Page 4 of Country Winds (King Creek Cowboys #9)

She took it, and he sat behind his desk in his leather office chair. A little distance would be a good idea. His jeans had started to feel tight.

He felt a bit more control with the desk between them. “What do you propose?”

Ellie stood and reached over the desk for her notepad, and he nearly groaned at a glimpse of her cleavage.

Gripping the pad, she settled back into the armchair, looking and sounding business-like.

“I have a lot of ideas. We can review them now, and I’ll send a proposal within the next day or two.

I do think you’ll need to hire a website designer and I know just the person. ”

Tucker had to force himself to pay attention as she discussed the best way to engage his audience with his site and social media, which his sister had set up and he’d never used. He didn’t know the first thing about it.

When she finished, she settled back in the chair. “Any questions? It shouldn’t take me too long to write up the proposal.”

“You don’t need to send a proposal.” He glanced at his sister, who gave a nod. He continued, “We’d like to hire you. When can you start, and what do you need from us?”

Ellie looked caught off guard before she composed herself again. “A tour of your operation and an explanation of what you do on the ranch and what you offer would be a good start.”

“Do you have time for a tour now?” He was trying his best not to look or sound too eager, but he figured he was failing epically. “I have about an hour before one of my customers arrives.”

Ellie’s belly fluttered as she looked into Tucker’s moss-green eyes. The odds of ending up in his home seemed astronomical. But here she was, and here he was. Holy hell, how’d she get so lucky?

He looked so damned good in his brown Stetson and a well-worn jean jacket over a black T-shirt. She wanted him to touch her in the worst way—make that the best ways possible.

She cleared her throat. “Perfect. I’ll be able to get started sooner since I’ll know more about your operation once you’ve shown me around.”

“I’ve got some bookkeeping to do.” Maddee, looking amused, got to her feet, her red hair sliding down her back, her green eyes sparkling. “Think you can manage on your own?”

The corner of Tucker’s lips curved. “I can handle showing Ellie around, Sis.”

“Have fun,” Maddee tossed over her shoulder as she swept out of the room.

Ellie stood, notepad in hand, as Tucker walked around the desk. She tipped her head back and gazed into his eyes. “I forgot how tall you are.”

He stared at her as if drinking her in. “I didn’t forget how beautiful you are.”

Warmth flooded through her. A defense mechanism kicked in when she was embarrassed or complimented. She affected a Southern Belle accent and fluttered her hand before her face as if fanning herself. “I do declare, dear sir, you are most certainly a flatterer.”

He grinned. “Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.”

She walked with him down the hallway, glad he shortened his stride, so she didn’t have to hurry to keep up.

They went into the enormous kitchen that she’d noticed earlier. “Do you like to cook?”

“I like to grill and make chili.” He looked down at her. “That’s about the extent of my cooking abilities.”

“But this kitchen.” She gestured around her as they walked. “What a waste not to use it.”

“I have a cook who comes in to prepare lunch for my staff.” He shrugged as they passed a long white table with benches on either side.

“Lupe should be here soon to whip up some lunch. She’s a great cook—her fantastic food spoils everyone around here, especially her Mexican dishes.

Most of the time, there are leftovers, so I’m set for dinner every day she’s here. ”

“Mexican is my favorite food.” She grasped her pen and got ready to write. “How many employees do you have?”

“Five.” He gripped the backdoor handle and opened it. “They’ve all been with me for years. I hire short-term staff as needed.”

Ellie jotted down the information, then followed him outside. “I need photos for your social media accounts. Do you think your employees would mind being photographed at work?”

Tucker closed the door behind them. “Probably not Jose, one of my trainers. He’s an old coot who doesn’t trust computers, much less social media, so you’re not likely to get his photo.

The others—we’ll have to see. Jose’s wife is Lupe, and they live on an acre of my property, closer to the Superstitions. ”

The Border collies trotted up to meet them, and Ellie rubbed behind each dog’s ears as she greeted them.

A soft breeze lifted Ellie’s hair off her shoulders as she straightened. “Your sister is your bookkeeper?”

He gave a nod as they crossed the circular drive, the dogs at his heels. “She has her own place that she runs, too, so she just does the bookkeeping and payroll. My assistant, Carrie, handles most of the communication and any business I don’t need to address personally.”

