Free One Night with a Cowboy (Paint River Ranch) (Entangled Indulgence) by Elizabeth Otto

other clutching a wooden spoon.
    “Sophie?”
    She spun with a shout, the wooden spoon slicing down and whapping him on the bicep. “Tucker! I’m so sorry.” She turned back to the narrow closet next to the stove. “There’s a…something is…it’s an animal. In there!” Her eyes were wide and frantic, the spatula trembling in her hand. With her hair strewn in some kind of braid that had come undone, her shirt falling off one bare shoulder, Sophie was a perfect mix of terrified and sexy. He took a step to the closet, his boot colliding with metal. Two stock pots, a sauce pan and a broken cell phone lay near her feet.
    “What kind of animal are we talking about?” he slid the stockpots out of the way with a quiet chuckle.
    “I don’t know. It’s big.” She gingerly held the curtain away for him so he could peek into the dark space. Tucker took off his hat and set it on the breakfast counter behind them. Sophie peeked around his arm. He reached up for the pull chain and turned the overhead light on. The tip of a bushy brown tail stuck out from behind a broom. Tucker stepped just inside the small closet, turning slightly sideways so he could crouch down. He glanced up at Sophie as he whipped his T-shirt off with one hand. A sharp intake of breath sounded in his ear, making him smile. Hmh. Maybe she’d been hoping he’d stop by after all. The sweep of appreciation on her face went right to his groin.
    “Hand me my hat.”
    She did, crouching beside him so her shoulder bumped into his arm, jostling shivers loose over his torso. Her face was intensely curious and a little afraid and he couldn’t help being amused at her expense. “Good thing I got here when I did, Fifi.” Tucker bundled the shirt in one hand, his hat in the other. “What you’ve got here can get pretty vicious.”
    “Really?” she squeaked, squirming next to his knee. He knocked the broom out of the way, and brought his hat down with one swift move. Rampant chattering and rustling ensued under his hat. Sophie jumped.
    “Yeah,” he grunted, shifting so he could reach in with his other hand and slide his shirt beneath the hat, trapping the animal inside. Turning the hat upside down, he kept the T-shirt over the opening and shifted out of the closet.
    Sophie’s cheeks were flushed; her mouth parted in anticipation of what he’d caught. Leaning toward her on one knee, he moved the shirt just a touch. A rusty brown head popped through. She gasped, stumbling back against the breakfast corner, her cheeks flaming red. Tucker covered the opening back up, pushing the squirrel back down and keeping it firmly inside. He laughed low in his throat, afraid to let it out lest she start beating him with the plastic spatula again.
    “Montana squirrels have a reputation, you know. Man killers, they say.”
    Indignation crossed her face and she scowled. Tucker lost it and laughed full tilt. Sophie, smoothed her shirt and tossed her head back, looking down her nose at him.
    “A squirrel.”
    “Mmm-hmm.”
    “Well it…it sounded bigger .” She cleared her throat, her eyes glistening with anger and a flicker of amusement. She crossed her arms, tapping the spatula against her upper arm. Tucker rose, careful not to shift the shirt. He didn’t miss how her eyes raked over his bare chest. Maybe a hay wagon repeat was in order…round two. He almost growled at himself to scare that idea right out of his head. Round two? Ridiculous, no matter how hot she looked with her flushed cheeks and messy hair.
    “Were you going to flip it to death?” Tucker nudged her with his shoulder to get himself back on track. When she twisted her lips, he wagged one brow. “How about I take it outside and skin it? Then you can cook it up for me, seeing how you’re prepared.”
    One corner of her mouth tugged up with a dubious squint of her eye. “People do not eat squirrels!”
    He scoffed. “Hell if they don’t.” As if understanding them, the squirrel became