by Liv Brywood
“Unless something’s changed, she’s never been that kind of girl.”
Logan shrugged. “She’s not sticking around, so what difference does it make? I’ll help her out and if she wants to repay me with a roll in the hay, why not?”
Hank shook his head from side to side. “Maybe she’ll give you the kick in the ass you need to grow up.”
“What? And get married like Mack and Brady are planning to do? Hell, no. Why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free?”
“And that’s why you’re destined to be single for the rest of your life.”
“You’re still single too,” Logan said.
“Not by choice. The minute my bear tells me I’ve found my mate, I’m marrying her. I just haven’t found a woman who can handle all this muscle.” Hank flexed his sizable bicep.
Logan doubled over laughing. “It’s going to take one hell of a woman to pin you down.”
“Damn straight.”
Logan wiped a tear from the edge of his eye. He loved his brother’s sense of humor. Of all the Grant brothers, Hank was the one with the quickest wit. He had no problem picking up women. But Logan knew what he meant about finding a mate. They weren’t like other men who could choose at will. Their bear had to want the woman as much as they did. Logan understood that part of himself, but why waste time looking for Mrs. Right, when he could always find Ms. Right Now?
“Let’s go check on that cow.” Logan unlatched the gate and opened it just wide enough to let his brother pass.
Hank navigated through the cluster of animals. “I didn’t know we were getting horses too. I thought we’d just be birthing cattle from now until spring.”
“Brady ordered the extra horses. He trained a few stallions and plans on renting them out for breeding. We need more horses for the spring and summer riding trips.”
“Makes sense,” Hank said.
As they followed the sound of the whinnying horse, a blast of icy air curled into his collar. He glanced at the broad Montana sky. Gray clouds hung heavy with the threat of rain. Wind gusted along the plains.
“We should move the horses into the barn and see how many cattle we can shove in there. How are the windbreaks holding up?” Logan asked.
“I piled up another fifty bales. It should be good for the night. I’ll throw out extra feed too.”
Logan ran a hand across a nearby cow. “Their coats are nice and thick. They should be okay for the night. Did you check the water tank heaters?”
“Yep. Everything working well. No ice.”
“They’re already huddling. That’s a good sign. I think they’ll be fine. I just wish they had been delivered earlier in the day so we could check them more thoroughly,” Logan said.
“I didn’t see any sick ones.”
“Ah shit.” Logan spotted the cow lying in the snow away from the herd. “The hind hooves and legs are already sticking out. We need to get the calf out as fast as we can. I’m going to need you to hold her.”
Logan yanked his dirty gloves off and ran to a pile of clean snow. He didn’t have enough time to run back to the house to scrub up properly. This would have to do.
Hank knelt on the ground in front of the cow. “Good girl. We’re going to help you get that baby out.”
As Logan returned to the back of the cow, he noted another few inches of leg were out. With a mournful moan, the cow trembled. Normally he’d wait out the process unless he saw a problem, but with the storm coming, he needed to help her birth the calf so he could move both of them into the barn.
“Hold her tight now. I’m going to have to use my jacket for leverage.” Logan slipped the jacket off and goosebumps instantly popped up under his shirt. He’d worry about the cold later; right now, he needed to get moving.
After tying the jacket around the calf’s legs, he waited until she strained, and then he pulled. “Come on baby.”
The cow struggled as the calf slid out. The second the calf was free, Logan cleared its nose. When the calf took his first breath, he relaxed.
“He’s good. How’s she doing?” Logan asked.
“Looks weak. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get her to walk to the barn.”
“Maybe if we pick up the baby, she’ll come with us.”
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Hank asked.
“It’s on.” Logan grinned. They used the game to divvy up the ranch’s more unsavory tasks. He fisted his hand and tapped it against his palm in time with Hank. On the third tap, he flattened his hand and declared, “Paper.”
In the same moment, Hank formed scissors with his fingers. “You lose.”
“Damn.”
Hank eyed the calf. “I’m guessing he’s around seventy pounds. He’s all yours.”
“Crap.”
Logan scooped the calf up and headed toward the barn. When he turned to find Hank half-dragging the cow, he smiled. Maybe he hadn’t gotten the shit job after all.
As he walked over a hill, he looked across to the Wrangler ranch. A light shown in a window near the back of the house. He wondered if Kate would be sleeping in the room, and if he’d end up curled up beside her one night.
With a body like hers, he’d use every bit of his charm to get her into bed. He probably wouldn’t be so fixated on her if she wasn’t so mouthy. But women with that much fire in their eyes were usually tigresses in bed.
Chapter 2
In the middle of the night, Kate startled awake. Disoriented, she glanced around the bedroom, half-expecting someone to step out of the shadows. Howling wind snaked through numerous cracks in the walls. Snow fell from the roof to thud against the side of the house. A mostly boarded-up window hid most of the pre-dawn darkness.
A sense of emptiness hung in the air, as if her father’s death had sucked all the ambient energy from the house. And maybe it had. When he’d been alive, he’d sucked the air out of every room he entered. Without his stifling presence, the rooms felt… lifeless.
