A Home With The Rancher

And that’d be the end of it.

She glanced over her shoulder as his intense gaze traveled from the top of her head to the tips of her shoes.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Mac said. “But you’re not what I was expecting.”

Dani frowned. The disappointment in his dark eyes raised familiar hackles. Ones that stiffened her back and clenched her jaw every time her brother shut her out of a business meeting or her father asked her to file another stack of paperwork.

Her mouth opened, the curt words jumping off her tongue before she had a chance to stop them. “Why? Because I’m a woman?”

* * *

DAMN. HE’D WALKED right into that one.

Mac winced, taking in the angry flare of the woman’s mesmerizing blue eyes and tight set of her slim shoulders. He shook his head and held up a hand. “Now, that’s not what I meant.”

Though it hit closer to the truth than he wanted to admit. He sure hadn’t pictured a woman when he’d finally received an email in response to his ad a week ago. And he’d assumed the odd spelling of Danny—with an i—had simply been unfamiliar to him. It’d never occurred to him that a woman was applying for the job.

Of course, seeing as how he was strapped for cash and in desperate need of extra help, he’d had no problem overlooking the applicant’s lack of experience when he’d read the email. If this Dani was willing to accept the next-to-nothing pay balanced out with free lodging and meals, Mac was more than eager to hire him.

Her. Mac shifted from one boot to the other and cleared his throat. He’d be more than eager to...

She faced him, adjusted the strap on her shoulder then put her hands on her hips. The action pulled her thin T-shirt tight across her ample breasts and the firm tap of her sneaker on the hardwood floor drew his eyes to the shapely length of her jean-clad legs.

“Well?” she asked, the soft curves of her mouth tightening into a hard line. “What did you mean?”

Ah, hell. He tore his gaze away from the appealing curves of her hips, refocused on her face and ignored the latent heat stirring in his blood. Add ogling to employment discrimination.

Figured the first woman in four years that sucker-punched him with lust would be a potential employee. He didn’t have time for women and kept his distance from them for a reason. He grimaced. Three reasons, actually. But it looked like fate was hell-bent on making his life difficult.

“I just meant that I was expecting someone different.”

Her eyes narrowed, her thick lashes obscuring those beautiful blues. “A man, I suppose?”

Mac glanced down at his girls, each hugging one of his legs. They stared up at him. Innocent curiosity lifted Maddie’s expression. Nadine’s judgmental scowl—which she flashed him often lately—deepened.

Cringing, he looked up. “You have to admit, your name can be misleading.”

She flushed and the redness stamping her face spread down the graceful curve of her neck.

“You are Dani Jones, aren’t you?” He placed a hand on the girls’ shoulders and hugged them closer.

She’d never actually confirmed it and the heat in his blood cooled, slowing it in his veins and leading him to scrutinize her more closely. Her clothing had seen better days and the ragged shoes she sported wouldn’t last more than a week on the ranch. But her nails, which still pressed into her hips, were manicured to perfection. The soft shade of pink nail polish matched the lipstick accentuating her lush mouth and the stud gemstones in her delicate earlobes.

Every bit of which screamed the exact opposite of a hard-living, nomadic ranch hand who’d applied for the position.

“Look,” Mac scoffed. “If you’re not Dani Jones and some developer sent you out here to sweet-talk me into selling my land, you might as well sashay back to where you came from. I’ve had at least seven agents here this week already and I’m not in the mood for another debate. I’m not interested in selling my land. I’m interested in hiring help.”

“But she is Dani Jones,” Nadine said, frowning up at him. “That’s what she said. And a girl can be a ranch hand if she wants to.” She released his leg, walked over to the woman and grabbed her hand. “Tell him. A girl can be a ranch hand, can’t she?”

The redness marring the woman’s fair skin deepened as she looked down at Nadine. Hesitating, she licked her lips then smiled, saying softly, “Yes. A girl can do anything she sets her mind to.” She faced him head-on. “I’m not here to sweet-talk you and I’m not prone to sashaying anywhere. I’m here to work. And yes, I’m... Dani.”

Mac sighed. Well. That eased one of his worries but it sure didn’t do much for the others.

