Curves and the Rancher (4 page)

“
Didn
’
t
you have friends you could stay with?
”

Cassie nodded.
“
Yes,
I had some friends. But Phillip threatened to ruin their careers as
well if they helped me. One of my friends worked at the same
company, and I didn't want her to risk losing her job. I thought the
best thing to do would be to leave town.
”

“
Where
were you headed?
”

She shrugged.
“
I
hadn
’
t thought of any particular
place. I just got in my car and drove. And then my car broke down
in the main street here.
”

“
What
about your parents?
”

She stared down at her
hands.
“
They died three years ago in
a car crash.
”
Her finger traced the
handle of the coffee mug.
“
I don
’
t
have any close family.
”

“
I
’
m
sorry.
”
Luke
’
s
hand covered hers, and a tingle of warmth fluttered through her.

Cassie pushed the cherry
pie away. For once in her life, she
’
d
lost her appetite.

“
So
what are you going to do now?
”
Luke
’
s voice cut into her thoughts.

“
Wait
for my car to be fixed.
”
She
frowned.
“
Bob said it would take a
while to get the part, but it
’
s been
nine days so far. I
’
m just thankful
Betty offered me this job.
”
Her hand
flew to her mouth and she looked at him, her blue eyes huge.
“
I
’
ll
be fired for sure. Freaking out in the middle of my shift and then
hiding in here.
”

“
Don
’
t
worry about it.
”
Luke
’
s
thumb caressed her hand and she realized with a jolt
that his hand still covered hers.

“
I
’
ve
got some savings, but I
’
ve been too
scared to use an ATM in case Phillip can track me that way.
”

“
Once
Betty knows what happened, I
’
m sure
she
’
ll understand. But I
’
ve
got a better idea,
”
Luke said gently.
“
Even before you came to town I
’
ve
been thinking about hiring someone to do my ranch accounts. Why
don
’
t you do them for me? I
’
ll
pay you whatever you think is fair.
”

“
Oh,
I couldn’t.” She looked into his mahogany eyes. He was a
good man. She knew this instinctively even without the praises from
Libby and Sarah. And a darn fine looking man, too.

“
Why
not?
”

The question echoed in
her mind. Why not? Phillip had taken everything away from her, or
she had let him do so. Half an hour ago, she
’
d
been ready to confront him, no matter how her courage had wobbled.
Was she also going to let him take away her chance to start a new
life in Coldwater Springs?

She had a nice place to
live, courtesy of Libby, a blossoming friendship with her roommate
and her cousin and shifts at the diner - unless Betty fired her. And
now Luke was offering her a job doing what she did best - accounts.

She looked at him. Was
she ready to take a chance on life?
“
Okay.
I accept.
”
A shy smile tilted up
the corners of her mouth.

“
Great.
”
He grinned and her heart flip-flopped.
“
And
I know some other ranchers who would be grateful for some accountancy
help. I can introduce you to them.
”

She smiled back, certain
she'd made the right decision. She was going to stay in Coldwater
Springs.

###

Cassie drove up to the
rambling ranch house. Her car had finally been fixed, and she was
ready to get started on Luke
’
s
accounts. To her surprise, Betty hadn
’
t
fired her, but instead had given her a motherly hug and to let her
know if that
“
low down rat
”
ever came to town, so she could give him a piece of her mind.

Cassie also found the
courage to tell Libby and Sarah why she had wound up in Coldwater
Springs. Their reactions had been similar to Betty
’
s,
Libby urging her to give her boyfriend, Sheriff Jake Morgan, a
description of Phillip as well as the make and model of his car.
“
And I
’
ll
make sure he stops him,
”
Libby said.
She giggled, a battle-ready glint in her eyes.
“
Which
shouldn
’
t be a problem, because he
likes stopping strangers coming into Coldwater Springs.
”

Cassie remembered Sarah
’
s
lips curving in amusement at her cousin
’
s
private joke and told herself she
’
d
have to ask Libby one day exactly what she
’
d
meant.

She parked the car in
front of the house, butterflies dancing in her stomach at the thought
of being alone with Luke. Now that she
’
d
opened up about her past, maybe she could finally move on.
Unfortunately, she
’
d never been the
kind of curvy girl who
’
d attracted a
flock of men. Was Luke interested in her or was he merely being
nice?

Hoping for the former,
Cassie stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell. Luke had
suggested afternoon as a good time, so she
’
d
finished an early shift at the diner, ate lunch, and then drove out
to his ranch. Although it was only twenty minutes away from Main
Street, the homestead seemed to be in another world. In the far
distance she could see mountains with a faint dusting of snow,
although it was late April. Cows and horses dotted the lush green
pasture surrounding the house, munching grass or ambling around the
fields.

