A passion for travel has taken New York Times bestselling author VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON to Europe, Great Britain, the Greek isles, Australia and New Zealand. She’s visited most of North America and has her eye on South America’s rain forests. Africa, India and China beckon. But her first love is her home state of Arizona, with its deserts, mountains, sunsets and—last but not least—cowboys! The wide-open spaces and heroes on horseback influence everything she writes. Connect with her at vickilewisthompson.com, Facebook.com/vickilewisthompson and Twitter.com/vickilthompson

USA TODAY bestselling author ANNA DEPALO is a Harvard graduate and former intellectual property attorney who lives with her husband, son and daughter in her native New York. She writes sexy, humorous books that have been published in more than twenty countries. Her novels have won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Golden Leaf and the Book Buyer’s Best. You can sign up for her newsletter at www.annadepalo.com

SCARLET WILSON writes for both Mills & Boon Romance and Medical Romance. She lives on the west coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached via her website: scarlet-wilson.com

Tempted by the Movie Star

In the Cowboy’s Arms

Vicki Lewis Thompson

Hollywood Baby Affair

Anna DePalo

The Mysterious Italian Houseguest

Scarlet Wilson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09727-7

TEMPTED BY THE MOVIE STAR

In the Cowboy’s Arms © 2017 Vicki Lewis Thompson Hollywood Baby Affair © 2017 Anna DePalo The Mysterious Italian Houseguest © 2017 Scarlet Wilson

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Table of Contents

Cover

About the Authors

Title Page

Copyright

In the Cowboy’s Arms

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Hollywood Baby Affair

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Epilogue

The Mysterious Italian Houseguest

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

About the Publisher

In the Cowboy’s Arms

Vicki Lewis Thompson

To Mills & Boon authors everywhere—

In an uncertain world, our stories have given

pleasure, lightened burdens and changed lives.

We rock.

Chapter One

Broad-shouldered, lean-hipped men with square jaws and captivating eyes were a dime a dozen in Hollywood. After spending all twenty-seven years of her life in Tinseltown, Geena Lysander wasn’t easily impressed. It was a testament to the beauty of Matt Forrest that her glasses fogged up whenever he walked into her office.

He was also a decent guy, and she didn’t often come across someone who was both ethical and gorgeous. She’d been strongly attracted to him ever since they’d started working together six months ago. Several times she’d caught a flash of heat in his gaze that indicated he had feelings for her, too.

Once she’d thought he’d been ready to ask her out. When he hadn’t, she’d decided it was for the best, considering their professional relationship. But that hadn’t stopped her from wanting to kiss him, especially when he flashed one of his megawatt smiles.

Judging from the grim set of his mouth, he wouldn’t be doing that today. Usually he came in wearing his signature hat, a chocolate-brown Stetson with a turquoise-studded hatband. He favored snug T-shirts, faded jeans and scuffed cowboy boots.

Not this morning. Instead, he’d pulled a generic baseball cap over his thick dark hair and covered his baby blues with aviator shades. He hadn’t bothered to shave. She’d never seen that beat-up denim jacket before, either, and he’d turned the collar up even though it was seventy degrees outside. The jeans and the boots were the same, though.

Giving her glasses a quick polish, she smiled, then she put them back on and stood. “Hey.”

“Ma’am.” He touched the brim of his cap in greeting, but he didn’t smile back.

If he’d intended to create a disguise, he’d failed. The paparazzi were experts at spotting celebrities trying to look like street people. And Matt, bless his heart, would look hot as sin no matter what he wore. “Any troubles on the way over?”

He shook his head. “Stayed with a buddy last night, which seems to have thrown them off the trail temporarily. Figured they might be watching my apartment building.”

“I can send someone to check that out.”

“I appreciate it, but I plan to avoid my place for a while so don’t go to any extra trouble.” Still no smile, and Matt was the kind of guy who looked for the humor in a situation.

She’d always cherished that about him and hated seeing him so down. He might have exercised poor judgment yesterday, but she understood how that could happen with a costar like Briana Danvers. He was so new at the game. One big-budget movie in the can and another scheduled to start shooting next month meant he was on his way, but he was bound to make a few rookie mistakes in the process.

That’s what PR reps like her were for—to repair those little whoopsies.

He took off his shades and stared at her, his gaze bleak. “What now?”

“We’ll work through it.” As she sat down, she gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat.”

“Thank you.” He lowered his muscular body onto the leather upholstery with a sigh.

“Heard anything from Harvey?” She wasn’t crazy about Matt’s agent, who headed up a big firm and always seemed to be unavailable or out of the country. But the guy had negotiated the original movie deal and Matt had been signed for another potential blockbuster that would begin filming in a few weeks, so Harvey was getting his client work. That was the bottom line.

“He texted me. Said I should relax, that it would all blow over.”

“He’s probably right.”

“I hope he is, but this has really thrown me for a loop.”

“I’m sure it has.” And she was determined to help him sort it out, since Harvey had obviously dismissed the issue.

Pulling off his cap, Matt tunneled his fingers through his hair. “I never expected Briana to behave like that or say those things about me.” The words were laced with pain.

Geena wondered if she should have seen this train wreck coming and warned him. Briana was seductive, both onscreen and off. The poor guy had probably become lost in the fantasy. “It’s easy to develop feelings for a costar. You wouldn’t be the first and you won’t be the last.”

“That’s just it. I knew I couldn’t let anything happen.” He sat forward in his chair, his expression tense. “First of all, she’s married, and second, her husband is Clifton effing Wallace, everyone’s favorite, including my mom’s. And mine, actually. He reminds me so much of the Duke.”

High praise from Matt. Early on he’d told her that he knew all of John Wayne’s movies by heart and repeatedly watched them for inspiration. “It’s not the end of the world, Matt. Don’t beat yourself up for being human.”

“No, ma’am, I’m not.” The chair squeaked as he leaned back and gazed at the ceiling. “I’m beating myself up for being stupid. A complete idiot.”

Her heart went out to him. Had they not been separated by her desk, she would have squeezed his arm or given him a hug. Then she caught herself imagining that potential hug in far too much detail.

She cleared her throat. “It’ll be okay.”

“Eventually, I guess.” He met her gaze. “I’m sure Harvey has a point. But being called a home wrecker is humiliating. I can take it, but I hate that my folks will have to hear such things.”

“They’re in Wyoming, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. But they’ll have to face their friends and neighbors, and Sheridan’s a fairly small town. They’ve been so proud of me...” His voice trailed off.

“Like I said, we’ll handle it. The key is to appear contrite and apologetic. Then I can set you up with some visually appealing charity work, like organizing a benefit for a local animal rescue organization. Fans will overlook this, especially if you seem sufficiently remorseful.”

He went very still. “Surely you don’t believe I hit on her.”

“What I think doesn’t matter. The media is running a picture of you kissing her outside a café in Burbank. We need to—”

“I didn’t kiss her.”

“But—”

“She kissed me.”

Judging from the mutual lip-lock Geena had seen in the picture, it was all semantics. “The specific details aren’t important. To be honest, getting labeled as a bad boy isn’t the worst thing that could happen, especially if we demonstrate that you regret your behavior. Up to now, I’ve promoted you as Hollywood’s fresh new face, a handsome guy with a squeaky clean rep. But fans may like discovering you’re not perfect.”

His blue eyes lost all expression. “So you think I forced my attentions on Briana.”

She would love to believe that he hadn’t at least invited that kiss, even if he hadn’t initiated it. The pictures were pretty damning. She understood why he wanted to put a different spin on the encounter, but that strategy could backfire into a he-said-she-said nightmare. “It makes no difference who started it. If we jump on the story right away we can take control of the narrative before it gets blown out of proportion.”

“I see.”

His icy tone made her blink. One glance at his face told her that a wall had gone up. She’d seen that protective shield a couple of times before and had thought the device would serve him well in a brutal business. But employing it against her was counterproductive. “Matt, listen. We can—”

“Sorry, ma’am.” He stood and put on his hat and shades. “But I’m outta here.”

“Wait!” She leaped up. “You can’t leave now. It’ll look like you’re running away.”

“That’s fine with me.” He turned toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

* * *

The minute Matt stepped out on the sidewalk they were on him with their cameras, mikes and invasive questions. Must be a slow news day if someone had tracked him over here. Too bad he hadn’t called a cab. None were in sight, either.

He shouldered his way through what felt like a mob, but was only five or six reporters, and sprinted toward the nearest bus stop. Three years of running all over town auditioning for commercials had forced him to memorize the public transportation system. There was a bus stop a couple of blocks from here. Thanks to a rigorous training schedule, he was in shape.

He outran the paparazzi and caught the bus right before it pulled away from the curb. After paying the fare he sank gratefully into a seat. Adrenaline plus the blast of A/C made him shiver as he ran through his options.

Going back to his apartment wouldn’t work. Even if he made it inside without being accosted, he’d be a virtual prisoner in there until this thing died down. He believed it would. That was what he’d expected Geena to say.

She was a super-smart lady. A little nerdy, but he liked that about her. Tall and slender, she dressed in conservative suits and wore her brown hair up in an arrangement on top of her head. She had a sexy librarian thing going on that had fascinated him from the get-go.

When she was thinking real hard she took off her glasses and stuck them in her hairdo. He’d envisioned her thinking hard about this mess and coming up with a plan that included hustling him out the back entrance of the building. Then she’d hire a car to spirit him away to some remote cabin in the mountains for a week or so.

He’d even fantasized that she’d take time off and go with him. They could strategize how to deal with this and...yeah, get cozy in the cabin. He’d allowed his brain to come up with an intimate scenario that would never happen, but it had been fun to think about.

Instead, she wanted him to publicly apologize for something he hadn’t done and then become proactive by supporting animal rescue. He loved helping a good cause, and animal rescue was dear to his heart. His foster father had devoted his life to a well-respected practice as a large-animal vet.

But Matt balked at using homeless animals as a publicity stunt to prove he was a nice guy. Her plan sucked, but that wasn’t the worst part. The real kicker was realizing that Geena believed he’d done what Briana had accused him of.

He felt like ending the relationship with her PR company ASAP, but that was a knee-jerk reaction. He’d give himself time to think about it before doing anything drastic. Aside from being attracted to her, he also liked her and admired that she’d built the company herself. She looked too young to be the head of the firm, and once he’d asked her how old she was. Turned out she was twenty-seven, same as him.

Being near her gave him a buzz, no question, and he’d caught her giving him the eye, too.

He’d debated asking her to dinner to see what might happen. He’d come close to doing it once, but he wasn’t sure if asking his PR rep for a date would be an unprofessional move. Making that call wasn’t easy in an industry where the lines seemed to blur, but in the end he’d decided to err on the side of caution.

When it came to Briana Danvers, though, his thoughts had been crystal clear. During the filming of Preston’s Revenge she’d kissed him like she meant it, but he’d never for one second contemplated making a move in private, let alone in a public setting. If Geena thought he had, then she’d seriously misjudged him.

Being blamed for something he didn’t do was a hot button. His mom used to do it all the time. Thanks to some counseling, now he could handle the issue if he didn’t respect the person doing the judging. But he respected Geena and it bothered him that she thought he could have made a move on Cliff Wallace’s wife.

So much for his fantasy of spending a few days in a cabin with her. If she wouldn’t help him get the hell out of Dodge, he’d take care of it himself. When he’d told her he was going home, he’d meant Thunder Mountain Ranch where his foster parents lived. They’d saved his bacon when his mom had left him years ago, and ever since then he’d considered them his true family along with his foster brothers.

Rosie and Herb Padgett had been a godsend for many boys caught between a rock and a hard place. But these days, instead of taking in foster kids, they’d opened a residential equine academy for older teens. Much as he wanted to go home, showing up when classes were in session was inconsiderate, especially now that he was a hot item in the scandal sheets.

He used to wonder if he’d ever be famous enough to appear on the cover of the magazines in racks at the grocery store. Thanks to Briana, now he was. They’d plastered that picture everywhere, and one tabloid had dredged up a stock photo of Cliff looking outraged. It’d implied that had been Cliff’s reaction. Probably had been, and Matt hated that.

If he could hide out at the ranch for a few days, he wouldn’t have to keep seeing those tabloids. A quick check of the Thunder Mountain Academy site on his phone brought good news. The spring session had ended two days ago and summer classes wouldn’t start for another week. That meant everyone would be busy preparing the cabins and the rec hall for the next batch of kids.

He could help with that, but first he had to get on a plane. He hadn’t paid attention to what bus he’d used to escape the reporters, but this one wouldn’t take him to the airport. A few transfers would confuse his pursuers if he still had any, and he could make plane reservations on the way.

His tickets, one to Denver and a separate one on a commuter to the Sheridan County Airport, cost a ridiculous amount. Then again, he was making a ridiculous amount, enough for first class on the LA to Denver leg. He’d considered that briefly, because he didn’t fit comfortably in coach, but flying up front would only draw more attention.

Besides, he hated spending money on something so transitory as a bigger seat on the plane. He preferred investing in more permanent pleasures. He’d sunk a good portion of his earnings into a fixer-upper ranch not far from Thunder Mountain. He’d bought it sight unseen as a sanctuary from the craziness of LA, not knowing just how crazy things could get.

Rosie and Herb had checked out the place before he’d signed the papers and they’d assured him it would be beautiful once he gave it some TLC. Although he wouldn’t have much time to do that on this trip, he couldn’t wait to see it.

Too bad he had to be back in LA so soon, but some publicity gigs for Preston’s Revenge were scheduled next week, and after that he’d start shooting the new movie. He hoped to God Briana had settled down by the time they had to make a joint appearance. If not, those events would be awkward as hell.

After the relative tranquility of the bus ride, he stepped into the chaos of LAX with trepidation. He scanned the crowd for reporters and then decided he was being paranoid. He wasn’t a big enough deal for them to stake out the airport. No one paid attention to him until he had to hand over his driver’s license going through security.

The woman’s eyes widened. “Aren’t you—”

“Yes, ma’am. Please don’t react.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, honey.” She gave him a smile and stamped his boarding pass.

Okay, so maybe not everyone in the world thought he was a scumbag who’d tried to steal Cliff Wallace’s wife. In the gate area he spotted several people reading the tabloid that had caused the most commotion because the headline screamed HOME WRECKER in large type. He kept his head down and hoped for the best. A couple of teenage girls snapped some pictures, but he could certainly live with that. Even if they posted them online, the paparazzi couldn’t get to him here.

He checked his phone and saw several texts from Geena, although she hadn’t tried to call him. He appreciated that. He texted back that he was on his way to Sheridan and would be out of touch for a week or so.

Then it occurred to him he should let Rosie know he was coming. In all the chaos he’d forgotten to do that. She was somewhat psychic, but figuring out he was flying home today might be beyond her powers. He sought out an area that was slightly less noisy and called her.

She answered immediately. “You’ve been on my mind all morning. How are you, son?”

Her caring voice almost made him lose it. No scolding, no exclamations of horror, no tears. She only wanted to know that he was okay. “I’m fine, Mom. I’m coming home for a few days, if that’s okay.”

“Of course it’s okay! When will you be here?”

He checked his arrival time. “I have a long layover in Denver so I won’t make it for dinner. Looks like I’ll land about nine or so tonight.”

“Cade and Lexi will pick you up.”

“Great. Can’t wait to see them.” His foster brother Cade Gallagher had moved back from Colorado two years ago and reunited with his high school sweetheart, Lexi Simmons. They’d both worked hard to make Thunder Mountain Academy a reality.

“The truck’s new, so look for the academy logo on the door. Oh, Matt, I’m so glad you’re coming home. I feel the need to see you.”

“I feel the need to see you, too.” He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. “Gotta go. We’re about to load.”

He disconnected and stared at the floor while he pulled himself together. Six months ago he’d called Rosie with the life-changing news that he’d been given the male lead in his first big-budget film. She’d whooped and hollered for a good five minutes before she’d been able to speak rationally.

What a beautiful moment that had been. He’d cherished the idea that she could brag to her friends about her son the movie star. He’d loved giving her something special to celebrate after all she and Herb had done for him. And now that shiny moment had been tarnished.

At least his folks were in Wyoming, far from the ugliness. He never wanted it to touch them. Their privacy meant everything to him and he’d protect it at all costs.

Chapter Two

Matt had no trouble spotting the ranch truck as he stood in the cool night air outside the Sheridan airport waiting for his ride. Cade drove up in a tan, four-door long bed with the Thunder Mountain Academy logo on the door. Lexi wasn’t with him, after all, so Matt climbed into the front seat and grasped Cade’s outstretched hand.

“Hey, Matt.” A straw cowboy hat shadowed Cade’s face, but his subdued greeting telegraphed his concern. “No luggage?”

“Nope.” Matt closed the door and fastened his seat belt.

“At least you stayed ahead of the peasants with the pitchforks.” Cade put the truck in gear and pulled out.

“Barely. Nice truck.”

“Mom likes me to drive it whenever I come to town. She thinks it’s good for the academy’s image.”

Matt leaned back against the seat. “Yeah, until some derelict gets in.”

“Now that you mention it, you do look a little rough around the edges, bro. Is the scruff for your next role?”

“The scruff is for lack of a razor, although I figured it also might keep people from recognizing me.”

“Oh.”

“So, where’s Lexi?”

“She thought we might need some brotherhood moments so she’s waiting at the ranch with Mom and Dad.”

“Wow.” Lexi’s understanding touched him. “That’s...really nice of her.”

“That’s my lady. She has it all going on.”

“You’re a lucky guy.”

“Yes, yes, I am.” Cade stopped at a red light and took a deep breath. “And since she’s given us the chance to talk, let me say this whole thing bites. I mean, one damn kiss. It’s not like you were boinking that woman in the middle of Sunset Boulevard. And wouldn’t you know some jackass would be there with a camera.”

“Of course he was.” In spite of his exhaustion, Matt’s anger flared to life. “She hired him to be there.”

“What?”

“She set me up.” Matt’s stomach clenched as he said it out loud for the first time. “I can’t prove it yet, but the long layover in Denver allowed me to think through all that’s happened and I’ve put the pieces together. I realize everything started on the last day of shooting when she propositioned me.”

“Aw, hell. Seriously?”

“Afraid so. I’ve never told anyone about it, though, so keep it to yourself.”

“Goes without saying.”

“Anyway, she was a little drunk, but not that drunk. She said Cliff wasn’t man enough for her anymore.”

“Anymore? They’ve been married for like three years, tops!”

Matt shrugged. “Who knows what their relationship is like? She promised we’d be discreet and no one would ever have to know. I turned her down as nicely as I could, but—”

“Now she hates you with the heat of a thousand branding irons.”

“Sure looks that way. She invited me to lunch yesterday, supposedly to apologize for her inappropriate behavior. Instead, she kissed me in front of witnesses and then told the media I was the aggressor.”

“Holy shit on a swizzle stick.”

“Yeah.” He glanced over at Cade. “But now that I’m out of paparazzi range it should die down. Without me to harass they’ll focus on some other poor slob. At least, that’s my plan. And I’d like to forget Briana Danvers while I’m here, so let’s talk about something else. You still have that gray tabby cat?”

