Free Return to Marker Ranch by Claire McEwen

little wild.
    Stop it. She wasn’t here to think about Wade, or the past. She was here to look at his cattle chute. And she could see a few problems already. An old wire dangled from the barn eaves, right before the chute ended in the stanchion. A piece of corrugated metal had been nailed to a post for some reason. She jumped up onto the rail and pulled out her hammer, using the claw end to pry it off.
    Wade leaned a few sheets of plywood against the chute. “Why are you worrying about that?”
    â€œThe sun is hitting it.” The last nail popped out. “The glare can scare the cattle when they come into the chute. You have to remember that they’re prey. Anything out of place frightens them.”
    Lori showed him how to nail the plywood sheets along the sides of the chute, and he got to work. She listened to the rhythm of Wade pounding nails as she made her way to the wire. Climbing up the side of the chute, she pulled wire cutters out of her belt to remove the dangling ends. A simple fix for a potentially big problem. She wished all her difficulties could be solved with a quick snip of her wire cutters. One small cut and Wade and his ranch would disappear. But the thought made her sad—she didn’t want him to disappear again, which was why this was all way too complicated.
    Shaking her head at her own foolishness, she went to help Wade, holding the boards steady while he nailed. It was the first time in years she’d been so close to him, their bodies almost touching. She could almost feel his muscles flexing under his flannel shirt as he drove the nails in. It wasn’t possible. They weren’t touching. But the strength of him seemed to emanate with a tangible force. Maybe this was why she’d never dated much. What guy had she ever met could match Wade in sheer masculinity?
    She shifted position so she was still holding the board but standing as far away from him as she could. He must have noticed, because he glanced her way with a wry smile curling his full lower lip. “I won’t bite.”
    Heat crept across her face. “I hope not,” she retorted. “But just in case, maybe I should work on the next board.” She turned away, grabbing a new piece of plywood and a handful of nails. It was better to work on her own section of the chute. Preferably one far away from Wade.
    She positioned the wood and slammed the first nail in. She needed to be careful. Her heart had been trampled by this man, and here she was, ogling him the first moment they were alone together. She had to remember that all of the attraction she felt for him belonged to the stupid girl she’d been long ago. The woman she was now knew trouble when she saw it, and had the sense to keep her distance. Sure, she could notice he was good-looking. Who wouldn’t? But she had to remember that it was like noticing a pretty desert wildflower or a nice view. It was easy on the eyes, but had no other significance whatsoever.
    * * *
    H E ’ D FORGOTTEN HOW sassy she could be. He liked it. He’d never met anyone like Lori—who could dish out smart comments and run a ranch and refurbish a cattle chute in half an hour. She had sweat on her face and dirt streaked across one cheek, and she was still gorgeous. And there was something about her in that tool belt. The old, worn leather, slung low on her hips, emphasized her curves there, her tiny waist above and the faded, fitted jeans below. But he didn’t just admire how she looked. The sexiest part about Lori in a tool belt was the way she handled the tools with the confidence of someone who’d been using them all her life
    He had to keep in mind that she was here because she was kind. The type of person who’d always try to help out a neighbor. And she was here because she needed the water in his well. Whatever he felt were just his feelings and had nothing to do with hers. It was a shame, but reality often was.
    He walked over