The door opened and she
drank in her first sight of Luke in three days. Wearing faded jeans
and a blue shirt, the ranch clothes emphasized his powerful, muscular
frame.

“
Hi.
”

“
Hi.
”
She cleared her throat as awareness rippled through her. His gaze
swept over her, as if he was taking in every detail of her beige
pants and jade-green
blouse.

“
Come
in.
”
He ushered her inside and led
the way to a small study.

An old wooden desk
covered in papers caught her eye. Drawing closer, she saw that there
were two main piles.

“
I
sorted them into income and expenses,
”
Luke explained, his voice close to her ear. He stood next to her,
and she closed her eyes for a split second to savor his closeness
before focusing on the papers in front of her.

“
Do
you have an accounts program?
”

“
Right
here. I
’
ve already wrestled with my
tax return and turned it in.
”
He
reached around her and pressed a couple of keys on the computer
keyboard. An accounts program flashed up on the screen.
“
The
last time I did the accounts was two months ago.
”

Cassie rested her hand on
one of the piles of paper, her fingers almost brushing his.
“
I
’
ll
get started then.
”

“
Can I get you
anything to drink?
”

“
No,
thanks. I
’
m good.
”
In fact, she was itching to make sense of the piles in front of her.
She might not be confident with men, but she loved dealing with
numbers.

“
I
’
ll
leave you to it then.
”
He pulled out
a comfortable looking chair for her.
“
If
you need me, I
’
ll be in the barn.
”

“
Okay.
”
Cassie sat down, then noticed him hovering in the doorway. Her brow
wrinkled.
“
Was there anything else
you wanted me to do?
”

“
No.
”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“
I
’
ll
be in the barn,
”
he repeated.

Cassie turned her
attention to the receipts in front of her as Luke
’
s
footsteps echoed down the hall. It wouldn
’
t
take her long to whip these accounts into shape, she thought with
satisfaction, as she sorted each invoice into date order.

Stretching in the chair,
she looked at her watch. Three o
’
clock.
It had taken her just over an hour to get the accounts in order and
entered into the program.

Cassie walked down the
hall, guessing the barn was behind the house. Turning a corner, she
entered a large, homey kitchen
.
She
twisted the knob
on the backdoor and it opened easily. Stepping out onto the back
porch, she spied the barn.

“
Luke,
”
she called out as she reached the wooden barn. She squinted, the dim
interior of the barn making it hard to see inside. A second later he
appeared in the doorway and she smiled.
“
I
’
ve
finished the accounts.
”

“
Already?
”
His brow raised in surprise.

She shrugged.
“
You
already did some of the work by sorting them into income and
expenses.
”

“
How
about a cup of coffee?
”
He led the
way to the kitchen, matching his stride to hers.

Once inside, Luke
gestured to the kitchen table. Cassie sat down on a cushioned chair,
and watched him make a pot of coffee. His movements were efficient
and economical, and she couldn
’
t help
comparing his expertise with Phillip
’
s.
Her ex had to have the latest kitchen gadgets and made a big
production out of using them, unless he delegated that particular
task to her.

Resolving not to think
about her ex, Cassie relaxed in the comfortable wooden chair.

“
How
do you take it?
”
Luke enquired.

“
Just
cream, please.
”

He placed a charming,
old-fashioned pottery mug in front of her.
“
Thank
you,
”
she murmured, wrapping her
hands around it. Taking a sip, she savored the taste of the mellow
brew. So Luke could make coffee, as well as help her face her fears.
She peeped up under her eyelashes at him. And give her work, she
reminded herself.

They drank their coffee
in silence. Cassie let the charm of the old house envelop her, as
well as the company. This rambling old house seemed too big for
Luke, but he seemed comfortable living there. And why not with the
house’s wooden floors, comfortable furniture, and thick throw
rugs
.
The home was warm and cozy.

“
I
thought I
’
d introduce you to some of
my friends next week.
”
At her
puzzled frown, Luke elaborated,
“
Ranchers
looking for someone to do their accounts.
”

She smiled, warmth
curling through her at his thoughtfulness.
“
That
would be great. Thank you.
”

“
How
’
s
the diner?
”
He quirked an eyebrow.

“
Good.
Betty said she
’
ll be able to cut
down my shifts so I can fit in any accountancy work. And she
’
s
asked me to take a look at the diner accounts for her.
”
In fact, Betty hadn
’
t batted an eye
when she
’
d found out Cassie was an
accountant.