“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
Carolyn felt the mattress quake and thrashed in her bed, tugging at the silk sleeping mask over her eyes. She blinked at the clock in disbelief. “It’s 7:05 a.m.”
Carter stood at the end of the bed, fully dressed in camo pants and a forest-green Henley. “I thought you might be tired, so I let you sleep in on your first day, but I’ve been trying to wake you up for five minutes. We need to work on your response time and awareness. What if the house was on fire? What if I needed to get you out of here fast?”
Her eyes felt incapable of focusing. She needed black tea on an IV drip to be up this early. “I think there must be a mistake. It’s 7:05 a.m.”
Carter seemed to choke back a laugh. “And your breakfast was cold an hour ago. I waited as long as I could, but I have a lot to do today, so I was hoping we could go out to the shooting range before I have to get started.”
She knew he was speaking English, but… “Tea,” she said. “Can we discuss this over a cup, please?”
She swung her legs over the bed and stumbled to the suitcase that held her tea collection. She unzipped the suitcase and dug through the contents, pushing aside her bag of special butterscotch suckers and coming up with a tin of Formosa oolong. She extended the oolong and the strainer to her host. “Would you mind while I…use the facilities?” When he looked as confused at being handed the tea as she was at being woken up, she added, “Please, Carter, I’m begging you. Five minutes at 205 degrees. Please? Then I’ll shoot whatever you want me to.”
He took the tin and the strainer, still staring at them like he’d never seen tea before. “You sure you don’t want coffee?” At her desperate look, he gave in. “Never mind. 205 degrees, five minutes—got it. See you downstairs.”
Carolyn washed her face and moisturized, brushed her teeth, then with fuzzy slippers in place, she descended the stairs and made her way to the kitchen.
Carter stood at the sink, swishing tea around a large mug before pouring it through the strainer into a smaller cup. When Carolyn walked in, he pressed his lips together to keep from frowning. She was still wearing those silky pink pajamas, and he’d never seen anything that looked as soft. They practically screamed to his fingertips, begging them to reach out and touch.
He pushed the mug toward her. “Here you go.”
She smiled and took the mug from him. “You’re my savior.”
“Sugar?” he asked.
She sighed happily. “That would be lovely.”
He fetched the sugar jar and added a teaspoon to her cup. Heaven help him, she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, from her dainty blond brows to her long legs and everything in between. Of course he’d researched Carolyn Ashford before he’d decided if she could come stay with him, and in every photo she’d been done up like royalty. He’d figured she was going to be a pain in the ass, and she probably was. But to see her like this, her fresh face without a trace of makeup, his knees almost trembled. Her long blond hair was as luminous as fairy wings and her dark blond eyelashes curved upward until they almost touched her brows.
He didn’t even hear the footsteps before the kitchen door burst open. “Carter, you got the coffee started—” Paul began, then he spotted Carolyn. “Holy shit.”
“Watch your mouth around our guest,” Carter barked, then quickly grabbed another mug and filled it to the top with coffee. He shouldered Paul back to the door. “Take it to go. I’ll be out to the north pasture in a couple of hours.”
Paul followed Carolyn with his gaze until he was almost out the door. “Sorry, ma’am,” he said, smiling like a fool.
“You’re gonna be sorry,” Carter mumbled under his breath, pushing the door closed.
Carolyn clutched her tea closer to her body. “Well…that was strange.”
Carter grimaced. “I’m sorry about that. It’s just that you might not want to…”
She waited. “Want to what?”
“You might not want to come down in those silky pajamas. We don’t see much of that around here.”
She took a minute to stare down at herself and her shiny pink tank top and matching pants. Sure, they covered all the important parts, but it didn’t matter. Her body was what men such as himself dreamed about at night, and those pajamas didn’t help at all.
“First no heels, and now I’m not supposed to sleep in silk? What is this, camping?”
Carter realized he was staring at her damned nipples, and when she realized the same thing, her nipples went even harder, like bits of gravel tucked up under her shirt. He’d eaten gravel as a kid though, and he figured she’d taste so much better. He cleared his throat and turned toward the sink, busying himself cleaning up the pots and pans from the night before to hide the erection coming to life in his pants. This was pathetic. He’d always had better self-control than this.
