by Jaci Burton
As she rose from the table, Kyle saw tears glistening in her eyes. He felt a momentary twinge of guilt but quickly pushed it aside.
"I'll clean up the dishes later," she added, her voice quaking.
"Don't worry about it." Brady shot his brother a go to hell look. "Kyle and I will take care of the dishes. You just get some rest."
Sabrina nodded without looking and walked out.
Kyle watched her leave and immediately felt pangs of remorse. What had come over him? He usually wasn't so rude, and he had no idea what
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compelled him to treat Sabrina so badly. Turning back to his family, he was greeted by three of the coldest stares he'd ever received.
The rest of their meal was spent in silence. When everyone was finished, Jenna, Luke and Brady rose from the table to clear the dishes.
They talked amongst themselves, but for the most part ignored Kyle as he handed the dishes to Brady to load in the dishwasher. Jenna washed the pots and pans and Luke dried them.
Well, this was ridiculous. This was his family, not hers, and they had no reason to shut him out. And besides, she had done it all wrong, not the way it was usually done. She needed to learn about ranching, and it was his job to teach her. And part of that learning process was what to feed a ranching family. That's what she was investing her money for, and he would make sure she was got her money's worth.
His treatment of Sabrina certainly had nothing to do with how he felt about her being here in the first place, or how much his attraction to her annoyed him. And besides, the more distance Kyle placed between himself and Sabrina, the better it would be for him.
"So, what did you buy at the store today, Jenn?"
Instead of a sweet reply, Jenna mumbled something about stuff and ignored him.
Turning his attention to his brother, Kyle asked about one of the sick horses. Brady's only response was a comment that Kyle couldn't quite hear, but he was certain it contained the phrase horse's ass. And he didn't think it had anything to do with the rear anatomy of the animals in the corral.
"What's up with you two, anyway?" he asked.
Jenna whirled on him and pointed her finger at his chest. "You are the biggest jerk I've ever had the displeasure to be related to."
He held up his hands. "Whoa. What did I do?"
"You treated Sabrina terribly over dinner, and you know damn well you did. How could you, Kyle? You criticized everything she did."
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Kyle shrugged, his defensive shield rising. "It was all wrong. She used mom's good dishes and silverware, for God's sake. Nobody's touched that stuff since they died. And what was with three forks anyway?"
"It was a nice meal. She's new here, and instead of gradually teaching her how to do things, you launch into her like she's incompetent hired help."
"I did not. She wanted to learn about ranching, and I'm teaching her.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do things."
"That's a load of bull and you know it," Jenna said heatedly. "That meal she prepared tonight has nothing to do with ranching. And the way you treated her had nothing to do with teaching."
Kyle looked at Brady and Luke for help, but saw none forthcoming.
As they sat at the table and let Jenna do the talking, it was clear whose side they were on.
"Let's go home, Luke. I've had enough of my brother's company for the evening." Jenna kissed Brady on the cheek and paused in front of Kyle, her look cold and hostile. "I'm ashamed to call you my brother, Kyle. You didn't act at all like a Morgan tonight."
They left, leaving Kyle with Brady.
Brady muttered under his breath and shook his head as he grabbed his cowboy hat off the peg at the back door. Placing the hat on his head, he turned to Kyle as if he wanted to say something, then thought better of it and slammed through the back door, leaving Kyle alone in the kitchen.
They were right. He had treated Sabrina badly. He knew she didn't know how to cook, and maybe he expected her to fail. And when she didn't, it irritated him. And now he felt shitty, and didn't really know what to do about it.
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The problem was obvious. He didn't want her here in the first place.
Sabrina represented his failure to make a profit off the ranch, and every time he looked at her he'd be reminded of that failure.
But there was something else. Kyle was attracted to Sabrina. Not just her beauty, but her vulnerability and spirit. She was putting everything she had on the line to start a new life, and he wanted to admire her for doing so. But the thought of finding anything appealing about Sabrina sent warning bells clanging in his head. So instead of complimenting her efforts at cooking, he had done his best to make her appear a failure.
And all to protect himself.
Jenna was right to be ashamed of him. He was going to have to learn how to work around Sabrina and force his attraction to her aside. He considered going upstairs and apologizing, but thought better of it. She was pretty upset, and probably exhausted. It had been an eventful day for both of them. Better to let things settle, then he'd apologize tomorrow.
As he turned out the lights in the kitchen and headed down the hall into his office, Kyle knew he was being a coward. He was afraid to face her tonight after the way he acted. It wasn't like him at all. And now he'd have to figure out how to work around a woman he was attracted to, without making an ass of himself every time.
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Chapter Three
Sabrina sat on the window seat in her bedroom, watching the first fiery rays of the sun lift slowly above the horizon. She sat with her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her forearms. And she was brooding.
Coward. She was angry with herself for her behavior last night at the dinner table. Had she so desperately wanted Kyle's approval that when his responses weren't exactly how she pictured, she had to run and hide in her room so he wouldn't see how much he upset her?
Old habits died hard. She swore after her divorce she was going to find her missing backbone and learn to stand up for herself. Wasn't that what independence was all about? She'd never be independent if she cried like a baby every time someone told her they didn't like the way she did something. That was how the old Sabrina would behave. Not the new and improved version.
