Page 5 of The Rancher’s One and Only

“I just didn’t assume that you would think…”

“Polyamory is increasing in popularity,” she said.

“I’m sure it is. Are you polyamorous?”

She blinked. “I don’t think so.”

“I would think you’d know.”

“Well, I feel like there are certain things you don’t really know unless you end up in a situation that necessitates you find out for certain. And I’ve never been in that position.”

He knew more about this weird woman than he knew about Dakota and Rowdy. Because she just kept saying things.

“I thought maybe Dr. Martin might stay in one of the cabins.”

“How much money are we talking?” Dakota asked.

“A lot,” he said.

“Then why not? How long are you planning on staying here, Dr. Martin?” Dakota asked.

“A month. I have been given that long to be on-site. At that point, I need to begin to present findings. And I’m going to have to spend time writing up paperwork and all manner of other things to be in compliance with my grant. I’m very grateful for the offer of a place to stay. I was prepared to forgo lodging so that I could pay you.”

“Well, there’s no need for that,” Rowdy said. “Everyone ought to have lodging.”

“Very kind of you.”

Jax didn’t really know what to do with this. It felt weird that he’d been walked into the situation, but also, not bad, necessarily. It was going to give them a weird opportunity to soft-launch some things. Well, as long as they didn’t have to take care of her and entertain her, which they were actually going to be doing with the guests who stayed.

But in the meantime, they had work to do to get all set up. And guests wouldn’t be arriving for another six weeks, so a month of Ernestine wouldn’t detract from anything. It would just get them paid.

“Well, I guess you’d better show her to her cabin,” Dakota said.

“They got dead bolts. So you can lock yourself in.”

She nodded. Vaguely. As though she didn’t really understand why Rowdy would say that. And he realized, the three of them didn’t have any reason to be worried about her; letting one small woman stay on the property, even unexpectedly, wasn’t weird for them. But she should maybe be a little bit nervous. She didn’t seem to be.

“You know, so that we can’t just come in at any time,” he said.

She stared at him.

“All right. Let’s get going,” he said.

She scrambled back down the porch and got back into her little car. Turned the key in the ignition, and it made a terrible noise as it thundered to life.

He looked up at the porch, at Rowdy and Dakota for a moment, before he got in his truck and led the way to the cabin. He decided to put her in one of the glass cabins. Highly reflective, and no one could see in them, since they reflected the scenery around them, but from the inside, you could see everything. And at night, you were surrounded by the stars, though to get undressed it was advised to shut the curtains since, as magical as the cabins were, they lit up like lanterns in the darkness and showed everything inside.

It was an ambitious thing they were attempting to do. A place that combined a luxury retreat and a rugged outdoor experience. But they were sure there was a demand for both, and actually, being so remote, they almost had to do both.

He parked in front of the cabin, and she parked beside him. When she got out, she was blinking owlishly at the structure. “This is like something out of a cartoon I watched when I was a kid. They stayed in these bubbles, and then they climbed inside puff balls and bounced away.”

“Oh,” he said.

She looked at him and smiled. “I really like it.”

“I’m glad.”

He went to the front door and entered the code. He said it out loud while he entered it. “You want me to write it down for you?”