January fished out the business card from her purse and handed it to the driver. With any luck, she’d have enough time to get downtown and hit a coffee stand before starting her new job.

“This is too far, lady. I stay in the city.” He handed the card back, keeping his eyes forward.

“Blackstone Software is downtown, 4th and Clayton I think. It can’t be more than five miles.” She snatched the card back, reading the scribbled address. “County Road . . .” Her voice trailed off as she read the address.

Shit.

She punched in the address into her phone, heaved a heavy sigh, and slid out of the taxi.

Two defeated minutes later, she stood across from Michael at the counter of their apartment as he held a mug in one hand and flipped through the paper with the other. “Why wouldn’t he mention that the job is in the middle of nowhere? I mean, he can’t seriously expect me to drive all the way out to the boonies without knowing anything about the job or him. He could be a complete psycho who kidnaps unsuspecting women with his nice suit and good looks.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a nice guy. He isn’t going to kidnap you or chop you into pieces.” Michael pulled his lips tight, holding back a smile.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what they said about Ted Bundy.”

Michael scoffed and tossed the paper aside. “Come on, I’ll take you.”

“How do you know he’s a nice guy? You’ve met him once.”

Michael pulled on a black t-shirt over his head and shrugged. “You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their bartender.”

A twinge of anger pierced through her heart for him. She’d seen how hard he worked opening and running a profitable bar, and she hated to think the egotistical suits and trophy wife wannabes whom he served had tainted it all. People were so damn judgmental when your life didn’t fit society’s standard for success and social standing.

“You’re the bar owner. I’m not sure that counts.”

“Either way. I’m good at reading people. He seems like a good guy, but I’ll stay and make sure everything is kosher if it makes you feel better.” He held open the door and jingled the car keys. “Now, let’s move. You’re going to be late on your first day.”

* * *

“Wow. This place is straight out of a Louis L’Amour novel,” Michael whispered as he stepped out of the car.

“Who in the heck is Louis L’Amour?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from the scenery only long enough to flash him a questioning glance. Then she was right back to slowly turning in an attempt to take it all in at once.

Her brain wasn’t sure where to look first, the landscape, the house, the barn, the animals. Animals? What had she gotten herself into. The closest she’d ever had to a pet was a goldfish that lasted exactly three hours before going belly up.

“What is this place?”

“If my research has served me well—and it usually does—this is the Blackstone family ranch.”

“Your research?”

“I may have poked around a little after you two seemed to hit it off.”

She punched him in the arm as he laughed at her shocked expression. “What? I had to make sure you weren’t going to end up trapped in some kinky sex ménage.”

“You’re late.”

Whipping her head around to meet his stare, she drank in the sight of Brecken and fumbled for words to respond as her brain and mouth betrayed her.

The man had presence. She forced herself to breathe as she stared at his arms, which were crossed tightly over his chest. The closed-off posture caused his biceps to strain against the form-fitting suit jacket and announced every muscle and ridge in his large upper body. She was just getting to the tight slacks when Michael cleared his throat.

“I, uh, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice wavering. Stepping forward, she spoke more confidently. “I assumed I would be working in the office. You didn’t say I would be working here.” She gestured in exaggerated circles.

Holding her breath as his eyes washed over her from top to bottom, her body tingled with an anxious energy. He pressed his arms tight across his pecs and pushed his chest out. His body language read annoyed, but his eyes were warm and teasing. “I was clear in my instructions to meet me at the address I wrote down right in front of you.”

Crap! He had her there. She’d been more enamored by his stately name etched across the card than the words he’d scribbled on the back. “Yes, but I think it’s safe to assume anyone in my position would have been easily confused by the offer.”

“And I don’t think it’s safe to assume anything. Ever,” he said and turned on his heel, walking off toward the house.

With wide eyes, she turned to Michael, who shrugged. Years of etiquette classes couldn’t have prepared her for the bristly behavior and frosty greeting Brecken just gave her. Both were a stark contrast to the man she’d met a few days ago, and she wasn’t sure if she should follow him or get back in the car and leave.

“Are you coming?” he asked, not turning around.

“Y-yes.”

She gave Michael a brave nod, hoping like hell she was doing the right thing by following a man she knew next to nothing about into a house in the middle of nowhere. No matter what Michael thought, she wasn’t sure “good guy” was the way she’d describe Brecken. Domineering? Bristly? Check and check.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to a wrap-around porch attached to a large two-story house. The outside of the house had a traditional, homey feel that made his formal attire and behavior more pronounced. He looked over his shoulder to where she stood frozen in place. His signature half-smile appeared, and she willed her feet to go after the gorgeous man and forget about the off chance he might be a psycho.

