by Kim Fox
“Right,” he said, shaking the dirty thoughts out of his head. “Ashton.”
“Hi!” Rory said, thrusting his hand out with a big smile on his face as she walked over. “I’m Rory.”
“Jennifer,” she said, shaking his hand with a nervous smile. Her eyes lifted up to the brown cowboy hat on his head. “I like your hat.”
“Thanks!” he said, smiling even wider. “I’m a cowboy.”
“You’re a wannabe cowboy,” Joan said, placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing him away. “You need a horse and cattle to be a cowboy.”
“And a gun and cowboy boots,” Cole added.
Rory looked at the new girl with a nervous smile. “They like to tease me but I really am a cowboy. I live on a ranch in Montana and according to the definition of a cowboy on Wikipedia, that’s enough to qualify me as one.”
“There’s a shootout at the you’re-gay corral,” Cole said with a laugh. “You better go help out.”
Rory frowned at them as he left. “Good luck with these jerks,” he said to Jennifer as he walked away. “I’m going to go do some cowboy shit.”
“Okay,” Jennifer said, glancing at the dirt as she stood there awkwardly. “Am I in the right place? I’m supposed to have an interview.”
“Yes!” Joan said, pointing at the bench on the picnic table. “Take a seat in my office.”
“Okay,” Jennifer whispered as she looked at the table that was still full of dirty mugs, glasses, plates, bowls, and cutlery from their breakfast.
“Let me clear this up,” Cole said, quickly stacking it into piles. He tossed it all onto the grass and sat beside Joan, staring at the girl from across the table.
“I’m Joan,” Joan said, introducing herself, “and this is Cole. We’re going to be interviewing you for the cook position. By the way, what is your favorite position?”
Cole nudged Joan with his elbow. “Too direct,” he whispered only loud enough that a shifter could hear. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together on the table. “What she means is,” he said, “what are your strengths as a chef?”
She straightened up in her seat and smiled. “I am a wonderful baker,” she said, raising her eyes to the sky as she spoke, “and an excellent breakfast chef.”
Cole exhaled hard as his eyes traveled down from her face to her large breasts pressing out against her tank top. The milky skin of her shoulders looked so soft and smooth, and Cole shifted in his seat as he licked his lips.
She’s for Ashton.
He kept having to remind himself of that fact.
“Sounds great,” Joan said with a nod. “What do you like to do for fun?”
“For fun?” Jennifer repeated, taken off guard by the question.
“Yes,” Joan said. “Like do you enjoy hanging out in bus stations?” she asked, eying her closely.
Cole had to swallow his laugh when he saw the look of confusion on Jennifer’s adorable face. He leaned in close to Joan’s ear and whispered. “How about you leave the questions to me?”
“Why?” she whispered back.
“Because you sound like a psychopath.”
Joan scrunched up her nose, looking at him funny as he turned back to the beautiful interviewee. “Tell us more about your cooking.”
“I studied culinary cuisine for a year in France,” she said with pride. “I even cooked for the prime minister of France one time.”
“Really?” Joan asked, leaning forward. “Did you do anything else with the prime minister after?”
She leaned back and glanced at Cole nervously. “Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Joan said, tapping her lips with a finger. “Maybe get a personal tour of his office. Late at night?” She raised her eyebrow as she waited for the answer.
Jennifer swallowed hard as she glanced back at her car. “I don’t really understand what you’re asking me.”
Cole flashed Joan a look and then cleared his throat, coming to the rescue again. “Joan likes to eat snacks late at night,” he said, trying to recover from the awkward situation. “She was just asking if you’ve ever made snacks for the prime minister at night.”
Jennifer shook her head slowly. “No. I haven’t.”
“Damn it,” Joan said, hitting the side of her fist onto the table. Her head perked up and she looked at Jennifer like a thought just popped into her head. Uh oh. This could be dangerous.
“Have you ever been to Spring Break?” Joan asked.
“Spring Break?” Jennifer muttered, glancing back at her car looking like she was about to sprint back to it and peel out of the ranch on squealing tires.
“Thank you, Joan,” Cole said, staring her down. “I can take it from here.”
“But I-”
“I got it,” Cole said, interrupting her complaints. “Do you remember that you put me in charge of the search for a…chef?”
“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Just make sure our chef likes to cook.”
She smiled at Jennifer as she stepped out of the picnic table and went to go find Rory.
“That was…interesting,” Jennifer said with a tight smile on her lips.
Cole grimaced as he looked at Joan skipping away. “She went parachuting once and her chute didn’t open,” he said, shaking his head sadly. “She hasn’t been the same since.”
“Oh my gosh!” Jennifer said, placing an open hand on her chest as she turned to Joan who was on the other side of the ranch.
Cole groaned as he glanced down at her chest, taking advantage of her averted eyes. Ashton is a lucky man. This girl was spectacular. Cole was already regretting not keeping her to himself.
“How about I just show you around the inn?” he said with a shrug.
She nodded, her green eyes lighting up as she looked past him to the barn. “I would love that.”
They walked over and Cole smiled as he opened the front doors. The large barn had been completely renovated but they still managed to keep that cozy country feel even though they decked it out with modern furniture and appliances.
