So Not a Cowgirl (2 page)

He hadn’t taken two steps toward the bathroom than the phone beside his bed burst to life with an ear piercing ring. He scowled and considered for a second not answering, then reached for the receiver. “Weatherford Ranch, Drew speaking.”

“
Hey, Big Bro,” Mandy chirped happily in his ear. “I can’t believe I caught you at the house.”

Drew held the phone to his shoulder and tugged on a pair of briefs he pulled out of the dresser. Sleeping in the buff was one thing, talking to his little sister while naked was another. Uncomfortable. Speaking of uncomfortable, there was something in her too-cheery tone that put him on guard. “You back in the states for a while? Coming here to the ranch?”

“
Hawaii
is
one of the states, Bro,” she answered with the same chuckle she always gave him.

“
Whatever,” he said with his usual annoyance. “As I said, are you coming here for a visit? You haven’t been here in months.” He hated that she worked as a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines based out of California, mainly because it kept her so far from home. He’d rather see her settled down somewhere much closer, not constantly risking her pretty neck flying in one of those big metal birds.

“
Actually I am on my way there, as soon as our flight leaves anyway.”

His mind was still a bit foggy, but he caught a word that concerned him. “Our? Are you bringing home a beau? Some potential fiancé for me to check out?” It annoyed him that she tended to flit from one boyfriend to another. “I’m ready for nieces and nephews, you know.”

She laughed merrily again. “You’re such a hoot! Trust me, Bro, when I find the man I’m ready to settle down with, I
won’t
bring him to the ranch for you to rake over the coals and deem him worthy.”

Drew could almost see her rolling her eyes at him like she was prone to do when she thought him being ridiculous. He wasn’t being ridiculous. They didn’t have any other family around most of the time. Since their parents had sold him the ranch five years ago, they’d become world travelers. He didn’t even like to think about all the time
they
spent flying around, risking their lives. He seemed to be the
only
one in the family that worried about things.

“
So who’s coming with you?” He glanced at the clock, knowing he didn’t have time to worry about anything right now. “I hate to say this, Sis, but I’ve got to keep this short. I’m running way behind already.”

“
You’ve been staying up late again, haven’t you? Working hard all day with ranch stuff, dealing with your foundation, and then working harder on the accounts at night.” Before he could answer, she said cheerfully, “I’m solving that little problem for you.”

His stomach knotted with dread. “What are you talking about?”

“
Tanya has agreed to take over the books and help manage the ranch office business.”

He froze, blinking, remembering. Five foot two or three, blonde hair that fell in a silky wave around slender shoulders, big blue eyes that seemed to twinkle with mischief, body begging for a man’s touch, and sassy. She’d been the exact opposite of what he had expected of an accountant. She’d been the exact opposite of both of his ex-wives, yet he’d felt an instant desire to get real up close and personal with her.

“
I thought she had some fancy job with a big accounting firm in Sacramento,” he protested. He didn’t like the way his lower body was reacting to the mere memory of her in those all-but-painted on, black leather pants. Then his thoughts went to the way she filled out a tank top. He hardened even more, so he started up an internal mantra of
Not my type, not my type, not my type.

Mandy was quiet a few seconds and he frowned, wondering and worrying. Finally she said, “Let’s just say she needs a change of location for a while.”

He mulled that mysterious answer over as she quickly continued, “We’ll be flying into Denver and driving from there. Probably be at the ranch tomorrow morning. Oh, I’ve got to go! They’re calling our flight number.”

She hung up before he had a chance to say “Hell no!” to having Tanya come to the ranch, thinking she would be working for him. It would be awkward once they were here, but no way was he going to have her stay here and work for him. No way, no how.

“
I can’t believe I’m here, in Oz land, in Kansas,” Tanya said, looking out the passenger window of her best friend’s rental Jeep. She’d never been in the Midwest, certainly never anywhere that looked like this. “I thought there were hills, small mountains. Not miles and miles of, well, nothing.”

