The Cowboy's Pride and Joy

“Oh,” she said, shaking her head as she turned in place, taking in everything, “it’s better than great. It’s so gorgeous I’m even going to forgive you for being a jerk and leaving me out there to make it into the house on my own.”

Surprised, he snorted a laugh. “Jerk? Is that the way to talk to your boss’s son?”

Cool gray eyes slid over him. “I have a feeling she wouldn’t blame me.”

He thought about it, imagining his mother’s reaction to how he’d left her assistant standing in the yard, and had to wince. “No. Probably not.”

“Is there some reason in particular that you’re not happy to see me?” she asked. “Or is it women in general you disapprove of?”

One corner of Jake’s mouth quirked. “Let’s answer that with another question. Are you always this forthright?”

“Usually,” she said, nodding. “But I probably shouldn’t be. So maybe we should consider ourselves on even ground and start over. Deal?”

He looked at her for a long moment and tried not to notice that her eyes were the very color of the fog that lifted off the surface of the lake. Or that her hair looked soft and tumbled, as if she’d just rolled out of bed. Damn, it really had been too long since he’d had a woman.

“All right,” he agreed, to end his train of thought before it went even more astray of the subject at hand. “Deal. Now, you’ve got some papers for me to look over and sign, correct?”

“Yes. They’re in my bag in the car.”

She actually turned as if to go lurching out across the gravel again to retrieve her bags. Jake stopped her by saying, “One of the guys will bring your stuff in. You’re probably beat from the flying and the drive up the mountain...”

“Actually,” she admitted, “I would love a shower and change of clothes.”

Oh, he wasn’t going to think about her in the shower. He’d been prepared for her to spend the night, though. It was a two-hour drive from the airport, and by the time he finished going over the papers before signing them it would be too dark for her to safely drive down the mountain. So she’d be here overnight and gone in the morning. The earlier the better.

“My housekeeper has your room ready for you,” he said abruptly. Leading her across the room, he pointed to the staircase directly opposite the front door. “At the top of the stairs, turn right. Third door on your left.”

“Okay,” she said, already heading for the stairs. “And thanks.”

“Dinner’s at seven,” he told her. “So come down whenever you’re ready.”

She laid one hand on the heavily carved banister and turned her head to spear him with one long look. “I’ll see you in an hour. We can go over the paperwork before dinner.”

“Fine.” Good idea. Remember that this was all business. His mother hadn’t sent him a woman to warm his bed. She’d sent her assistant here to finally give Jake what he’d wanted for years. Freedom from the Hunter family conglomerate.

Freedom to live his life the way he wanted.

The fact that his mother’s messenger was more than he’d expected...well, that wouldn’t matter once she was gone.

Two

A few minutes later, Cassidy was trying to relax in a bedroom fit for a queen. She was tired, and she wanted a shower and something to eat. But first, she grabbed her cell phone and checked for coverage. Not surprising to find that she was good to go. Heck, Jake Hunter probably built his own cell tower on the mountain.

Shaking her head, she hit speed dial and listened to the phone ring until her sister answered. “Hey, Claudia,” Cassidy said, smiling. “Just wanted to let you know I got here safely.”

Her younger sister laughed. “Yeah, Montana’s not on the far side of the moon, so I figured you were okay when I didn’t hear any news about a plane crash.”

“Ouch.” Cassidy plopped onto the edge of the bed and let her gaze wander around the bedroom she’d been given for the night.

As spectacular as the rest of the house, the room was as large as her entire studio apartment back in Boston. And furnished better, she added silently. Again, there were floor-to-ceiling windows offering that tremendous view of water surrounded by pines bending and twisting in the wind. There were colorful rugs strewn across the gleaming wood floor, a fire burning cheerfully in the hearth and two overstuffed chairs pulled up in front of it, looking cozy enough to be on a Christmas card. On a narrow table against the wall sat a crystal decanter of what was probably brandy, considering the two bulbous glasses beside it. But there were also two bottles of wine. Red and white and accompanying glasses—which she would so take advantage of as soon as she was off the phone.

The bed she sat on was huge and covered in a silky quilt in varying shades of green that made her think of the forest beyond the house. The mattress was so soft and welcoming, it practically begged to be napped on.