“You hungry?” he asked, giving her his back. “I’ve got fried eggs, bacon and sausage. I could also cut up some fruit if you want.”
“You don’t have to cook for me,” she told him.
“Maybe not, but I have to feed you. Your brother is paying me to take care of you.” Well, that wasn’t a flat-out lie. Was it? And besides, it would do him and Carolyn good to keep in mind why she was here. He loaded up a plate and handed it to her. “Here. If you go home any skinnier, Rayna is going to have my hide.”
“Then by all means, bring on the breakfast meats.” She took the plate and found a seat at the table. After she’d finished one egg, she glanced up at him. “I may have been dreaming, but it sounded like you said something about a shooting range earlier?”
He dried a dish and turned, hoping that his camo pants were thick enough to hide his reaction to her. “Yeah. At least that’s what I thought we’d agreed upon—that you could benefit from some self-defense and weapons classes while you were here. Your brother was all for it, but it’s your life and your choice. What do you think?”
“Hmm…” She picked up a sausage and finished it in four dainty bites. “I’ve never held a gun before. They scare me.”
“As much as your husband scares you?” he asked. She snapped off a bit of bacon with her teeth, and some dark, painful emotion passed behind her eyes. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right. Would you feel comfortable sharing a little more about your situation? I only know the basics.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“Are you sure about that?”
She shook her head, her skin going even paler than when he’d met her yesterday. “Being here is just a precaution. Richard can be somewhat prone to…angry outbursts, and until the divorce is final and the division of assets is settled, I thought it might be safer to disappear for a while.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She laughed, but her expression showed a woman in pain. “Why stop now?”
“If something were to happen to you before the divorce, he’d get all your money, right?”
“Not all of it, I hope. I’ve left plenty to charity in my will. But still, yes. It would be much easier for him to take what he wanted if I wasn’t around.”
Carter’s brow furrowed. He hated hurting her, but he needed to hear firsthand what he might be dealing with. “And do you think he’s capable of…hurting you?”
“Well, he’s already proven that, hasn’t he? I think what you mean is, is he capable of trying to kill me?” She stood and took her plate to the sink. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can eat all this food.”
He took the plate from her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry to pry, Carolyn. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“Well, I’d better go get ready for my day.” She smiled weakly and turned to leave the kitchen, then she paused, her back still to him. “And to answer your question…I have no idea what he’s capable of.”
Damn it all to hell. Carter wanted to slam his palm to his forehead for his stupidity when she walked out of the room with shrunken shoulders. He’d known Carolyn Ashford for all of fifteen hours, most of which she was sleeping, and he’d already made an ass of himself for everything from getting caught ogling her breasts to pushing her to talk about past abuse.
Carter had been a damned good soldier, and he was trying to make it in his new life as a cattle rancher, trying not to let his family’s legacy go down the tubes on his watch. But clearly he had a lot to learn when it came to being the bodyguard of an heiress.
Carolyn had her hair up in a ponytail, her designer jeans in place, and she was wearing the thickest-heeled boots she’d brought. They weren’t stiletto heels, but at three inches tall, they weren’t exactly cowgirl boots, either.
She went out the front door, not sure where she’d find Carter or even if he still wanted to go play with guns. She wasn’t three steps down the driveway when the man she’d been introduced to as Jeff passed her in something that looked like a golf cart on steroids with thick wheels and a cart trailing behind it filled with bags of grain. “Excuse me?” she called out. “Jeff?”
The cart slowed, and Jeff tipped his hat. “Good morning, ma’am. How are you this fine day?”
“I’m doing very well, thank you. I was wondering if you might know where I can find Carter?”
“Sure. He’s in the calving barn. We have a couple of calves that are needing to be supplemented.”
She nodded, as though this all made sense. “Wonderful. And where is that?”
He smiled and patted the seat next to him. “Jump in. I’ll take you.”
Carolyn sat and grabbed onto the railing near her thigh when the cart took off with a jolt. They passed the same corrals where she’d seen Carter banding the calf yesterday and continued on toward a huge barn. Jeff slowed to a stop in front of the barn and gestured toward the double doors. “You’ll find him in there.”
