Dorothy had smiled with her, laughed at Nina’s attempt at humor and even praised her work ethic.
Preparation had been key.
Meeting one of her sons while taking a topless dip and then immediately accusing him of being a creep?
That certainly wasn’t the key to anything other than a world of embarrassment.
“I’m Caleb Nash,” he continued while she continued to scramble for the right thing to say to make the last five minutes disappear. He was still grinning, which only made everything worse. “I’d prefer Caleb and not Tom, if you please.”
The burn of embarrassment that had crawled up her neck was now a steady flame across her cheeks. Still, Nina couldn’t just stand there any longer without saying a word. On reflex she cleared her throat and pasted on a smile that felt tight.
“I’m sorry,” she said, hoping she sounded at least marginally regretful. She still wasn’t convinced the man hadn’t been trying to enjoy the free view. Nina might have liked Dorothy but she had yet to meet her sons. One, she knew, was the sheriff. The other two were a part of the triplets. Past that she hadn’t heard anything about their jobs or personal lives. Dorothy had kept close to the topic of work. “I guess it wasn’t the best idea to go exploring. I thought for sure I would be alone.” She strode forward and stretched out her hand. “I’m Nina. Nina Drake.”
Caleb’s grip was strong and warm. Not that she expected the man in front of her to offer anything less. His arms and legs were toned and muscled, both threatening to break out of the tight shirt he wore and the shorts he barely had on. Even without the show of muscles he just seemed like a man who was sturdy. Well over six feet and broad shouldered, he made Nina feel more than petite next to him.
It didn’t help that she was already feeling small because of embarrassment. It also didn’t help that Caleb had a good-looking grin that matched an extremely handsome face. When Nina had applied for a job on the ranch she’d pictured rugged men in cowboy hats roaming around the property on horses. Not the clean-shaven, dark-haired man wearing short shorts in the middle of the woods in front of her.
Not those baby blues focused solely on her.
Half of the reason she’d taken the job was to curb excitement like this.
Not that this was anything more than an awkward situation.
Still, she couldn’t imagine being in the presence of the triplets if they had been identical. It would, she suspected, be intimidating to say the least.
“Well, nice to meet you, Nina,” he said after their hands had fallen. “I’m sorry I interrupted. I usually stop here to cool off.”
Nina was already backing away in the direction she’d originally come. She shook her head and waved off the concern.
“It was my fault,” she tried. “I was just trying to familiarize myself with the trails before guests started arriving. I should have stayed on the path.” Caleb looked like he was going to say something but she was already retreating into the tree line. “Enjoy your dip,” she called. Then she turned on her heel and hurried back to the dirt trail.
It wasn’t until she had passed the one-mile marker that she slowed enough to catch her breath. Instead of seeing the humor in the situation, Nina couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d almost cost herself a chance at a fresh start.
She balled her hands into fists, resolve to be the perfect employee flooding through her. Not only would she stick strictly to the rules, she decided, but she would also avoid the man who had caught her breaking them.
A branch snapped somewhere off to her side. Nina’s blush surged back up her neck, heating her skin, at the thought of Caleb following her. However, as she paused to look between the trees, she saw no one.
Nina finished the trail with a little more urgency in her step, all the while reasoning that the outline of the man she thought she’d seen was just her imagination.
Simply a ghost from her former life.