“So how did your test go this morning?”

“Aced it,” Claudia retorted quickly and then laughed with glee. “I’m going to be the best damn doctor in the country by the time I’m done!”

“You will. And so humble, too,” Cassidy said, smiling at her sister’s enthusiasm. Since she was a child, Claudia had wanted to be a doctor, and now that she was taking premed at college, she was just unstoppable. Thanks to scholarships and the hefty salary Elise Hunter paid Cassidy, they wouldn’t have to worry about college expenses and Claudia could pursue her longtime dream.

“So what’s it like in the Wild West?”

Cassidy chuckled. “No stagecoach holdup if that’s what you mean. It really is gorgeous even though Elise’s son is kind of...” Hmm. How to explain that rush of attraction combined with the troll attitude?

“Ooh,” her sister said, “I sense intrigue. Cass is interested in an actual living, breathing male.”

“I’m not interested.” Okay, that was a lie, but she wouldn’t admit to it. Besides, interest and attraction were two different things, right? Interest would imply that she was looking at Jake Hunter as more than simply a great-looking man with a crappy attitude. Attraction was an involuntary biological imperative for the survival of the species and—oh for heaven’s sake, she sounded like one of Claudia’s professors.

To her sister, she said, “I’m just here to get him to sign some papers and then first thing tomorrow I’m on a plane home again.”

“Uh-huh. First thing tomorrow means you’ve still got all night tonight.”

Yes, she did. Funny, but the thought of spending the night at the ranch hadn’t bothered her at all until she’d gotten her first look at Jake. Now, it was different. That buzz of sensation she’d felt just shaking his hand left her feeling oddly off-balance and she didn’t really enjoy that at all. Not that she would tell Claudia any of this, of course.

“Is there some reason my baby sister is trying to shove me at a man she’s never even met?” Cassidy scooted off the edge of the bed and walked across the room to the window.

“Because my big sister has been living like a nun for way too long,” Claudia countered. “You haven’t been on a date in like forever. Do you even remember what fun is?”

Stung, Cassidy dropped onto the window seat, leaned against the cold glass and said, “I have fun all the time.”

“Doing what?”

“I like my job—”

“Work is not fun.”

“Fine. Well, I went to the movies just...” She had to think about that, and when she realized how long ago it had actually been, her scowl deepened. “Fun is overrated.”

“Uh-huh.” An all-too-familiar sigh of exaggerated patience sifted through the phone. “I’m all grown up now, Cass. You can stop throwing yourself on the altar of substitute motherhood.”

Her gaze locked on that amazing view, Cassidy let her sister’s words rocket around her mind for a second or two before she said, “Claud, I never thought of it like that.”

“Oh sweetie, I know.” Claudia sighed again. “Cass, you’ve been great. You’ve always been there for me but I’m grown now—”

“Yes,” Cassidy interrupted wryly, “nineteen is practically aged.”

“—and I’m in college,” Claudia went on as if her sister hadn’t said a word, “and you should really start concentrating on your own life.”

“I have a life, thanks.”

“You have work,” Claudia corrected. “And you have me. And Dave. But our brother’s married with kids of his own now.”

True. It had been the three of them for so long, it was hard to realize that her younger brother and sister were grown and didn’t need her hovering all the time as they used to. Especially Claudia. She had been only ten years old when their mother decided to follow her current “soul mate” into the sunset. So at nineteen, Cassidy had taken over. She’d been both mother and father—since their illustrious sperm donor parent had disappeared shortly after Claudia’s birth—and if she had to say so herself, Cassidy had done a great job of parenting. Maybe that was why it was so hard to stop.

“Fine,” she said. “I promise I’ll find a life. Once I get home.”

“Why wait? No time like the present to get started,” Claudia argued. “You’re on a ranch with a cowboy, for heaven’s sake. That’s a classic fantasy. Is he cute?”

Cute? No. Jake Hunter was way too manly to be classified as merely “cute.” He was gorgeous. Or rugged. Or strong, masculine, gruff and all sorts of other really good words, but cute wasn’t one of them.

“I didn’t notice,” she lied.