“So this is the front desk area,” he said, showing her around. Rory had found an old cash register for sale at a garage sale for five bucks and managed to get it working again. It looked great on the new wooden counter that Gunner had built. The lion shifter was really talented with making furniture.
Jennifer nodded as she looked around with her hands folded politely in front of her. “Upstairs we have the rooms,” he said, continuing up the big staircase that they had professionally built.
The crew had scrounged together every penny that they had to turn the barn into an inn and they had still come up short. Way short. Luckily, the bank helped them out with a high-interest loan.
“We have six rooms with two shared bathrooms,” Cole said, quickly showing her each room. They were cute rooms. Nothing too fancy but they would be perfect for city folk who wanted to get away and visit a Montana ranch for a few days.
“So, I’d be cooking for all of these guests?” she asked as they headed back down the stairs.
Cole walked through the large community room with the huge fireplace to get to the kitchen. “Yup,” he said. “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
Her eyes widened as she walked into the kitchen. This had been the most expensive part of the renovations but it was all worth it to see the look on her face. Her succulent lips curled up into a smile, showing off her flawless white teeth. She was breathtaking and Cole knew right then and there that he had to have her.
I’ll take care of Ashton another time. This girl is all mine.
“Yes,” she said, nodding as she turned to him, locking her green eyes onto his. “I’m definitely interested.”
So am I.
“Great!” he said, rubbing his palms together. “When can you start?”
She jerked her head back in surprise. “Don’t you want to taste my cooking first?”
“Right,” he said with a nod. “That
would probably be a good idea.”
“I’ll whip something up,” she said with a smile as she walked into the room. She grabbed the apron that was hanging on the wall and put it on, opening the stainless steel drawers and cupboards to get her bearings and to see where everything was.
Cole sat down in the corner and watched her move around the kitchen with ease, grabbing food out of the large double fridges and placing it on the counter. She looked like a natural, gliding across the kitchen like a ballet dancer on stage as she chopped up veggies or slapped a pan on the stove. Cole was completely mesmerized by her, unable to take his eyes off of her body.
The hot twins from last night were a distant memory now. His focus was utterly absorbed with her.
“What are you making?” he asked.
She smiled, looking like she was in heaven as she opened the fridge and pulled out the salmon that Gunner had caught earlier. The river running through their ranch was full of them and you could just walk over and grab one out of the water if you were fast enough, which Gunner definitely was.
“I can make a sick plate of seared salmon with potato salad and horseradish yogurt,” she said, grinning at him.
“My mouth is watering already,” he said as he looked at her smiling lips.
“Good.” She slammed the salmon onto the counter and grabbed a knife, getting to work. Cole leaned forward in his seat, watching her every movement. A hot curvy girl who was a good cook? It was like she walked out of his dreams and into his life.
“Have you always been able to cook like this?” he asked as she chopped up the potatoes.
“I’ve always loved cooking,” she said, tossing the potato pieces into the pot of boiling water. “But my parents had pressured me into going to law school.”
“Did you go?”
“I went,” she said with a sigh. “It sucked and I sucked at it. I spent more time hanging out in the building’s cafeteria than I did in the boardroom, so they fired me.”
“Lucky for us they did,” Cole said, flashing her a smile.
She laughed, making his heart speed up. “This suits me way better. I love to cook.”
“It sounds like a match made in heaven,” Cole said, feeling a tad lightheaded, “because I love to eat.”
“Then try this,” she said, holding out the spatula. It had a thick piece of salmon sitting on it, waiting for him.
He grabbed it, tossed it into his mouth, and moaned. “Oh my God,” he said with his whole body tingling.
“Right?” she said with a happy smile.
“This is amazing,” he said, licking his fingers as the juicy fish melted in his mouth. It was the most delicious thing that Cole had ever had. I wonder if her lips are just as succulent and tasty.
He was betting that they were.
Cole’s pulse raced as he watched her gracefully move around the kitchen. Sorry, Ashton. I love you, man but she is all mine.
“I’ve seen what I’ve needed to see,” he said, smiling at her. “You’re hired!”
“Really?” she asked, her excited eyes darting up to his. “Are you serious?”
Cole bit his bottom lip and nodded. “When can you start?”
The spatula slipped out of her trembling fingers as she jumped up and down, squealing with delight. She ran around the counter and threw her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you!”
Cole inhaled her sweet scent as he held her close, enjoying the feeling of her soft body pressed up against his. His heart was pounding in his chest as she pulled away with her cheeks flushing red.
“Sorry,” she said, smoothing out her apron while looking embarrassed. “That was inappropriate.”
“Nonsense,” he said, still breathless from the hug. “You’re part of the Wilde Ranch family now.”
Her hands were shaking with excitement. “Can I just call my parents to tell them?” she asked. “They’re going to be so happy for me.”
“Of course,” Cole said with a smile. He watched her every movement as she danced across the kitchen to her cell phone that was resting on the counter. She picked it up and moved to the corner for some privacy as she dialed her parent’s number.
Cole watched her with a flutter in his chest. She was incredible. This wasn’t the type of girl to hump and dump. She could be the one.
