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“Yes, ma’am.”
“Raised here, too?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She gritted her teeth and tried not to yell out at him. “Do you have anyotheranswers besides ‘yes ma’am’?”
“Yes ma’am. You ask, and I’ll answer.”
Men aren’t typically chatty, but sheesh, this is ridiculous. And good Lord, every time his arm rubbed against hers, she was sure she would drop a dish. The skin-on-skin contact shot all sorts of high-frequency tingles and shivers straight to every spot she didn’t dare think about. The sensations felt way too good.
“So whereexactlywere you born and raised?”
“I was born and raised in a small town a little west of the Big Horn Mountains.”
“Really? Is your family still there? How did you end up here if they are?”
“My family isn’t there anymore. My mom died right after I finished junior high, so my dad sold the ranch and moved the family out of state. Do you need me to finish those for you?” He pointed to the sink of soapy water.
Oh crap, she had unconsciously stopped scrubbing, her hands still submerged in the sudsy dishwater. “Ah no, only one thing left. I’ll finish.” She handed the glass to him, let the water out, and dried off the counter. “All done. Wasn’t that fun? And it even went quick!”Am I a lunatic?It had been the most difficult time she’d ever had washing dishes.
“Uh, yeah. Fun.” He shook his head in puzzlement, or maybe frustration—she wasn’t sure which—hooked the towel over the oven door handle, and headed toward the door. “Thanks for the help tonight. I’m off to the barn. Sleep well, princess.” Matt walked out the kitchen door and grabbed his hat from the hall tree.
“Wait!”
Still holding the handle with the slightly open door, he turned to her.
“Do you need any help?” Good God, what the hell was she thinking? She did not need to spend any more time with this man—the dishes had been hard enough with their arms rubbing against each other making all sorts of friction.Just shut up and go to bed, Ally. She silently pleaded for him to say no, so the decision would be made for her.
“You can come out if you want. I’m only making my rounds through the horse barn, might brush down a few. Grab a coat if so—wouldn’t want you getting a chill.”
What a smart ass. He was intentionally provoking her. She couldn’t say no.
“I think I’ll be okay, cowboy. I lived here for a long time and know exactly what it’s like—but thanks anyway for you concern.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and stepped back with the door wide, motioning her to go ahead.
Chapter Four
Matt kept telling himself he was okay with the minimal information he’d given her about what had taken him away from Wyoming. But he definitely wasn’t going to tell her where he had been in the years since, or what had brought him back to his home state. They didn’t know each other well enough for a personal history lesson. Hell, he’d known his boss for two years and hadn’t even told him. What puzzled him the most was why he was even considering the fact that hecouldtell her.
He held the side door open for Ally. “We keep the lights low for the horses—”
“I lived here once, remember? It comforts the horses along with the soft music. Keeps them calm.”
A gust of wind whirled around them, wafting the strong scent of hay, horse, and leather. She inhaled. “What a great smell. I really have missed this place. New York seems so far away.”
He could only imagine her childhood memories of growing up on Circle K Ranch, doing everything from mucking the stalls to feeding and grooming. Knowing Jesse, he made sure she knew every aspect of the ranch there was to know.
He touched her elbow, and she jumped.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of our newer tenants.” He stopped at the first two stalls, both with beautiful honey colored mares. “These two girls are related, came from the same mama. Sweet as can be, too. Very gentle rides.” He slid two hard candies from his pocket; and each mare gently snagged one from his hands.
“Were those peppermints?”
“Yeah, special treat. They all love ‘em.”
“Yeah, I knew that. We used to give them small sugar cubes or carrot pieces.”
