The Rancher's Rules

“I cooked breakfast.” She pointed at the sink with the spatula and smiled. “I didn’t say anything about washing dishes.”

She stretched across the counter to pour him a mug of coffee. Her nightshirt rode up creamy thighs and Grant’s gaze glued itself to the sight while his fingers itched to reach out and touch the soft skin. Would it be as smooth as he remembered? Would she shudder like she had that one fateful time he’d allowed himself to see her as a woman?

He bit back a curse. He wasn’t about to give in to carnal urges where she was concerned again. Their friendship meant way too much to him. It meant more than any other relationship in his life, and he wasn’t about to put it at risk for something as fundamental as sex.

“Don’t you have some sweats or something to wear with that thing?” He grimaced at the question, hoping she didn’t hear the tinge of desperation in his voice.

Zoe stopped stirring the coffee and gave him a quizzical glance. “Why? I’m not cold. Does my nightgown bother you?”

Nightgown? It looked more like a T-shirt to him. “Of course not. I just thought you might be cold.”

She shrugged. “I’m not.”

“Good.” What else could he say? That the sight of her sexy legs had sent his male hormones raging?

She would run screaming from the kitchen. Or, worse, she would stay.

He’d call Frank right after breakfast.

The call started off fine, but took a dive like a 747 with engine trouble when Grant brought up the subject of Zoe staying at the Patterson place. Apparently Frank’s wife and Eudora Givens were good friends, and Zoe’s ex-landlady had already given her version of events. Frank wasn’t about to cross his wife by letting Zoe and her “menagerie” as he called it, stay in their home.

Grant hung up and sat staring morosely at the phone. How was he going to help Zoe find a place if even Frank Patterson wouldn’t let her stay in her old home?

Grant ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. What was he going to do? Who would let Zoe and her pets move in?

No one. That was who. The only way she’d find a place to live would be to give up most of her animals. That was never going to happen. But…she could leave her pets in the barn with his livestock while she stayed at the Patterson place and looked for a new rental. Frank would not object to Zoe living there alone.

Now Grant just had to convince Zoe.

After returning from school, Zoe went straight to the barn. She wanted to check on Maurice. He was used to living in a chicken coop, so the barn should be an improvement. However, she didn’t know how he’d respond to living with horses. They were so much bigger than him. He might be nervous. As it turned out, Maurice seemed perfectly content. He accepted Zoe’s petting with an expression of goat disdain.

“I talked to Frank.”

Zoe jumped at the sound of Grant’s voice. She whirled to face him. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

He smiled. “You were busy.”

Zoe gave a final pat to Maurice. “What did Frank say?”

“His wife is a good friend with Mrs. Givens.”

Zoe couldn’t say she was sorry. She’d prefer staying with Grant until after the holidays. After the visit from her parents. “And?”

“She won’t let you and your pets stay.”

Zoe shrugged. “Guess you’re stuck with me for a while at least.”

Grant smiled. “Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a problem solver, remember? It’s what I do. If I can figure out the logistics on shipping beef to Japan on a scale large enough to keep my investors happy, I can figure out the living arrangements for one small kindergarten teacher.”

“Watch the size cracks,” she warned teasingly, but she was nervous. He was a problem solver, and she could see her plans for handling her parents’ upcoming visit with aplomb going up in smoke. “So, what is your solution?”

“You can stay at the Pattersons’ and leave your pets here with me. When you find a place, you can take them with you.” His cat-that-found-the-cream-pitcher grin said that he thought his idea had merit.

Zoe’s stomach tightened in a knot. Her day had been emotionally wrenching enough. She’d forced herself to put an advertisement for Maurice, Bud and her bird in the local weekly paper, along with sending flyers offering the animals free of charge home with her students. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave all of her animals behind and go live in the sterility of a pet-free household at the Pattersons’.

“You have too many responsibilities already. I can’t expect you to take care of my pets too. You’re the one who said you didn’t have time to take care of a hamster.”