Carolyn offered him a smile. “Thank you for dropping me off. That’s very kind of you.”
Jeff laughed. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a woman here with such good manners. You make me want to iron my shirts and spiff my boots, but I don’t think the cows would like me being preoccupied with not getting dusty.”
Carolyn smiled. “No, dust and dirt seem to be part of the mystique here. And truly, the ranch is lovely.” And the home itself was worthy of a spot in a historic architecture magazine.
“There you go again, being polite,” he said. “You don’t need to worry about them manners here. You want a ride back to the house later, you just call Jeff, get your ass over here, and I’ll come runnin’.”
She laughed, and almost thanked him again. “Well…” she said instead. “I’d better get my ass into the barn.”
He winked, and the cart surged forward. “Just give me a shout, and I’m there!”
Carolyn walked to the barn doors and pushed one open. “Carter?” she called, entering the barn. But the thing shooting toward her wasn’t Carter, that was for sure.
White teeth glinted in the light coming in through the windows, and dust motes rose in the dog’s path. “Jester…” she began. “What a good boy.”
The border collie eyed her like he might just want to eat her. “Carter?”
“I’m back here!” he called, but he wasn’t close enough to help her if the dog attacked.
Jester renewed his efforts at looking menacing, and he was really, really good at it. Calling him a good dog didn’t seem to work, so she raised one punitive finger instead. “Bad dog, Jester. That’s very bad growling like that.”
He cocked his head, assessing her, and Carter shouted, “Come on back, Carolyn!”
The dog moved to block her path when she made to slip past him. “Jester!” she said. “Move your…no-good ass out of my way. Or I’m going to kick it!” He cocked his head, still predatory, but perhaps with less conviction. “Yes, you heard me. Kick your doggy bottom!” What was she supposed to say again? “From here to next Wednesday. Now take a hike!”
With a final evil glare, the dog trotted away in the opposite direction from Carter’s voice. Carolyn passed stall after stall and walked down a corridor to where she’d thought she’d heard Carter’s voice. And then she saw him.
On his knees in camo pants and work boots with his Henley stretched tight over his well-defined muscles. One hand held an oversized milk bottle and the other was stroking a small calf’s neck. The calf nuzzled against Carter’s chest, and Carter ran a hand over the side of the animal’s face, crooning in his ear. The tenderness of the scene made everything maternal in Carolyn sigh a happy breath.
“Is he sick?” she asked suddenly, hoping that wasn’t the case. He was too cute to be sick.
Carter shook his head. “Nah. I’d cull him if he was sick.”
“Cull him? Oh—you mean kill him.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t cull sound so much better?”
“I think it does. So, if he’s not sick, why is he here?”
Carter smiled proudly. “He’s the result of my new breeding program, but his mother was attacked by coyotes.”
“Oh no, she’s dead? The coyotes…culled her?”
He patted the calf’s neck. “She’s recovering.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
“Yeah, well, she’s not out of the woods just yet. We’re keeping an eye on her.” Just then he seemed to notice her choice in footwear. “What are those?”
“These are San Sebastians, made in—”
“No, not what brand. Where are your other boots?”
“Hmmm…” She dragged out the word, not relishing looking so foolish in front of this cowboy. “These technically may be the best I can do.”
“Well, you’re gonna break your neck in those. They aren’t gonna cut it.”
“You’d be surprised what I can do in heels,” she answered back, and Carter seemed to choke on air. The calf shied away at the loud noise. “Are you all right?”
“I’m great.” He held up a hand, as though asking her to give him a minute as he cleared his lungs. “But we’re going to need to go into town tomorrow and go shopping for some real boots.”
Her universe suddenly came into sharp focus. “Shopping? Tomorrow? Well, yes, that sounds wonderful!” Shopping with Carter Halston? Did fantasies get any hotter than that?
The calf tugged at the nipple on the bottle, almost yanking it from Carter’s hand. “Maybe shopping was the wrong word. I mean go into town and pick up some boots.”
Carolyn hadn’t even noticed a real town near the ranch, so it sounded like an adventure worth undertaking. “Perfect!”