“You remember Ringo?”

“Absolutely. He was one of the highlights from that quick visit last year.”

Cade chuckled. “Ringo’s living the life. Ever since Lexi moved into my cabin he prefers staying there with us instead of patrolling the barn looking for mice. He’s turned into a feline couch potato.”

“Smart cat.”

“Smarter than we are, that’s for sure. Listen, you may want to forget about Briana, but I’m just getting started thinking about her and I want justice.” Cade smacked the steering wheel. “Here’s an idea! We’ll call a press conference so you can tell your side. We can’t let her get away with this crap.”

His brother had his back. The heaviness lifted from Matt’s shoulders and he smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours. A press conference in Sheridan, Wyoming. That would be a first, especially if they could get any members of the press to show up, which wasn’t likely.

“I don’t know how to organize a press conference,” Cade continued, “but I’ll bet you do. Or you know people who know people. We can make it happen.”

“Look, it’s a good impulse and I appreciate the moral support, but a press conference won’t work for a lot of reasons.”

“What she’s done is wrong, damn it! It’s character assassination and you need to defend yourself.”

“I doubt I can. She’s a very good actress who knows her camera angles. She orchestrated that kiss so I’d look guilty as charged. Even if I try to tell my side, hardly anyone will believe me.”

“They might if you tell them about the proposition.”

“Not doing that.”

Cade groaned. “I should have known you wouldn’t. You’re too noble for your own good, buddy. She doesn’t deserve your overdeveloped sense of chivalry.”

“It’s not her I’m thinking about. It’s Cliff Wallace. I respect the hell out of the guy. He has lousy instincts when it comes to women, but like I said, Briana’s a very good actress. He may eventually find out the truth about her, but not because of me.”

“You had some love scenes with her, right?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Hot?”

“Yep.”

Cade was silent for a while. Then he cleared his throat. “Let me just say I respect the hell out of you, cowboy. A lot of guys would have taken her up on that offer.”

“Not if they were members of the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood.” Matt took great pride in being a part of the group Cade had started years ago with Damon Harrison and Finn O’Roarke, the first three foster boys. Now every guy who’d lived at the ranch was included.

“True.”

“And not if they’d been raised by Herb and Rosie.”

Cade grinned. “Also true. And for the record, Mom’s been informing everyone that the tabloids got it wrong. You never would have behaved that way.”

“God, I love that woman.”

“Don’t we all.” He looked over at Matt. “Are you planning to tell her everything you just told me?”

“Probably not.”

“I wouldn’t, either, unless you want her to buy a ticket to LA and open up a can of whoop-ass on Briana. She’s already put a couple of DVDs in the trash compactor.”

Matt chuckled at the image of Rosie listening to the crunch as the DVDs bit the dust. “That’s why I had to come home, so I could hear stuff like this. Mom’s destroying DVDs and you’re ready to call a press conference. It’s a far better reaction than what I got from my PR rep this morning.”

“Which was?”

“She wanted me to publicly show remorse for my behavior.”

Cade met that comment with several choice swear words. “So, did you fire her?”

“Not yet. She doesn’t know me that well and the photo convinced her I’d forced myself on Briana.”

“Did you tell her you hadn’t?”

“Yeah, I said it was the other way around—that Briana kissed me—but Geena didn’t think it mattered who kissed who. I’m supposed to suck it up and be apologetic.”

“That’s her name? Geena?”

“Geena Lysander.”

“Well, this Geena person should have believed you. She should have taken your side. Apologize, my ass.”

“In a way, she was trying to take my side. She kept telling me it would be okay and we’d fix this.” He thought of the earnest light in her eyes as she’d laid out her plan. She had pretty eyes, and when they took on that special gleam, he had the urge to kiss her. Like that would ever happen.

“Well, you’re not apologizing.”

“Nope. I’ll just hide out for the next few days. My phone’s been off for hours and I’m growing fond of that mode. I might leave it off.”

“But you’re a big-deal actor now. Don’t you have to stay in touch with your peeps?”

“My peeps are all right here in Sheridan. You, Lexi, Rosie and Herb. Plus Damon and Philomena. How’s their baby doing, by the way?”

“Sophie’s cute as hell, bright red hair just like her mother’s. And Jake Ramsey moved back to town. He’s working at the fire station and engaged to Amethyst Ferguson. Remember her?”

Matt laughed. “Doesn’t everybody? I can’t hear ‘Santa Baby’ without remembering her sexy performance back in high school. I thought she’d be giving Taylor Swift a run for her money by now.”

“Turns out she’d rather stick to performing locally.”

“You know, after what just happened, I get that.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re hanging it up because of this nonsense.”

“No, I’m not. I’m starting a new movie next month.”

“Awesome! I don’t think I heard about that.”

“It came up pretty fast, and I kept meaning to call Mom but then this thing hit.” Matt let out a weary sigh. “But I’ll hang in there. I love acting. Always have.”

“The ultimate escape.” Cade glanced at him. “Do you remember telling me that?”

“I do, actually. School plays were great when I was a kid, but this...you can completely disappear into the role. You don’t have to worry about what to say because they hand you a script. You don’t have to wonder how everything will turn out, either. It’s all written out.”

“Sounds damned appealing. It’s a wonder more of us didn’t get into that line of work. Perfect way to forget about things you’d rather not remember.”

“Sure is. But I need a break. I’m ready to unplug, at least for the next week or so. Let’s talk about your wedding. Third weekend in August, right?”

“Yep.”

“I want all the deets, bridegroom.”

“You won’t be bored?”

“Not a chance.” He settled back, ready to hear about something positive for a change.

Once Cade got started on the subject of his upcoming nuptials, he barely stopped for breath. Matt got a kick out of his excitement. By the time they turned down the dirt road leading to the ranch, the humiliation of the past twenty-four hours seemed unimportant compared to Cade’s obvious joy in marrying the love of his life.

The tabloid blitz had loomed large back in LA, but moonlight shining on the massive bulk of the Bighorns put everything in perspective. Cade parked in the circular gravel drive in front of the low-slung ranch house and Matt swung down from the cab. Lamplight coming through the windows allowed him to see Rosie, Herb and Lexi sitting in the Adirondack chairs lined up on the long porch.

They called out a greeting as they started down the steps. Matt hadn’t shaved or showered in two days, but nobody seemed to care. Arms outstretched, they gathered him close. Coming home had been the right thing to do.

* * *

As the crow flew, Sheridan didn’t seem that far from LA. Geena wished she could get there by crow, because clearly traveling by passenger plane would take all flipping day. The layover in Denver was ridiculous, but it gave her plenty of time to think about where she’d gone wrong with Matt Forrest.

And she’d gone very wrong with him. She’d also underestimated Briana Danvers’s thirst for publicity. Somehow the woman had learned that Matt had left town and she’d made a huge deal of it, calling his departure an admission of guilt.

That was exactly why Geena had wanted him to stick around, but she’d handled the situation poorly. Because she’d dealt with her fair share of clients caught in compromising situations off the set, she’d assumed Matt fell into that category. She’d expected him to agree with her plan to contain the damage. Instead, he’d stormed out of her office.

So she’d gone into research mode. A friend had sent her the dailies from Preston’s Revenge. The scenes between Briana and Matt were off the charts, but did that mean he’d aggressively pursued her?

She was less and less sure about that. Briana was married to a revered but aging Western movie star. What if she’d been captivated by Matt? He claimed that she’d initiated the kiss.

And, unlike other clients, he seemed horrified by the drama that photo had created. Some stars were thrilled by any publicity at all, even if it was potentially negative. Not Matt. He’d chosen to hide out.

It might have been a workable strategy except that Briana obviously planned to keep stirring the pot. Matt needed to fight back or he was liable to be forever labeled with Briana’s taunt of run, Forrest, run.

No other celebrities were doing something stupid this week, so the gossip mags were hungry for anything Briana fed them. The situation reflected poorly on Geena’s firm, which she’d started only three years ago, but that wasn’t why she’d decided to make a trip to Sheridan. She couldn’t bear to stand by and watch Matt take a beating.

So she’d booked her flights to Sheridan, a place that was not easy to get to. But she’d brave a puddle jumper if that’s what it took to talk to Matt face-to-face.

He wouldn’t be happy to see his PR rep, though. She reminded herself of that as she drove her rented SUV down some of the darkest roads she’d ever seen. Thank God for her GPS or she’d surely have ended up in some pasture staring at an angry bull.

She almost missed the turnoff to Thunder Mountain Ranch. At the last minute she saw it, thanks to a small spotlight trained on the carved wooden sign. A second sign hung below it proclaiming this the Home of Thunder Mountain Academy.

She had no idea what that was about, but the ranch was listed as Matt’s home address so she’d forge on. Presumably his parents, Rosie and Herb Padgett, lived here. He’d probably changed his last name to something less jarring than Matt Padgett, which was smart marketing.

The dirt road leading to the ranch was even darker than the highway. If she’d spent the night in Sheridan, she could have tackled this road first thing in the morning. But Matt would have an easier time turning her away in broad daylight. A gentleman didn’t send a lady back out into the night after she’d traveled all day to see him. And Matt Forrest was a gentleman.

She’d allowed the turmoil Briana had created to obscure that basic fact. Briana might be irresistible to the majority of males out there, but despite her famous allure, Matt would never succumb to it in a public place. Such behavior would have violated his personal code of conduct, one that probably had its roots right here on this extremely authentic-looking ranch and in all the John Wayne movies he’d memorized.

Arriving unannounced with a small overnight case in the passenger seat was cheeky. She planned to leave it there and see what happened after she knocked on the door, but in movies ranch houses always had spare bedrooms. Staying in the same house as Matt would help the cause, since she didn’t expect instant cooperation.

The SUV’s tires crunched on a layer of thick gravel as she navigated the circular drive and parked by the front door. Hers was the only vehicle there, but several more were down by a large hip-roofed barn. The Adirondack chairs lined up on the long front porch were empty, but when she stepped out of the car, she heard country music coming from the house. And laughter, both male and female. It seemed she’d arrived in the middle of a party.

Well, that made sense. His folks had probably decided to celebrate his success and ignore the scandal. No wonder he’d wanted to come back to that kind of love and support.

She paused beside the SUV. Her arrival would be about as popular as Maleficent crashing a baby shower. On the other hand, having lots of people around might be a good thing. She was fine with crowds. Growing up with a Hollywood star for a mom, she’d learned to handle herself in any circumstance, no matter how bizarre or awkward.

She was still debating what to do when the front door opened and a redheaded woman came out holding a baby who looked to be about five or six months old. A tall guy tugged on the brim of his cowboy hat as he followed her out and started to close the door.

“I still say she said my name,” called someone from inside, someone who sounded a lot like Matt.

Laughing, the cowboy swung the door open again. “You’re dreaming, bro!” he called back.

“Aw, come on, Damon.” The redhead was busy fiddling with the baby’s blanket and obviously hadn’t spotted the SUV yet. “Let Uncle Matt have his little fantasy.”

“You heard her,” the guy named Damon said as he closed the door. “She was saying ma-ma like she always does. She—hello, who’s this?” He put a protective hand on the woman’s shoulder and looked in Geena’s direction.

She moved away from the vehicle and came toward them. “My name’s Geena Lysander and I’m here to see Matt Forrest, but apparently I’m interrupting a celebration.”

“Geena Lysander,” the woman said. “Your name came up tonight. Aren’t you his PR rep?”

“Yes, and I’m here to discuss—”

“Let me stop you right there, ma’am.” The tall cowboy descended the steps. “From what I understand, he’s not interested in having any more discussions. He came here to get away from all that, so I’m afraid you’ve made a trip for nothing. My wife and I can lead you back into town and get you settled in a hotel room, though.”

Despite Geena’s height, augmented by four-inch heels, she had to look up to meet his determined gaze. Judging from the set of his jaw, he planned to do whatever was necessary to keep her from going up to the front door. Clearly he intended to protect Matt from the likes of her.

As she debated her next move, the door opened again and Matt stepped out holding a pacifier. At first he looked confused by her presence, but gradually his expression hardened into a mask of anger.

She despaired of getting through to him but she had to try. “I realize you’re not happy to see me.”

“No, ma’am, I’m not.”

“But we need to talk.”

Instead of responding to her comment, he gestured to the SUV. “Is that your vehicle?”

“Yes. I rented it.”

“No worries, bro,” Damon said. “We’ll lead her back to town and help her find a hotel room.”

Matt shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but this is my deal and I’ll handle the problem.” He gave the pacifier to the redhead. “Found this on the sofa and thought you might need it. You two head on home with Sophie. I’ll grab the keys to the ranch truck and make sure Geena has a place for the night.” He glanced over at her. “And a plane reservation in the morning.”

“We’re not in a rush,” Damon said. “We’ll hang out here until you fetch the truck keys.”

“Listen, you don’t have to stand guard over me.” Geena glanced toward the baby, who was starting to fuss. “I promise to stay right here while Matt gets those keys. I’m sure you’d like to get home.”

“We would. Sophie’s hungry.” The redhead jiggled the bundle in her arms. “I think you can stand down, cowboy. Geena doesn’t look dangerous.”

“Okay.” Damon faced Geena and touched the brim of his hat in farewell. “Ma’am.”

“Bye.” She felt wistful as she watched them walk toward the vehicles parked near the barn. She couldn’t remember a time when anyone had stood between her and a potential threat. Must be nice.

Chapter Three

Geena had solid brass ones. Matt would give her that much, but nothing else. She’d made it as far as the driveway, but she wasn’t coming any closer than that. Once he’d escorted her to a hotel in town, he’d fire her like he should have done yesterday. Then she’d have to fly home because she wouldn’t have any reason to hang around.

He stepped inside the house and paused to take a calming breath. Barreling in looking agitated would provoke a bunch of questions. He’d like to do this with as little discussion as possible. He’d already talked about the subject more than he wanted to.

During dinner Phil had asked whether he had publicity folks doing damage control and he’d described his meeting with Geena. He wasn’t surprised that Damon had been ready to escort her straight back to town, but that wasn’t his responsibility or Phil’s.

The living room furniture had been moved aside for dancing, and now that Damon and Phil had left, only four people occupied the floor. Cade and Lexi were teaching some elaborate new move to Herb and Rosie. Matt hated to break that up, but it couldn’t be helped.

As he approached the group, Cade glanced at him. “How about you partner with Lexi? I know this already.”

“I’d be glad to, but I have a little errand to run. Can I borrow the ranch truck for a couple of hours?”

Herb looked puzzled. “Certainly, but I can’t imagine what sort of errand you’d have to run at this hour.”

“Don’t pry,” Rosie said. “Maybe he’s heard from an old girlfriend.”

Cade nudged back his hat. “That would be a trick, since he made such a huge deal about turning off his phone for the next week.” His voice softened. “What’s up, bro?”

“We have an uninvited guest and I need to escort her back to town.”

Rosie blinked. “A woman’s outside? Did some starstruck fan follow you here?”

“No, she’s not a fan. Look, if it’s okay, I’ll just get the keys and take care of this.”

“Hang on,” Cade said. “If it’s some damned reporter, let me go out there with you. I’m sure between the two of us we can convince her to get lost.”

Matt sighed. He probably should have spit it out in the beginning. “She’s not a reporter, either. It’s Geena. If I can borrow the truck for a couple of hours, I’ll—”

“Great.” Cade started for the door. “I’m delighted she’s here and she’s not going anywhere until I’ve told her exactly what I think of how she treated you.”

“No!” Matt blocked Cade’s progress. “Nobody’s going out there except me. All I need is the keys to the truck. She doesn’t know the area so I feel an obligation to make sure she gets back to town okay and has a hotel room. Then I’ll make damn sure she knows that she has to leave in the morning.”

“Matt.” Rosie sent him a look of reproach. “The woman traveled all the way from Los Angeles to see you. I realize you’re annoyed with her, but shooing her away after she’s made that kind of effort isn’t good manners.”

He stared at his foster mother. “She showed up uninvited. That isn’t good manners, either.”

“True, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Sending her back where she came from might give you temporary satisfaction, but it’s not the gracious thing to do.”

“But—”

“Is she an evil person?”

“No.”

“Has she deliberately harmed you in any way?”

Matt sighed. He’d lived with Rosie long enough to know where this was going. “No.”

“Then you need to take the high road, son. Invite her to join us and I’ll offer to put her up.”

Every instinct told him that this was a bad idea. “I don’t want her here, Mom.” He clenched both fists. “Whatever nastiness happened in LA stays in LA. I don’t want you and Dad involved. Or anyone in my family, for that matter.”

Rosie studied him for a moment. “I understand that and I appreciate your desire to protect us. That’s very gallant. I can tell you’re very angry that she’s come here, but let’s think about why she did. Her job is to make you look good, right?”

“Supposedly, but I don’t like her plan or the fact she came to my home uninvited. I’m going to fire her.”

“Do you have a replacement lined up?”

“Not yet.”

“Considering you need a PR person to guide you through this incident, you might want to hold off ditching the one you have. I agree that you shouldn’t apologize for something you didn’t do, but she’s on your turf now.” Rosie smiled. “You don’t agree with her plan for handling things, but now you have a golden opportunity to change her mind.”

Cade nodded, a gleam in his eyes. “And I have a golden opportunity to give her a piece of mine. Yeah, let’s invite her in. Can’t wait.”

“Cade Gallagher.” Rosie pinned him with her gaze. “You will not ambush someone who’s a guest in this house. In fact, I’m going out there to issue the invitation myself. You boys stay right here. And once she walks through that door, you’ll be on your best behavior with her at all times. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Matt and Cade said in unison.

Lexi’s muffled snort was the only sound in the room as Rosie turned and left.

* * *

Geena reasoned that she hadn’t completely lost out. Matt was enough of a gentleman to make sure she found her way back to Sheridan and that she had a place to stay. While she could handle everything herself, she’d accept his help because it would give her a chance to accomplish what she’d come for.

Sometime during their interaction she’d apologize for assuming he’d accosted Briana. Then she’d make her case for having him come back to repair the damage to his reputation. Grabbing a few moments on the fly wasn’t ideal, but at least her trip wouldn’t be completely wasted.

God, he’d been angry, so angry that his blue eyes had glittered like a pair of Fourth of July sparklers. The effect had been thrilling, actually, seeing him go into protector mode concerning his home and family. Now wasn’t a good time to think about it, but that cowboy turned her on.

When the front door opened she expected him to come out bringing all his Matt Forrestness with him.

Instead, a plump woman with blond hair walked out on the porch and down the steps. She approached and held out her hand. “Hello, Geena. I’m Rosie Padgett, Matt’s foster mom.”

“Foster mom?” Geena heard herself and cringed. “Sorry, that was rude.” She accepted Rosie’s firm handshake. “It’s just that from the way Matt talked about you, I thought he was your son.”

“He is. They all are. Many years ago Herb and I started taking in boys with nowhere else to go. Most of them ended up calling us Mom and Dad, which pleases us no end. We couldn’t have kids of our own and now we’re blessed with a huge family. We love it.”

“Wow. So this ranch used to be a foster home?”

