High Country Hideout. Elle James

looked more like a pig in a poke than a young, beautiful and desirable woman. Not that she wanted him to desire her. No, sir. She was far from ready to reenter the dating pool. With a struggling ranch to run and a son to raise, she had her hands full.

      Reggie stepped into the shower and eased beneath the hot spray. After a good soaking, she poured a heaping helping of shampoo into her palm and scrubbed her hair. Using a fresh washcloth, she scrubbed her face, arms and body and finally felt clean of mud and manure. And she smelled more like a woman than the horse she’d ridden in on.

      Of course it was purely for personal hygiene, not a desire to prove she was an attractive woman beneath the jeans and dirt.

      She stepped out onto the mat and dried off. She’d shared this bathroom with Ted. It was spacious, with a tub big enough for two people. They’d shared many baths in that tub, learning to love each other, spending time together even after a hard day’s work.

      Their life together had been going so well. Why did he have to die?

      A hard lump settled in her chest, but she’d already spent all her tears. The fact was, Ted was gone and she’d been left behind to take care of their son. If she could manage to keep up with the ranch his father had left for him. Ted’s life insurance had paid off the land, now all she had to do was make the land support them.

      And that was the biggest test of all. Raising cattle in the Rockies was iffy at best. The cold winters and the crazy amounts of snow made every day a challenge. If they lived closer to a city, Reggie could go to work and support them, but Fool’s Fortune was so small. Most jobs consisted of selling real estate to the wealthy people from Denver and serving those wealthy people in the bars, diners and souvenir shops in town when they came to the mountains for vacations.

      They’d been lucky so far this winter. The snows had held off. And a good thing, too, since the cattle had spread all up in the hills, and getting them down had taken Reggie longer than she’d anticipated. She still had a dozen in an upper pasture that needed to be brought down the next day. The weatherman was predicting the first blizzard before the end of the week.

      For a moment Reggie debated adding a layer of foundation to her face and a little color to her cheeks. Shaking the thought from her head, she dabbed on lip balm and left the bathroom. In her bedroom, she threw on clean jeans and a cream sweater that covered everything. A glance in the mirror reminded her that while it covered everything, the sweater also hugged her body like a glove, emphasizing the curves of her breasts and hips. Maybe she’d be better off wearing one of the chambray shirts she worked in.

      “Reggie, dear, supper’s ready!” Jo called, ending the sweater debate.

      As she hurried out into the hallway, she ran into a solid wall of bare muscle coming out of the guest bathroom. She braced her hands on a broad, naked chest and glanced up into deep brown eyes, so very different from Ted’s hazel ones.

      Strong arms came up around her waist, crushing her even closer to him.

      “Steady there,” Angus said, his chest vibrating with the deep resonance of his voice.

      For a moment she forgot where she was as she inhaled the clean, woodsy scent of him, her fingers curling against his skin. He wore blue jeans and sneakers, and nothing else. The smooth expanse of skin drew her like a bee to honey, her insides igniting.

      His lips curled upward on the corners as if he knew the effect he was having on her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

      “Mmm, yes, yes.” When she realized her hands still rested against his bare skin, heat rose up her neck and filled her cheeks.

      Reggie backed away. “I’m fine. Perfectly fine.” She pushed a drying strand of hair away from her face and tore her gaze from his dark, enigmatic one. “Supper’s ready and Jo likes everyone to be on time.”

      “So I’ve been told.”

      “Well, then.” She smoothed that same strand again. “Well, if you’ll excuse me—”

      “Of course.” Angus stepped out of her way and Reggie beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

      What was wrong with her? She’d touched the man. Hell, she’d laid her hands all over his chest. And, damn it, she’d liked the feel of his skin against her fingertips. She had to pull herself together.

      As she neared the kitchen she slowed, composed herself and stepped in.

      Tad ran to her, his arms open.

      She scooped him up and hugged him close. “When did you and CW get back from town?”

      “While you were in the shower.” He hugged her and wiggled out of her arms. “Did you meet the cowboy? He said his name is Angus. Isn’t that a kind of cow? I like him. He’s a real cowboy, and he’s going to teach me to ride.”

      “Whoa, slow down there.” Reggie laughed. “I was only in the shower a few minutes and you learned all that?”

      He nodded and ran for the basket of bread rolls on the counter. “Jo made fresh rolls for dinner.”

      “I see that. Did you wash your hands?”

      “Yes, ma’am.” He held up his small hands. “See?” Then he darted around her and ran for the door to the kitchen. “Angus, you can sit by me. Where’s Ranger?”

      “He’s resting in my room. I didn’t think he’d be welcome at the dinner table.” Angus winked as he stood in the doorway, wearing a clean, blue chambray shirt, buttoning the buttons as he stood there. When he finished, he took Tad’s hand and let him lead him to the table.

      “Sit there,” Tad said, pointing to a chair.

      “Tad...ask nicely,” Reggie admonished.

      “Please, sit there.” He tapped the back of a chair and claimed the one beside it.

      CW and Jo always sat at the other side of the table, which forced Reggie to sit at the end next to Angus. He pulled out the chair and waited for her to take her seat before sitting.

      The table overflowed with food. After each platter had been handed around, Reggie lifted a forkful of ham and paused. “So, Angus, I’m not convinced we really need a ranch hand, but CW assures me we do. I can offer room and board, but I can’t afford to pay a lot.”

      “I don’t require a lot,” he said, poking a bite of roll into his mouth.

      “Then why would you want to work here?”

      “I enjoy working with animals and being outdoors.”

      She studied him for a long moment. “You can stay.” Reggie held up a finger. “On a trial basis.”

      “Fair enough.” He turned to Jo. “Mrs. Jo, the rolls are wonderful.”

      Jo preened. “You look like you could do with some good old-fashioned home cooking.”

      The man was muscular, but his face was somewhat hollow, as though he’d been through rough times. Reggie raised her glass and drank a long pull of water, studying Angus in her peripheral vision.

      Jo continued, “Since you’re out here alone, I take it you’re not married.”

      Water lodged in Reggie’s throat and backed up into her nostrils. She stopped herself short of spewing it across the table as heat burned its way into her cheeks. Trust Jo to get down to the personal questions first thing.

      * * *

      ANGUS FOUGHT THE SMILE that threatened to erupt at Reggie’s distress. The ranch owner turned an alarming shade of red and coughed several times.

      He leaned back and thumped her on the back. “Are you okay? Don’t need a hug, now, do you?”

      “No...no...” she gasped. “Wrong pipe.” Then she glared across the table at Jo. “Leave Angus alone, Jo. He doesn’t have to answer personal questions to work here.”

      Jo laughed irreverently.