He reached out, tugged Nadine back to his side then nodded at Dani. “You might not like what I’ve got to say but I’m gonna be honest with you because that’s the only way I operate.” The wary look on her face caused his skin to prickle with unease. “I’d hire you as easily as I would any man so long as I knew you could get the job done.” He reassessed her slight build and slender arms. “The pay isn’t much and the hours are long. The work is also physically demanding. Anyone I hire would have to be able to lift at least fifty pounds without breaking a sweat.”

She straightened. “I’m aware of all that. And I’m tougher than I look.”

“Do you have any horseback-riding experience?”

“A little.”

“A little?” He frowned. “What’s that mean?”

She looked away. “I’ve ridden once or twice.” A sheepish look crossed her face. “A few years ago.”

Mac rubbed the tight knot at the back of his neck. “What about watering and feeding horses? Cleaning stalls?”

She shook her head.

“I suppose you have no experience haying or fencing, either?”

More headshaking. Lord, help him. Forget inexperienced. She was the epitome of green.

Nadine jerked on his jeans pocket and whispered, “I can teach her the scooping poop part, Dad.”

Maddie pulled on his shirt, her pink hair ribbon falling over her cheek. “And I can show her the watering part.”

Mac forced a smile, tugged the twins off his legs and nudged them toward the hallway. “Girls, I need to show Ms. Dani around. You’ll have to wait here.” Nadine grumbled under her breath and Maddie made a soft sound of disappointment. “Why don’t y’all stay with Ms. Ann...”

A look of trepidation crossed Ann’s face. She eyed the girls then backed further behind the desk, her hands clutching papers and a stapler to her chest.

“Well...” Hell. How was he supposed to watch his girls, school a new employee and finish the twelve hours of work already lined up for the day? Mac scraped a hand through his hair. “I guess you can come with us.”

“Yes!” Nadine pumped a small fist in the air.

Maddie smiled. “Okay, Daddy.”

He shook his head as the girls pushed past him and ran to Dani’s side. “Now, look. There’ll be no misbehaving.” He pointed a finger at the girls and frowned. Man, he sounded just like an uptight, run-down dad. Which, he had to admit, was exactly how he felt. “No disobeying me. And no wandering off.”

“Yes, sir.” Nadine’s angelic grin twitched devilishly at the corners.

Warmth flooded Mac’s chest and he stifled a laugh. These pint-sized blondes had wrapped him around their little fingers the day they were born. And he didn’t mind it a bit. Though he didn’t spend a fraction of the amount of time he should with them nowadays.

He frowned and studied the scuff marks on the hardwood floor. Or his son, for that matter. It’d been ages since he’d been able to spend a day with any of his three children. What kind of father did that make him?

Mac tensed. A bad one. But this past week, he’d actually managed to get ahead of chores. And hiring an extra hand would ease some of his load, giving him a chance to be a decent father for a change.

Clearing his throat, he reached around Dani and opened the door. “After you.”

A soft breeze drifted in, ruffling through her long, brown hair and carrying the sweet scent of her shampoo to his nostrils. His fingers tingled. He balled his fist, shaking off the unwelcome urge to touch the shiny strands.

She glanced up, that soft mouth parting on a swift intake of air. “Thank you.”

He led her down the stairs and up the stone path to the driveway then across the grounds. She kept pace with him, listening and watching carefully as he pointed out the various sections of the lodge. Nadine and Maddie fell behind. They stopped by what he assumed was Dani’s pitiful-looking car then circled it, cupping their hands and peering into the windows.

“Girls.”

They jumped back from the car then scrambled over to his side.

Hiding a smile, he pointed at a large structure adjoining the back of the lodge. “That’s the banquet hall. There’s enough room for a hundred people or so but we don’t use it very often because...” He shrugged, glancing over his shoulders at the empty fields and walkways. “I don’t have as many guests as I’d like right now. But if things turn around like I hope, we’ll be using it pretty regular.” He shook his head. “I’d offer you a waitress or receptionist position but we don’t need extra help in those areas.”

“I didn’t apply for a waitress or receptionist position.” A hint of ice cooled the warm depths of her eyes and hardened her soft tone. “I’m here to work the grounds.”

Nodding, he rolled his shoulders then motioned toward the graveled path behind them. “Then let’s get moving.”

The rocks crunched under his boots and the familiar sounds of the valley rushed in, filling his veins with excitement and lifting his chest with pride. He studied her face and noted the appreciative gleam in her expression.

