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  He made his way outside the stables, back into the sun, and dusted his hands on his pants. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the sweat from his brow. Though they had a mild spring, summer was coming in hot.

  He sauntered toward the resort, taking his time on his way to find Noah, his fellow ranch hand. He hadn’t seen him since this morning, and he had to make sure first thing tomorrow he checked out Mountainview Cabin and took inventory of the work that needed to be done. According to Maggie, his full-time cleaning woman, it was in desperate need of maintenance after a particularly rowdy group checked-out this morning.

  Spotting him outside the water maintenance shed, Rhett called out to him and waved him over.

  “Hey, Mr. Montgomery.” Noah brought the water bottle in his hands to his lips and took a long pull.

  “You finishing up?”

  Noah nodded, swallowing. “Yeah. I just finished all the mowing and weed eating. I was gonna feed the steer and the hogs, then jet.” He glanced around them, surveying their surroundings. “You seen Tess around? I thought about seeing if she wanted to maybe go to The Water Hole and get a drink, maybe a sandwich?”

  Rhett frowned. Noah grew up next door to the Montgomerys since they were kids—wrangling cows, chasing chickens and playing in the mud with Rhett’s youngest brother, Chase, and his sister, Tess. It wasn’t until they were older that Rhett realized half the reason Noah hung around their place so much was because he was in love with Tess. And though Rhett didn’t mind much—Noah was a good kid—it was still his baby sister.

  Although, the thought had crossed Rhett’s mind that if Noah asked her out, maybe it would finally distract her from butting into his own personal life. At twenty-three, she was relentless. Too nosy for her own good.

  “I haven’t seen her since I’ve been out on the trails all afternoon. But if I do, I’ll be sure to let her know you’re looking.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Noah said. “Mindy Beaumont stopped by while you were out.”

  Rhett’s eyes widened, and he glanced around as if she might materialize out of thin air. Ever since Tess tried to force them together at the Cedar Falls spring festival, she’d been relentless in her pursuit of him. It didn’t matter how many times he told her he wasn’t interested in a relationship—with anyone, let alone her—nothing seemed to discourage her from trying.

  Noah laughed at what Rhett imagined was a look of horror on his face, then rushed to add, “Don’t worry. She left a while ago.”

  Rhett shuddered. “I’ll giver her credit, she’s persistent, alright.”

  Noah snorted. “Did you need anything before I finish up?”

  “Uh, no. I was going to have you assess Mountainview Cabin for damage, but it can wait. Maybe I’ll even get to it after I wash up and get something to eat.”

  At Noah’s arched brow, he added, “Apparently, the tenants left it a mess. They said the screen door was hanging off the hinges, a railing on the porch had been busted, and the kitchen might need a fresh coat of paint. That’s what I get, I guess, for renting it out to a bunch of college kids. But it’s nothing a day’s worth of work won’t fix. I just wanted to take inventory of the damage.”

  “You want me to drop by after I finish feeding?”

  Rhett patted a hand on his shoulder. “No. You go on. See if you can’t find Tess after. Otherwise, she’ll goad me into calling Mandy.” With a roll of the eyes, he turned and headed past the lodge.

  His feet crunched over the stone walkway while he took in the view he’d never tire of. Beyond the resort, Bear Creek stretched like inky glass against a backdrop of rolling mountains. Back when the ranch was just a dream, he built his own home adjacent to the water, obscured by pines on the furthest south end of the property to give him privacy while granting him the most beautiful view of the sunrise and sunset. There was a time where he’d longed to spend all his time there with Mae. Everything about the house reminded him of his late wife. While a ranch resort was his dream, his vision, the house was very much Mae Beth’s. It was the reason why, not long after she was gone and his heartache threatened to split him in two, he contemplated renting it out as a luxury cabin and staying at the lodge. But in the end, he didn’t have the heart to leave it. She loved it too much.

  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shook away his thoughts. After a long day, all he wanted was a shower, an ice-cold beer, and a hot meal. He’d spent the better portion of his morning mending fences and repairing a busted tractor engine, followed by troubleshooting an issue with the machines at the creamery. Taking the two groups of guests on a guided tour through the area on horseback was the easiest part of his day, and as much as he’d like to head straight to the restaurant and avoid the silence of his home, he’d better clean up before supper.

