was battling this odd mix of lust and wariness. Internal warning lights were flashing and sirens blaring. Don’t go down that path again! Danger ahead!
“...are you from? Besides the Dallas firm, I mean,” Josh was saying.
“Oh, um, I grew up in Missouri. On a farm. And then I went to school in Georgia and got my job in Dallas a couple years ago. How about you?” She kicked herself as soon as the question left her mouth. Idiot!
He chuckled. “Born and raised right here at the Double M.”
“Of course. Stupid question.”
“Naw, there are no stupid questions,” he said with another of his lopsided, dimple-producing grins. She almost stumbled when she saw that dimple reappear.
“Maybe not. But mine comes close. Just...habit. You know, throw the same question or compliment back at someone to keep a conversation going. I...didn’t think. I...”
Shut up. Shut up! You’re babbling now.
She was going to kill Dawn. She wanted no part of a vacation tryst or her friend’s misguided matchmaking, no matter how heartbreakingly handsome Josh was. Heartbreaking being the key word. She’d had her fill of short-term, lack-of-commitment, heart-wounding relationships.
“Well, truth be told, I actually spent the first three weeks of my life at the hospital in Denver. Zane, Piper and I were all less than four pounds when we were born.”
She nodded. “You wouldn’t know it by looking at you now,” she said, then grimaced. “Not that you’re fat... I, ugh!”
He laughed and patted his flat belly. “Well, thank you. I’ve been eating my meat and vegetables for years to get this size.”
She waved a hand, feeling her flush creep back up her neck and into her cheeks. “I’m rambling like a moron. Ignore me.”
As they reached the entrance to the stable, he reached over and brushed a wisp of her hair back from her cheek. The scrape of his knuckle on her face sent delicious shivers through her and backed up her breath in her lungs. When her gaze darted up to his, she met the smile that shone from his eyes as brightly as from his lips. The piercing look he gave her made her feel desirable and feminine all the way to her core. “You’re kinda hard to ignore. And I wouldn’t want to try.”
Oh, lordy. Her toes curled inside her slip-on shoes, and she wiped her palms on the skirt of her buttery-yellow sundress.
After a few seconds, staring back at him with her heart pounding in her ears, she managed to stutter, “Y-you said you had...boots I could borrow?”
“Absolutely.” He stepped away and fetched a pair of rubber work boots. “You can probably just wear these over your other shoes if you want.”
She nodded and slipped her feet into the man-size boots. She clumped along behind him as she followed him inside the stable. The oversize boots made her feel awkward and silly, yet a tingle still lingered on her cheek where he’d touched her.
“Back here.” He led her to a stall at the back, away from the bulk of the bustle and activity, and opened the gate. “Come on in. It’s okay.” He stood aside and motioned her into the stall, where a brown-and-white cow stood over a small brown calf.
Warmth filled her chest, along with nostalgia. She’d seen numerous newborn animals through the years on her parents’ farm, but the preciousness of new life never got old. “Oh, my goodness! She’s precious!”
“He. It’s a bull calf.”
“Oh, he, then. He’s adorable!” She cast a side glance to Josh, who was beaming with pride as if the baby were his.
“You can pat him if you want.”
She gave the mama cow a dubious look. “Really? It won’t upset mom?”
Josh grasped the straps of the mother’s halter and tugged, urging the bovine to step away. Then, stooping, he lifted the calf and brought it closer to Kate.
She lifted a hand to the curling fur on the cow’s head and melted inside. “Aren’t you the cutest thing?”
“Yeah, I am,” Josh said with an impish grin, “and the calf’s kinda cute, too.”
Kate snorted a chuckle. Then, when he laughed at her indelicate snort, she joined him in full-bellied gales. Even as she shared the moment of levity with him, she studied his handsome face, the spark of life in his startlingly blue eyes, and her heart flipped. She didn’t need a crystal ball to know the combination of his charm, good looks and ability to put her at ease were a lethal combination versus her ability to resist him. Today was only her first day in Colorado, and she was already in deep trouble.
When Josh and Kate returned to the welcome dinner, Dawn was seated at a long table with several people, including Josh’s twin.
Zane smiled as they approached. “There you two are. We were about to send a search party. People here are hungry and ready to eat.”
“I’m down with that.” Josh motioned to an empty chair. “Kate, shall we?”
“Come meet everyone, Kate,” Dawn called.
After she took her place, Josh helped her scoot her chair in, then sat across from her.
Josh motioned to the man to Zane’s right as he started around the table with introductions. “This is my father, Michael. And my sister, Piper. And her fiancé, Brady Summers, who’s another partner in McCall Adventures.”
She smiled, giving a wave of greeting to them all, and shook Brady’s hand when he offered his. Then Josh started down the other side of the table. “My mother, Melissa.” He skipped Dawn, moved on to a little boy with rumpled brown hair and barbecue sauce on his chin. “And...that little squirt is my nephew, Beelzebub.”
The boy frowned at him. “Connor!”
The adults laughed, and Josh held up a finger as if he’d just remembered. “Oh, that’s right. Connor.”
“Nice to meet you, Connor.” Kate winked at the little boy, who gave a shy wave back.
“And...” Josh scanned the other tables and people milling about. “Over by the grill, flipping burgers, is our jack-of-all-trades and foreman, Roy Summers.”
“He’s my grampa,” Connor added.
“So it really is all in the family,” she said, making a mental inventory of relationships and faces.
Josh removed his hat and hung it on the back of his chair. “It is.”
“I was just telling Zane about your ideas for the brochure,” Dawn said, lifting a glass of a fruity drink, “how we want to be sure to capture pictures of all aspects of the ranch and the adventures while we’re here.”
“Oh, right.” Kate nodded her agreement. “I brought a camera with me, professional-grade, to capture some shots. We’ll need permission to use images of any people in the photos, though.”
“We brought a waiver with us,” Dawn explained.
“Of course. Sounds great.” Zane passed a large plate of ribs, burgers and sliced beef down the table to Kate. “Dig in. This is all Double M beef. One hundred percent fresh, and the best Angus beef you’ll ever eat.”
Kate took the tray, but hesitated. Her stomach growled, affirming she was hungry. The last thing she’d eaten was the tiny packet of pretzels on the plane. But she thought of the sweet bull calf she’d just visited and balked. “I’m going to stick to the side dishes tonight, I think.”
Josh sent her a concerned look and lifted a pitcher of tea, filling her glass when she nodded that she’d like some, then