Read Online Home Is Where Hank Is (Cowboys To The Rescue 1) by Martha Shields - Free Book Online
Authors: Martha Shields
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Family Life, series, Western, Cowboys, Bachelor, Relationships, rodeo, sensual, rancher, rescue, 1990s, general romance, Forever Love, Single Woman, Reconcile, Hearts Desire, Harlequin Treasury, Teenage Sister, Caretaker, Household, Manage, Persuade, Marriage Minded, Silhouette
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his hat. He turned but made no move to leave. The air between them felt electric.
Uncomfortable with his eyes on her, Alex cast around in her mind for a safe subject. Relief flooded through her as she remembered one. “Would you like a piece of pie?”
“Is there any left?”
Sure of herself now that she could feed somebody, she moved into the kitchen straight to the refrigerator.
Hank walked in behind her.
“I saved it for you. I’ve heard you moving around in here late at night—” She froze with her grip on the door handle as she realized what she’d said. To cover what might be considered an innuendo—it sure felt like one to her—she opened the refrigerator, pulled out a plate and set it on the table. “Anyway, I found things missing the next morning, so I know you’ve been getting hungry. The hands have been eating up all the dessert. Tonight I thought I’d cut you a piece first, before they got to it. I mean, you’re the boss and all. You should have first crack at it.”
Every muscle in Hank’s body grew hard as he stared down at the extralarge piece of chocolate pie while she went to get a fork. Every time he thought he’d gotten past this stupid attraction that neither of them wanted, she went and did something like this.
It wasn’t much, just a piece of pie. But it meant she thought about him, just like he thought about her. If only she knew what drove him downstairs in the middle of the night, she’d probably run screaming to her little yellow car and take off like a mare chased by a grizzly. It was hunger, all right, but not the kind she meant, though he ended up trying to appease it with mere food. Knowing that she’d heard him, that she lay awake while he stared at her closed door, sent heat shattering through him.
“Coffee?”
Hank hoped the intensity in his body didn’t show in his face as he met her eyes. “Sure.” He had to force his muscles to relax before he could bend enough to settle in the chair. As he sat, she set the coffee cup next to his plate. He found it strong and black, just the way he liked it.
He picked up the fork and dug into the pie. She sat quietly across from him, sipping a glass of ice water. He ate steadily, trying not to dwell on how her eyes followed every trip of the fork from the plate to his mouth.
He finally set the fork across the plate, took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat. “About this trip to Laramie...”
She sat up. “Is it okay? I don’t want to usurp your authority, but it seemed to mean a lot to Claire, and I wanted to help.”
“You don’t have to give up your day off to chaperone a couple of silly girls on a shopping trip. They can make do with—”
“I don’t mind. Really. I mean, I don’t have anything else to do. Unless you’d rather they didn’t go at all.”
Hank shook his head. “I’m not a monster, no matter what she says. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to set a couple of girls loose in a rough cow town like Laramie. If you’ll go with them, I’m happy. When she came back upstairs, I was trying to figure out how I could get my chores done so I could take them.”
Alex cocked her head. “Does Claire know that?”
“No.”
“Don’t you think it’d help if you told her?”
He frowned. “Why would it?”
She looked down, then back at him, then away again.
“Go ahead and say it before you bust a gut,” he said.
She sighed. “What the heck, all you can do is fire me. Then you’d be out the money you paid for my radiator. Mind if I give you a little friendly advice?”
“How friendly you talking about?”
. “I’ve noticed that you’re not too good at telling people the why of things. You just give an order and expect it to be obeyed.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m the boss.”
“Of Claire?”
“I’m her legal guardian for another couple of months. I don’t think I’ve done such a bad job raising her and Travis.”
“No, you haven’t. She’s a beautiful young lady.
Uncomfortable with his eyes on her, Alex cast around in her mind for a safe subject. Relief flooded through her as she remembered one. “Would you like a piece of pie?”
“Is there any left?”
Sure of herself now that she could feed somebody, she moved into the kitchen straight to the refrigerator.
Hank walked in behind her.
“I saved it for you. I’ve heard you moving around in here late at night—” She froze with her grip on the door handle as she realized what she’d said. To cover what might be considered an innuendo—it sure felt like one to her—she opened the refrigerator, pulled out a plate and set it on the table. “Anyway, I found things missing the next morning, so I know you’ve been getting hungry. The hands have been eating up all the dessert. Tonight I thought I’d cut you a piece first, before they got to it. I mean, you’re the boss and all. You should have first crack at it.”
Every muscle in Hank’s body grew hard as he stared down at the extralarge piece of chocolate pie while she went to get a fork. Every time he thought he’d gotten past this stupid attraction that neither of them wanted, she went and did something like this.
It wasn’t much, just a piece of pie. But it meant she thought about him, just like he thought about her. If only she knew what drove him downstairs in the middle of the night, she’d probably run screaming to her little yellow car and take off like a mare chased by a grizzly. It was hunger, all right, but not the kind she meant, though he ended up trying to appease it with mere food. Knowing that she’d heard him, that she lay awake while he stared at her closed door, sent heat shattering through him.
“Coffee?”
Hank hoped the intensity in his body didn’t show in his face as he met her eyes. “Sure.” He had to force his muscles to relax before he could bend enough to settle in the chair. As he sat, she set the coffee cup next to his plate. He found it strong and black, just the way he liked it.
He picked up the fork and dug into the pie. She sat quietly across from him, sipping a glass of ice water. He ate steadily, trying not to dwell on how her eyes followed every trip of the fork from the plate to his mouth.
He finally set the fork across the plate, took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat. “About this trip to Laramie...”
She sat up. “Is it okay? I don’t want to usurp your authority, but it seemed to mean a lot to Claire, and I wanted to help.”
“You don’t have to give up your day off to chaperone a couple of silly girls on a shopping trip. They can make do with—”
“I don’t mind. Really. I mean, I don’t have anything else to do. Unless you’d rather they didn’t go at all.”
Hank shook his head. “I’m not a monster, no matter what she says. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to set a couple of girls loose in a rough cow town like Laramie. If you’ll go with them, I’m happy. When she came back upstairs, I was trying to figure out how I could get my chores done so I could take them.”
Alex cocked her head. “Does Claire know that?”
“No.”
“Don’t you think it’d help if you told her?”
He frowned. “Why would it?”
She looked down, then back at him, then away again.
“Go ahead and say it before you bust a gut,” he said.
She sighed. “What the heck, all you can do is fire me. Then you’d be out the money you paid for my radiator. Mind if I give you a little friendly advice?”
“How friendly you talking about?”
. “I’ve noticed that you’re not too good at telling people the why of things. You just give an order and expect it to be obeyed.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m the boss.”
“Of Claire?”
“I’m her legal guardian for another couple of months. I don’t think I’ve done such a bad job raising her and Travis.”
“No, you haven’t. She’s a beautiful young lady.
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