In Bed with the Wrangler Read Online Free PDF Page B

veranda.
    Then the pups spotted her and made a roly-poly beeline for the door, sixteen paws thumping awkwardly on the wooden slats of the deck. She took an automatic step back as they piled up against the screen.
    Royce glanced up from the papers. “Hey, Amber.” Then his attention went to the puppies. He gave a low whistle, and they scampered back to him.
    “It’s safe to come out now,” he said with a warm smile.
    “I’m not…” She eased the door open. “I’m not scared to come out.”
    Royce laughed. “Didn’t think you were. Shut the screen behind you, though, or these guys will be in the kitchen in a heartbeat.”
    She closed the screen door behind her. “Your puppies?”
    He reached down to scratch between the ears of the full-grown border collie sprawled between the chair and the railing. “They belong to Molly. Care to take one home when you leave?”
    “My mother won’t have pets in the house.” The puppies rushed back to Amber again.
    Royce gestured for her to take the chair across from his. “Is she allergic?”
    “Not exactly.” Warm, fuzzy bodies pressed against her leg; cool, wet noses investigated her bare feet and she felt a mushy tongue across the top of her toes. She struggled not to cringe at the slimy sensation. “She doesn’t want any accidents on the Persian rug.”
    “The price you pay,” said Royce.
    Amber settled into the chair. One of the pups put its paws on her knee, lifting up to sniff along her jeans.
    “Most people pet them.” Royce’s tone was wry.
    “I’m a little…” She gingerly scratched the puppy between its floppy, little ears. Its fur was soft, skin warm, and its dark eyes were adorable.
    “It’s okay,” he said. “Not everybody likes animals.”
    “I don’t dislike them.”
    “I can tell.”
    “They make me a little nervous, okay?”
    “They’re puppies, not mountain lions.”
    “They—” Another warm tongue swiped across her bare toes, and she jerked her feet under the chair. “Tickle,” she finished.
    “Princess,” he mocked her.
    “I was once bitten by a horse,” she defended. Her interactions with animals hadn’t been particularly positive so far.
    “I was once gored by a bull,” he countered with a challenging look.
    “Is this going to be a contest?”
    “Kicked in the head.” He leaned forward and parted his short, dark hair.
    She couldn’t see a scar, but she trusted it was there.
    “By a bronc,” he finished. “In a local rodeo at fourteen.”
    Amber lifted her elbow to show a small scar. “Fell off a top bunk. At camp. I was thirteen .”
    “Did you break it?”
    “Sprained.”
    “What kind of camp?”
    “Violin.”
    His grin went wide. “Oh, my. Such a dangerous life. Did you ever break a nail? Get a bad wax job?”
    “Hey, buddy.” She jabbed her finger in the direction of his chest. “ After your first wax job, we can talk.”
    Devilment glowed in his deep blue eyes. “You can wax anything I’ve got,” he drawled. “Any ol’ time you want.”
    Her stomach contracted, and a wave of unexpected heat prickled her skin. How had the conversation taken that particular turn? She sat up straight and folded her hands primly in her lap. “That’s not what I meant.”
    He paused, gaze going soft. “That’s too bad.”
    The puppies had grown bored with her feet, and one by one, they’d wandered back to Royce. They were now curled in a sleeping heap around his chair. The dog, Molly, yawned while insects made dancing shadows in the veranda lights.
    “You hungry?” asked Royce.
    Amber nodded. She was starving, and she was more than happy to let their discussion die.
    He flipped the report closed, and she was reminded of their earlier office work.
    “Did you talk to Cheng Li?”
    “I did,” said Royce. “He promised to fax the paperwork to the Ryder financial office.”
    “In Chicago.”
    “Yes.” He rose cautiously to his feet, stepping around the sleeping puppies. “Disaster averted. Sasha’ll have