lunch. Dad had that area of the barn renovated so he could use it as an office as well as a tack room. He made sure it was safe for a gas-fed infrared heater. It’s not toasty, but it’s warmer than the barn.”
Hadley followed him to the tack room.
“Living in Montana, I’m sure you’ve been snowed in before.” They might as well get to know something about each other.
“I have,” she agreed with a nod. “If I’m at the clinic, I keep the animals company. I’ve always been able to entertain myself with a good book, and I carry one wherever I go.”
“Do you have one with you now?” he asked as he pulled a wood captain’s chair next to the desk chair.
“I have one in the SUV.”
Hadley was glancing around, and Eli tried to see the tack room area through her eyes. It was orderly with saddles on sawhorses and harnesses and bridles hanging on pegs on the wall. The concrete floor, absent of straw or any debris, made the space safe for the heater. The heater kept the room between fifty-five and sixty degrees when it was running. He kept his jacket hanging on a peg behind the door. If it came to it, Hadley could use his coat as well as her own. Eli’s gaze swept from the computer and flat-screen monitor on the scarred wood desk back to her.
She caught him watching her. “What?”
“I just wondered if you were cold.” He reached for the bag of sandwiches to give his hands something to do. For some reason, he was so tempted to push back the waves of her hair from her cheek. That was a crazy idea.
“I’m cold-weather friendly,” she told him with a smile. “Even though I spend most of my hours in the clinic with small animals, I do like to hike and cross-country ski.”
He arched his brows. “Good to know.”
A few minutes later he’d laid out everything he brought into the tack room and poured the coffee into the insulated cups. She looked at all of it a bit wide-eyed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her cheeks reddened. “This is really thoughtful.”
He chuckled. “Making a few sandwiches and brewing coffee?”
“You brought chips and cookies, too.”
There was something in her voice that made him study her. “Why do you think that’s thoughtful? I need to eat as well as you.”
“Never mind,” she said, her cheeks growing a little redder.
He handed her a sandwich. “We could be here a while. We need stuff to talk about. Feel free to spill anything you want.”
Now she laughed. “It’s no deep, dark secret.”
Although those were the words that came from her very pretty lips, a shadow passed over her eyes. That shadow convinced Eli that maybe Hadley Strickland did have secrets. He waited.
“I’ve just come to expect men to think about themselves first.”
To lighten the mood, he grinned at her. “I did. I was hungry.”
She gave him a steady look. “Let’s just say I think your momma taught you well.”
That gave him pause. “She did,” he agreed. “Though with my brother Derek, I’m not sure he had his ears open.”
Hadley laughed. “He does have a reputation.”
“You’ve heard about it from Melba and Old Gene? Or maybe your sisters?”
“My sisters mostly. Not that we talk about men every time we get together.” There was amusement in her voice, and he wondered what they did talk about. Family? Their goals and dreams?
After taking a few bites of his sandwich and having a swallow of coffee, he asked, “How long are you staying in Rust Creek Falls?”
“I plan to stay until after Thanksgiving. My mom and dad will be joining the rest of the clan here.” When she said it, she wrinkled her nose slightly. When she did, he noticed freckles on her cheeks. She had such a beautiful natural look.
He cleared his throat and asked, “You’re not glad your mom and dad are coming?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment then shrugged. “Oh, I love spending time with Mom and Dad and the rest of my family. It’s just that sometimes they gang up on me because my life isn’t as settled as theirs. As long as I can keep the conversation on everybody else, we’re good.”
In the silence that followed, Hadley’s cell phone beeped. She’d opened her coat, and now she pulled the phone from a holder on her belt. Eli couldn’t help but glimpse under her coat—at her softly rounded breasts, her slim waist. She wasn’t tall either. Just how well did she handle the animals she treated?
When she seemed to hesitate about answering the call or text message, he encouraged her to do it. “You’d better use your phone while you can. Service is spotty out here on the best days, and on days like this, it can cut out anytime.”
She checked her phone and smiled. “It’s my grandmother. She wants to know if I got here safely.” Her thumbs worked the small keyboard, and then she returned to eating her sandwich.
“What did you tell Melba?”
“That I’m midwifing and don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“And you added, Don’t worry about me,” he guessed.
“You obviously understand the protective family.”
“I’m protective myself at times.” After all, he was the oldest. He’d learned responsibility at a young age. He’d not only learned it but accepted it. Taking care of those around him came naturally to him.
Suddenly Hadley put her sandwich down and looked over her shoulder.
“What is it?”
She put her finger to her lips to shush him, and seemed to listen intently. Then she got to her feet and was careful to step softly toward the shelves to the rear of the tack room.
“A field mouse could have made its way in here,” he began.
But Hadley paid no attention. Instead she bent over to the lowest shelf, moved a box of grooming equipment and scooped up something. When she turned around, in her arms she held a kitten.
At that moment, Eli knew he was in big trouble. Hadley Strickland standing there with a kitten in the crook of her arm was a sight that made his blood run fast and his heart increase its rhythm. Just what he didn’t need—an attraction to a well-educated woman who probably considered ranch life foreign to her. He had to get his libido under control and do it fast.
Hadley walked toward Eli, and for a few seconds he thought about backing up. But he couldn’t. He was mesmerized by her and the kitten in her arms.
As she stood in front of him, she handed him the kitten. “Can you hold her? I think the mom is back there, too.”
What choice did he have? Along with catching Hadley’s vanilla scent that was so different from the perfumes women usually wore, besides being close enough to think about touching her hair that looked even softer than he originally thought it might be, besides staring at her lips for a nanosecond and imagining—
Coming back to reality with a jolt, he took the kitten and nestled it on his forearm. It was adorable with colors split on its face. One side was tan, the other dark brown into black. All shades from gold to brown melded in its coat.
Hadley’s gaze met his, and they seemed locked in the moment. Then her focus went to the kitten. She brushed her thumb under its eye.
“She’s too little to be separated from her mom,