“Sure did, although once again, the boys usually dropped the word foster after they’d been here awhile. The ranch was just home.”

“That’s wonderful.” She was beginning to realize how little she knew about Matt. But she doubted Rosie had walked out here to give her a quick history lesson.

“It has been. Listen, I know you’ve had a long trip. I’ll bet you could use some food and something to drink. Why don’t you come in?”

Whoa. Talk about falling down the rabbit hole. “Uh, because Matt doesn’t want me to?”

“You’re right, he doesn’t. He’s embarrassed about the mess with Briana Danvers and hates how it’s affected his life. He made the trip without going back to his apartment because he didn’t want to be waylaid. He asked me to shop for him today so he’d have a few clothes and some toiletries.”

“Poor guy.”

“He’s hurting, that’s for sure. And he doesn’t want any of it touching his family.” Rosie paused. “But unless you have paparazzi hiding in your SUV, I can’t imagine how bringing you inside would involve us in the scandal.”

“I promise I’m not dragging a gaggle of reporters behind me. Sheridan isn’t the easiest place in the world to access by air. Matt’s not a big enough story to warrant suffering through long layovers and tiny planes.”

Rosie laughed. “I love that about this town. But in spite of the inconvenience, here you are.”

“Because I really have to talk to him.”

“I’m sure you do. Just because Matt doesn’t go online doesn’t mean I haven’t. I’ve sent that woman an email letting her know what I think of her shenanigans, not that she’ll ever see it.”

“No, she probably won’t. I’m sure her PR people filter out the negative ones. I do the same for my clients. If I thought this would go away I’d ignore her, but she’s escalated the attack. That’s why I need to discuss it with Matt.”

“Then let’s make that happen. You’re lucky we were having a party or we all might have been in bed.”

“Oh! I didn’t think of that!”

“I’ll bet nobody goes to bed at ten in Los Angeles.”

“Not anyone I know. Plus it’s an hour earlier there. I forgot about the time change, which isn’t like me. I apologize.”

“As it turns out, it doesn’t matter. But I should warn you that ranch folks get up at dawn so we don’t tend to be night owls unless it’s a special occasion.”

“Then I won’t stay long. And I really don’t need someone to lead me back to town and find me a hotel. I can manage.”

“No reason for you to do that. We have plenty of room.”

Geena was stunned. “You’re suggesting I stay here?”

“I am.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Actually, it’s a fine idea. I assume you have a bag with you?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then let’s get it.” Rosie started toward the SUV.

“Wait a minute. Matt will hit the roof. I knew he’d be upset but I had no idea how upset. After I talk with him I’ll drive into town like he suggested. I don’t want to cause problems.”

“Trust me, there will be no problems.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely sure.” Rosie opened the passenger door and reached for the overnight bag.

“Oh, no, let me get it.” Geena edged her out of the way. “It’s bad enough that I arrived unannounced and uninvited. I won’t have you schlepping my luggage.” She pulled out the small carry-on and closed the door.

“The way I figure it,” Rosie said as they started back toward the porch, “you came unannounced because you had to. If you’d told Matt, he would have met you at the airport and sent you right back.”

“Guaranteed.”

“I realize there’s a crisis here, and it’s a shame you and Matt don’t see eye-to-eye on how it should be managed.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Just so you’re clear on my position, I agree with him that he shouldn’t have to make a public apology. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know that now.” Geena lifted her bag so it would clear the steps. “It’s one of the things I want to tell him.”

Rosie glanced over, her expression eager. “You have proof?”

“Unfortunately not. But when I started thinking about what a gentleman he is, I knew he wouldn’t have deliberately embarrassed a woman in public.”

“Ah. That’s a good start. You’re beginning to see who he is under the pretty packaging.”

Geena choked on a laugh. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that he’s a beautiful young man, because I won’t believe you.”

“Okay, I’ve noticed.”

“I’m sure that Briana noticed, too. I have a feeling we don’t have the whole story, but like you said, Matt’s a gentleman. We might have to get the info out of Cade.”

“Cade?”

“One of Matt’s brothers. He’s inside with his fiancée, Lexi, so you’ll get to meet both of them, plus my husband, Herb. This is all working out for the best.” She opened the door. “After you.”

A knot of anxiety settled in Geena’s stomach as she walked into the living room carrying her overnight bag. Sure, she was good at handling awkward situations in the world of glitz and glamour. Somehow it was easier when a large number of the participants had an agenda, often a self-serving one.

She hadn’t spent much time around people who weren’t jockeying for a spot on the next rung up, people who got up at dawn to feed the chickens or whatever it was they found to do at that hour. She’d never set foot on an honest-to-God ranch, let alone a ranch that used to be a foster home.

Had she ever known someone who’d been a foster kid? If so, they hadn’t told her about it. Matt hadn’t told her, either. He’d obviously considered it private information and she respected that.

The comfy-looking living room furniture had been shoved against the wall, probably to create a dance floor. Even without a fire in the fireplace, the room had a cozy, lived-in feel. She could imagine how much it would appeal to a homeless boy.

The good-looking, dark-haired cowboy standing next to a woman with short brown curls had to be Cade, the one most likely to have the inside scoop on what had gone down between Matt and Briana. The woman must be Lexi, who fit right into the casual setting in her jeans, boots and long-sleeved yellow T-shirt.

Cade wore a cowboy hat indoors, like Matt always did. Apparently that was the custom around here, although the older gentleman wasn’t wearing one. She pegged him as Herb, Rosie’s husband.

For one awful moment there was total silence in the room. It made her realize that the heels, nifty black jacket and pencil skirt she’d worn on the plane were out of place on a working ranch, but she didn’t own Western wear and she’d wanted to look professional.

Matt was the first to move. “Let me take that.” He came forward and divested her of the bag.

“Thank you.”

He gave her a curt nod. “You’re welcome. Mom, where should I put it?”

“The green bedroom’s all made up.”

“Right.” He disappeared down a hallway.

“Hi, Geena.” Lexi walked over to shake her hand. “I’m Lexi Simmons and this is my fiancé, Cade Gallagher.”

Cade touched the brim of his hat. “Ma’am.” The greeting, polite but with no warmth, was identical to the farewell Damon had given her a while ago.

“I’m Herb, Rosie’s husband.” The wiry guy had kind eyes and a firm grip. “Welcome to Thunder Mountain.”

“Thank you.” She swallowed a lump of nervousness. “I’m glad to be here.”

“And we’re pleased to have you.” Rosie said it as if daring anyone to contradict her.

Geena couldn’t remember when she’d felt less sure of herself. “Look, you were all doing something before I barged in here, so please continue.”

“We were working on a dance step,” Lexi said. “I don’t suppose you’d want to learn—”

“Why not?” Geena nudged off her heels and put them in a corner.

“Before you get into that,” Rosie said, “are you hungry? Can I make you a sandwich?”

“I’m starving.” Her hunger pangs wouldn’t allow her to say anything but the truth. “I headed out here as soon as I picked up the rental.” Her gaze swept the room. “I knew it was late, although I didn’t realize how late. I apologize for that.”

“Then let me fix you something. Any issues? Food allergies?”

“I’ll be grateful for anything, but let me make it myself. I don’t expect to be waited on.”

Rosie waved her off. “Tomorrow I’ll put you to work, but tonight relax and enjoy yourself. What do you want to drink?”

“Water, please.”

“That’s it? How about an adult beverage?”

Geena considered where she was and what they might have on hand. Under the circumstances, alcohol would be welcome. “A beer would be great.”

Matt came back at that moment. “I’ll get it. You can sample my brother’s brew.” He said it with enormous pride before leaving the room.

“Cade?” She glanced to him. “You make beer?”

“Oh, no, not me. That would be Finn O’Roarke. He has a microbrewery in Seattle. Very successful.” His gaze issued a challenge. “We have a lot of talent in the brotherhood. Brewers, lawyers, horse trainers, firefighters. You name it, we got it.”

“Impressive. You called it a brotherhood. What’s that all about?”

“Nothing.” Matt arrived and handed her an open bottle of beer and a glass before turning to glare at Cade. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Yeah.” Cade exchanged a glance with Matt. “Just a figure of speech. Not important.”

Geena didn’t push it, but her PR instincts were telling her that if Matt belonged to a group calling themselves the brotherhood, she needed to pay attention. A public apology for the kiss didn’t interest her anymore, now that she knew Matt would have to lie in order to make one. But apparently he had a rich tradition of family and loyalty.

She could work the heck out of that angle. Fans would love to know that he was part of a close-knit group of foster brothers who’d grown up on a working ranch. Talk about wholesome. She wasn’t sure what would be the best promo vehicle to get the story out, but it probably didn’t matter. Judging from his reaction so far, he’d never let that story be told.

Chapter Four

Matt hadn’t wanted Geena anywhere near his family, and yet here she was, and damned if she didn’t fit in much better than he could have predicted. Barefoot and wearing a tight skirt that restricted her movements, she still managed to execute the dance moves Cade and Lexi taught her.

Worse yet, she was very appealing doing it. No, not just appealing. The glasses paired with her excellent sense of rhythm created a dynamite combination of brains and sexy moves.

In the months he’d known Geena he’d had many inappropriate thoughts about her, even though mostly she’d sat behind her desk while they talked. She wasn’t behind her desk now, and every time she wiggled her hips, his johnson gave a twitch in response.

She was making inroads with his family members, too. His mom had defected immediately and he wanted to know what those two had talked about outside. Lexi and Herb had both warmed to her, as well. Cade had been a holdout for quite a while, but her willingness to learn the new dance step was slowly winning him over.

Then Rosie brought in Geena’s sandwich and everyone took a break. Matt fetched some chips and more of Finn’s beer from the fridge in the rec room. That was another thing. Earlier, Geena had put down the glass he’d brought her and was drinking from the bottle like everyone else. It was a small thing, but small things added up. She was easy to be with.

While Geena ate, the group lounged on the displaced furniture and talked about Thunder Mountain Academy. Matt hadn’t wanted Geena to know anything about that, either, but it was a logical topic because several chores were in the works during this break between sessions.

Geena seemed fascinated by every aspect of the program. Matt’s family softened even more in response to her enthusiasm. It wasn’t artificial enthusiasm, either. That was a quality he’d liked about her from the beginning. Hollywood was crawling with fakes, but Geena never pretended to be something she wasn’t.

Perfect example—she could have arrived all duded up in an effort to present herself as a cowgirl. Instead, she’d worn the type of clothes he’d always seen her in. This was his first glimpse of her bare toes, however. She’d propped her feet up on the coffee table and he couldn’t help noticing her sea-blue polish. And her delicate ankles and shapely calves.

He looked away. The situation was complicated enough already.

“Do you ride?” Lexi asked her.

“I don’t know the first thing about horses.” Geena finished off her sandwich. “I take that back. I know what a Clydesdale is because I’ve seen the commercials. My hat’s off to whoever came up with the idea of using them to market beer.”

Lexi smiled. “Yeah, everybody loves those big ol’ horses, me included. I just thought you might be a rider since you’re so interested in the academy.”

“I wouldn’t mind trying it sometime, but I’d be a total beginner.”

“Want to try it while you’re here?”

Matt bit back a groan. That was so Lexi, eager to introduce the uninitiated to the wonders of horseback riding. That was why she was such a good teacher, but in this case he wished she’d zip her lip.

“I’d love to, but all I brought to wear was stuff like this.” Geena gestured to her skirt and jacket.

“I can find you some clothes and boots,” Rosie said. “I’ve stocked up on spare items for the students.”

“I don’t know. I’m pretty tall.”

“So are some of the girls we get here. I try to be prepared when pants get ripped and kids come with expensive boots that shouldn’t be worn to muck out stalls.”

“So they have to be financially well-off to attend?”

“At first they did.” Herb hadn’t spoken much but this was a favorite topic of his. “We’re working on changing that. We already have one scholarship opportunity thanks to Ben Radcliffe, a local saddle maker who conducts a class every semester. We’re looking for more sponsors. There are plenty of kids who would benefit but don’t have the tuition.”

“I’ll offer a scholarship,” Matt said. “I can probably handle two or three if the money stays good. I can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before.”

“That’s brilliant.” Geena smiled. “Too bad we can’t get it organized this week because a picture of you with a recipient would be—”

“Not happening.” Matt gazed at her and wished they didn’t always have to be on opposite sides of this particular fence. But she didn’t seem to get his need for privacy. Maybe he’d have to fire her, after all. “The scholarships would be anonymous.”

She frowned. “You’d be throwing away a great PR opportunity if you do that.”

“And keeping my personal life separate from my public one. That’s always been important to me, but after what happened two days ago, it’s critical.”

Her shoulders slumped. “That makes it tough to do my job.”

“I know. But that’s the way it has to be.”

“It’s okay. I’ll think of something else. I—” She stifled a yawn. “Sorry. It’s been a long day. I guess the beer and food made me sleepy.”

“I’m sure you’re exhausted.” Rosie switched into mothering mode. “You should get some rest. I know what I said about getting up at dawn, but you don’t have to.”

“Oh, no, I want to.” She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. “When is dawn, anyway?”

That got a laugh. Even Matt couldn’t help grinning. She was such a city girl. But she was also game for anything, which meant she’d get along fine in this new setting. Resilience was a valued commodity around here.

“It’s around five fifteen,” his dad said.

Her eyes widened. “That early?”

“But you don’t have to get up then,” Herb continued. “We do because the horses need to be fed and turned out to pasture. Rosie likes to organize the food for breakfast, but we don’t eat until after six, so you’ll have some extra time to ease into the day.”

“Well, um, I never eat breakfast.”

“You’ll want to eat this one.” Lexi glanced over at Cade. “Nobody fixes a better breakfast than Rosie. Am I right?”

“Except for you, sweetheart.”

“Nice try, Gallagher.” Lexi gave him an affectionate nudge. “Flattery will get you nowhere. You’re still responsible for fifty percent of the cooking at our house.”

Cade sighed. “But I’m still no good at it.”

“You’re improving. That’s what’s important.”

“You’re both invited down here in the morning, though,” Rosie said. “It’s not every day we see Matt at the breakfast table. But Geena, you’re excused. I’ll have the coffeepot on until at least eight, so if that’s all you need, come in and help yourself. We don’t force food on anyone.”

“I’ll be there at six and I’d love to have your breakfast. I’ll also get up at dawn to watch Herb feed the horses. I’ve never seen anybody do that except in the movies.”

Herb smiled. “It’s not all that exciting.”

“Maybe not to you, because you do it every day. Me, I get up, get dressed, hit the drive-through at Starbucks and head to my office. Feeding horses at five thirty in the morning is exotic.”

“Then you’re welcome to show up at dawn.”

“Great. Thank you.” She turned to Matt. “Listen, before I toddle off to bed, can I have a word with you?”

His mom stood. “We can leave you two alone so you can talk.”

“Heavens, no! You’re all settled in. Matt and I will step out onto the porch.” She glanced at him. “Okay with you?”

“Sure.” He shouldn’t have had that last beer. He was feeling way too mellow and he had to stay sharp. But refusing to have a chat on the porch would seem rude and his mom would call him on it.

Geena walked out there barefoot and that charmed him. He didn’t want to be charmed any more than he wanted to have sexy thoughts about her. He needed to be tough and uncompromising as he sought to protect his family from...he was no longer clear what that was. He hadn’t wanted any part of his life in LA to intrude on his life here, and yet Geena had inserted herself into his inner circle and the sky hadn’t fallen.

After he closed the door, she turned and leaned her slim hips against the porch railing. She looked tired, which was understandable. The trip from California was taxing, especially for someone who wasn’t used to long layovers, little planes and country roads. She’d probably fare better traveling to New York or London than making her way to Sheridan, Wyoming, home to folks who climbed out of bed at the crack of dawn.

He found a spot to lean against the front wall of the house so they’d both be standing. He suspected she hadn’t taken one of the Adirondack chairs because she doubted she’d have the energy to pull herself back out of it. A cricket chirped nearby and a breeze stirred the tall pines not far from the house.

Geena sighed. “This is nice.”

“Yeah.” A little too nice. Even though his family was just beyond that door, he knew they wouldn’t come out. They understood this was private

That left him with a feeling of intimacy he’d never experienced with Geena. They were truly alone for the first time since she’d arrived. He began thinking about how she’d feel in his arms and how her lips would taste. Did she have a lover? After watching her dance, he could easily imagine that she did.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Apparently she was in no rush to begin the conversation, but unless they started talking he would continue with his inappropriate thoughts. If he walked over and kissed her, would she resist? Or would she part her lips and invite him in?

Finally he had to say something, anything, to keep him from acting on his fantasy. “You picked up that dance step pretty fast.”

She opened her eyes and smiled. “Thanks. I should be able to, after fifteen years of ballet and tap.”

He liked having another key to her personality. “When was this?”

“My mother enrolled me when I was three. Voice and acting lessons, too, so I’d be a triple threat. She named me after Geena Davis. I was supposed to be a star.”

“I didn’t know that.” Not surprising. What he didn’t know about Geena was seriously out of proportion to what he did know. “What happened?”

“A common story.” She gave a little shrug. “I can dance and sing okay but I have no talent for acting. If I’d been movie-star beautiful that might have made up for my bad acting, but I’m not.”

“I think you look nice.” That just popped out. Hadn’t meant to say it at all.

“Thanks.” She smiled and took off her glasses to polish them. “But I would have had to be a real knockout to succeed. Luckily, along the way I discovered that supporting the careers of other actors makes me happy. I’ve hung out with them all my life, so opening a PR business was a no-brainer. Mom wasn’t too pleased with my decision, but she eventually came to grips with it.”

“That’s good.” He sometimes wondered if the woman who’d given birth to him would come out of the woodwork and claim his success was all because of her. “I’ll have to admit that I’ve never seen one of your mother’s movies.”

“Sad to say, they were forgettable. She blames the scripts and the directing. Personally, I think she’s better at creating drama offscreen than on. I was afraid she’d end up with her own reality TV show, but fortunately we were all spared that. She finally gave up trying to draw attention to herself and moved to Italy.”

He couldn’t get a bead on whether she loved her mother or tolerated her. “Is that a good thing?”

“To be honest, it’s a relief. She’s exhausting to be around.”

“Almost as bad as a day spent trying to get to Sheridan, huh?”

“In retrospect, it wasn’t so terrible.” She put her glasses back on and pushed away from the railing. “Anyway, I didn’t want to go to bed without talking to you about something.”

Ah, yes, bedtime. Between the dancing, the beer and finally being alone with her, he was losing the battle with his sexual attraction. She’d be in the bedroom next to his and that would make falling asleep a challenge. When he’d arrived, his mom had asked him if he wanted to bunk in one of the cabins for nostalgia’s sake. Knowing he’d be interfering with the cleaning and preparations for the summer school kids, he’d decided not to.

Now he wished he’d opted for the cabin. His mom had obviously accepted Geena, and for all he knew Rosie had put them adjacent to each other on purpose. It would be like her to think it served him right for being so unwelcoming. He wasn’t feeling unwelcoming anymore. Life had been so much simpler when he’d thought of Geena as the enemy instead of a sexy woman who might or might not be seeing someone.

