Page 3 of The Rancher

My mouth opens, then shuts. He's being so kind to me, I might as well tell him the truth, or he'll think I'm super sketchy. He probably already thinks that, after seeing me trying to break into a house.

“My dad took off, leaving Mom with nothing.” I don’t mention that we were glad to be rid of the bastard. “She managed to find a cheap apartment, but there wasn't really room for me. So I've been living in a small basement unit in Oakton."

"But you get fresh air and daylight when you go to work, right?" he asks hopefully.

"Oh, I work at home. The day shift I work at the kitchen table, then I work on my bed for the night shift. You know, for an exciting change of pace."

I think it's hilarious. Stone clearly doesn't.

"I really appreciate you letting me stay tonight, by the way. I barely know her, but Aunt Sonia demanded that I come out here for a break in the country when she heard about my vacation. But just as the bus was dropping me off, I got a text saying that she won fifty percent off a cruise or something and was already on her way. She said she left the key under the mat and that I should help myself to everything⁠—"

"How did you get there from town?" Stone suddenly asks. "Don't tell me you walked."

"Sure I did. I didn't want to waste money on a taxi."

He slumps against the door frame, scrubbing his face. I hope I haven’t pissed him off. "Look, Remy, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. Please help yourself to everything in my house, too. In fact, I'm about to make dinner, and it would make me extremely happy if you came down and sat outside with me while I grill. Okay?"

I guess a girl can't say no to that. "Okay."

He smiles at me. It’s the kind of smile that flows through me and warms my center. Suddenly I'm smiling as well, fighting the urge to step forward and into his arms. A shiver runs through me just thinking how amazing that would feel. He’s so sexy, yet it’s more than that. Stone is a protector, I can feel it.

Of course I’m drawn to him. I've never been protected in my life.

3

STONE

Beautiful as she is, there's something odd about this girl. It's natural to admire a sunset, but not to stare at it as if you haven't seen one for years.

She's not just a workaholic. There's a lot more to it than that. I'll have to pry that out of her gradually, though.

I turn to where she's sitting at the picnic table on my patio. I brandish the tongs, then snap them like claws toward her nose. "Every chef knows that tongs don’t work unless you snap them in the air a few times first."

She laughs, gradually unclenching. She watches as I turn the corn, then flip the burgers.

"See? That never would've gone so well without the extra snaps."

Her laugh is light. Quiet. "What do you do here?" she asks. "Not to pry, but⁠—"

"Remy, you can ask me anything you want," I state plainly. "Anything at all. I want you to be comfortable here."

She smiles. “Thanks."

"To answer your question, I’m the rancher of Bone River Ranch."

"Okay, but what do you actually do?"

I chuckle. "This is primarily a rescue ranch. We take in horses that have been mistreated. Or maybe their owners have fallen on hard times and can't afford to keep them anymore. Sometimes their owners have passed but none of the family has the means to care for a horse."

I flash her a smile. "As well as the horses, there’s also a small herd of cattle, a couple of sheep, a few goats, and a llama. I have no idea how to take care of a llama, but I'm figuring it out as I go."

"You took in an abandoned llama?" she asks. Then she stares off into space. "Abandoned Llama. That would be a great name for a punk band." We burst into laughter, and her posture relaxes a bit more.

"There are five men with me here on the ranch right now. Good guys. There's Boss, who runs the property. Handles the supplies, does the paperwork, all that. We've got Hunter who wrangles the cattle and helps me care for the horses. Smoky is our mechanic. He keeps the trucks and tractors running, the feed machines, the auto gates. The man can fix anything. Even fences – but we all pitch in there." I hesitate for a second. "My little brother Cutter just moved here. He's been doing a bit of everything."

Remy nods, then her chin jerks up when a truck pulls into a driveway down the lane. "Are any of the other guys going to be mad that you brought me here?" she asks. "I don't want to get you into trouble."

I snap the tongs toward her nose again. "I own this house and I'm part owner of the land. I can save a beautiful damsel in distress if I want to."