Page 5 of Ethan

He handed her the reins while he opened the gate. “You have a horse of your own?”

“Yes, but I don’t have a trailer. I wasn’t sure how I’d get her here.” She dismounted.

He took the reins back and latched the gate behind them. “I have several trailers. We can get your mare. Kalispell is only two hours from here.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” He led the mare back toward the barn. “Apartment’s yours. I’ll have a key made tomorrow. But in the meantime, you can move in. You can use my key for now.”

“Thank you. You won’t regret it.”

Ethan turned to look at her. “I’d better not.”

****

Naomi couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She’d done it. She got the job. She'd been nervous riding in front of Ethan, which was strange; she'd competed in front of thousands of people and never felt it like that. But he was different. One wrong move, one bad read on that mare, and she’d have been back in her truck with nothing.

He seemed like a fair man though. He’d given her a shot and she’d taken it, and now she had an apartment and work she was good at and actually wanted to do.

The drive to Kalispell with him was a little daunting. She barely knew him. But she needed her horse, and she only had thirty days before the new owners took over the property. She didn’t have the luxury of waiting.

As she headed to her truck, she glanced around the ranch. It was a beautiful place. She’d love to know more about Ethan, but he seemed to be all business, and that was probably for the best.She wasn’t looking for anything more than a job but working around him every day might prove harder than she’d expected if she couldn’t stop noticing him.

She climbed into her truck, put the windows down, and headed back to Clifton to get the rest of her things from the motel.

Driving down Main Street, she slowed without meaning to, eyeing the shops she passed. She wanted to stop, but that could wait. First she had to get settled.

Back at the apartment, she pulled up to the exterior staircase, shut off the truck, and started hauling boxes up. When she unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside, the same feeling hit her as before, warm, quiet, and full of possibility.

She set the box down and looked around. She couldn’t wait to make it her own.

****

Ethan removed his hat, hung it on the peg, and headed to his office. Settling into the chair behind his desk, he picked up the phone. He had calls to make before the day got away from him.

A while later, he pushed back from the desk, stood and stretched, then headed to the kitchen. It was well into the afternoon and he was hungry.

Nothing in the fridge appealed to him. He grabbed his hat, stepped out onto the porch, and decided on the diner. His stomach growled at the thought of a burger. As he walked toward his truck, he spotted Naomi at her pickup lifting boxes from the bed.

He changed direction and reached her just as she was wrestling a heavy box from the bed.

“I’ve got it,” he said, moving in and taking it from her.

She looked up at him and his stomach dropped. Those blue eyes could slay a man. Yep. He did not need this.

When she smiled, he clenched his jaw.

“Thank you. My neighbor’s husband loaded it for me. I should have used smaller boxes. More trips, but at least I could manage them myself.”

“I have a feeling you like to do everything yourself.”

“You got that right, Mr. Harrison.”

“Ethan.” He nodded toward the steps. “I’ll get the heavy ones. After you.”

She grabbed a smaller box and headed up the stairs ahead of him. He looked everywhere except at her in those tight Wranglers. Damn it. He followed her inside.

“You can set that on the sofa. I think it’s kitchen stuff.”