could charge loudly into the room in an effort to scare her intruder away.
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the hair dryer and silently counted to three. Emitting a primal yell, she charged into the room. “Get out of here!”
Her yell turned into a scream as she faced the intruders currently making themselves at home in her new bunkhouse apartment.
She blinked, not quite able to believe her eyes. A giant hog was lounged out across her sofa and a black-and-white billy goat was standing on her coffee table calmly eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A corner of the torn paper sack was stuck to the side of his lip.
“Get out!” she yelled as she brandished the hair dryer like a pistol, then took a quick step back as the goat finished the sandwich, then climbed down from the table and advanced toward her.
“Get away, goat,” she commanded as she backed toward the kitchen. The goat took another few steps toward her, blocking her path to the hallway and forcing her toward the front door.
She pushed back her shoulders, attempting to appear taller as she tried to hold her ground. She was bigger than he was, but he had scary-looking horns. She swallowed as she watched his gaze drop. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was thinking, but she could see that goat’s wheels turning and knew he was contemplating something. And it couldn’t be good.
The goat licked his lips, then leapt forward and grabbed the bottom corner of her towel. Gripping the cloth between his teeth, he drew back his head…and pulled.
“Ahh,” she yelled as she dropped the hair dryer and clasped the towel around her chest. She kicked her foot toward the animal. “Let go, you beast!”
The goat seemed adept at this game and nimbly evaded her kick.
“What’s all the yelling about?” a man’s voice asked, just as she yanked back and ran smack into a solid wall of muscle.
She shrieked before she realized she’d once again landed herself in the arms of Cade Callahan. “Help, this goat is attacking me.”
“It’s okay. He’s not attacking you. He just wants your towel,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Well, he can’t have it. I’m using it at the moment.”
“That’s Otis, and I have to admit his social graces are a bit lacking. Not like Tiny there.” He gestured to the pig lounging on the sofa. “She’s a real sweetheart. That was nice of you to turn on the television for her. She loves that show.”
“I didn’t turn it on for her. I just got out of the shower, and she was here. Along with this brute.” She leaned back again, pulling on the towel as it slipped further down her chest. “Now that we’re through with the introductions, could you please free my towel from that dang goat’s grip?”
Cade pressed his lips together in what looked like an effort to keep from laughing. “Sure. Since you said please and all.” He wrapped a hand around the goat’s mouth and tried to pry the towel from his teeth.
Otis set his feet and yanked back.
“Eep,” Nora squeaked as the towel inched even lower. “Cade, I know we just met, but we’re about to get to know each other a lot better if you don’t free my towel from that goat’s teeth.”
He chuckled. “Now you’re just teasing me.” His gaze did a quick slide over her bare shoulders and down to the top of her breasts, which were about to break free of the edge of the towel. His lips curved into a roguish grin. “Would you think poorly of me if I admitted I’m half tempted to let the goat have it?”
Heat surged up her spine, and she could feel the warmth coloring her cheeks. Thankfully Cade turned back to Otis, instead of waiting for her to respond. He pried the goat’s mouth open again and this time successfully wrested the fabric free.
He let the towel drop, and she quickly hiked it up, adjusting it as best she could to cover all her essential bits. “Oh my gosh. Thank you.”
“No problem.” He opened the door and shooed the goat outside. “You want the pig out too, or do you want to let her finish this episode?”
She laughed. She had too. This situation was just too hilarious. “I’d prefer to have her out too. At least until I’m dressed.”
“Come on, Tiny.” He held the door open as he called to the pig, who gave him a huff and an annoyed oink, but climbed down off the sofa. “She apparently thinks she’s a dog. She was raised by a teenager who treated her that way.”
“That explains it.”
“She’s a pretty sweet pig though, all things considered.”
Tiny shuffled toward the door but stopped in front of Nora, tipping her head up and offering her what Nora swore looked like a smile before trotting outside to lie down on the porch. “I think that pig might have just smiled at me.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me a bit.”
“Everything about this day, and this place, is surprising me.” Including the flirty comments from the cute cowboy. She clutched the towel to her chest. “My heart is still racing.”
“Your heart is racing? Darlin’, I’m the one who just missed out on seeing a naked woman having a tug-of-war with a goat.”
That was it. A laugh burst from her, and she couldn’t stop. She held her stomach as the laughter bubbled out of her. “Sorry to disappoint,” she said when she finally got her chuckles under control.
He offered her a shrug and a coy grin. “There’s always tomorrow. And I may get another chance. That goat is always sneaking in somewhere.”
“That’s a comforting thought.”
He surveyed the ruined lunch sack and empty bag of chips left on the coffee table. “Looks like Otis ate your supper. I’m makin’ spaghetti next door in a bit. It’s nothing fancy, but you’re welcome to eat with us.”
“Oh, well…” She started to tell him she was fine but changed her mind. Having a meal together might be a good way to ease into getting to know Allie better. Her decision had nothing to do with getting to know more about her handsome father. Uh-huh. “Actually, I think I will join you. Spaghetti sounds great.”
“Good. Let’s say half an hour or so? Work for you?”
“Works great. Thank you.”
He lifted a shoulder. “It’s the least I can do. That thing with Otis and Tiny was probably my fault. I sometimes prop the door open when I’m working in here, so they’ve wandered in to keep me company before.” He flipped the latch on the screen door. “I’ll try to secure this better. Not that it will matter that much. Locks don’t seem to present much of a challenge if that dang goat smells food.”
And she’d thought the stray cockroach in her city kitchen had been a problem. She smoothed down her wet hair. “Thanks for your help. This was maybe not the best impression to make at my new job.”
Cade chuckled. “Good thing this is a pretty lax place to work. We almost had an HR incident on our hands.”
She laughed with him. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“Anytime. Always happy to help. Although, I wasn’t sure what I was gonna find when I came in. The way you were hollerin’, I thought you were being attacked.”
“I was.” She ducked her head. “And I didn’t mean to yell. I was just surprised.”
“Course you were. Who wouldn’t be surprised to find a goat and a pig watching television in their living room? Although the real surprising thing is that the goat knows how to change the channel.”