“Sure.” Her sister laughed. “Anyway, my point is, relax a little. Enjoy yourself. Flirt. Consider it practice for when you get back home and I badger you into doing this for real.”

Flirt? With Jake Hunter? Oh, Cassidy didn’t think so. First of all, he was her boss’s son. No way would she risk a great-paying job for a short-term fling—even if he were interested, which he probably wasn’t, considering the way he’d talked to her so far. But more than that, Cass wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl. She’d be uncomfortable and feeling all slutty so she wouldn’t even enjoy herself anyway, so what would be the point?

God. Had Jake actually called her forthright? Her mind was spinning like an out-of-control carnival ride. And suddenly, she was done thinking about this.

“Don’t you have another test this afternoon?”

“See?” Claudia laughed. “You’re way too focused on my life. Time to find your own, Cass! Love you!”

When her little sister hung up, Cassidy just stared down at her phone and thought about that brief yet involved conversation. Yes, maybe Claudia had a point, but in her own defense, Cass hadn’t exactly been shown the most shining examples of relationships in her life.

Cass’s father had abandoned the family when Claudia was born, saying only that three kids were just too many. Her mother had moved from man to man always looking for her “prince.” But there were no princes, only frogs she continued to kiss in the hopes there would be a miraculous change.

So instead of following in her mother’s footsteps, Cassidy worked, put herself through city college and made sure her siblings stayed in school. Eventually it had all paid off, of course. Dave was now a successful contractor with a wife and six-month-old twin boys. And Claudia was going to be the doctor she should be.

But, Cass thought as she shifted her gaze back to the view outside her window, maybe she had allowed work and worry to completely envelop her. And maybe Claudia was right that it was time Cass found out if there really was more to life than work.

Not that she would find that out now, she assured herself. “Good times do not start with a crabby cowboy no matter how gorgeous he is,” she said out loud for emphasis. “Besides, as you told yourself earlier, he’s your boss’s son.”

Well, that should be enough to tamp down whatever lingering flickers of attraction were still burning inside her. She couldn’t afford to risk her job by giving in to a momentary flash of heat that might or might not mean she was really attracted to the grumpy man downstairs. Not that her boss, Elise, had ever been that much of a tyrant or anything, but why take chances?

“Now that that’s settled,” she murmured, tossing her phone onto the deep green velvet window seat, “time to take a quick shower and maybe a little nap before I go downstairs and tend to business.”

She walked to the bed, unzipped her suitcase and got out the things she’d need before stepping through a connecting door and coming to a dead stop. This house kept staggering her.

The bathroom was huge and opulent. Again, green was the main color here, but every possible shade of that color was represented in the tiles on the floor, the backsplash, the acre or so of granite countertops, the walk-in shower with six showerheads, and most spectacularly of all, in the gigantic Jacuzzi tub that was tucked beneath a bay window continuing the view of the lake and the wide sweep of sky outside.

There were lovely bottles and jars of soaps, lotions, shampoos and even, she thought with an inward sigh, bubble bath. Cassie had always loved lounging in a hot bath, but normally, who had the time? She glanced at that shower, then looked again at the tub that seemed to be calling to her. No reason her new acceptance of “fun” in her life couldn’t start here.

“Okay,” she whispered, picking up one of the thick white towels to lay on the wide ledge of the tub, “no shower for you, girl. Bath it is.”

* * *

Jake tugged the collar of his jacket higher on his neck and tossed a wary glance at the darkening sky above him. A cold wind pushed at him, but he ignored that and strode toward the barn. Best thing to do was go about his business. Put Cassidy Moore out of his mind and focus on what was real. What was important.

And a woman who would be here on the ranch for less than twenty-four hours was not important.

The combined scents of hay and horses greeted him as he walked into the cavernous building. It was lined with stalls on either side, and some of the horses had their heads stuck out the doors, watching the cowboys at work, hoping for treats. Instantly, his mind shifted from thoughts of a very temporary woman to focus on the life he’d built for himself.

An hour of hard work, setting out feed and water and clearing stalls, made him feel better. Sure, he didn’t have to do the dirty work himself, but concentrating on a task had always been the best way to soothe his mind. Of course, once the work was done his brain had too much free time.

