When she found her footing, she grit her teeth to keep from muttering a curse. Of course she’d fall straight into the arms of the one man she didn’t want to catch her.
Her back was pressed to his chest and that heavenly scent made her want to close her eyes and snuggle up against him. Oh mercy, she needed to come to her senses. She tried to straighten but he was reaching around her, easily taking the bag out of her hands. “Here, let me help you with that.”
“I’m fine,” she said automatically, but it was too late. He was already carrying her bag for her and all she could do was follow and try not humiliate herself any further.
Easier said than done. Approximately two minutes later she found herself the source of entertainment for everyone on the plane as she conducted a pointless and fruitless conversation with an excessively pleasant woman named Bridget.
“What do you mean there are no cabs available for the next two hours?” Katy asked.
The kind woman blinked but her smile never faltered. “They were booked solid tonight thanks to a tour group that just arrived.”
Booked solid. Something told Katy that this taxi fleet consisted of one taxi, maybe two. Booked solid could have meant they’d had one passenger. She rubbed her temple, which was pounding thanks to a burgeoning headache. “Okay, fine, do you have any rental cars?”
The entire time she spoke she was keenly and annoyingly aware that her hottie cowboy was still standing near her, apparently in no rush to be off, but rather contented to watch the out of towner deal with the kindest, most unhelpful airline employee of all time.
“Let’s see what I’ve got,” Bridget said with a broad smile. She pulled out a three-ring binder and Katy couldn’t take it anymore. She could feel the cowboy staring. She could hear him breathing. He was so darn close, she couldn’t breathe.
She whirled around on her heels. “Can I help you with something?”
That stupid grin tugged at his lips again and she couldn’t look away when he shrugged. “Just want to make sure you make it home all right.”
Home. Home? This was so not her home. “I’ll be fine,” she said.
“So you keep saying.” His voice was a low, amused drawl that set her on edge all over again.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Before he could answer, the friendly unhelpful counter lady was back. “Let’s see, I have one truck available.”
Katy frowned. A truck? She’d never driven anything larger than a Prius.
“It’s a stick shift, is that all right?”
She bit back a sigh. Stick shift? No, it was not all right. Who on earth drove stick these days?
“Ma’am?” That low voice behind her was mocking her. “Do you drive stick shift?”
She pressed her lips together to keep from saying something outright nasty. One one-thousand, two one-thousand… She didn’t quite make it to ten before she opened her mouth. “Of course not.”
His low, rumbly chuckle was the last straw, not just because he was clearly laughing at her but because it sent shivers racing through her. She spun around to face him again. “Seriously, can I help you?”
“No,” he drawled. “But I’m pretty sure I can help you.”
Oh the nerve of this guy. His know-it-all attitude was like nails on a chalkboard for her peace of mind. Bridget interrupted before she could say something she’d regret.
“Where are you going, hon? Maybe we can find a better solution.”
Katy noted the way Bridget was making eyes at the hottie cowboy, like they were in cahoots or something.
She mentally rolled her eyes at her own inner monologue. Cahoots? Really? She’d been out of a major metropolitan area for less than twelve hours and she was using words like cahoots? She narrowed her eyes, glancing back and forth between them. But yeah, this was cahoots if she’d ever seen it.
“If you’re heading to Lulu, then maybe Dax here can give you a lift,” she said, her brows lifting in hopeful optimism. Clearly Bridget was rooting for the hottie cowboy to be her knight in shining armor.
Dax. The cowboy’s name was Dax. Why did that sound familiar?
“I’d be happy to give you a lift,” he said. She didn’t have to glance up to know he was giving her that knowing smile. “Where exactly are you headed?”
She sighed wearily. Between the two of them she didn’t stand a chance of avoiding his helpfulness. “I’m going to Twilight Ranch. Ever heard of it?”
The cowboy looked to the helpful counter lady and they exchanged a smirk for the ages. What was going on here?
“I’ve heard of it,” he said, already reaching down to pick up her bag as if she wasn’t capable of hauling the rolling carry-on by herself. He didn’t even glance over his shoulder as he led the way out toward the exit. “I own the place.”
Chapter Two
This day just kept getting better and better. Dax held back a sigh as he settled in beside his feisty, clearly unhappy passenger and started the truck. He could see her frown even in the dim light of the cab. She looked miserable.
Join the club.
He had a feeling if they started sharing horror stories of their day, he’d win. First he’d had an emotionally taxing trip to Seattle to settle the divorce papers with his ex first thing this morning. Not exactly a pleasant start to the day. Then he’d had business meetings with potential investors that had been disappointing and disheartening. After that he’d settled in for a nice quick plane ride back home, and what had he found? A stuck-up debutante with an obvious distaste for men. Or maybe it was just him. Either way, being on the other end of her haughty disdain hadn’t exactly made his day any brighter.
Dax had helped the prickly city woman in question into the front seat of his truck. He’d watched as she’d prepared to argue as he held out a hand to help her in. She’d probably been about to tell him yet again how fine she was and how she didn’t need his help.
