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“Yes. Hold on.” She rushed back into the kitchen as several more guys strolled in, all hurrying to take a seat. Their youth surprised her, and as she returned to set the bread and butter on the table, the rest welcomed her with unreserved comradery.
“Thank God,” a dark skinned, dark-eyed guy said with an appreciative sigh as he scooped spaghetti onto his plate. “If we had to eat deli sandwiches one more time, I was going to protest.”
“They weren’t that bad, Diego. I’m Tyler, miss.” He held out his hand and she shook it, bemused by the show of respect that was rare anymore in young men their age.
“Nice to meet you. If you’ll excuse me, I need to finish up in the kitchen.”
She was so pleased with their welcome, and their enthusiasm and praise for the simple meal and homemade bread, she was able to ignore the tightness in her chest when Caden walked in fifteen minutes later. Only midday, and already a sexy shadow darkened his swarthy cheeks, and she’d bet he shaved that morning. His eyes zeroed in on her all the way into the kitchen for a split second, just long enough to produce an instant rush of heated pleasure to pool between her legs. That reaction proved harder to set aside.
Sydney returned with another pot and passed on several offers to sit and join the hands, none of which came from her boss, opting instead to eat in the kitchen while cleaning up. She wanted to explore a little before raiding the house kitchen for something to fix for dinner later. There was also the lengthy list of ingredients she needed to make, but thought to save that chore for later tonight, assuming Caden would spend his Saturday night the same as he had Friday night, leaving her to entertain herself.
It took no time for the twenty hands to devour both huge pots and all of the bread, and she sent them back to work with brownies and beaming smiles of gratitude. At her job in St. Louis, she didn’t get the chance to mingle with the customers she fed and only got wind of compliments second-hand. She rather enjoyed receiving praise first-hand, even if it was for a simple meal anybody could toss together at home. Sydney spent the afternoon walking around the acres surrounding the house, investigating the barns, playing with the dogs whenever they came rushing by, petting a few friendly horses. The ranch hands all stopped to chat a few minutes if she wandered into their area, taking the time to answer her questions and gave her directions with a smile when she’d get turned around. Despite the cool fall temperature, the sun felt good and the view of sweaty, hard-working young guys a nice diversion from the looming, lonely night ahead of her.
Her mood improved even more when she inspected the large garden and brought in enough ripe vegetables for a salad to serve with the meatloaf and mashed potatoes she planned for dinner. She missed getting fresh produce from the farmer’s market back home, and from the looks of the garden and feel of the air, she doubted she would get many more days to pluck from the home-grown supply.
Right at six o’clock, the five hands that stayed full-time on the ranch came in with Connor and introduced themselves before taking a seat at the extended dining table. “Don’t worry, Sydney,” Connor assured her, squeezing her shoulder. “You’ll learn everyone’s names in no time. Grab a seat.”
She flicked an uneasy glance toward Caden, who had just entered and stood in the doorway. “Oh, I don’t think…”
“I do. Ignore my cranky big brother and join us. I insist.” Conner sent Caden a challenging look.
Caden shrugged. “Fine by me.”
Pleased to not be eating alone, she sat between her two bosses, but her mind, and body, couldn’t drum up any interest in anyone except Caden. What was it about the rancher that pulled at her with such a forceful tug? She wondered if her infatuation stemmed from watching him in such an erotic setting or if the loneliness and stress of the last weeks were getting to her in a different way.
“Great meal, Ms. Baker,” Jim, a short, stocky-built man commented as he rose, donned his hat and tipped it to her. “Nice to have you on board.”
“Thank you,” she beamed. The appreciation he and the others voiced over another simple meal pleased her in a way compliments for her more extravagant dishes never had.
They especially enjoyed the chocolate cream pie s
he’d baked hoping to mellow Caden’s attitude toward letting her at least visit their private club as a guest. The longing to explore, up close and personal, the happenings she’d stumbled upon last night continued to increase during the time she spent around the rancher, as did the need to discover why he did it for her on every level, more so than any other man. She’d never experienced such a quick, strong reaction to a man before, and she didn’t know whether she found him different from other men due to the sexual arena she’d first seen him in or his larger-than-life appearance and dominating air.
As soon as the ranch hands departed, Caden and Connor started discussing leaving for the club while helping her clear the table. “You’ll be fine here while we’re gone, Sydney,” Caden said, handing her his plate at the sink. “I showed you the line on my desk that goes directly to the bunk house if you need anything.”
“Why can’t I go?” she asked, hating the tremor and whine in her voice. The thought of facing yet another long, lonely night depressed her. “Don’t you ever allow visitors, those who want to check things out for the first time?”
“All the time,” Connor put in before glancing at his big brother with a raised brow. “Surely we can make an exception to the no mixing employees with pleasure rule. I hate to think of leaving poor Sydney all alone tonight.”
Caden frowned and shook his head, dashing the surge of gratitude and hope Connor’s words elicited. “No.” He pinned her with those laser blue eyes and her body’s instant reaction made her want to both smack him and jump him, and she wasn’t sure which was stronger. “I don’t bend the rules for anyone. That would be a bad habit to get into. Other than my private quarters, you have free run of the house. Find a way to amuse yourself.” Slapping his hat on his head, he started for the door, tossing over his shoulder, “You coming, Con?”
“Right behind you.” Connor squeezed her shoulder, his eyes sympathetic. “I’ll work on him, Sydney. We’ve never hired an outsider before. All of our employees have been locals, including our cook for the past twenty years. They have their own homes, and own lives and friends away from the ranch, unlike you. He knows that.”
“Thanks, Connor. I just want to socialize, and watch,” she added with a cocky grin. “I’ve never…”
“Submitted to bondage, erotic pain, dominance?” he supplied for her when she paused, unsure how she wanted to phrase her inexperience with kinky sex.
Her face warmed. “Right. My… past doesn’t include any of those things, but I’m not opposed to experimenting… but, not with…” She floundered again, her face heating even more as she wondered how she could tell him her lust seemed to center on just his brother. From Connor’s low chuckle, she figured maybe she didn’t have to explain.
“Got it, Sydney. And don’t worry.” His eyes clouded, and his smile slipped. “I’m in a relationship, at least for the time being.”
Sydney followed him onto the front porch and spotted Caden sitting behind the wheel of his huge black truck, Connor’s matching vehicle parked behind him. “I hope it works out for you,” she told him softly, reaching out and squeezing his hand before he jogged down the steps. Folding her arms against the chilly night air, she stood on the porch watching until their taillights disappeared around the bend, a heavy weight pressing on her chest.
The dogs bounded up on the porch and, ignoring Caden’s orders not to pamper them, she held open the door to let them in. “You’re better than no company,” she told the pair, following them inside. In a fit of irritation and despondency, she cut up the leftover meatloaf Caden mentioned saving for lunch tomorrow and fed it to the grateful pups.
By the time she slipped into the comfortable bed a few hours later, the howling wind emphasized the loneliness of the big, empty house, stretching her already taut nerves. She drifted asleep aching for a large rancher to take her over, divert her thoughts from missing home and worrying over her relatives with his hard hand and even harder body.
Sydney blinked, the realization something was wrong hitting her like a ton of bricks. She cast Uncle Mike an accusing look as she tried to stand. Dizziness assailed her, sending the room spinning out of control and turning her blood to ice in her veins with the sudden dread infusing her. Why did I trust him?