She took another deep breath, which strained the buttons on her jacket.

He’d been fascinated by that jacket all evening. It revealed a slight bit of cleavage, and near as he could tell, she wore nothing but a bra or a camisole underneath. She didn’t really need a blouse because the jacket provided decent coverage, but he’d thought about what he’d see if he unfastened the buttons.

He needed to get off this train of thought and buy a ticket on another one. Her outfit was no more seductive than any she’d worn in meetings they’d had regarding his career. But those meetings had taken place in her office and not during a cool evening when a silky breeze wafted over them bringing the scent of wild grasses and pine trees.

“You’re upset because I invaded your territory.” Her voice was soft and weary.

“That did upset me.” He wasn’t angry now but chose not to say that.

“If I’d only hoped to convince you to go along with my original plan, then coming here would have been obnoxious, but that’s not why I booked those flights.”

“Then why did you?”

“First of all, I realized that Briana isn’t going to let go of this. If you haven’t gone online then you might not know, but she’s come up with a cutesy slogan and she’s plastering it everywhere.”

Okay, this topic might effectively cool his jets. “I’m afraid to ask what it is.”

“Run, Forrest, run.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Just as Geena had predicted, he’d been branded a coward. “That’s sickening.”

“I agree, but the plain truth is that you’re not going to be able to ride this one out. She’s portraying your silence and your absence as an admission of guilt and she’s spinning stories about how you lusted after her during the filming of Preston’s Revenge.”

His stomach pitched. “That’s a damned lie.” So much for the seductive ambiance of the porch.

“I know it is.”

“How?” Their discussion in her office came back to him along with the anger he’d felt at being wrongly accused. “You weren’t there.”

“No, but I—”

“Geena, you’ve always been a straight shooter before. Please don’t twist yourself into a pretzel because you like my family and you want to smooth things over.”

Her chin lifted and she met his gaze. “That is not the case and I resent your implication.”

“And I’m suspicious of your sudden turnaround! How can you be so sure I’m telling the truth?” He took a step closer. “Maybe I spent every available moment on location trying to seduce her while she valiantly fought me off.”

A flame burned in her eyes, which were definitely green, like he’d thought. “I’m trying to apologize, damn it. You didn’t try to seduce her and you didn’t kiss her outside that café. A gentleman wouldn’t do those things. I allowed the photo to convince me of something I should have known wasn’t true. But I finally figured it out.”

This was turning into an effing roller coaster. “So you’ve decided I’m a gentleman?”

“I didn’t just decide. You’ve demonstrated it from the beginning with your yes, ma’am behavior and your respect for everyone in my office, including the cleaning lady. She made a point of telling me that you showed up late one afternoon after we’d all left and you offered to carry out the trash.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Most people, Matt. So obviously you didn’t initiate that embarrassing scene in Burbank and you didn’t hit on her during the filming. It doesn’t fit your profile. It’s not you.”

“God, that makes me happy. You can’t imagine how happy.” Vindicated. Damn, that felt good.

“Because I hadn’t put that together, I insulted your sense of honor. No wonder you stomped out of my office. I’m surprised you didn’t end our business relationship.”

He smiled. “That was my original goal when I thought I’d be escorting you back to town. First I’d get you a hotel room and then I’d fire you.”

“Good thing Rosie asked me to stay, huh?”

“I wasn’t in favor of that, either.”

“Yeah, she robbed you of your chance to fire me.” She gazed at him with an expression that bordered on tenderness. “You can still do that if you want, although Rosie seems to think you need me.”

The warmth in her eyes brought him right back to the thoughts he’d been having until the discussion turned ugly. Drawn by that warmth, he drifted closer, within touching distance. “I probably do need you. I have no idea how to deal with this fiasco. Anyway, I can’t fire you with Rosie around. She’d give me hell for it. The others wouldn’t like it, either. You made some friends in there.”

“Nice to know.” For some reason her glasses misted up. She took them off. “How about out here?”

He was a goner. “I’ve always liked you. That’s why it bothered me so much that you believed I’d caused that scene.”

“I’ve always liked you, too.” She moistened her lips. “That’s all the more reason I should have stopped to think before I jumped to conclusions.”

The gesture caught his attention and he noticed her lipstick had worn off. He’d never seen her without it. Because of that, the natural pink of her bare lips was more arousing than if she’d stripped naked. The sweep of her tongue had left her mouth with a satin sheen that begged to be savored.

“Rosie thinks there’s more to it.”

“More to what?” While he’d been imagining how she’d taste, he’d lost track of the conversation. Lifting his gaze, he saw awareness in her expression and his heart pounded in anticipation. She knew what he wanted. Judging from the way she was looking at him, she wasn’t opposed.

“The kissing incident.” Her breathing quickened. “She doesn’t think we have all the facts and you won’t make those public because you’re too much of a gentleman. I’m inclined to agree. There are lines you won’t cross.”

He searched her expression. “Apparently you admire that.”

“I do.”

“Then maybe we should head inside.”

She swallowed. “We should?”

“Uh-huh. I’m guessing you already have someone in your life.”

“Actually, I don’t.” Her voice was laced with tension. “Why do you want that information?”

“Because I’m two seconds away from kissing you and I’d hate to ruin my sterling reputation.”

Color bloomed in her cheeks. “I promise your reputation’s safe with me.”

Chapter Five

Being kissed by Matt Forrest was the last thing in the world Geena had expected to happen to her in Wyoming. Being trampled by a moose had seemed far more likely, or being eaten by a grizzly bear.

But kicking off her shoes to learn Cade’s new dance step had felt like kicking off the traces. She’d been under strain, too, and dancing plus a bottle of beer had relaxed her. She’d forgotten to be so darned professional, and like any good actor, Matt had taken his cue.

Licking her lips had been an innocent and unplanned move, but when those electric-blue eyes had focused on her mouth, game over. A powerful wave of lust had swept her brain clean of everything but the need to kiss and be kissed by the hottest cowboy she’d ever known.

He took off his hat and laid it on a chair. Then he reached for her. Cupping her face in both hands, he gazed into her eyes. “I’ve thought about doing this for months. How about you?”

She was so excited she could barely breathe. “Never crossed my mind.” Sliding her hands up the soft cotton of his T-shirt, she felt the solid muscles underneath. The tactile thrill was more delicious than she could have possibly imagined.

“You’re not attracted to me? I could have sworn—”

“I didn’t say that.” She rubbed her hands across his chest because she couldn’t help herself.

“So you are attracted to me.”

“Uh-huh.” She began a slow massage and watched his eyes darken to navy.

“I should’ve asked you out. I almost did.”

“What stopped you?”

His gaze searched hers. “I thought it might be unprofessional.”

“And people talk.”

“Tell me about it.” He tipped her head back. “But tonight, after watching you dance, I don’t really care.”

“I don’t much care, either.” Her pulse raced as she anticipated the touch of his mouth. It looked sexy on screen but ten times more kissable in real life.

He leaned closer. “Glad to hear it.” And he captured her mouth.

When he did, the takeover was complete. She leaned into him and ran up the white flag without firing a single shot. No doubt the guy had many talents or he wouldn’t be finding success in the competitive film industry. But he could give a master course in the art of mouth-to-mouth contact.

He made the connection effortlessly, as if he’d already mapped the contours of her lips. And once he settled in, heaven help her. The movements of his mouth and tongue were subtle yet devastating. He teased, he sucked and he nibbled until she was ready to rip her clothes off because she wanted his brand of intense pleasure everywhere.

That tortured moan had come from her. Her panties were damp and she was clinging to him for dear life. Dimly she remembered they were on the porch of his parents’ house and nothing she longed for could happen here.

Gasping in reaction, she struggled out of his arms and backed away. “You should have a license for that mouth.”

His chuckle was low and sexy, although he was breathing hard, too. “You were giving as good as you got, lady.”

“Okay, Forrest, the gloves are off. We’re officially hot for each other.”

“I noticed.” He dragged in air. “I’m quick that way.”

She pressed a hand against her thumping heart. “I’m... I don’t know what’s supposed to happen next. This is still highly unprofessional.”

“Like I said, I don’t care anymore.”

“Honestly, neither do I. But I’m a guest in your parents’ home. I’m not planning to embarrass either me or them.”

“We won’t.” He retrieved his hat and settled it on his head. “But this isn’t over.”

“I hope not, but I’m a stranger in a strange land. I need a guide.”

“Right.” He paused. “The first thing you should know is that Mom put you in the room next to mine.”

“Oh, geez.”

“That might have been an accident but it might not. She could have done it because she was upset with me for being a jerk when you arrived. But I also feel obliged to warn you that when it comes to her boys, she’s a matchmaker.”

Geena gulped. “But she barely knows me.”

“And that may not figure into her thinking at all, but I might have mentioned you a few times on the phone. That could be enough to set her in motion.”

“Oh.” Knowing he’d talked to Rosie about her was flattering but she wasn’t crazy about being the target of a matchmaking scheme, even if the proposed match was between her and Mr. Hotter-than-a-jalapeño.

“I’m really not sure what she’s thinking. But she knows that you want the best for me, which is a big deal for her. I’m sure she appreciates your interest in the academy, too. You’ve made a good first impression.”

“I’m glad, but let me be clear. After that dynamite kiss I’m eager to get even friendlier, but it’s way too early to be picking out china patterns. Considering my background, I’m not sure that will ever be in the cards.”

“I’ll call your background and raise you mine. Not to mention the lousy odds of any Hollywood couple lasting more than a few years.”

She grimaced. “Isn’t that the truth? But it’s good that we’re on the same page, even if your foster mom has other ideas.”

“You know, I shouldn’t assume she wants to marry me off just because she has that reputation with her boys. She knows how important my career is, how much I want to make it as an actor. So forget what I said. For sure she wants us to get along for our mutual benefit, but that might be the extent of it.”

“Even though she put us in adjoining rooms?”

“Yeah, she did.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure what she had in mind when she did that, but in any case, it won’t work for me. I’ll take a bedroll down to the barn.”

“Is that a veiled invitation to join you there?”

“No, ma’am, it isn’t.”

“Getting it on in the barn has a certain ring to it.”

“Been there, but with country girls. I’m not subjecting you to that.”

She looked him in the eye. “What if I want to be subjected to it?”

His reaction was all she could have hoped for. His eyes darkened and his chest heaved. But he didn’t give in. “Maybe before you leave, but not the first time. For all you know you’re allergic to hay. Or horses. Hear me out on this and don’t get crazy on me.”

“I’m already crazy, and it’s your fault because you kiss like no man I’ve ever known.”

“So I’ve been told.”

She groaned. “You could have warned me! I wasn’t the least bit prepared!”

“Oh, Geena.” Moving closer, he pulled her into his arms. “We’ve started this thing between us and I promise we’ll finish it. I bought a ranch, and I’m thinking that maybe we—”

“A ranch? A whole ranch?”

“I’m hoping it’s a whole ranch. I’d hate like hell to buy half a ranch.”

That made her laugh. “So, where is it?”

“Right down the road.” He rubbed the small of her back. “I vaguely remember the place from when I lived at Thunder Mountain but I’ve never been inside the house. Rosie and Herb looked it over for me and said it was a good buy, although it needs work. I want to go see it tomorrow, so if you’d like to ride along, you’d be most welcome.”

“I’m way ahead of you. I accept your invitation to visit your ranch.”

“Excellent.”

“Now, let me go or I’m liable to drag you into my SUV and drive you over there tonight.”

He backed away. “You’re good for my ego.”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

His gaze swept over her. “We need to get back inside before I change my mind about the barn.”

“I’m not allergic to hay. Or horses. I just remembered that I’ve been exposed to both at Disneyland. I’m good with goats, too.” His laughter made her smile. “Well, I am. They came right up to me wagging their little tails.”

“I’ll bet they did. But please don’t come down to the barn tonight. It’s not an appropriate venue for what I have in mind, and anyway, I didn’t anticipate this so I don’t have supplies.”

Supplies. He really was a gentleman. “Okay. I’ll respect your wishes.” She put on her glasses and tucked a few strands of hair back into place.

“Besides, you should get a good night’s sleep after what you’ve been through today.”

“What about you, bedding down in the barn? Surely you won’t get a good night’s sleep.”

“Actually, I will. I love listening to the horses moving around in their stalls, munching on hay, making snuffling sounds. It’s comforting. I used to do it all the time when I lived here. I’d pretend I was John Wayne, banished to the barn by Maureen O’Hara.” He took a deep breath. “Ready to go in?”

“Do I have a choice?” Now she wished that nature had given her red hair so she could be Maureen O’Hara to his John Wayne.

He shook his head. “We’ve already been out here long enough to raise suspicion. And you must be exhausted.”

“I used to be.” She glanced at him. “But thanks to you, I’m all revved up again.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Are you really?”

He grinned. “No, ma’am.”

“I didn’t think so. When I first arrived and saw your face, I thought I’d made a terrible mistake by coming here. But it wasn’t a mistake, was it?”

He met her gaze and his eyes crinkled with laughter. “If it was, I hope you keep on makin’ ’em.”

Dear Lord, his kiss had been enough to seduce her without adding country charm to the mix. Apparently being in this setting highlighted all his considerable attributes. She could hardly wait for tomorrow’s trip to his ranch so she could sample every one of them.

* * *

The woman was hotter than the griddle at a Chamber of Commerce pancake breakfast. Matt was forced to call on his acting skills in order to appear in control as he walked back into the living room with Geena. He was congratulating himself on his smooth entrance when he tripped over a footstool and barely saved himself from a face-plant.

“I saw that!” Cade smirked at him. “It was totally the stool’s fault.”

His face heated. “I was...uh...”

“Distracted?” Lexi gave him an innocent smile.

“Poor guy’s worried about Briana.” Geena’s color was high and she avoided looking at him.

“That’s the truth.” He appreciated her attempt to excuse his clumsiness but he could tell the rest of them weren’t buying it. Even his dad, usually the last to catch on, wore a knowing expression.

His mom stood. “Briana’s lucky I don’t live in her town. Miserable woman.” She turned to Geena. “I’m sure you’re ready to crash. Let me show you where everything is. Your bathroom’s down the hall and the shower has some idiosyncrasies you’ll need to know about.”

“I appreciate that, because I would love to take a shower before I go to bed.”

Great. Now he’d picture her naked in the shower in the bathroom they’d be sharing during this visit.

“I’m going to turn in, myself,” his dad said. “See everybody in the morning.”

Once all three had left, Matt sank down on the sofa and blew out a breath.

Cade pushed back his hat and gazed at him. “I don’t know if it was good or bad, but whatever happened out there sure has you going, bro.”

“It was obviously significant,” Lexi said. “You’re one of the most coordinated guys I know. You took fencing lessons, for God’s sake. You don’t trip over footstools.”

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “I kissed her.”

Cade nodded as if he’d expected to hear that. “Judging from the glazed look in your eyes, she kissed you back.”

“Yes.”

“Ah.” Lexi chuckled. “What a wealth of information is contained in that one little word. So is it okay for the rest of us to like her, now that you’re kissing each other? Because we all pretty much do.”

“Yeah, sure.” He had trouble collecting his thoughts when his brain had been hijacked. “Do you think Mom’s matchmaking?”

“Good question.” Cade scratched his chin where the shadow of a beard was starting to show. “Normally I would say yes, but I don’t get that vibe from her. We talked about Geena while you two were out there smooching, but—”

“It was one kiss.”

“Then it must have been a dandy.” Cade studied him. “I’m happy for you.”

“Me, too,” Lexi said. “Earlier tonight, before she showed up, I got the impression from the conversation that you haven’t been dating anyone in the past six months or so.”

“I haven’t. After auditioning for every commercial in the world, it seemed, I was finally in demand, which was great but kept me really busy. Then this bonanza hit, but a role like that takes a hell of a lot of prep work.”

“I’ll bet.” Compassion shone in her eyes. “You looked strung out when you arrived, but you’re a lot perkier after stealing a kiss from your PR rep.”

“As well you should be,” Cade said. “Geena’s great. I regret the nasty things I said about her before.”

“But you don’t think Mom’s up to her usual tricks?”

“I don’t think so.” Cade turned toward Lexi. “Do you?”

“Why do I get the feeling you three are talking about me?” Rosie walked into the living room looking more amused than upset.

“Guilty.” Lexi spoke up immediately. “We were wondering if you were matchmaking between Geena and Matt.”

“I’m not.” Rosie claimed her favorite chair before gazing at him. “I came out to tell you that I moved her to the room down by us. That way she can have her own bathroom.” She paused. “And you won’t be neighbors.”

He was very likely blushing. “Okay.” He calculated whether the added distance would help him sleep any better. Probably not.

“Should’ve done that in the first place, but I was feeling a little put out with you, so I thought it would serve you right to have her next door. I figured sharing a bathroom might force you to be more civil.”

Cade snorted. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem anymore.”

“I can see that.” She smiled at Matt. “I don’t want to torture you, son. Or her, either. She confessed the strong attraction between you two but said she would never take advantage of my hospitality.”

“She said that, straight out?” He gaped at her.

“You sound surprised,” Lexi said. “Don’t you know people tell Rosie everything? I’ve never met anyone who inspires people to spill their guts the way Rosie does. It’s a gift.”

“They don’t tell me everything.” Rosie surveyed the group. “For example, nobody has bothered to mention why Briana Danvers orchestrated that photo op. It was clearly planned and executed for a reason. Appears to be the work of an angry woman, if you ask me.” She speared Matt with a look. “I’m sure you have noble intentions, but she doesn’t deserve considerate treatment after the way she’s behaved.”

“That’s what I said when he—” Cade groaned. “Sorry, Matt.”

Rosie nodded as she studied the two of them. “As I suspected, it all came out on the drive from the airport.” She turned her attention to Matt. “Well?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, Mom.”

“You don’t trust me to keep it to myself?”

“Of course I do.” He sent a pleading glance in Cade’s direction, but Cade only spread his hands in bewilderment.

“Maybe you don’t trust me,” Lexi said.

“I’d trust both of you with my life. Trust isn’t the issue.”

Rosie leaned forward. “Then what is the issue? I want to help you get out of this mess but I feel handicapped because I don’t know the whole story. I assume Geena doesn’t know it, either.”

“No, she doesn’t.”

“She probably should. It might be extremely important.”

“I can’t tell you what happened unless you promise that you won’t take any action against Briana.”

“Action?” Rosie blinked. “What kind of action would I take?”

“I don’t know, but you both have to promise not to try and harm her by word or deed.”

“Wow,” Lexi said. “This is getting intense. Want us to sign something in blood?”

Matt sighed. “Your word is good enough.”

“All right,” Rosie said. “Lexi and I promise not to harm that horrible woman.” She paused. “Or hire someone to do it for us.”

Cade choked on his beer.

Rosie waited until he’d settled down before turning back to Matt. “What happened?”

As Matt described Briana’s behavior, his mom grew very still, but her fists clenched and her eyes glittered with an unholy fire.

He finished the story and took a deep breath. “It’s safe to say she’s after revenge.”

