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“You’re trying to scare me. It won’t work.”
“I’m just telling you the facts of ranching life. You’ll get kicked by cows, stung by bees and definitely break every single one of those fancy fingernails. Ranching is tough for any woman. But for a city woman, it’s downright impossible.”
She arched a brow. “You have a pretty low opinion of me, don’t you, Garrett?”
He sighed. “It’s nothing personal. I just don’t have time to waste coddling a tenderfoot. This is a working ranch, not some vacation spot for bored debutantes.”
His words stung. “I’m not looking for a vacation. I expect to earn my keep. I’m just grateful you’re willing to give me a chance.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Wait just a minute,” he began. “When did I offer to give you a chance?”
“Are you a gambling man, Garrett?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Only when the odds are in my favor.”
She moved a step closer to him, the air crackling between them. Yesterday she’d blamed her initial attraction to him on exhaustion and nerves. But today she was drawn to him even more. His strength and vitality appealed to something primal inside her. Something that made her want to throw off the stuffy constraints of her upbringing and make him really see her. Make him believe she was a woman worthy of his respect.
She looked at him. “Let’s make a little wager. I’ll work here for three days. If I can keep up—”
“And keep out of trouble,” he interjected.
“Then you’ll let me stay.”
“But if you can’t keep up, then you’ll give me your address and let me take you home. Deal?”
Three days. She just hoped it was long enough to prove herself to him. Still, it wasn’t as if she had any options. “Deal.”
He smiled, obviously convinced he’d gotten the best of her. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re a woman. I’ll treat you like I’d treat any other ranch hand.”
She resisted the urge to do a little victory dance right in the middle of the road. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“And don’t be afraid to tell me when you’ve had enough. I can take you back at any time. You don’t have to stick it out for the whole three days.”
He was very confident. Alarmingly so. For one brief moment, Mimi wondered what exactly she’d gotten herself into. Then she shook off her qualms. Nothing could be as bad as facing her father and Paul.
Their betrayal still cut into her like a knife. A shiver ran through her when she realized how close she’d come to marrying Paul. Especially when her short time with Garrett had elicited a more intense physical reaction than she’d ever experienced with her fiancé.
“Second thoughts?” he asked, misinterpreting her silence.
“Not at all,” she replied, squaring her shoulders. “What do you want me to do first?”
He tipped up his cowboy hat. “Well, for starters, you could tell me your full name.”
“Banyon.” She improvised with only a moment’s hesitation. Her mother’s maiden name wasn’t nearly as recognizable as Casville. It also wasn’t in the Austin phone directory, just in case this was a trick and he planned to call every Banyon in Austin until he found one who would claim her.
She tilted her head at him. “And yours?”
“The name’s Lord. Garrett Lord.”
She held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to be working for you, Mr. Lord.”
He clasped her hand in his, and Mimi couldn’t ignore the warm tingle that shot up her arm. Then he smiled and said, “I think you’re in for a surprise, Miss Banyon.”
“Just remember, I get three days.”
His smile widened. “Mimi, you won’t even last one day.”
SHE BARELY LASTED one hour.
First, she stepped into a gopher hole, wrenched her ankle and landed in a fresh pile of cow manure. It only got worse after that. By dusk, her entire body ached from the arduous task of helping Garrett fix fence. It didn’t sound difficult, but it took muscle power to straighten fence posts and tighten barbed wire. Unfortunately, her one-day-a-week workouts at Austin’s trendiest fitness center hadn’t prepared her for life on the range.
“Ouch!” Mimi gasped as a razor-sharp barb on the wire fencing pricked her finger.
“There’s a pair of leather gloves in the truck cab,” Garrett informed her as he tightened the barbed wire with the wire stretchers.
“I’m fine,” she replied, feeling a little woozy as she watched blood ooze out of her thumb. She closed her eyes and hastily wiped her thumb on her jeans. No doubt it blended in well with the dirt and manure already staining them. If Garrett wasn’t yet having second thoughts about giving her free access to the clothes his sister Shelby had left here, he soon would be.
She was filthy from head to toe. He, on the other hand, looked wonderful. His faded blue denim jeans outlined his powerful legs and trim backside. Perspiration molded his white cotton shirt to his broad chest, delineating every well-defined muscle. The only dirt he’d collected was a fine layer of dust on his scuffed cowboy boots and a tiny smudge of mud on the side of his jaw.
She was staring again. When he looked up and caught her gaze, something hot and sweet uncoiled inside her. She liked his mouth and found herself wondering how it would feel against hers. If he kissed her, the dark whiskers shading his jaw would scrape against her skin. She swallowed at the imagined sensation.
“How about some water?” he asked, his voice slightly husky.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. When he brought her the jug, she took a long drink of the icy water.
“The sun’s hot today,” he said, removing his cowboy hat and wiping his forearm over his brow.
Not quite as hot as her employer, Mimi thought, handing over the jug. Then she turned her attention to the fence, where she inadvertently snagged her thumb on another razor-sharp barb. “Ouch!”
Garrett lowered the jug from his mouth, moisture glistening on his lower lip. “Our deal didn’t include you acting like a martyr. Go put those gloves on.”
“Don’t worry about me, Garrett.” She looked away from him, wiping her thumb on the back of her jeans. From now on she needed to pay more attention to her work and less to her boss. “I may be a city girl, but I’m tougher than I look.”
He shook his head, then surveyed the length of fence. “Looks as if we’re done here for today, anyway.”
With an inward sigh of relief, Mimi walked toward the pickup truck, trying her best not to limp. She climbed into the cab, every joint in her body protesting the movement. All she wanted now was a long, hot bubble bath, followed by a warm, soft bed.