He laughed to himself. Cole had never thought there would ever be a ‘one.’ He was convinced that he would spend the rest of his days as a player, satisfying pretty girl after pretty girl until his balls were gray and his dick was as limp as a wet noodle.
But there was something about Jennifer that shoved all of that aside. For the first time, he could see the appeal of having a mate, of having one woman by his side forever.
He thought that maybe Jennifer could be that girl for him.
“Oh good,” Joan said, popping out of nowhere and nearly scaring Cole to death. “You hired her.”
Cole spun around with his heart pounding. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Nobody was ever able to sneak up on Cole. He must have been more preoccupied with the girl than he thought.
“Sorry,” Joan said, looking at him funny. She looked back down the hall from where she came. “Come,” she said, waving Ashton over.
Cole gulped when he saw the bear shifter walk in with a smile on his face. How could he tell them that he was keeping Jennifer all to himself? Especially after just having a threesome with hot twins?
“That’s her,” Joan said, motioning to Jennifer with her eyes. The new chef was excitedly talking on the phone and hadn’t seen them come in.
“She’s beautiful,” Ashton said, staring at her with a shocked face. “You guys hired her for me?”
Cole swallowed hard but recovered quickly. “Actually I-”
“We sure did!” Joan cut in, cockblocking Cole. “We did our job, now all you have to do is charm her into your bedroom and your two year long dry spell is over.”
Cole stepped forward. “She is an employee,” he said, starting to panic. “Maybe we shouldn’t be hitting on-”
“She’s gorgeous,” Ashton said, ignoring Cole. “I can’t believe you guys hired her for me. Thank you, Joan,” he said, hugging her.
Cole dropped his eyes to the orange tiled floor as Ashton turned to him with eyes that were brimming with gratitude. “You’ve always been like a brother to me, Cole,” he said. “I’ve been close to the other guys but we’re both grizzly bear shifters and I feel like we were even closer.”
“Us grizzly bear shifters have to stick together,” Joan said with a nod.
Cole groaned.
“Thank you, brother,” Ashton said, hugging Cole’s stiff body. “Thank you for looking out for me.”
“Okay,” Cole said, trying to get away. “Stop hugging me for fuck’s sake.”
Ashton turned to Jennifer as she hung up the phone. He had a big goofy smile on his face as he looked at her.
Cole’s large body tensed up as he watched Ashton gawking at the girl that should have been his. Even his inner bear was getting agitated, pacing around angrily the longer that Ashton stared.
He wanted to grab Ashton and pull him outside, warn him not to go near the girl again, but instead, he just stood there, watching like a dope.
“Hi,” Ashton said, bouncing over with his hand out. “I’m Ashton.”
“Isn’t this great?” Joan whispered as she inched up beside Cole. “Maybe they’ll fall in love and have a million babies and it will be all our doing.”
Cole couldn’t hear her over the furious sound of his teeth grinding together.
three
“I’m so happy to be a part of the team,” Jennifer said, shaking Ashton’s hand. Do these guys just work out all day? They were all so big and muscular. It would be nice to have some eye candy around her new office. All of the lawyers who were at Williamson and Stone had been so old and they all smelled funny.
It was much different here.
“We’re so happy to have you as a part of the team,” Ashton said
, still shaking her hand enthusiastically. Am I going to ever get it back?
“Okay, Ashton,” the tiny girl named Joan said. “Give the poor girl her hand back.”
“Oh!” Ashton said, letting it go. The guys were so hot. Ashton was slimmer than Cole with hard muscular arms that were covered in tattoos. They looked good on him in a tough, street fighter way.
But Cole was the really hot one. She had noticed him immediately. That big powerful body with his smile that got her heart pumping. And those dimples…fuck. Jennifer was always such a sucker for a guy with dimples.
She had to remember that he was her boss, and that meant: off limits.
“I think that you’re going to fit in just perfectly here,” Joan said, nodding to her. “Maybe Ashton can show you around, get you started.”
Cole cleared his throat, frowning at Joan. “Actually, I was in the middle of showing her around. I can finish-”
“No, no, no,” Joan said, widening her eyes at the big man with the tight shirt. “Ashton can do it.”
Was that jealousy that she saw in Cole’s big brown eyes?
Jennifer smiled. I think it was.
“Cole already showed me around,” Jennifer said, walking back behind the counter, “and I’m just getting familiar with the kitchen. I can stay here and whip up some lunch for you guys if you’d like. I’d love to show you some recipes that I had in mind for the inn’s menu.”
“That would be great!” Joan said, nodding. “Are you sure you don’t need Ashton’s help?”
Ashton looked at her with his eyebrows raised. He looked like a kid desperately trying to get picked next for the soccer team in gym class.
These guys were hot, but a little bit weird. Something about it all seemed a bit funny but Jennifer couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
“I’m good working alone,” she said with a gulp. “I need to concentrate.”
“Okay,” Ashton said, nodding his head. “We’ll just wait outside.”
She took a deep breath when Joan and Ashton disappeared down the hall. That was weird.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Cole said, flashing her a sexy smile before leaving.