“I guess he can come, too,” he said, pointing at Michael. “I’m assuming he’s here to make sure I don’t bury you out back.”

She refused to look at Michael but heard his quiet snicker anyway. She wouldn’t apologize for ensuring her safety, not ever.

Instead of replying, she pulled her shoulders back and smiled sweetly. If she was really going to do this, she needed to start taking this seriously. She was here to do a job. One that hopefully paid well and would ensure she wouldn’t have to get a job flipping burgers or worse, ask her father for help.

January marched forward with her head held high, trying to ignore how devastatingly handsome he was with his dark suit contrasting against the country landscape. Truthfully, her heart beat rapidly in her chest, as if it were trying to decide if it was going to stop beating all together or force her legs to run toward him and beg him to kiss her.

“My resume,” she said, thrusting the heavy stock cream paper at him.

Raising his eyebrows, he looked from the paper to her. After what felt like an eternity, he took the paper, folded it, and slipped it into his pocket without so much as a glance at it.

The house was quiet as she and Michael followed Brecken through the large French doors. The foyer, which was nearly as large as the apartment she shared with Michael, opened to a beautifully crafted wooden staircase on the left and a sitting room with an inviting brick fireplace on the right.

“This is the main house,” Brecken said with a dismissive glance around the foyer. “There’s an office upstairs. I’ll have it set up for you to use.”

He strode through the foyer, leaving her little time to take it all in. She couldn’t help the smile or feeling of happiness as she followed him through a maze of rooms. This house represented everything she’d wanted as a child. A big, traditional home filled with knick-knacks and rooms that you could get lost in. It was nothing like the apartments she’d lived in, and she wanted to uncover all the happy memories held within these walls room by room.

They stopped inside a large dining room. A tall woman with blonde hair, which was pulled tightly back from her face and fastened neatly in a bun, stepped forward and extended a hand as they entered.

“This is Tina. She’ll get you set up and be available to answer any questions.”

“You must be January. Welcome to Blackstone Ranch.”

January smiled back as she shook Tina’s hand. She had no idea how this woman could possibly fit into the world of ranching. Then again, if the last few days had taught her anything, it was that appearances could be deceiving. “Yes, I am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“This is January’s friend, Michael. He’s accompanied January today. Tina, why don’t you show him to the living room.” He turned to Michael. “I’m afraid we don’t have cable out here, but there’s a television with Netflix and an Xbox.”

Tina walked to the door, the click of her heels echoing on the hard wood floor, and looked back to Michael, who hadn’t moved. “Actually, it looks like January is good here. I think I’m gonna take off.”

She shot him a pleading look, which he ignored, saying, “Call me when you need a ride home.”

“Tina can arrange for transportation back to the city,” Brecken said without a glance to the woman he’d offered up as a driver.

Michael kissed her on the cheek and then extended a hand to Brecken. “Good to see you again.”

Brecken met the handshake with a nod, and Michael hurried out the way they’d come without a glance back. An awkward silence filled the room as she locked eyes with Brecken. Her breathing became shallow as she tried to reconcile the man before her with the man from the bar. Less than seventy-two hours ago, he’d been dressed in Armani and speaking in honest, flirty outbursts that were a contradiction to everything she’d expected. Today he was standing inside a John Wayne film acting the part of a domineering and demanding CEO. He was a puzzle.

His eyes lingered, assessing her from top to bottom before meeting her gaze.

“Tina can answer any questions you have. If you’ll excuse me I have to get back to the office.” He looked away and then back, shifting as if he were trying to figure out what to say or do next. He didn’t strike her as someone who often hesitated, so she took some pleasure in his struggle. “You have my card with my number should you need it.”

She nodded and forced her spine a little straighter. Under the surface, she was as unsure as he looked, but she could hide it better. Masking her uneasiness came as natural as breathing.

* * *

“So, that’s it,” Tina said after she’d gone through the list of rooms that needed to be packed and organized. “I know it seems like a lot, but Brecken has allotted the project to run for up to eight weeks. I doubt it will take you more than four, but that’s at your discretion.”

Tina scrunched her nose and clicked refresh on the wide-screen monitor sitting on the table in front of them.

“Voila! We have a schedule. Hopefully your work shouldn’t impact the activity on the ranch. Most of the guys stay outside, but they do come in for meals, and it isn’t uncommon for them to hole up downstairs in the den when they’re working odd hours or what have you. I’ve emailed you the project schedule, and you can submit your time and progress directly into the spreadsheet as you go. Here’s my card, you can call me with any questions.”

