Page 20 of Taming the Wild Cowboy

Maclyn started toward the door. “She knows better than that,” she muttered, but her tone was one of tolerant resignation. When she opened the door, the dog scampered across the floor with a clatter of nails and leaped into Mac’s arms.

“What are you doing in the house?” Mac asked the wriggling pup, who answered with a few high-pitched whines and canine kisses.

“She was lonely,” Estelle said as she walked into the kitchen with a basket of laundry. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Trev assumed that the housekeeper hadn’t seen Raisin standing on the table. Estelle was a stickler for certain things—no cats on the counter. No calves in the house.

“Not at all,” Maclyn said, gently placing the dog on the floor. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Estelle.”

“Anytime. I mean that. She’s good company.”

“Better than Wade?” Trev asked in mock surprise.

Estelle waved a hand. “Let’s just say this. The dog doesn’t play the TV too loud just to bother me.”

Trev turned to Maclyn, who was edging her way to the door. “Are you going to bring your horses to the ranch?”

She nodded. “Tonight, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine.” He could tell that she was reluctant to be beholden to him for anything other than the job, but sometimes a person had to accept help.

“I’ll try to be around when you come back, but if I’m not, put them in the lodgepole corral next to the barn. You know where the hay is.”

“Don’t feel the need to be here for my sake. I’ll unload and be on my way.”

Curiosity got the better of him. “To where?” He had no idea where she bunked.

She smiled. “I’m treating myself to a night in a motel.”

Which made him wonder where in the hell she’d been staying until now. But being a smart guy, he did not ask.

Chapter Four

Maclyn had mixed feelings about seeing the fairgrounds in her rearview mirror. It was a relief to no longer leave her horses alone in a public facility, but now she was indebted to Trev Matthews for both a temporary job and the welfare of her horses. Indebtedness didn’t sit well with her.

Maybe you can relax and accept Trev’s help with grace.

No easy task when the guy put her on edge. When he’d been with Brooke, Maclyn got the silent hands-off message, so she hadn’t given Trev much conscious thought, other than noting that, like his brothers, he was hot as hell. She’d have to have been dead not to register that small fact. After he’d tanked her job opportunity with Buckley Livestock, she’d given him a lot of thought—not the good kind.

Then today … well, today had been troublesome. But surely, she could work with a guy for a few weeks without her hormones taking the helm. Even if they did, it wasn’t like she was going to jump him.

The thought made her smile a little. That wasn’t going to happen because she wasn’t going to let it, so yes, she would focus on accepting help with grace. Not the easiest thing in the world when she’d actively worked to depend on no one but her lonesome.

When she pulled into the ranch for the second time that day, Trev stepped out of the barn and Maclyn suppressed a groan. The guy was still hot.

Learn to live with it. Pretend Brooke is here giving you the evil eye.

She waved as she passed the man, assuming that since he’d already told her where to unload that he’d wave and head out to check the cows, but no. He ambled over as she opened the trailer door, then took the lead line after she unloaded Danny. He stood with one hand on the gelding’s neck while she led Jessie out of the trailer.

“I tossed some hay into the feeders.”

“Thanks.”

“No big deal.”

The horses in the field that she’d visited earlier that day ran to the fence line as soon as they became aware of new fellow equines in the vicinity and whinnied to them. Her horses raised their heads long enough to answer, then made a beeline to the alfalfa-filled feeder. At least they appeared comfortable their new surroundings. Mac, not so much. She kept catching the subtle scent of Trev’s soap as they stood side by side, watching her horses. She truly wanted to stop noticing things about the man.

“A penny for them?” he asked.