by Joann Baker
“That’s enough, Gabe.”
Another deep, masculine voice interrupted her, and Kristen’s eyes flew to the open doorway. Cal stood there, a frown marring his brow. Instantly her body went on full alert. She had no idea why she found his more rough-hewn features far sexier than the devilishly handsome cowboy slowly rolling to his feet, but the heat washing through her now had been noticeably absent until his abrupt arrival.
Gabe shook his head, appearing not at all cowed by his brother’s tone.
“What is it with you and Ry, always getting first dibs on the pretty ones?”
Kristen felt her face flame. “He doesn’t have…”
“You’re fifteen minutes past the time you were supposed to be back at the barn. Since you’ve forced me to come looking for you and wasted my time, you can finish mucking out the stalls before you start with the two-year-olds.”
“I was just getting to know this sexy—”
“Like you said, brother, I have dibs.” Cal gave a slight shake of his head, silencing Kristen when she would have voiced a very vocal denial.
Gabe ignored his brother and waved his hand between the two of them. “This happened kind of fast, didn’t it?”
“No, it didn’t,” Cal repudiated his brother’s skepticism, “we’ve been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now.”
“A couple of weeks?” Gabe frowned. “There’s no way.”
Cal stalked over to his brother, looking him straight in the eye. “No way, what? That I could be seeing someone, and you know nothing about it? Face it, Gabe, you checked out on the happenings around here a long time ago.” Cal knew the words were harsh, but damn it, something had to knock some sense into his older brother.
Gabe’s face became sullen. “So you decided just to hire your little tart—”
Cal’s arm snaked out, grabbing his brother by the collar of his wrinkled western shirt. “Finish that sentence, and you’ll be eating hardwood. She’s my woman, Gabe, not one of yours. Show some damned respect.”
Kristen was shocked that the confrontation between the two brothers had escalated so quickly. She wasn’t used to such a display of raw emotion. And when Cal had called her his woman, she found herself unable to form an explanation.
The brothers stared at each other for a moment and Kristen was reminded of two wolves circling each other, each unwilling to give ground to the other.
“Fine, then prove it.” Gabe challenged.
“Prove it?” Cal frowned at his brother.
“Yeah.” A wicked smirk curved Gabe’s mouth and Kristen had to once again admire his good looks. “Prove it. If she’s your woman, kiss her.”
Kristen felt her whole body blush at that thought of Cal’s lips on hers. She’d had enough of this masculine standoff. “Look,” she said as she stepped forward, “this is a ridiculous conversation.”
“Fine, here’s your proof.” In one fluid motion, Cal dropped his hand from his brother’s shirt front and swept the hat from his head.
“Now wait for a—” Kristen tried to protest again.
Her words were cut off as Cal pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his. She stiffened as he claimed her lips, drawing her against him with arms so strong, she found herself plastered against him from shoulder to toe. Dimly, she heard Gabe’s curse as he walked out of the room and pulled the door quietly shut behind him. She wondered at the thoughtfulness for a moment before her attention was once again drawn back to the feel of Calhoun’s lips on hers.
In mere seconds, she’d lost the desire to voice outrage at his highhandedness as her body slowly sank into his hardness. The ability to think about anything except the sensation of his mouth on hers and the mounting excitement at the feel of his solid embrace fled her jumbled mind. Good Lord, the man could kiss.
He pulled away slowly, as if he too, was stunned by the chemistry that had sprung up between them.
She stepped away quickly, tugging at the hem of her shirt that had ridden up when she’d placed her arms around his neck. One really couldn’t blame her for succumbing to the cowboy’s kisses. She’d a long dry spell between relationships and, well, dammit, he was one handsome piece of steak.
She cleared her throat before she spoke. Just because she was well, a little in need of male companionship, that didn’t mean she wanted to make a fool of herself. She dug deep for the indignation at his high-handed manner that had faded away when his lips had touched hers.
Dibbs, indeed.
“Look, I’m not sure what your end-game is, but I’m not here to get involved with any of you Anderson brothers.” She tried to make it sound like a bad cause of the flu would be preferable.
“Then you’ll do what I say because Gabe will have you talked out of your pretty pink panties before you can say boo.”
“What?” How the hell did he know what color her panties were? She glanced down to make sure she’d pulled her shirt down as far as it would go.
“It rode up in the back when we were kissing.”
“What?” She kicked herself for her incoherent replies. She sounded like a pirate’s parrot.
“Your shirt rode up. That’s how I know what color panties you’re wearing.”
She shook her head trying to clear it. “You are the most confusing man I have ever met.” And the most gorgeous. Not to mention the sexiest and by far the best kisser. The list was endless because she’d never met a man quite like Calhoun Anderson.
“Look, my brother is a player, plain and simple. He’ll be trying to get in your bed before you can say Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
She couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips at the contrast between the serious expression on his face and the childhood tongue-twister. “So you came up with the brilliant idea of saying we were already a couple?”
“One thing my brother would never do is poach on something that’s mine.”
“Yours?” Kristen’s brow rose. “You make me sound like one of your horses. Should I put my name in your little black book here?” She grabbed the ledger that contained the lineage of the horses raised on the Ace in the Hole.
