she fell into a routine of having meals with the family, then retreating to quiet, private areas of the ranch to work on her illustrations. For the most part, she thought she was doing quite well. She’d gotten her emotions under control, and if she cried, it was only when she was alone in bed at night.
She hid it well—or so she thought—until she was forced to face the truth one morning at the breakfast table. “You’ve been crying again,” Buck said flatly.
“I have not!”
“And you’re losing weight,” Elizabeth added with a frown. “You need to eat more than an apple for breakfast.”
“I do! I had—”
“Toast,” Rainey finished for her when she hesitated. “One lousy piece of toast. That’s not enough to keep a bird alive.”
“I’ve never been a big eater…”
“Oh, really?” Elizabeth retorted. “It seems to me that I remember someone eating an entire batch of scones with butter and honey. And then there’s Mother’s recipe for braised lamb. You used to eat three servings!”
“I did not! It was—”
“Four,” Buck said with a quick grin. “I distinctly remember.”
Trapped, knowing her siblings’ memories were every bit as sharp as her own, she laughed. “All right. So I have a weakness for braised lamb and hot scones—”
“You mean biscuits,” John teased.
“They were made and eaten in England,” she said loftily. “That makes them scones.”
“And you ate a whole pan of them?” Hunter said with a lazy grin. Seated across the breakfast table from her, he surveyed her with new respect. “I’m impressed. Who knew a skinny little thing like you could eat so much?”
Her chin jutted up at that. “I’m not skinny. I just have a high metabolism.”
“Yeah, right,” he chuckled.
When she gave him a narrow-eyed look that would have sent a lesser man scurrying for cover, Elizabeth quickly jumped into the conversation. “I think you need to get out more, circulate, meet people. We should have a party.”
“And introduce her to all the jerks who’ve been trying to drive us off the ranch?” Buck drawled. “I don’t think so.”
“Good,” Katherine retorted. “I don’t want a party.”
“How about a dating service?” Rainey suggested. “An online one would give you the chance to meet someone from other areas.”
“No!”
“It could be fun,” Hunter pointed out. “If you like losers—”
“Hunter!”
“Stop that!”
“Just because someone uses a dating service doesn’t mean they’re a loser.”
Hardly hearing the defense of her family, Katherine frowned at him in irritation. She didn’t know what it was about him that rubbed her the wrong way, but every time their eyes met, he knew just what to say to raise her hackles. And he knew exactly what he was doing. The knowledge was right there in his laughing eyes.
Sitting back in her chair, she surveyed him with a frown. “When are you leaving? Surely it’s time for you to move on to your job in California. If you like, I can help you pack.”
Far from offended, he only grinned. “I don’t know. I kind of like it here. I thought I might stay awhile, if that’s okay.”
When she gave him a withering look, John said dryly, “This is great. One big, happy family. Don’t you just love it?”
Hunter Sinclair was, Katherine decided three days later, the biggest pest she’d ever met. After his annoying comments at breakfast on Saturday, she’d done everything she could to avoid him, without success. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn he had radar where she was concerned. Whenever she slipped off by herself, he always seemed to show up.
She still didn’t know how he’d known she was at the ranch’s hot springs yesterday. She’d taken her sketchpad and pencils and slipped away from the homestead in Rainey’s SUV. All she’d told Rainey was that she was going out on the ranch somewhere to work on the illustrations that were due at the end of the month. No one had seen her leave the homestead, let alone followed her. Considering that, she should have had the rest of the morning to herself. Instead, she’d hardly settled beside the bubbling hot springs when Hunter drove up in his Toyota 4Runner.
“What are you doing here?”
Not the least bit put off by her greeting, he’d only grinned and started toward her with the lazy grace of a mountain lion on the prowl. “I was just out exploring and decided to check out the springs,” he said easily. “Buck told me the Indians used to camp here.”
It was a good story, and another woman might have swallowed it without a blink of an eye. But thanks to Nigel, she wasn’t nearly as naive as she’d once been. “Really? And you just happened to show up when I was here?”
“That’s right,” he chuckled. “Coincidence is a pretty amazing thing, isn’t it?”
“Coincidence, my eye,” she retorted. “You followed me!”
“Now, sweetheart, why would I do that?”
“Don’t call me sweetheart!”
“Yes, ma’am. What would you like me to call you? Personally I like darlin’. It’s got a nice ring, you know. But I can’t call you that without kissing you first. That’s one of my rules—”
Frustrated, irritated, fighting the smile that tugged at her lips, she hadn’t said another word. She’d packed up her art supplies and left.
When he’d gone out last night to one of the local watering holes, she’d told herself she was glad. There was bound to be a woman there who would catch—and keep—his attention for the rest of his stay at the ranch. Then he would stop yanking her chain and pestering her.
Clinging to that thought, she should have slept the night away. Instead, the darn man chased her into her dreams, and she’d tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling for hours before finally falling asleep around four in the morning.
Not surprisingly, the rest of the family, including Hunter, had already eaten breakfast by the time she woke at ten, and the house was deserted. Desperate for a cup of tea, she stepped into the kitchen, only to discover a note from Elizabeth on the refrigerator.
Hey, sleepyhead. Hope you slept well. John and I have gone to the cabin, and Buck and Rainey and Hunter are riding fence on the ranch’s north boundary. If you want some company, take the dirt road west of the barn and it’ll take you to the cabin. I packed a picnic lunch for the three of us, and Rainey left her keys for you on the kitchen table. See you later. Elizabeth.
So Hunter was with Buck and Rainey. She shouldn’t have been relieved—she
