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  As she climbed the steps beside him, she was aware of her arm linked with his. After the service they talked to what seemed like everyone who’d attended church. Finally, they stood by their cars.

  “We can drive back to the ranch, eat in town or I can get the plane and we can fly into Dallas.”

  “Goodness, no. We don’t need to eat in Dallas. Let’s just go back to the ranch. I have religion now and I’ve talked to what seemed like five hundred people.”

  He laughed. “It wasn’t that many. Ride back with me and I’ll have one of the guys get the van. Someone will be going to church tonight and can pick it up. I told the secretary we’re leaving it in the lot until then. They know my cars and wouldn’t have paid any attention anyway.”

  “Thanks for joining me,” she said, glancing up at him and thinking about their kisses the night before. How long before she could see him without thinking about his kisses?

  As he sped back to the ranch, she looked at the countryside.

  “I’ll be going to Houston this week and will probably be home Saturday,” he said. “I need to check on some things.”

  “Ryan, stop. I saw something back there.”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror as he slowed and backed up. No cars were in sight for miles in either direction. “I don’t see—” He stopped and adjusted the mirror. “Yes, I see a dog lying on the side of the road.”

  “It might have been hit. I want to find out why it won’t get up.”

  “Let me go see. If it’s hurt, it might bite.” He backed up and stopped yards away to pull off the road. “I don’t want to get closer, because it might scare him.”

  She climbed out when Ryan did. “I want to come with you,” she said. “I’ll be careful.”

  He walked slowly, talking softly. A large shaggy brown-and-white dog lay in the grass and thumped its tail as Ryan approached.

  “Oh, damn,” he said quietly, slowing.

  “What? Ryan, there are puppies.”

  “Someone probably dumped them. Dammit. People leave dogs in the country, figuring someone will give them a home. We’ve got about ten dogs at the ranch now. I’ll call the sheriff,” he said, getting out his cell phone.

  “Ryan, those are babies,” she said. “We have to take them. Take the dog food cost out of my salary. Don’t call the sheriff. I’ll find homes for them somewhere.”

  Ryan laughed. “You can’t find any home except the RD Ranch. The sheriff will take them to the vet, who will find homes for them.”

  “And if he doesn’t? No, you let me take them. They can stay in the barn and I’ll take care of them and feed them and pay for them and take them with me when I go.”

  “Jessica, with your looks and your red car, if you leave with—” he paused to look at the mother dog and her pups “—six dogs, you’ll stand out like a circus parade.”

  “Ryan, these are babies,” she said, petting the mother dog, who wagged her tail. “I’m not abandoning them.” Jessica yanked off her suit jacket and turned it, tying the ends of the sleeves. She handed two puppies to Ryan and then began placing the remainder in her jacket.

  “Jessica, you’ll ruin that white jacket. Take my suit coat,” he said, juggling puppies while peeling off his jacket to hold it out.

  “Of course not. I’m fine. I can get my suit cleaned. You might have to wear yours to work Monday. Carry the pups. C’mon,” she said, whistling to the mother dog. She headed toward Ryan’s car and glanced back to see him standing, watching her. He shook his head and followed.

  She set the pups on the floor of the backseat and the mother jumped in to lie down with them.

  Ryan placed his pups in with the others and in minutes they were headed toward the ranch. “Did you do this at home in Memphis?”

  “Take in strays? Only a couple of times that I couldn’t find a home. We had two dogs and when I divorced, my sister took them in. Sort of temporarily. I’ll get them back someday, maybe, except I think her family will get so attached they’ll keep them. One is a sweet little beagle and the other is a sheltie mix.”

  “Maybe I better do the grocery shopping. A lot of dogs are dropped off in the country.”

  She laughed. “You really wouldn’t pass them and leave them abandoned or you wouldn’t have so many at the ranch. I’ll get the groceries.”

  “I’ll ask the guys. I’m sure some of them will watch the mother dog and her pups.”

  “Thank you, Ryan,” she said, smiling broadly at him, watching him take a deep breath and exhale.

  When they turned in the drive to the ranch house, Ryan called Jeb and told him about the dogs. As soon as he finished, he glanced at her. “Don’t worry about the dogs. Jeb and some guys will come get them and they’ll take care of them. You don’t have to.”

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him another big smile. “That’s so nice of you.” She hugged his neck and released him swiftly. Once again he inhaled deeply and let out his breath. A muscle worked in his jaw and she didn’t know whether he was angry, but at least he was seeing that the dogs had care and a home.

  “You’re a nice guy, Ryan,” she said quietly, thinking he was. “If there is a vet in town, I’ll pay to have shots and whatever else we need to do for the dogs when the time comes.”

  “You won’t need to. I routinely have all our ranch animals taken care of and we’ll just have them looked at with the others.”

  “You’ve had a complete turnaround about the dogs.”

  “I just know when I’ve lost a battle.”

  She laughed and squeezed his wrist affectionately. He was nice and if he kept up being so great, she would fall in love with him. She hadn’t thought there was any possible danger of that when she had accepted the job, but now she knew better. Ryan was wonderful in too many ways.

