CHAPTER FIVE

A rooster crowed, and Casey opened bleary eyes.. The bed was wonderful and she didn’t want to move, but as the room came into focus, her brain stirred up yesterday’s events. She jolted to a sitting position.

Sam Wagner’s house. She was in a stranger’s house, her car was close to annihilated, and if it could be repaired, it might take all of forever. She had landed somewhere, nowhere really, and Christmas was less than two weeks away.

She also needed to use a restroom.

And she was starving.

Realizing the room was warming up, she tossed back the down comforter and wool blankets. The window let in bright sun, which made her head hurt. Casey remembered opening the blind last night to stare up at a million stars before she crawled into the bed. “Right. That was cool.” She also recalled the two goblet-size glasses of Chardonnay she’d imbibed and stopped laying blame for the headache on Mother Nature.

Someone, she figured Emma and not the cowboy, had laid a terry cloth robe at the end of the bed along with a large bath sheet, hand towel, and washrag. A note set on the pile cleared up any mystery. “Bath is directly across the hall. Breakfast is at eight. Em.”

“I knew I liked that woman.” Casey slipped first one, then the other arm into the robe and cinched the fabric belt. Studying the room added to her impression of the ranch house. She remembered the window seat as comfortable from her stargazing. An overstuffed chair sat in one corner with a small reading table, lamp, and a stack of books on its bottom shelf. Her suitcase was on a luggage stand, and she felt relief that it wasn’t open. It’s not like she’d been kidnapped by thieves and axe murderers. Still, it was reassuring that her privacy was respected.

So she’d slept well and survived the night. Grabbing clean jeans, shirt, and undies, along with her sundries bag, she cautiously opened the door to the hallway. Nobody in either direction, good. Her watch said 7:15, so she had time to get down to breakfast by eight. Good thing, because the smells floating up from below were amazing. Casey closed her eyes for a moment just to appreciate the flavorful aromas.

“Ms. Pickett. Good morning.” She jumped, and then opened her eyes. Sam Wagner was standing in front of her, but he’d obviously come from downstairs. “Emma makes a great breakfast. You’ll need it. You’ve got lots to do today.”

Dumbfounded, grateful for the robe, she tried to interpret what he’d just said, but it wasn’t making sense.

“What am I doing today?” She was part terrified and part preoccupied. The man was intolerably distracting. His good looks alone could buckle her knees, but also, he smelled clean, soapy, like leather and a forest. Unlike last night, he was clean-shaven. By all the saints in heaven, she wanted to reach up and feel the closeness of his shave.

“Besides daydreaming you mean?”

Casey refocused her attention, straightened her stance, and dared a direct look at the man. She’d been right about his eyes. Green. Not hazel. “Yes. And I wasn’t.” She swallowed hard. “Daydreaming.” Nope, she was fantasizing. Obviously, not the same thing.

“Well, ma’am, you’re going to earn your keep.”

“What?” He was crazy. “And, please, cease and desist with the ma’am bit.”

“Casey.” Deliberate. “You know, like room and board. Some chores.”

“Like hell.”

“Oh, it just might be—” The insanely sexy grin returned. “For you. A bit hellish, but you’ll feel great after a day’s work on a ranch.”

“I will?” She was dumbfounded and, again, unable to deliver up any kind of smart-ass response.

“Of course. And you better get going, we don’t wait meals around here.” He winked at her, and as he walked by gave a most gentle pat to her rear end.

“You…you…” It wasn’t there. The don’t-get-mad-get-even retort she wanted eluded her completely. Her nemesis entered another room at the end of the hall and closed the door without looking back. Casey stood flabbergasted. She was going to have to shoot him after all.

***

As Casey entered the barn, Sam watched his guest from the stallion’s stall. Emma had his instructions, so something worked, because she’d managed to get Ms. Casey Pickett to the barn.

A little skinny, but all the right curves accented her figure. Thick blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail that swayed left and right when she moved. It was pure enjoyment watching her unseen. Timid at first, then curious. She looked over a divider to study equipment she probably didn’t recognize. When Clementine, their milk cow, mooed, she jumped a foot.

“How was your breakfast?”

