The Rancher's Seduction. Catherine Mann

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      “You’ve done better than I could have one-handed. Thanks.” He gestured to an indoor grill with a chimney vent. “Although I can grill them.”

      “You could. But I prefer to earn my keep.” She busied her hands placing the ground meat in a bowl to keep from surrendering to the temptation to pick a piece of lint from his shirt. To touch him.

      “There’s not going to be a lot to keep you occupied around this place.” He passed her the fresh spices. “I’m fairly self-sufficient, even with the cast.”

      “No offense meant, but the place is dusty.” In fact, she’d already made a list of tasks to accomplish before the fund-raiser and in preparation for Christmas. The holidays were going to be chaotic enough blending the Steele and Mikkelson traditions. Luckily, much of the Christmas prep would also double as party prep. She needed to stay focused on her work, her tasks and her goal of making peace with her family’s past. “I don’t know what you were paying the other cleaning lady to do during her visits.”

      “Are you angling to take her place permanently?”

      His question caught her off guard. If her father hadn’t been the mechanic for that fated aircraft... If she hadn’t found her boss so incredibly attractive...

      Then yes, this would have been the perfect job for her to seek long-term.

      But that wasn’t the case.

      “I’m only pointing out facts. My work will speak for itself and hopefully garner a good reference for another job.” She placed the patties out for the burgers, arranging three on a dish. “Wait until you see what I can do with my special brand of homemade fabric softener.”

      “Homemade, huh?”

      “I use all-natural cleaning supplies. Better for the environment and my health.” She’d started off mixing her own to save money and go easy on the environment, then found she liked the products better. She felt better, too—less sinus and skin irritation from work.

      “Am I going to start seeing tofu and alfalfa sprouts in my food?” He tapped the plate, eyeing the burgers suspiciously.

      “Do you like sprouts and tofu?” she found herself asking contrarily, even though they were both low on her list of favorites.

      “Haven’t tried them.” He turned on the indoor grill, the flames licking upward to heat the grate.

      “So you prejudge.” She was playing with fire, bantering with him. Yet she couldn’t seem to stop.

      “Do you always argue with your employers?” He turned toward her to take the plate, their fingers brushing.

      The light touch sent electricity crackling through her, leaving her loath to pull her hand from his.

      “Not arguing. Just making conversation.”

      “Uh-huh.” He took the plate, backing away slowly, then turned.

      He flipped the burgers on the grill, the sizzling meat sending spicy scents into the air. His low growl of approval stirred her. Deeply. Calling to mind other primal pleasures.

      Six weeks suddenly sounded like a very long time.

      Heat built inside him faster than any smoking from the stone grill. Marshall watched Tally turn toward the pantry, all sass and sex rolled into one.

      He read loud and clear the boss/employee boundaries she was keeping in place, and he respected her for that. And still...he was tempted.

      Nudging the burgers on the grates and judging them nearly done, he knew full well there was no tofu or sprouts blended in since he didn’t keep any in stock. Still, she’d made him laugh. Something he didn’t do often.

      Through narrowed eyes, he watched her arrange lettuce, pickle wedges and tomato slices on a small platter. She had a smooth way of moving, each motion blending right into the next.

      Had they met a month ago, he would have pursued her like gangbusters. But with his broken arm and the taste for alcohol simmering just below the surface, he was reminded how tenuous sobriety could be.

      He couldn’t afford change, not now.

      She set a lone place at the table.

      And somehow it seemed to be making a bigger deal out of the attraction not to do the obvious and invite her to join him. “Tally, set a place for yourself, too.”

      She glanced at him quickly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth before nodding slowly. “We should plan out my work schedule.”

      “Now?”

      “If you’re too busy watching those burgers—” she stared at him pointedly with those alluring hazel eyes “—then just let me know when would be a better time.”

      There she went, making him chuckle again. “Now’s fine. Let’s plan.”

      “Thank you. I need to let the hospital know when I’m available.”

      “Hospital?” he asked. Keeping up with this woman’s conversational diversionary paths could make a man dizzy. Then he thought of her “all natural” quest. Was she ill? She likely didn’t have much of a financial cushion to take time off.

      He thought of his sister Naomi’s teenage battle with cancer. Her return to health had been draining. He couldn’t imagine someone managing such a major health crisis while working full-time.

      Tally folded napkins alongside the silverware, deep red hair feathering down her back. “I volunteer in the NICU—neonatal ICU—holding babies that are there for extended stays.”

      A sigh of relief left him. He also wondered how he’d let himself jump to such a dire conclusion so quickly. This woman had him off-balance with her sexy confidence and curves to match. “Aren’t their parents there to hold them?”

      “The parents stay as much as possible, but they often have jobs or other children that make it impossible to be at the hospital twenty-four/seven. Touch is so important to any baby, and even more so for a struggling preemie building up their immune system.”

      His admiration for her grew. She had a fiery crusader’s spirit to go with that fiery red hair. This was the kind of woman a man admired, the kind of woman a man married. And he wasn’t in the market for happily-ever-after.

      He would wager money she wasn’t the affair type, even if he wasn’t her boss. Even if this had been a month ago, even if his life wasn’t teetering on the edge. His broken arm and the frustration from the restrictions of his recovery had him longing to pass the time with a drink.

      The last thing he could do. He’d worked too hard for his sobriety. He picked up the small platter. “Keep your volunteer schedule in place. If you could just give me a copy, we can work around it here.”

      Her hazel eyes sparkled with appreciation. “That’s very kind of СКАЧАТЬ