Page 2 of Wild and Unruly (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #3)

bonnie

This was going to be a long assignment.

The smell of the fresh mountain air was a nice change from the now over-polluted metro area of Denver, where our offices were located.

For the first time since I ran to my boss with my new story idea, I was feeling rather lackluster that the job required me to travel four hours from home and that I would have to stay in a—kill me now—lodge in the middle of the mountains.

I stand outside the large building, admiring the craftsmanship of the front porch that spanned the entire size of the building itself.

A puff of air leaves me, and I long for the day when following that hot air is the steam that comes from cold, fall air.

Summer was too hot.

I cross my arms, leaning against my truck, and take in the space around me.

There was a large parking area out front, and I snagged a spot in the first row, all the way down at the end.

I was unsure if this was even the place I was supposed to be.

It was hidden around many bends in the Colorado Rockies, and its sign was practically nonexistent behind the pine and aspen trees.

This part of Colorado was gorgeous and made me remember why people were obsessed with it.

When they thought “Colorado,” it was all the fresh mountain air, the hiking, the skiing, and snowboarding.

Sitting by a window as snow fell and drinking hot cocoa.

That was a reality for a lot of people—especially those who lived in these mountains—but for those on the foothills or Denver in the metro area, that was far from the reality.

I huff a breath and hoist my work bag over my shoulder—I never go anywhere without it—and head into the building.

“Hi, welcome to The Lodge.” The bubbly woman behind the desk greets me as I take in the room around me. The walls are made log cabin style, giving a cozy feel to the room, and the handcrafted desk fits the rustic vibe the place gives off.

Not to mention, this place is huge. Not quite the little log cabin I was expecting when I booked my stay.

“The Lodge,” I repeat, holding my phone with my registration confirmation on it. My rolled suitcase was still in the back seat of my truck with the hope that a burly mountain man would come and snatch it up for me, carrying it to my room. “Very original name.”

The girl’s smile faltered, and I felt bad at the quip. I forget all the time that my humor is…not for everyone.

“Tracy, everything okay?” The young girl turns to the side, and I glance over where another woman has walked behind the counter. She’s short with brown hair, but her eyes are tense and serious, negating the smile on her face.

“Yes, fine, I was just going to get her checked in.” She nods at me, and I smile, turning on my reporter grin that wins everyone over.

Usually.

I clear my throat at the frosty glare the woman gives me and look between her and the young girl. I realize now that if I’d paid a bit more attention, I would have noticed that the girl was young. Like teen young, and my humor was probably not very humorous to her.

“I’ve got her.” She nudges the girl playfully, and Tracy smiles. “Why don’t you go refill the lounge bar?”

The girl, Tracy, nods and makes her way out of the large room and through the door, taking her from sight. I turn my face back to the lady and see she’s waiting for me to speak.

“Ah, hi, I’m Bonnie Helix. I made a reservation.” I try to give her a friendly look, realizing that if these were the people hosting me, I’d better keep my dark humor and quips to myself.

The woman doesn’t reply as she starts to look me up on her computer.

I tap my finger against my bag, waiting with a tinge of nerves I haven’t felt in a while as she does so.

This woman has to be a mom because the last time I felt this way, my mother was looking up my scores through a competition I entered.

“Right, here you are, Bonnie Helix. Check-in is now. Check-out is…” The woman raises an eyebrow, glancing over at me. “You didn’t put a check-out date?”

“Well, I’m here for work,” I explain. “I’m not sure how long it will take me. Do I need to do a check out date?”

She eyes me for a second, then shrugs and clicks something on her computer. “Well, then the room is all ready for you. ”

“Perfect.” I reach into my bag and hand over my essentials, waiting patiently for her to run everything through her system.

“What kind of work are you here for? We’re not usually big on office conferences.”

“You should be,” I say, glancing around the ornate lobby. “This place is massive. It would be perfect for work retreats.”

She looks over at me, glancing around quickly at the room before she goes back to her computer. “You didn’t say why you were here.”

The comment is accusatory, and since there is no reason for me to hide what I’m doing, I answer her. “I’m here to write an article on a local couple. They specialize in a certain discipline of horses, and the wife works with disabled kids.”

“CT and Dani, you mean?” The woman looks me over and nods. “Ah. You’re the reporter from Horse Universe .”

I blink and then slowly nod my head, “Right. How do you?—”

“One thing you should know about this town: Everyone knows everything about everyone.” She lifts a brow and smiles, a little bit kinder than she was before. “But we’re excited about what the article could do for their business. They’ve worked hard and deserve the recognition.”

I nod my head, smiling tensely. “I’m excited to meet them and see it all firsthand.”

She hands my cards back over, and I grab them, taking the key to my room, which is an actual key on a leather keychain.

“Well, I’m Amelia. If you need anything, my staff is always available to help you out.

We have breakfast served from five to nine every morning and snacks in the lounge.

There’s a piano night on Thursdays as well at the bar.

If you’re interested in any extras like horseback riding or sports, just come to the desk, and we’ll get you sorted out. ”

I nod my head slowly, impressed by the number of amenities they have. “Sounds lovely, Amelia. I appreciate the hospitality.”

She smiles and shrugs. “Hospitality is my job.”

“You do it well,” I compliment. “Now, do you have a helper who could grab my bag?”

She grins and nods behind me before calling out, “Hey, Stets, could you do me a favor?”

