Count on a Cowboy Read Online Free

stuff.”
    She stopped eating. “You were in the military?”
    Nodding, he swallowed. “Over a dozen years in the army, Special Forces.”
    “Were you deployed?”
    A sudden sadness came over him as memories flashed in his head. “Three times. When my father passed away, I decided it was time to opt out so I came back and took over running the ranch.” He owed Wade Landry that much.
    He looked at her to discover her watching him. Those emerald eyes were dark with emotion. “I’m glad you made it back home.” She swallowed and said in a raspy whisper, “Thank you for your service.”
    When he’d been in uniform, he’d heard the words many times, but he felt her sincerity. He nodded, then looked down at his plate. His food was cold, and so was his appetite. “I guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.”
    She fought a yawn. “You piled a lot of food on our plates. Maybe I can save mine for later. Is there a microwave in the cabin?”
    “Yeah. I’ll wrap it up for you to take it.” He stood and picked up her plate, found the foil and busied himself putting her food together.
    This woman was getting to him, and that couldn’t happen. He didn’t know her at all, and that meant she was off-limits.
    So keep your hormones in check . Your first and only job is to protect the Quinns .
    From his experience, trouble came in all kinds of packages, especially tall, slender blondes with big emerald-green eyes that could turn a man inside out.
    He glanced over his shoulder. Not going to happen.
    * * *
    T HIRTY MINUTES LATER , Trent pulled his truck in front of the recently completed log cabin. He climbed out and turned on a flashlight to find his way to the front door. He inhaled the scent of fresh-cut wood.
    Maybe bringing Brooke here was a bad idea. She would be out here all by herself. Not that he should have to worry about her, but he did. After unlocking the door, he swung it open, reached inside for the switch and flipped on the lights. The small porch was illuminated and he waited for Brooke as she parked her compact next to his vehicle. She got out and reached into the backseat for a duffel bag, then walked to him.
    “This is nice,” she remarked looking around.
    “I know it still looks like a construction site, but in a few months with all the trees around it will be peaceful.”
    “And isolated.” Just then off in the distance a coyote howled. She tensed.
    “You’re used to a city that never sleeps, so of course this seems cut off from everything, but really it’s not that far from the ranch house. By road it takes longer.” He pointed over the rise. “In the morning if you head that way over the rise, you’ll see the house about a hundred and fifty yards away.”
    “Okay.”
    Taking the bag from her, he pushed open the door to show her the three-room cabin. He turned on another light in the small kitchen that overlooked the living space. There was a dark leather sofa pushed up against the wall, a table and two chairs on the other side. A large area rug covered the floors.
    “This is lovely,” she said as she headed to the doorway that led to a bedroom that had a queen bed and a set of bunk beds against the other wall. Then she looked into the bath with a spacious tiled shower stall, a long counter with double sinks and a toilet.
    “You say this is a hunting cabin?”
    “Hunting and fishing.” He nodded behind him. “We’ve also started construction on a large building for meetings, and social gatherings.”
    “Oh, that will be nice.” She smiled. “It’s surprising what people will pay to get away from life’s distractions.”
    “You should know all about that, working in Las Vegas.”
    She walked out to the common area. “Yes, during college I interned with a hotel that had me train with the concierge that booked special packages for corporations.”
    “Sounds like you enjoy your work.”
    She nodded. “Yes, I do. My degree is in hotel management.”
    “My partnership with the Quinns