Page 62 of The Cowbears of Curvy Bear Ranch

He scowled. “The others will be here in less thananhour.”

“I know. I’m workingonit.”

He set the fire extinguisher on the floor and strode over to her. He grabbed her upper arms and searched her face. “Are you hurt? Did the oil splatter ontoyourskin?”

“No.I’mfine.”

When he released her, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d seen something in his eyes akin to fear, but also anger. As if two parts of himself were at war with each other. She shivered. Just because she’d slept with him didn’t mean she knew anything about him. He could be an angry, violent man for all she knew. She’d have to be much more carefularoundhim.

He stepped back and turned away from her. He splayed his hands out on the counter as he took several deep breaths. She stepped back as alarm bells rang in her gut. A quiet fury rolled offofhim.

When he finally turned back to her, he was far more composed. “Sorry, I get mad when I’m worried. Are you allright?”

“I’mfine.”

“Good. Okay. Do you need help withbreakfast?”

For a brief moment, she considered turning him down. But who was she kidding? She didn’t know the first thing about cooking and she’d be completely screwed withouthishelp.

“If you don’t mind,” she saidsoftly.

“I don’t mind. Throw out the eggs and let’sstartover.”

As he set a new pan on the stove, she studied every move he made. If nothing else, she was a fast learner. She only needed to watch someone do something once and she’d know how to do it. The problem was that she’d thought she’d been paying attention when she’d watched their cook make breakfast, but she really hadn’t made note of thedetails.

They worked in silence. Within twenty minutes, they had several plates piled high with eggs andbacon.

Mack said, “The chow bell is over by the door. Can you go outside and ring itplease?”

“Sure.”

She took the triangle-shaped bell outside and banged a long stick against it. It clanged loud enough to reverberate through her eardrums. Damn. Next time—if there was a next time—she’d have to figure out a way to keep fromgoingdeaf.

As she looked across the clearing at the brothers’ house, she couldn’t help but smile. In the early morning glow, Christmas lights twinkled along the eves. Through one frost-laced window, she could make out the branches of a Christmas tree. She hoped that at some point she’d be invited to see the inside of their home. If it was anything like the bed and breakfast, it had to bebeautiful.

Mack joined her on the porch. “Are you going to be able tohandlethis?”

She knew he meant the job. “I will. I just need to get used to how thingsworkhere.”

He stepped in front of her to block her view. “Please don’t lie to me. If I need to hire someone else, please tell me now. Our family depends on the money we make during the next two weeks to get us through the winter. If you burn down the kitchen, we’re going to have a hell of a time keepingguests.”

“I know. I swear it won’t happenagain.”

“Itbetternot.”

Footsteps crunched through the snow as the brothers approached. Logan led the pack with his cockyswagger.

He grinned. “I could smell the food all the way to the house. I can’t wait totryit.”

As she turned to walk into the B&B, Logan placed his hand on the small of her back. She jumped, surprised by hisboldness.

Mack stepped between them and grabbed his brother’s arm. “Aword.”

“Sure.”

“Let’s just go inside, Mack,” she saidsoftly.

“We’ll be there in aminute.”