The Rebellious Rancher. Kate Pearce

land, there wasn’t much to talk about after Ben updated BB with his position and the route he intended to take the next day. He ended the exchange and leaned back against the rock wall, his keen gaze sweeping the land below him. In the distance, a pack of coyotes howled, and he decided he’d better get back in case Silver woke up and wondered why the hell it sounded like babies screaming into the void.

      After telling her there was no electricity, he’d braced himself for her demanding to go back to civilization, but she’d surprised him by laughing and going into her tent. She was a mass of contradictions. Sometimes, he felt like she was trying on different roles waiting to see which one worked on him, and then occasionally she’d laugh at something and he’d get a glimpse of what he thought of as the real woman.

      She’d asked him if she was pretty. . . .

      He thought about that as he walked down the slope. She wasn’t conventionally pretty, but when she smiled she was so damn beautiful he couldn’t look away. And somehow, when she was on screen, that ability to hold his attention was magnified a thousandfold. She had that “it” thing that made you want to keep looking even when you knew you were way out of your league, and she was your client, and you had to remain professional.

      Ben stopped walking on the edge of the camp. When the hell had his musings become so personal? She was a famous actress; he was a professional trail guide, and that was how it was going to be until he delivered her safely back to her father, happy and healthy in less than two weeks.

      Chapter Five

      “Did you say coffee?” Silver croaked as she crawled out of her tent on her hands and knees and headed for the fire, not caring what she looked like or what Ben might think of her.

      “Way ahead of you.” Ben, who was looking remarkably bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, pointed at the metal pot sitting over the fire. It was already sunny and the birds were singing so loudly they hurt her head. “It’s cowboy coffee, nothing fancy.”

      She used the thick cloth to lift the pot and poured the dark brew into the cup Ben had left for her, almost salivating at the aroma. She clutched her mug hard and looked over at him.

      “This morning I think I might love you.”

      “For my coffee?” He chuckled. “You’d better taste it first.”

      She took her first sip and felt the caffeine shudder through her veins. “Perfect.”

      “I’m impressed.” He threw the coffee grounds from the bottom of his cup onto the ground and checked the fire. “I’ve got high-protein pancakes and maple syrup coming up for breakfast.”

      “Gluten-free?” Silver said hopefully.

      He gave her a pitying glance and slid a plate over to her before turning to eat his own.

      “Did you sleep okay?”

      “Yes.” Silver couldn’t actually believe it herself. “I’m not used to all this fresh air.”

      “Your dad said you hadn’t been well.” Ben cut into his second pancake.

      “Did he?” Her goodwill toward him over the coffee dissipated slightly and her stomach tightened. “I wonder why he told you that?”

      “Was he not being truthful?” Ben met her gaze. “If you do get sick, or need medical assistance, tell me as soon as possible.”

      “I’m perfectly fine.” She faced him. “My dad is a terrible worrier.”

      “Why’s that?”

      “Ever heard that story about the goose who lays the golden eggs?”

      His brow creased. “I’m not following.”

      “I basically support my whole family. I have since the age of seven when I was cast in my first major film role,” Silver said flatly. “They all work for me. If I go down, they go down.”

      “That’s pretty harsh.”

      “Of me?”

      “No, on you. That’s a hell of a responsibility.” His smile wasn’t happy. “I have the opposite problem. No one in my family depends on me at all.”

      Happy to get off the subject of her complicated relationship with her father, Silver pounced on his admission.

      “That’s not what I heard. My dad had to pay through the nose to get you to be my guide for this trip. You’re obviously in demand.”

      “Maybe BB Morgan’s just a shrewd negotiator.” Ben set his plate aside, licked the syrup from his lips, and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “It was expensive because it’s calving season and most ranches need all hands on deck.”

      “Oh.” Silver took a bite of one of the pancakes and it wasn’t bad at all. “So was your family mad that you took this job?”

      “You could say that.” He stood up, dusted down his jeans, and put his mug and plate in the center of the circle near the fire.

      “So your family does depend on you,” Silver said triumphantly.

      He looked over at her, one eyebrow raised. “I’m here, aren’t I?” He nodded at her plate. “Help yourself to more coffee if you need it. I’m going down to the creek to check on the livestock.”

      She finished her pancakes, had another cup of coffee, and felt better than she had for a long while. Her body was aching in weird places, but the rigorous fitness regime her occupation demanded was definitely paying dividends. Ben obviously had a few issues with his family, and she couldn’t say she blamed him. She knew all about being beholden to people yet feeling like they no longer saw you as a person but as a means to an end.

      Going back to her tent, she changed out of her jammies and back into her jeans, fleece top, and boots before heading down to the corral.

      The horses and mules were eating hay Ben must have put out for them, but there was no sign of him. She turned a slow circle and then walked down toward the edge of the creek where she abruptly stopped.

      Her trail guide was just stepping out of his boxers and wading naked into the creek. She took three steps backward until she was in the shadow of the trees, and couldn’t take her eyes off his rather nice ass. She doubted he’d ever been near a gym, but he didn’t have any surplus fat on his well-muscled physique.

      He crouched down and splashed water over his face and body all the while cursing up a storm. She guessed it had to be cold in there.

      “I’m going to come out in a second, Silver, so if you don’t want to see the rest of me, you might want to get back to camp.”

      Silver jumped as he spoke directly to her.

      “We’re really going to have to work on your tracking skills.” He started to rise and turned toward the bank. “Last chance to run.”

      Silver clapped her hands over her eyes like a scandalized maiden aunt, but still got an eyeful of his lightly haired chest, six pack abs and ...

      “I suppose you’re going to say that the water was cold.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.

      He glanced down past his flat stomach to his groin. “I think everything is perfectly in proportion, thanks.” He advanced slowly toward her without a hint of shame. But why would he be ashamed, Silver thought feverishly, when his body was everything most men aspired to? “Sure you don’t want a dip? I could throw you in, if you like?”

      She ran, then, all the way up to the camp, and started packing up her tent. By the time he joined her, she’d managed to stop blushing.

      “I’m sorry.” She made herself look at his face, which now that she’d seen the rest of him was harder than she’d thought. “It was incredibly rude and insensitive of me to invade your privacy like that.”

      He waved off her apology. “You didn’t