Read Online The Rancher's Second Chance by Victoria James - Free Book Online

lying.
    He looked her up and down, and when his eyes connected with hers, there was a gleam in them that made her mouth dry. “Your clothes are plastered to your body, obviously drenched. No time for arguing. I want to change, too. You’ll never get warm if you stay in those clothes. Here, take the lantern with you.” He nudged his chin in the direction of the washroom.
    “Right,” she mumbled, taking the handle of the lantern and limping toward the washroom. She was now going to be spending the night in this remote cabin with Cole. In her chicken fantasies where she was safe in her own little apartment, this would have been fabulous. But now, in this small space, it was slightly more than unnerving. What if he didn’t talk all night and she just chattered on endlessly because she was nervous? She frowned, thinking of the last person that had told her she talked too much. She couldn’t think of that, him , now.
    She placed the lantern on the ground, lighting up the small washroom. She peeled her soaked clothes from her body, shivering madly in the cold washroom and quickly put on the T-shirt. Cole being much taller made the shirt seem like an oversize nighty. She lifted her leg and looked down, wincing as she touched the swollen ankle. She was going to have to ice it or something. After a few more moments of adjusting she bundled her clothes and opened the door a creak, poking her head out.
    She almost dropped the lantern and the clothes when she spotted Cole at the other end of the room. He was wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung jeans. Every well-defined muscle in his fit body was highlighted to perfection. And he was tanned. He shouldn’t be tanned—it was February for crying out loud. She quickly shut the door and tried to compose herself and then looked in the mirror to make sure she didn’t have drool running down her face.
    Control yourself. He’s a man. Just like any other man. He’s your friend’s brother. He doesn’t even like you. The only thing he’d ever noticed about her was that she was short. She’d stood in front of him in revealing clothes and he’d said she was short. Perfect. That last thought did it. She squared her shoulders, picked up the lantern again, and stuffed her clothes under her arm and opened the door.
    “If you’re hungry, I’ve got some beef jerky,” he said turning around to face her.
    Don’t look below his chin. Don’t look below his chin. Don’t look…too late. She cursed herself. Perfectly perfect. He could be the poster boy for the hottest cowboy in the country. Too bad he’d taken off the Stetson or it would have been an even better look. She slowly crossed the room, trying not to look like an idiot.
    “Why are you scowling at me? You don’t like jerky? It’s organic. My beef,” he said handing her a piece.
    “I’m sure it’s great,” she said, accepting the piece. She’d heard all about their ranch. Cori was always going on and on about Cole’s philosophy, the one that he and his wife had shared. She bit off a piece, surprised the salty morsel almost melted in her mouth, not leathery at all.
    “I hung up my clothes by the fire. You should probably do the same,” he said, cocking his head toward the hearth. Melanie tried to swallow the piece of jerky lodged in her throat; she should have never looked at the navy boxers and jeans and shirt. She wasn’t going to hang her clothes there. What, her pink-lace bra and underwear dangling from the mantel? They’d sit and stare at her lingerie while eating jerky all night?
    “You can use those cans of fruit to hang them from.”
    “I’m sure they’ll dry if I just place them over here,” she said walking over to the fire and placing them in a heap on the floor in front of the fire.
    “Nah, they’ll never dry like that. Trust me. Want me to do it?”
    “What? No, no, I’ll do it,” she mumbled, snatching up the clothes. Her gaze darted back and forth between half-naked Cole and her clothes. “I