  He headed away from the stables and the lodge, past the creamery, and the cabins, back toward the end of the resort property. The towering log house, with its sprawling windows and expansive porches, towered in the distance.

  As he drew closer to the row of ponderosa pines, he frowned at the sight of a figure crouched over the stone-lined flowerbeds that flanked the gravel drive to his house.

  He paused, further scrutinizing this trespasser. There was a flower tucked behind her ear. Narrowing his eyes, he deduced it was a clematis based on the delicate purple petals.

  With a sigh of irritation, he fisted his hands by his side. The guests weren’t supposed to be out this far. The maps at the lodge didn’t extend beyond the resort to his property, so why was this intruder here, so rudely picking his flowers?

  “Hey!” he barked, far louder than necessary. “Get away from there.”

  When the woman jumped to her feet and swung around, the sight of her was like a punch to the gut. Even from here, he could make out the brilliant blue of her eyes and her long dark hair.

  “Oh.” She covered her mouth with her hand as a deep blush stained her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know . . .”

  Rhett frowned. Anyone should know better than to go picking flowers that didn’t belong to them.

  He opened his mouth to speak when a voice called from behind. “Hey, Rhett!”

  Tess.

  He groaned and swung around to find her panting and out of breath like she just ran a marathon. It was like she had radar whenever she sensed Rhett was participating in a conversation with a member of the opposite sex—even if it was merely to chastise her for trespassing.

  Tess placed her hands on her hips and caught her breath, taking her sweet time to inform him of the reason for the interruption.

  Some woman was stealing his property, and for all he knows, vandalizing his flower beds, yet Tess had time to collect her thoughts and catch her breath.

  “What?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Tess arched a brow at his tone. “Whoa. What’s got your panties all twisted up in a bunch?”

  His gaze darted back to the woman behind him, who seemed to be closing the gap between them.

  “Oh.” Tess followed his gaze.

  Yeah. Oh. This woman was skulking about and picking his Mae Beth’s favorite flowers right from under his nose.

  “She’s coming,” Tess whispered. “Now, be nice, Rhett.”

  She barely got the words out before he whipped in the strangers’ direction and opened his mouth to snap.

  But instead of a scathing reprimand, the air wheezed in his lungs and he stumbled back. He had been right about her eyes. They were as blue and cool as a fresh hot spring, while her hair was the most beautiful chestnut he’d ever seen. It spilled over her shoulders and cascaded down her back like a dark waterfall.

  He swallowed, the edge of his anger, somehow intensifying by his assessment. “Who are you, and what are you doing way out here? The lodge and resort are up thataway,” he said, nodding toward the northern part of the property.

  “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I’d walked so far, and then I saw the flowers. . .” Her voice trailed off as she note
d his gaze which had zeroed in on the flower behind her ear.

  So she admitted to picking his flowers. . . An honest thief.

  Her hand involuntarily rose to the bud and her mouth opened as if to apologize again when Tess stepped forward and cut her off. “Uh, Rhett, this is Danielle Roberts. She checked in the resort a few days ago. She’s our long-term guest, remember?”

  “Please,” the woman stepped forward with a wobbly smile, “call me Danny.”

  “Right,” Tess said, looking between them, clearly pleased with herself. “Danny, this is Rhett Montgomery, my brother, and the owner of Montana Wilds Ranch Resort.”

  Rhett grunted in response.

  Long-term. In other words, Danny was a valuable guest. Rhett got the message loud and clear. He just didn’t care much.

  He folded his arms over his chest, trying to school his expression into one that wasn’t so annoyed, then turned away from Danielle—Danny—whatever her name was—back to his sister who widened her eyes at him and tipped her head toward their guest, imploring him to play nice with her blazing gaze.

  With a sigh, he glanced back once more, tipped his hat, and said, “Welcome.”

