The Rancher's Hand-Picked Bride. Elizabeth August

      It was clear to Gwen from the expression on Jess’s face that he didn’t like the idea of her living under his roof any more than she did. “I’m sure Jess has a very good idea of the wife he wants. He can simply describe her to me and I’ll go from there.”

      “Fantasies never work out well. He needs a real woman who will fit into his life.” Morning Hawk’s tone became sterner. “And not one who’s simply after his money.”

      “I’m not stupid enough to be taken in by a gold digger,” Jess growled.

      Morning Hawk tossed him an indulgent look. “Any man can be taken in by a pretty face and good figure. And that’s what the service Gwen provides will protect against. She goes beyond face value. Anyone she finds for you will be trustworthy as well as fit your requirements.”

      Jess breathed a resigned sigh. “She can move in today. The sooner we get started, the better.”

      “I really d—” Gwen started to protest.

      “A person could get the idea that you’re afraid of sharing the same roof with me,” Jess cut her off, challenge again in his eyes.

      Gwen’s shoulders stiffened. “I’m most certainly not intimidated by the likes of you, Jess Logan.” Heading to her car, she added over her shoulder, “I’ll go get my things and be back in a couple of hours.”

      Driving away, she glanced in her rearview mirror to see Jess stalk back into the house. She rolled her eyes toward the heavens. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Abruptly, a crooked grin tilted one corner of her mouth. She wasn’t alone. Both she and Jess Logan had been manipulated by Morning Hawk. And the thought of him being maneuvered into a corner by the elderly woman made the situation laughable. Almost laughable, she corrected, reminding herself that she was in the same corner.

      Chapter Two

      An uneasy feeling ran through Gwen as she parked in front of the Logan ranch house later that day. Her father had exited her life even before she was born. When she was seventeen, her mother had died. Since then, she’d lived alone and grown used to her solitary existence.

      “I had Lilly make up a room for you.” Jess greeted her, coming out of the house and heading to her car.

      “Lilly?” Gwen had been under the impression Jess and Morning Hawk were the only people occupying the house.

      “Our housekeeper. Lilly Chambers,” Jess elaborated. “She was in town doing some grocery shopping when you were here earlier.”

      Gwen chided herself mentally. Of course the Logans would have a housekeeper. “Thanks,” she replied curtly, using terseness to hide her growing nervousness.

      “Look, I’m not any happier about this than you are,” he returned with equal animosity, “but we’ve made a bargain and we might as well be civil about it.”

      “I’m used to living alone.” She tried to school the tenseness out of her voice but an edge remained. Not wanting him to guess how uneasy he made her, especially after that unnerving reaction she’d had to his touch, she added, “I guess I’m a little short on people skills.”

      “You always have been.”

      She bit back a retort. She had good reason for being the way she was, but that was her own private hell and no one else’s and she had no intention of revealing it just to justify her behavior.

      Jess’s eyebrow raised in a questioning arch when she made no response. Then obviously accepting her silence as an end to the conversation, he picked up her satchel and computer bag.

      Gwen grabbed at it. “I can carry my own things.”

      “My mother taught me to be polite to guests.”

      “Well, I’m no guest. I’m an employee.”

      “You’re a female. I’d never hear the end of it from the women in my family if I didn’t carry your bag.”

      Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, she shrugged and reached into the car for the old wooden baseball bat lying on the floor.

      Surprise showed on Jess’s face. “Don’t you think that’s overreacting a bit. I’m just trying to be a good host.”

      A flush reddened her cheeks. “I wasn’t going to use it on you.”

      A grin tilted one corner of his mouth. “Never thought I’d hear myself saying this, but you look kind of cute when you’re flustered.”

      Abruptly, her eyes turned cold with warning. “I’d better correct my last statement. I’m not planning to use this bat on you right now. But I do plan to keep it around in case any varmints wander too close.”

      “Cute like a rattlesnake,” Jess muttered, clearly rethinking his first reaction. He met her icy glare with impatience. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me.”

      “Good.” A curl of self-directed anger wove through her. He’d just told her what she wanted to hear. She should have been relieved, but deep inside she’d felt a sting. I’m just overly tense, she reasoned, pushing the car door closed.

      Leading the way into the house, Jess silently cursed his great-grandmother for inviting this woman under their roof. She’d always been as prickly as a cactus and the fact that she thought she needed a bat to protect herself from him grated on his nerves. He sure as heck had never given her any indication he found her the least bit attractive. Not that she wasn’t physically good-looking…nice figure, curves in all the right places, green eyes and chestnut hair cut short so that it framed her face in a gentle style. But her core was cold as ice and hard as stone.

      After showing her to her room, he went in search of Morning Hawk and found her in the kitchen with Lilly.

      “I’ve got a stew on the stove and will be putting the corn bread in shortly,” Lilly said. She was in her mid-fifties, comfortable in her manner and she had a kindly disposition.

      “Thanks.” Jess gave her the barest of glances. Lilly had worked for the Logans since she was a teenager. He considered her a trustworthy part of their household and thus felt perfectly comfortable discussing Gwen in front of her. Locking his gaze on Morning Hawk, he said tersely, “I don’t think inviting Gwen to stay under our roof was such a good idea.”

      “She’s not as difficult to get along with as some people think,” Lilly spoke.

      Surprised by the housekeeper’s defense of his unwanted guest, Jess’s gaze swung to her.

      “She kept my niece from getting involved with a real loser. My sister didn’t like the guy so she hired Gwen to check him out. Turned out he not only had a criminal record, he had two wives and a total of six kids.”

      “I’m not saying that what she does isn’t useful.” Jess’s gaze traveled between the two women. His jaw tensed. “She keeps a baseball bat with her.”

      Morning Hawk regarded him indulgently. “A woman who lives alone should have something to protect herself with.”

      Lilly nodded. “A lot of young women have taken to carrying guns. Not that I think that’s such a good idea. But on the other hand, the world has become a much more dangerous place, or so it seems. My daughter has taken up karate and she’s already up to a brown belt.”

      “Maybe I should take some self-defense courses before I go out on my next date. And maybe carry a metal detector with me,” Jess muttered, shaking his head as he left the kitchen and went to his study.

      Seated at his desk, he doodled on the edges of a sheet of paper where he’d listed a number of women’s names. He had nothing against marriage. He just hadn’t met the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Even more, he didn’t like being pushed! “I’ll find a wife myself and in my own sweet time,” he growled, then focused his full attention on the paper in front