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From City Girl to Rancher's Wife
Ami Weaver
COOKING UP A HAPPY ENDING? Josie Callahan is used to cooking up a storm in the big city. But when her life in Los Angeles falls apart, she jumps at the chance to start over as a private chef in Montana. More used to stilettos and stainless steel appliances than cowboy boots and cozy kitchens, Josie is out of her element...especially with her sexy boss, who doesn't think she'll last. Former country music star Luke Ryder has been a loner since personal tragedy brought him low. Josie is a palate cleanser for the reclusive rancher, who prefers horses to heartbreakers. But Luke can't resist his new employee's bright smile and bubbly ways, which soften his heart. A delicious happily-ever-after might be just what Luke ordered!
Luke hadn’t bargained on the new cook.
Sure, Rosa had asked if her niece could take over while she spent some of her vacation time with her daughter, who was expecting a baby soon. Trusting the older woman completely, he’d said sure.
He hadn’t thought about Josie being a woman.
It had been so long since he’d looked—really looked—at a woman, that when she’d glared at him from her car, blue eyes narrowed, with the pepper spray can in her hand, he’d been shocked to feel the unwelcome rush of attraction. And she was a self-confessed city girl to boot, which was a huge no-no in his book. He’d married a city girl.
He was no longer married.
So to feel something for someone who wore three-inch spiked heels to stomp across a muddy, wet road in the wilds of Montana wasn’t a good sign.
But damn, they’d looked good on her, even in the mud and rain.
From City Girl to Rancher’s Wife
Ami Weaver
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Two-time Golden Heart Award finalist AMI WEAVER has been reading romance since she was a teen and writing for even longer, so it was only natural she would put the two together. Now she can be found drinking gallons of iced tea at her local coffee shop while doing one of her very favorite things—convincing two characters they deserve their happy-ever-after. Ami lives in Michigan with her four kids, three cats and her very supportive husband.
To my parents, Jan and Nancy.
Thank you for all you’ve done and all your support. It means the world. Love you guys.
Contents
Cover (#ud54527ed-96f3-5c96-a334-74f97965db14)
Introduction (#u597ce978-145e-5803-9c3f-2559ee90b8c3)
Title Page (#ufb9a5b62-d8bd-5a15-81ce-e650c81fd23c)
About the Author (#u633e366c-ef6f-5903-9cdf-d1165ddd9225)
Dedication (#u524c6952-2be7-54c6-a295-6edc4bcdac75)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uc22ad568-d01d-58df-940a-f75937aa0ad1)
After six hours in a middle-of-nowhere airport, two turbulent flights and a bottom-of-the-barrel rental car, Josie Callahan almost wasn’t shocked when she ended up in the ditch on a dark, out-of-the-way Montana road. In what seemed to be a monsoon.
She swallowed what felt dangerously close to hysterical laughter, because at this point, after how awful her day had been, what was the point of getting mad?
Just to check, she dug her phone out of her bag, then almost immediately dropped it back in. No service, of course. It had been hit or miss all day.
Since she had no idea where she was, how far she was from the ranch—this car had no GPS—and her phone wouldn’t work, she plopped her head back on the headrest and squeezed her eyes shut. She was hungry, but all she had was a squashed granola bar in her purse and half a bottle of water. No chocolate, unfortunately.
She opened her eyes and gave the rain that was coursing down the windshield a baleful glare.
Where she came from, none of this would be an issue.
Light bounced somewhere down the road. Josie squinted out the rain-streaked window. Lightning? It couldn’t possibly be a car out here on this godforsaken road. Could it?
It was getting steadily closer, and she could see the lights were in fact headlights, on what seemed to be a huge truck.
The truck slowed, then stopped on the opposite side of the road, so she wasn’t blinded by the lights. Josie scrambled for her pepper spray, her heart pounding. Her hysteria from a few moments ago had turned to a quasi panic. She saw the truck door open, and a tall man stepped out.
She gripped the can tightly. Okay. She was on the road—she hoped—to the Silver River Ranch. Her aunt knew she was on the way. It was possible he was looking for her.