  Tess smiled, satisfied, which earned her an eye roll from Rhett. “So, what were you rushing out here after me for? Seemed like you had something to tell me?” he asked, absently rubbing a hand over the scruff of his beard.

  “Oh, yeah,” she murmured, and her expression darkened.

  Behind him, he heard the soft sound of the woman’s footsteps, and a quick glance behind him told him their guest hadn’t gone. She seemed to be hovering, hanging around, which only irritated him further. She probably had some mundane question for him. As soon as guests found out he was the owner, they wanted to chat and ask all about the ranch and how he started it, where he got his ideas, how he built it up . . . blah, blah, blah. When all he wanted was to be left alone.

  Rhett waved Tess on, impatient.

  “Brian fell off a ladder and broke his leg.”

  Rhett’s frown deepened. “I thought he was off today.”

  “He did it at home, that’s the good news. The bad news is that puts us another man short while he recovers.” Tess scrunches her nose. “When did you say Tiny’s replacement was due to come in?”

  Tiny worked at the lodge’s reception desk. She just had a baby, and he was supposed to find a temporary replacement weeks ago.

  “I didn’t,” Rhett growled like it was her fault, though he could hardly blame his sister. She was merely the messenger, and she certainly wasn’t responsible for Brian breaking his leg or their lack of help.

  “Rhett?” she asked, her tone wary. “What do you mean? You did hire a replacement, right?”

  Rhett pursed his lips and scratched his head, avoiding his sister’s gaze. She was always on him, worse than their mother, and that was saying something.

  “There wasn’t anyone as qualified as—”

  “Oh, don’t give me that crap. Seriously, Rhett!” She stomped her foot just like she did when they were kids.

  “I don’t know why you’re so mad. It’s my resort, so it’s my problem.”

  “No. It’ll be mine, because you’ll stick me with her job, and I won’t do it. I can’t be the head chef of the restaurant, run the creamery, and do Tiny’s job too. She handles all the bookings and inventory and a million other little things I don’t have time for. Plus, now Brian’s gone.”

  Rhett removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair.

  Crap. He screwed up. He really was in a bind now, but he thought he had a few weeks yet. Tiny had just informed them of her induction date three weeks ago. It felt like he had forever. How had the time slipped by so fast? And now with Brian gone too . . .

  “You’re right,” he said, trying to reassure her. “I’ll find someone. Don’t worry. You won’t have to do it all, but maybe if I could have you just help with Brian’s work for a bit in the meantime. Nothing full time,” he rushed to add when Tess shot him a death glare. “Just here and there.”

  “Um, excuse me?” a melodic voice called out behind him.

  Great. She was still there. He’d almost forgotten, which meant she likely heard everything, considering Tess had no idea how to keep her voice down.

  Rhett swallowed the urge to turn around and bite with his words. Instead, he merely inclined his head with a questioning gaze as the woman who called herself Danny stepped toward them.

  “I couldn’t help but overhear—”

  Rhett scoffed. Overhear? More like eavesdrop.

  Her gaze darted to his face and her throat bobbed before she turned her full attention on Tess. “But I could do it.”

  “Oh, honey,” Tess said, placing a hand on the woman’s arm. “Don’t worry yourself with it. You’re our guest, we don’t expect you to—”

  “No. I’d love to. Please.” The woman shot me a desperate look, then lowered her voice. “I need something to keep me busy.”

  “But . . .” Tess’s forehead furrowed in confusion. “Aren’t you here to vacation and relax and enjoy the ranch? Why would you want to be put to work?”

  “My mind won’t stop churning, and I’ve spent the last ninety days without work. If I have more time to myself, I think I might scream. I thought coming here would be a reprieve, and it is. Or at least I think it will be, but maybe I need to occupy myself for a while. Plus,” she said, her cheeks pinkening, “I could use the money.”

  She could use the money?

  Sure. This woman was booked here for the next two months straight. She must be downright destitute.

  Rhett gloated inside as he waited for Tess’s polite rejection, but when he glanced her way, she broke out into a grin.

  “You’re hired,” Tess said with a little hop of joy.

