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“There’s nothing for it, I have to give it a shot,” Sydney told her reflection in the bathroom mirror the next morning. Odds were, the cook’s job on the Dunbar ranch was no longer hers, but maybe they were desperate enough to give her a second chance, if she could find the damn place. She’d come across the job opening when she stopped in a computer café on her way through Boise, Idaho last week and filled out the application using her grandmother’s maiden name instead of Greenbriar. She’d traveled a long way from the Midwest where her family name was synonymous with their chain of all-natural grocery stores but wouldn’t take the chance of her Uncle Mike finding her, not until she found a way to defuse his intentions without letting her beloved grandmother know just how low her youngest child had sunk.
Thirty minutes after sending the application, she’d gotten a call from Jase Wiggins, the ranch manager, who told her she was hired, and they needed her to arrive Friday by three p.m. The salary was more than she’d imagined and included room and board. It would be the perfect place to lie low until she figured out a way to keep her uncle’s greedy hands off her shares of the company and her grandmother, as well as her other two uncles, in the dark about Mike’s nefarious deeds that would break their hearts.
Sydney checked out of the motel thinking with optimism and followed the clerk’s directions back down the highway. “Everyone knows where the Dunbar Ranch is. You can’t miss it,” he said, rubbing salt into the wound from yesterday’s mishap. Only, it turned out he was correct. She came upon the turnoff just a mile past the one she was sure she’d taken the night before. This road was wider and a little smoother, although not by much. There weren’t as many trees lining the way, and the glimpses of wide-open range she caught in between them spread as far as she could see. Dotted with cattle and a few horses, the vastness of the ranch stunned her until she rounded a bend and the house came into view.
Pulling into the circular drive and stopping in front of the sprawling ranch home, she took a moment to admire the wrap around porch, cute rocking chairs facing several barns surrounded by neat, white-fenced corrals and a garden that made her hands itch to explore. Just as she slid out of the car, the front door swung open and a tall man wearing a Stetson pulled low over his eyes stepped outside. It took only a second to recognize the imposing height and broad shoulders, the curl of dark brown hair around the collar of a blue, long-sleeved work shirt tucked into a pair of snug, thigh molding jeans and a voice that haunted her dreams last night.
“Don’t tell me. You’re lost again,” he drawled, coming down the steps toward her with a swagger that spiked Sydney’s pulse into racing. Stopping in front of her, he tipped back his hat, those enigmatic blue eyes holding a hint of pleasure even though he frowned down at her.
Running sweaty palms down her thighs, Sydney sucked in a fortifying breath to calm her rapidly thudding heart, the open car door between them doing little to block the heat generated from his nearness. “Nope, not this time.” Holding out her hand over the door, she introduced herself for the first time. “I’m Sydney Baker and I apologize for being so late, but as you know, I got a little turned around last night, and then,” she flipped him a sassy grin, “I got a little distracted.”
Chapter 2
Just when Caden thought the weekend problems looming ahead of him couldn’t get any worse, she shows up again. Not only does she land on another one of his doorsteps but claimed to be the new employee he’d been desperate for ever since Mattie, the ranch’s cook for the last twenty years, broke her hip, cementing her decision to retire. The same green eyes filled with open curio
sity and a glint of teasing humor that plagued his dreams last night gazed up at him with guileless unconcern. Too bad the slight tremor when he clasped her hand revealed she wasn’t as sure of herself as she tried to pull off.
“Caden Dunbar. First rule, don’t be late. Since you’re new to the area, I can let that infraction lapse this time. If you’re late on meals, you’ll not only answer to me, but twenty other hungry hands. I don’t have a lot of time and need you to have something ready for the noon lunch break, so let me show you your room first then I’ll walk you over to the dining hall and kitchen.” He released her hand and immediately missed the contact. The uncharacteristic reaction was another mark against her. He needed to set aside whatever it was about Sydney Baker that kept pulling at him and needed to do so fast. Mixing with his employees outside work was something he never did, and he always kept work, including those on his payroll, separate from his pleasures.
The relief on her face couldn’t be missed even though she tried to hide it by turning away. “Thank you. I’ll grab my bag out of the back…” Before she finished, he had the door open and her one suitcase in his hand. “Or, you can get it,” she finished with another one of those small quirks of her mouth, her very soft, tempting mouth.
Pivoting, Caden shoved that observation aside and strode back up the steps, expecting Sydney to follow. Holding the front door open, he said, “Your quarters are in the north wing, just past the kitchen.” When she stood in the tiled entry without turning in the right direction, he released a frustrated breath and pointed. “North is that way.”
“Hey, I had enough trouble finding your place. Don’t expect me to know my way around anytime soon. Not happening, boss.” The emphasis she put on ‘boss’ almost drew his smile, but it wouldn’t do to encourage her.