Rosie looked at him and her voice sounded deceptively calm. “I could strangle her with my bare hands.” The even tone coupled with the ring of certainty was a chilling combination. She didn’t get angry often, but when she did everyone knew to take a step back.

He cleared his throat. “Mom, you promised not to—”

“And I won’t. She’s not worth going to jail for. I wouldn’t dirty my hands on that piece of trash. But poor Cliff.”

“He’s the one I’m protecting, not her.”

“Just realize you won’t be able to protect him forever. I doubt you’re the first and you won’t be the last. He’ll find out sooner or later. Probably sooner now that everyone and his dog is online.”

“But Matt doesn’t want to be the bearer of bad news,” Lexi said. “I get that. Cliff Wallace seems like a great guy.”

“From what I’ve read about him, he is.” Rosie leaned back in her chair. “But I think he has a weakness for bad women. I should have known this one would be no different. She won’t last, but in the meantime, she’s caused problems for one of my own.” She glanced at Matt. “There must be some way to put a hitch in her giddyup.”

“Don’t I wish,” he said, “but I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“We’re all too tired to think about this now.” His mom stood. “We’ll tackle it tomorrow. But thanks for trusting me with the info.”

“It wasn’t about trust.” He got up to give her a good-night hug. “Cade and I were worried the mama grizzly might fly to LA and do a number on Briana.”

“And wouldn’t I love to! But I won’t.” She hugged him back. Then she said good-night to Cade and Lexi before walking back down the hallway.

“I think that went okay,” Cade said after she left. “Sorry I slipped up, though.”

“No worries.” Matt continued to gaze at the darkened hallway as he debated whether his mom’s room-juggling trick changed anything. “Once we got into the conversation about Briana, I knew she’d find a way to dig it out of me.”

“Like Lexi said, it’s her gift.” Cade stood and came over to sling an arm around Matt’s shoulders. “I notice how you’re focused on that hallway and who’s sleeping at the end of it.”

“Just thinking.”

“I know how that goes. I don’t want to get all up in your business, but—”

“Yeah, you do.” Matt turned to smile at him.

“Let’s just say that Mom’s maneuver with the room switcheroo is well meant, but I doubt it’ll lower your stress level. I suggest an alternate plan. Lexi and I have a comfy sofa you can use tonight. That should keep you out of trouble for the time being.”

“And we’d be glad to have you as our guest,” Lexi added.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll just head down to the barn and make up a bedroll in an empty stall.”

Cade nodded. “That works, too. I remember you used to like doing that, getting into your John Wayne persona.”

Matt lowered his voice and moved closer to Cade. “Buddy, this is awkward as hell, but I have a problem if things heat up in the next day or two. I don’t have—”

“Say no more,” Cade murmured.

His color high, Matt glanced over at Lexi. “Don’t listen.”

“Can’t hear a thing.”

“Got you covered,” Cade said quietly.

“Thanks.”

“All righty, then.” Cade clapped him on the back. “We’ll shove off. See you in the—well, hello, sunshine.”

Matt glanced toward the hallway.

Geena stood there rubbing her eyes. Her glossy brown hair tumbled in waves over her shoulders and she wore a bright blue sleep shirt with a Captain America shield on the front. She put on her glasses and peered at them. “Why is everybody still up? I thought we had to be awake at dawn.”

“We’re in the process of leaving,” Cade said. “Why are you up?”

Matt was grateful for Cade’s response because he was incapable of making one. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth as he noticed the drape of her sleep shirt and concluded she wasn’t wearing a bra. That could mean she didn’t have on panties, either. The ends of her hair were still damp from the shower.

“I was thirsty and needed a glass for water.”

Lexi started for the kitchen. “I’ll get you one. There’s a pitcher of cold water in the fridge. You’d probably rather have that.”

“Thanks, I would. I’ll come with you. I need to know where things are.” Her bare feet whispered over the hardwood floor as she followed Lexi.

Matt gazed after her, still at a loss for words. She was supposed to be tucked in her room with the door closed, not out here roaming around in a Captain America sleep shirt with nothing underneath but warm, sensuous, freshly showered woman.

“You poor slob.” Cade regarded him with sympathy. “There’s no way I could slip you those raincoats tonight. Want us to hang around for a few, make sure she goes back to her designated area?”

“That’s okay. I can handle it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”

Chapter Six

The hum of conversation in the living room had traveled through the air ducts to Geena’s room. She hadn’t been able to make out any of it, which had been maddening. For sure she was missing something and it might be important.

She’d been dying to know what they were talking about, specifically what Matt was talking about. What if he’d decided to reveal the backstory that had led to Briana’s stunt? Damn it, now she wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

She mostly blamed Matt’s kiss, although to be fair she was still on California time and she never went to bed this early. But it was after eleven here and people were still in the living room talking, even though Rosie had said they generally weren’t night owls. That meant something special was going on and she wanted to know what it was.

When she couldn’t stand it another minute, she’d come up with an excuse to go out there. She would have put on a robe, but she’d packed so quickly this morning that she hadn’t thought to bring one. The sleep shirt was cotton, opaque and reached to midthigh. It covered everything important and she didn’t consider it seductive.

At least, she hadn’t until she’d noticed Matt’s expression once she put on her glasses. He’d looked as if someone had blinded him with a strobe light.

Sadly, she seemed to have caught the tail end of the party. After Lexi poured her a glass of water from the fridge, the two of them walked back to the living room. Geena had hoped that everyone would sit down and continue the discussion, but although Cade seemed ready to stay, Lexi insisted on leaving.

After they were gone Geena was alone with Matt. She realized that might not be the best combination, considering how Matt was looking at her. She should take her water and go, but she wanted to know what that conversation had been about and she believed in seizing the moment. “Part of the reason I couldn’t sleep is that I heard you guys talking out here.”

That startled him. “You did?”

“Through the air ducts. But I couldn’t understand what you were saying.”

“Oh. Yeah, I forgot about the air duct thing. Sorry if we kept you awake.” He didn’t look particularly sorry. The gleam in his eyes returned.

“If it’s private family stuff, then never mind.”

“It kind of was.” His expression said clearly that he’d like to drop the subject and move on to other things, like maybe kissing.

She wouldn’t object, but she had a point to make first. “Matt, if you were giving them the scoop on your history with Briana, then I deserve to hear it, too. We’re in this together.”

“Nice to know.” He took a step closer and there was no mistaking the intent in those blue eyes.

The huskiness in his voice fired her blood and fogged her glasses, but she recognized a delaying tactic when she saw one. “As long as we’re working together, your reputation is connected with mine.” She took off her glasses and used her shirtsleeve to clean them. “If I let you go down in flames that won’t look good for my firm. I don’t want to make this all about me because my investment in the problem isn’t nearly as big as yours. But I do have a stake in it.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Taking off his hat, he ran his fingers through his hair.

After yesterday, she recognized the gesture as a sign of nervousness. He didn’t like talking about this and he’d already been through it once tonight. “I’m sorry if this is difficult, but I need to know.”

“I understand, but the more people I tell, the more likely it’ll come out and I don’t want that.”

“You’re my client. I won’t betray your confidence.”

He studied her for a moment and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“What?”

“Can’t doubt the sincerity of someone wearing a Captain America shirt.” He used his hat to motion her toward the sofa. “We might as well sit.”

She took one end and he claimed the other, leaving at least three feet between them. It wasn’t enough. She could feel the air crackling in that empty space every time she looked into his eyes.

He laid his hat, brim side up, between them.

She glanced at it. “Is that the neutral zone?”

“Yes, ma’am.” His wink gave her goose bumps.

“I promise not to attack you.”

“I can’t make that promise.” His gaze swept over her. “Not when you come out here looking like that.”

“Sorry. I forgot to bring a robe.”

“I’m not complaining, just stating the facts.” His attention settled on the Captain America shield again. “I take it you’re a fan?”

“Sure. He’s an all-American good guy. Like you.”

“Thanks for the reminder. It’ll help me stay on my side of the hat.” He pointed to the glass she held. “You’re not drinking your water.”

“The water was an excuse to come out here to see what was going on.”

He sighed. “All right. Let’s get this over with.” Glancing away, he cleared his throat. “You probably won’t be surprised to hear that Briana propositioned me.”

She sucked in a breath.

“So you are surprised.”

“I shouldn’t be, but damn her.” The news made her sick to her stomach. The woman was a predator if she’d take advantage of a guy who’d just gotten his first big break.

“I’d hoped she was kidding around, but when I tried to make a joke out of it she set me straight real fast.”

Geena’s stomach churned. “That explains everything. You know what they say. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

“I did not scorn her.” He tunneled his fingers through his hair again and swore. “God knows I wanted to. I was furious, but I was also humiliated. I wanted her to like and respect me for my acting, but you know what? I wonder if she was jealous of the attention I got. Maybe she thought that if we had sex she’d have some leverage, some power over me.” He glanced over. “Does that make sense?”

“Unfortunately it makes perfect sense.” Her heart ached for the loss of his idealistic dreams. Briana had ruined what should have been special.

“I knew that yelling would make things worse so I tried to be nice. I had to think of something that didn’t sound insulting, so I made up a personal rule—never get involved with a costar. I don’t have any damned rule like that. It sounds stupid and anal, especially coming from somebody as green as I am, but I tried to make it sound believable.”

“But you still rejected her.”

“I had to! But I swear I wasn’t mean about it.”

“Doesn’t matter. Once she made a move, she put you in a no-win situation.”

“Are you saying I can’t win this fight?”

“No, I’m definitely not saying that.” She considered telling him that he had all the ammunition he needed right here on this ranch—his background as a foster kid, his bond with his foster brothers, his amazing foster parents and his scholarship plan to support the new venture. All he had to do was turn her loose on this PR bonanza and everyone would forget about the stupid scandal as they soaked up Matt’s touching past.

But she could predict his response to that idea, especially after a long and emotional day. Timing was everything. “We’ll figure this out, and I’m grateful to you for taking me into your confidence. Obviously it’s a painful episode and we don’t have to bring it up again.” She stood.

He got to his feet, too. “You can see why I don’t want this to come out, right?”

“Yes, I do. Besides, it would be tacky and pointless to accuse her of trying to seduce you. That could really backfire on us.”

“And it would hurt Cliff.”

She sighed. “You’re gonna have to let that one go. He married a toxic woman. That decision will come back to bite him eventually, and everyone who knows and loves him will hate seeing it happen. But it can’t be helped.”

“Rosie said basically the same thing.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “He was in Utah with us for a couple of weeks. He was great, always complimenting me on my work and encouraging me whenever I struggled with a scene.”

“I’ll bet Briana hated that. I’m guessing his primary job is telling her she’s fabulous. No wonder she propositioned you. She could gain power over you and punish her husband at the same time.”

“Guess so.” He looked destroyed. “And now, if he believes Briana’s lies, which he has to since he loves her, he must hate my guts.”

She closed the gap between them. “Matt, I’m so sorry. We’ll fix it.”

“I hope so.” His troubled gaze searched hers. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me, too.” She reached up and stroked his cheek. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

He muttered an oath and drew her close. “I shouldn’t be doing this. But God, you smell good.”

“I shouldn’t be doing this, either.” She slid her arms around his waist and nestled against him. Sure enough, her glasses misted and she couldn’t see him. “Wait. I need to take off—”

“Don’t. Once I see you naked I won’t be able to stop.”

“I meant my glasses.” She pulled them off and held them in her hand.

“Oh. I could work around those.”

“But they fog up whenever we...whenever I...”

“I’m not surprised.” His gaze roamed her face. “We generate a hell of a lot of heat.” He shuddered. “I need you, Geena. One kiss. Just one.” And his lips came down on hers.

She held tight as his big body trembled with the force of his powerful emotions and his attempt to keep them in check.

His tongue thrust deep as he lifted her hips to meet the hard ridge of his erection. He pressed forward with an urgency that tightened her core as moisture gathered between her thighs. She whimpered, yearning for that connection that he promised with each stroke of his tongue but ultimately would deny her, at least for tonight.

And then, as if a storm had passed, he gently eased away. Keeping his hands at her waist to steady her, he raised his head and gulped for air. “Enough.”

Breathing hard, she looked into eyes that glittered with passion. “Is it?”

“For now.” He paused and took a breath. “It has to be.” He let go of her and stepped back. “I shouldn’t have started that. But I...it helps when I can hold you.”

“I’m glad.”

“But this isn’t the place or the time. I’m going to the barn.”

“Me, too.”

Smiling faintly, he glanced down at her bare feet. “I think not.”

“You can carry me.” She felt safe saying that because of all his lovely muscles.

“Lady, you are temptation personified.” He swallowed. “But I want you to stay here.” He reached out and stroked her cheek with the tip of his finger. “Please. I’d rather not take a chance that we’d get so involved that a member of my family would find us in the morning, all tangled up together and naked as the day we were born.”

“I guess you’ve had enough embarrassment for a while, huh?”

“Actually, I was thinking of your embarrassment.”

A surge of warmth moved through her, warmth that had little to do with sex. “Thank you, Matt.”

“Don’t give me too much credit. I was this close to pulling off your sleep shirt a moment ago, despite what I said.”

“But you didn’t.”

“You whimpered as if I was being too rough. That was enough to bring me to my senses.”

“For future reference, I wasn’t whimpering because you were being too rough.”

“You weren’t?”

“When I make that little noise it means I’m frustrated beyond belief and I’m hoping you’ll take care of the issue immediately.”

“Oh.”

“Just FYI.”

He picked up his hat and settled it on his head. “Probably a good thing I didn’t know that.” He touched the tips of his fingers to the brim. “See you in the mornin’.” And he walked out the front door.

* * *

Geena’s questions had been answered by the interlude with Matt, even if her libido hadn’t been satisfied. Apparently answers were more important than orgasms right now because she slept soundly until her phone chimed at five in the morning. Dawn would break in fifteen minutes.

Obviously the birds outside her window hadn’t gotten the memo. They chirped and chattered as if the sun had come up an hour ago. Must be the early birds determined to get that worm. Which was a gross image, now that she thought about it.

Ten minutes later, her hair in a ponytail and wearing a tiny bit of makeup because she’d be seeing Matt, she put on a pair of beige linen pants and a green silk blouse. Until Rosie coughed up some cowgirl duds, it was the best she could do. Her open-toed slides didn’t seem appropriate, either, but at least she wouldn’t go prancing down to the barn in four-inch heels.

As she walked through the living room she heard Rosie rattling pans in the kitchen, but she didn’t stop to chat. She’d promised to be down at the barn by five fifteen and she would, by golly, honor that promise. Anticipation curled in her stomach the way it used to on Christmas morning when she was little. Those mornings might be the only times she’d been up at dawn.

Despite her mother’s many failings as a parent, she’d always made a big deal about Christmas. She and her boyfriend du jour would be standing at the foot of the stairs, their arms loaded with gifts. Another big pile would be waiting under the tree.

On some level, Geena had known the truckload of presents stemmed from her mother’s guilt because the rest of the year she’d left Geena in the care of Beatrice, the nanny. Beatrice had always spent Christmas with her family, so the holiday had been all on Geena’s mom. When it came to extravagance, her mother had written the book.

But as Geena stepped out on the front porch, the commercial splendor of her childhood seemed tawdry compared to the scene spread before her. The ground sparkled as if diamonds had been scattered there, and she finally realized it was dew touched by sunlight. And, oh, the mountains! She’d driven in after dark and she’d been too worried about getting lost to notice the dim bulk of the range that stretched as far as she could see.

Shadows chased by the rising sun moved gently downward from peaks still tipped with snow. If she lived here she’d never get anything done. She’d spend all her time on the porch in an Adirondack chair watching the light shift on the mountain slopes.

A horse whinnied. She’d left her prescription sunglasses in her room, so she shaded her eyes with her hand as she glanced in the direction of the sound. The barn doors slid open with a soft rumble and Matt walked out to gaze up at the house. He was looking for her!

Her pulse raced at the sight of him framed in the doorway of the barn. He had on a white T-shirt, possibly the same one he’d worn the night before. After all, he’d slept down there. She waved and started toward him.

He waited for her, and she found that incredibly sweet. He could have ducked back in to help with the chores, but instead, he’d made welcoming her a priority. Too bad she couldn’t get there faster, but her open-toed shoes weren’t happy with the uneven terrain. She’d rather not embarrass herself by falling down on her way to the barn.

When she drew close enough, he called out a greeting. “You look great!”

“Not exactly Western wear.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He walked to meet her. “You climbed out of bed and made it down here for feeding time.” He hadn’t shaved, and his rakish grin made him look like a certified bad boy.

If he had a rebellious streak, he kept it firmly in check. But last night she’d caught an exciting glimpse of his wild side. She liked it.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I like the ponytail. Sassy.”

“Thanks.”

“You impress me, Geena Lysander.”

“That makes it mutual.” If she could wake up to the sight of Matt in a snug T-shirt and jeans every morning, she’d have no problem becoming an early riser. He would inspire any woman to sacrifice a little sleep. “But I don’t want to interrupt your work.”

“Since I slept down here, I had some of it done before my dad and Cade came. They sent me out to see if you were on your way. And here you are.”

“I hope I didn’t miss everything.”

“Oh, no. I shoveled stalls instead of feeding. I knew you wanted to watch that part. Let’s go let them know you’re here and then I’ll introduce you around.”

“But I already know Herb and Cade.”

“I meant introduce you to the horses.”

“Oh! Then I’d be delighted to meet them. I don’t think I’ve ever been personally introduced to a horse. Like I said yesterday, I have no experience with them.”

“Then we should change that. They’re amazing animals.” Matt paused before heading down the wooden barn aisle. “She’s here!”

“Excellent!” Cade poked his head out of one of the stalls.

“Hey, Geena!” Herb walked toward them. “Come on back. I was about to feed Lucy and Linus.”

“Then let’s start with them,” Matt said. “I promised to introduce her to everybody. She’s never met a horse face-to-face.”

Herb chuckled and reached into his pocket. “Then it’s a good thing I brought carrots.” He handed her six chunks. “Give them three apiece. Those two love their carrots.”

She put the pieces in the pocket of her pants and decided not to worry if they left a stain. She’d have fun explaining it to the dry cleaner.

“I’d start with Lucy,” Herb said. “She gets her nose bent out of shape if her son gets treats before she does.” He motioned toward the last stall. “That’s Lucy.”

A golden horse with a white streak down her nose put her head over the stall door and whinnied.

“She’s gorgeous!” Geena gazed at the sleek animal. “She looks just like Roy Rogers’s horse!”

Matt glanced at her in surprise. “I thought you didn’t know horses.”

“I don’t, but I know movies. My mother has a collection like you wouldn’t believe.” Then she noticed another horse, nearly identical, peeking out from the neighboring stall. “Two of them! Lucy and Linus. I see the family resemblance.”

Herb folded his arms and beamed. “Amazing, isn’t it? You don’t always get a palomino foal just because you have a palomino mare, let alone one with a blaze that’s almost identical. Linus just had his first birthday. He was born here last May.”

“Wow.” Geena stared at the young horse. “He looks pretty big to me. They must grow fast.”