“That’s a pretty girl.”

Rolling his eyes, Jake snorted. He didn’t bother to turn and look at his grandfather. “She’s not a girl, Pop. She’s a woman.”

“So you did notice.”

You could say that. Slanting the older man a hard look, he said, “Yeah. Hard not to, what with her stumbling around on those high heels of hers.”

“If that’s all you noticed,” Ben said, “then I worry about you, boy.”

Jamming his hat down onto his head, Jake headed outside. “No need to worry then. I’m not blind.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “I’m also not interested.”

All right, that wasn’t entirely true. His body was more than interested. It was just his mind that was keeping things rational here. He’d been down this road before. Letting his desire for a pretty woman blind him to reality. And even as he thought that, he realized there was no point. The woman in question would be leaving in the morning and with any luck, he wouldn’t see her again.

“Let it go, Pop.” Jake kept walking, sure without looking that his grandfather was right behind him. “She works for Mom and she’s not staying. Two very good reasons for you to keep your imagination in check.”

“Pretty woman shows up on your mountain and you want to ignore her.” A snort of derision followed that statement. “Youth really is wasted on the young.”

At that, Jake stopped and looked back at the older man. “I’m not that young.”

He didn’t feel young, anyway. At thirty-four, he’d done too much, seen too much. After two tours of service in the Marines and surviving a marriage that never should have happened, hell, sometimes he felt as old as time.

Ben walked up to him and slapped one work-worn hand onto Jake’s shoulder. “I know you’ve been through some rough times. But that’s past, boy, and you’ve got to move on. The problem is, you’re just too much inside your own head, Jake. Always have been. Spend a little less time thinking and a little more looking at pretty girls, might improve your attitude.”

Jake laughed shortly. “My attitude’s fine, Pop.”

“Whatever you say, boy.” Ben gave his shoulder another friendly slap then headed off toward his place. “All I’m telling you is that if I was you, I wouldn’t be spending my time in the stable taking care of horses when I could be talking to that pretty girl.”

Shifting his gaze to the main house, Jake thought briefly about the woman waiting inside for him. He was probably making more of this than there was. A buzz of sensation when he shook her hand didn’t mean a damn thing. A flash of heat could dissipate as easily as it fired. This was simply a momentary blip. He’d reacted to her so strongly because he hadn’t been down off the mountain in months. Enforced celibacy could make a man edgy. Hell, all he really needed was a woman. Any woman. That’s why his mother’s assistant had hit him as hard as she had.

Once she was gone, he’d head into town, find a woman and take care of his “distraction” problem.

Two hours later he was in his study when he heard Cassidy Moore heading downstairs. About time, he told himself and half wondered if she was always late for an appointment or if she wasn’t looking forward to this meeting any more than he was. He could leave her to wander the house looking for him, he supposed. But then that felt a little too cowardly. So he stood up, walked to the doorway and looked down the hall.

One glance at her was all it took to reignite the buzz of interest his body seemed to be focusing on. She had changed clothes after her shower. Gone were the slick black slacks and killer red jacket. Instead, she wore jeans that looked faded and comfortable along with a dark blue button-down shirt and a pair of tennis shoes. Her dark blond hair was soft and loose, hanging over her shoulders in thick waves. He watched her as she let her gaze slide across her surroundings and he smiled to himself at the appreciative gleam in those fog-gray eyes of hers.

“No more high heels?” he asked and his deep voice seemed to reverberate in the empty stillness.

She snapped her head around, her gaze locking onto his. “You startled me.”

“Sorry.” Though he wasn’t. He’d enjoyed having a good long look at her without her being aware of his presence.

“It’s okay.” She brushed his apology aside with the wave of one hand. Glancing down at her outfit, she shrugged and added, “As for the heels, I just couldn’t put them back on. First impression is over anyway, so I went for comfort.”

“First impressions are that important?”

“Of course.” She started walking toward him. “I represent your mother and Hunter Media, and even though you’re her son, I have to be professional.”

“I didn’t realize my mother was such a tyrant,” he said, amused.

