Curves and the Rancher Read Online Free PDF

the kitchen, Luke
offered her some iced tea. “ I
thought we could eat at 6.30. That way, you won ’ t
get home too late. You ’ ve got an
early shift tomorrow, haven ’ t you? ”
    “ Yes. ” Her hope that Luke had feelings for her deflated. It seemed as if
he didn ’ t want her to linger after
dinner. Then why ask her to stay in the first place? Was it because
he was a nice guy? Or maybe he just preferred slender women.
    “ I ’ ve
got about an hour ’ s work left to do
outside. ”
    She watched him take a
long swallow of iced tea and sighed inwardly. Just her luck that
the gorgeous guy she had feelings for didn ’ t
return them.
    “ Why
don ’ t you relax in the living room
and then we can make dinner together? ”
    “ Sure. ” She summoned up a smile. It wasn ’ t
Luke ’ s fault that she might have
gotten the wrong idea about tonight. If he kissed her - really kissed her tonight, then she might have
some hope. But if he kissed her the same way he always did, even if
those kisses did make her toes curl, then she might as well face it.
He probably wasn ’ t interested in her
romantically - not
really.
    Cassie entered the living
room. Solid, masculine furniture dominated the navy and cream room,
as well as a big screen TV. She browsed the large bookcase,
selecting a popular mystery novel she hadn ’ t
had a chance to read. Settling down on the comfortable sofa, she
became absorbed in the story, returning to the real world with a
start when Luke entered the room.
    ” Hi, ” she murmured, setting the book down on the coffee table. It wasn ’ t
fair that he looked so good. Freshly showered and shaved, he once
again wore denim jeans and a red long-sleeved button-down shirt, but
his jeans were new and crisp. Her stomach fluttered at the thought
that maybe he had changed clothes for dinner - with her.
    He held out a hand to her
as she rose from the sofa. “ I
thought we could start dinner, ” he
said, his fingers clasping hers. She looked down at their joined
hands and her heartbeat quickened.
    Luke led her into the
kitchen, not letting go of her hand. She tried to tell herself it
mightn ’ t mean anything. But she
couldn ’ t help the spark of hope in
her heart.
    Cassie couldn ’ t
remember the last time she ’ d enjoyed
cooking so much. Somehow, she and Luke just seemed to work well
together in the kitchen. They didn ’ t
get in each other ’ s way, but instead
worked in harmony. They joked and chatted while they prepared the
Italian dish , then sat down at the large wooden table while it
simmered on the stovetop.
    “ Would you like
some wine? ” Luke held out a bottle
of red wine.
    “ I
guess a small glass won ’ t hurt. ” She took a small sip of wine, wanting to make it last. She should
be fine to drive home after a small glass of red and chicken
cacciatore.
    Rattle, rattle, BANG! Cassie had been so caught up in
making dinner that she hadn ’ t
noticed the sky darkening outside. Now hail the size of golf balls
pelted past the window, almost making her jump.
    Luke frowned. “ I
was hoping the storm would pass us by. Maybe it ’ ll
be over by the time we ’ ve finished
dinner. ”
    The hailstorm raged. But
it wasn’t the storm that made it hard to focus on the
appetizing meal. Just sitting across from Luke made her pulse race.
In the back of her mind, a thought niggled. Would she be able to
drive home if the storm didn’t let up?
    Once the dishes were
done, she followed Luke to the living room. He gestured to the comfy
sofa and sat down beside her. His denim-clad thigh almost touched
hers and she felt his body heat through her cotton capris in the
quarter inch of space that separated them.
    “ So
now you ’ ve been here awhile, what do
you think of Coldwater? ” he enquired.
    Quivers of excitement
danced down her spine. Luke made her feel as if she were the only
person in the world . “ I like
it here, ” she murmured.
    His lips curved in a slow
smile. “ Good. ”
    Bang! Bang!