So Kyle hadn't liked her dinner. Big deal. It was good, she knew it, and so had Jenna, Brady and Luke. If Kyle didn't, so what? But instead, he was the one whose approval she wanted. She wanted to prove she wouldn't be a burden to him or his family and had succeeded. Then he'd acted like a bully and told her it wasn't steak. Well he could just kiss her...salmon patties.
She stood and paced the room. A glance at the clock told her it was time to face the family. She'd gotten this far and wasn't going to stop now. With a new resolve and much more courage leaving the room than she had when she entered it last night, Sabrina headed downstairs, ready to go head-to-head with Kyle Morgan.
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Just past dawn and already the kitchen was a bustle of activity.
Sabrina almost lost her newfound courage and went back upstairs, but decided now was as good a time as any to prove she could hack it as a ranch owner. Inhaling deeply to quell the queasy feeling in her stomach, she stepped into the kitchen.
Jenna bid her a cheerful good morning. Sabrina put on her biggest smile and walked into the kitchen as if she lived there. Well, she did live there.
"Morning everyone." They were all there. Jenna and Luke, Brady, and of course, Kyle. Jenna and Luke were fixing breakfast and Brady was pouring coffee. Kyle sat at the table, going over some paperwork. He looked up when she entered and smiled slightly, but his eyes gave away nothing of what he was thinking. He simply nodded to her and returned to his paperwork.
"Morning, how about some coffee?" Brady smiled easily and poured some of the dark brew. "Cream or sugar?"
Brady pointed to the pitcher of cream on the table. She picked it up and poured some into her cup, watching out of the corner of her eye for any reaction from Kyle. Nothing.
"What can I do to help?" Sabrina made a mental note to get up earlier tomorrow so she could help with breakfast. She'd have probably risen earlier had she gotten more than a couple hours sleep last night, but instead she lay awake, pondering her behavior at dinner and chiding herself for acting like a child.
"Not a thing," Jenna responded. "Breakfast is almost ready. Just grab a plate and get in line."
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Jenna heaped Sabrina's plate full of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits. "I don't think I can eat this much food," she said, looking at the mound piled on top of her plate.
Jenna grinned at her. "Ranching works up an appetite. Trust me, you'll need it."
As they ate, Sabrina listened while Kyle spoke with Brady and Luke about the day's activities. Perfect--she had arrived before the spring roundup. Calves would need vaccinating, branding and castrating, the thought of which made Sabrina's nose wrinkle in distaste. They were going to wait awhile for the roundup, and instead prepare for the arrival of new stock, which would be purchased thanks to the influx of capital provided by Sabrina.
"What will I be doing today?" Sabrina asked as she helped clear the dishes from the table. Just listening to the activities of the day fired her excitement. She couldn't wait to roll up her sleeves and get involved.
"I need to go out to the east pasture today," Kyle said as he sipped his coffee. "You can ride out with me."
Ride? A horse? After all the years of wanting, yearning to do just that, it was going to happen. Today. "Really? We're riding today?" She tried to contain her enthusiasm, but couldn't. "Oh I'd love to. Will you teach me to ride, Kyle? I've never ridden a horse before. I won't be a burden, I swear, and I'm a really fast learner. Oh this is so exciting!"
Kyle's lips twitched and then he smiled. He rose from the table and grabbed his cowboy hat off the peg, sliding it onto his head as he turned to look at Sabrina. "Well then let's get started. You ready?"
Sabrina nodded as she quickly finished the dishes and followed Kyle outside. Her first day as a rancher was about to begin.
Kyle shook his head as he walked with Sabrina out to the horse barn.
He must have been out of his mind when he agreed to teach her. The
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woman obviously didn't know the first thing about living or working on a ranch. The time involved would put him so far behind it would take him a year to get caught up.
At least she was dressed more appropriately today. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she wore jeans and a long sleeved, blue cotton T-shirt. Kyle did his best to ignore the way her jeans molded to the curves of her hips and legs. That flimsy silk thing she wore yesterday was bad enough. Even worse was the denim she wore today, hugging her ass the way grass clung to the face of the land. It just wasn't fair.
He almost laughed as he thought about her reaction when he told her she could ride with him today. It was like watching the face of a child who had just been told they were going to the county fair. Her warm amber eyes glowed with pleasure and her voice rose with excitement. And even though he knew it would be work for him to teach her, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of her enthusiasm. It brought back memories of his father teaching him to ride when he was a young boy.
The horse barn was a short walk behind the ranch house. A penned area surrounded the front of the barn, and several horses were contained within the pen.
"Are these the horses we're going to ride?"
"Yeah." He watched her eyes widen as they drew closer to the pen.
She stopped as they reached the gate and hooked her booted foot on the bottom rung of the fence, lifting herself higher so she could view the horses. Her face was flushed with excitement, her fingers flexing anxiously as if she were physically restraining herself from going over the fence and leaping on a horse.
Now that he'd like to watch.
"Sabrina."
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She turned to look at him, a flash of uncertainty crossing her face.