They stopped, and Tucker nodded toward a corral, where a man of about thirty was working with a young mare. “While I show you around, I’ll introduce you to Luke, one of my trainers.”

Ellie took in the massive structure before them. “That must be your stables.” A gust of wind whipped her hair into her face.

“Yep.” Tucker reached out and brushed the hair away from her eyes before she had a chance to. His fingertips trailed over her cheek, and their gazes held for a long moment before he broke the link and indicated the stables with a nod. “First, I’ll introduce you to the horses.”

They walked together toward the massive stables, a huge barn to its right. She couldn’t find the words to say anything for a long moment. His touch had unnerved her and set her off-balance, which was unusual for her. She was rarely at a loss for words.

The stables’ and the barn’s exteriors were painted Wedgewood-blue, and giant juniper trees ran alongside each side of the buildings.

“Hold on.” Ellie stopped and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Tucker stood beside her as she took pictures of the buildings. She lowered her phone and looked at Tucker. “I’ll bring my camera out and take pictures around your property, but I want to get some today.”

“Sounds good,” he said as they headed the rest of the way to the stables.

The dirt they walked over was hard-packed from years of use. “How long have you owned this ranch?”

Tucker lifted his hat and pushed his fingers through his hair. It was mahogany-brown with hints of red that caught the sunlight as he thought about her question. He tugged his hat back down. “Hell, it’s going on eleven years now.”

Her brows knitted. “How old are you?”

He stopped in the stables’ doorway and looked at her. “Thirty-five.”

“You were only twenty-four when you bought this place.” She tipped her head to the side. “That’s pretty amazing.”

He shrugged. “It started out as a small operation, but it’s grown over the years, and we’re good-sized now with a solid business.” His lips twisted in amusement. “Now that you know how old I am, how about you return the favor?”

Ellie tossed her hair over her shoulder and tipped her chin as she spoke in an aristocratic English accent.

“Sir, you should never ask a lady her age.” Then she broke out into a grin and reverted to her normal voice.

“I don’t mind you asking. I’m twenty-eight.

” She was seven years younger than he, not too big of an age gap.

He winked, and her tummy flipped. “Come, meet everyone.”

They walked into the cool recesses of the stables. Light poured through skylights all the way down the aisle. It was bigger inside than she’d thought, and the sounds of horses whickering and making soft noises carried through the building.

“I raise Quarter horses.” The first stall held a gorgeous red mare with a big belly. He rested his arms on the top of the stall. “This is Sunshine, one of my prize breeding mares.”

Ellie glanced at Tucker. “When is she due?”

“About two weeks.” He cocked his head. “Have you been around horses much?”

She grinned. “I grew up with them. Started out on a pony when I was three and graduated to a sweet mare named Sandy when I was six. By the time I was ten, I was learning barrel racing.”

Tucker looked surprised. “Where did you grow up?”

Ellie inclined her head in the general direction of her hometown. “On a cattle ranch outside of King Creek.”

He studied her. “I never got your last name.”

“I never got yours,” she said, “but considering this is Rawlings Ranch, I’m assuming yours is Rawlings.”

He gave a nod, and she continued. “My last name is McLeod.”

“I know a few McLeods.” He shifted to face her. “Are you related to Jace and Tanner McLeod?”

She smiled. “They’re my brothers. Tanner is my fraternal twin.”

“So, you’re one of those McLeods.” He had a teasing glint in his eyes. “They’re good guys.”

“All four of my brothers are.” She turned her attention back to Sunshine. “I go out to the ranch to ride when I can.”

“One of these days, I’ll have to take you for a ride up to our part of the Superstition Mountains.” His words sent a thrill through her belly.

Were things moving a little too fast? She turned with Tucker to move to the next stall, which held a magnificent solid black mare. He’d said, “One of these days,” so it wasn’t like they were making plans now.

Tucker took her through the rest of the stables as he talked about his operation and background.

He raised horses for sale to rodeo participants and those who wanted to compete and show their horses.

Tucker also entered competitions and shows.

He’d built up quite a reputation for his fine quality horses, the training they provided, and breeding with artificial insemination.

He’d attended the University of Arizona, where he got his Bachelor of Science from the College of Agriculture. There, he learned his skills in artificial insemination to breed horses and business skills for his chosen career.