January took the heavy cardstock Tina handed her. Right then seemed like a bad time to admit that she wasn’t exactly tech savvy. A schedule? It wasn’t that she was unorganized, but she preferred a rough schedule written in her planner and a more fluid day-to-day to-do list.

“There are boxes in my car. Brecken has requested for anything that can be donated to be taken to The Salvation Army. Everything else is to be trashed.”

Everything in his family’s home was to be donated or trashed? She looked around the office, her eyes falling to a crocheted shawl strewn across the back of an armchair. An old black-and-white picture of a man standing in front of the iron gate she’d passed through earlier sat on the desk. Surely, some of these items had sentimental value?

“Do you have any prior knowledge or experience in ranching?”

She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, ready to assure Tina that knowledge of the trade wasn’t really necessary for the job she was going to be doing, when a knock at the door saved her.

“I heard you were here.”

The drawl and slow, smooth way he said it while flashing Tina a sexy smile was the last thing January expected. So was Tina’s reaction to the man. January expected the ultra-business-like woman to put this cowboy in his place or dodge his advances by ignoring him altogether, but instead her face went a faint shade of pink as she struggled to speak.

“Ah, Mr. Drado.” Tina cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. “For once your timing is impeccable. I’d like you to meet January Lyle. She’ll be working with us for some time packing up the estate. Perhaps you could show her around tomorrow and introduce her to the others.”

“Really selling the place, huh?”

“That’s how it looks.” Tina’s voice lacked the surety it had held all morning, and January took note, wanting to ask if Tina didn’t think Brecken should sell. It wasn’t her place to ask, though, so she pressed her lips together as Timothy turned his smile on her.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lyle, you can call me Timothy. I’ll come by after breakfast tomorrow. How’s six?”

“Six in the morning?” she asked with a grimace.

“Afraid so. After that, things pick up around here, and it’s harder to sneak away.” He paused and winked at Tina. “Don’t worry, the coffee around here is strong enough to get anyone up and ready to face the day.”

Tina stood. “Wonderful. Thank you,” she said in a hurried voice.

“Nice to meet ya,” Timothy said over his shoulder with a chuckle as Tina shut him out.

“Who was that?” January covered her mouth to stifle the laughter about to escape. Whoever that was had transformed Tina from professional to frenzy of nerves.

“Timothy Drado. He’s the ranch manager. This is a small ranch, so he oversees almost everything.” Tina fumbled through a stack of papers, and once she’d composed herself and was back to the professional January first met, she asked, “What questions do you have?”

“What is your job at the ranch?”

“Oh, I don’t actually work here. I’m the vice president of Blackstone Software.”

January chewed on the side of her lip, trying to figure out the dynamic here. “Do you often work here at the ranch, or are you only here to supervise me?” She wasn’t used to being supervised. Then again, packing up houses wasn’t something she’d been asked to do before. Couldn’t he have hired a moving service?

“No.” She shook her head and laughed as if the idea was crazy. “This is only the second time I’ve been to the ranch. A month back, we implemented Blackstone Software, and I oversaw the project. The entire ranch currently uses our new ranching software suite.”

“Ranching software? I didn’t realize ranches used software. I guess I pictured a bunch of cowboys on horses, making due with their bare hands and a whole lot of grit,” she admitted.

“Yes, I know the feeling. It loses a little something when you see for yourself that something as old school as a ranch is like any other business—successful only with efficiency and good record keeping.”

January nodded. “I’m surprised this ranch only recently started using Blackstone software. Hasn’t the company been around for a while?”

“It has, but this specific software is new. We implemented it here as a test case for the company.”

“This is a family ranch, right? Do Brecken’s mom and dad live and work here, too?”

Tina’s face was hard to read, professional to fault in most cases, but at the mention of Brecken’s family, she looked almost sad. “Both of his parents are deceased. He inherited the land recently when his father passed.”

“Oh.” She wished she’d done her own research on Brecken’s family. “What about siblings?”

Tina’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she stood, not saying a word until she reached the door.

“You seem like a lovely girl, and I have no doubt we are going to be a good team, but I don’t make it a habit of digging into Brecken’s personal affairs. I would advise you to do the same.”

January blinked, feeling a bit like a child who just got reprimanded “Of course. I didn’t mean to pry, I only want to understand the ranch and my job here. It helps me to wrap my brain around it when I know the people I’ll be dealing with.”

“I’ll be your point of contact. The people here at the ranch are good resources if you have questions about the house, but they won’t be able to guide you on the project. Most of them don’t even yet realize he’s selling.” She opened the door to leave. Her face softened again. “Look over the schedule, walk around the house and see everything for yourself. I have a few things to take care of before we leave.”