“This land’s been in my family for generations.” He swept an arm toward the green fields, wooded landscape and hazy mountains in the distance. “We’ve got over thirty-six acres, twenty cabins and forty horses. There are hiking and horseback-riding trails. My lead hands are Tim Barnes and Cal McCoy. Tim leads two hiking groups each day and Cal heads up the riding excursions. They’re working on the fence at the entrance. I assume you met them on the way in?” She nodded jerkily and he stopped, gesturing toward the log building in front of them. “There’s the bunkhouse.”

Dani adjusted her grip on her bag, her slim fingers tightening around it as she studied the bunkhouse.

“That’s where the ranch hands stay,” Nadine said, grabbing at Dani’s bag. “You want me to help you put your stuff up?”

“No, Nadine.” Mac gently brushed her hands aside. “I don’t think Ms. Dani would like it there.” He raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer to stay in the bunkhouse with the men? I think there’s an empty bunk below Cal’s.”

Her cheeks reddened. “No, thank you.” She bit her lip. “Is there another option?”

His smile widened. “Yep. That is, if I decide to hire you. I haven’t said one way or the other yet.”

Her pretty blush deepened and Mac moved further up the winding path through a cluster of cedar trees to a cabin. The weathered wood and sun-bleached porch rails were littered with leaves.

He grimaced. “Looks worse than it is. I haven’t had time to restore the exterior but I cleaned up inside last week.” The porch steps creaked as he ascended them. “There’s one bedroom, one bathroom and a small kitchen and den.”

“I’m not picky.” The sweet sound of her voice sent thrills up his spine. “But won’t you need this for guests?”

He glanced over his shoulder. She stood on the second step, Nadine and Maddie close at her side, and stared up at him.

His jaw clenched. “Not until the lodge fills ups. And that hasn’t happened, yet.” He opened the door then crossed the threshold. “Come on in.”

A flurry of movement from the other side of the room caught his eye. Two legs and a muddy pair of boots darted behind the worn couch in the center of the den. Streaks of mud and clumps of dirt dulled the shine he’d spent hours buffing into the ancient hardwood floor just days ago.

Irritation sparked in his gut. “Jaxon.” He bit his tongue, trying to soften the hard edge of his tone. “Get your tail out here.”

Grubby fingers gripped the back of the couch then brown hair and green eyes rose above them.

“What are you doing in here? I asked you to stay in the game room with your sisters.” Mac stiffened, Dani’s light tread approaching behind him. He motioned toward the eyes peeping over the couch. “Dani, this is my son, Jaxon.”

Jaxon stood then rounded the couch, his arms behind his back and his ten-year-old frame stiff. He studied Dani, the shaggy ends of his brown hair falling forward, brushing his eyebrows. The strands were the same shade as his mother’s.

A stabbing pain shot thorough Mac. He hunched his shoulders and motioned toward Jaxon’s obscured arms. “What have you got there?”

Jaxon scowled. “You said you were gonna take the day off and play baseball with me. I’m tired of babysitting.”

Mac sighed. So was Ann. But he couldn’t afford to hire a babysitter on a permanent basis. Or take a day off work like he’d planned. Not if he expected to hold on to this place. “I just asked you to stay put for an hour—not babysit.”

“We ain’t babies,” Nadine said.

“Yeah,” Maddie added.

“Aw, hush up.” Jaxon’s eyes flashed. “No one asked you two.”

“That’s enough. All of you.” Mac dragged a hand over the back of his neck, the weight of Dani’s stare heating his face. “It took me hours to clean this place up, Jaxon. You’re going to spend the afternoon scrubbing this floor. Now, show me what you’ve got behind your back because I swear, if you’ve gotten into Tim’s tools again—”

“I ain’t got any tools.” Jaxon stalked over and thrust a bundle against Mac’s gut. “You promised you were gonna play ball with me.”

Mac looked down, catching the baseball glove before it fell. Deep croaks, muffled by the mitt, vibrated the material against his hand. He unfolded it and a muddy bullfrog sprang from the center then plopped onto the floor.

Maddie squealed and hid her face against the back of his thigh. “Ew.”

“Cool.” Nadine chased it through the door and down the front steps.

Something else was lodged in the top portion of the mitt. Mac thumbed smudges of mud away from the paper-thin item, revealing a familiar smile. His throat thickened as he studied the well-worn photo of his late wife. The shape of Nicole’s eyes and nose were exact replicas of Jaxon’s.

“You promised.”

