One Hot Christmas. Katherine Garbera

protectiveness, both from her brothers and her parents, had been one of her reasons for moving into town instead of continuing to live at the family ranch. She was the only girl, which meant she’d had to fight for her sexual freedom. If she hadn’t moved out, she’d probably still be a virgin.

      No doubt her brothers would disapprove of her relationship with Ben, but they weren’t here. Unfortunately, Jack was filling their role to perfection. She’d have to politely ask him to butt out, but finding a private moment to do that might be tough.

      Right after Jack and Ben hid the saddle under a large tarp at the far end of the house, Jack slung an arm around Josie’s shoulders. “Come on, babe. We need to shower and change for this shindig.” They both hurried back to Jack’s big red truck and drove away.

      The wind had picked up, so Molly helped Ben tuck the canvas tarp more securely under the stand so it wouldn’t flap. Maybe she was being paranoid about Jack’s conversation with Ben. She should ask Ben about it before accusing Jack of meddling in her business.

      Ben beat her to the punch. “Molly, we need to talk.” He straightened. “Maybe out here’s as good a place as any.”

      “Was I just the topic of conversation between you and Jack?”

      “Yes, and—”

      “Is he trying to protect me from you?”

      “In a way, but that’s not the point.”

      “It is the point. I’ll speak with him. I’ll let him know that this was mostly my idea. I don’t want him to get the wrong impression of you. After all, you’re hoping to do more business with him. I don’t want to interfere in any way with that.”

      “That’s fine, but I still—”

      “Hey, are you Radcliffe?” A middle-aged ranch hand with a handlebar mustache walked toward them, his boots crunching through the snow drifts.

      “I am.”

      “I’m Watkins.” The man shook hands with Ben. “Glad I caught you. Hey, Molly.”

      “Hey, Watkins.” Aunt Sarah had filled her in on the stocky cowboy’s background. Two years ago, after a long courtship, Watkins had won Mary Lou’s hand in marriage. Watkins had a first name, but nobody remembered what it was. He was also one of the guitar players scheduled to perform for tonight’s party.

      “Is the saddle under there?” Watkins peered at the tarp.

      “Yep,” Ben said, “but we’d better not uncover it again. I think we’ve finally got the blanket tucked around it good and tight.”

      “That’s okay. I can wait until the party. I’m not here about the saddle.” He was a good ten inches shorter than Ben and had to push back his hat and lift his chin to make eye contact. “I heard you might be willing to play a little harmonica with Trey and me tonight.”

      “I’d like that, if I wouldn’t be in the way.”

      “Hell, no, son. We’re not that slick. We’d love to have you, and I thought you might want to come on out to the barn. Trey’s already down there with some of our music and our guitars. If you’ll go fetch your harmonica, we can have a private jam session before the party and see what tunes we have in common.”

      “You bet. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

      “See you then.” Watkins headed for the barn.

      Ben gazed at Molly. “What I have to say shouldn’t be rushed, and I’d better go. I said I’d play tonight, so I don’t want to duck out of it.”

      “You shouldn’t. It’ll be fun.”

      “But we’ll have to talk later.”

      “Are you thinking of changing the plan?”

      His hesitation gave her the answer.

      “Maybe I shouldn’t come to your room tonight. Jack must have put pressure on you to leave me alone.” And she’d deal with Jack, but she might not be able to sway him. She’d also discovered he was stubborn. “I don’t want to jeopardize—”

      “Please come to my room tonight. But before we...before we do anything, I have some things to say.”

      “You have a crazy wife tucked away in an asylum?”

      “No.” His smile was sad. “Nothing that dramatic. Ready to go in?”

      “Sure.” They walked around the house and up the porch steps without speaking.

      Once they were inside, Ben turned to her. “See you tonight.” Then he bounded up the stairs to get his harmonica.

      She debated whether to go up to her room and start getting ready. Normally she wouldn’t need an hour to primp, but tonight was special. She wanted to wash her hair and spend time on her makeup. An hour might not even be enough.

      Ben was coming back down as she pulled off her hat and started up the stairs. She gave him a quick smile. “Have fun.”

      “Thanks.” His return smile was polite and brief.

      With a sigh, she continued to her room. Too bad her situation with Ben had come to a head this soon, but the family would have discovered their relationship eventually, maybe even during the party tonight.

      Jack’s reaction wasn’t all that unusual, now that she had time to think about it. She was his youngest cousin from Arizona, and he’d never had sisters. That could make him even worse than her brothers when it came to interfering in her social life.

      His concern was sweet, and she didn’t want to be rude since she was a guest at this ranch. Although he wasn’t the only one in charge, he had plenty to say about what went on here. On the surface, it looked as if Ben had taken advantage of Jack’s hospitality by showing an interest in her.

      Without giving offense or revealing how far the relationship had progressed, she wanted to convince Jack it was a two-way street. Ben shouldn’t be blamed for something that she’d encouraged every step of the way. As Ben had said, they were both consenting adults and what they did in the privacy of his room was nobody else’s business.

      She didn’t intend for anyone to know that she’d spent the night in his bed and hoped to spend tonight there, too. The layout of the huge house made it unlikely that anyone knew. If she was careful not to be seen entering or leaving his room, that part of their secret would be safe.

      But Jack had planted a seed of doubt in Ben’s mind. Clearly he was wondering if he should back off. The thought made her stomach twist. They might only have this brief time together, but she’d counted on making use of all of it.

      If she were honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she hoped this affair wouldn’t end when she left Wyoming on Monday. Every moment she spent with Ben made him more precious to her. She didn’t want to give him up at all, much less have their time shortened by Jack’s influence.

      If Ben’s mind had changed, she’d just have to change it back. Fortunately, she had a killer dress in her closet. She’d brought it even though it might be a bit much for a family gathering. Jeans weren’t right. She’d packed a more casual dress in case that had seemed more appropriate, but she was going for the wow factor tonight.

      Thinking about the dress lifted her spirits. If her jeans and sweater turned Ben on, then this outfit would send him up in flames. If he had any thoughts of backing out of their agreement, she wanted him to know exactly what he was rejecting.

      An hour later, she descended the stairs carefully, her wrapped gift in one hand, gripping the railing with the other. She looked hot, if she did say so herself. But her hotness quotient would be eliminated if she tripped in her four-inch heels and stumbled on the curved staircase. She also might damage the album she’d so carefully created for Aunt Sarah.

      Laughter and the hum of conversation told her most of the guests had arrived. Her beauty routine had taken