Page 15 of A Rancher's Heart
Chapter Four
Caleb strode into the kitchen after doing early chores and came to a complete and utter stop. Considering it was barely six a.m., the last thing he’d expected was to be greeted by the scent of fresh biscuits and hot coffee.
He didn’t usually start making breakfast for the girls until after seven, and the hour break he took between chores and when they crawled out of bed was when he caught up on as much paperwork as he could stomach.
Now not only did the kitchen smell like a bit of heaven, the view was damn good too. His gaze shot like a homing beacon to land on Tamara’s ass.
In his defense, shewasbent over, pulling a pan from the oven, but it was wrong how he couldn’t seem to look away. Sweet curves wiggled at him temptingly, and he stepped behind the island to put something solid between her and his rising erection.
She stood and twisted on the spot, lowering the pan to a couple of hot pads she’d placed beforehand before smiling enthusiastically. “Morning. I made coffee. You’ll have to let me know how you like it.”
He was pretty sure he would likeanythingshe was willing to give him. Beyond the obvious.
Dammit, dirty daydreams meant Caleb was having a hard time remembering how to talk. “What’re you doing?”
Other than making every hormone in his body percolate past high. Sexy, half-naked woman in his kitchen, cooking breakfast and making him coffee? It was far too tempting to let his imagination go wild.
Tamara frowned. “Something wrong?”
Something had to be wrong. Otherwise he would simply have grabbed a cup of coffee and gone on with his day, right? Because the instant his cock eased up control enough to let his brain function the tiniest bit, he realized she was doing what he’d hired her to do.
Nannies cooked and made breakfast, and that’s all she’d done.
“Caleb?”
He’d been standing far too long without answering which just compounded the problem. “You need to put some clothes on.”
The words came out in a rush. The instant they escaped, he wished he could take them back because number one, he sure the hell didn’t mind the way she was dressed, with her long limbs under what was a perfectly decent knee-length robe.
Number two, what had been a happy expression on her face slammed closed into something far more guarded.
He waited for her to call him on his bullshit.
She didn’t fight, though. Her chin rose, but her response was soft and meek. “Okay.”
Nothing more as she turned to the oven and clicked off the power.
That was not what Caleb expected. He had an apology on the tip of his tongue before he noticed that instead of taking the shortest route from the kitchen possible, she’d stepped counterclockwise. A move that would needlessly march her past him.
He leaned against the island, resting his hands on the surface as he waited to see what was up.
He should have been a lot more worried than curious, because unlike most women who would turn their back as they passed a man, Tamara faced him. In the brief second as she moved through the narrow space between the island and kitchen chairs, her soft breasts slid across his chest. Her hip brushed his groin, and the whole attack sent his cock into full alert.
She stepped toward the hallway, the swells of her butt cheeks twitching against the silky fabric of her green robe, and he was mesmerized. Unable to look away.
A half step before she vanished down the hall, the robe slipped from her shoulders giving him a split-second, tantalizing-tease of naked back and a pale blue, barely-there nightie.
Caleb moved slowly in deference to his unruly erection, stepping to the refrigerator. He jerked open the freezer door and stood there with cold air pouring down as he prayed for strength.
Stupid ass.
He closed the door and went to get a coffee, pacing the room uncomfortably. Would she come back, or had he already scared her away?
But not even five minutes later, when he’d barely settled on stool by the island, she moved past him briskly, her rigid back to him as she poured herself a cup. A light-blue T-shirt tucked into jeans covered her curves, and when she twisted toward him, he jerked his gaze upward to make sure he was gazing into her eyes and not anywhere else.
Apologizing was the right thing, but God, it was awkward. “I’m sorry. My comment earlier was out of line.”
She dropped a spoonful of sugar into her cup then stirred vigorously, staring at the surface. “I’m sorry for overreacting.” She lifted her gaze to his. “It probably doesn’t seem like it considering I keep doing stupid things, but I really want this job to work.”