Mandy glanced in her direction and rolled her eyes before turning back to driving. “Don’t let Big Bro hear you say that. The ‘miles of nothing’ thing. Drew is pretty defensive about his state, especially his acres and acres of it.”

“
I wasn’t attacking the place, just saying. . .”

“
And I’m just saying you need to look beyond what you can see—“

“
Hard to do, when it looks like from here we can see on and on, forever.” Tanya spotted the entrance to a private road and the arched wooden sign proclaiming “Weatherford Ranch.”

“
I’ve only been to a zoo a couple of times in my life. I’ve never been camping. Not really that much of an outdoors person. So what am I doing here? Mandy, I’m really out of my big city-loving element.”

Her friend guided the Jeep across the odd steel bars buried in the road at the entrance, casually explaining, “Cattle guard.” She looked sideways for an instant and smiled gently. “You needed to get away for a while, away from El Jerko with the roving hands and God’s-gift-to-women attitude. I still think you should have reported him to the senior partner. Or hired a lawyer to go after his sorry ass for sexual harassment.”

Tanya turned away to look out the side window, thinking about the last time the managing partner at Hewitt, Packert, and Sweltzer had cornered her in the conference room, alone. El Jerko was pretty mild for what she really thought of him. Frankly, she was pretty disgusted with most men right now. Enough that she had broken things off with the man she’d been dating off and on for several months, and he hadn’t been all that upset about the break-up. Which really rubbed her raw. Even he had evidently only pursued her for her body.

“
Too much bother, and expense. But I will send a formal letter to the senior partner sometime soon. He’s a good man and deserves to know what a low life he has a close connection with.”

They traveled in thoughtful silence until they reached the main ranch yard. Tanya had seen pictures of Mandy’s family home, but seeing the place in real life was completely different. She sat forward and stared in surprise. “It’s a log cabin! Jeez! A real honest-to-gosh log cabin.” She glanced at her friend. “Okay, ‘cabin’ falls way short. The place is huge. And I don’t remember it being made of logs in the photos you showed me.”

Mandy laughed. “What I’ve shown you before
isn’t
this house. There was some minor tornado damage four years ago, and Drew had the old house torn down. He personally designed this house. I think he even helped with some of the construction. He’s a real hands-on type of guy.” She sounded very proud of her older brother, as she usually did.

Tanya’s body immediately reacted to the “hands-on” comment. Her buttocks clenched, heated. Why? Surely he didn’t… Surely he wouldn’t… She rolled her eyes and told herself to get a grip. Her thoughts had wandered down a path she didn’t even want to consider.

Still, she’d seen a flash of a stern look in Drew Weatherford’s dark brown eyes during his brief visit to California. It had been a look similar to what settled into her father’s eyes when they were having a disagreement just before…
Stop it
!

All the mental warning did was to draw forth another image buried in her mind. She couldn’t help remembering Drew’s definite Alpha male attitude. And she remembered noting that he had large, calloused hands.
Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
she ordered herself in disgust again.

“
Something bothering you?” Mandy asked with a concerned glimpse in her direction.

Tanya felt a blush creeping up her neck and focused again on the massive house as Mandy pulled into the driveway. “Wrap around porch, complete with wooden rocking chairs from one end of the house to the other. Homey.” She hoped Mandy wouldn’t press her about the fleeting spell of weirdness she’d just experienced.

Whether or not her friend would have prodded her for further explanation of her mood, Tanya was “saved” by one of the pair of front doors opening. Drew stepped onto the porch, looking their way. Even though his face was partially shadowed by the black Stetson he wore, she felt certain he wasn’t smiling. From the stiff way he held his shoulders and general silent attitude, she doubted he wanted her here. Great.

“
I thought you said he agreed to me coming here to work for him,” she accused, shooting a disgruntled look at Mandy.

Mandy ignored the comment and turned off the Jeep, and then quickly got out. She met her brother halfway between the house and the driveway. He gave her a bear hug that Tanya envied.

