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hell wasn t he looking after this crap?
At noon, Brett passed the halfway point and pushed back from the desk. Enough for now. He d head
into the yard, see what needed doing. Nothing like manual labor to relax his mind.
The midday sun beat down on him as he worked, searing through the thin material of his shirt. He
didn t mind. He thrived on the heat, loved how it made him sweat. Cade was different that way. He liked
the sun well enough but when it shone this hard he kept to the shade.
Remembering the man s mention of New York the previous evening, Brett frowned. He couldn t
figure the guy out. Did he want to go back to New York or would he stick around? He didn t seem to know
himself and it was starting to piss Brett off.
He stepped back from the four-wheeler he d been washing down and placed his hands on his hips. If
he was honest with himself, it bothered him that Cade was even entertaining thoughts of leaving. Since the
night at Billy s he d started to really like the guy. Their minds worked the same way and Brett had been
caught off-guard once or twice when Cade had said the exact words he d been thinking. They had the same
goals for the ranch. Without their fathers around they could focus on modernizing the ranch, letting go of
the old tried-and-tested ways and bringing in something new. Cade s enthusiasm for the project had rubbed
off on Brett and, as he stared out at the rolling meadows and steep hills of the ranch, he saw more potential
in the land than he had in a long time. Besides Cade s enthusiasm and ideas, he worked hard and he worked
well, which earned a lot of respect from Brett. He cooked a mean steak dinner too. Shaking his head, Brett
tried to imagine the ranch without Cade s presence. He couldn t. But he was damn sure it would be
different.
He d have Jimmy, of course, and they got along well. They were family. And Paul and Danny did
their bit. But Cade brought something that had been missing before an energy and a sense of humor that
kept them all on a balanced level. It seemed he was always in good spirits, laughing and kidding around
even as he worked. Without him around, Brett was willing to bet the atmosphere would get pretty damn
depressing after a while.
Hello, a voice, a female voice, called warily somewhere out front. Anyone home?
Coming Home
Brett grabbed his Stetson from where he d left it on the vehicle and placed it on his head as he jogged
around the house. The sight of a slender blonde woman in a short pink dress greeted him. If her Eastern
twang hadn t been enough to negate her of a Texan background, her four-inch stilettos did the trick.
Spotting his approach, she pushed her sunglasses up into her hair and her red lips stretched into a
smile.
Hi there, he greeted, wiping his greasy palms on the front of his jeans. You lost, ma am?
Her smile widened and a perfect set of whites flashed at him. Nope. I m not lost. Her gaze drifted
over the length of his body, resting for a second at his groin before working its way back up to his face. She
tilted her head to the side and her blonde hair fell in a curtain over one shoulder. Though I wouldn t mind
being your damsel in distress.
The blatant come-on in her honeyed voice made him laugh. Can t say I d mind that either. He
folded his arms across his chest, recognition setting in. You re Cade s girl.
She laughed and the fun-loving throaty sound tugged between his legs.
Cade s girl? she asked, humor drenching her tone. I m no one s girl.
He raised a brow. Glad to hear it.
She ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip, drawing his eyes to her mouth. He let his gaze linger
there before meeting her knowing eyes again.
Why don t you come on in? he said, backing up toward the house. Cade s in El Paso. Won t be
back till late tonight.
That ll give us a chance to get to know one another, she said silkily.
He grinned and gestured for her to follow him inside. She was a firecracker, this one.
You want something to eat? he asked when they stepped inside the kitchen.
What have you got?
He pulled open the refrigerator and peered inside. Not much. His thoughts turned to Delia s Diner
and he faced his guest again. Feel like some good Southern cooking?
You re on.
Heat enveloped them as they headed back into the sun and Brett s eyes widened at the sight of the red
Beamer sitting in his drive. He d been so focused on the chick, he hadn t noticed her ride.
You rented this at the airport? he asked, running his hand over the shiny red hood.
Yeah. Expensive but worth it.
He grinned. That sounded about right. She came across as the kind of girl who liked to indulge
herself.
But can we take yours instead? she asked, teetering across the drive to his truck. I ve never taken a
ride in a pickup before.
They d reached the gates to the ranch before she introduced herself.
www.samhainpublishing.com 41
Ava Rose Johnson
I m Jessica Lawson, she said, twisting her body on the bench seat to face him fully.
Brett, he replied.
I know. I saw you once or twice the last time I was here.
And you never came by to say hello? He glanced at her, feigning an expression of dismay.
She giggled. Believe me, I wanted to. You were just so intimidating.
He frowned, not sure whether to laugh or to worry. He didn t want to be scaring off the ladies.
Intimidating? He couldn t imagine this girl being intimidated by anybody.
Sure. You stormed around the place like an ogre, a very sexy ogre. After bumping into you in the
fields, Cade would come inside and tell me how you nearly bit his head off. She shook her head in
amusement. He used to break his heart laughing.
Brett gave a reluctant smile, imagining Cade cracking up after one of their encounters. Guess I
wasn t the best neighbor back then.
Her eyes widened. So things have changed?
He shrugged. He s a good kid.
They were quiet for a few minutes but he could feel her eyes on him. Her inquisitive gaze had prickles
of awareness spreading over his skin. So how long have you known Cade? he asked, breaking the
silence.
Since college. We took an English class together.
What do you do?
She flicked a fly off her knee with one red nail. I m an executive at a beauty company based in New
York.
Ah, she was a high flyer. You like it?
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