To Wed a Rancher Read Online Free PDF Page B

occurred to him that he was going to have to watch himself. She was in his care now. That made him responsible for her well-being, and having the wrong kinds of thoughts about her wasn’t allowed. The good thing was that their relationship wouldn’t last long.
    He only hoped she was going to get the house in order quickly, had some skills with that camera, and knew her way around a stove.
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    Rachel wished she could relax a bit. Discovering that she and her boss had different goals had been freeing, but she was still far too aware of him. Maybe it had something to do with the emptiness of the land they were traversing. She and Shane appeared to be the only two people within miles.
    The thing was, she’d meant it when she’d told him that she wasn’t a romantic. She’d been very young when she’d first learned that relationships weren’t made to last forever and that a promise given wasn’t necessarily a promise kept. Her grown up relationships had only served as more proof.
    But, darn it, there was just something about Shanethat made a woman want to…to look at him. Closely. It was disconcerting. She had never been a very physical kind of woman. Lust had not been a part of her life. The fact that she was even having these kinds of thoughts was totally alarming.
    So don’t look. Get to work, she ordered herself. Do something to create some distance.
    â€œSo, Mr. Merritt, you have three weeks. What needs to be done during that time?” she asked casually, just as if she hadn’t been thinking about what Shane looked like underneath his shirt.
    He raised a brow. “Shane,” he said, correcting her once again.”
    She nodded. “Got it. Shane.” So much for distance.
    â€œThe ranch has been vacant for a while,” he said. “Things have deteriorated. The hay didn’t get cut, so that has to be done and then reseeded. At a minimum, fences have to be mended, buildings have to be repaired, irrigation systems checked out, weeds controlled. As I mentioned earlier, the house needs cleaning. The place has to look inviting if I’m going to be able to sell it quickly, and it has to be sold. Once it’s in marketable condition, I’ll ask you to take a few photos. We’ll list it anywhere we can and end with an open house, followed by an auction if we haven’t had any offers before then. Basically, we’re getting the ranch show ready, not necessarily ranch-ready.”
    â€œThe hay is for show?”
    â€œHay in the field will be more attractive. It’s one less thing the new owners will have to worry about when winter comes and they need to feed their animals.”
    Rachel nodded. Once the two of them stopped talking, that sense of being alone with Shane in a worldseparated from everything else hit her again. “It’s so quiet here other than the birds,” she said. “You don’t seem to have any animals. No cows or sheep or…whatever else a ranch has. I don’t know. Llamas? Bison? Doesn’t a ranch have to have animals? Aren’t they what make a ranch…a ranch?”
    He almost smiled that devastating smile, but—thank goodness—he put it away before she’d even gotten a good look. “Yes, most ranches have animals, but this one is for sale, and no one’s been here since…it’s been a while.” She didn’t miss that slight stumble, or the momentary pain that had flared in his eyes.
    â€œWhen I inherited the ranch, I wasn’t prepared to deal with the situation, so I just let things sit for the most part. Except you can’t just let cattle sit unattended. I hired someone to sell them off.”
    â€œAll of them?”
    â€œAll the cattle, yes. As for the horses…”
    â€œOf course. You had horses, too.”
    â€œI still have them.” He looked a bit sheepish at that. “I wanted to personally handle that bit, so I had them stabled