Page 94 of Tempting Wyatt

Wyatt’s brow creases as he pulls his hat off and examines it. “And how exactly is my worn-out old ball cap putting me in danger?”

I smile up at him. “Turn it around backward again and you’ll find out.” With a wink, I point at him. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He chuckles low, and damn him, rakes a hand through his hair and puts the cap back on. Backward.

Before I can say anything, he crouches in front of me, pulling a brown paper bag from behind his back like some kind of magician. “Sources report you’ve been in here all day without leaving. Have you had anything to eat or drink?”

I shrug. Turns out ranch hands are also spies apparently. “Mmm. . . coffee?”

“So no water whatsoever?”

I smile. “There’s water in coffee.”

“What about food?”

“Does a granola bar late last night count?”

He doesn’t answer. Just sighs and presses a cold bottle of water into my palm. I take a drink as he sits beside me. For his second trick, he produces a sandwich. A big one that appears to have bacon, lettuce, and tomato on it along with thick sliced turkey. It’s wrapped in foil and still warm. It’s also as big as my head.

“I can’t eat all this myself.” I hand him half and we eat in companionable silence.

I don’t normally skip meals, but I’d gotten caught in the middle of a scene rewrite spiral. I don’t normally eat this much meat either, but I’m ravenous and grateful so I eat the turkey and the tomato slice.

“Thank you,” I say between bites. “This is really good.”

“Welcome,” he says, having somehow polished off his half in two bites. He snatches my discarded bread and bacon. “Can’t leave any scraps in here or Rowdy and Blue will fight over them.”

“Who?”

“Border collie and a blue heeler. You’ll see them around at some point. Usually with Isaac.”

“I thought I saw dogs down by the bunkhouse when we went by there during my driving lesson.”

“That would be them then,” he says, standing to throw his garbage in a nearby barrel with a lid. “Maybe take a break soon, yeah? It’s getting dark out. Looks like a storm might be rolling in.”

“That’s rich,” I said, finishing off my tomato slice with my next bite, “coming from the guy who works himself into the ground every day.”

“Woman, you’re over-caffeinated, under-hydrated, and I happen to know you didn’t sleep much last night.” He raises an eyebrow, stands and straightens just enough to tower over me. “I take care of everything on this ranch, angel. That includes you.”

Heat blooms under my skin. Not just from his words, but the way he says them. The concern in his voice is foreign to me.

“I must look rough,” I say, “because you look worried.”

He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, fingers lingering just a second. I lean into his touch without meaning to.

“You look gorgeous. The glasses are very ‘sexy librarian’ and I’m into it. Though I am curious about what’s got you out here working so hard.”

Isaac’s words about keeping my career to myself—unless Wyatt outright asks—come back to me.

“My, um, boss called. Reminded me of a deadline I’m a little behind on.”

“Deadline?”

I nod. “A project I’m working, um writing.”

“So, you’re a writer of some kind?”

“Of some kind. Yeah. Trying to be anyway.” I inhale as much air as my lungs will hold, bracing myself in case this is about to be The Conversation.