The Rebellious Rancher. Kate Pearce

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      Silver hunkered down on one of the logs set around the now-blazing campfire, her gaze fixed on the flames. She yawned so hard, Ben heard her jaw crack.

      “You should eat something before you turn in,” Ben said. He picked up the packs of freeze-dried food and squinted at the labels. “I’ve got beef stew or sweet and sour rice. Either of those grab you?”

      She shuddered. “If that’s anything like the astronaut food I’ve tasted, it’ll be disgusting.”

      “It’s not the same thing, and just remember that unless we catch or shoot our own food, this is all we have.”

      She didn’t look convinced and Ben didn’t push it. “There are a couple of sandwiches left from lunch, and Mrs. Morgan made some brownies and snuck them in.”

      “Brownies?” Silver’s head came up like one of his dogs chasing a chicken. “Where?”

      He pushed the container over to her. “I’m surprised you didn’t see them. They were right next to my boxers.” She grabbed the box like he’d handed her a lifeline. “You should eat a sandwich as well.”

      She was already on that, devouring the white bread and mayo sandwich she’d reluctantly nibbled on at lunch in five bites. Ben hid a smile as she started on the brownies.

      “Shouldn’t you be consulting your diet app?” Ben asked. She literally growled at him and he held up his hands. “Remember, we’ll be out here for over a week, so don’t eat them all at once.”

      * * *

      Silver ate her second brownie, almost moaning at the glorious chocolatey feel of it sliding down her throat. She couldn’t remember being quite so hungry before in her life, and yet she’d done nothing more strenuous than sit on a horse and listen to Ben Miller lecture her about stuff. Getting the tent up by herself had felt like some kind of victory, but she had to give him credit for letting her crow.

      She glanced over at him as he tended to the fire and then carefully tipped boiling water from the pot into one of the foil pouches. He stirred it with a spoon and then set it to one side.

      “Which one is that?” She spoke through a mouthful of brownie.

      “I’m not sure. I like to live dangerously.” He mock-frowned. “Not as good as Mrs. Morgan’s home cooking, but it’ll have to do.”

      “Does your mom cook?”

      “Occasionally, but it’s mainly Adam because she doesn’t live with us.” He shrugged. “He finds it relaxing for some reason.”

      She withheld her curiosity about his offhand comment about his mom and held out the container. “Do you want this sandwich?”

      “You have it if you need it.” He returned his attention to the pouch.

      Silver didn’t think that she’d ever met a man who was so contained in himself and yet so comfortable in his environment. She’d already established that he didn’t shout, had a dry sense of humor, and that he wasn’t willing to take any shit even from her. He spoke the words he wanted to say, and then shut up. He was so completely alien to her, that she didn’t know what to make of him or how to charm him into liking her.

      Why she wanted him to like her was another issue entirely, and one she wasn’t sure she needed to examine right now. Her therapist said she had a compulsive need to be liked, and not in a good way. Did she assume everyone would love her? Was she really that conceited? Maybe she needed to make more of an effort to get to know him.

      “So your sister Daisy is the only girl,” Silver asked.

      “Yeah.” For the first time he smiled with real warmth. “And the youngest and definitely the smartest of the bunch.”

      “She’s in tech?”

      He nodded, stirring the contents of his meal and then set it down again. “She’s in a start-up that’s looking like making her a millionaire in a couple of years.”

      “That’s awesome.” Silver resisted the lure of the brownies and firmly resealed the lid. “Does she look like you?”

      “A little bit, but her hair has less red in it, and she’s petite.”

      “Is she pretty?”

      “How would I know? The guy she’s engaged to seems to think so.” Ben opened his meal, stirred it again, and sat down on one of the logs opposite her. “I think Daisy is more interested in being smart than in being pretty.”

      Silver raised her chin. “There’s nothing wrong in being both.”

      “True.” He ate a spoonful of his meal and chewed slowly. “I think it’s beef stew.”

      “People often think I’m dumb just because I’m blond,” Silver added.

      “I don’t think you’re dumb.”

      “But do you think I’m pretty?”

      Ben turned fully toward her, his considering gaze on her face. “Not really.”

      “Beautiful?”

      “I don’t judge people on what they look like on the outside.”

      “Everyone does that whether they mean to or not,” Silver countered. “That’s why women and men who look a certain way become famous.”

      “Maybe I don’t care about the being famous part.” He ate another spoonful of stew. “Why does it matter what I think of you anyway?”

      “Because...” Silver was beginning to regret starting such a stupid conversation. “You said you loved my cowboy show.”

      “I liked the show, yeah, but that wasn’t you, was it? That was just a character you played on TV twenty years ago.” He met her gaze. “I don’t know the real you, do I?”

      “You know more than most fans,” she said, all the while wondering why she was being so obstinate about nothing. “You’ve spent a whole day with me.”

      “Whoop-de-woo, like I won a contest or something?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “The thing is, Ms. Meadows, for the next week you’re in my world, and whether I think you’re pretty or not is secondary to whether you have the intelligence to stay alive, learn something, and not fall apart on me.”

      She put down the brownie box with something of a thump. “We’ve already established that I’m not stupid, and I’m pretty certain I can manage the rest of it.”

      He sighed. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you. You’re a guest on this ranch, and I’ll make sure that you get the best trail riding experience of your life, okay?”

      “Don’t worry. I’m not going to complain to your employers if you actually engage with me as if I am a real person,” Silver shot back. “I can take criticism and I do want to learn.”

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