Page 25

At the same time, they grunted.

“Fuckin’ Hunter.” Shaw glanced away from the toy that they occasionally found in the strangest places around the ranch. More than one Boot Knocker could attest to the fact that Hunter was the culprit, often playing with a woman and then abandoning the toy for his own cock or fingers.

Dylan’s shoulders were set. His jaw, too. “She could turn you in for harassment, you know.”

He swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“You’d be kicked off the ranch.”

Did he want that? Hell, he didn’t want to be here anymore. Now that he’d set eyes on his ex again…any other woman assigned to him wouldn’t even begin to strike interest in him. Nobody could measure up to Sloane.

“Whatever their reasons, the powers that be around here chose me as Sloane’s Boot Knocker.” Dylan pitched his voice lower as if some of the fight had gone out of him.

“I can’t live with that.” The words tripped off his tongue before he could bite them back.

Lowering his head, Dylan sent him a long, appraising look. “Are you trying to get in the middle? Because I can’t let that happen, Shaw. You and I have had some fun together, and I enjoyed it. But it doesn’t make you exempt from my fists if you try to get in the middle of us again.”

“Does that mean you want her now?” He took a hasty step toward Dylan.

He didn’t back down. “You had her. If you want her so badly, explain how you could let her go.”

They glared at each other, their anger almost electric inside the barn. With the sparks coming off both of them, it was a damn good thing that it was grounded against lightning.

Shaw growled low in his throat. “That’s the burning question, now isn’t it? Get the hell away from me, Dylan. I need to be alone.”

Dylan heaved a sigh. “Fine. Just remember your role on this ranch.”

He did.

He also remembered the role he should be playing…with Sloane.

With his daughter.

Chapter Six

Sloane’s body felt as though it were floating on the currents of mountain air. In her life, she’d experienced a few massages, but none had such talented hands as the masseuse on The Boot Knockers Ranch.

The relaxation was exactly what she needed after today’s events. Seeing Shaw again, dealing with the ugly things he said, and then processing Dylan’s reassurances about her coming here left her emotionally exhausted.

The scorching sofa sex and Dylan’s skilled tongue buoyed her spirits. That coupled with the massage left her body tingling and tired in all the right ways.

Now…she was starving. Paying attention to her own body was something she stopped doing the minute her daughter was born. Taking stock of her own self in all ways was the first step to recovering what she lost when her relationship with Shaw ended.

The ranch was putting the control back into her hands.

Walking the short distance to the bungalow gave her enough time to consider what she wanted to eat. Spring scents filled the air—cut grass and flowers planted along the walkway. When she neared the barn, her steps slowed. What would happen if she ran into Shaw again?

She’d kick him in the balls. Exchange accusatory words.

None of that would fix matters. It would only leave her feeling worse too.

She was here to recover the parts of her that faded away under the weight of single parenting. Shaw’s presence on the ranch disturbed her in so many ways, but she had no direct link to his heart anymore, only through what she shared of Marigold.

Spending time with her Boot Knocker and relaxing was her only priority for the next blissful week.

As she swung her head toward the pasture, she spotted a couple riding off on horseback, side by side, bouncing in the saddles. The woman’s hair fluttered out behind her, and one of them let out a whoop of laughter.

It almost made her wish she had the skill to ride. Enjoying the good weather and being in the Alaskan landscape seemed like a good way to forget her problems for a short time.