“He’s big,” Herb said, “but he’s not nearly filled out yet. And he’s still a kid at heart. You can go ahead and give Lucy her carrots whenever you want.”

“Okay.” She approached Lucy, who looked extremely interested in the hand she’d shoved in her pocket. “How do I do it?”

“One piece at a time and rest it on your palm.” Matt walked up to stand beside her. “Hold your hand flat, like this.” He straightened out her fingers. “Perfect.”

He’d only touched her fingers, yet she felt a zing in every cell of her body. “So, I just hold out my hand and she’ll take it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She was growing very fond of his country manners. Shoot, she was growing very fond of him. If they’d been in LA she might not have allowed herself to give in to this attraction, but circumstances had changed. She expected the dynamic to reverse when they went back. Once again he’d be in a goldfish bowl and they’d need to rethink their arrangement.

Then Lucy began to nuzzle her palm in search of the carrot, and she forgot all about what would or wouldn’t happen in a week or so. A horse was eating from her hand. It tickled, making her giggle. She pulled out another carrot and repeated the process. “Matt, I love this.”

His soft laughter danced along her nerve endings. “Knew you would.”

Chapter Seven

Watching Geena feed carrots to Lucy and Linus caused a major shift in Matt’s thinking. She wasn’t dressed for hanging out in a barn, but despite that, she looked as if she belonged here. He’d figured she’d like the horses and he’d been right about that. Her uninhibited delight as she interacted with them for the first time was touching.

But until this moment he’d thought of her as a city girl getting a taste of country living. She might enjoy the visit, but without any prior experience to draw on she’d be a fish out of water. Not so. She already fit in, even without the right clothes or any knowledge of horse behavior.

Cade wandered down to join the group and then took her over to meet his sleek black gelding, Hematite. The horse had good manners, thanks to Cade’s training, but Hematite didn’t warm up to everyone. He warmed right up to Geena, though, leaning into her hand as she scratched his neck the way Cade had shown her.

Herb came over to stand next to Matt. “She seems to be having a good time.”

“Yep.”

“That incident with Briana is unfortunate and I wish it had never happened, but at least it brought us Geena.”

“True.” It brought us Geena. Like she was a gift. He was beginning to think she was.

“I like her, son. She’s welcome anytime.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate knowing that.” So did he. Over the years, he’d learned to trust his dad’s instincts regarding people. His mom was no slouch in that department, either. Many times in the three years he’d lived in LA he’d wished one or both of them had been on hand to size up a situation.

Geena finished loving on Hematite, and she and Cade started back down the barn aisle. “Cade says it’s time to turn them out into the pasture but he thinks I should meet Navarre and Isabeau first.”

“Absolutely.” Matt glanced at his dad. “Do you want to do the honors of introducing them?”

“You go ahead. In fact, if you and Geena could turn out all the horses when you’re finished, that would be a big help. Cade and I have to go fiddle with the automatic watering system.”

“Cade’s going to help you?” Matt wondered if this was a joke. His brother had many talents, but dealing with mechanical malfunctions wasn’t one of them.

“I know it sounds crazy,” Cade said, “but I’ve developed a basic understanding of this pain-in-the-ass watering system.”

“That said, I’m still planning to replace it.” Herb grimaced. “Darn thing is always acting up. If you decide to put one in over at your new place, don’t get this brand.”

Matt laughed. “Okay. But I’m a long way from installing a watering system in the barn. I haven’t bought a horse, yet.”

“Just warning you in advance that this outfit manufactures lemons. Come on, Cade, maybe you can jerry-rig that confounded hose one more time.” Herb started toward the back of the barn.

“I’m at your service.” With a tip of his hat to Matt and Geena, Cade followed Herb.

“You’ll have a horse on your ranch?” Geena’s eyes lit up.

“At least two.” Now that his brother and his dad were at the other end of the barn, he felt more comfortable putting his arm around her as they walked over to Navarre’s stall.

“You must be planning to take people out riding. That sounds like fun.” Her comment sounded wistful, as if she’d like that.

“You’re invited anytime.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“But, to be totally honest, that’s not the main reason I’d buy two. Horses get nervous if there’s only one of them. They’re herd animals.” He stopped in front of Navarre’s stall and clucked to the dark chestnut. “Hey, boy. Come on over and meet Geena.”

“Look at you, Navarre,” she crooned. “You’re a handsome guy, just like your namesake.” She reached out to stroke the nose that Navarre poked over the stall door.

“I take it your mom owned Ladyhawke, too.”

“She did, but I bought my own copy. I watch it every year or two. Now when I do, I’ll think of this beautiful horse.”

He hoped she’d think of him, too. No guarantees on that, though. A crisis had thrown them into close contact, but once the crisis was over, who knew what would happen? Maybe she’d fall in love with Wyoming and want to spend more time here with him, and maybe she wouldn’t.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Ready to meet Isabeau?”

“Sure. And there she is, right there waiting for us.” She moved closer to the stall door. “Hi, Isabeau, sweetheart.” She stroked the mare’s glossy neck. “You’re a dainty girl, aren’t you?” She looked up at Matt. “Why aren’t they in the same stall?”

“I doubt they’d want that.” He tried not to smile because she was adorably serious with that question.

“Navarre and Isabeau don’t like each other?”

“They do, but that doesn’t mean they want to share a stall. As you can see, that would be close quarters. They enjoy having their own space.”

“Were they ever in the same stall?”

“Truthfully, I doubt it. They might not mirror the Ladyhawke movie script, but they like each other. I’d go so far as to say they’re devoted to each other. They’re a good choice to take out for a two-person trail ride. If there’s time, maybe we could...oh, wait. Lexi offered to give you a lesson. That’s probably a better idea, to start with her. She’s an excellent teacher and I want you to have a good experience.”

“Are you offering to take me on a trail ride?”

“I was, but then I remembered about Lexi. And I’m sure your time here is limited. When do you fly back?”

“When we’ve figured out how to deal with Briana.”

He stared at her as he processed the meaning of that statement. “You didn’t buy a round-trip ticket?”

“Nope. We need a game plan and I don’t see the point in flying home without one. I can’t predict how long it will take to come up with something, so I didn’t buy a return ticket yet.”

“That makes no sense. You have other clients. You can’t hang out with me in Wyoming and ignore them.”

“I won’t ignore them. I’ll check in with Larissa on a regular basis. She’s in charge while I’m gone, but I intend to keep tabs on things by phone and email. She’ll let me know if anything major happens.”

“I suppose most things can be handled that way.”

“Most things.” She gazed at him. “But not this issue.”

“Because I turned off my phone. I’m surprised you haven’t yelled at me for doing that.”

“How could I? You turned it off because I wasn’t being helpful. Cutting off communication forced me to dig a little deeper and figure out why you didn’t want to talk to me. I knew we had to work it out in person, so here I am. The more time we can spend doing that, the sooner I can get back.”

Now, there was a challenging puzzle. The more they were together, the less time she’d be here. “So a trail ride with me would suit you?”

“I’d love it, especially if I can take my phone to keep tabs on the office.”

“Absolutely.”

“You were right about horses being incredible animals. There’s no doubt Lexi has a lot to teach me, but I’ll bet I could sit on a gentle horse and ride down the trail without falling off.”

“I’m sure you could. I want to put in some time cleaning cabins first thing today, but we might be able to pack a lunch and go out around noon.”

“I’ll help with the cabins. We can brainstorm while we’re cleaning.”

“Yeah, no.” Laughing, he shook his head. “Not happening.”

“Why not? Scrubbing and thinking go great together.”

“I could be wrong, but I don’t think my mom’s going to let you muck out cabins. Just a guess.”

“I know how to clean. My nanny, Beatrice, used to let me help her. It was fun, although Beatrice made me swear I wouldn’t tell my mother.”

“I’m sure you’re amazing with a mop, but you’re a guest.”

“Uninvited guest.”

“Trust me, nobody thinks of you that way now. You won’t be allowed to clean.”

She frowned at him. “I didn’t come here to sit around like some princess while everyone else works.”

“You feel strongly about this.”

“Yes, I do. Your family needs us to help, not hinder.”

“Then maybe we can work out a compromise with my mom. We’ll offer to tackle a few jobs together in the morning, and then as a reward we’ll pack a lunch and take off on a trail ride. She might go for that, especially if you tell her you like to clean.”

“All right. We’ll try that approach.”

“Great. Now, let’s get these critters out to the pasture.”

“Will I get to see them run?”

“Linus will run, for sure. Sometimes he convinces Hematite to play chase with him. But let’s start with Navarre and Isabeau. Want to help me lead ’em out?”

“Yes!”

So he fetched a couple of lead ropes from the tack room. She took to the process as if she’d been doing it her whole life. When all the horses had been turned out, he leaned shoulder to shoulder with her at the gate as they watched Linus and Hematite kick up their heels.

She followed their movements, laughing as they bucked and spun, gold and ebony coats gleaming in the sunlight. “So beautiful.”

He studied her profile—the high, intelligent forehead, deep-set eyes and determined chin. She’d chosen to wear glasses instead of contacts, and he thought that suited her straightforward personality. Her smile dimpled her cheek and a breeze coaxed strands of her hair out of her ponytail to curl at her nape. “Yes, ma’am,” he murmured. “Beautiful.”

She glanced over at him, her green eyes filled with happiness. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“It’s not flattery. It’s the truth.”

“Thank you, Matt. I feel beautiful when you look at me like that. I also want to kiss the living daylights out of you.”

“I’d be fine with it if I didn’t see my dad and Cade coming out of the barn.”

“I thought they might be, which is why I didn’t lay one on you.” She pushed away from the gate. “Let’s go have some of that breakfast Lexi’s so keen on. Where is she, by the way? I can’t imagine her sleeping in.”

Matt took her hand as they walked back to the house. “Cade said she’s updating her website. She never seems to find the time, and she’s added some new features to her riding clinics.”

“Clinics, huh? Obviously there’s more to her job description than just riding teacher.”

“A lot more. She gives clinics all over, even out of the state. Sure you don’t want to take a lesson from her before we go on a trail ride?”

“Let’s do the trail ride as planned. If she’s so busy she doesn’t have time for her website, she might have trouble working me in.”

“She’ll make the time.”

“I know she will. She doesn’t seem like the type who reneges on a promise, but a simple trail ride sounds easy enough unless you think I can’t handle it.”

“You can and it’ll be fun.” His body warmed with anticipation. She might be focused on discussing their PR problem on that trail ride, but he had some ideas that had nothing to do with business. Cade had brought a box of condoms down to the barn this morning. Matt had hidden it in the tack room behind some old blankets, but not before he’d pocketed a few.

He’d planned to take her over to his ranch, but he didn’t know what he’d find there. Last night, desperate for private time, he’d thought a trip to his recently purchased ranch would be perfect. In the light of day he couldn’t picture making out in dusty, empty rooms.

A trail ride had all kinds of things going for it, though—fresh air, wildflowers and grassy meadows. If he wanted to do a subtle sales job on Wyoming, a trail ride to a picturesque clearing he knew about and a picnic on a soft blanket should do the trick.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” she said, “but being around horses feels very natural to me. Maybe that’s because of all the movies I watched, although somehow I never imagined that I could ride. My life was crammed with lessons aimed at making me a performer. My mom would have considered riding a hobby, like knitting or scrapbooking. I didn’t have time for hobbies.”

“How about now?”

“What a thought! I’ve been concentrating on building my business, but why not have some hobbies?” She glanced at him. “Do you have any?”

“Not yet. But I figure my ranch will qualify once I get everything set up.”

“Oh, it will. I imagine it as a place to de-stress and get back to basics.”

“That’s exactly my vision. You just nailed it.”

“Matt, I have the best idea.”

“What?”

“Your ranch is nearby, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. I wanted to be close to my folks.”

“That’s perfect, then! We can ride to your ranch and have lunch there. Your first meal in your new home. Can we do that? I really want to see it.”

“Uh, okay, but I don’t know what shape the place will be in. The house is empty of furniture, far as I know, and I’ll bet there’s dust an inch thick on—”

“I don’t care about that. We can open the windows to let in fresh air. I’ll bet Rosie has a dustpan and whiskbroom we could take along. We’ll clear a spot and spread a blanket on the floor. I would be so honored to be the first person you entertain at your ranch.”

“And I’d be honored to have you.” So much for his picnic in the meadow, but maybe this would be better.

“I think everyone needs a place to get away from the pressures of a job, but judging from my experience, actors may need it more than most.”

“I wouldn’t have thought so, but now I do.”

“Do you regret getting into the business?”

“Never. I had some bad moments after the story broke, but it’s my life. I love what I do.”

“I’ve never asked why you chose this kind of work.”

They’d reached the steps and he paused to glance at her. “No, you haven’t.”

“Is it the wrong question to ask? I can withdraw it.”

He could smell bacon and coffee. He was hungry and wanted nothing more than to head on inside to enjoy the breakfast Rosie had prepared. But he and Geena were making a connection, and this would come up eventually.

“No, don’t withdraw it.” He held her gaze. “Just know that none of this can ever go in a press release.”

“I would never repeat something you told me without your permission.”

“Then I’ll make it short, and then we won’t have to talk about that anymore, either.”

“Okay.”

He took a deep breath. He hadn’t told this story in a while. None of his new friends in LA had a clue he was a foster kid. “I never knew who my dad was and my mom didn’t enjoy having me around.”

Her green eyes clouded. “That’s hard to imagine.”

“Don’t worry. Rosie got me counseling and I’ve accepted that it wasn’t my fault. I was in the way of her delusional plan that a guy would come along and sweep her off her feet. Maybe it happened. One day she was supposed to pick me up from school and she never showed.”

“Oh, Matt.”

“I finally got a friend’s mom to give me a ride home and I found a note that said she’d gone to look for a better life. She left the phone number for the foster care division of the town’s social services and I called it. Rosie was still working in that department then, and she offered to take me. End of story.”

Geena swallowed. “Have you ever heard from your mother?”

“No, ma’am, and I’d rather not.” He tugged the brim of his hat lower. “At this point, by her standards, I’m rich and she might think she could cash in.”

“I’d like to see her try!”

Geena’s protectiveness made him smile. It also made him glad he’d told her. “Thanks for that.”

“Maybe you should give me her name in case she has the nerve to contact you through me.”

“Mindy’s her first name, but no telling what her last name is now. It could have changed six times since then.”

“If anybody named Mindy comes looking for you, I’ll let you know.” She gazed at him. “And I had the audacity to whine about my childhood.”

“Money doesn’t make everything okay. You had it tough, too. Don’t forget that I ended up with Rosie and Herb, plus all my brothers. The way I look at it, my birth mom did me a favor. She went looking for a better life, and thanks to her I found one.”

“I suppose, in a way, she did the right thing. She wasn’t a positive influence.”

“Except she was the reason I got into acting. Whenever the school put on a play, I was the first to stick my hand in the air. It was my favorite escape, a chance to pretend I was someone else.”

“But when you came here, you didn’t give it up. That much I do know about you from your résumé. You were in a ton of high school productions.”

“By then I was hooked. If I could make an audience laugh or cry, or even get mad, I was thrilled. Now I’ll have to go to my own movies to get that buzz.”

“Or take a shot at live theater.”

“Maybe.”

She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss over his cheek. “Thank you for trusting me with your story. It won’t go anywhere.”

Pushing back his hat, he took her by the shoulders and gave her a quick, fiery kiss. Then he noticed that her glasses were fogged and began to laugh. “I see what you mean about steaming things up. Let me help.” He gently took them off and pulled a bandanna out of his back pocket. “I hope I end up doing this a lot.” He cleaned the lenses and carefully slid the glasses back into place. “In fact, I’d kiss you again right now, but it’s almost time for breakfast.”

“Can I have a rain check?”

“Lady, you can have anything you want from me.”

Chapter Eight

She could have anything she wanted from Matt. Geena wished she believed it, but she knew his comment didn’t extend to whatever she had in mind for his goodwill campaign. He’d made it clear that his foster-kid story was off the table. Now that he’d told her the details, she understood why.

As she tucked into what was possibly the best breakfast she’d ever eaten, she reviewed the situation. Before hearing that his mother had abandoned him, she’d hoped he’d consent to a heartwarming article or video interview about how Rosie, Herb, his foster brothers and this ranch had shaped his life. She’d discovered that trying to refute bad publicity never worked, but replacing it with good news almost always did.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t use the Thunder Mountain angle. Once she opened that door, celebrity gossip magazines would dig for the story behind the story. An enterprising reporter might find his mother. Or his mother would contact him. Since he didn’t want that, they’d have to take a different approach.

She had no idea what that would be, but the conversation at the breakfast table had shifted from the weather to what everyone planned to do after breakfast. That was her cue to propose the cleaning plan. She glanced across at Matt, who gave her a subtle nod.

Somehow, in the midst of taking seats at the round table, they’d ended up on opposite sides. Herb and Rosie sat on her right and Lexi and Cade were on her left. She focused on Rosie and went into her spiel.

Rosie listened politely as she sipped her coffee. At the end of the speech she put down her mug. “That’s a wonderful offer, but here’s the deal. I didn’t expect either of you to be here during this time, so we have it covered. Matt needs a break and you probably have calls to make. I doubt your business has come to a screeching halt because you flew to Wyoming.”

“No, but I’ll check in with my office before we start. If I have issues to handle I might have to retract my offer, but nothing was critical when I talked with my assistant yesterday. And I really do want to help.”

“I can see that.” Rosie beamed at her. “But you and Matt are both excused from cleaning duty.”

Matt looked at Geena, his lifted eyebrows clearly saying I told you so.

But she wasn’t giving up. “You didn’t expect us, but here we are, consuming food and taking up space. I’m sure I speak for Matt when I say that we’d feel a whole lot better about our unplanned visit if you’d let us do something for the cause. It won’t be a chore for either of us to scrub down a cabin or two. If we hop right on it, maybe we can finish up all four this morning.”

“Whoa, there, Geena, ma’am.” Cade took off his hat and settled it more securely on his head. “Back up the bus. You gotta leave something for the rest of us. My lady purely loves watching me operate a vacuum cleaner.”

Lexi sighed dramatically. “I’ll admit it. Nothing’s sexier than a man running a vacuum.” She fanned herself. “Oh, baby.”

“I’d never want to deprive you of that.” Geena focused on Lexi, figuring she’d understand the situation even if Rosie balked. “Can we split the job, two cabins for you guys and two for us?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I like it.” Matt lifted his coffee mug in Rosie’s direction. “Over to you, Mom, but I hope you’ll throw in the towel. And the mop and the broom while you’re at it.”

“Matthew Edward.” Rosie frowned at him. “Young women who come to visit Thunder Mountain are welcome to help out a little bit because that’s being mannerly. But they’re not supposed to wash windows and mop floors.”

“Oooh, she said your whole name, bro.” Cade rolled his eyes. “Either she’s touched or annoyed. It could go either way.”

“I’m both.” Rosie pulled a tissue from her pocket. “But mostly I’m touched.” She dabbed at her eyes and gave them all a teary smile. “When I listen to the four of you arguing for the privilege of cleaning the cabins, it gets to me.”

