“That guy’s dangerous. If he comes back here, call me right away. Okay? If I’m not home, tell one of my brothers and they’ll come running. We could never prove it, but we think Milton burned down the Jenkinses’ barn. Shortly after that, they sold to those corporategoons.”
“I just want to put this house behind me.” She wrapped her arms around her belly to keep them from reaching for him. What the hell was wrongwithher?
“I’ll help you find someone who isn’t going to turn this place into a playground for the filthy rich,”Logansaid.
“It’s really not necessary. I grew up on the ranch. I can fix a window or nail new siding on a barn myself. I don’t need your help.” Shesteppedback.
He scoffed. “This isn’t the kind of work a woman should bedoing.”
“Really?Please, school me in the ways ofwomanhood.”
Anger. That was good. Much better than the rising tide of need currently threatening her sanity. She didn’t need his help back when she was in high school and she sure as hell didn’t needitnow.
* * *
Logan stomped awayfrom the house. Damn stubborn woman. She’d kicked him out without even giving him a slice of bacon. If Milton hadn’t shown up, he’d probably be in the kitchen convincing his sexy neighbor to let him fix the windows today. He could have ended up spending the day with her, giving him the time he’d need to talk her hot little buttintobed.
His bear grumbled both from a lack of food, and a lack of sex. And when his bear wasn’t happy, he wasn’t happy. At least he could take care of one of those needsrightnow.
After changing direction, he headed toward the Curvy Bear Ranch Bed and Breakfast. He sniffed the air appreciatively. They’d had a bit of a rocky start with Madison, the new manager. When she’d first arrived at the ranch, she couldn’t boil water without setting something on fire. But then his brother Mack had fallen head over heels in love with her and had taught her how to cook. To her credit, she’d been a fastlearner.
As Logan opened the front door, a family of four staying at the B&B bounced past him. Bundled in matching Christmas sweaters, they were the picture of holiday cheer. Well, bah humbug. Christmas wasn’t good for anything other than making you feel alone. Even though he was surrounded by his brothers, something was missing from his life. He just didn’t know whatitwas.
He strolled into the kitchen to find his other brother Brady’s fiancée, Rachel, arguing with Madison over the proper way to line acakepan.
“My mom always takes the butter out of the fridge and lets it rest until it’s soft before greasing the cake pan. Then you lightly flower it,”Rachelsaid.
“You get too much butter in the pan that way,” Madison corrected. “If the butter’s still firm, you won’t get divots in the top ofthecake.”
“I’d like to think I know how to bake a cake since my mom owns a bakery and I’ve been baking since I was old enough to reach the counter,” Rachelsnapped.
“Ladies,” he held up his hands. “I know how you can settle this littledebate.”
“Really?” Madison archedabrow.
“Bake two cakes, I’ll eat them both, and then let you know which one was better,”hesaid.
Rachel snorted. “That’s yoursolution?”
“We could have a bake-off,”Madisonsaid.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Rachel said. “We could invite some of the other women from town and then have the brothers judge the cakes. It would be a great way for me to get to meet morepeople.”
“My mom can help judge,”Rachelsaid.
“But she can’t enter. It wouldn’t be fair,”Madisonsaid.
“Well of course she can’t enter. She’d win everycategory.”
Madison laughed. “She does make amazingcakes.”
“Her pies arebetter.”
“No one can make a pie as good as my mom’s huckleberry pie,”Logansaid.
They looked up as if they’d forgotten he was intheroom.
“Of course not. I hear her pie was legendary,”Madisonsaid.
