And he had the perfect plan.
Leo poundedhis fist on the door that used to be his brother’s. There was a muffled sound on the other side and he smirked. He hadn’t heard her come to bed until later which made it easy to assume she didn’t have plans for getting up this early.
The sun hadn’t risen yet. But that was to be expected. There were still a handful of warm days in September, but there were a goodnumber of days where the cold winds could rip right through a person’s soul.
“Kat!” he called. “Get dressed and come down for breakfast. Time to get to work.”
He waited, ears straining for her to answer. Then the knob rattled and the door opened to reveal the most stunning woman on the planet. Leo was momentarily taken aback by his reaction. Kat was bleary-eyed and her hair was disheveled. There wasn’t a speck of makeup on her face.
And yet…
He couldn’t help drinking her in like he was a man starved of water in the middle of a wasteland. Leo swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“What do you want?” she peered at him then yawned.
Leo cleared his throat. “I… erm…” Straightening his shoulders he attempted to shove aside this strange attraction. “Time for work. I’m taking you on a tour.”
She squinted at him. “What?”
“A tour. You need to know what you’re up against.”
“Whattimeis it?”
“Five.”
“Five?” Kat muttered what sounded like a curse. “Come back when the sun’s up. There’s nothing I can see in the dark anyway.”
Leo had to admit she had a point. But he wasn’t going to tell her that. There was plenty he could tell her in the dark. Andthere were lights in the barn. “Get dressed and come down for breakfast.” With that, he strode away, ignoring the adorable sound of her protests as he went.
Kat arrived in the kitchen wearing a pair of slacks, heels, and a blouse. She looked as though she was ready for a board meeting. Even still, Leo’s eyes raked over her again. He’d always thought she was attractive—in a sort of predatory way. There was something about seeing her here—in Montana—on his turf that was doing something strange to him.
Her eyes narrowed on him as she pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table.
“You look nice, Kat,” his mother offered, placing her breakfast before her.
“Thank you,” Kat murmured, her eyes dipping to the meal, then widening. “Oh, this looks amazing but I… couldn’t.”
Leo glanced to his mother who raised a brow. “Oh? Are you allergic to something?”
Kat shook her head. “I just…” A blush rushed across her cheeks. “I don’t usually eat breakfast. Just coff—” She cut herself off when she caught sight of Leo’s expression.
Granted, he probably looked ready to tear her head off. “You really should eat,” he muttered. “You’re going to need your energy.”
She shifted in her seat and glanced down at the plate piled with eggs, bacon, and crêpes. Then she offered his mother a small smile. “It really looks delicious.” With that, she picked up a fork and took her first bite.
The rest of their meal was full of an unknown sort of tension. The more Leo observed Kat, the more he noticed little things. Like the fact she seemed almost too thin. The curves he’d noted before seemed to come more from the clothing she’d picked. Her waist was too trim. One fall from a horse and she’d snap in two.
He frowned. That would change. She wasn’t in New York anymore. There weren’t beauty standards that needed to be met while she was here. If she thought she’d starve herself, she had another thing coming.
Once they were both done with their food, he motioned for her to follow him out the back door. He heard her thank his mother once more for the food and then she hurried after him.
A smirk tugged at his lips. It had rained a couple days ago and there were still several areas of the ranch that hadn’t dried fully. He eyed her shoes and shook his head with mirth. She wasn’t dressed for the area and he had a feeling having her luggage here wouldn’t have changed a dang thing.
Leo didn’t point out the mud. He didn’t warn her against the puddles. He just tromped along the worn path toward the barn until he heard her gasp. Then there was a muffled cry.
“Leo!”
He paused, looked over his shoulder and noted her silhouette against the backdrop of the house’s porch lights. “Problems, Ms. Jerris?”
