Stranded With The Rancher. Rebecca Winters

been cleared for you. While you’re gone, I’ll fix some food. Would you like pancakes, bacon, eggs?”

      “All of the above and your delicious coffee. What kind is it?”

      “Pali gets it from his Basque relative who runs a coffeehouse in Livingston, Montana. She roasts Arabica beans that are shade grown.”

      “It’s the best! When I return, I’ll help you.”

      After he went back inside, he got busy cooking. Pali would be pleased Alex had shared that compliment. He decided to make enough food for Pali to join them. The less time he spent alone with Alex, the better for his peace of mind.

      “Mmm. Something smells good.” She’d come back inside.

      “Do me a favor and warm this bacon. It’s fully cooked already. I’m going to find Pali and ask him to eat with us.”

      She squinted at him. “You trust me?”

      “I don’t know. You don’t cook?”

      “Not if I can help it.”

      “No matter. Would you rather go get him?”

      “Not if you don’t want to perform an emergency rescue.”

      “The trailer is only a few hundred feet away.”

      “In this snow, it looks a mile. Don’t worry. I’ll try not to burn it. I did do a little cooking when our family roughed it at the beach.”

      “What beach was that?”

      “The Jersey Shore.”

      “I’ll be right back.”

      He went outside and started trudging through the snow. As he got halfway there, Pali appeared outside the camper. “Hey, Pali! Come on over to the tent for breakfast.”

      “Yeah?” A smile broke out on his weatherworn face.

      “Yeah. Bring Gip.”

      “So you got yourself a cook.”

      He knew where this conversation was headed and cut it off right there. “She’s a food magazine writer from New York who wants to know why there’s a demand for lamb and where it’s headed. My grandfather sent her up here, no doubt thinking it would be a good experience for her to see the sheep in their natural habitat.”

      Pali shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense when he had to know this storm was coming.”

      Wyatt couldn’t have agreed more, but had considered keeping his thoughts to himself. He should’ve known Pali would pick up on the strangeness of their situation. His grandfather had been up to something to send her up here. “I’ll see you in a minute,” he called, then trudged through the snow to the tent, stepping in the tracks he’d already made.

      Alex looked around when he entered. “Isn’t he coming?”

      “He’ll be here soon.” Wyatt walked over to her. “I don’t smell smoke.”

      “Being a firefighter, too, I guess you’d know if there’d been a fire in here.”

      Yup. But he had news for her. There’d been one set already. It had started last evening when she’d arrived. He’d felt an instant attraction and it had brought a wave of heat more intense than any fire he’d fought with his buddies.

      They heard barking. Wyatt undid the zipper and Pali came in, shedding his parka. The dog padded over to Alex who leaned down to pet him. Then she smiled at Pali. “Why don’t you sit on the stool to eat?”

      “Thank you.”

      She poured him a mug of coffee and handed it to him. “I was just telling Wyatt how much I love this coffee. He told me you get it from a relative in Montana. Do you think I could order some when I go back to New York?”

      That was the second time she’d talked about going home. Why that bothered Wyatt, he didn’t want to venture a guess.

      “I will make sure of it.”

      “That’s wonderful.”

      She made plates for Wyatt and Pali, and one for herself. Then she sank down on her sleeping bag and fed a piece of bacon to Gip who looked like he was in heaven as he gobbled it.

      “How did you happen to come to the US, Pali?” The writer was at it again.

      “I was born on a little farm in Orbaizeta, known for its cheese made from the milk of the Latxa sheep. But there’s little money to be made at home, so I left and went to Nevada where I had friends. It was there I discovered there was an opening in Whitebark for a shepherd, so here I am, and I stayed.”

      “That was my grandfather’s lucky day,” Wyatt interjected.

      “I bet you miss your family.”

      “Yes. I go back four times a year to visit, but I’m very happy here. You’re a good cook.”

      “Thank you, but all I did was warm the bacon without burning it. Wyatt’s the one who deserves the honors.”

      “I think you do, too, for making the most out of being here in a snowstorm.”

      “That’s nice of you to say.”

      “I understand you’re a food magazine writer.”

      “Yes. I’m writing a story on the mutton and lamb industry and the reason for the costs. Tell me—do you eat a lot of lamb in your native country?”

      “Some lamb stew. But mostly we like blood sausage made from the sheep. We fill them with blood and dry them before adding the rest of the sausage filler.”

      She made such a funny sound. “For me that would be an acquired taste, I think.”

      Wyatt chuckled.

      “Some things worth relishing start out that way.” Pali shot Wyatt a glance with a knowing grin. He’d just sent a message that penetrated the skin and went deep. Wyatt’s grandfather had made a big mistake, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it right now.

      The hell of it was, a part of him didn’t want to change a thing.

      * * *

      ALEX SIPPED THE last of her coffee as Pali got up and put his plate and mug on the camp table. “Thank you for the meal. Gip and I are going to take a look around and see if any of the sheep are in trouble.”

      “I’ll go with you.” Wyatt followed suit, then the two men put on their parkas and gloves.

      “I’ll clean up,” Alex offered, needing to be practical, considering the situation. Wyatt flashed her a glance from under sooty black lashes. She smiled. “I do know how to do that.”

      “Terrific. I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone, but you have everything here you need.”

      He was right. Everything and everyone she could ever want or need was right here. Who would have thought she would have to fly thousands of miles and end up on a mountain in a blizzard for the ice around her heart to melt? “I’ll be fine.”

      His blue gaze swept over her. “When I get back you can interview me.” The men stepped outside, but the dog whined and wouldn’t leave.

      “Gip!” Pali called to him. “My dog knows a good thing when he sees it. He’ll be begging for food from now on.”

      Alex laughed. “See you later, Gip.” The intelligent dog answered with a bark and left the tent.

      She stood outside on the path Wyatt had made and watched until they were out of sight. There was still cloud cover, but the snow was slowing down. One look at Wyatt’s barely visible truck and she wondered how they would ever leave. Jose had said he’d be up to get her later today, but that wouldn’t be possible.

      Alex went back inside to do the dishes and straighten the tent. How strange to be