down that hall,” Dev said. “If you see the utility room, you’ve gone too far.”
“Thanks,” she answered, and headed off after his son.
She found the room and saw Ben reaching without success to turn on the light. “Need some help, pal?”
“No.” Ben shook his head. Then he looked at her and she realized how much he resembled his father. “Maybe a little.”
She laughed and flipped the switch up with her thumb. The room was charming and functional. It had the same wood floor as the rest of the first story of the house. But the walls from top to bottom were covered with a tiny floral-print wallpaper, containing the same shades she’d seen in the kitchen. Wooden signs enhanced the country decor. The first that caught her eye read, So It Ain’t Home Sweet Home. Adjust! Another advised, Thou Shalt Not Whine.
She smiled, then looked down at the small boy on tiptoe squirming this way and that to reach the spigot and soap pump. “Let me help,” she said, squirting some into his grubby little hand and turning on the water. Lifting him with one arm around his middle, she used her free hand to wet his palms and rub the bubbles around as she chattered. “Your dad told me you’ll be four next week. I bet you’ll be able to reach the light switch then.”
He met her gaze in the mirror and grinned. “Yes, I will.”
“You’re a pretty big guy.”
He nodded and a lock of brown hair the same color as Dev’s fell over his forehead. “When I’m four, Daddy’s going to give me a horse.”
“Wow. You’re pretty brave. I’m afraid of horses.”
“Daddy’s going to teach me to ride. If he showed you how, you wouldn’t be a scaredy cat.”
Hannah was so taken with his utter confidence in Dev that she almost didn’t mind the scaredy cat remark. Having never known that feeling toward her own father, she couldn’t help envying the boy.
“If your dad put me on a horse, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t be scared,” she said. But she wasn’t talking about the horse part.
“How about we find out?”
Dev’s deep voice surprised her at the same time it raised goose bumps on her arms. She’d been so wrapped up in hand-washing and wondering about the things Ben’s daddy could show her, she hadn’t noticed the dad in question in the doorway behind her.
“Find out what?” she asked, setting the child down and giving him the hand towel.
“Let’s see if Ben’s right and I can teach you not to be scared—on a horse.”
“Daddy can help you,” Ben said with absolute confidence.
“How about tomorrow morning?” Dev suggested, leaning against the doorjamb. “Before it gets hot.”
It could be ten degrees below zero and if he was nearby she would be hot, Hannah thought. If she said no, she’d look like the world’s biggest coward to a four-year-old. And she wasn’t too keen on Dev thinking that of her either.
“Okay,” she said, ruffling the boy’s hair. She looked in the mirror, adjusting her gaze up to meet the tall cowboy’s. “I’ll meet you in the corral bright and early.”
Maybe if it was bright enough and early enough, she would be brave enough to face Dev—and the horse.
Chapter Two
After a restless night, Dev had risen earlier than usual. He’d wanted to get work out of the way so he had plenty of time for Hannah’s riding lesson. Except why he should go to so much trouble was what had kept him awake in the first place. Here on the ranch, there were always a million and one things to do. Not to mention the godawful paperwork he avoided as long as he possibly could. Given a choice between four walls and a computer spreadsheet program or outdoors and the horses, there was no contest.
All night long he hadn’t been able to stop factoring Hannah Morgan into the outdoors and horses part. Because he’d thought her presence would be awkward and it wasn’t. Because he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Because he’d watched his son take a fancy to her. Because she’d implied that he’d been Destiny High’s all-around playboy.
That’s not the way he remembered it. She must have him confused with another cowboy she’d tutored.
But for those reasons and probably some he hadn’t thought of yet, it was a fact that he now stood in the corral, horse saddled and waiting for her, at the time they’d agreed on. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was waiting with more anticipation than he wanted to feel. He hadn’t seen Hannah yet today. He’d been out of the house and working before sunup, same as every other morning. Which was why he was so grateful to have Polly to look after Ben.
Was it gratitude that had goaded him into this offer to teach Hannah to ride? Her mother had bailed him out big time by taking care of the house and his son. Hannah had doctored Newy’s bum shoulder yesterday. And Dev had to admit she’d impressed him with her skill. So he was beholden to both of the Morgan women. Was that enough to explain why the prospect of seeing Hannah had him lit up inside like the grand opening of a Las Vegas casino?
His memories of her in high school were hazy at best. He remembered the tutoring. How could he forget? It had been damned humiliating. His grades had been pretty good—in everything but physics. To maintain sports eligibility, he’d been forced to get help in that subject. His teacher had insisted it be Hannah, who was tops in her honors class. But not only was she several years younger, she was a girl and a brainer. At a time when he was struggling to be a man, she’d made him feel like a greenhorn kid.
She’d been skinny as a boy with glasses bigger than her face. Who knew in ten years she’d grow breasts and curves that would turn her into a package cute as could be? He’d never guessed that behind those Coke bottle lenses she’d had eyes bigger and bluer than a field of Texas bluebonnets.
And so what?
She was here for six weeks, to rest up and see her mother. The visit was nothing more than temporary because her life was on the west coast. He’d been burned once by a woman who’d believed greener pastures were anywhere but Destiny. Hannah had left for college earlier than most and carved out a life for herself fifteen hundred miles away. He would be a fool to let luscious curves and beautiful blue eyes make him forget that. His mission was to get her over her fear of horses. Then leave her be.
He glanced up the hill and saw her approaching. In her jeans, lime-green T-shirt and denim baseball hat, she looked awful darn tempting. She was covered from head to toe, but what she wore highlighted those mouthwatering curves he’d so recently thought about. His pulse kicked up a notch even though he could see very little of her flesh. That thought generated a subtle challenge inside him to see more.
She stopped at the fence separating them and looked up at the horse for a long moment before meeting his gaze. “Good morning.”
He touched the brim of his hat. “Mornin’.” He looked past her, expecting his son. The boy had taken quite a shine to her the day before. When he’d tucked Ben in last night, it was Hannah this, and Hannah that. He hadn’t thought she would be able to leave the house without the little guy tagging along. Especially after he’d pleaded with her to go for it