“Look, I know you’re angry...” He took a step toward her, and she instinctively countered with a step backward. The move trapped her between the side of the desk and the tall cowboy moving even closer. She put up her hands as if to ward him off. All that accomplished was the feel of his broad chest beneath her tingling palms. He leaned down until they were looking directly into each other’s eyes. His were a dark, rich chocolate that made her think of all things decadent and really, really bad for you—in a good sort of way.
“Angry? You bet your sweet buttercup I’m angry.” Yeah, she was angry alright. She’d never cared for arrogant men. But there were other feelings flooding through her that troubled her even more.
“…but’s best if we pretend to be a couple.”
She took a deep breath, considering his words. “You mean you want to lay dibs on me.”
“Yes.”
“And what exactly does that mean?” More kisses like that one? Because if so, she was so in.
“It means just what it sounds like. In Gabe’s mind, we’re a couple. He’ll keep his distance, and you’ll be safe from his advances.”
“And what if I don’t want to be safe? Despite what you may think of me, I am perfectly capable of keeping some wanna-be Romeo under control.” Well, her touch-me-not attitude and over abundant curves usually worked quite well in keeping the male gender from knocking at her door, much less knocking it down to get to her. “I don’t think that little deception will be necessary.”
Cal didn’t know what the sinking feeling of despair filled his stomach meant. All he knew was that he wanted—no needed—her to agree to his far-fetched scheme. “Look, both of my brothers are, well—”
“Slutty?”
He could almost swear there was a twinkle in her eyes as she said the word.
“To put it mildly. We don’t have to worry about Ryd
er anymore, though. He’s married and expecting his first child. You’ll like his wife, Georgie,” he added as an afterthought.” She’s a firecracker too,” he tacked on.
She ignored his reference to her fiery temperament. “I’m sure everyone’s very excited about the new addition to the family.”
Cal ran his fingers through his hair, not at all sure what he was doing. “Look, Pops was right. I do need some help here. Enough anyway to get me caught up. The last few months, hell, the last year has been pretty rough what with…”
“Gabe being a bed hopper and all.” Yep, there was a definite twinkle in those blue depths.
“Yeah.” Cal agreed slowly. “Pulling his weight on the ranch has been a low priority for a little while.”
Kristen walked back to the other side of her desk and sat down. “Look, I’m sorry for your family situation, but I really don’t think—”
“My grandfathers are friends with your uncle. It would really upset them if you left because of Gabe’s behavior.”
“Like I said, I’m perfect—”
“That you are.”
An appreciative gleam lit his brown eyes, and a smile curved those talented lips.
“I was going to say ‘perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Her head tilted, eyes narrowing as she looked at him. “Are you sure your brothers are the only man-whores around?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cal sobered quickly. “I’m the noble brother. Ask anybody. That’s why you’ll be safe with me.”
Disappointment ran through Kristen. What would he say, she wondered, if she told him she didn’t want to be safe with him?
Probably laugh his fine ass off.
“Okay, fine. You can tell whoever you want that we’re a couple.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m just here to do a job. Once it’s finished, you’ll never have to see me again.”
“So…?”
“So, I say, if it will make life easier for me, then you’ve got a deal, cowboy. Now let me get back to work.”
Calhoun hadn’t known he had such control until he’d had to leave Kristen in the office, all alone, without claiming another kiss from her succulent lips. Hell, yes, he wanted to lay dibs on her, and not solely to warn his brother away. Yeah, they needed the ranch books put to rights before he missed another tax deadline and the government came to claim all their hard work. But, Cal had to admit, there was something about the fiery woman that got to him.
He may have made a colossal mistake, suggesting they were already a couple to get his brother to back off, but he didn’t regret his decision.
By the time he made his way to the barn, Ryder had joined Gabe in working the new batch of two-year-olds. He had to admit his brothers had the gift when it came to horses. Oh, he did a good enough job with training, but he didn’t have that instant connection that Ry and Gabe seemed to have.
“Hey, bro,” Ryder called out as he handed off a colt to one of the waiting ranch hands. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. “How’s it going?” He walked over to where Cal stood at the fence, his arms folded along the top railing.
“Pretty good.”
Ryder’s face lit up with a smile that Cal remembered all too well from their childhood. “Good, huh? Gabe seemed to think that things were really looking up for you. He says you’re dating someone.”
“Yeah.” Cal struggled to keep his expression neutral. Unlike Gabe, Ryder would have known if Cal had been seeing someone.
“See, Ryder didn’t know either.” Gabe managed to snarl the comment even as he kept his voice low and melodic so as not to upset the colt that another hand had brought out for him.
“No, he didn’t, but he’s been courting Georgia, not trying to drown himself in the bottom of a bottle.”
Gabe threw Cal a nasty look then stalked off, taking the colt with him.
“So, want to tell me what’s really going on?”
Cal sighed and gripped the top of the corral with his hands. “Pops decided I needed help with the books, so he hired Otis’ niece to help out temporarily.”