“Oh, she’s not,” Cassidy said quickly. “That’s not what I meant at all. I just take my job seriously and—”

“Relax.” He interrupted her because he could see from the frantic gleam in her eye that she was probably worried about what he might say to his mother about her. “I was kidding.”

“Oh.” She took a breath and blew it out. “Okay. That’s good. I really like my job.”

“I’m sure. So. You have papers for me to sign?”

“I do.” She held up one hand to show him the manila envelope she’d brought downstairs with her. “Sorry I’m later than I thought I would be. But I lay down on that wonderful bed and fell asleep. Guess I was more tired than I thought. But I’ve got everything right here. Your mother said that she’d sent a copy to your lawyer to have him look them over.”

“Yeah.” Not that he was worried about his mother trying to cheat him. Although he wouldn’t have put it past her to work in a clause somewhere that he would now have to visit Boston five or six times a year. “Everything’s set so might as well get it done.”

He walked back into his study and heard her footsteps on the floor as she followed.

Jake took a seat behind his desk and waited for her to sit down opposite him. When she did, she handed over the envelope and as he opened it to take the sheaf of papers out, she looked around the room, her gaze finally settling on the window behind him and the view so beautifully displayed.

“How do you get any work done?” she wondered absently. “If it were me, I’d be staring out that window all the time.”

“One reason why it’s behind me,” he said as he flipped through the pages. Deliberately, he avoided looking at either the view or her.

“Sure, but you still know it’s there.”

He knew she was there, too, and that knowledge was far more distracting than even the sweeping view of the mountains that he loved. Jake picked up a pen and held on to it with a grip that should have been tight enough to shatter the steel barrel. What was it about this woman that was getting to him so completely and so quickly?

She stood up to move around the room, and Jake lifted his gaze just enough to see her. He zeroed in on her as she paused to examine the paintings hanging on the walls, the books in the bookcases and even the photographs on the mantel over the hearth where a fire burned against the chill of the day.

When she turned back to face him, his gaze dropped to the papers on his desk.

“This house is really amazing,” she said. “You’ve got those same braces in here—the beams or whatever, that are made to look like tree trunks.”

That had him smiling. Those support beams were a favorite of his. It had felt like bringing the forest inside the house, though the builder hadn’t been thrilled with the extra work it had required.

Giving up on the illusion of examining the papers, he looked up at her and watched as she continued her inspection of his study. It was a big room, with plenty of heavy, dark brown leather furniture, and rugs in muted colors dotted the wood floors. Jake spent a lot of his time in here, so he’d wanted it to be comfortable.

“It’s a big house for one man,” she said softly.

“I like a lot of space.”

“I can see that. But it would be a little creepy for me to have this big a house and be all by myself.”

“Creepy how?” Intrigued in spite of himself, he leaned back in his chair and watched her.

She threw him a smile over her shoulder as she bent lower to inspect the books on the bookshelf. His gaze settled on the curve of her behind in that faded, worn, soft denim and a flash of heat shot through him with the swiftness of a lightning bolt.

“I’d always be expecting someone to break in,” she said.

Frowning, he tore his gaze from her butt. “This isn’t Boston.”

“Oh, it’s really not.” She straightened, walked the perimeter of the room slowly and finally sat down opposite him again in one of two matching leather chairs. Resting her elbows on the arms of the chair, she folded her hands across her middle, tipped her head to one side and said, “Your mother really wants you back in Boston, you know.”

“Yeah,” he said, a reluctant smile curving his mouth. “She really hasn’t kept that a big secret.”

“She talks about you a lot. I think she misses you.”

A ping of guilt stabbed at him, but he fought it down. Guilt didn’t fix anything. Didn’t change anything. Frowning now, Jake asked, “You’re her personal assistant, right?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Aren’t assistants supposed to be sworn to secrecy and discretion?”

She shrugged. “You’re her son, and it’s not like you don’t already know everything I’m saying.”

True. But he didn’t enjoy having someone remind him that his mother missed him. He knew she did. But he saw her and his sister, Beth, and her family whenever they visited the ranch. That was enough. Jake wouldn’t go back to the city again if he could help it. The closest he wanted to come to a city was downtown Kalispell, and that was only when he couldn’t avoid it.