Page 52 of A Rancher's Heart
The entire time they were marching to the barns, Caleb scolded himself thoroughly.
She was his employee, for God’s sake. Even if theywantedto get involved, they couldn’t, because no way in hell was he doing more to put his girls’ hearts in jeopardy.
Didn’t mean he could stop his eyes from being drawn back to Tamara again and again.
They swung past the goat pen and rescued two bags that were tied over ten feet off the ground to a yard-light post.
“How on earth?” Caleb muttered at Tamara as his girls shoved the find into their bags then took off again at a run.
“You don’t want to know.”
He laughed softly.
Emma literally bounced when she found the first bag of candy in the barn, hanging on the outside of Moonlight’s stall. She turned, shaking a Ziploc baggie that held a full-sized candy bar along with other treats.
“Daddy, look,” she called out loud, delight in her eyes.
Tamara didn’t make a fuss over Emma’s talking, just stepped forward with a smile and pointed the girls in two different directions. Chaos ensued for another five minutes until all the bags were found and his children were grinning from ear to ear.
And the morning wasn’t over. Tamara called the girls to her side, holding a bag with cut pieces of apple in it. “I’m pretty sure the horses don’t want any tricks, but you could give them all a treat.”
The girls came rushing back, their goodie-filled pillows tossed on a nearby shelf as they went down the line and, with his and Tamara’s help, offered up apple slices on their stretched-out palms.
Tamara patted the neck of her horse as Emma reached up her offering. “Stormy saysthank you.”
Emma held her hand with the apple rock-steady until the treat had been daintily nibbled away, then she happily patted Stormy’s nose.
“You want to pet him some more?” Tamara asked. When Emma nodded her agreement, she brought them around to the side so Emma could stroke her hand along the horse’s strong neck.
Stormy turned his head to bump Tamara, and Emma giggled, sliding her fingers into Tamara’s.
Caleb wasn’t quite sure what to do with the sensation churning in his gut. It was fine to want the woman. Any man would want someone as beautiful and direct as Tamara. But this felt like more than sexual desire, watching her with his children.
A pulse of something definitelynotdesire struck, icy cold along his spine.
He cleared his throat, shoving away the emotions. “Time to get back to the house and let Tamara get on with her day. Halloween’s got to come to an end sometime.”
Two little girls made disgruntled sounds, but Tamara gestured them forward. “Go on. You have to sort your candy, and you can’t keep your daddy from his day forever.”
Walking back from the barns was a lot less pleasurable than the excited trip there. Uncomfortable, uneasy, at least on Caleb’s part. The girls and Tamara seemed oblivious, strolling at a comfortable pace as Sasha dramatically recited everything they’d just done, in spite of Tamara having been there.
Emma no longer held Tamara’s hand, but she was walking close enough to bump into her every other step.
When they got in the house he was far more brisk with Tamara than necessary, all things considered. “Why don’t you go take a break for a while? You’ve been up since early. I’ll sort the candy with the girls then get them started on their chores.”
He turned his back, dismissing her.
Sasha and Emma were busy upending their pillowcases on the table and making sounds of delight at their treasure trove. He watched for a moment before glancing over his shoulder to see Tamara had vanished.
But that strange uncomfortable sensation in his gut refused to leave.
