one
Cheyenne
“Hey, Cheyenne, did youhear what I said?” Shoot, if Amber catches me staring at Wes, the ranch foreman, again, I’ll never hear the end of it. It’s bad enough that he stars in all my bedtime fantasies—now I’m daydreaming about him instead of doing the job I’m paid to do.
Amber is an amazing assistant. I’m not sure I could get half the work I’m supposed to do done without her. The last thing I need is for her to think I’m easily distracted by a handsome face.
I started working at the Wild Vista Ranch three months ago as the evening activities director. It’s my first real job out of college, and I want to impress my boss. But I can’t keep my eyes from straying to Wes, especially when he’s on his black horse, Loki, my favorite comic-book villain’s name.
Speaking of villains, with his black cowboy hat, black cowboy boots, and a strong jaw dusted with dark-brown stubble that matches his hair, Wes would be the perfect villain in any woman’s fantasy, especially with the few words he says making him seem mysterious.
When I first met Wes, I tried to speak, but all that came out was an embarrassing, breathy little moan, one I have heard from more than one woman on the ranch, both staff and guests. Sure, there are a lot of gorgeous guys working on the ranch, but there is something about the way Wes carries himself that makes women stand up and take notice—me especially. If only he would notice me back.
“Sorry, Amber. I was concentrating on carrying all these boxes of fairy lights.” I shift the boxes to the right so I can see her, thengive Amber an apologetic look. I notice her arms are just as full as mine, and we still have a lot more boxes to unload from the van.
We’re hosting a wedding reception in three days at The Barn—it’s exactly what it sounds like. The owners of Wild Vista remodeled an old barn on the property, which is rented for weddings, anniversaries, and any celebration you can imagine. The barn’s rustic yet polished wood beams are a major reason it’s such a popular rental space. On weekends when it’s not rented, we host dances for guests. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those weekends.
Kelly is a sweet person—definitely not a Bridezilla like we’ve had in the past—she’s just a little obsessed with fairy lights. The Barn’s interior and exterior are glowing with thousands of twinkling lights, but Kelly wants even more. Now, in addition to setting up that space as we normally do, Amber and I have to hang more lights.
“Just wait until we get all these fairy lights hung up—no one will be able to see anything but their glare.” Amber huffs, shifting the boxes in her arms to get a better look at where she’s walking.
I turn to follow her lead, but before I can take a step, a shadow falls over me. “Howdy, can I be of some assistance?” I snap my head up at that sexy voice, confirming it’s Wes, hovering over me on his horse. The top box slides to the side, throwing me off balance. I focus on the boxes and try to regain my balance, taking my eyes off Wes and concentrating on not dropping them. “Whoa, there, little lady. Let me help you.” One minute, Wes was sitting on his horse—the next, his arms were wrapped around me. Well, not exactly around me, but around the boxes.
Dang, I missed him dismounting from his horse. Watching him swing his muscular thigh over the horse as his biceps flex is the highlight of my day. A highlight I hope he never finds out about, or I would die of embarrassment.
“Thanks,” I say as he takes the boxes from my hands, giving me a chance to regain my balance. “I can take it from here.” I reach for the boxes, but he twists his body away from me, taking the boxes with him.
“I got it. Just tell me where you want them.” He’s just said more than five words to me, and not one of them was his usual grunt.
Did I fall and hit my head when I lost my balance, and I’m really lying in the dirt dreaming that I’m talking to Wes?
“Cheyenne, are you going to answer him?” Amber prompts, making me realize it’s not all a dream.
“Um, yeah, right. In here.” I rush to the door, hold it open, and let Amber and Wes walk in before following them. “You can set the boxes on the table over there.” I point to the nearest table. “Thanks again. Amber and I can take it from here.”
“It looks to me like you have a whole van full of boxes. Why don’t you let me and some of the ranch hands help?” He sets the stack of boxes on the table like they weigh nothing.
“That would be great,” Amber says before I can say anything. “You wouldn’t mind helping us string up all the fairy lights in these boxes for a wedding reception, would you?” If I werestanding closer to Amber, I would have slapped my hand over her mouth before she could ask Wes for help.
“It’s okay, we can manage.” My heart races after just a conversation with Wes. I can’t imagine spending the afternoon with him.
“Nonsense. It’s a slow day for my guys, so they need something to keep them out of trouble.” He tips his cowboy hat and walks toward the door.
Who is this guy, and what has he done with the real, less talkative Wes?
“We’d love the help.” Amber calls after him, grabbing my arm and whispers in my ear. “Be quiet and let him help. You’ll thank me later.”
Hopefully, she’s right, because the only thing I’m thankful for right now is that I didn’t embarrass myself too badly in front of Wes. But thanks to Amber, I now have the whole day ahead of me to succeed.
two
Wes
“So, how did itgo with Cheyenne?” Ryland, one of my ranch hands, asks.
“Fine.” I dust my hat off on my jeans before putting it back on my head. I can’t believe I’m taking romance advice from a twenty-five-year-old. In my defense, it seemed like a good idea at first because he’s closer to Cheyenne’s age than I am. But now I’m not so sure.
“That’s it, just fine? You did everything I told you to do, didn’t you?”