Sheltered By The Cowboy. Carla Cassidy

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      “I’m fine,” he replied curtly.

      She propped herself up on one elbow to face him. “Are you going to be in a bad mood the whole night?”

      He looked at her in surprise. “What makes you think I’m in a bad mood?”

      “Gee, I don’t know. Since you scowl all the time, it’s hard to tell when you’re in a good mood.” She consciously ignored the crazy warmth that swept through her at his nearness. His body heat radiated toward her and the scent of him was so pleasant.

      “I’ve just been thinking about all the things I should be doing around the ranch. I’m acting as foreman right now and I should be there.” He leaned over and grabbed a package of potato chips off his nightstand.

      Mandy knew Brody worked on the Holiday Ranch, and the local gossipmongers had been buzzing about everything that had taken place there over the past month.

      “I still can’t believe Adam Benson killed all those people,” she said. “He seemed like such a nice guy...always with a pleasant smile,” she said pointedly.

      Seven unsolved murders had taken place on the Holiday Ranch fifteen years ago and Chief of Police Dillon Bowie had been determined to solve the crime. It wasn’t until ranch foreman Adam tried to kill ranch owner Cassie Peterson that Dillon was finally able to solve the crimes and make sure Adam would never hurt anyone again. Adam had been killed when Dillon saved Cassie. Since then, Dillon had moved in with Cassie, and there was talk about a wedding in the near future.

      “All of us were surprised. None of us had any clue how dangerous and sick Adam was.” He ripped open the bag of chips and offered it to her.

      “So, you’re now the new foreman there.” She plucked out a chip and popped it into her mouth. It was vaguely irritating to her that he hadn’t really looked at her since he’d returned to the room with the goodies.

      “Temporarily,” he replied. “Cassie offered me the position, and I took it for now with the understanding that I might not be the best man for the job.”

      “Other than your obvious lack of people skills, why wouldn’t you be the best man for the job?”

      “I do fine with most people,” he replied with a touch of irritation.

      “So then it’s just me you don’t want to be nice to.”

      He finally really looked at her, his dark brown eyes perfectly matching the brown in his plaid flannel shirt. Dear heaven, the man was so hot. His broad shoulders filled his side of the bed and his jeans fit tight on his slim hips, flat abdomen and long legs.

      “Mandy, I don’t really know you.”

      “Then tonight is a perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better. Maybe we could even walk out of here in the morning as friends. I could always use a new friend. I don’t have many.”

      “And why is that?” He gazed at her curiously.

      Warmth swept into her cheeks. “I’m sure you know why most women don’t like me. With my reputation, I wouldn’t like me, either.” There, she’d mentioned the elephant in the room.

      “Your reputation?”

      She released a small, slightly bitter laugh. “Don’t play dumb with me, Brody Booth. I know what people say about me behind my back, that I’m fast and loose and wild, but you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

      “I’m just wondering how Butch Cooper is going to feel in the morning when word gets out that we spent the night together.” He returned his gaze to some point just over her shoulder.

      “Butch is old news. We broke up soon after Cassie’s barn dance. I’m not seeing anyone right now. What about you? Is somebody going to be upset with you about tonight?” She’d never heard anything about his personal life.

      “I don’t have anyone in my life and I don’t want anyone.”

      “And why is that?” she asked curiously. “Don’t you want to get married and eventually have kids?”

      “Nope.”

      “Are you gay?”

      He released a small laugh. “Nope.”

      For a moment she couldn’t remember what they’d just been talking about. All she could think of was that low, slightly husky and very sexy sound that had escaped him. She turned and grabbed her corn chips off the nightstand and then faced him once again.

      “Why do you date so many men?” he asked.

      She looked at him in surprise. “I’m twenty-nine years old, I’m single and I’m looking for the toad who will become my Prince Charming. So far, they’ve all just been common toads.”

      “Maybe your standards are too high,” he replied. Once again he wasn’t looking at her but rather peering someplace over her head.

      “Probably,” she agreed easily. “But why would I lower my standards as to who I want to spend the rest of my life with? I want a man who loves me desperately, somebody who will always have my back no matter what. I’ve never, ever had anyone like that in my entire life.”

      “What about your family?”

      She masked that particular pain with a small laugh. “My mother died when I was ten. A month after her death, my older brother ran away and never came back. My father pretty much hates my existence and only keeps me around so I can cook and clean for him.”

      Afraid that she had sounded too harsh about her father, she continued, “Dad hurt his back nine years ago and had to go on disability, and he never got over my mother’s death. He needs my help and I’m glad to do it. All I want is to be good enough that he’ll be proud of me and love me.”

      Jeez, what was she doing baring her soul to him? She really didn’t know him at all. She grabbed a chip from her bag, not wanting to think about how alone she’d felt for most of her life.

      “You never heard from your brother again?” he asked.

      She shook her head. “When Graham left he never looked back. I think maybe it helped break my father’s heart even more and that’s what made him so hard and bitter. So, what about you? What’s your family story?” She didn’t want to think about her brother or her father anymore. It hurt too much.

      He stared up at the ceiling, as if contemplating whether to share anything with her or not. “You’ve probably heard that all of us cowboys at the Holiday Ranch were throwaway kids. Cass Holiday took us in when we were all in our early teens.”

      “Everyone in town has heard the story,” she replied.

      “I was fourteen when my father threw me out of the house because he caught me smoking a cigarette. It was almost a relief to be forced to leave. Like you, I lost my mama when I was young. My father was a brutal man with an uncontrollable rage inside him and that rage was usually focused on me.”

      He turned to look at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. “I was fairly lucky. I’d only been out СКАЧАТЬ