Page 24 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

If that’s what she thought, he might as well act the part. He intended to ride fence for the next week—he’d left a note for Eli explaining his brother shouldn’t request Cade’s return except for an emergency. He’d loaded provisions on one of the packhorses, mounted his own horse and taken off as the sun broke the horizon. Still, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from one last glance over his shoulder as he crested the nearest hill. Emma’s bedroom light was on.

He managed to convince himself not to go home and hash this out with her but continue on. She’d been clear last night; he was okay to fool around with, but damn him if he touched her in the light of day.

He should be better than that to her. And hell, he wanted her to see hecouldbe better than that—that he was worth more than a nighttime fling. He wanted her to accept that he was worth the emotional investment.

Gently laying his spurs to his horse’s side, he clucked at the pack animal and started down the far side of the hill. The two animals broke into an easy lope. Every stride carried him farther and farther away from the torment he’d left behind.

But he didn’t experience the deep sense of relief he’d expected to find once he was free of her. He actually felt worse. Why, he had no idea, but he wasn’t examining it too closely, either. This whole self-revelation thing had been great for Eli, but Cade had vowed he wouldn’t fall victim to the same feminine expectation—that he change who he was in order to be the man she expected him to be. He’d never change.

He dropped the pack animal’s lead and shoved his hat on his head. His horse grabbed the bit. Cade didn’t fight him for it. They’d end up where they ended up, and they’d find their way back. Eventually. Right now? He needed to let off a little steam, and his good ole horse, Ziggy, seemed to understand.

They ran until both were lathered in sweat. Only then did Cade regain control of the situation, working the bit free and slowing the horse down to first a trot and then a walk. They’d covered an easy four miles and left the packhorse far behind. Chances were good the packhorse had headed for the barn. He’d show up there and people would worry something horrid had happened to Cade and then they’d call the—

The SAT phone rang as if on cue. With a deep sigh, he answered. “Yeah?”

“You’re due at the kitchen table in about three minutes,” his youngest brother, Ty, said. “We’re all here, including the hottie.”

“Want to keep your hands?”

“Uh...is this a trick question?”

“Keep your hands to yourself where the woman is concerned,” Cade bit out, “and your hands are yours to do whatever you want with. Touch her and I’ll cut ’em off.”

“Bro, tell me you didnotdo the forbidden polka with Ms. McNaughty!”

“Shut up,” Cade hissed. “It’s none of your... ‘The forbidden polka’?”

“Oh that’s child’s play. I’ve got some good ones, like Downward Dogging, knowing someone in the Biblical sense, working the mortar and pestle, crashing the—”

“Stop!” Cade couldn’t help but grin and shake his head. “Where the hell do you get this stuff?”

“I get bored.” Voices sounded in the background, and Cade heard Ty’s boots on the floor as the younger man walked away. “You want me to tell them you’ll be here?”

“No. There’s fence down on pasture twelve and I’ve brought the stuff out to mend it.ThenI’ll be there.”She could stuff that in her pipe and smoke it. “Ranch work has to come first.”

“Yeah, well, this sort ofisranch work, Cade.” Ty blew out a short, hard breath. “I get that it’s tough to face a woman after you’ve done the whole paddling up Coochie Creek, but you’ve got to face the music.”

“Not when the music amounts to a familiar banjo solo, my brother,” Cade murmured. “And if you offer one more euphemism for sex, I swear to all that’s holy I will have you cleaning stalls for the next week.”

“You’re not my boss,” his little brother snorted. “I’m one-third owner of this place.”

“Trust me—you’ll be cleaning those stalls.”

Silence met his threat, then in a long-suffering tone he said, “Fine. I’ll cover you. But get here as fast as you can. I don’t want her having the contractors paint the shutters turquoise because it’s ‘trendy.’”

Cade couldn’t help but laugh. “She’s not the type, but I’ll be there as soon as the fence is fixed.”

“Why didn’t you send someone else to do it?”

Cade sat quietly, focusing on further slowing his breathing.

“And why does Ziggy sound as if he’s breathing hard enough to be used as industrial bellows?” Skepticism finally laced the kid’s words. He might love his brothers, but to Ty? The horses were sacred.

“We had a good run, burned off some excess energy.”

“You might be better off if you admitted the truth.”

The quiet words put Cade’s back up. “And just what would that be?”