Mac blinked hard and glanced up.

Jaxon glared at him but his chin trembled and his eyes glistened.

Gut churning, Mac said gently, “I’m sorry, Jaxon. I’ll make it up to you. I promise—”

“Yeah, right.” Jaxon snatched the glove back, shoved past him and stomped out of the cabin.

“Why’s he so mean all the time?” Maddie asked, poking her head around his thigh and frowning up at him.

Mac forced a smile and tugged the pink ribbon brushing her cheek. “He’s not mean, baby. He just...” Misses his mother. Mac swallowed hard. God help him, so did he. “He just needs his space once in a while. That’s all.” He motioned toward the door. “Why don’t you play outside with your sister for a few minutes while I talk to Ms. Dani?”

“Yes, sir.” Maddie brushed a speck of dirt off her sundress then skipped outside.

“Don’t wander off, all right?” Mac called after her. “Stay near the cabin.”

He relaxed slightly at her affirmative response then thrust his fists in his jeans pockets and avoided Dani’s eyes. “Sorry about that.”

She was silent for a moment then her soft voice drifted in, soothing the tight knot in his neck. “It’s okay.” Her footsteps drew closer. “I don’t mean to pry but...is your wife here?”

“Nicole passed away four years ago. The girls were too young to remember her but Jaxon does.”

Mac cringed at the gruff sound of his voice. He walked to the door and peered out against the glare of the midmorning sun. Nadine chased the bullfrog across the grass while Maddie picked wildflowers nearby. Jaxon was nowhere to be found. As usual.

Mac closed his eyes, his limbs heavy.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Dani whispered.

“They’re normally not underfoot,” he said. “But it’s July and school’s out so they wander around from time to time. Just don’t mind them and go about your business as usual.”

“Does that mean I have the job?” Dani’s voice was hesitant. “Because if so, I think I should tell you now that...that I’m really...”

He opened his eyes and faced her. She stared at the muddy streaks marring the floor and her fingers picked at the hem of her T-shirt. Her soft curves and gentle tone made him yearn to cross the room to her side, ask her to wrap those slender arms around him and hug him close. Have someone hold him for a change.

She met his eyes and hitched the bag strap higher on her shoulder. “I’m actually here to—”

The strap snapped and her bulky bag slammed to the floor, clothing spilling from the gaping hole left behind. An unladylike word burst from her lips.

Blushing, she knelt beside the bag, gathering up lacy bras and ragged T-shirts then shoving them back inside. “Sorry.” She puffed a wisp of hair out of her face. “That was rude.”

A rusty chuckle stirred in Mac’s chest. Smothering it, he grinned and tried his best to keep his gaze from straying to her tempting cleavage. “You really do need this job, don’t you?”

Her hands stilled. “Honestly?” She looked up, eyes lingering on his smile. “I really do need to be here. And woman or not, I know I can help you.” Her slim throat moved on a hard swallow. “If you give me a chance to prove it, I promise you won’t regret it.”

Mac’s smile slipped at the shift in her tone. A strange coldness trickled into his gut and pricked at his skin.

“Trial basis.” He forced the words past stiff lips. “It’ll only take a day or two for me to see if you can hack it.”

Chapter Two

Dani was going to hell—straight down a hole she’d dug herself. And she was tempted to drag lead hand, Cal McCoy, with her.

“Now this here is what we call an ax.” Cal’s mouth—still chewing on that filthy straw of hay from earlier—delivered each syllable with slow, exaggerated movements. He eased the tool closer to her face, pointed a blunt finger at the sharp end and raised his brows. “And this here is the blade.”

Dani narrowed her eyes on the scruffy cowboy in front of her, a spark of anger overtaking the guilt that had lodged in her gut one hour earlier during her conversation with Mac. Only ten minutes in Cal’s presence and she was ready to flip her wig. How in the world was she going to hold on to her temper long enough to secure this job?

“And this here...” Cal grabbed a log from the ground, balanced it in his palm then hefted it in front of his chest. “This here is what we call wood.”

“Butthead.”

Choking back a laugh at the muttered insult, Dani glanced over her shoulder.

Jaxon stood several feet away, leaning against a fence and tossing a baseball into the glove on his hand. Just as he had for the past ten minutes as Cal led her through her first assigned task on the ranch.

“What was that, boy?” Cal frowned at Jaxon, the hay dangling precariously from the corner of his chapped lips.

