Page 19 of White Collar Rancher

He was in a foyer as large as his bedroom, and the arched ceiling soared over his head. A small window let in sunlight during the day and he could see all the way to the back of the house, where wall-to-wall windows framed a lake view.

“You don’t want to walk naked through here, do you?” He toed off his boots.

“Unless someone’s in the yard, you should be able to. The backyard is pretty private.” Priya appeared to his right on the other side of an expansive dining room. She wore leggings, the black ones with sparkles. One of his favorite pairs. Her oversized sweater swallowed her whole—like he wanted to.

Heat licked up the back of his spine. Maybe coming here wasn’t the best idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

That look. Priya backed up a step. A giant of a woodsman stepped into her house, all rumpled and sexy in his jeans and flannel shirt. The intensity of his look pinned her in place. She was a rabbit caught in his crosshairs—and she didn’t want out of them.

“Do it often?” he asked, his voice lowering to an octave that vibrated deep inside of her.

She held back a shiver. “Do what?”

“Strut through here naked?”

Her laugh came out far too nervous. “If it were my private house, maybe. But not when I’m living with my parents.”

Just like that, the vacuum his presence had created flooded with air. He stood straighter, like he’d been ready to pounce but decided she was too scrawny for good prey.

The timer on the oven beeped as it reached its programmed temperature. It was hot enough, and it wasn’t the only one.

“Dinner isn’t quite ready.” The meat had yet to go into the oven. She spun and called over her shoulder, “The risotto should be done with the pork chops.”

The wave of heat following her must mean that he was right behind her.

“Smells good.” He was close. She didn’t turn to look. It was hard enough to concentrate as it was. “But maybe a little burnt?”

This time she did turn and look at him over her shoulder. Burnt?

His blue eyes twinkled. “Just teasing.”

“Ha. No pressure.” She went through the motions of finishing supper, but her mind was on the man in the kitchen. “You could’ve gotten a professional meal. Instead, I have to represent.”

“This’ll be even better. Because you made it for me.” They stared at each other for a heartbeat. “And it’s free.”

Perhaps the simmering tension between them had been her imagination. Wishful thinking. “I can do free.”

“All kidding aside, Priya. This means a lot. Everything you do for me means a lot.”

She removed the pot of risotto from the stove and flipped the burner off. She kept her back to him. “Of course.” That was her. Reliable.

He planted himself against the counter next to her. “Hey.”

He didn’t say more but the burn of his gaze blazed into her. She peeled her gaze off the marbled granite and met his.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She shrugged as casually as she could manage, but after the last three months, it was a piss-poor effort. “Nothing.”

He tilted his head. “Really? I’m pretty dense, but I’ve picked up on some signs. Spill it.”

Where did she begin?

Her family took her for granted, and while they were off having the time of their lives, they were all okay leaving her behind.

Or how about that all her friends lived in other towns and were also friends with her ex, who was off doing fabulous things? Meanwhile, she’d managed to lose the trust of all her patients, who were slowly and painfully canceling all their appointments and going to different doctors.

So, yeah, she might lose her job. Wouldn’t that suck? To get fired in her own hometown? Who would hire her if the place she was born in wouldn’t even keep her?

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