Movie actress by day, housekeeper by night. Pan finished cleaning the floors quietly, her mind on what had happened that day. She’d kissed Hunter Louis Clark—the Hunter Louis Clark, the honest-to-goodness hottest guy in Hollywood. She had kissed him and had felt practically nothing.

In fact, she’d spent the whole kiss thinking that she wished it was Levi playing her love interest the way his brother was playing Pip's.

And that was just stupid. Pip and Matt were in love, married; it made sense, the two of them being together on screen.

Pan felt like an idiot.

She scrubbed the floor a little harder than she possibly should have. She was so consumed what she was doing, what she was thinking, that she didn't hear the door open behind her until it was too late.

She looked back over her shoulder, the devil she expected to see right there. Levi often came up behind her when she was on her hands and knees. He always had a particular look in his eyes when he did. A look that she didn't quite understand, but one that made her extremely wary. She dropped the cloth back into the bucket, and stood.

She didn't like it when he loomed over her like that. He was big, strong, beautiful—was it any wonder she felt a bit intimidated by him right at the moment?

"Levi, I saved you some leftovers." He had been up in the back pasture dealing with some sick calves, along with Matt. She had automatically saved him a plate like her sister had saved one for his brother. She’d tried to tell herself that it wasn’t because she was concerned about him or anything like that. But she was. Levi hadn't been able to make it back in for lunch, either. He hadn't taken anything with him.

She was just being a good housekeeper; she was paid damned fine money to take care of him.

Well, him and the rest of his family. Including her sisters. She tried to push the slight worry she’d felt about Pip all afternoon away, too. Her sister was a big girl; if Pip needed a break from the movie, than she’d know to take it.

After Pip had made Matt a plate, Pip had gone straight to bed—pale and quiet.

Pan had used the time to finish cleaning the kitchen, and to think. About her sister. And about him.

He might get under her skin, and he might be the biggest player of Masterson County, but one thing she could not deny and never would—Levi Masterson worked his ass off.

He wasn't one of those wealthy ranchers that sat back and let everyone else do the work for him. No, if there was work to be done, he would be right out there doing it with them. A few times when she'd been too busy he had grabbed the broom and swept the kitchen floor when it had needed it.

He was not the least bit lazy—annoying, capable of getting under her skin, capable of making her dream things she just was not ready to deal with—but lazy he was not. And if he got too busy, he would often neglect his own needs to get things done. "Did you get everything done?”

Stupid question. Nothing was ever completely done on a ranch, especially one of the size. There was always something that still needed done.

One of the reasons why she had once dreamed of leaving Masterson County far behind. Not going too far, she guessed. Just down to a bigger city, somewhere where she could do something besides deal with cows or goats or boy children coming out her ears.

Pan didn't regret what she’d had to do since they’d lost her mother. Far from it. She had been there for her family when they had needed her, and she’d kept the family afloat financially for two years. Even though she had three older sisters, everyone had just assumed Pan would handle the money side of things, like her mother once had. And she’d done it without complaining even once. Even when she’d been so terrified she’d make a mistake and they’d lose everything.

But she had once had her own dreams, too.

Pan made the best of the hands she’d been dealt. One of those hands had led her to right where she was. She’d make the most of it, too.

As long as Levi didn’t continue to be the curve ball she didn’t know how to handle. She stood, and focused on the bedraggled cowboy in front of her. Levi favored his left arm, and he looked beyond exhausted. Pan fought the immediate worry that rushed through her.

She wasn’t used to Levi looking like that.

Pan washed the grunge from mopping off of her hands and turned back to him. “Levi, what did you do? Did you hurt yourself badly?"

"One of the bulls got a little cranky. He got my arm. Matt’s dealing with him now, but he sent me back here in the hopes that Nate would be around somewhere. I don't think it's broken, but you know how older siblings are."

She grabbed a clean dishrag from the drawer and wet it. He held still and let her tend to him. Pan’s hands trembled as she dealt with the blood on his arm. She bit her lip and looked up at him.

His eyes darkened, and focused on her lips. "I'm okay, baby girl. I’m meaner than the bull could ever be.”

She just shook her head, and continued cleaning him up. Sometimes she half thought the man needed a keeper. He may be a hard worker and out there right next to his men, but sometimes he took far too many risks for her peace of mind.

Pan had had enough of taking risks. There had been so many times over the past two years when she’d risked half the family’s checking account just to pay a creditor—there had been a few times her risks hadn’t paid off. They’d barely held on to this point.

She’d never forget the fear of not having enough money to feed a seven-year-old. Never forget the fear of losing the ones she loved somehow. Never.

Pan had learned one highly valuable lesson since they’d lost their mother—how to plan for everything. How to make it through.

She hadn’t planned on Levi, though.

She would stick to her next plan, too—as soon as she figured out what it would be.

For the last two years she'd worked so hard to see her family through and try to pay off that damn hospital. Things were finally going well for the Tylers; she just didn't know what she was going to do next. Her every thought for two years had been money, and what to do next. Phoebe had been so busy with the boys and her weaving to sell, Pip with the ranch and bringing in horses for them to board, Perci had worked herself into exhaustion at the hospital to bring in every extra penny she could.

Just so Pan could take that money and do what she had to in order to feed them all and pay the damned light bill.

It was all she’d been able to focus on.

But now that was over. Money was still tight, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been. Joel had even hired them an attorney to fight the insurance company over the falsified accident reports from her mother’s death. There was hope on the horizon. There might even one day be a chance at a real settlement.

Pressure wasn’t as strong on her any longer. She had room to think about the future again.

And that meant Levi.

She didn't want to be his housekeeper forever; she didn't want to live there in the shadow of Phoebe and Pip, either. They were Mastersons now, too. It was time she had her own life, her own plan, her own path.

And whether she liked it or not, that path did not include the man in front of her.

So why was she letting him keep her so confused all the time? Not a lick of it made sense.