“For you, Amelia, anything.” I turn to the deep voice and see two tall men standing by the door they just entered.

One has a bag of tools slung over his shoulder and gives me a polite grin.

The other walks right up to the desk and leans on it, giving me a nod and a wide smile before turning his attention to Amelia.

“What room am I needed in, Amelia?” The other asks, ignoring his friend’s obvious flirting.

“Room 115. You’re a lifesaver, Graham,” she answers, holding her hands in prayer under her chin. “No one knows what happened, but the people staying there left before I could find out.”

Graham wrinkles his nose and sighs. “Should have picked a different career.”

Amelia and the guy leaning against the desk laugh as he walks off.

“So, Stetson, this is Bonnie.” She introduces us as if it’s significant, and I give him a polite smile. Just from looking at his tall form, T-shirt hanging over his Wranglers, and dusty boots on his feet, I know exactly everything I need to about this man in front of me.

He is trouble .

And trouble is the last thing I need.

“Bonnie.” He tips his head, reaching for my hand. I shake his firmly and quickly release it. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” I reply, keeping my tone light.

“She could use a hand with her bag. Do you mind helping out?” Amelia asks, but judging from the way she’s barely even looking at the two of us, she already knows the answer to that question.

“Not at all.” He gestures to the front door. “Lead the way, milady.”

Amelia snorts, and I turn away, rolling my eyes. I don’t know him well enough to use my typical humor, even though I’m dying to do just that.

“So, what are you here for? Some hiking? Horseback riding? Time with nature?” He asks the silliest of questions, and I study his face for a moment to see if he’s kidding, but he catches me looking and smiles genuinely at me. “What?”

“Um, nothing.” I bite my tongue. “I’m here for work.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m a writer.”

“What kind of writing do you do?”

Boy, this man and his questions.

“I write for a magazine.”

“Oh, cool.” He pauses his questions for a moment as our feet hit the gravel parking lot, our shoes crunching over the rocks. “Which magazine?”

I repress a sigh and tell myself he’s just a nice guy. Just. A. Nice. Guy. “ Horse Universe .”

This falters his steps, well away from where I parked my truck. Why did I have to park so far away? I know why, because her sparkly paint doesn’t deserve to be scratched by poor parkers.

“You’re Bonnie Helix.”

I blink and turn to the man beside me, looking him over again. He’s not bad-looking, unfortunately. In fact, he’s…handsome. He’s got light-brown hair, almost blond. His cheeks are defined, and under his stubble, he’s got a strong jaw. His physique, well, I can tell the man works hard.

Large shoulders lead to strong arms and what looks like a toned body. Man. He’s kryptonite.

Good ol’ boys are my downfall, and I would save myself a lot of trouble if I stayed far away from him.

“Yes, how do you know that?”

He nods his head and grins. Damn. He gives a good grin. “I’m Stetson Cash. I work over at Three Rivers with CT and Dani. They’ve been talking about the article for weeks.”

“You work at Three Rivers?” I ask, praying, hoping, willing him to say he does the books or mucks the stalls, anything but?—

“Yeah. Me and my brother both. I’m a horse trainer.”

Fuck me.

I step my foot forward, determined to make space between us, until I remember he’s specifically coming out here to grab my luggage.

“Damn.” He whistles at the sight of my truck.

It was my prized possession, and I’d saved for years to earn it. Her gleaming burnt-red paint was shiny in the high morning sun, and the chrome wheels just added to her luxury.

Was she excessive? Absolutely. Was she worth it? Again, absolutely.

“Nice ride.” His hand runs over the side of the bed where we stand, and I beep the lock to open the back door .

“Thanks.” I reach in for my suitcase, only for his large body to loom over mine, grabbing the handle before I can do it.

“Now, I believe this is why I came out here,” he says lowly, allowing me to step back before hoisting my suitcase out with barely a grunt.

“Careful! There are fragile things in there.” I hold up a hand as if I can catch the bag before it falls, only to see him gently settle it at his side, not letting it even touch the ground.

A brief memory of me grunting that suitcase into the back seat, breathing heavily as I did so, flashes before my eyes.

So…he’s strong. Nothing to be fussy about, Bonnie.

Dutifully, he follows me back into The Lodge, and again, I marvel in the beauty that it was. How did no one know about this place? It was the ideal place for a mountain vacation.

Unfortunately, Stetson seems to have been here before and is able to move with ease toward the direction of my room.

The hallways are quiet with the gentle hum of air conditioning running throughout the building, keeping us from overheating in the early hours of a summer morning. It was nearing the end of May, but the heat was already amping up for summer.

I wouldn’t be here that long, but seeing the way these mountains looked during the summer season would be a sight.

Finally, we arrive at my door, and I reach into my wallet, pulling out a cash tip and handing it over, “Thank you for the help.”

He tilts his head, looking down at the cash and back to me with a raised eyebrow. “It was my pleasure, but I’m not taking a tip.”

I bite my tongue—the joke is too easy—and tuck the cash away. “Oh. Well, thank you again. ”

I unlock my door and step in, allowing him to push my suitcase over the threshold for me.

Then, he gives me a wide grin, tipping his head at me as if he was wearing a hat and rocks back on his heel before sauntering down the hallway, leaving me to wonder exactly how much trouble that boy is going to cause me.

And it was only my first day here.