  She unbuckled her seat belt to turn and check on the dogs. She sat back and buckled again. “They’re fine. This is so good. Thanks for all you’ve done today.”

  “Oh, sure. What are six more dogs at the ranch?”

  When they arrived, Jeb waited along with three more cowboys. They all took puppies and Jeb gave a treat to the mother dog, who happily followed them as they headed toward the barn.

  “Now your dogs have a good home.”

  “Will someone check on the pups? If not, I can.”

  “Someone will check on all of them, mother and pups. You can forget all about them because they will be fine now.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and he nodded.

  For the rest of the day, she saw little of Ryan, except for when he stopped in briefly for lunch, and she stayed in her suite a lot of the time to unpack and contact her sister and Olivia. She ate an early light dinner of greens, frozen shrimp and an apple and then returned to her suite.

  The next morning she had already eaten breakfast when Ryan appeared. If he had noticed she was avoiding socializing with him, he said nothing. Wearing navy slacks and a white dress shirt, he looked dressed for an office and she guessed he would fly to Houston shortly after breakfast.

  As she put dishes away after Ryan had eaten, he appeared, standing just inside the room.

  “I’m leaving now. I’ll be back Friday evening, but not for dinner. I’ll see you Saturday morning, probably.”

  “Fine. I’ll see you then,” she said, hiding the pang she felt. Ryan was brimming with energy, full of life. It was impossible to be unaware of him when he was present. For the next week she knew she’d miss him more than she should. She turned back to her task and the next time she looked, he had gone.

  She paused, staring at the empty kitchen doorway. She was going to miss him. How could he already have become a significant part of her life? She had to forget him, to stop being with him and deal with this job without Ryan making a difference.

  The week was quiet, and i
t seemed quieter than her life had ever been. On Tuesday she drove into town and spent the morning walking and talking to people she had met. She was beginning to know some of the people and they were all friendly, welcoming. The town had a small library that was in the City Hall and Town Center, which was next to the sheriff’s office and the jail. She had already met Millie Wales, who was the mayor’s secretary as well as the librarian. When she entered the Town Center, she found the auburn-haired librarian piling books on a cart.

  Thirty minutes later Jessica left the library with a stack of books beneath her arm.

  Over the next few days she got back into exercising, working out in the gym at Ryan’s ranch for thirty minutes a day to start, adding weights three days also. At least it kept her occupied.

  Friday night came and she still didn’t see anything of Ryan. As he’d predicted, Saturday morning as she worked in the kitchen after eating breakfast, she finally heard his boot heels in the hallway. Anticipation filled her as she gazed at the door and in seconds Ryan appeared.

  The realization hit her hard: she’d missed him more than she’d ever thought possible.

  Six

  When he entered the kitchen, Ryan’s pulse raced. He had missed Jessica, more than he should have. He had spent the week arguing with himself because he should just stay in Houston another week and keep away from the ranch. He usually spent a week out of each month there, sometimes more in the summer than the winter, but now he wanted to get back to see her.

  He couldn’t keep from remembering their kisses, which had caused a subtle change in their relationship. Since that time, she had avoided him far more than before. He had tried to avoid her, leaving for Houston. But the effect of her kisses hadn’t diminished. He could recall them with a vivid clarity that still got him aroused.

  Like everything else about her, her kiss was hot, unforgettable, opening a Pandora’s box into his life. Jessica was no longer just his beautiful cook. She was the sexiest woman he had ever met and she was off-limits. He had just set himself up for all kinds of trouble. Real trouble this time. Not just skirting around being personal or flirting with her. He wanted to seduce her and he wanted to make love to her. He wanted her in his bed for days. But he would never be serious and she would be serious from the first.

  He had always been able to walk away, even stay friends with the women he had had a relationship with, but he instinctively knew Jessica would not take seduction lightly. He’d never been into getting deeply entangled and he wasn’t starting now.

  He shook his head, trying to put memories aside. He had to stop remembering, stop dreaming about her, which he had done too much this past week, even during business meetings.

  He couldn’t get her out of his thoughts—beautiful, a great cook, kind and softhearted. Sexy beyond his wildest dreams. How was he going to resist her? He always reminded himself of the reason she was at his ranch. She couldn’t take a casual affair. And Jessica wasn’t the type to want to.

  After breakfast alone, he carried his dishes and placed them in the sink. She stood with her back to him, singing lightly. Even in faded jeans and a blue knit shirt with an apron tied around her waist, she looked gorgeous.

  “I’ll go with you to the grocery, Jessica. I need to get some things in town.”

  She twisted to look over her shoulder at him. Her big blue eyes focused on him. Her full rosy lips were temptation to him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. “Can I get them for you?”

  “I don’t think so. I need to talk to Fred at the hardware store and select new shingles for an office I had built near the barn. What time will you be ready to leave?”

  “I can go in about thirty minutes,” she said.

  “I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” he said, and left.

  He waited the half hour and when she’d said she would be there, she came rushing into the kitchen. When they left, he locked up and turned on the alarm.

  Once they were on the road, she twisted slightly in her seat to face him.

  “Tell me about your week,” he said.

