Nothing Sweeter (Sweet on a Cowboy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Spanish rice.
    At her first bite of enchilada, she closed her eyes to savor the rich, tangy flavor. Spices, pork, and smoky cheese blended into a flavor all its own. She made a contented sound deep in her throat and opened her eyes to Max’s frown. His gaze lingered on her lips.
    Compared to where she’d been the last eight months, this guy was as scary as a kid dressed up for Halloween. She smiled at him. “That is heaven.”
    “Tia Nita is the best cook in the county,” Wyatt said,scooping food onto his plate. “Wait till you taste her pie. It’s better than sex.”
    Max let out a derisive snort and forked a third of an enchilada into his mouth.
    The diners seemed relaxed with each other, and as the brothers discussed ranch business, Aubrey listened. She learned the reason she hadn’t seen many cattle. The largest herd summered on the slopes of the mountains, to be brought closer in the fall, near the hay they’d need to survive the brutal Colorado winter storms.
    Hoping for another serving of rice, she looked up to see that nothing remained but sauce-smeared platters. If she’d been alone, she’d have licked her plate clean. Seeing Max’s smile, she knew he’d read her thoughts.
He must think I was raised by wolves.
She smiled across the table at him. Let him think that. It would lead him further from the truth. Her past was something she’d worked hard to leave behind far west of here. She was now Bree Tanner. And Bree Tanner could be whoever she decided she’d be.
    After carrying their dishes to the serving counter and picking up a slice of cake for dessert, the ranch hands gravitated to the television. The brothers remained at the table with Aubrey, chatting.
    Now that her belly was full and the tension of the day gone, she felt herself fading.
Jeez, you’d think I’d never done a day’s work. I didn’t even put in eight hours today.
She stretched. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I’m hitting the sack. My day starts early tomorrow.” As she rose to drag herself to the door, muscles that hadn’t worked in years protested.
    Save a lone floodlight on the barn, darkness reigned. She glanced up, and the huge dark sky opened to swallowher. The Milky Way spread across the great expanse, a creamy river flowing away from her. Individual stars were cold chips of ice, the mountains only a black outline at the horizon. Dizzy, she swayed on her feet, her stomach dropping in an overwhelming wave of awareness at her own insignificance.
    “By night an atheist half believes in a God.” At the deep voice, she spun to see Max’s silhouette outlined against the light spilling from the mess hall windows. Broad shoulders, tapering to a narrow waist. A silhouette she knew she’d see burned on the back of her eyelids tonight, in the dark. He stepped off the porch. “Edward Young said that.” He touched her elbow. She jerked away, hugging herself. She was unused to touch. Not gentle ones, anyway.
    He hesitated, and she sensed his scrutiny in the dark. “I’ll see you get to your temporary quarters safely.”
    As they walked, his scent came to her, the warm essence of leather and
man
. She breathed him in like a rare perfume. Male vibrations pulsed from him, touching her skin, raising the hair on her arms. She mentally shook herself.
It must be the dark. Senses are heightened in the absence of light.
    It had been a long time—a really long time, since a man showed concern for her safety. She’d never equated chivalry with sexy, but out here, under the stars, it turned her downright sinful.
    He stopped a few paces short of the door, and as she opened it, she felt his gaze like a warm touch on the back of her neck.
    “Sleep well. Busy day tomorrow.” His voice rumbled softly from the dark, like the comforting sound of far-off thunder on a warm summer night.
    He was still there, unmoving, when she closed the door.
    A few minutes later, locked in and tucked under the covers, Aubrey tried to relax into exhaustion.