The Rancher's Redemption
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He raised an intimidating eyebrow. “It must be hard not having any outdoor space. Kids need to run around. Roman’s more than welcome to do that here.”
“He’ll run all day.” Her smile was rueful. “The major problem will be trying to catch him.”
“There are enough of us here to hunt him down. Ben’s the best tracker in the valley.”
“So I hear. He’s going to work with BB Morgan on that new dude ranch survival course thing, isn’t he?” She turned to where Roman was currently questioning Daisy about something dinosaur related. “I wish kids came installed with a tracking device. It would make life a lot easier.”
He chuckled and too late he remembered his resolve not to get chatting, and stepped back. “I’d better check how the food is doing.”
“You cook?” Lizzie asked.
“Yeah.”
She pressed a hand to her chest and gazed up at him. “That’s . . . amazing.”
“Yeah?” He had to get away from her right now before he did something really stupid like bend down and kiss her slightly parted lips.
“How about you get Daisy to give you and Roman a tour of the house while I get lunch finished?” Adam suggested.
“That sounds awesome.” She smiled at him again, and he fought the urge to smile back. So much for showing his family that he didn’t give two hoots about her. They were all probably enjoying watching him act like a complete pushover.
* * *
Seeing Adam in the middle of his family kitchen, sleeves rolled up to display his muscled forearms, and slightly flushed from cooking, was doing all kinds of terrible things to Lizzie’s libido. A man who looked like that, was incredibly competent at his ranch job, and could cook? They were probably as rare as unicorns.
He’d even smiled at her, although it hadn’t lasted long, and he was now back in his get away from me, woman, mode. Which was a shame because seeing him at home surrounded by his family meant that even here he apparently struggled to relax.
She dutifully went off and admired the ranch. Her whole apartment would probably fit in the newly restored kitchen. The rest of it was a warren of unexpected rooms and add-ons that made no sense but didn’t detract from the overall feeling that the ranch was a very happy and well-loved place.
“This is Adam’s room.”
Daisy paused to open the door, inviting Lizzie inside. She lingered on the threshold. His room was incredibly neat with a large double bed, which he probably needed, covered in a patchwork quilt. The only photo was of him and Louisa on their wedding day, both looking incredibly young, and so in love that Lizzie had to look away. How did Adam keep on going when he’d lost so much?
“Come on, Mom.” Roman nudged her hip. “Daisy says there’s a swing.”
She followed Roman out into the fenced yard where she could easily imagine a horde of young Millers horsing around. There was a slide set, a climbing frame, and a swing, which Roman was heading for at a fast clip.
“Hold on there, youngster!” Ben dashed past Lizzie, his long strides eating up the ground. “Let me help you up.”
Ben grinned at Lizzie as he settled Roman on the wooden seat. “I tested everything out yesterday, which was kind of fun, so don’t worry about anything breaking.” He gestured toward the house. “Why don’t you go inside and see if Adam needs any help in the kitchen? I’ll hang out here with Roman.”
With a strong feeling that she was being manipulated, Lizzie went back in and immediately lost her bearings. Faced with a whole lot of doors, she turned a slow circle only to bump right up against Adam when he suddenly appeared behind her.
“Sorry.” She rocked as he steadied her with one hand on her elbow. “I got confused about which way to go.”
“It’s a confusing house.” He gestured at his T-shirt. “I just spilled gravy all over myself so I came to change. If you hang here a minute, I’ll take you back to the kitchen.”
“Sure.”
He walked past her into his bedroom, stripping off his unbuttoned shirt as he went, and then removed his T-shirt, giving her a perfect view of his broad shoulders and muscled back. Lizzie tried not to react to the sight of such work-hardened, masculine beauty, but it was hard not to sigh.