“As long as you stay away from my personal quarters on the far south end of the house and can find your way to the dining hall, you’ll be fine. Just don’t go wandering out after dark. There are too many pitfalls around the ranch for someone unfamiliar with the property.” He couldn’t help feeling miffed she didn’t appear in awe of his spacious, six thousand square foot home as he led her through the open great room with its wall-dominating stone fireplace, large dining area and state-of-the-art kitchen, down the back hall to a bedroom with an attached bath. “You should be comfortable in here.” He set her suitcase on the queen size brass bed covered with a multi-patterned quilt and nodded toward an antique cupboard. “The dresser is empty so feel free to use it.” Pointing to another door, he added, “There’s a linen cabinet in the bathroom with extra towels and sheets. Laundry’s off the kitchen.”
Sydney padded over to the bathroom and looked inside, and Caden couldn’t prevent his gaze from wandering to the snug fit of her jeans molding a very nice backside. He liked her height, not too short, not very tall. And why he was musing over her attributes when he had work to do, he didn’t know, but it needed to stop.
“This is nice. Where does that door lead to?” She strolled past him toward the French door that opened onto a small, covered patio. “Oh, what a beautiful view.”
The awe in her voice as she gazed out at the snow-capped mountain vista drew his eyes over her bright red head to a sight he never tired of seeing. Born and raised on the ranch, Caden had never desired to live anywhere else, to do anything except run the homestead he and his brother took over when their father retired several years ago. Breeding cattle was in his blood, and when he and Connor expanded the ranch’s operations to include raising Quarter horses, the extra work had paid off in spades.
“Wait until it snows. It’s even prettier then.” Her shoulders slumped, and he wondered if she didn’t care for snow, or if there was another reason she wasn’t looking forward to the winter months. Newcomers to the state often found the long, cold winters intolerable. “Come on,” he ordered in a gruff tone, annoyed with his curiosity and a growing need to learn more about his new cook. She’s an employee, remember that. Why did he think he would need to repeat that reminder a lot in the coming days and weeks?
Sydney relished the morning sun on her face when they stepped back outside, the warmth helping to dispel the coldness inside her when she thought of still being so far from home come winter. She’d been enjoying listening to Caden’s deep voice and looking around the rustic but appealing interior of his home so much, she’d forgotten for a few moments the reason she was here in the first place. At least being stuck cooking boring meals for a bunch of cowhands came with the benefit of having Caden as her boss. Tall, dark and handsome didn’t begin to do his sex appeal justice, which the constant quickening of her girly parts could attest to.
“So, what do you do with all those cows?” she asked, nodding toward the pasture strewn with black grazing animals as they walked toward the clump of buildings a good city block from the house.
“Cattle,” he corrected. “And we breed them then sell them to either other ranches or farms or drive them to market.” Two large collies came bounding out of the closest barn and he stopped a moment to greet the friendly dogs.
“Oh, they’re so cute!” Stooping, Sydney laughed when wet tongues attacked her face and she sank her hands into their long, soft fur. “What’re their names?”
“Sadie is the tan and white. The black male is Spike. They’re working dogs, not pets, so don’t spoil them,” he warned, taking her elbow and steering her over to a dark green, one story building with neat white trim.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, boss.” Caden tossed her a suspicious look as he opened the door, but Sydney kept her expression bland. What he doesn’t know wouldn’t hurt either her or the dogs.
“This is where the hands gather for meals. Only five of them bunk overnight in the attached room, in case of an emergency and Connor and I need the help. You can fix breakfast and dinner for the seven of us up at the house. The others arrive by eight a.m. and work until five, some days a little longer. They expect a big lunch, not a salad or sandwich. Lots of carbs and calories. This hall is only used for the noon meal, or the large gatherings we hold with friends.”
The sparse, wood-planked big room held three long tables with chairs, a fireplace against the back wall and a door labeled ‘Restroom’. It was a far cry from the five-star restaurant where she enjoyed cooking gourmet meals from scratch, using nothing but all-natural ingredients. To take her mind off missing her job and friends, she resorted to teasing him again. “Friends?” Sydney drawled when he led her toward the large, industrial kitchen in the rear. “I saw how you like to entertain your friends, boss.”
Caden faced her, a scowl drawing his dark brows together. “The young woman you saw me with last night is not a friend, she’s a play partner, and you’re an employee. I don’t mix business with pleasure, Sydney. Remember that, and we’ll get along fine.”
Bummer. Her new boss sure could be a stick-in-the-mud. Turning her mind to her job, she admired the large kitchen and restaurant-grade appliances. At least she’d find some pleasure working here, even if the meals wouldn’t allow room to utilize her skills and preferences. Maybe she could play a little with the smaller breakfasts and dinners.
“I get along with everyone,” she told him as they left the building. Caden rolled his eyes but said nothing until he stopped at a corral and reached out to stroke the nose of a pretty, brown and white horse that trotted up.
“This is Daisy. She’s a sweetheart. Do you ride?”
