area from the rest of the trailer.
She swallowed a small, startled gasp, and her hand fluttered to her throat where it rested. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you yet. Mom asked me to put fresh towels in the bathroom and change the sheets on the bed.”
“You don’t have to go to any trouble.” The words caught in his throat before he choked them out.
Shane had always thought of Cassidy as pretty. Sometime during the intervening years she’d grown into a striking beauty with large dark eyes and shoulder-length hair the same chocolate brown shade as a wild mink.
He stopped thinking about why his brother let her go and began wondering why he shouldn’t ask Cassidy out himself. No reason not to. She was exactly the kind of woman he fancied. More importantly, she had no lingering attachments to his brother—who’d married someone else shortly after he and Cassidy split. She also had a son close in age to Bria and would probably be understanding of his single-dad responsibilities.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said and strode forward to greet her with a hug.
Suddenly, Shane’s new job had an altogether different perk. One which quite appealed to him.
* * *
THE INITIAL ALARM Cassidy experienced upon seeing Shane tripled when he swept her up in an enthusiastic embrace. It was bad enough her father had hired him. Worse that her mother insisted she stock the trailer with fresh linens. Disastrous that he’d caught her here. With him blocking the narrow passageway to the door, escape was impossible. She had no choice but to surrender to his powerful hold on her.
“Good to see you, too,” she managed to reply.
He didn’t immediately release her. Cassidy worried he’d sense the tension coursing through her and attempted to extract herself. He let her go long enough to take in the length of her from head to toe before hauling her against him a second time.
“You look great.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled, refusing to return the compliment by admitting how incredible he looked. And smelled.
Good heavens, the man had been out with the bulls for at least an hour by her estimation. He should reek to high heaven. Instead, with her face firmly planted in the crook of his shoulder, she inhaled the spicy and appealing scent of whatever aftershave he’d used this morning.
With their broad shoulders, lean, muscular builds and ruggedly chiseled profiles, both Westcott brothers were head-turning handsome. Back when the three of them were competing on the rodeo circuit, Cassidy had considered Hoyt to be the more attractive of the pair. No longer. Shane not only held his own in the looks department, he’d surpassed his older brother.
Finally, thank goodness, his grip slackened and he freed her. “How have you been, girl?”
“Umm...okay.”
Girl? To her horror and chagrin, her heart gave a small flutter at the endearment he’d used during their short-lived romance. She dismissed it. Being attracted to Shane was impossible. For too many reasons to list.
“Sorry I interrupted you.” She attempted to pass him. “Let me get out of your way. I’m sure you want to unpack.”
“Stay a while.” He didn’t budge. “We can catch up.”
“I promised Liberty I’d help with her riding class this afternoon.” Surely her sister would forgive this one small fib, considering the circumstances.
It was then Cassidy remembered her sister didn’t know the circumstances. No one did for certain except their mother, and Cassidy had sworn her to secrecy.
“That’s not for another hour.” Shane smiled sheepishly and—dang it all—appealingly. “Your dad mentioned the schedule earlier.”
Her father. Of course, Cassidy thought with a groan. He alone was responsible for hiring Shane and throwing her life into utter turmoil.
“We have a new student signing up.”
“Come on.” Shane gestured to the dining table. “It’s been years since we had a real talk.”
It was true. Cassidy had avoided him and Hoyt like the plague, determined not to let either of them near her son, Benjie. It hadn’t been easy. Shane had competed regularly until recently and often visited the Easy Money.
“Five minutes.” Shane removed his cowboy hat and tossed it onto the table.
She hesitated. The one thing more dangerous than being alone with Shane was being alone with his brother. To refuse, however, might raise Shane’s suspicions. She couldn’t chance it.
“Okay.” She slid slowly onto the bench seat, the faded upholstery on the cushions pulling at her jeans, and repeated “Five minutes” for good measure.
He plunked down across from her, a pleased grin on his face.
Cassidy swallowed. The small dining table didn’t provide nearly enough distance. Shane’s appeal was infinitely more potent up close. His sandy brown hair, worn longer now than when he was competing, didn’t quite cover the jagged scar starting beneath his ear and disappearing inside his shirt collar—a souvenir courtesy of his last ride on Wasabi. And those green eyes, intense one second and twinkling with mirth the next, were hard to resist.
Currently, they searched her face. Cassidy tried not to show any signs of the distress weakening her knees and quickening her breath.
“What’s Hoyt up to these days?” She strove to sound mildly interested, which wasn’t the case.
“Same as always. Heading to a rodeo in Austin this weekend.”
“Still married?”
At the spark of curiosity in Shane’s eyes, she wished she’d posed the question differently. Now he’d think she cared about Hoyt’s marital state. Well, she did. But not for that reason.
“He and Cheryl are doing fine. Bought a house in Jackson Hole last year.”
Jackson Hole. In Wyoming. Good, Cassidy thought. Plenty far from Reckless, Arizona.
“Any kids yet?” She cursed herself for needing to know.
“Nope.” Shane shrugged. “Still trying. Hoyt wants a big family. Or so he says.”
A jolt shot through her. She attempted to hide it with a show of nonchalance. “Tell me about your daughter.”
Shane instantly brightened. “Bria’s four. Not sure yet if she wants to be a princess or a soccer player when she grows up.”
“What? No cowgirl?”
“I’m hoping to change her mind.”
Cassidy’s son, Benjie, wanted to be a champion bull rider. Like his grandfather before him and, unbeknownst to all but Cassidy and her mother, like his father and Uncle Shane.
She quickly shoved her hands beneath the table before Shane spotted them shaking. How was she ever going to keep him from finding