“You do need help, Cal. With Gabe…” he trailed off. Both brothers knew Gabe’s behavior was having a negative effect on the smooth running of the ranch. They also knew that they would do anything they had to do to make things work, even working around the clock to make up for Gabe’s slacker behavior.
“And the part about you seeing her, is that really true?”
“Nope. First time I laid eyes on her was a week ago.” He couldn’t help the small smile that curved the corner of his mouth.
“Pretty?”
Cal’s eyes narrowed at the eagerness in Ryder’s voice, a strange feeling rising inside him. Then he remembered Ryder was already taken, happily married with a child on the way. The feeling still lingered, however.
“Yup.”
“And the pretend relationship?”
Cal let go of the railing. “Gabe was an ass, coming on to her. It was the only thing I could think of to keep him out of her way.”
Ryder hide a smile. While he and Gabe had at one time or another vied for the company of every woman in Macomb County, Cal had been more laid back—or cautious. The loss of their parents had affected each Anderson brother differently. He’d been afraid to love, afraid of all that emotion entailed. Gabe had—he shook his head. Who the hell knew what had happened to Gabe? Cal had withdrawn from the world of romance altogether. Other than scratching the occasional itch, Cal pretty much left the female population alone. Ryder couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a date. Or at least a date he’d shared with the family. Cal wasn’t one that easily shared his thoughts and feelings. Maybe that’s because he’d been closer to their mother than Ryder and Gabe ever had.
“Well, I guess you had to do what you had to do. Now, you just have to tell Pops and Gramps.”
Calhoun’s gaze flew to Ryder’s face, not at all surprised to see the shit-eating grin he was sporting. He groaned silently, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into.
He quickly changed the subject and asked how Georgie’s doctor’s appointment had gone, then spent the next fifteen minutes learning more about prenatal care than he wanted to know.
CHAPTER THREE
THE NEXT WEEK passed swiftly as Kristen worked harder than she’d ever worked before, determined to get the Ace in the Hole’s books up-to-date as quickly as possible. The week passed uneventfully, and she saw no need for the subterfuge to fool Gabe into thinking she was already taken. She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved by the fact. Apparently, the Casanova cowboy was all talk and no action—at least where she was concerned. He hadn’t made a move or an untoward comment in the last couple of days and definitely did not appear to be the least bit attracted to Kristen. But then, she could have told Calhoun that when he’d proposed his crazy plan. Very few men, once they saw Kristen, actually found her abundant curves attractive.
Shutting off the computer, she straightened the desk before grabbing her purse and making her way to the kitchen. Both Pops and Gramps had insisted she tell someone when she was leaving each day. The two older men were wonderful, also insisting she ate lunch with them or leaving her a sandwich when they weren’t going to be around. She’d seen more of them than anyone, but that wasn’t surprising. The ranch was a large operation, and she imagined it took all three Anderson brothers to keep it running smoothly.
Today, Pops had kitchen duty. From the payroll records, she knew they had two full-time bunkhouse cooks and one part-time housekeeper. She also knew that Pops and Gramps usually made supper for their three grandsons each day. Well, now it was just two. Ryder had moved out, and into the house his wife had been renting from Pops not too far from the main ranch house
She found the older gentleman exactly where one would expect, in the kitchen getting the evening meal started. She placed her purse on the counter and cleared her throat so as not to startle him. If he was like her Uncle Otis, he’d never admit to the proble
m he sometimes had hearing people enter a room. “Hello, Pops.”
The older man turned away from the counter by the sink where he’d been peeling potatoes.
“Hello, sweetheart. All done for the day?”
“Yep. I’m headed out. I just wanted to tell you that I’d be a little late tomorrow morning. I need to see Uncle Otis.”
“Not thinking of leaving us, are you?”
Kristen couldn’t meet the man’s direct look. That’s exactly what she was thinking. She’d spent the last five days trying to get Calhoun to settle down and go through the new program she’d installed. And every day he’d smiled that gorgeous smile and told her he was too busy. She’d never felt more alive than during those brief encounters. Feelings for the virile cowboy weren’t building; they were crashing down on her. She needed to get away before she made a complete fool of herself. “No, not yet. But it won’t be long.”
“Not long? I thought you said you’d be here at least a month.”
She shook her head. “No, there’s no need for that. I…got a little carried away, I guess. Cal just needed a little help to catch up. I found him a new software program that should make his life a lot easier.”
“A software program is not what the dang boy needs.” Pop huffed.
“What do you mean?” Kristen tilted her head, curious as to what the older man was referring to. Calhoun—and all of the Anderson brothers for that matter—seemed pretty damn self-sufficient. Which was a pity. That meant they really didn’t need a woman other than one to warm their beds.
“Nothing, nothing.” Pops shook his head and laid down the knife he’d been using. “Ryder and my granddaughter are coming over tonight. I know they would like to meet you. How about staying for dinner?”
“I, um...” Kristen stalled, trying to think of a way to politely tell the man no. She had no idea what Cal had told his grandfathers about his outrageous plan to keep Gabe at bay. “Is Gabe going to be here?”
“Yeah. For once.” The older man’s eyes narrowed. “Is he giving you trouble?”
“No, no,” she assured him hastily.
