grabbed the suitcase and followed his uncle past the barn and down a short path to a small outbuilding that also appeared to be freshly painted. The exterior walls were clean and white, and the bright red door was the same color as the barn.
“This is my place,” Sam said, as he let Blake inside.
Blake scanned the cozy living room with a small stone fireplace on the outside wall and a built-in bookshelf next to it. His uncle had certainly downsized. Before Sam and Nellie sold their ranch, they’d lived in a sprawling house on more than five hundred acres of prime grazing land.
“I hope I don’t inconvenience you,” Blake said.
“You won’t bother me. For the most part, I’ve been staying with Joy in the big house.”
Blake’s gut clenched. What did Sam mean by “staying with” her?
“You’re sleeping with her?” Blake had meant to mask his surprise, but the tone of his voice let him down.
“So what if I am?” Sam snapped. “I’m an adult.”
“Yes, but...” Blake bit back his response, which would only serve to make matters worse.
“Did you think your generation invented sex?” Sam asked. “Or that I’d outgrown the need for it?”
“Neither,” Blake said, although he’d assumed that a man his uncle’s age... Well, hell. Clearly his assumption was wrong, and he was glad to know that. He’d hate to think he’d ever “outgrow” the need or desire for sex.
“And just so you know,” Sam added, “I don’t need any little blue pills, either.”
Blake had no response for that, other than to hope he’d inherited some of the Darnell strength, stamina and hormones.
“Go ahead and make yourself at home,” Sam said. “I’ve got work to do. We’ll have to talk more later.”
A nap did sound good. Blake hadn’t been able to sleep on the plane.
“Lunch is at the big house at eleven-thirty sharp,” Sam added. “I’ll see you then.”
After Sam left, Blake scanned the ten-by-ten-foot living room, with its brown leather sofa, dark oak coffee table and the colorful Navajo rug that adorned the hardwood floor. The place was cozy and clean, although it was a far cry from the high-rise condo in which Blake lived.
But Blake was prepared to stay as long as it took to bury the hatchet. He’d also do whatever he could to protect Uncle Sam’s heart and bank account while he was at it.
And if he had to buy off the gold digger and her niece, then so be it. He’d be damned if he was going to just roll over and let nature—or greed—run its course.
* * *
If there was one thing Shannon had learned during her first few days on the job at the Rocking C, it was to be prepared for the unexpected. There seemed to always be one minor crisis or another occurring that would keep her busy from morning until night.
And today had been no different. From the traffic jam at the bridge to Blake Darnell’s surprise arrival, nothing had been routine. Even dealing with Nate’s injury hadn’t been easy. She’d had to override his objections and insist upon cleaning and dressing the wound properly.
After the cowboy had gone back to work, she’d called Doc Nelson, who’d be coming by this evening for the weekly poker game, and asked him to arrive early so he could take a look at it. In the meantime, the doctor had prescribed an antibiotic, as well as a tetanus shot. So she then had to get into the all-terrain vehicle and drive the injections out to the south pasture, bushwhacking the young cowboy, who’d rolled his eyes but let her do her job.
Once that was out of the way, the rest of her morning went as usual. It was just after noon when she prepared the midday medications. As she passed them out, she took time to visit with each of the elderly men, all of whom she’d grown to care about.
The last one on her med list was Rex Mayberry, one of her favorite old cowboys. She often found him outside, seated in one of the rockers on the porch, so that’s where she started her search.
She’d barely reached the screen door when she heard him blurt out a curse. Sure enough, she’d found him. She adjusted the small tray she carried with disposable cups of water and medications labeled with residents’ names, then went outside.
As she opened the screen door, the hinges squeaked. Rex, who’d been watching the younger cowboys try to gentle a yearling in the corral, turned and watched her approach. The scowl he’d been wearing morphed into a wry grin. “Well, if it ain’t my personal Florence Nightingale. I was beginning to think you’d abandoned me.”
“My favorite resident? No way would I ever forget you.” She’d only been working at the Rocking C for three months, but everyone here had managed to touch her heart, especially Rex, who could be a real hoot when he wasn’t complaining. And even then she got a big kick out of him.
She handed Rex his pill in a tiny paper cup and waited until he’d taken it and chased it down with water. Turning to go back into the house, she spotted Blake Darnell approaching and stopped in her tracks.
He’d changed out of the khaki slacks he’d been wearing earlier and into a pair of jeans. He might be trying to fit in around here, but he was much too polished around the edges. Even the denim didn’t make him look like a rancher, let alone a cowboy. And in spite of the fact that both he and his uncle were attractive men, considering their respective ages, they didn’t seem anything alike, especially in temperament.
So when Blake tossed a smile at her and again apologized for being rude earlier, it took her by surprise—a rather pleasant one at that.
“I didn’t get any sleep last night,” he added, “and then I got stuck in some backed-up traffic about two miles from here. Someone lost a load of hay, although it was pretty much picked up by the time I drove through. So that’s why I was a little snappish with you earlier.”
As much as Shannon wanted to stay angry at him, she’d never been one to hold a grudge. And the fact that he’d been delayed by the same teenage driver who’d spilled hay all over the road made her smile. “I was probably a few cars in front of you when you crossed the bridge, so I can relate to your frustration.”
“Can we start over?” He reached out his hand for a proper greeting, and she took it.
The warmth and strength of his grip sent an electrifying tingle zapping along every one of her nerve endings, a physical reaction to his touch that she hadn’t expected and didn’t appreciate.
Blake Darnell was a charmer, and she wasn’t about to allow herself to be roped in by him. But she’d have to agree with her initial assessment. He was drop-dead gorgeous when he smiled.
He was also the kind of man who was too busy to spend time with his aunt and uncle, something she found bothersome. Family was important, especially when you didn’t have many relatives left.
What she wouldn’t give to have one more opportunity to talk to her father.
“Dang it,” Rex hollered out. “Would you look at that?” He pointed a gnarled
