that ran along the Last Chance’s northern boundary. Leaning against the tree, she listened to the steady clop-clop of hooves approaching.
She needed to sneeze. Of course. People always needed to sneeze when they were trying to hide. She pressed her finger against the base of her nose.
Finally the urge to sneeze went away, but she felt a tickle in her throat. Clop, clop, clop, clop. The horse and rider sounded as if they were only a few yards from her tree. She needed to cough. She really did. Maybe if she was extremely careful and exceptionally quiet, she could pick up her energy drink and take a sip.
Usually while she was up here, the songbirds chirped merrily in the branches around her and the breeze made a nice sighing sound. That kind of ambient noise would be welcome so she could take a drink of her favorite bright green beverage without danger of detection. But the air was completely still and even the birds seemed to have taken an intermission.
The horse snorted. They were very close. If only the horse would snort again, she could coordinate her swallow with that. She raised the bottle to her mouth but was greeted by absolute silence.
That means he’s stopped right under your tree, idiot. Adrenaline pumped through her as she held her breath and fought the urge to cough.
“Anybody up there?”
His unexpected question made her jump. She lost her grip on the bottle, which rolled to the edge of the platform and toppled off.
The horse spooked and the man cursed. So did Naomi. So much for going unnoticed.
The horse settled down, but the man continued to swear. “What is this damned sticky crap, anyway?”
Filled with foreboding, she crawled to the edge of the platform and peered down. Her gorgeous cowboy had taken a direct hit from her energy drink. He yanked off his hat, causing green liquid that had been caught in the brim to run down the front of his shirt. “Oh, God. I’ve been slimed!”
“Sorry.”
He glanced up at her. “You must be Naomi Perkins.”
“I am.” Even from twenty feet away, or more like ten or twelve since he was still on his horse, she could see that he was royally pissed. “And you are?”
“Luke Griffin.”
“Sorry about dousing you, Luke.”
“I’ll wash, and my clothes will wash, but the hat…And it’s my best hat, too.”
“I’ll have it cleaned for you.” She wondered why he’d worn his best hat out on the trail. Usually cowboys saved their best for special occasions.
Blowing out a breath, he surveyed the damage. “That’s okay. Maybe Sarah can work some magic on it.”
“Sarah Chance?”
“Right. The boss lady.”
So he was a ranch hand. “She might be able to clean it.” Naomi, who’d grown up in this area, had great respect for Sarah, widow of Jonathan and co-owner of the ranch along with her three sons. If anybody could salvage a hat covered with energy drink, Sarah could.
“What’s in that stuff, so I can tell her what to use on it?”
“Oh, you know. Glucose, electrolytes, vegetable juice. I think it’s the broccoli that turns it green. Or maybe it’s the liquefied spinach.”
He grimaced. “That sounds nasty.”
“I don’t always eat three squares while I’m working, so the energy drink helps me stay nourished and hydrated.”
“You must be really dedicated if you can stomach that on a regular basis.”
She shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“You might. I wouldn’t.”
“So are you out here checking the fence?”
He hooked his damaged hat on the saddle horn and gazed up at her. “Actually, I rode out to see how you were getting along.”
“You did?” That surprised her. “Did Emmett send you?”
“Not exactly. But he told us what you were trying to accomplish—documenting nesting behavior for a professor who plans to write up a paper on it. I thought that sounded like interesting work. I had a little spare time, so I decided to find out if you’re okay.”
“That’s thoughtful.” Especially when he didn’t know her from Adam. Nor did she know him, although under different circumstances, she’d be happy to get acquainted. “I’m doing fine, thanks.”
“How about the eagle babies? Are they all right?”
“So far.” Apparently he was curious about the eagles. She could understand that. They were fascinating creatures.
“Good. That’s good.” A fly started buzzing around him, followed by a couple of bees. He waved them away. “They’re after the sweet smell, I guess.”
“I’m sure.” He’d probably hoped to visit her platform and get a bird’s-eye view of the eagles. Time to stop being vain and let him do that. “Listen, did you want to come up and take a look at the nest?”
“I’d love to, but I’m all sticky and attracting bugs.”
“So maybe you could wash some of it off in the stream.”
“Yeah, that might work.”
“I’ll come down. I know the best spot along the bank for washing up.”
He smiled. “I’d like that. Thanks.”
“Be right there.” Wow, that was some smile he had going on. It almost made her forget that she looked like something the cat dragged in. She’d read that first impressions carried a tremendous amount of weight. As she started down the rope ladder, she hoped he’d make allowances.
DESPITE HAVING BEEN drenched in sticky, sweet green stuff, Luke wanted a look at Naomi Perkins. He hoped she’d be worth the possibility that he’d ruined his best hat. Had he known she possessed a hair-trigger startle response, he would have called out to her long before he’d reached her tree.
But as he’d approached, he’d assumed the platform was deserted. That was the only explanation for the total silence that had greeted him. If she’d been there, he’d reasoned, she would have greeted him.
That was the accepted way out here in the West. When a person laid claim to a portion of the great outdoors, be it with a campfire or a platform in a tree, they welcomed incoming riders. He was an incoming rider. She had to have noticed him. Yet for some reason she’d played possum.
So it was with great interest that he watched her climb down the rope ladder. First appeared a serviceable pair of hiking boots. He might have figured that.
Then came…Sweet Lord, she had an ass worthy of an exotic dancer. A man could forgive a whole bucket of that green
