it just goes to show…you really can teach an old dog new tricks.” Buck swiveled around in his chair until he faced Cody. “I haven’t seen Melanie since she left the table after breakfast.” He checked his watch. “That was over three hours ago. I know there’s lots of work to be done, what with us coming up on spring roundup, but could you check on her? Make sure she’s okay? Maybe show her around the ranch and point out the improvements we’ve made in the past few years?”
“Sure thing, Buck. I was about to head outside anyway.” He felt the irritation again. But was it irritation at being expected to look after her or did it go deeper than that? Was he really irritated by the fact that she had not strayed very far from his thoughts since the moment he flipped on the living-room light and saw her sprawled on the floor?
Cody had no idea where she had disappeared to. He checked down the hallway, but she was not in her bedroom. He asked Edna, who said she had not seen Melanie since she had noticed her through the kitchen window going into the barn, but that had been quite a while ago. He left the house and headed toward the barn. It gave him a place to start looking.
It didn’t take long for Cody to discover Melanie’s whereabouts. He stood on the top rung of the ladder leading to the hayloft and watched her as she slept. The sunlight streamed in through the open loft doors, covering her face in a golden glow. Her features showed no signs of her earlier anger. Her long, dark lashes rested against her upper cheek. Pieces of straw were tucked into the folds of her hair. Her breasts slowly rose and fell with her breathing. Yes, indeed, she’s very attractive…
Cody climbed up the last step into the loft, though he wasn’t exactly sure why, and stood for a moment, staring down at her. Then he knelt next to her sleeping body. He carefully plucked a piece of straw from her hair and gently tickled the tip of it across her cheek. She stirred but did not wake as she batted her hand at the intrusion. He withdrew for a moment, then traced her lower lip with the straw. That tempting mouth—that very tempting mouth—still begged to be kissed. It was a temptation he could not resist. He bent over her, lowering his head until their mouths were within a fraction of an inch. He hesitated, then brushed his lips against hers.
It was the most delicious dream. In fact, it seemed almost real to Melanie. The handsome prince of her childhood fantasies had come for her. She felt his lips against hers, felt the heat and passion of his kiss, even though it only lasted a fraction of a second. She slowly opened her eyes and dreamily focused on Cody’s face. He seemed so real, as if she could actually reach out and touch him. She lifted her hand and extended it toward him. Then the dream ceased to be. Reality presented itself as her fingers came in contact with a flesh-and-blood man.
Melanie jerked upright, her eyes wide with shock. Her voice trembled; her words came out in a hushed gasp. “What do you think you’re doing?”
It was a valid question, but Cody did not have a good answer. He was not sure exactly what he thought he was doing, or more accurately why he was doing it. There was nothing about Melanie Winslow that said she was in any way the type of woman with whom he would want to pursue a serious relationship. She was also Buck’s daughter and Buck was not only his friend, Buck was his employer. But still, like it or not, something other than her good looks had worked its way under his skin.
He wanted to push it aside as being a ridiculous thought that had no place in his world. He tried, but was not totally successful. He decided to ignore her question. “If you wanted to take a nap shouldn’t you be doing it in your bedroom rather than up here?”
Melanie was not sure exactly what had been real and what had been a dream. Had he really kissed her? Perhaps the best thing would be to proceed as if nothing had happened. She sat up, carefully avoiding any physical contact with him. A hint of embarrassment found its way into her voice. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I used to come up here when I was a little girl. I guess I…” She could not finish her sentence. She did not have a ready explanation for her actions. “What time is it? How long have I been sleeping?”
Cody stood up and reached out his hand to help her to her feet. “It’s been about four hours since you left the kitchen.”
“Four hours? Oh, no. I certainly didn’t intend to be out here that long.” She hesitated a moment, then accepted his assistance. “I guess I was just too tired to keep my eyes open.” She noticed the way he kept staring at her, a stare that caused a ripple of confusion and vexation in her. She was also very much aware that he still held her hand within his grasp. She quickly withdrew from his touch and busied herself straightening her clothes and brushing away the loose pieces of hay.
Cody pulled several pieces of straw from her hair. He tickled the last piece across her cheek before dropping it to the floor of the hayloft. It was a brief moment of peaceful coexistence, neither challenging the other’s position or authority.
It was Melanie who broke the moment. She shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other as she stared down at the hay-covered floor. She nervously cleared her throat, then looked up at him. “I, uh, I think I owe you an apology. I guess I was a little overly tired this morning. I’m afraid I wasn’t too polite.”
“Well…” An apology—that was certainly far removed from what he had anticipated. Perhaps Buck’s daughter was not quite the disagreeable ingrate Cody had surmised her to be. “I certainly can’t blame you for getting upset about being tackled and thrown to the floor.”
“And I hadn’t let anyone know I would be arriving in the middle of the night. I can understand why you would assume I was someone breaking into the house.” She stuck out her hand and offered him a tentative smile. “Truce?”
Cody hesitantly agreed, still a little skeptical about her real motives. He accepted her handshake, the sensation of her touch sending a hint of both alarm and anxiety through his awareness. “Sure…truce.”
This time it was Cody who quickly withdrew his hand. He ran it across the back of his neck. For a moment he had forgotten his purpose in being there, had forgotten about everything except the mystery and allure of Melanie Winslow. “Shall we go?” He turned toward the ladder. “Buck wants me to show you around, point out everything new over the past ten years.” He could not stop the irritation that crept into his voice. It was a silly waste of his time. She had lived at the ranch and should be able to spot the changes on her own without taking up his valuable time.
Her manner stiffened. She wrinkled her brow into a slight frown and pursed her lips. She caught the edge to his voice. Was this part of his method of keeping a vigilant eye on her, as he had threatened? “I don’t need a tour guide to find my way around.”
He paused with his foot on the top rung of the ladder. His voice and physical presence carried absolute authority. “Buck wants me to show you around, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Her temper flared. “This is ridiculous! I lived here for eighteen years. I’ll bet I know places on this ranch you’ve never seen.”
He matched her, word for angry word, as he stepped back onto the loft floor. “Look, kid. There’ve been lots of changes around here in the past ten years. Things are very busy right now. I don’t want you wandering around on your own and getting in the way. Besides, I still don’t know what you’re doing here and until I do—”
She stomped over to the ladder. “Get out of my way, cowboy.” She expertly sidestepped him and quickly descended the ladder. She glanced back up when she reached
