“At least you can joke about it.”
Beth shrugged. “I’m one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t injured, and my house is not a total loss. I can’t complain.”
“You certainly have a great attitude about all of this. I suppose it helps to have a handsome rancher in your back pocket.”
“I told you before. Drew is only being kind.” The excuse was not quite as easy to stand behind today. Not with everything that had happened in Drew’s bed last night. She felt her cheeks heat. Her vow not to think about the sexy billionaire was shot already, which didn’t say much about her willpower.
Megan deposited the kittens in front of a large bowl of milk and touched Beth’s arm. “Your new friend has been waiting for you.” She pointed to a cage nearby.
“Oh, Stormy.” Beth’s heart melted. The little dog looked healthy, but his mournful eyes seemed to say he had hoped Beth would come back. She unlocked the mesh door and scooped him up for a hug. “I didn’t forget about you, I swear. You are the sweetest thing.”
Stormy burrowed closer with a bark of happiness.
Megan grinned. “He knows a soft touch when he sees one.”
“Has anyone asked about him?”
“No. I traced the number on his collar and spoke with his owner. Turns out they dumped him on my doorstep because they couldn’t afford dog food anymore. Stormy is an orphan.”
“What is his real name?”
“Do you honestly want to know? Or would you rather think of him as Stormy?”
“Good point. Will it confuse him if I call him that?”
Megan laughed. “As long as you agree to be his mama, I think he’ll let you do anything you want.”
* * *
Drew was happy for his brother and Kimberly. He really was. But a man had a finite amount of patience for wedding details—unless of course, it was his own woman bubbling over with joy. With one ear he listened to Jed make suggestions to his newly-minted fiancée about ways to use the elegance of Willowbrook Farms for a romantic occasion. Even keeping things simple, the timetable would be a challenge.
Drew chimed in when appropriate, but in truth, all he could think about was Beth. Wet and willing in his shower. Naked and naughty in his bed. Limber and luscious in any number of heart-pounding scenarios. The previous night was etched in his memory. Probably forever. He knew they were attracted to each other. What he hadn’t expected was the feelings that went beyond the physical.
The raw need and urgent passion Beth stirred in his gut alarmed him. It had been a long time since a sexual encounter turned him inside out. He’d felt invincible.
But when he woke up this morning, Beth was gone. He told himself there was no need to jump to conclusions. Maybe she was bashful about rehashing their experience in the cold light of day...or perhaps embarrassed that someone might see her come out of his room.
Or maybe it hadn’t been good for her.
He refused to believe that. Beth had been like sunshine in his arms...passionate, teasing, warming him in every way possible. When he showered this morning, his body had reminded him painfully of last night’s excess. His sex hardened as he remembered the feel of her hands on his body.
Instead of hunting her down in her room, he’d done the gentlemanly thing and waited for her in the kitchen. Then all his plans had gone awry when Jed and Kimberly showed up. Drew had not had a single opportunity to talk privately with Beth. In fact, she’d barely made eye contact with him.
And now she was gone for the day. He could drop by the shelter again, but he had no real excuse for doing so. He’d never lacked confidence when it came to women. But he’d rather not have witnesses to a post-coital confrontation that might not turn out the way he hoped.
He glanced at his watch and stood up. “You two lovebirds stay as long as you want. But I promised to help at the courthouse today. They’re trying to recover as many documents as possible before it rains again. I may try to speak to Colby Richardson, too. Offer my sympathies. He’s come back to town to bury his brother, Craig, and to be supportive of Craig’s widow, Paige. That and dealing with the ranch will be a lot for one man to handle.”
Jed nodded. “Yeah, it will. I’m supposed to work a shift later. I’ll see you down there.”
Drew hugged Kimberly, stunned to realize that the thought of being an uncle was pretty damned exciting. “Welcome to the family.”
* * *
As Drew neared the turn to Green Acres, he pondered Beth’s attitude toward Audie. Forget about my brother. Surely she didn’t really mean that. He turned his truck onto Beth’s road, calling himself all kinds of a fool. But try as he might, he couldn’t ignore the fact that Audie needed a job and Drew could help. Surely that would ease some of Beth’s emotional burden. She didn’t need to be worrying about her brother in addition to everything else she was juggling.
The house looked much the same. Fortunately, the moderate temperatures had continued, so no one was in any danger of freezing to death, even if the shed wasn’t heated. Audie sat on a tree stump smoking. He didn’t move when Drew put the vehicle in park and got out.
Drew lifted a hand. “Thought I’d stop by and check on you.”
Audie’s nodded. “Where’s sis?”
“Helping out at the animal shelter. I’m sure she’ll see you later.”
“Wouldn’t count on it.” Audie paused to flick a mosquito off his knee. “Can I help you with something?”
“Actually, I might be able to help you. One of my stable hands quit last week, so I have a job available. It’s not glamorous work. The pay is decent but not great. But since you’re staying here, you could save up a deposit for another place in town.”
“Does Beth know you’re here?”
A warning flag went up. “No. This is between us.”
“She won’t like it. She doesn’t believe I’ve really changed.”
“Changed how?”
“I’ve been a drunk most of my life. But I finally started going to AA, and now I’ve been sober for six months. My history is why I’ve had trouble getting a job.”
“How bad is it?”
Audie shrugged. “I’ve had a few run-ins with the law. Nothing major. I had to clean up my act when the baby came along.”
“We run a tight ship at Willowbrook. You would be answering to my manager. I’m doing this for your sister, but I expect a lot from my men.”
“I hear what you’re saying.”
“In that case, do you want the job?”
Audie took off a stained baseball cap and scratched his head. “I don’t much like gettin’ up early.”
Drew winced inwardly. He was beginning to see why Beth had issues with Audie. “The job is 7:30 to 4:00 with half an hour for lunch and two fifteen minute breaks. No smoking anywhere on the property.”
“Okay. I guess I can live with that. I appreciate you taking a chance on me.”
“Let me be straight with you, Audie. I could have a dozen guys lining up for the chance to work at Willowbrook. My stable hands are the best in the business. You’ll learn a lot from them. The only reason I’m offering you this job is because I care about your sister.”
Audie nodded. “I bet you do.”
Drew inhaled sharply. With two hands, he took Audie by the collar and lifted him to his toes— wishing