  “Whoa.” Rhett held out his hands. “Wait a minute. Last I checked, I handled the hiring at my ranch,” Rhett said, pointing to himself. “Me.”

  “Then tell her yourself.”

  “We can’t just hire some random person.”

  “I have three years’ experience doing administrative work at a prolific law firm in the city,” Danny said.

  Rhett gritted his teeth. It was all he could do not to roll his eyes.

  Was he supposed to be impressed?

  A law firm and a dude ranch were two different worlds.

  “They were insanely busy,” she continued, “and I’m a hard worker. I’m sure I could handle it.”

  “See? She can handle it,” Tess said, practically floating on air.

  “No.” Rhett shook his head, adamant.

  “What other choice do you have?” Tess asked. “Rhett, you need her. And if you don’t hire her, then I’ll quit too because I refuse to do the work of two people.”

  Sighing, Rhett kneaded the knot in his brow. For some reason, he was desperate not to have this woman working for him. He’d met her all of two minutes and she’d already gotten under his skin. Whether it was her flower stealing, her hair, or her eyes, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that if she manned the lodge’s reception desk, that meant he’d have to interact with her on a daily basis, and she was already on his nerves. It would be a disaster.

  He glanced back at his sister’s rigid stance, her set jaw, and knew he didn’t have a choice.

  Unless he gave her Brian’s job . . .

  “Fine.” He dropped his hand from his hair, ignoring Tess’s obvious relief and the woman’s slightly hopeful expression. “Be at the reception desk of the lodge at six a.m. We’ll go over the job description, wages, and everything else then.” Where prying eyes and ears aren’t present, he thought as his gaze flickered to Tess.

  “Alright.” Danny nodded and clasped her hands out in front of her.

  Rhett noticed the way Tess’s eyes slid to the woman’s left hand, homing in on her empty ring finger. Instantly, a wicked smile curled the corner of her lips.

  Great.

  Rhett scrubbed a hand over his face. If he knew Tess—and he did—she was
already scheming about how cute their babies would be.

  Heaven, help him. After Mindy, he thought she’d give it a rest. But Tess positively beamed as she hooked her arm with Danny’s, taking her under her wing.

  Apparently not.

  CHAPTER 3

  Danny paused outside the lodge reception center. Inside the brightly lit interior, she could just make out Rhett’s sturdy frame from where she stood. And, okay, as much as she acted unfazed by his less than friendly demeanor yesterday, he intimidated her. With broad shoulders, windswept hair, a grizzly beard, and bourbon-honey eyes that cut like a knife, everything about Rhett Montgomery warned her to stay far, far away.

  But Danny had already been railroaded by one man in her life, so she dang-well wasn’t letting this one dictate what she could and couldn’t do ever again.

  When she came to Montana Wilds Dude Ranch, it was with the intention to cut ties with her old life, to reflect on her person and heal, and while her cabin was small but beautiful, with logwood furnishings, plush rugs, and vibrant oil paintings of the local landscape, she still felt like she was a tourist faking it. All she’d done since she arrived was wander around the property, aimlessly staring at the serenity of her surroundings while continuously mulling over her current life situation.

  So much for getting away. Her head was still back in Pittsburgh.

  What she needed, she realized, was to keep herself busy, to occupy her time until her head and heart could fully heal. So when she overheard Tess and Rhett discussing their need for a replacement, she jumped at the opportunity to work there. She needed to feel useful again, to regain her independence and busy her mind. The money couldn’t hurt either. After all, she would nearly drain her savings staying here in the next two months. By the end of her stay, she’d desperately need the income.

  With that in mind, she inhaled and squared her shoulders, then opened the front door to the lodge and stepped inside. A flicker of Rhett’s gaze was the only acknowledgment she received. He wore a flannel shirt, rolled at the sleeves, and a pair of worn blue jeans with heavy brown work boots, coated in a thick layer of dirt and dust, and as she approached, she was once again struck by his strong, masculine features. Though he was in desperate need of a good haircut and a clean shave, the fact that Rhett Montgomery was sinfully handsome underneath that unruly, caveman-like appearance was undeniable. It was a wonder why someone endowed with such good looks would want to hide away.