He tapped on her window. She lowered it a few inches and lifted her can of pepper spray so he could see it. The rain splashed in, cold on her skin, but he wore a cowboy hat. The rain ran off the brim. He had sharp blue eyes that caught her attention.
“Are you Josie Callahan?” His voice was deep and a little hoarse, and she blinked.
“I am,” she said, holding the can steady. “Who are you?”
“Luke Ryder. Your aunt sent me to check on you.” He stooped a little more and lifted a brow. “You don’t need the pepper spray, ma’am.”
Oh, hell. She lowered the can. No, she didn’t need it. Luke Ryder was a well-known retired country star and her aunt’s employer. She dropped it in her lap, thankful she hadn’t accidentally discharged the can. On herself. The way this day had gone, it wouldn’t have surprised her. “Right. Well. Thanks.”
“Why don’t you get in the truck and I’ll grab your bags. You’re not that far from the ranch, and Rosa is anxious to see you.” There may or may not have been a note of censure in his voice, and she bristled just a bit. Rosa had told her to wait, to come in the daylight, but Josie had had it after everything had gone wrong and had just wanted to get there. Guilt swamped her. It seemed as if she was always causing people anxiety. “I couldn’t call her. My phone—”
“No service out here for regular cell phones. That’s why she sent me.” He opened the door as she hit the button to roll the window up. She twisted to grab her coat from the backseat and got her purse and laptop bag. He extended his free hand and, after a second’s hesitation, she took it and he pulled her out of the car. She was a little surprised at how tall he was—even though she was in heels he topped her by a head.
Despite the chill in the air, his palm was warm and rough as it slid over hers. The little shiver that ran down her spine had to be from the shock of the cold rain in late August, not his touch.
“Go ahead and get in the truck,” he said. “I’ll get the rest of your stuff.”
“Thank you,” she said, and marched across the sodden, uneven road, her boots with their three-inch heels sinking into the dirt. She was afraid she was going to lose one. They, like her, were made for city sidewalks. In retrospect, probably not the best footwear for Montana.
She climbed into the big red dually pickup and sank into the buttery leather seats. This wasn’t what she’d expected. She’d thought it’d be threadbare, dirty, more of a working truck for a cowboy. Which she knew from her aunt was what Luke considered himself now. It smelled like—
Luke.
As he opened the back door of the truck and put her bags in, she got another whiff of the fresh air and rain mixed with the scent of laundry soap and something a little spicy. She stopped herself from taking a deep inhale.
She’d been involved with a celebrity once. It had cost her more than she’d ever expected to pay. She wasn’t going to fall into that trap again, not for love or money.
“I took everything out of the trunk,” he said, turning slightly toward her so she got the whole effect of those eyes. Oh, my. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No, that’s everything. Thank you.” Her tone was a little prim, even to her own ears.
He arched a brow. “Those are two, full, heavy suitcases. How did you get them on the plane?”
She gave him a tight smile. “Paid extra. Of course.” She’d packed a few of her favorite pans and utensils. She wasn’t going to explain that to him.
“What about the car?” she asked as he climbed in the truck. “Can we just leave it there?”
“We’ll have to for tonight. In the morning I’ll come back and pull it out. I’d like to be able to see if there’s any damage.”
She swallowed a sigh. Damage to the rental car. She’d bought the insurance policy that they offered and she hoped it would cover it in this situation. She’d worry about it in the morning. “All right. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He put the truck in gear and made a series of short turns that eventually had the big truck facing the other way on the road. Josie just sat there, her hands in her lap. It was quiet in the truck, except for the rhythmic thumping of the windshield wipers. If she wasn’t careful, it could lull her to sleep. Her day was finally catching up to her. She’d gotten up at four that morning to catch her flight. She glanced at the clock on the dash. It was almost nine now.
Los Angeles seemed like a lifetime away. That was probably for the best. She wondered if Aunt Rosa’s no-gossip policy extended to her, too. Had she told Luke about Josie’s recent troubles?
She sneaked a little look at his profile, which was illuminated by the dash lights. His chin was strong and his hair was cut short under that hat. His shirt was soaked, and did a nice job of outlining strong arms. Aunt Rosa didn’t say much about her famous employer, but she had said he was a hard worker. Those arms seemed to be proof of that.