But then he’d seen those pretty blue eyes of hers dart from him to the front seat, which was high off the ground for a tall guy like him. For a petite little thing like her? It looked like she’d need a stepstool, or maybe even a ladder if she intended to haul herself up into the bucket seat with any sort of dignity.
So she’d accepted with thinned lips and he’d carefully hoisted her inside, careful not to touch her inappropriately, as tempting as she might be. She may be small but she was perfectly formed. All curves and softness…in her body, at least.
There was nothing soft about her personality.
He shook his head at the memory of her self-righteous defensiveness on the plane. Man alive, he’d only been trying to help. One would have thought he’d been hitting on her or something.
Not that the thought hadn’t occurred to him. He’d seen her board the plane and hadn’t been able to tear his gaze away. She was a vision from one of his dreams. An angel come to life with that pale hair and blue eyes. She had the kind of delicate features that made him want to scoop her up and keep her safe from harm. Even her voice when she’d spoken to the flight attendant had been soft and slightly raspy. There was something vulnerable and gentle about her.
And then he’d spoken to her. He’d watched her transform in front of his eyes from soft, touchable angel, to hardened ice queen. It had been fascinating, actually, and more than a little entertaining.
He hadn’t really meant to rile her as much as he had but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Every word out of his mouth seemed to make her spine straighten even more until he was certain she’d come from some sort of military background with posture like that.
But even with her cold eyes and her clipped tone, he’d seen her shaking, trembling like a leaf every time the plane moved. What better way to keep her mind off the plane than to keep her attention? And it seemed annoying her was his specialty.
His conscience still nagged at him, if he was being honest with himself. Partially because his tactics in distraction hadn’t exactly been kind. But also because his teasing and relent
less attempts at conversation weren’t as selfless as he’d like to tell himself.
He’d liked talking to her, even when she was riled, and he’d liked looking at her far too much.
He glanced over at her now. She’d shifted as close to the car door as she could manage until she was as far away from him as possible. Her jaw was set and her lips were pressed tight. She looked as unhappy with this new turn of events as he felt.
Much as he might’ve enjoyed her company on the plane, he hadn’t actually intended to spend time alone with her. He wasn’t looking to date anyone—he’d sworn off women in general, but today of all days? He was ready to take a hiatus on romance for the rest of his life.
Offering a ride had seemed like the Christian thing to do when it became clear that she was not only out of her element, but completely unprepared for life in this valley. She seemed to think taxis could be hailed right outside the door and the airport’s small fleet of rentals was always stocked with any car of her choosing. So sure, he’d offered the woman a ride, but he would have left her stranded on the side of the road if he’d known who she was.
Katy Hunter. The event planner. Even in his mind, the term was said with disgust. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten she was coming this weekend. But then, dealing with the guests—and now event planners—fell under his sister, Alice’s, duties. This whole guest ranch thing had been her idea. A way of bringing in more income to help save the land and keep it in the family.
As the family member who ran the cattle operation and managed the property, he’d hated the idea. It went against everything their deceased parents had stood for when they were alive. They’d poured everything into making that ranch a profitable undertaking, something to be handed down from generation to generation, just like it had been handed down to his father.
But times had changed, and what had gone from struggling financial returns had turned into near bankruptcy. The only alternative he’d seen was to sell. So when Alice had approached him, his brother, Cole, and their friend and ranchhand, James, about turning the property into a guest ranch while continuing to run the cattle operations, he had grudgingly agreed to give it a shot.
“How long will it be?” Her voice from the opposite side of the cab cut into his reverie.
“Why?” he asked, apparently completely unable to stop himself from irritating her. “Have someplace you need to be?”
She pursed her lips and he felt another insane urge to laugh. He had no idea why this irritable woman amused him so, but this surge of humor was a relief after such a draining day.
“I have to use the restroom,” she said, her tone so haughty, especially given the context.
He held back anther laugh. “Why didn’t you go back at the airport?”
“How could I? I was too busy chasing after the inconsiderate cowboy who’d made off with my luggage.” She was outright scowling now, and quite frankly the scowl was adorable. That thought made him stifle a laugh because he could only imagine her reaction if he said as much out loud. She’d probably sock him in the nose with one of those tiny fists of hers.
Her words made him sober. He hadn’t acted like a gentleman back at the counter, but he’d been shocked as all get out to find that the woman he’d been alternately fantasizing about and resisting the urge to throttle was the same woman whose visit he’d been dreading.
She represented everything he didn’t want to see at the ranch—uppity urbanites with their demanding ways and their complete and utter lack of understanding for how things worked out in the rural world.
They’d hosted several corporate events and small parties over the past six months since Alice kicked off the guest operations at Twilight. But now Katy Hunt was here and she was about to make everything so much worse.
Up until now they’d been running under the radar. His brother’s fiancé, Claire, had used her connections with New York high society to get them some early clientele. But one of her friends from her days as a prima ballerina had moved to Los Angeles for a starring role in some show he’d never heard of.
But then, he never heard of most shows because he rarely watched TV.