She turned with a start. “Delicious, thank you. But it’s not going to work. I’m not staying and I’m not working for you. For crying out loud it’s not the eighteenth century.”

“Aw, and here I thought for sure you’d enjoy being my wench.”

“You are the most aggravating human being I have ever met. And I’ve met a lot.” She spread her feet a bit and punched her fisted hands against each hip, challenging him.

“Entirely possible, ma’am.” Sam ducked his head to avoid revealing a grin. Good thing too, because the water bottle that whizzed past his ear would have hurt. He moved quick, reaching her in seconds. “All right, Pickett, that’s enough.” When he tried to grab her arm, she stuck out a foot, then bobbed right, and next thing Sam knew, he was in the hay.

“I asked you not to call me ma’am, cowboy.”

The situation was funny, it couldn’t be anything else, and he started laughing. Staring at the beams high up in the barn, he took deep breaths to regain control. He wasn’t mad. He was impressed. “Self-defense training?” He got to a sitting position and, seeing his hat to the left, planted it back on his head.

“Black belt.”

“Damn, Pickett. I’m impressed.”

“As well you should be.” She’d relaxed her arms, and he tried to picture her in a white gi and bare feet. He erased the image that popped up in his head because it caused an immediate reaction below his belt buckle.

Casey walked toward him and reached out her hand to help him up, “Peace?”

“Sure.” Sam took her hand, but he couldn’t do it, couldn’t let the opportunity to get even slip away, and so he tugged her down. She landed with a loud expletive on top of him. He rolled and flipped her beneath him with the same lightning reactions she’d shown a moment earlier. “Ms. Pickett, I’m going to show you some chores to occupy you around here until your car is fixed.”

“I’ll be damned if that’s going to happen, Mr. Wagner.” Her muscles had gone taut and he could feel her vibrate with anger. “And I’m not agreeing to anything from you. Ever.” She inhaled, and the sensation of Casey’s body against his made him more intent on convincing her to stick around.

“Why is everything an immediate no with you?” She didn’t answer. “I mean, all I’m suggesting is you enjoy the fresh air and have some new experiences. It’ll kill time and you’ll get the best sleep you’ve had in your entire life.” He knew she couldn’t escape, and he thought he caught a glimpse of interest in her expression.

“How so?”

“Because it’s hard work, Casey.”

“I’ve worked hard all my life, cowboy. We didn’t all grow up on big fancy ranches, you know.”

He ignored the snip at his position in life. Another reason he kept his bank portfolio a secret. “I’m sure you have, but did some office job exhaust you into a deep sleep? Maybe you live stressed out.” He stared down at her, not budging, thinking how pretty she really was. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment—well, more likely, from anger. Her eyes were blue pools that invited a person in for a swim, and he found himself wanting to kiss her.

“I admit, I slept like a log last night, but there were plenty of reasons for that besides slave labor.”

“It’s room and board. Just until your car’s fixed. And if it’ll make you feel better? I’ll pay you ten bucks an hour.”

***

Now it was Casey’s turn to laugh. The entire situation was so ridiculous there was nothing else for it but to bust out laughing, which she did. Her belly pressed against his, revealing his flat stomach as muscle. She was in danger of melting into the hay; worse, she was in danger of saying yes to anything he asked. His eyes sparked with interest, and she noted what she had thought to be green in color was closer to aquamarine. She swallowed. “Okay, cowpoke. But the hotel said they’d have openings in two days. So, that’s it. That’s how long I’ll stay.”

She couldn’t look away. His gaze was intense, uncomfortable, and she wanted him to kiss her, deeply.

“Okay, two days. That can be our deal for now.” That damned smile that made her weak-silly was back. “Let’s go then, the days are short this time of year.” When he got to his knees, she squirmed out from under him. The physical closeness they’d shared had tripped something in her heart. Sam offered his hand to help her up, after which they stood too close for another few seconds. She held her breath until Sam said, “So, you wanna learn to milk a cow or not?”

How could she resist. “Serious?”

“Yes, ma’a—Casey.” He turned and walked past the partition, allowing her a great view of his backside. Damn. She guessed milking a cow with Sam Wagner could be a good thing so she picked up her water from the barn floor and followed him.