He glanced over her from head to toe, then ran a hand through his hair. “Here, you want to feed him for a minute? I have to go…uh…grab some supplements.”
“I’d love to.” She positioned her body like Carter had and then took the bottle from him. She’d never fed a calf before. “He’s adorable. What’s his name?”
He blinked “His name?”
“Yes.”
Carter pointed to the tag in the calf’s ear. “5047.”
“No, his real name. He’s in your breeding program, right? So no banding. No eating him. He’s a baby bull that’s going to grow into adulthood. He needs a name.”
Carter shook his head and rose to his feet. “You name him, then.”
“Really?”
He looked suddenly uncomfortable. “Yeah. Just keep feeding him, I’ll be back in a minute.”
Carter slipped into the supplement shed and adjusted his throbbing cock, trying to bring it flat against his body and make it less noticeable, just in case he couldn’t get the damned thing to go down. He knew a woman like Carolyn Ashford was out of reach. They weren’t even compatible. And yet, his body wanted her. He wanted to bend her over and plant his seed deep inside her. Just a flash of that image made his cock twitch as it grew even harder.
“Shit!” he whispered, kicking a bag of grain with the side of his foot. This was going to be damned inconvenient if he went hard every time Carolyn got within five feet of him. And anyhow, what would he do with a woman who needed special tea and had to have shoes made by shoe masters? Her pussy was probably gilded in gold. You probably had to have about a billion reasons to get in there.
It didn’t matter that her brother was marrying Carter’s best friend. Romancing an heiress he was supposed to be protecting was beneath even Carter’s standards. She was a guest in his home, for fuck’s sake. A very, very pretty guest.
He got himself under control and returned to the calf’s stall. Carolyn was on her knees cradling the calf’s head against her chest as she fed him. It would have been a beautiful sight if not for her perfect ass pointing in his direction.
“Ready to go shooting? After that I have to head up to the north pasture.” She turned to him and her eyes were glistening like maybe she was about to cry. And if there was anything in this world that scared him, it was women’s tears. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she answered as the calf emptied the last of the bottle. “Jeremiah and I are just enjoying our morning. I’ve never touched a real cow before. What sweet spirits they have.”
Dear Lord. She probably was going to return to New York a vegetarian, at this rate. “Jeremiah, huh? Well, Jeremiah there still has his balls, and if he’s as promising as I think he is, he’s going to be one hell of a huge, mean bastard when he’s older. I wouldn’t get too attached.”
She frowned and pulled the empty bottle away. “Heaven forbid I enjoy being stranded in West Texas for a whole five minutes. Thank you for the reality check.”
He wasn’t going to apologize for saving her from a life of veggie burgers. “You’re welcome.”
She looked to his empty hands. “So where are Jeremiah’s supplements?”
Oh, shit. Supplements. Right. “We’re out of the kind he needs. I’ll pick some up in town tomorrow.”
“And when do we need to feed him next?”
We? he almost said, but despite being an heiress and a fashion-monger, Carolyn was the type of woman who made a man want to wrap her in his arms and never say an unkind word. That she could be here now because her husband had threatened her made Carter wish for five minutes alone with the guy. “I have two men to help out around here full-time and some high school kids that come part-time, and everyone knows their job. You don’t have to worry about this calf. He’ll be taken care of.”
She almost looked disappointed, then her gaze refocused. “Well, that’s good. I’m really behind on the designs for my company.”
“Rayna told me a bit about that. You’re starting a women’s clothing company and the clothes will be your own designs?”
“Exactly. I have a team in place, and we’re almost ready to launch the brand and start the manufacturing, but I have a few more things I’d like to add to the catalog. Matter of fact, I was hoping…”
He twisted the empty bottle in his hands. “Yes?”
“Well, I noticed your home is rather large, and I was wondering if it might be possible to use another room as my workshop.”
“Sure. The upstairs is mostly empty anyway. Take any room you want but mine.” If she spent time in his room, clothing would be the last thing he’d want between them. He cleared his throat and thought of rotten, maggot-infested beef. Anything to keep his dick down. “You ready? Let’s go shoot something.”