Alice and Claire had been over the moon that this starlet was interested in hosting her wedding at Twilight Ranch, but Dax? Well, he could see the writing on the wall.
If she held her wedding there, the word would be out. They would be an “it” place, right up there with those fancy Big Sky resorts or Aspen lodges.
He glanced over at Katy, whose leg was bouncing either from irritation or a need to pee. Either way, it seemed fitting that she be so nervous in these parts. She was about as far out of her element as she could get, and she was the first of many. Her arrival meant the beginning of the end…not to be too melodramatic about it.
Still, he wasn’t totally heartless. There was a roadhouse on the way home that would be open for her to use the restroom. After that one stop they’d be home and she would be out of his hair.
She’d be Alice’s problem then. Of course, his sister wouldn’t consider her a problem, she’d consider her the answer to all her prayers.
He loved Alice more than life itself but he couldn’t imagine anyone more different from himself…except for maybe Cole. But really, it was a wonder Alice turned out as well as she did. Their parents died when she was a teen-ager and her raising had been left up to Cole, who’d barely been old enough to drink let alone raise a teen-age girl, and himself—a guy so out of touch with women’s ways that he’d already been married and divorced before he’d turned thirty.
Still, Alice might be a miracle with her whip-smart brain and her ambitious nature, but that didn’t change the fact that her visions for Twilight’s future made him want to tear his hair out. The worst part, however, was that she might be on to something. And if her plan meant saving their land and their legacy, then who was he to judge?
With that thought, he realized that if he were really to support Alice, he should start now by being friendly to the woman who Alice claimed could make or break this fledgling business.
He gave her a quick glance out of the side of his eye. She didn’t look all that powerful at first glance, but then…he hadn’t expected her to have a prickly side, either. Clearly there was more to this little, fidgety creature than met the eye.
“So,” he said, his brain still working to come up with something to say that wouldn’t offend her even further. “How was your flight?”
The second it was out, he realized his error.
She turned to his with a frown. “Seriously? You were there. It…wasn’t great.”
“Don’t like flying?”
She shrugged. “I don’t like turbulence. But then, does anyone?”
He met that with silence. Heck, small talk had never been his forte. “Did you have a layover?”
His eyes were fixed on the road but at her silence he cast a quick glance in her direction. She was eyeing him warily and he shifted under that stare. “What’s wrong?”
She answered a question with a question. “What’s with the awkward chatter?” She hadn’t said it in a nasty tone, and the forthrightness of it made him laugh.
“Just trying to make the ride more comfortable.” And then, because she still looked suspicious, “My sister, Alice, would kill me if the big bad event planner from Hollywood had a bad experience in Montana.”
“Too late,” she muttered softly. But when he glanced over she didn’t look particularly put out. She looked…curious. “So, Alice is your sister?”
He nodded. “Baby sister, but you’d never know how young she is from the way she orders us all around.”
He risked another peek and saw her lips curving up in grudging amusement. “Yeah, from our phone calls and emails, I’d never guess she was young. She’s quick. Smart.”
He found himself straightening with pride, even though he couldn’t take credit for how well she’d turned out. No one could but Alice herself.
“Is it just the two of you who run the ranch?�
�
He looked in her direction but saw nothing but genuine curiosity. “Alice and our brother, Cole, co-own the ranch with me, but I’m the one who handles the cattle operation and Alice is in charge of guests.”
“And your brother?”
“He helps us both out, but he primarily works at a garage in town.” He gave her a quick smile, his thoughts on his older brother who’d never quite clicked with the animals. “Ranch life isn’t really his thing.”
“Smart man.”
When he glanced over again, she clamped her mouth shut. “Sorry.” It came out as a sort of sigh. “That was rude.”
It had been a little rude but he was surprised she’d admit to it. He resisted the urge to take his eyes off the road to study her some more. This woman was a mystery.
Then again, for Dax all women were something of a riddle.
“Ranches aren’t my thing either,” she said. Then her tone took on a rueful tone that he found oddly charming. “Actually, anything having to do with nature isn’t really my thing.”
He couldn’t stop a grin at that. “I would never have guessed.”
She laughed softly and he felt it straight through his bones. Man alive, she had a beautiful laugh. “What gave it away, the shoes?”
His grin broadened and for the first time since they set out, the atmosphere in the truck lacked any real tension. “They don’t exactly scream ‘roughing it,’” he said, as tactfully as he was able.
“Yeah, well. I guess I don’t get the appeal of roughing it.” Before he could respond, she hurried on. “But what I get and what I’d want if I were getting married aren’t important. What’s important is that Hannah is happy with the venue.”
He let out a huff of laughter. “Venue, huh? I guess I’d never thought of my home like that.”
He could feel her eyes on him and he shifted in his seat again, wondering stupidly what it was she saw. Of course, he knew what she saw. He’d been looking at this face in the mirror every day for his whole life. But he wondered what she saw when she looked at it. Backwoods hillbilly, maybe?
Steel Toes & Stilettos (Sweet & Rugged in Montana Book 2) Page 2
