Tempting the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 8)

Kane’s a nice guy just doing nice guy things, but I could’ve sworn I saw him study my curves for a brief second last night. The underlying current streaming between us threatens to pull me under, and soon, I’ll drown under his spell.

When I arrive at work, Harper is already there. I walk inside, and she gives me a look but smiles.

“Inventory today, right?” I ask as she sips her coffee.

“Yep, I’m gonna mix the next scent for the launch.” She already has the ingredients laid out and has started the process. “Once we have a final count, we can start pouring our evergreen scents for a restock.”

“Perfect.” I grab my AirPods and turn on an audiobook. After ten minutes, I stop listening and put on a drama YouTube video about influencers because I can’t shake those images of a half-naked Kane out of my head.

I climb up and down the ladder, counting all of our current stock. It takes me nearly three hours to go through everything we have available, but I have a solid list of what has to be made when I'm done. Harper likes to keep her signature scents in stock so we never run out, but lately, we’ve been slammed more than usual. While it’s great for business, it becomes overwhelming to juggle everything, especially when soap has a six-week cure time.

After I go over what we need with Harper, she grabs everything to mix the formulas. Before we get started, I look at the time.

“It’s nearly noon. You should probably grab lunch. I’ve got this.”

“Shit. I didn’t even notice.” Harper smiles. “This is why I keep you around, lunch reminders. When I worked alone, I skipped so many meals.”

“Go ahead. I can finish this up while you run home and eat.”

She sets down the goat milk and sucks in a deep breath. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” I explain, and she grabs her keys and leaves.

Just as I’m measuring out the milk to pour into the trays, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, thinking it’s Harper reminding me of something, but I’m pleasantly surprised when I read who it’s from.

Kane: How about that lunch date? I’m headin’ to the B&B in ten minutes.

I don’t know whether to smile because I was invited or frown because I’m busy.

Ivy: I’m really sorry, but I can’t. We’re super swamped, but maybe we can some other time?

He has no idea how much it pained me to write that reply. Even now, I’m contemplating how I could make it happen, but considering what needs to be done, there’s just not enough time in the day. I haven’t even had a chance to read the book I bought last week, which never happens.

Kane: Sure, that’s no problem at all.

Ivy: I’m really sorry!

Kane: It’s fine. I’ll just have to keep askin’ ya.

Ivy: Please do.

I wish I knew what he was thinking right now. The fact that he’s making an effort has my insides squirming, and I can’t stop smiling. Knowing I don’t have time to play around, I start pouring fresh milk. After I’ve gotten every filled tray in the freezer, I pull out the ones we did yesterday so I can mix the ingredients together.

We have at least ten different soaps to restock right now, and I can’t waste any more time. I carefully measure the lye and pour it in the pot, then drop the frozen cubes of goat milk inside. After it’s stirred together and begins to thicken, I carefully pour the liquid into the mold. If I wait too long before I put the final product in the fridge to cool down, the milk will scald due to the chemical reaction. It would be devastating to waste this entire batch.

Patiently, I sprinkle raw oats on top, and when it’s complete, I’m proud of how pretty it looks. After I put it in the oversized refrigerator, I turn around and am shocked to see Kane standing in the warehouse with to-go containers in his hands.

“Oh my goodness. What are you doin’ here?” I ask, unable to hide how happy I am to see him.

“I couldn’t let you go without a hot meal, considering how hard you’ve been working. Ethan told me how much y’all needed to do today when I showed up at the B&B, so I brought you some chicken spaghetti and garlic toast. Oh, and some apple cobbler too because we all need a little sugar rush.”

“I could seriously kiss you right now,” I tell him, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows before he smirks.

He sets it down at one of the tables and hands me a fork. It’s not until I dig in and take a bite of dessert first that I realize how hungry I am.