Did she think he'd deny a horse ride to her? Of course after his behavior last night he didn't know what she thought.
"Yes?"
"About last night, I...uh...want to apologize for the way I acted. I had no right to treat you that way. The meal was fine."
She said nothing for a minute, then a slight smile formed on her full lips. God she was beautiful when she smiled.
"You don't need to apologize, Kyle. If I'm going to pout like a child every time someone tries to teach me something, then I shouldn't be here. But I do appreciate the apology." She returned her focus to the horses.
That went better than he thought it would. He expected
repercussions and reminders, and then constant browbeating about his attitude for at least a few days. Amanda would have done it that way.
She'd have made him pay--over and over again.
Maybe Kyle was wrong about Sabrina.
"Let's go pick a horse."
Sabrina nodded as she surveyed the horses in the corral. "They're beautiful."
Kyle climbed up and over the fence, jumping down with a thud onto the dirt floor of the corral. He stood in front of her and held out his hands to help her down. She hesitated for a second, then slid her legs over the top of the fence, her bottom on the top rail, and rested her hands on his shoulders as he placed his around her waist. Lifting her easily, he held her up for a brief second, enjoying the feel of her, then placed her gently on the ground. Yet he couldn't seem to let go of her.
Their eyes met and Kyle was struck once again by her beauty and guileless eyes. She wore her emotions on her face, hiding nothing of what she was feeling. Right now her eyes shined with excitement and her
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whole face lit up with an excited innocence Kyle couldn't quite believe was real.
She made his heart pound and his palms sweat as they rested against the soft swell of her hips. How old was he anyway? Seventeen?
He turned abruptly and walked toward the horses. "Come on, I'll show you how to saddle your horse."
"Do you only use quarter horses?" she asked, walking quickly to keep up with him.
He nodded. She at least knew the breed. "I wouldn't own anything else."
"Why?"
"Because they're the best cutting horses around. They're quick and agile, good for short sprints and they have great cow sense."
"And a cutting horse would be good in order to cut off an errant cow or something?"
Kyle looked at Sabrina and smiled. "You've done your homework."
Sabrina shrugged. "I may not have been allowed to ride one, but I've studied horses my whole life."
Why wouldn't she have been allowed to ride a horse? He'd investigated Sabrina before they agreed to bring her on as an investor.
He knew she'd recently divorced some rich guy in Dallas. He thought she could have done whatever she wanted then, including ride a horse.
Guess he didn't know as much about her as he thought.
Did he want to? That was a question he wasn't prepared to answer right now. Better to concentrate on work, he reminded himself.
"Which one do you want?"
Sabrina looked them over, finally pointing to a chestnut mare.
Kyle nodded. She had selected one of the best horses in his stock.
The chestnut was a good ranch horse. "Good choice. Let's get her to the barn and saddle her up."
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It had been impossible for Sabrina to suppress her grin when Kyle told her she made a good choice of horses. Having Kyle's approval meant a lot to her. Not in the same way as having Mark's approval had been--
that had bee
n more to keep peace rather than a genuine desire to please him.
Now she was going to saddle her own horse. And a beautiful one too, with her reddish-brown coat and dark legs.
The mare was much taller than she imagined a horse would be.
Trepidation mixed with excitement as she thought about climbing on and riding her.
The barn was a large wooden building located directly behind the corral. Sabrina wrinkled her nose as the smell of fresh hay coupled with the pungent odor of horse manure assailed her senses. She inhaled quickly, trying to adjust to the unfamiliar scents, not all of them pleasant. Ick. But if she was going to be a rancher she'd have to get used to these smells.
The thought thrilled her and scared her to death. Now she was going to find out how little she really knew about ranching.
Kyle explained that half the barn was designated for storing hay while the other half contained stalls for horses. There was also a workshop, a working area for horse shoeing and grooming, and a separate room off the barn to store saddles and other tack.
He led the horse to the work area and tethered it to a post, then motioned for her to join him. She'd researched enough to know horses had a tendency to be skittish around strangers, so she approached the mare from the front, slowly.
"Good. Let her get your scent. Put your hand near her nose and let her smell you."
"What's her name?" Sabrina asked as she placed her hand near the horse's nostrils and then giggled as the mare sniffed and licked her palm.
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Kyle grunted and gathered the saddle and supplies. "Naming horses is something they only do in books and movies. In reality, we don't give them names."
"That doesn't make sense. How do you know which horse you're referring to?"
"We just do. We might call one the chestnut mare with the white star." Shrugging, he continued. "I don't know how we do, we just know."
"Well that's silly. I'm going to name her." Sabrina stroked the mare's nose and bridge, running her hands slowly over the horse's forehead. The mare snorted, remaining calm. "She looks like a Maggie to me."
He rolled his eyes at her. "Call her whatever you want. Let's get her saddled."
Kyle showed Sabrina how to lay the blanket on the horse's withers, then place the saddle over the blanket and cinch it into place. He went through the instructions so quickly she wished she had a notepad to write it all down. What was second nature to him was completely new to her. So she watched and took careful mental notes so the next time she'd be able to saddle the horse without help.
