Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I finished my bowl of stew. “That is great news, and that was the best stew I have ever eaten. I hope that’s on your menu.”
She nodded. “Yep. I’m even planning some vegetarian meals.” She wrinkled her nose. “Although I’m not sure you’d come to a cattle ranch if you don’t eat meat.”
I laughed. “You never know. To be on the safe side, yes, some vegan and vegetarian options would be good, just in case. The guests will have to provide all that information ahead of time so you won’t be surprised.”
“Good. Dessert?” she asked.
“Dessert?” I responded. “You have dessert?”
Luke walked back in, his tray in hand. “Did I hear dessert?”
She stood. “Jam roly-poly.”
He groaned. “Give it to me.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting.
“Please,” he added.
She nodded. “Better.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Think of a hot jelly roll. With custard.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
He nodded, taking his bowl with a muttered thanks before disappearing again.
I tried to hide my smile. She treated him like a wayward child, even though I thought she was a few years younger than him. And the cute part was that he allowed her to do so.
I had a feeling there were many layers to Luke Adler.
I looked forward to peeling them all back.
CHAPTER SEVEN
LUKE
I walked into the house around six. I was tired, sore, and hungry. In other words, a regular day on the ranch. With one exception. The house wasn’t empty.
Sitting at the table in the kitchen was Sammy. She had a laptop open, papers scattered around her, and she was writing furiously on a notepad. Her brow was furrowed in thought, and her pink tongue stuck out the side of her mouth in concentration. Her hair was gathered into a knot on the top of her head, and I saw the reddened skin on her neck and back where her loose sweater slipped from her skin.
“I told you to wear sunscreen,” I announced, heading her way. “Are you in pain?”
She blinked at me, tapping a pencil on the end of her nose.
“Hello, Sammy,” she drawled. “How was the rest of your afternoon?”
“Don’t be giving me lip, Lady. You’ll be sorry. Your neck is sunburned.”
“I’m aware. I missed the back of my neck and top of my back. Hazard of having short arms. It’s fine.”
I huffed out a sigh. “Okay, what—” I stopped, drawing in a deep lungful of air. Something smelled incredible. “What have you done?”
“I asked Callie, and she said you usually stopped around six. I dug some stuff out of the freezer and made dinner. It’s just a casserole—one my mom made all the time and my dad loved. But I thought you’d enjoy coming home to something to eat.”
Somehow I wasn’t shocked at her thoughtfulness. Everyone she had spoken to today had commented on how lovely she was. “Polite and friendly,” some said. “Cheerful and smart,” others commented. The “fucking sexy” comments from some of the crew got my back up, and after the look I shot them, I doubted they would repeat themselves. They knew they’d have to deal with me. My little speech on respect and under my protection might have guaranteed it. I had no idea why I said it, but I did.
Probably because I knew Rachel would want me to. That had to be it.
Or at least so I told myself.
“I didn’t expect you to make dinner, but I’m grateful.”
“You want to wash up?”
“I’m going to grab a shower. I’ll get a bottle of wine with dinner if you want?”
“Okay,” she agreed easily, going back to her notebook.
I headed down the hall, glancing over my shoulder. She looked oddly right sitting at the table, surrounded by her project.
I shook my head. I’d obviously had far too much sun today.
“This is delicious,” I said around a mouthful. Her “just” a casserole was accompanied by a huge salad and warm bread.
She smiled, the warmth of it making me smile back at her.
“What do you usually do for dinner?”
“Rachel or I would make dinner. I like to barbecue. When she got engaged, I was on my own more, and I started cooking big meals a couple times a week and having leftovers. It was easier. Sometimes Callie takes pity on me and fills the freezer with things I can pop in the oven. Rachel leaves me meals too.”
“So, you’re out of the house by five and work until six every day?”
“Yeah. Usually. Somedays, I let my foremen handle it, and I hunker down with paperwork. But I like the hands-on approach. It’s my ranch—if I don’t care enough to work hard, what message does that send to my ranch hands?”
“Do you get vacations?”
“I have taken a day or two on occasion. My parents always made sure we had a week as a family. My dad would trade with a couple of other ranchers, and he would look after their places when they were gone, and they would look after ours. I took a week a couple of years ago. Last year, I went to a conference, and Tyler stayed with Rachel and made sure everything was okay. I also have great foremen who help.”