Holy shit. Was every man in this place a walking sex god?

Where had I ended up? It was possibly a sex heaven instead of a desolate lonely hell. I decided had to take a shower and clean up. Maybe it would give me an excuse to stop thinking about the gorgeous step-brothers.

I realized I didn’t have much that qualified as appropriate dude-ranch attire. I thought about exploring the nearby town to see what shops were open. I doubted there was much there, but the thought of nearby cell phone reception was motivating though.

After rummaging through my suitcase, I settled on a pair of khaki shorts, a camisole, and the one pair of sneakers I brought with me. I combed the tangles out of my hair and tied it into a high ponytail.

“There,” I said to my reflection. “Now you’re all dude-ranch ready.”

“What have you gotten me into, Francis?” I asked with a sigh.

I put my useless cell phone into my pocket and decided to explore the ranch before heading into town. I would try to call my boss when I made it to civilization.

The cabin door closed behind me as I stood on the porch where not long ago, Nash had stood with his rock-solid body. Long stretches of grass spread out before me. I simply stood there for a moment, taking it all in.

I looked left, and then right, trying to determine which direction to go first. I decided to go right, planning to make a wide circle until I made my way back to the cabin. That way I could take in the full scope of the ranch, observing it from the outskirts and taking note of any areas I might want to revisit later.

I never considered myself outdoorsy. Never. But I couldn’t help admitting that the ranch was beautiful. The grasses that seemed to stretch on for miles were greener than any I had ever seen. It almost didn’t look real.

I smiled as a butterfly floated passed me, and tried to take in the peace and quiet that followed me as I hiked the ranch.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a walk with this kind of calm.

My moment of serenity vanished when my phone started to beep.

“Batter level low? Ugh.” I turned it off. Searching for a signal was killing the power.

How did people out here function without cell phones? The social media presence at the ranch had to be dismal. Guests couldn’t post or hashtag. I shook my head.

Another butterfly drifted across my path, and I followed it until I caught sight of a couple walking in the distance. I thought they were vacationers until I recognized the woman as the one who worked at the front desk in the lodge.

Within moments, the two of them started heading toward me.

I rose from my spot on the ground and brushed the grass from my shorts.

“Hi,” the woman said, once she was close enough. “Nice to see you again.”

I extended my hand. “Nice to see you again too.”

“I’m Luanne, by the way.”

“Listen, Luanne, about earlier—”

Luanne waved her hand. “Oh, don’t worry about that.”

“No, I was out of line. I apologize for being so difficult. I know the cabin mix-up wasn’t your fault. I was just stressed, that’s all. I had a long flight, and had just gotten off from another long flight the night before.”

Luanne nodded. “Jetlagged.”

“Exactly.”

“So, where are you from?” the guy beside Luanne asked.

“Chicago,” I answered.

“This is Wesley. He runs the tours for our guests,” Luanne explained.

“Oh great. Maybe I could interview you later for your perspective on the ranch.”

“Sure. Sounds like fun.” He smiled.

“How is your new cabin?” Luanne asked.

“It’s perfect. Will you please tell Caleb again how much I appreciate him moving me to another cabin?”

“Of course.”

“Nice meeting you, Claire.” Wesley grinned. “I have to head back and start the next tour.

I smiled. “Nice meeting you too, Wesley.”

Luanne nodded. “I better get back too. Let us know if you need anything.”

“I will.”

I watched them walk away. I decided to keep going until I reached a barn. Horses grazed behind a fence beside it. I smiled, eyeing the ones closest to me. One had shiny black fur, and another one was brown and white.

“Oh.” I clutched my chest in surprise when I saw something move next to me.

Holy shit. My heart beat faster. Caleb was inside the barn—and he was shirtless.

A layer of sweat covered his rippling abs and toned chest muscles as he held a stack of hay and turned toward me, looking just as surprised as I felt.

He tossed the hay stack aside as if it was a stack of feathers. “Hey, Claire. You scared me for a second. Looks like you caught Midnight and Bolt off guard too.” He nodded toward the horses, who were pawing the ground and huffing.

“I’m sorry,” I responded. “I didn’t mean to scare the horses.”

“They should be used to it by now.” Caleb retrieved his discarded T-shirt from the ground and wiped his sweaty brow with it. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just going for a walk. Taking a look around.”

I swallowed, unable to stop my eyes from traveling down to Caleb’s chest and stomach. I just hit the jackpot. My face burning, I turned my back and pretended to look at the landscape instead. “Yeah, something like that. This place is so beautiful though, so it won’t be hard.”

Caleb gasped, causing me to turn back around. “What? What is it?”

“Are my ears deceiving me, or did you just call my ranch beautiful?”

I smirked. “Yeah, well…The air out here must be messing with my head.”

He laughed. “Yeah—it cleared your vision,” he teased. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day? I know it can’t be to sit here watching me work.”

Warmness crept into my cheeks again and wormed its way to my core. I wouldn’t have minded having a front-row seat watching him work, especially if his shirt was off. His sculpted body would have been more than enough entertainment for the rest of my trip.

Noticing that Caleb was still looking at me, I abruptly cleared my throat. “Oh, I don’t know…” I said, my voice trailing off as I hoped he hadn’t noticed me checking him out.

The way I’m standing here drooling over him, how can he not notice?

I cleared my throat again. “I guess I’m going to have to find myself something to do though, since there’s no spa.”

Caleb shook his head. “You and these spas. I’m going to have to help you broaden your horizons, city-girl.”

“And how do you plan to do that? By teaching me how to toss stacks of hay, or whatever it is you’re doing.”

“You wanna learn?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Uhh…”

“I’m kidding. Nash would never forgive me if I put a guest to work. Anyway—how about you come out for a bonfire later tonight?”

What about my attraction to Nash? Oh shit. I already forgot about the other brother.

My head was spinning between these two. This was crazy.

“A bonfire?”

“Yeah. I think it will be a nice way to introduce you to night life on the ranch.”

“Night life?” I swallowed hard thinking about what I wanted to happen tonight. The real question was would Nash be there too.

“A few drinks. It will be fun.”

I nodded. “Okay, sure.” How was I supposed to turn that down?

But then Caleb stepped closer. His naked torso glistened. I don’t think either of us expected it, but it was as if we were magnets propelled together. His lips caught mine. I quickly wrapped my hands against his neck as his tongue twisted inside my mouth.

Holy shit. He was an incredible kisser. A combination of wild and steady. I’d never kissed anyone like him before.

I stumbled backward when he let go.

“I-I should go get ready for tonight,” I stammered.

He grinned. “Yeah, probably a good idea. I’ll see you later, city girl.”