She shivered and pulled the blankets up to her chin. Even with the heater on, the air had to be below fifty degrees. She eyed the fireplace on the other side of the room. She’d checked the flue multiple times to make sure it was closed, but cold air still wafted in from outside.
A stack of firewood sat next to the hearth. At least he hadn’t burned through all of it. She briefly contemplated starting a fire, but she couldn’t linger in bed today. She had work to do.
However, after poking her toe out from under the blankets, she decided to wait five more minutes before getting out of bed. She wasn’t exactly eager to deal with the cold, or Logan for that matter. Why he’d insisted on helping her was a mystery—one she didn’t care to solve. She’d indulge him for today, but if he got out of line, even for a second, she’d kick him off her property.
Her property. It sounded so weird to think of it as anything other than her father’s land. She’d never felt at home here, even as a child. That was part of why she couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Too many bad memories.
A sliver of sun rose over the mountains to shine through the snow-crusted window. She groaned and glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. Ugh. Why did he have to die in the middle of winter?
She slid out of bed into her slippers and padded to the window. Sparkling sunlight danced across shimmering snow. Under other circumstances, she’d love to play in such a pristine winter wonderland, but this wasn’t a vacation. Far from it.
A person wearing a tan hat, blue jeans, and a black jacket crested the hill that separated her property from the Curvy Bear Ranch. With that cocky swagger, it had to be Logan.
“Shit.”
She stumbled across the frigid wooden floor and yanked off her flannel pajamas. The last thing she needed was for him to catch her half-dressed. This whole thing was a dumb idea. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told him no yesterday. Maybe it was the daunting prospect of dealing with all the repairs on the ranch, or maybe she’d been lonely for too long. Either way, she’d clearly lost her mind wh
en she’d agreed to let him work on the house.
As she rushed into the living room, a knock sounded at the door. Damn, she’d hoped she’d at least have enough time to put on a pot of coffee.
She stopped long enough to plaster a smile on her face before opening the door. “Good morning.”
“Morning ma’am.”
God that voice! All gravelly and sexy. “I was just getting the coffee started.”
He held a grocery bag up. “I brought stuff to make breakfast. I figured you probably hadn’t had time to get to the store yet.”
“I haven’t. Thank you.” She took the bag and set it on the wooden picnic bench her father had used as the dining room table.
Logan scanned the room. “The inside’s not so bad. I haven’t been in here in a while. Your dad wasn’t one for company.”
No, because then he’d have to share his liquor. She busied herself making the coffee. “I don’t know where the pans are. Feel free to dig around.”
He opened a few cupboards and found them empty before locating a well-worn frying pan. “I brought eggs and bacon. That work for you?”
“Of course.” She tried to keep her eyes on the can of instant coffee and off of his muscular arms, but was failing miserably.
“You mentioned selling the ranch yesterday. You don’t have any plans to stay?” he asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
She looked up. “I have a life in Idaho. I’m not about to uproot it to live here.”
“What do you do there?”
“I’m an interior designer.”
“So you pick out paint colors and pillows and stuff?” he asked.
“There’s more to it than that. I believe a home should reflect the kind of emotion you want in your life. If you’re high energy, I’ll choose bright colors and put lots of movement into the textures. But if you’re more traditional, then I’ll stick with classic colors like eggshell and smoky taupe. Then I’ll help you select an accent color,” she said.
“That sounds like an interesting job, although I can’t imagine working indoors.”
She shrugged. “I guess I was always fascinated by color because we never had any when I was a kid.”
A knock sounded on the front door.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
She wiped her hands on the last paper towel on the roll before walking to the door. When she opened it, a tall man wearing a gray pinstripe suit handed her a business card.
“Ms. Wrangler?” he asked.
“Yes?” she asked as she took the card.
“I’m Mr. Milton with Milton, Baker, and Associates. I’m very sorry for your loss. May I come in?”
“Sure.”
Normally she wouldn’t have let a strange man into her house, but having Logan around made her feel safe. Even if he was a jerk, he’d never done anything to physically harm her. Besides, if this guy tried something, Logan would probably just let his bear come out. At least being a shifter came in handy for some things.
Technically, she could probably shift and defend herself if necessary, but she hadn’t shifted in over a decade. Almost killing her best friend had been enough to make her never want to shift again.
As they walked into the kitchen, Logan’s gaze fixated on the man. “Her old man hasn’t even been dead a week and you’re already sniffing around. You should be ashamed of yourself. But I guess you have no shame.”
“It’s good to see you again, Logan.”
Kate glanced from one man to the other. “You know each other?”
Logan fisted his hands at his sides. “Yeah. He’s been trying to buy up all the property around Hebgen Lake. He wants to build a resort.”
“What’s wrong with that? We pay a fair price,” Mr. Milton said.
“You try to threaten and intimidate people into selling. It’s not fair. If this were my land, I’d throw you off of it in a heartbeat.” Logan turned to Kate. “The only reason I haven’t is because I don’t have the right.”
“I’d like to hear what he has to say,” she said.
“I like a woman with an open mind,” Mr. Milton said.
