Free Expecting the Rancher's Heir by Kathie DeNosky

assistant managers.” She smiled fondly. “Michael is very efficient at managerial duties and in the treatment room his hands are pure magic.”
    â€œOh, really?” For reasons he didn’t quite understand and wasn’t ready to analyze, the only hands Shane wanted her to consider magical were his.
    Her enthusiastic nod caused a slow burn to start in the pit of his stomach. “Michael warms the oil with his hands, then when he puts them on your body and starts kneading the muscles…” She closed her eyes and smiled as if imagining the man’s hands on her. “…it’s pure heaven.”
    The irritation in Shane’s gut exploded into all-out anger and he couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Lissa seemed to enjoy having the man’s hands on her a little too much. It might even be the probability that she had been alone with the guy in a dimly lit room with nothing but a thin sheet draped over her nude body. Or morelikely, it was a combination of all of it. Whatever the reason, he didn’t like it one damned bit.
    But Shane couldn’t understand the proprietary feeling he had toward her. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been with his share of women before Lissa returned to Aspen. It would be ridiculous of him to expect her to have gone without companionship before they started seeing each other. Yet he couldn’t quite shake the territorial feeling that ran through him.
    â€œAren’t some of the women who work for you just as good at giving massages?” he asked, wondering why she hadn’t asked one of her female employees.
    She nodded. “In their own way, yes, they are very good. But being a man, Michael naturally has more strength in his hands and gives a more thorough deep-tissue massage.”
    â€œHow long has he worked for you?”
    â€œLet’s see, he and his life partner, Hector, moved from Florida into the condo below mine about three years ago, and I hired them both shortly after that,” she said, looking pleased with herself. “I was really lucky to get them before another spa snapped them up. Besides Michael being the best masseuse I’ve ever seen, Hector is a master yoga instructor and conducts most of the yoga and meditation classes at Serendipity. He’s my assistant manager for the yoga center.”
    Shane’s anger cooled immediately when he realized neither of the men were interested in Lissa. The fact that he felt such relief was almost as disturbing tohim as his possessiveness had been. He had never been the jealous type and couldn’t imagine what the hell had gotten into him.
    Deciding it was time for a change of topic, he asked, “Do you miss not living near the beach?”
    â€œAbsolutely,” she said, nodding. “Listening to the waves is nice, especially at night when I’m ready to go to sleep. I like to sit on the beach sometimes and watch them roll in to shore. It reminds me of how small and insignificant my problems are compared to the big picture.”
    â€œDon’t you miss watching the seasons change, angel?”
    â€œThey do change,” she admitted. “But it’s subtle and not nearly as big of a change as here. It’s beautiful here in the fall.” She grinned. “And I do love Aspen in the winter. There’s nothing like flying down the mountain on a pair of skis after a new snow.”
    â€œYou like the fresh powder?”
    â€œAbsolutely.” She tilted her head. “What about you? Do you like to ski?”
    He gave her a mischievous grin. “I have been known to tear it up on a few of the slopes around here. I’ve also done a little cross-country skiing.”
    Yawning, she leaned her head back against the couch. “I’ve missed being able to participate in the winter activities we have in the mountains.”
    â€œThey have some nice skiing in California,” he reminded