Page 5 of A Rancher's Heart

“What the hell were you doing?” His question came from a few feet away as she stumbled to vertical, the water up to her waist.

Tamara turned to face him, hands rising to her hips. “Saving your ass? By the way, you’re welcome.”

“Hauling me under water when I don’t expect it is saving my ass?” He took a step closer, his voice going even softer.

Screw this. Tamara retreated farther up the shore. “You’re hypothermic enough to be delusional. You fell and didn’t come up. You were stuck in the rocks, and I pulled you out.”

She slowed her pace, squinting toward the ground to follow the smoothest path to keep from stumbling. Dammit, why didn’t she wear contacts instead of glasses?

The grumpy bastard didn’t respond, just stepped past her. That wasn’t as much fun as it might’ve been considering she was nearsighted enough that once he’d moved more than a few paces ahead of her, his naked butt was nothing but a spectacular blur.

By the time she made it to the top of the rock, he had his jeans on and was jamming his feet into his boots. They still hadn’t exchanged more than a dozen angry words.

Fine. She’d put on her glasses and take a good look at the guy so she’d know which ungrateful jerk to avoid in the future.

“Your shoes are over here,” he grumbled, stepping toward the edge of the rocks.

“Be careful. My—”

She couldn’t see it happen, but there was nothing wrong with her ears. Breaking glass had a distinctive sound.

He swore again. “Why the hell did you leave your glasses on the ground?”

That was the last straw. Tamara saw red.

All her resolutions to watch her temper, and all her great intentions to keep a new slate shiny clean here in Heart Falls, burned away under the weight ofinstant pissed-off.

“You ever say thank you for anything? Also, you ever consider that when things go wrong, maybe it’snotsomeone else’s fault?” As she spoke she stepped toward him, anger shoving away the cold. She snatched the tangled remains of her glasses from his fingers, and took one final step so she was close enough to look him in the face as she delivered her closing retort. “Maybe it’syou.”

His dark eyes burned as he stared back, square jaw set in stone. A trickle of water ran from his hair down his cheek, catching on the rough stubble on his chin. Straight nose, far too sensual lips for a man. It was a familiar face, and not one she could possibly avoid in the future.

Because it was him. Caleb Stone,him.

AKA, her new boss.

Fuck my life.