Home On The Ranch. Trish Milburn

she mumbled into her pillow. Hadn’t she fallen asleep about ninety seconds ago?

      Honestly, if she had a baseball bat handy, the clock’s remaining seconds would be numbered in single digits.

      Since mind control sadly didn’t work on the alarm, she rolled over and slapped it off. She stared up at the ceiling with every muscle in her body staging a coup. But today wasn’t going to be any easier. In fact, instead of a partial day of clearing out the Bryant house, she was going to be at it all day for multiple loads. Not for the first time she allowed herself to fantasize about her business growing so much that she could afford an employee or two to help out with the pickups, deliveries, all the miscellaneous stuff that ate into her design time.

      But fantasizing about it wasn’t going to make it come true. Getting her tired butt out of bed just might. Eventually.

      After a few minutes in the bathroom, she dressed and headed out to load the ladder in the truck. Once it was secured, she headed toward town. More specifically, the Mehlerhaus Bakery.

      Keri Teague, the owner, looked up when Ella walked into the bakery. If heaven smelled any better than this place...well, Ella wasn’t sure that was possible.

      “You look as if you could use some coffee.”

      “You, my friend, are correct. And one of those cinnamon rolls that’s as big as my head.”

      Keri slid the door on the back of the glass display case open and reached for one of the cinnamon rolls that was, no lie, the size of a salad plate.

      “Actually, make it two rolls and two large coffees.”

      “You really in need of sugar and caffeine or you buying some for Austin Bryant, too?”

      “Can’t hurt to come bearing breakfast when I’m hoping to have time to get everything he’s offered.”

      Keri lifted a brow. “And just what exactly has he offered?”

      “Fine, twist the tired lady’s words.”

      Keri laughed as she bagged up the rolls. “I haven’t seen Austin in a long time, but as I remember he wasn’t exactly hard to look at.”

      “I’m too busy looking at all the raw materials I’m hauling out of his grandparents’ house.”

      “Uh-huh.” Keri gave her a look that said she didn’t buy one word of what Ella had just said.

      “Okay, fine. The guy is good-looking. He also couldn’t be more anxious to get the hell out of here and back to wherever he came from.”

      “Dallas. He’s got some big job at an energy company, I think.”

      Well, that explained the nice car. What it didn’t explain was how at home he looked on that horse, riding out toward a herd of cattle. Of course, that could just be remnants of his childhood still lingering.

      Keri placed a couple of to-go coffees on the counter beside the cinnamon rolls. “Oh, and by the way, you might want to know that the person who pointed Austin in your direction was Verona.”

      Oh, great. So far Ella had managed to not become the town matchmaker’s target, but she’d guessed it was only a matter of time.

      “That woman has entirely too much time on her hands,” Ella said as she passed over the money for her breakfast. “Plus, I think there ought to be a rule that you should have to be a native of Blue Falls to be targeted by her.”

      “No, no. You live here, you take the same chances as every other unattached person.”

      “You’re just saying that because you’re happily married and don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

      “Well, there is that.”

      Ella laughed and grabbed her purchases. “At least I won’t have to worry about it long. I’m guessing Austin Bryant heads home before the week is over.”

      “Oh, that’s plenty of time for Verona to work her magic. Plus, even if he leaves, she’ll just try to find you someone else.”

      Ella stuck out her tongue at Keri before heading toward the door, which just made her friend laugh as if she hadn’t had so much fun in ages.

      As Ella headed toward her truck, she thought about what Keri had said and tried to figure out who Verona might try to pair her up with should Austin pull a Houdini out of town. She couldn’t think of a single person who interested her.

      Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The fact that she’d bought an extra coffee and monster cinnamon roll proved that, didn’t it?

      She shook her head and made a sound of frustration at herself as she started the engine and headed off toward her long day of work. That’s what she needed to focus her attention on, not the long, tall Texan she’d be seeing again in about fifteen minutes.

      As she pulled onto the road that led back to the ranch, her nerves started that annoying dancing thing again. Jeez, it was as if she’d never seen a handsome guy before. Heck, there were plenty traipsing through Blue Falls on a daily basis, locals and cowboys in town for the regular rodeos. Why did this particular owner of a Y chromosome set her insides to doing funny, not normal things?

      Yes, he was hot as a firecracker, but he was also sort of grumpy. Granted, that could be chalked up to grief and too much to do in too short a time, but still. It wasn’t as if he was going to up and sweep her off her feet. Not that she wanted to be swept. Did she?

      Crap, maybe she had suffered a heatstroke the day before.

      When she pulled within view of the house, Austin’s car wasn’t there.

      “Well, that was anticlimactic.” She glanced at the bag with the two cinnamon rolls and at the extra coffee container riding in her cup holder. “More for me, I guess.”

      Not willing to go into the house even if it happened to be unlocked, she unloaded the ladder, leaning it against the side of the house, then retrieved her breakfast. She hopped up on the lowered tailgate and dug in. At the first bite, she closed her eyes and paid attention to nothing but the cinnamon and sugar tangoing across her tongue. No matter how many times she ate something from Keri’s bakery, she never ceased to be amazed at the woman’s magical ways with sweets.

      Opening her eyes, she took a drink of coffee and looked out beyond the barn to the field stretching toward the horizon. It really was peaceful out here. She liked her little rental house fine, but it didn’t have this kind of view. One couldn’t call a highway and the back side of Blue Falls’ small industrial park particularly scenic.

      The quiet of the morning gave way to the sound of a car engine heading toward her. She almost choked on the bite she’d just taken when she spotted Austin’s car.

      Oh, get a grip. You’re here to work, not ogle and daydream.

      “You’re here early,” he said as he got out of the car.

      “Lots to do.” She lifted the white paper bag that contained the second cinnamon roll in one hand and the extra coffee in the other. “Breakfast?”

      He gave her an odd look, as if he didn’t quite understand her one-word question. “You brought me food?”

      “I was already at the bakery. Not hard to add an extra cinnamon roll. Plus, I didn’t know if you were staying out here without the kitchen being stocked.”

      “I’m not staying on the ranch.” He said it quickly, with the same tone she could imagine him using if she’d accused him of sleeping in a pigsty.

      “Okey-dokey,” she said.

      Austin ran his hand back over his hair. The movement drew attention to his rather nice arm. She wondered what else was hiding underneath his navy blue T-shirt.

      “Sorry,” he said as he closed the distance between them. “Didn’t mean to snap at you. Just got a lot on my mind.” He peeked inside the paper bag and whistled.