As Mandy stepped back a second later, she turned to motion Tanya closer. “Tanya’s really excited, and appreciative, about you giving her this job. Right, Tanya?”

Reluctantly, Tanya climbed out of the Jeep, tried to calm the butterflies fluttering madly inside her, and forced a smile. “All of that,” she knew it was a stupid statement, but it seemed the best she could do while noting how Drew’s expression had once again hardened.

“
So, Bro, where do you want her to put her things?”

“
Mandy—“

Before he could possibly say something she didn’t want to hear, Mandy speed walked back to the Jeep. “The foreman’s house that Greg doesn’t use. Of course. You’re right, that’s perfect. Just the right size. Private too.” She nodded across the ranch yard, beyond the riding arena in the middle. “Let’s go drop your stuff off.”

She jumped in to the Jeep, giving her brother a pointed look that Tanya noted. “We’ll be back in a jiffy. Why don’t you get us some coffee?”

Tanya glanced from Drew—the employer who clearly didn’t want a new employee—to where Mandy had nodded. Another log home, considerably smaller than the main house. It, too, had a long covered porch with a pair of rocking chairs. Evidently this was rocking chair country. But she kind of liked them and they did look inviting. Except that sitting there would mean she had to look out at the arena that currently was occupied by a couple of cowboys who kept curiously glancing in her direction. And occupied by a giant horse not real pleased with having a saddle on its back. But then
all
horses were giants to her, as well as something she preferred to be as far as possible from.

Heart racing, she practically threw herself into the Jeep and slammed the door.

“
I completely forgot you mentioned one time that you were not fond of horses,” Mandy said apologetically as she quickly backed out of the driveway. “They’re really not as scary as they seem.”

Tanya sat stiffly. “I’m not fond of big animals period.” She looked desperately at her friend. “I can’t do this, Mandy! I can’t.”

Driving toward the smaller house, Mandy said in a calm voice, “You need the job. Drew—even though he may grumble about it—needs your help. You can handle all of this, I know you can.”

Drew stood at the kitchen bar, staring at the cups he’d just placed beside the coffee pot. He’d seen the almost terrified expression that had flashed onto Tanya’s face when she looked at the horses. Living on a ranch with nearly three dozen horses would be hard as hell for her. No way could this deal that Mandy had schemed up work. Nor did he want it to.

He poured a cup of coffee and curled his hand around the cup. Hot. The scent drew him, made him take a quick sip that nearly burnt his tongue. He hadn’t been within twenty feet of Tanya and yet his body had reacted to her, just as it had the last time he’d seen her. Which was absolutely ridiculous.

He hazarded taking another sip of coffee as he mulled over his thoughts. He liked brunettes. She was blond. He had relationships with ranch women familiar with his world, been married to two of them. Of course, neither of those marriages had worked out. Evidently he just wasn’t the marrying kind of man—at least that’s what the last ex had told him repeatedly during their many arguments over his loving the ranch more than her. Women. Hell if he could understand them.

Understand them or not, he liked women. A lot. But his kind of women wore comfortable jeans, boots, and sensible workshirts. He hadn’t really seen what Tanya had been wearing since she’d stayed on the other side of the Jeep, but he remembered her in skin-tight leather pants and a low, low cut top she’d worn when he met her in California. Oh yeah, he definitely remembered
that
! She’d pranced around in the tempting outfit often enough in his dreams.

Damn
! She didn’t belong here. He didn’t think
he
could handle her being here.

Footsteps on the tiled hallway coming toward the kitchen made him suck in a breath. Every fiber of his being warned him of Tanya’s approach. He was furious with his sister for putting him in this awkward position. She needed her butt warmed but good. He’d only spanked her a time or two in the years that their parents hadn’t been around. Grown woman or not, she’d needed it.

“
If you don’t want me here—“ Tanya began only to be cut off by Mandy.