Garrett opened the driver’s door, and Hubert jumped in ahead of him. The little dog pranced across the bench seat, then lay down with his head on Mimi’s thigh.
She lightly petted the dog with her sore fingers. “Where did you find Hubert?”
“Actually, he found me,” Garrett said as the pickup roared to life. “Someone decided they didn’t want him anymore and dumped him off in the country. He was skinny as a hickory stick by the time he finally wandered onto the ranch.”
“But he’s such a sweet dog. I can’t believe anyone would dump him on purpose.”
“Believe it,” he said. “Some people seem to labor under the stupid illusion that just because he’s an animal, a dog can survive in the wild. They don’t realize that he’s never learned to hunt for food and water. Or that there are predators out here, like coyotes, just waiting for an easy kill.”
“So you saved him?”
Garrett kept his eyes on the gravel road. “I fed him, and he decided to stick around. He’s not the best cow dog in Texas, but he tries hard.”
Hubert closed his eyes in canine bliss as Mimi scratched behind his ears. “How did you ever come up with the name Hubert?”
“That was the name on his fancy rhinestone collar. When he showed up on my doorstep, he still had it on, along with a frayed pink bow and pink toenails.”
“I still can’t believe someone could just dump him, then take off.” She shook her head. “How could anyone be so cruel?”
A muscle twitched in Garrett’s jaw. “Happens all the time. And not just to animals.”
Before she could ask him to explain, a loud horn sounded behind them.
“Damn.”
“What’s the problem?”
“It’s not a what, it’s a who.” He steered the pickup truck to the edge of the road, then rolled down his window as another pickup pulled up beside them.
The petite brunette in the driver’s seat smiled at him. “Hey, Garrett. I see you’ve got a tagalong today.”
“Venna Schwab, this is Mimi Banyon. She just hired on for calving season.”
Mimi was surprised to hear him sound so cheerful about it. Especially since he’d been silent and surly most of the afternoon.
Venna rested her elbow on the truck door, her gaze flicking over Mimi. “Really?”
Mimi leaned forward in the seat and waved. “Nice to meet you.”
Venna wrinkled her nose. “You’re a mess, honey.”
Mimi forced a smile. “Nothing a little hot water can’t cure.”
Venna shrugged, then turned her attention to Garrett. “I hope having an extra hand around means you won’t have to work so hard. I’ve hardly seen you lately.”
“It’s almost calving season, Venna. You’re probably as busy as I am at the Triple C.”
She laughed. “True. But I can always make time for a little fun.”
Mimi definitely felt like a third wheel. She thought about hopping out of the cab and walking the rest of the way to the house, just barely visible in the distance, but her aching body protested that idea.
Venna leaned a little further out the window. “Speaking of fun, are you going to Connor and Lacy O’Hara’s barbecue on Saturday night?”
Garrett nodded. “I planned on it.”
“Good. Do you need a date?”
Mimi wondered when she’d become invisible. Venna sure wasn’t letting the presence of Garrett’s hired help put a damper on her outrageous flirting.
“Actually, I’m taking Mimi to the barbecue.”
“You are?” Mimi exclaimed, realizing a second too late that it was the wrong thing to say.
Garrett turned to her. “Yes. I am.”
“Oh.”
Venna looked between the two of them, confusion wrinkling her brow. “You’re taking your ranch hand on a date?”
Garrett cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a date.”
“What would you call it?” Venna asked, her gaze fixed on Mimi. Perhaps she finally saw some competition behind all the dirt and manure.
Mimi leaned forward. “I’m sure Garrett’s just being polite. I might not even be here on Saturday, so he may be free after all.”
“Thanks a lot,” Garrett growled under his breath.
“I’ll be sure and give you a call, Garrett.” Venna waved as she drove away, leaving a cloud of dust lingering in the hazy twilight.
“She seems nice,” Mimi said as Garrett pulled the pickup onto the road.
“Nice enough.”
“Pretty, too.”
He glanced at her. “Pretty enough to snag two husbands.”
She waited for him to elaborate, but he kept his gaze focused on the road. She’d heard about the strong, silent type, but this was ridiculous. At least now she understood why he was avoiding Venna. She tried to ignore the tiny glimmer of satisfaction it gave her. Garrett’s love life, or lack of one, shouldn’t matter to her one bit.
Leaning back against seat, she gazed at the sun hovering on the horizon, awed by the beautiful palette of colors arcing across the sky. Was there any place more beautiful than this?
Garrett pulled the pickup truck into the driveway, then cut the engine. “We need to talk.”
Now, there was a novel idea. “What about?”
“About where you’re going to sleep tonight.”
“Oh. I forgot about that.” Her cheeks warmed as she realized she’d just taken for granted that he’d invite her to stay at the house. Did a ranch hand normally sleep in the barn? She’d enjoyed her brief interlude in the hayloft yesterday, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to sleep there for the next four weeks. Especially if it was occupied by mice, rats or other assorted rodents.
“I’ve been remodeling the second floor, so the bedrooms up there are a mess. I used to have a small cabin on my ranch that was used for a bunkhouse, but it burned down last month.”
“So that leaves?”
“My bed.”
“Your bed?” she echoed, certain she hadn’t heard him right.
He gazed at her through half-lidded eyes. “I think you’ll find my bed much more comfortable than my sofa.”
Maybe. But she doubted she’d get any sleep in his bed. For one brief moment, she allowed herself to imagine sleeping in Garrett Lord’s bed. In his arms. Kissing that hard, sullen mouth. A bolt of white-hot desire shot through her veins.
