Page 6 of The Rancher’s Bride

“So I’m trying very hard not to say what I’m thinking.”

Goddamn it. I knew she didn’t like my place. “Go ahead.”

“No, thank you.”

That pisses me off more than if she’d said it.

“Right,” I mutter. “Well, I’ve got work to do.”

“I’m sure you do.”

The words are mild, but they land wrong.

I give her a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m sure you have work to do.”

I turn and head downstairs before I say something I’ll regret.

There’s always work on a ranch. A man can stay busy until he’s too tired to think. I check the water troughs, haul feed, look over a steer favoring one leg, and repair a hinge on the smaller barn. The sun drops while I’m working, but I keep going until there’s nothing left that can’t wait until morning.

By the time I head back to the house, my shoulders ache and my temper isn’t any better.

Sabrina is sitting on the couch with a book open across her lap. She’s tucked into the corner with one leg folded beneath her, hair loose around her shoulders.

She looks good there. Too good. Like the room has been waiting for her to sit in it.

I don’t care for that thought at all.

“I’m taking a shower.”

She looks up. “Okay.”

I wash off the sweat and dirt, change into clean jeans and a fresh shirt, then head back downstairs. She’s still in the same place, still reading, like she’s claimed that spot in my house.

“Steak and potatoes all right?” I ask.

She nods. “Sure.”

“You actually want that?”

“I said sure.”

“Could just be saying it to be polite.”

She breathes out a sigh. “Steak and potatoes sound good.”

“Fine.”

I go into the kitchen and pull two steaks from the refrigerator. She follows a moment later and sets her book on the table.

“What can I do?” she asks.

I nod toward the sack on the counter. “Wash four potatoes.”

She rolls up her sleeves and gets to work while I season the meat. I try not to watch her, but she’s in my kitchen and that makes it difficult. She scrubs each potato like she’s punishing it, drowning it under the water and working at every patch of dirt.

“You planning to take the skin off with that brush?”