“I’ll just bet it does,” Cade said. “You’re probably remembering all the years we tried to argue our way out of doing it.”

Rosie laughed and dabbed her eyes some more. “Yes, you certainly did. Very creatively, too.”

Cade looked over at Matt. “We were rotten, you know?”

“I know. We should have been more grateful, more willing to—”

“Now, hang on,” Herb said. “We’re talking about normal boys, here, right?” He put an arm around Rosie. “We would have worried if you’d all gone about your chores with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.”

Cade chuckled. “Yeah, that would have been kind of sickening.”

“I loved it all,” Rosie said. “The arguing, the pranks, the roughhousing. The handpicked bouquets.” She winked at Cade.

“Who knew that was poison ivy?”

Herb shook his head and sighed. “Everybody but you, son.”

“So many great memories.” Rosie looked at Matt. “I’ll never forget when you had the lead in Oklahoma!”

“Yeah, that was epic,” Cade said. “Lining up outside the auditorium an hour early to make sure we sat in front and threatening the younger guys with death if they goofed off during the performance.”

“Instead, they were mesmerized,” Rosie said. “So was I.” She reached over and squeezed Matt’s arm. “I knew then you’d make it. I’m pretty sure I told you so.”

“Yes, ma’am, you did.” Matt’s voice was gruff with emotion as he held Rosie’s gaze. “Always remembered it.”

“Okay, okay.” Cade pushed back his chair. “We need to break this up before I start bawling. You don’t want to see that, Geena. It gets ugly. So, Mom, is Geena cleared to be part of the cleaning crew?”

“Oh, all right.” Rosie got up from the table. “But not in that outfit. Come with me, Geena. While the rest of this bunch tidies up the kitchen, I’ll find you some knockabout clothes.”

Geena followed Rosie through the living room and down the hallway. Rosie made a comment about the unseasonably warm weather expected that day and Geena responded to that, but she was more interested in the family pictures lining the hall. A quick glance revealed that most of them were group photos of teenage boys. An older one of a couple in wedding attire had to be Rosie and Herb, but nearby hung a recent wedding picture featuring the couple Geena had met the night before, the ones with the baby.

Rosie looked over her shoulder and paused. “That’s Damon and Philomena. They have a baby girl now.”

“I know. I met them last night...sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of?” Rosie walked back to stand with her in front of the photograph.

“I was waiting in the driveway debating whether to go up and knock on the door when they came out. They were friendly until they found out who I was. Then they politely offered to escort me back to town.”

“Oh, dear. I suppose he was trying to protect Matt. They do stick up for each other. By the way, I called Damon this morning, told him you were staying here and that you were a very nice woman.”

“Thank you, Rosie.” Geena impulsively gave her a hug and then wondered if she should have. “You’ll have to excuse me if that was overly familiar. I just—”

“I love getting hugs.” Rosie smiled at her. “The more the better.” She gestured to the wall of pictures. “My boys are all good huggers. Some of them came here with the idea that it was unmanly. They got over it.”

“I wish I could have seen this place back then. It must have been something.”

“I have videos. Maybe while you’re here we could have a movie night.”

“I would love that.” Geena gazed at the two smiling people who’d been so suspicious of her last night. “Do you have videos of little Sophie?”

“My first grandchild?” Rosie’s blue eyes glowed with pride. “You know I do! I’m supposed to get a studio picture for this wall any day now, too.”

“I guess you could end up with a lot of baby pictures, couldn’t you?”

“I hope so. I’ll start a new wall somewhere else in the house if I need to. Now, let’s go find you something cool to wear. It’ll be a scorcher today.” She led the way into a master bedroom containing furniture that was probably as old as the marriage. It wasn’t a fancy room, but the bed was neatly made with a white chenille bedspread and the surfaces looked freshly dusted.

“This is my stash of hand-me-downs.” Rosie slid back the doors of a large wall closet tightly packed with jeans and shirts hanging from the rod and boots lined up along the floor. “Some kids leave stuff and friends donate things. Sometimes I shop at the thrift store. It’s all washed and mended.”

“This is amazing, Rosie.”

“Thanks.” She gave Geena an assessing glance. “I could let you go through them, but it’ll be faster if you let me pull some things out. By now I’m pretty good at knowing what will fit and look good.”

“All I care about is the fit. Looking good isn’t a priority.”

Rosie laughed. “Oh, yes, it is. Everyone functions better when they like the way they look. That was one of the first things I learned when I worked in social services. Get someone a decent outfit or two and their entire attitude changes.” She quickly chose three shirts and three pairs of jeans. “Not that I think you need an attitude change. Yours is excellent.”

“Why, thank you.” Geena flushed with pleasure. “What a nice thing to say.”

“I know quality when I see it.” Rosie handed over the clothes. “Go into the bathroom and try those on while I sort through the boots. That’s trickier. Are you about an eight?”

“Nine. I really appreciate this, Rosie.”

“I appreciate you going the extra mile.” She hesitated. “Nobody likes to be falsely accused, but Matt’s more touchy than most. His birth mother used to blame him for all kinds of things he didn’t do.”

“I’m not surprised. Any mother who can walk away and leave her kid...”

“Did he tell you about that?”

“This morning.”

“Good. Then he must trust you, because he doesn’t share that with many people.”

“I completely understand that he’s a very private person. But I’m desperate to find a way to improve his image. I was hoping to use his background, but he doesn’t want that for many reasons. Reporters aren’t the only ones who could show up here asking questions.”

Rosie nodded. “Right. There’s Mindy. I’ve been worried about her ever since he landed that role. She could already be trying to find a way to contact him, but no point in making it easy for her.” Rosie patted Geena’s arm. “I know this is a knotty problem, but give it a little time. You’ve only been here since last night.”

Geena laughed. “Funny, but it seems much longer. I feel as if I’ve known you for years.”

“That’s a lovely compliment.” Rosie held her gaze. “I’m going to help you figure this out. Like I said, give it time.”

Geena drew a deep breath. “Okay.” She chose not to mention that time wasn’t their friend. Even as they stood there discussing the problem, Briana’s PR machine was spewing out garbage about Matt. The longer he stayed in hiding, the more likely people would believe all those hateful lies.

* * *

After Geena changed into her borrowed clothes, she checked in with Larissa and took notes for the calls she’d make after she finished cleaning. The hour’s time difference would be a bonus. Matt, Cade and Lexi had gathered the supplies and were heading to the porch by the time she left her bedroom.

She’d taken everything Rosie had chosen and put on the outfit she liked best. Rosie had also come up with a straw Western hat to keep the sun out of her eyes during the walk to the meadow. Geena had twisted her hair on top of her head and shoved the hat over it.

The boot-cut jeans were a little snug on her, but they were soft and amazingly comfortable. So were the boots Rosie had found. The button-front green plaid shirt was designed to tie at the waist, which gave it a sassy feel. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that she was finally wearing something that fit the occasion.

Matt’s wide smile told her she passed muster. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” She noticed he’d taken time to shave, which could mean there were kisses in her future. The thought warmed her all over and she worried that her cheeks were pink. Couldn’t be helped. “What should I carry?”

“How about a bucket and a mop?” Cade handed them to her and then divided up the rest of the supplies. He was clearly the person in charge.

While Geena had been trying on clothes she’d asked Rosie to fill her in on Cade, whose function wasn’t clear to her. It turned out that besides being the ranch foreman and primary student chaperone, he also taught an academy class in horse psychology. He and Lexi lived in a new log home near the meadow and the pasture, and Rosie had said they couldn’t manage without him.

As they all started down toward the meadow, Cade put a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Have you provided Geena with any background on these historic log cabins, bro?”

“He has not,” she said. “For one thing, I didn’t know they were made of logs. And there are four?”

“Now there are,” Cade said. “But originally there were only three. Damon and Phil built the fourth one last summer, so technically only the first three are historic. Especially the first one.” He glanced at Matt. “Is it okay if I tell her about the brotherhood?”

“Go for it.”

“I should hope you can tell her,” Lexi said. “She volunteered to clean cabins, for pity’s sake. She’s working hard to save Matt’s reputation. Geena’s aces in my book.”

Geena flashed Lexi a smile. “Thanks.”

“So, the story of the brotherhood.” Cade adjusted his grip on a second mop he carried on his shoulder like a rifle. “The first three guys Rosie brought home were Damon Harrison, Finn O’Roarke and me. Damon’s—”

“I know who Damon is,” she said. “And Finn’s the guy who brews the beer we drank last night.”

“Exactly. So we created the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood. We had a blood-brother ceremony in the woods where we swore to be straight with everyone, protect the weak and be loyal to one another for life.” He stated the pledge without a trace of mockery. He’d obviously believed in the concept then and he believed in it now.

Geena’s throat tightened as she imagined three homeless boys pledging to stick together through thick and thin. “That’s very cool.”

“We thought so, too, but unfortunately we were kind of exclusive. We claimed the first cabin and although it sleeps four, we wouldn’t let anybody else in.”

Matt shook his head. “Tell me about it. You acted like you were royalty.”

“I know. We were obnoxious. But we finally grew up and realized that every guy who shared the experience of living here with Rosie and Herb should be a part of the brotherhood, so now it’s official. Everybody’s in.” He reached over and punched Matt lightly on the arm. “I hope you weren’t too traumatized by being excluded for a while, big guy.”

“Nah. There’s always the cool crowd and then the rest of us.”

“Yeah, but today I’m just a lowly cowhand and you’re a famous movie star.”

Matt grinned at him. “Bite me.”

“And get sued by your studio for damaging the goods? No, thanks.” He turned back to Geena. “Anyway, that was life in the cabins. Never a dull moment.”

“Yeah, and I loved it,” Matt said, “despite being lorded over by three megalomaniacs. I used to pretend we were all living on the frontier.”

“Which wasn’t so far from the truth, considering we had to hike down to the bathhouse in the middle of the night to take care of business. Speaking for myself, I felt like Davy Crockett every time I made that journey.”

Geena blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, he’s not.” Matt looked over at her and grinned. “There’s no running water in the cabins.”

“Really? How could you manage without indoor bathrooms?”

“Oh, we had indoor bathrooms,” Cade said. “We just had to go outdoors to get to ’em. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, down the path we would go.”

“Sometimes we had to shovel first, like if we had six feet of snow,” Matt said.

“And that was if you could get out your door to shovel.” Cade shifted his mop to the other shoulder. “Once the snow was so deep we couldn’t pry the doors open. I don’t think you’d arrived yet, Matt. Dad dug us out or we would’ve had to climb out a window. I’ll bet we had a good ten feet that year.”

She couldn’t imagine, but then she was a California girl. “I suppose there are bathrooms in the cabins now, though, for the academy students.”

“Nope.” Matt shook his head.

“No?”

“They have to do the same thing we did. It’s tradition. Toughens them up.”

She held out the bucket she was carrying. “So, you’re saying in order to mop the floors we have to haul water from the bathhouse?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Wow, this will be more of an adventure than I thought!”

“You really don’t have to do this.” Lexi came over to put an arm around her. “Offering to help was a nice gesture, but I’m starting to feel bad about having you do manual labor on your business trip. The three of us can handle it.”

“Nice try, but there’s no way you’re getting rid of me now. I was the kid who never went to camp. I would have loved to—” She stopped in her tracks as the semicircle of four cabins came into view. Nestled in a grassy meadow, they did look as if a family of settlers might have constructed them. Tall pines ringed the meadow and wind sighed through the top branches, making a sound that was hauntingly familiar.

Benches surrounded a fire pit in the middle of the cabin area and the lingering scent of charred logs blended with the aroma of pine. She longed to sit on one of those benches, roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. Then she’d pile into a cabin with her friends and zip herself into her very own sleeping bag.

“Like it?” Matt’s question brought her out of her daydream.

“I don’t just like it. I love it.” She realized everyone was watching her with a bemused smile. “This may sound ridiculous, but seeing this meadow is like finding something I didn’t know I missed. I can’t hear traffic noises or sirens or jackhammers. Maybe I’ve always needed a place like this in my life. I just didn’t know it.”

Chapter Nine

Matt had been bowled over by Geena’s transformation from city girl to country girl thanks to Rosie’s magic closet. Then she’d made those heartfelt comments as she’d stood gazing at the log cabins where he’d spent the happiest years of his life. She’d reacted to the meadow exactly as he had the first time he’d laid eyes on it. She was rapidly turning into the girl of his dreams.

Now he really wanted to take her over to his ranch so she could picture herself going there with him next time he came home. He wouldn’t let himself plan too far into the future because that would be foolish. But if he’d found a woman who loved both the film industry and the rural beauty of Wyoming, they could have some fun together.

Once she’d finished exclaiming over the rustic beauty of the cabins and their setting, Cade handed out directions. “We only have one vacuum so we’ll have to trade that back and forth. You two can take it first and we’ll wash windows until you’re done. Then you can wash windows and mop floors while we vacuum. We’ll reverse the process for the next two.”

“Got it.” Matt said.

Cade settled his hat more firmly on his head. “You need to flip the mattresses and look for any items they left behind. After the fall semester we found somebody’s credit card.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” Geena gave him a snappy salute.

Cade’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “You’ll do, recruit. See you in a few.” He and Lexi headed off.

“Nice salute.” Matt carried the vacuum cleaner, and Geena took the bucket and mop.

“Learned it in an acting class in case we ever had an audition for a military role. Did you take any classes or are you just a natural born talent?”

“I took community college courses while I was here and enrolled in a couple of acting studios once I hit LA. That was expensive, though, so mostly I watched Westerns because I knew that’s where I could shine.”

“Lots of John Wayne.”

“Yes, ma’am. Plus Steve McQueen, Lee Marvin and every Western Cliff Wallace made. The man can act with his back to the camera. Brando could do that, too. Impressive.” He hustled up the steps ahead of her so he could open the door.

“Thank you.” She took off her hat and hung it on a hook by the door. “Nice setup.”

“It is.” Adrenaline pumping, he followed her in and closed the door because he knew from experience it was easier to vacuum that way. Yeah, right. That’s why he’d closed the door, so they could clean more efficiently.

Now they were alone, more alone than they’d ever been. The intimacy teased him with possibilities as he stood behind her, trying to breathe normally. Wisps of hair that weren’t long enough to fit into her updo curled against the tender skin of her nape. God, how he wanted to kiss her there. Other places, too. Lots of other places. But they had a job to do and there was no telling how fast Cade and Lexi would finish up and come over here.

So he did what most guys did when they couldn’t decide whether a move would be appropriate. He babbled about nothing. “Last year I managed a quick visit home after Damon and Phil added the built-in loft beds and desks. We just had regular bunk beds when I was here. This is better. Everybody gets a top bunk and their own private area.”

“It’s a great idea.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and laid it on the nearest desk. “So we’re supposed to vacuum, flip mattresses and look for stray items. Does that cover it until we move into the next phase?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She still had her back to him. He thought he’d detected a faint shiver and her shoulders seemed tense, but he could be imagining things. If she was determined to go straight into work mode, so would he.

She swallowed. “Do you want to kiss me first or—”

He put down the vacuum and spun her around so fast she squeaked. “I want to kiss you more than I want to breathe.”

“I see.” Her green eyes simmered with heat. “Then I won’t be needing these.” Slowing removing her glasses, she perched them on top of her head where they nestled against her glossy hair.

His heartbeat picked up speed. Shoving back his hat, he pulled her close. Her full lips parted on a sigh. He could almost taste their velvet softness “This is risky.”

She wound her arms around his neck. “Is it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He slid his hands over the warm denim covering her backside. For someone so slender, she perfectly filled his cupped hands. His breathing hitched. “Once I start kissing you, I’m liable to forget about cleaning.”

She pressed her sweet body against his. “I’ll remind you.”

“You do that.” He took her mouth with the desperation of a starving man. He’d only had a few chances to kiss her, but it seemed that was enough to make him addicted to the supple movement of her lips and the erotic dance of her tongue.

She caught fire immediately and he dove into the richness that was Geena’s mouth. His hat fell to the floor. He left it there. He might yearn for a peaceful meadow, but he craved this, to be engulfed in a passion that made him forget his problems, forget everything but the heat of her body and the sound of her moans.

He’d told himself to go slow, but they were alone in this cabin and he wanted...more. Heart pounding, he untied her shirttails and worked his way up the row of buttons. He gave her time to object, but instead she deepened the kiss.

When he’d breached the barrier of her shirt, he discovered the front catch of her bra. What a terrific invention. Anticipation made him clumsy but eventually he flipped open the clasp.

She gasped as his hand closed over her breast.

Breathing hard, he lifted his mouth a fraction from hers. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.”

That one word traveled like a flame along a fuse. Cupping her warm breast, he supported her with his arm and leaned down. His tongue grazed her nipple and she whimpered. Now he knew what that meant.

Slowly he drew her in and listened to the wild sound of her breathing as he hollowed his cheeks and created a rhythm with his mouth and tongue. Her soft whimpers turned into nearly incoherent words.

He lifted his head again. “What?” he murmured. “Tell me.”

“I want you so much,” she wailed. “But we have to clean!”

Clean. His passion-soaked brain struggled with the concept and finally delivered the bad news. He might have a bed available, although they’d have to climb a ladder to get there, which lacked class. He might have an erection as rigid as the logs used to build this cabin. He might even have a condom in his jeans pocket.

Didn’t matter. Instead of making sweet love to Geena, he had to vacuum floors and flip mattresses. Life wasn’t even remotely fair.

With a resigned sigh, he released her soft, inviting breast. He didn’t dare let go of her completely, though. If she was anywhere near as jacked up as he was, she might lose her balance. He wasn’t entirely confident that he wouldn’t lose his.

She gulped in air. “I shouldn’t have started this. I should have known we couldn’t just kiss each other without...”

“Right.” He swallowed. “But don’t take all the blame. I had a hunch things could get out of control in no time.”

“You did?”

“Yes, ma’am. But I was willing to take the risk because kissing you is my new favorite thing.”

“Kissing you is mine, too.” She took a shaky breath. “Okay, you can let me go. I’m reasonably steady and I should put myself back together so we can get to work.”

He did as she asked and edged away. But he couldn’t stop looking at her, although he definitely should because his package strained against his fly. Her creamy breasts trembled with each breath and her nipples, the rich color of burgundy wine, remained taut and eager for his mouth.

Then she gathered all that bounty into the white lace cups of her bra and fastened the catch, depriving him of that particular view. But he still had the tantalizing sight of her unbuttoned blouse and the inviting shadow of her cleavage. He willingly suffered continued pain in his crotch.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she buttoned her shirt and tied the tails in a loose knot. Last of all, she retrieved her glasses from the top of her head and put them on. “All done.” She took another deep breath. “Do you want to vacuum or flip mattresses?”

“Neither. I want to strip off all your clothes. Then I want to kiss you until we’re both crazy with anticipation. Then I want to make love to you for as long as it takes for both of us to be so satisfied that we can’t imagine wanting even one more orgasm.”

