“I know,” Claudia replied, laying a hand on each of their arms. “I appreciate that. I do. But please don’t start with your shenanigans.”
“Shenanigans?” Sadie said, a faux pout on her lips. “Us?”
“Yes, you. You two are the worst!”
“You mean thebest,” Sadie protested with a mischievous grin.
“And he’shot. Don’t forget that part,” Luna insisted. “But don’t worry. We promise to just observe from afar, don’t we, Sadie?” When Sadie didn’t answer, Luna poked her shoulder. “Don’t we?”
“Oh! Of course! Consent and everything.”
“Why am I still suspicious?” Claudia asked.
“I swear you have nothing to worry about,” Luna said.
“We’ll behave,” Sadie agreed, pouting again.
Claudia shook her head, then smiled and hugged her friends one at a time. Despite their love for mischief, these were some of the best people she knew, and she appreciated the friendship they’d offered since her arrival at Rawhide Ranch a year and a half earlier. She was glad she’d have her friends to distract her while Brody was there for the next six weeks.
Six. Whole. Weeks. A month and a half, with Brody Hale living at the Ranch. In the apartment next door to hers. He was going to be incredibly distracting. But maybe she could manage to distract him a bit, too. She swore she felt some attraction from him, and hopefully it wasn’t wishful thinking on her part. She’d just have to be sure her boundaries were firmly in place, because while she’d love for Brody Hale to get his hands on her, she sure as hell wasn’t asking for anything more. That idea was totally absurd.
Wasn’t it?
Chapter Two
Brody hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder and switched his toy bag to the other hand so he could pull the key Claudia had given him from his pocket. He slipped it into the lock to apartment 321, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
The place wasn’t large—it was a studio—but it looked plenty comfortable, with its own kitchenette, a big bed, and a great view from the window. He was sure it would have what little he’d need for the next month and a half.
He set his bags down on the bench at the foot of the bed and took a few minutes to unpack before heading back over to the main building to meet Claudia.
Claudia.
He’d been crushing hard on her since the moment he’d met her, but she’d still been with her husband back then. Ex-husband now, which, he had to remind himself, didn’t mean she’d be any more interested in him than she had been when she was still married, or the times he’d seen her in Dallas after they’d split up. There was that one really long talk they’d had at Micah and Arrow’s the last time he’d seen her. His cousin and her man had gone inside to clean up after the going-away party they’d thrown for him at the end of the summer, leaving himwith Claudia at the fire pit. They’d talked well into the night, and he’d become even more captivated by her. She was so smart, so kind, and subtly funny, and she had no idea how gorgeous she was. But she’d still been pretty recently single, and he hadn’t wanted to push things with her. But lord, he’d wanted her. He’d never been able to get her out of his mind.
Now she’d had time to settle into being single, to process the end of her marriage—or, he hoped she had. And it couldn’t hurt to try. If nothing else, at least he’d get to spend a little time with her, and that felt important, too. Because it wasn’t just some empty crush. Sure, she was gorgeous, but he liked who she was, all sweetness under her sass, with a little edge she tried to keep hidden away, but he’d seen it a time or two.
She intrigued him.
When he walked into the lobby a few minutes later, he was reminded why. Her gorgeous, brown hair fell nearly to her waist, and his fingers itched to touch it, to run his hands through it. To wrap those silky locks in his fist and hold on tight.
No.
He had to treat her with the respect she deserved—that any woman deserved—and he sure as hell had to get his urges under control. Of course, he would never do anything to make her uncomfortable, and it definitely wasn’t like him to exert his dominance unasked for. But this woman was pure temptation wrapped up in a beautiful package that radiated a natural sensuality he thought she wasn’t even aware of. Her slight French accent didn’t hurt, either.
“Hey,” he said in greeting.
“Hi,” she answered with a small, mysterious smile.
Oh, yeah. Pure temptation.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Do you need to change out of your work clothes or anything?”
She glanced down at her dark jeans and hiking boots. “I can go like this. I grabbed this in case it’s cold out,” she said, holding up a down vest.
“It’s pretty chilly—you should probably put the vest on. Let’s go,” he said, offering his hand.
Claudia blinked for a moment, her long lashes coming down over her big brown eyes, and he realized taking her hand wasn’t exactly appropriate, so he waved it toward the door. She nodded, slipping the vest on as they headed outside while he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.
