Free Branded by Tilly Greene Page B

ranch. The guest house is ready. You two can get settled and
rest up before dinner tonight.”
    “Sounds great, doesn’t it, Molly?”
She ignored everything else racing through her head and answered as
best she could. There wasn’t anything wrong with getting to know
the two men they’d be working with better, and Sakura looked over
at her friend for confirmation.
    No answer came from the other woman
because she was busy staring at something beyond Ted. Sakura looked
around him and discovered the other cowboy, only this one was
different. He was tall, powerfully built, with darker skin. His
straight, silky black hair which fell shy of his shoulders and
startling clear blue eyes were striking.
    There was an element of stillness
about him she found intriguing, and apparently her best friend
found him attractive.
    Sakura had never before seen Molly
give a man the time of day, but she couldn’t pull her gaze from
this one. Just in case she was reading her friend wrong, Sakura
gave her another verbal push.
    “Molly?”
    “Fine, yes, yes, sounds great.
Lunch.”
    “Good. I’m going to the restroom to
freshen up and will be right back.” She started to walk in the
direction she’d seen her friend go earlier and was joined by
Sunny.
    “I’ll show you the way.” The other
woman smiled and put her arm through hers as they moved through the
diner. When they were in the hallway, they stopped and finished
their conversation. “It doesn’t matter what experience you have or
are looking for. All you need to do is remember what I said
earlier. You’re the one in charge.”
    “Thank you, Sunny. I appreciate
your advice. I don’t know what to do next.”
    “Trust me, with Ted and Matt,
nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—will happen until you demand
it. From what Court told me, they’re too afraid to lose you to do
anything to scare you away. They’re determined to let you set the
pace.”
    “I’m glad we stopped here for a
bite to eat. Thank you for your help.” Sakura reflected. If they
ended up staying longer than the job entailed in Gardiner, then
Sakura knew she, Molly, and this woman would be good
friends.
    “My pleasure. Now, you’d best hurry
up. You’ve left your friend with Jon Black and he couldn’t take his
eyes off her. He’s stunning, strong, and a real sweetheart, but
don’t let him fool you. The man may be quiet, but he never ends a
day without the woman of his choice in his bed.”
    Understanding what the woman was
talking about, they laughed together and separated with the promise
to meet up again. As she splashed cool water on her face, she knew
they would meet again because she wasn’t leaving. Even though
they’d talked on the phone, meeting Ted in person, feeling him hold
her close and kiss her gently, put the decision in her head and
possibly her heart.
    No longer would she look for a
reason to stay after the job was finished. She already had
it.
    She was home.

CHAPTER TWO
    “Have you seen anything you hadn’t
expected while driving across America?” Throughout lunch and now
driving to the ranch, Ted tried to keep the conversation away from
where his mind kept traveling. Sakura coming to Montana meant she
was willing to consider them both as partners. No matter how much
he wanted it to happen, there was a chance it wouldn’t.
    She may be smart, but she was
delicate and feminine, and his protective instincts rushed forward.
He was a big guy used to dealing with cattle and getting dirty from
riding all day. He didn’t want to do anything to scare her back to
Japan.
    “I’ve discovered how diverse your
country is. State by state, even on a smaller scale, from town to
town, the people were all unique. Accents varied and not by north,
south, east and west like you see in the movies. They changed
within the same state. However, we have found one thing common
everywhere we stopped.”
    “Okay, you’ve got me, what is it?”
It was interesting listening to her talk and was glad