Jaxon looked away and thrust the baseball harder into his glove. “Nothing. Sorry, sir.”

“You got fire, kid,” Cal said, laughing. “I’ll give you that. Ain’t you supposed to be babysitting? Your dad’s havin’ a time keeping up with those sisters of yours and getting the hikers started.”

Jaxon stared down at his glove and didn’t answer.

Dani leaned to the side and peered over Cal’s shoulder. A small group of guests was gathered at the edge of a nearby field, packing backpacks and listening to Mac’s instructions for the impending hike.

Mac gestured toward Tim, who stepped forward and took over speaking to the group, then knelt beside his daughters. He tugged something from his back pocket, pulled one twin close and started brushing her hair.

Judging from the girl’s muddy jeans and unhappy expression, Dani guessed it was Nadine. She craned her neck for a clearer view and smiled, the sight of Mac’s big hands moving gently over the girl’s long hair stirring warm flutters in her belly and an ache in her chest.

When she’d concocted this plan to gain access to Mac, she’d expected to meet a ruthless man holding out for top dollar in a deal. Not a grieving father who loved his children and was clearly in over his head.

And she’d lied to him.

That ache in her chest tightened and a bead of sweat trickled across her temple. It didn’t matter if she’d never intentionally deceived someone before. She’d done it today.

“...heard a word I just said?”

Dani snapped back to attention, her gaze jerking from Mac to Cal’s disgruntled face. “What?”

Cal rolled his eyes. “Whatever you missed, girlie, I ain’t got time to explain it again. And if you were a man, I wouldn’t have to explain it at all.” He tossed the ax in the dirt at her feet then ambled off, saying over his shoulder, “Just split those piles of wood and stack them. You got one hour.”

Dani frowned. Jaxon was right. Butthead fit the bill perfectly.

She stared at the high pile of thick logs and shook her head. Female pride or not, if she had any sense, she’d grab her tattered bag, hop in that pathetic car and burn rubber back to New York.

Her shoulders sagged. But that would mean standing in the boardroom and facing a roomful of male executives—including her father. And what would she say? Sorry, Dad. I know I promised to make this deal but...

But what? She’d failed to deliver yet again? Prove that he’d been right all along and she wasn’t equipped to run the company? That she was just another spoiled, rich girl who couldn’t pull her own weight?

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

Dani looked over her shoulder. Jaxon straddled the top rung of the fence and stared intently at her. His green eyes held no mockery or disdain. Just a concerned, empathetic light. And the kind note in his small voice made her think he knew much more than foolish men like Cal gave him credit for.

“No,” she said. “I don’t.”

Jaxon glanced down and shrugged. “I could help you. I mean...if you wanted me to, I could.”

She smiled, her heart melting for this boy who’d lost so much, and whispered, “That’d be great. Thank you.”

He looked up, revealing a crooked grin.

Dani’s breath caught. The tilt of his mouth was so similar to his father’s brief smile earlier. The one that had lifted the sagging fatigue from Mac’s muscular frame and the heavy shadows from his handsome face. The one that had made it too difficult to come clean entirely and risk adding to the painful load he carried.

“Okay.” Jaxon straightened on the fence rung and gestured toward the stacks of wood. “First, you gotta pick out the best logs. My dad says the seasoned ones with the cracks in ’em are the easiest to break.”

Dani nodded then sifted through several logs before hefting one out of the pile and tilting it toward Jaxon. She drifted a finger along a deep crack in the wood. “Like this?”

“Yeah.” He pointed at a large stump on the ground. “Now, put it on that and hit it right on the split.”

She set the log on the stump, steadied it then grabbed the ax. “All right.” Taking a deep breath, she lifted the ax and started to swing. “Here we go.”

“Wait!”

Dani jumped and her hands slipped on the ax handle. The tool plunged to the ground, slicing into the dirt and lodging dangerously close to the toe of her sneaker.

“Sorry.” Jaxon winced. “But if you stand like that, you’re gonna chop your foot off.”

She raised an eyebrow, a humorless laugh bursting from her lips. “Sure looks that way.”

Jaxon hopped off the fence, tossed his baseball glove on the grass and walked over. “You gotta stand wide and bend your knees.” He tapped her insteps with his boot until her stance met his approval then squatted slightly and held his hands up as though gripping the ax. “Like this, see? One hand high and one hand low.”