Page 16 of Westin

“You have no idea.” She sighed. “But this whole thing with Fang is putting a wrench in things. Can’t work while I’m on the run from some psycho ex. It’s making my life really frustrating.”

“But you had a plan?” Westin gestured to his phone where it still sat on the table. “That phone call…”

“Yeah, I had a plan. Hopefully it’s not completely screwed.”

The door suddenly opened, startling both of them. Westin twisted around, almost disappointed to see Clint coming through the door. But then he saw the storm on the man’s face, and he automatically stepped back, aware that when Clint looked like that, it was best to get out of his way.

“Get dressed, Ms. Adams,” Clint demanded, dropping a small duffel bag on the bed. “We’re supposed to be up at the house in five minutes.”

“I appreciate this,” Lea said as she climbed off the bed and grabbed the bag. “All of it.”

Clint didn’t comment, just made a gesture to hurry her to the bathroom. She disappeared behind the closed door in an instant, Westin’s last glance of her a wistful smile reflected in the mirror.

“Everything okay?” Clint wanted to know even as he went to snatch up the towel on the floor. “You’re keeping your hands to yourself—right?”

“Of course.”

Clint shot him a look that made it pretty clear he wasn’t sure he could believe what Westin had said. But then the look melted into something else as he slid down to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Fucking women,” he muttered under his breath.

Westin stared at his back for a moment, wondering what he should say. Was Clint talking about Lea, or someone else?

“I’m moving into the bunkhouse tonight,” Clint suddenly said. “I know there have been rumors going around about me and Melanie… but I’m not going to air my dirty laundry here on the ranch. This is my workplace, not a place for that kind of conversation.”

“Sure.”

“You tell the others. I don’t want any questions when I go to turn in tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

Clint nodded. “You should go. You have a date tonight, don’t you?”

Westin glanced at the bathroom door, wondering if Lea had heard that last little bit. He had no reason to feel guilty—he’d made the date with Rena before Lea came crashing into his life. Yet, there was something like a stab of guilt pushing into his chest at that moment.

What was this woman doing to him? Why now? If she ruined his plans… he’d worked too long and hard for this. Nothing was going to screw it up for him now!

Chapter 4

Miss Dulcie wasn’t what Lea had expected. She wasn’t quite sure what she had expected, but this slight, delicate woman was not it.

They’d come through a side door into a long, wide corridor. Clint led Lea through what amounted to a maze, turning half a dozen times before stepping into a massive room that was brightly lit despite the dark walls that were covered in shelves filled by books and what appeared to her to be expensive knickknacks. The woman in question was sitting primly on an oversized armchair upholstered in a lovely flowered material. She had a book in her hands, but she wasn’t even looking at it. Her gaze was on the large windows that made up the entire back wall of the room, staring out at a slight rise in the land that led down to the large expanse that was the first few acres of the massive ranch.

“Miss Dulcie,” Clint said in a low, respectful tone, “this is Lea Adams.”

She seemed slightly startled by the sound of his voice, but she quickly recovered, offering a gentle smile as she set her book down and gracefully rose to her feet.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Lea said as she accepted the light handshake Miss Dulcie offered. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Miss Dulcie’s dark eyes moved quite alertly over Lea as though making a judgment of the person she appeared to be. Lea did the same, reminded of a dear friend’s mother when she looked at Miss Dulcie. She was an older woman, easily in her sixties, at least, but her dark skin was smooth and her hair free of any age-related changes. She wore a light dress with long sleeves, and a skirt that flowed all the way to her ankles, her feet covered in big fur-lined slippers. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall, her body so slight she brought to mind the delicacy of a small bird. She was not what Lea had imagined when she pictured the woman who ran this ranch and had earned the respect of these five ranch hands.

“Welcome to Golden Sphinx Ranch, Ms. Adams.”

“Please, call me Lea.”

Miss Dulcie lowered her head. “Please, have a seat.”

The two women settled into chairs as Clint retreated, disappearing back into the maze he’d brought Lea through. Lea, now dressed in borrowed slacks and a dark blouse, rubbed her palms on her thighs. She wasn’t normally nervous in these kinds of situations, but this one did leave her a little anxious. Perhaps it was because of the chaos that had ruled the past few days of her life, or maybe it was as simple as the fact that this woman could send her tumbling into even more chaos if she should choose to ask her to leave the ranch.

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