  “I’m getting accustomed to your kitchen, which is super nice. It’s a good place to work. I haven’t needed any appliance that you don’t have. How did you get it so well stocked?”

  “At the time, Garrett was close friends with a woman who had a catering service. She came out and helped. She’s gone out of the picture now. That was before he met Sophia.”

  “She did a good job. It’s the dream kitchen.”

  He couldn’t say why, but he was happy she approved.

  “I’ve got to tell you my home news,” she said. “When I contacted Olivia, my friend at home, I learned that Carlton is still looking for me, because he’s called her. I thought he would have given up by now. I’ve contacted my mother and she wants me to come home. I talked to Lydia, my sister. She said my parents, my oldest brother and, of course, Carlton all want me to go back to him. They don’t seem to realize marriage would never be the same as before.”

  “Why is your family so convinced that Carlton is the right husband for you?” He couldn’t help but voice the question that had plagued him since Jessica had first told him about her unhappy marriage.

  “I think it’s because my parents liked to have me in their country club, their social world. My brother admired Carlton for his success and was friends with him.” She waited a few seconds and added, “And Carlton...well, he probably wanted me partly for his ego and because I had been the type of wife he wanted until I discovered his infidelities.”

  “Is your divorce final?”

  “Very final. We’ve been divorced a year now. Nobody in my family seems to pay any attention to that. I guess because Carlton pays little attention to it. With time he will. He’ll move on.”

  “So your ex-husband hasn’t left Memphis to search for you?”

  “Not that I know about. I’d hear about it right away from my sister.” Jessica shrugged her shoulders, as if to cue him that this topic of conversation was over. “That’s enough of my news from home. Now here’s the big news from the local scene. You know Millie Wales.”

  “Sure,” he said, unable to keep from smiling over her big news on the local front. He couldn’t imagine anything big that he wouldn’t have already heard from Jeb.

  “I talked to Millie and now I’m a volunteer at the library two mornings a week. I will read to the little kids. When my reading is done, I will tutor any kids in reading who need and want a tutor. If there is a big response, we’ll see about adding an hour, but Millie didn’t think there would be more than one or two.”

  “That’s nice, Jessica.”

  “And I’ve started myself on an exercise plan since you have a gym here in the house, which is great. Anyway, that’s my life at this point. What about you?”

  “Very ordinary compared to yours. Business as usual. I’ll go back to Houston this week, and then the following week, I’ll be at the ranch. Jessica, I noticed a big yellow tabby at the back door this morning. Is that cat a new addition? I asked Jeb and he said we don’t have a yellow tabby.”

  “Well, you do now. Sort of like the dog and her puppies. The tabby just appeared. She seemed to be another stray, so I’ve fed her and I intended to call Jeb and get her on the list for a check by the veterinarian when he comes. Ryan, just take the expenses for the animals out of my paycheck.”

  “At the rate you’re going, you won’t have a paycheck,” he said, staring straight ahead. “You’re mighty softhearted. But you can’t leave Texas with a car filled with animals,” he said, glancing at her.

  She smiled at him. “I’ll find people to take them. I’ll ask around when I’m at the grocery. The cat’s name is Sunshine. I found her on the step when the sun came up and she’s got yellow fur, hence the name.”

  “Jessica, you’ve been with me almost two weeks and w
e now have seven more animals we’re caring for. You’re averaging a new animal almost every two days. At that rate, it’s sort of mind-boggling.” Her softheartedness was just another facet of her that he was drawn to.

  She laughed and placed her fingers lightly on his wrist and he wondered if she could feel the jump in his pulse when she did. “We probably won’t get another animal the whole time I’m here. You’ll see. It’ll all work out. Don’t worry, Ryan.”

  Her touch sent an electric current shooting to his toes. Desire centered in him as his insides clutched. She could acquire a zoo while she stayed and he wouldn’t object.

  All he could think about was his plan. Tonight he planned to take her to dinner and he couldn’t wait. Dinner and dancing.

  They spent the morning in the grocery, meeting more people, talking to everyone. Jessica was still new in town and everyone they encountered wanted to meet and talk to her.

  Because Ryan had brought coolers for the food that had to be kept cold, they loaded the groceries in his truck and then did some shopping. He went to the hardware store and Jessica went in the dress shop. When he finished, he met her there. She had a purchase under her arm. He greeted the store owner, who smiled at him.

  “I’ve been talking to Jessica. We’re glad to have her.”

  “I’ve got a very good cook now,” he said, turning to Jessica to take the package she held. “I’ll carry this and we can put it in the truck. Ready?”

  “It was so nice to meet you, Natalie,” Jessica said to the blonde owner.

  When they stepped outside, Jessica walked beside him to the truck. “This is a friendly town.”

  “Oh, yes. And you’re new, so that’s interesting to one and all because they don’t have a lot of changes or new people.” When he shut the truck door, he asked, “How about a burger again? Want to eat here in town?”

  “Sure,” she answered, giving him one of her radiant smiles.

  As they sat in a booth and ate their burgers, he sipped his cold drink and set the glass down. “There’s a new restaurant opening in downtown Dallas that’s caused a stir and is supposed to be so great. Want to eat there tonight?”