Logan turned his back to them and busied himself at the stove. With the cracking of eggs and the sizzle of bacon going on in the background, she listened to the developer’s pitch.
“We’re planning a lakefront resort with our corporate partners. We see the future of business being conducted in the midst of pristine wilderness. If you sell the ranch to us, we’ll use your land as part of the boat docking area,” Mr. Milton said.
“So you’re not interested in the buildings?” she asked.
“No.”
That sounded like a good deal. All she’d have to do is clean out her father’s belongings and then bulldoze the place. Or just sell it as is and let them deal with it.
“You left out a few things, don’t you think?” Logan asked over his shoulder.
“We’re prepared to offer $350,000, which is fair market value,” he said as if Logan hadn’t spoken.
“Tell her about the devastating effect your corporate resort will have on the surrounding environment. Tell her about the impact it will have on the fish in the lake,” Logan said.
Mr. Milton’s voice turned cold. “Stay out of this. It’s not your property and not your decision.”
Logan set down the spatula. As he slowly turned toward Mr. Milton, he pulled his shoulders back. “What are you going to do? Try to intimidate me like you did with the Jenkinses? I’m not in my eighties. I won’t let you take advantage of someone whose father just died.”
“I’ll just come back when you’re not here,” Mr. Milton rose to his feet.
Logan got in his face. “Was that a threat?”
“I don’t threaten people. I don’t have to when they’re smart and take what we’re offering.”
Kate stepped between the men, with her back to Logan. “This is a hard time for me. Maybe you could come back in a few days.”
“Consider my offer carefully,” Mr. Milton said.
An undercurrent of darkness tainted his voice. Now that sounded more like a threat. Maybe Logan was right to send him away. She walked to the front door and opened it. “I’ll give you a call if I decide to sell.”
Before leaving the house, he shot a murderous look at Logan. His mouth twitched as if he’d been holding back another comment.
After closing the door, she turned to find Logan directly behind her. She tilted her head up to look at him. He hadn’t looked this tall from across the room. All six foot two of the hunky shifter towered over her. She considered take a step back, but didn’t. If anything, she wanted to move closer. Dangerously closer. Into his arms closer.
“That guy’s dangerous. If he comes back here, call me right away. Okay? If I’m not home, tell one of my brothers and they’ll come running. We could never prove it, but we think Milton burned down the Jenkinses’ barn. Shortly after that, they sold to those corporate goons.”
“I just want to put this house behind me.” She wrapped her arms around her belly to keep them from reaching for him. What the hell was wrong with her?
“I’ll help you find someone who isn’t going to turn this place into a playground for the filthy rich,” Logan said.
“It’s really not necessary. I grew up on the ranch. I can fix a window or nail new siding on a barn myself. I don’t need your help.” She stepped back.
He scoffed. “This isn’t the kind of work a woman should be doing.”
“Really? Please, school me in the ways of womanhood.”
Anger. That was good. Much better than the rising tide of need currently threatening her sanity. She didn’t need his help back when she was in high school and she sure as hell didn’t need it now.
***
Logan stomped away from the house. Damn stubborn woman. She’d kicked him out without even giving him a slice of bacon. If Milton hadn’t shown up, he’d probably be in the kitchen convincing his sexy neighbor to let h
im fix the windows today. He could have ended up spending the day with her, giving him the time he’d need to talk her hot little butt into bed.
His bear grumbled both from a lack of food, and a lack of sex. And when his bear wasn’t happy, he wasn’t happy. At least he could take care of one of those needs right now.
After changing direction, he headed toward the Curvy Bear Ranch Bed and Breakfast. He sniffed the air appreciatively. They’d had a bit of a rocky start with Madison, the new manager. When she’d first arrived at the ranch, she couldn’t boil water without setting something on fire. But then his brother Mack had fallen head over heels in love with her and had taught her how to cook. To her credit, she’d been a fast learner.
As Logan opened the front door, a family of four staying at the B&B bounced past him. Bundled in matching Christmas sweaters, they were the picture of holiday cheer. Well, bah humbug. Christmas wasn’t good for anything other than making you feel alone. Even though he was surrounded by his brothers, something was missing from his life. He just didn’t know what it was.
He strolled into the kitchen to find his other brother Brady’s fiancée, Rachel, arguing with Madison over the proper way to line a cake pan.
“My mom always takes the butter out of the fridge and lets it rest until it’s soft before greasing the cake pan. Then you lightly flower it,” Rachel said.
“You get too much butter in the pan that way,” Madison corrected. “If the butter’s still firm, you won’t get divots in the top of the cake.”
“I’d like to think I know how to bake a cake since my mom owns a bakery and I’ve been baking since I was old enough to reach the counter,” Rachel snapped.
“Ladies,” he held up his hands. “I know how you can settle this little debate.”
“Really?” Madison arched a brow.
“Bake two cakes, I’ll eat them both, and then let you know which one was better,” he said.
Rachel snorted. “That’s your solution?”
“We could have a bake-off,” Madison said.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Rachel said. “We could invite some of the other women from town and then have the brothers judge the cakes. It would be a great way for me to get to meet more people.”