Not that she was looking, of course.
She tore her eyes away and fixed them on the bit of road she could see in the swath of light from the truck’s headlights. The rain ran in rivulets down the sides of the road, and a washout from that was probably what had pulled her off the road and into the ditch.
“Thank you,” she said finally, “for your help. I am sorry for making you come out in this weather.”
“You’re welcome. Did she tell you to wait until morning?”
Now she heard the note of censure in his tone. But all Josie had wanted was to get away from the airports and into a real bed. “She did, yes.”
He glanced at her. “You didn’t think that maybe she knew what she was talking about?”
Josie threaded her fingers together so tight it hurt. “Of course I did. I just thought—” She trailed off. She’d thought it couldn’t be that bad. That remote meant a little ways out from town, that roads were paved, that there’d be people around. Somewhere. That she’d just be out in the country, not in the middle of nowhere in a monsoon. She combed her hair back from her face. Her neat knot had given up hours ago. “I was stupid. I’m completely aware of that.”
“Stupid can get you killed out here,” he said mildly, as if he was pointing out the obvious. “Soon enough this won’t be rain. It’ll be snow. It could take days to find someone who’s wandered off.”
A little shiver ran over her skin. She’d be gone before the snow set in, thank God. “Point taken. I’ll be careful.” Not that she’d be driving anywhere. She’d been driving for almost an hour past the last little town when she’d gone in the ditch. There’d be no quick trips out for anything, clearly.
Not like her neighborhood in LA, where she could walk everywhere if she wanted. She massaged her temples with her fingertips.
“Rough day?”
She laughed, because otherwise she’d start crying. And maybe never stop. “You could say that.” Her past few months had been a series of rough days. She was due for something better. Sometime. Any time. It was why she was up here in Montana instead of back at home in California trying to salvage her career.
Which, of course, was beyond fixing, as was her life as she’d known it. Stupid didn’t just kill a person. It could cost them everything.
Luke made a turn onto a tiny road that she didn’t even see in the rain and the dark, which meant she’d have missed it if she’d been on her own. They bumped along a rutted road for a quarter mile or so before passing through an open gate under an arch. They wound a little farther, and over a rise the house came into view.
Josie couldn’t contain her gasp. Even in the dark, she could see the house was a huge log home. Not a cabin—her aunt had referred to it as a cabin! A cabin was smallish. This place was closer to a mansion. Lights were on in many of the windows, and the front porch was illuminated as well, showing a row of Adirondack chairs. Luke pulled the truck off onto a short gravel drive that opened to a parking area. He stopped next to a low stone wall with soft lights set into it.
“We’ll have to make a run for it,” he said. “I can’t get any closer than this.” He cast a doubtful eye in the direction of her feet. “Don’t break an ankle, please.”
She snapped out of her awe and grabbed her laptop bag and purse. “Oh, I won’t. I can run in these. I’m a city girl, born and raised.” This was not a plus out here in the wilds of Montana, but she’d make it work for the next couple of months.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” he said, low enough she almost didn’t catch it, and got out, opened the back door and grabbed a suitcase. She got the other one, and it bumped along behind her as she half walked, half ran to the porch behind Luke, whose long stride made it impossible for her to keep up without trotting.
The heavy front door swung open. Aunt Rosa was framed in the light from the house, anxiety and relief etched on her face. “Josie! Oh, thank God you’re okay.”
Josie walked into her aunt’s embrace, even though it was awkward with all the bags she was juggling and she was soaking wet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Aunt Rosa gave her a fierce hug. “Just like your daddy. Stubborn.” Her tone was affectionate, not scolding, but Josie still felt bad. “Let me go grab you a towel. Wait right here.” She hurried off, and Josie and Luke came all the way in, the suitcases trundling awkwardly over the threshold. Luke came to a stop right behind her, and she felt the heat of his body. It was an odd sort of awareness, one that made her uncomfortable.
“I’ll put this in your room,” Luke said quietly, and she turned partway around and nodded, making brief eye contact with him.
“All right. Thank you. For all your help.”
He tipped his head at her. “You’re welcome.” He strode off, and Josie pulled her gaze away when it snagged on his broad shoulders and looked around the room instead.