A fire burned in her green eyes. “That sounds amazing. And we’ll do that eventually, I’m sure. But right now, we have to—”

“Clean cabins. I know.” He sighed. “I’ll flip the mattresses. I’ll be done first so I’ll haul water and put it on the front stoop for later.”

“But I want to haul water.”

That made him smile. Apparently she really did look upon this as an adventure. He clenched his hands into fists so he wouldn’t reach for her again, because she was just that appealing. “Okay. Want to split some kindling while you’re at it?”

“Could I? That would be awesome!”

“Don’t see why not.” He picked up his hat from the floor and dusted it off. “In fact, there’s a dead tree about fifty yards into the forest that Dad wants to cut down.”

“There is?” Her eyes widened.

“Yes, ma’am.” He stroked a hand over his face so she wouldn’t notice his grin. “He mentioned it yesterday. When I fetch the ax from the barn, I could also gas up the chain saw. That way you could—”

“Now you’re making fun of me.”

“Just a little.” He settled his hat on his head. “The thing is, if I don’t tease you I’ll just have to kiss you again. A woman who’s excited about hauling water and chopping wood is tough to resist.”

“So is a certain cowboy who took the time to shave before coming out here to clean cabins. I expected you’d still have the scruff.”

“And I expected to steal kisses, so the scruff had to go. I don’t like giving ladies whisker burn.” He backed away. “But I’m staying out of the temptation zone until we get something accomplished. FYI, there’s an outlet under each desk.”

“Does this happen to be your cabin?”

“It was, in fact, although the built-ins change the look so it feels a lot different. But the outlets stayed the same. Oh, and the vacuum’s old and cranky, but everybody’s used to it so Mom keeps getting it repaired instead of buying a new one. It’s sort of an heirloom.”

“I like that.” She leaned down and gave the canister vac a pat. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll treat you with the respect you deserve.”

He figured she was kidding, but as he turned over the mattresses and checked for anything tucked in corners and crevices, he noticed that she used the vacuum efficiently but gently. She didn’t bang it against the furniture or drag it by the cord. Every minute he was finding more reasons to like her, more reasons to make her a part of his personal life as well as his professional one.

The mattresses didn’t take long and he only found some gum wrappers, a couple of small purple hair clips and a crumpled picture of a popular boy band. Obviously girls had been living in this cabin. Although he’d known all along that the academy was coed, he hadn’t grasped the concept that girls might occupy the same cabin where he’d spent his pivotal teenage years. That was more of a shock than the loft beds.

Geena shut off the vacuum. “I found a gold anklet. At least I think it’s an anklet.” She dangled it from one finger. “Could be a bracelet. I’m glad I didn’t suck it up. Her name’s engraved on the little gold heart, which means Rosie can mail it back to her.” She tucked the delicate gold chain in her jeans pocket.

“I don’t think these are worth mailing, though, even if Mom found out who lost them.” He showed her the hair clips.

“Nope. Those are easily replaced, but I’ll take them. Rosie might want to add them to her stash. I don’t know if she has hair doodads, but she might keep some on hand in case the girls lose theirs.”

Matt handed them over. “I’ll bet she gets a kick out of having girls around for a change.”

“She and Herb never considered taking in foster girls, too?”

“Not that I know of. I think when they started with boys, it might have been simpler to stick with that.”

“Probably.” She shoved the clips in her other pocket and gazed at him. “You know...” Then she blew out a breath. “Never mind. I should go get the water.” She gestured to the vacuum. “Your heirloom awaits. I finished the left side of the room so the right side is all yours. Be right back.”

“Wait. You obviously had something to say.”

“There’s no point. You won’t like it.”

“I might. You never know.”

“Yeah, I do, but I might as well finish my thought. Finding that engraved gold chain brought it home to me that there were teenage girls living here last semester, girls who would go wild if they knew Matt Forrest had been on cleanup duty in the very cabin where they stayed.”

A yellow caution light went on in his brain. “Maybe.”

“No maybe about it. I realize you hate the negative publicity being generated, but—”

“Don’t you hate it, too?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’d much rather see positive promo out there for all my clients. But the negative stuff’s accomplished one thing. I guarantee most everyone knows who you are, including the teenage girls who lived in this cabin. They’d be super excited to discover you were here in the same space they so recently vacated.”

“Even if they think I’m the kind of guy who would seduce a married woman?”

“Like I said before, bad boys are popular, too.”

His gut tightened. “I don’t want that kind of reputation.”

“I know you don’t. But I doubt you’d agree to a cute little story about the hot movie star who volunteered his time to clean cabins used by the students of Thunder Mountain Academy.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t agree to that.”

“I can promise you the girls would be over the moon and even the guys might relish the idea that they had a connection to a celebrity, especially one who can ride and rope.”

“They might, but I don’t want reporters on this ranch invading Mom and Dad’s privacy. Or Cade and Lexi’s, for that matter.”

“I understand.” Her gaze was filled with compassion. “But you might end up having to make a choice. If you’re determined to protect everyone’s privacy, you may be stuck with the bad boy reputation.”

The tightness in his gut turned into a slow burn. “I thought you said this was winnable.”

“It is, but you may not be willing to do what’s necessary to turn this thing around.”

Bile rose in his throat. “I won’t sacrifice my family for personal gain and that’s final.”

“I know. I’ll be back soon with the water.” She put on her straw hat, picked up the bucket sitting beside the door and left.

He turned on the vacuum because then he could swear as loud as he wanted. He’d arrived at the ranch at the age of twelve with a fair number of colorful words in his vocabulary. After hanging out with his foster brothers, he’d added quite a few more. None of the guys used that kind of language around Rosie and Herb, but down in the meadow late at night they used to turn the air blue and laugh like fiends.

This problem was no laughing matter, but swearing still felt like a cleansing activity. He worked his way through his entire repertoire before he started vacuuming. He didn’t want to lose his temper with the machine after Geena had treated it with such loving care.

Maybe her assessment of his situation was wrong. But she was smart and she was capable. Except for her initial reaction to the crisis, he’d been impressed with her grasp of the situation. Unfortunately that might mean she was right about his two choices. Too bad they were sucky and suckier.

Chapter Ten

Cade was on his way over to pick up the vacuum as Geena trudged back carrying the five-gallon bucket that she’d filled about two-thirds full. He didn’t notice her and she was happy about that. The bucket was heavier than she’d expected, but she didn’t want Cade to figure out that she was struggling and take it off her hands. Matt had given her credit for being strong enough, and she didn’t want to admit she wasn’t.

Now that she thought about it, chopping wood might not be as easy as she imagined, either. Much as she longed to be a country girl, she was still a city girl playing at country living. That didn’t mean she’d have to stay that way, though.

Lugging the water had demonstrated that she was soft. She’d slacked off on her workouts at the gym, but that would change now that she had motivation to develop more upper body strength. She loved this place and wanted to spend more time on this ranch or one like it.

On the way down to the bathhouse, when she hadn’t been burdened with a bucket of water, she’d had time to wonder about her visceral reaction to the meadow and the cabins. She couldn’t be positive, but she had a vague memory of being in such a place with her father. She would have been less than three, because by that age her mother had taken over her schedule and packed it with activities to mold her into a superstar.

Sometime around then her dad had died while piloting his small plane. Prior to that he might have flown them to some remote spot for a vacation that she barely remembered. Apparently it had made a soul-deep impression on her, though, because she’d felt a connection to these log cabins from her first glimpse of them.

She was grateful for that epiphany and the trip to Wyoming that had made it possible. But her awakening to the beauties of ranching country didn’t do anything for Matt’s dilemma and she’d come here to help him. She’d had more thoughts about that but wasn’t sure how to approach him with her ideas—or whether to approach him at all.

At breakfast, Rosie had talked about all the support she and Herb had received for the academy project. Matt’s star power could contribute to the success of the school, perhaps really put it on the map, but reporters would have to be involved. He’d said he didn’t want them invading his foster parents’ privacy.

But she had no idea how Rosie and Herb felt about it. What if they’d gladly trade a little privacy for the publicity they’d get by aligning themselves with Matt’s celebrity status? And what if they were reluctant to ask that of him because they didn’t want to risk jeopardizing the privacy he found by coming here?

If it turned out that Matt was protecting Rosie and Herb while they were protecting him, it was enough to give her a migraine. Or it should have been. But in this setting she couldn’t imagine ever having a headache again. The air was blissfully smog-free and she didn’t have to endure the cacophony of honking horns and the rhythmic thump of audio systems set to stun.

Los Angeles seemed a million miles away. She’d make those phone calls after this cleaning gig but she wasn’t looking forward to talking with the client who’d thrown a tantrum because he hadn’t been mentioned in People this week. Dealing with Matt wasn’t easy, but she’d rather coax someone into the limelight than have to drag a client offstage with a shepherd’s crook before they made a complete ass of themselves.

Cade was leaving the cabin with the canister vac in hand as she approached. He put it down and walked to meet her. “Here, I’ll take that back for you.”

“Thanks, I’ve got it.” She pulled the bucket out of reach so fast she sloshed water on her jeans. Felt kind of good, actually.

His brows lifted. “A little possessive of that bucket, aren’t we?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.” Sweat trickled down her back. “I carried it all the way here and I intend to finish the job by myself.”

“You have grit, Geena Lysander. I like that.”

“Thank you.” She lowered her voice. “Let me ask you something.” She put the bucket down and swallowed a groan of relief.

“Sure.”

“Has it occurred to you that linking Matt’s name to the academy could be a good thing for business?”

His expression grew wary. “It might have.” He moved a step closer and spoke quietly. “But he needs this place as an escape and that could ruin it for him.”

She decided not to address that particular assumption. It could be true, but maybe not if she planned her strategy in advance. “So the thought that Matt could be a draw has crossed your mind.”

“Yes, ma’am, but we dismissed it immediately. I hope that’s not the road you’re heading down.”

She noticed his use of we. “I’m not heading down any road. I’m still trying to read the map. Matt says he doesn’t want your privacy invaded, meaning all four of you—Rosie, Herb, Lexi and you. According to what I’m hearing from him, it’s not about his need for privacy. It’s about yours.”

“See, that’s the way he is, always looking out for the people he cares about. Which means we need to look out for him. This situation has made him think that he’d be more of a hindrance than a help.”

“But that’s not necessarily true.”

Cade tugged on the brim of his hat. “No, ma’am, but as long as he thinks it is, then Thunder Mountain can continue to be his sanctuary. Which is fine with us.”

“When you say us, do you mean the four of you?”

“Uh, there’s a few more than that involved.”

“Who?”

He hesitated.

“If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Guess not. You’ve been trustworthy so far.”

“Cade, I care about Matt. I’d never do anything to hurt him.”

He met her gaze and seemed to be evaluating what to say. Finally he nodded. “Okay. Ever since Matt got this part, we’ve recognized his potential to help the academy. The primary group on site includes Mom, Dad, Lexi and me, plus Damon and Phil. Then there’s Ben Radcliffe, who teaches saddle making for us, and his wife, Molly, who set up the curriculum. Finn’s wife, Chelsea, is in marketing, so she immediately saw the possibilities, but she also knows that Matt’s a private guy who cherishes this ranch. The upshot is that no one’s said a word to him about helping to publicize the academy.”

“So you guys are miles ahead of me. I had no idea.”

“And now you know.”

“I do. Thanks for trusting me with this.”

“You can’t tell him.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled. “And now you’d better take that water where it belongs before he sends out a search party.”

“Aye, aye, sir!” She snapped him another salute and picked up her bucket. She was pleased that he chuckled as she walked away. Cade was one of the good guys. In fact, they all sounded terrific and she wished she could meet the rest of the brotherhood.

When she reached the cabin, she left the bucket on the cement stoop and opened the door.

Matt had taken off his hat and had his back to her as he vigorously cleaned the inside of a window. He didn’t turn around. “I was about to go looking for you.”

“It was more of a challenge than I thought.” But watching his tight buns flex inside well-washed denim and his back muscles shift beneath his white T-shirt was reward enough.

“Did you find the outside faucet?” He leaned over to rub a spot near the bottom of the window.

Lordy. “I did.” She paused to clear the lust from her throat. “After I figured out that getting water from one of the sinks or from the shower wasn’t practical, I went looking for a better alternative.”

“Should’ve known you would.” He gave the window one last swipe and turned around. “Did you run into Cade? He just left a bit ago with the vacuum.”

“Yep, I saw him.” She hoped her expression didn’t give anything away.

“The windows over there were a lot dirtier than these, apparently.” He gazed at her. “Which is lucky for us or Cade would have shown up a lot earlier to fetch the vacuum.”

“You mean early enough to catch us...kissing?” Matt had done a lot more than kiss her, and she wouldn’t mind having him repeat the process now that they were alone again.

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry about that. I forgot he’s amazingly fast at windows.”

“You also were looking proficient at the window-cleaning gig when I walked in here.” She still had a buzz going. “How fast is Cade at vacuuming?”

His eyes darkened. “Too damned fast, I’m afraid.” He tossed down the towel he’d been using on the window and came toward her. “Especially when you look at me like that. But I don’t dare grab hold of you. I know what will happen.” He reached out and brushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek and sucked in a breath. “There’s something so sexy about a woman who’s been outside getting sweaty.”

She laughed, although her heart was pounding. “I can’t imagine what.”

“Can’t you?” He brushed his knuckles lightly over her throat. “Your skin’s already nice and warm, plus it’s damp, which makes it so easy to slide my hand—”

“All right, I get it.” She gulped and stepped back.

“Your glasses are fogged up again.”

“I know.” She quickly cleaned them on the tail of her shirt. “You’re right, we can’t do this. Cade and Lexi will show up and find us rolling around on the floor.”

“Rolling? Really?” His smile had a definite touch of wickedness. “I don’t know about you, but I find it’s a lot nicer if you stay put.”

She groaned. “We need to start mopping this floor before I say to heck with what Cade and Lexi find us doing. Are you finished with the windows?”

“I’m finished with the inside. If you’re willing to mop, I’ll go take off the screens and do the outside.”

“I’d rather have you do me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her before scooping up the towel he’d dropped and snagging the spray bottle of window cleaner. “So would I.” He went out the door, transferred the bucket from the stoop to the inside, and left her to work out her frustrations with some vigorous mopping.

* * *

Matt vowed that he’d concentrate on the windows. He’d taken off the screens without once looking inside the cabin. Then he’d washed an entire window while managing to ignore whatever was happening on the opposite side of the glass. Feeling noble and in control, he’d decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek inside to see how Geena was coming along with her mopping.

He was still watching her when Cade clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and drop the spray bottle. Luckily it was plastic. When he turned to confront a grinning Cade, he discovered Lexi was there, too, looking highly amused.

Matt glared at both of them, but mostly at Cade for startling him. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a guy with a loaded spray bottle in his hand. I could’ve hit you in the face with a blast of window cleaner. That stuff has to be bad for your eyes.”

“Couldn’t resist, bro. But I regret to inform you that most women don’t go for the Peeping Tom routine. If she catches you doing it, I guarantee she’ll think it’s creepy that you’re staring in the window while she’s mopping the floor. You’ll lose points, bro, major points.”

“But she’s not just mopping. She’s tap dancing while she does it.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope. Take a look.”

Cade moved to the window. “I’ll be damned. C’mere, Lex. This reminds me of those old black-and-white movies Mom likes.”

Lexi walked over and stood on tiptoe. “I can’t really see.”

“Okay, here you go.” Cade crouched down. “Get on my shoulders.”

“You know, I don’t think—”

“Do it. This is worth the price of admission.”

“I hope she doesn’t glance our way and see this.” Lexi climbed on Cade’s shoulders and he slowly got to his feet. “Oh, wow. She really is tap dancing. In cowboy boots, no less, and wearing her hat! I wonder if she has music. I can’t hear anything. Maybe she has music on her phone.”

“Maybe.”

“Well, that’s just cool. Look at her go! She’s—uh-oh. She saw us. Now she’ll probably quit.”

Matt expected that, too. But after giving them a smile and a wave, she continued with her routine as she worked her way toward the cabin door. When she finished, she spun back toward them and bowed. They all applauded and Matt whistled through his teeth.

“Let’s meet her at the door.” Lexi hopped down and they walked around to the front of the cabin.

Geena came out holding the bucket with the mop handle sticking out of it. She was breathing hard and her cheeks were bright pink. Matt couldn’t remember ever seeing a prettier sight, and he’d spent three years in the land of gorgeous women.

They all clapped and cheered, which made her roll her eyes and laugh. Setting down the bucket, she executed another little dance step on the concrete stoop and swept off her hat in a dramatic gesture, dislodging the pins in her hair. It tumbled out of its arrangement.

“That was awesome,” Lexi said. “No wonder you caught on to the dance moves so quickly last night. You’re a pro!”

“Sadly, I’m not. I haven’t tapped in a while, so I’m pretty rusty and so out of shape.”

Matt picked up the bucket and mop. He was willing to argue that point. He loved her shape. And her hair, which hung in glorious waves to her shoulders. He longed to comb it back with his fingers, cup her head in both hands and tilt it so he could kiss that smiling mouth.

“Would you please hold this for a sec while I fix my hair?” She handed him her hat.

“Sure.” He felt like telling her to leave it down because it looked sexy that way. He thought better of saying that out loud.

Drawing a deep breath, she retrieved the scattered pins and used them to anchor her hair on top of her head again. “The mop reminded me of a number we put together when I was taking dance. We combined moves from the Gene Kelly mop dance and Fred Astaire’s routine with a broom. You may not have seen either of those since they’re from really old movies.”

“I have,” Cade said. “So have Damon and Finn. When we first came to the ranch, before the cabins were built, we used to sit in the living room and watch those musicals with Mom. She’s crazy about them. She’d go nuts if you did a tap number for her.”

“I’d probably be too self-conscious to give a planned performance. I don’t even have the right shoes.” She took back her hat and put it on.

“That’s what made it so impressive,” Lexi said. “You weren’t wearing tap shoes. Did you have music playing?”

“Just in my head. I thought nobody was watching. Then I saw you guys at the window and my training kicked in. My dance teacher drummed into us that you never stop in the middle of a number when you have an audience. No matter what, the show must go on.”

“I’m glad you didn’t stop.” Matt had been smitten before, but after that dance routine he was completely dazzled. He could manage a two-step and a waltz without a problem, but he didn’t have the dedication to learn something as complicated as tap. Consequently, he admired the hell out of someone who’d had the determination to get good at it.

He had to laugh when he thought about the earnest conversation he’d had with Geena on the porch last night. They’d both announced that now was not the time to have a serious relationship. He’d been of a similar mindset when he told Cade and Lexi he didn’t want Rosie launching into matchmaking mode.

On paper, the timing of his sudden interest in Geena couldn’t be worse. His career was finally off to a promising start, but the film business was notoriously unstable. An actor could go from fame to obscurity in the blink of an eye.

Asking someone to share the ride when the journey was wildly uncertain wasn’t fair. His head knew that, but his heart wasn’t listening. He was falling for this amazing woman at an alarming rate and getting serious sounded like a terrific idea. If Rosie had any advice on how to turn a temporary fling into something more permanent, he was ready to hear it.

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