Worse yet, shedidn’t want to.
Until that moment, she hadn’t realized what a danger Sam Bridger posed. As she headed into the house, Libby vowed not to forget again.
* * * *
Sam thought of the woman taking pictures of the sunrise, and his chest felt tight. He was beginning to understand why Martin Hale had sent his beloved niece to the ranch. Marty hadn’t been able to help her deal with her grief. Sam figured Marty was making a last-ditch effort to give her the gift of her past.
And he had enlisted Sam’shelp to do it.
Sam blew out a breath. Unfortunately, Marty hadn’t anticipated the attraction Sam would feel to his niece. Hell, Sam hadn’t expected it, either.
Sure, she was beautiful. Petite and feminine, with miles of shiny blond hair. He wanted to grab a handful and drag her mouth to his, see if those pouty lips tasted as good as they looked. Just thinking about itmade him hard.
This morning he had seen her without a trace of makeup, and if anything, she’d only looked more beautiful. At least to him.
He reminded himself there were a lot of beautiful, sexy women in the world, and he had never had trouble attracting a female he desired. He didn’t understand his fierce attraction to this one.
But Libby had caught him completely off guard. He had banked on her being spoiled, selfish, and demanding. He grinned. She was a handful, no doubt. But there was a sweetness to Libby he hadn’t expected. It drew him as no woman had in avery long time.
Sam was man enough to know when a woman was equally attracted. And though they’d been at odds at first, that attraction was growing.
He had to put a stop to it. Martin had entrusted the niece he thought of as a daughter into Sam’s care. Seducing her was out of the question. He sighed as he checked the repair he had made in the fence and headed for the barn.
During the summer, the hands all pitched in to help with the guests. Dare was a fisherman, and he was good. He helped rig the poles and showed the men the best fishing holes on the creek.
Ronnie Yates gave riding lessons. As Sam approached the barn, he spotted Alice and Betty, who looked like silver-haired pixies compared to the muscular African American, and Ronnie looked small compared to Big John. The women seemed enthralled with the horses they had been assigned, an older chestnut mare named Biscuit for Betty, and for Alice, a big red Appaloosa named, aptly, Red.
The two horses were circling the ring while Ronnie instructed the women on their position in the saddle and how to hold the reins. Clearly they trusted him to make sure they would be all right.
Sam glanced around for Libby but didn’t see her, which was good. The less time he spent with her, the better.
* * * *
Finished cleaning Cougar Cabin, which, being the largest, took the most time, Libby picked up the bucket that held her cleaning supplies, grabbed the mop and broom and headedfor Wolverine.
The fishermen’s car, an older model faded blue Ford Fusion, was parked in front, but the DO NOT DISTURB sign hadn’t been hung on the door, so she gave it a quick, firm knock.
Max opened the door. He was shirtless, dressed in jeans, his black hair damp from the shower and sticking to his head. He had a hard, sinewy body and a chest covered by curly black chest hair. There were tattoos on his arms, a serpent on one, a skull and crossbones on the other.
“We were just leaving,” Max said. “Come on in.”
Libby stepped into the living room, set the bucket on the floor and propped the mop beside it, then took the broom and started sweeping in front ofthe iron stove.
The bedroom door opened, and Vince walked out. He eyed her up and down. “Damned shame,” he drawled with a trace of southern accent. “Woman looks as good as you?” He shook his head, moving the stringy blond hair that brushed his shoulders. “You could do a lot better than sweeping floors and cleaning toilets.”
Annoyance trickled through her. “It’s only for the summer. I’ve never been on a ranch, so I think of it as an adventure.” That was total BS, but why she was there was none of his business.
She started sweeping, and Vince moved up behind her. She stiffened at the heat of his big body standing so close.
“If you’re looking for adventure,” he said softly, “I could give you alittle thrill.”
Her mouth tightened. She turned, set her palms on his chest and pushed him a few steps back. She was used to men like Vince. They all wanted the same thing. She just needed to make sure they understood they weren’t going to get it.
“Look, Vince. I’m not interested in anything you’re selling, okay? I have a job to do. That’s the only reason I’m here. Max said the two of you were leaving. Once you’re gone, I can finish my work.”
Vince’s pale blue eyes fixed on her breasts, and the corner of his mouth slid up. “I like a female with spunk, so I won’t take offense. You change your mind, you know where to find me.”
Libby gritted her teeth.
