Robyn Grady - Unbiddable Attraction

Gus shook his head. “Slim said they couldn’t get to it today. He had to send a couple of the boys over to the west pasture to fix a pretty good stretch of fence that last storm tore up and the rest of ’em were movin’ the herd over by the cutbank so they can start mowin’ for hay next week.”

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow,” Chance said. He had intended to show Fee around the ranch anyway; he could include the northern section of pasture as part of the tour.

“Something smells absolutely wonderful,” she said, walking into the kitchen.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Bent over to take a pan of biscuits out of the oven, Gus added, “I don’t fix anything real fancy, but I can guarantee it’ll taste good and there’s plenty of it.”

“Fee Sinclair, this is Gus Swenson, the orneriest cowboy this side of the Continental Divide,” Chance said, making the introductions.

When Gus straightened and finally turned to face her, Chance watched a slow grin appear on the old man’s wrinkled face. “Real nice to meet you, gal.” He stood there grinning like a damned fool for several moments before a scowl replaced his easy expression. “Where’s your manners, boy? Don’t just stand there blinkin’ your eyes like a bastard calf in a hailstorm. Offer this little lady a seat while I finish up supper.”

“Thank you, but I’d be more than happy to help you finish dinner,” Fee offered, smiling.

“I got it all under control, gal,” Gus said, reaching into the cabinet to get some plates.

“Could I at least set the table for you?” she asked, walking over to the butcher block island, where Gus had set the plates. “I really do want to help.”

Gus looked like a teenage boy with his first crush when he nodded and handed her the dinnerware. “I appreciate it, ma’am.”

“Please call me Fee,” she said, smiling as she took the plates from the old man.

When she turned toward the table, Gus grinned like a possum and gave Chance a thumbs-up behind her back. “Why don’t you make yourself useful, boy? Get some glasses and pour up somethin’ for all of us to drink.”

As Chance poured three glasses of iced tea and carried them to the table, he couldn’t get over the change in Gus. Normally as grouchy as a grizzly bear with a sore paw, the crusty old cowboy was downright pleasant to Fee—at least as close to it as Gus ever got. If he didn’t know better, Chance would swear that Gus was smitten.

Twenty minutes later after eating a heaping plate of beef stew, homemade biscuits and a slice of hot apple pie, Chance sat back from the table. “Gus, you outdid yourself. I think that was one of the best meals you’ve ever made.”

“Everything was delicious,” Fee agreed, reaching over to cover the old man’s hand with hers. “Thank you, Gus.”

The gesture caused Gus’s cheeks to turn red above his grizzled beard. “You’re more than welcome, gal. Can I get you anything else? Maybe another piece of pie? We got plenty.”

Smiling, Fee shook her head. “I couldn’t eat another thing. I’m positively stuffed.”

Chance rose to take his and Fee’s plates to the sink. If anyone was falling all over themselves to do whatever Fee wanted, it was Gus. The old guy was practically begging her to let him do something—anything—for her.

“Would you like to go for a walk after I help Gus clear up the kitchen?” Chance asked, wanting to spend a little time alone with her.

“That would be nice,” she said, getting up from the table. “But I want to help with the cleanup first.”

“You kids go on and take your walk,” Gus said as he got to his feet. “There ain’t nothin’ much to do but put the leftovers in the refrigerator and load the dishwasher.”

“Are you sure, Mr. Swenson?” Fee asked, her voice uncertain.

“The name’s Gus, little lady,” the old geezer said, grinning from ear to ear. “And I don’t mind one bit.”

Chance turned to stare at Gus to see if the old man had sprouted another head and a new personality to go with it. He’d never in his entire thirty-two years heard Gus sound so amiable. What was wrong with him?

“Are you feeling all right?” Chance asked, frowning.

“I’m just fine,” Gus answered, his smile warning Chance to drop the matter. “Now, you kids go ahead and take that walk. I’m gonna be turnin’ in pretty soon. I’ll see you both at breakfast in the mornin’.”

Chance shook his head as he reached for his hat hanging on the peg and opened the door. He suddenly knew exactly what was wrong with Gus. Damned if the old fart wasn’t trying to play matchmaker.

As they left the house, Fee looked confused. “It’s not that late. Is Gus really going to bed this early?”

Chance shook his head. “No, but he’s got a set of priorities and in the summer it’s baseball. The Rockies are playing the Cardinals on one of the satellite TV channels tonight and he wouldn’t miss that for anything. He’s going to hole up in his room watching the game.”

They fell silent for a moment as they started across the yard toward the barn. “Do you mind if I ask you something, Chance?”

“Not at all. What do you want to know?” he asked, barely resisting the urge to put his arm around her.

To keep from acting on the impulse, he stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. She had only been on the ranch a couple of hours and he didn’t want her to feel as if he was rushing things.

“Earlier this afternoon, you said your mother didn’t have time to become an interior decorator because she was too busy chasing after a houseful of children.” She paused as if she wasn’t sure how to word her question. “I was under the impression that the only sibling you had was your sister.”

He nodded. “She is. But up until a couple of months ago, I thought I was an only child.”

Fee’s confusion was written all over her pretty face. “Am I missing something?”

“Hannah is the product of an affair my dad had when he was out on the rodeo circuit,” Chance admitted, still feeling a bit resentful. Although he loved and accepted his half sister, he still struggled with the fact that his father had cheated on his mother. “My mom, dad and uncle J.D. knew about her, but the rest of the family didn’t find out until a couple of months ago.”

“Okay,” Fee said slowly. “But if all your mother had was you, who were the other kids she was running after?”

“Working for Lassiter Media, you’ve probably heard that Uncle J.D.’s wife died within a few days of having Angelica.” When Fee nodded, he continued, “Uncle J.D. had his hands full trying to raise three little kids on his own. Mom helped out as much as she could, but she had me and Dad to take care of and was only able to do so much. Then after my dad got killed four years later, my uncle suggested that Mom and I move into the main house with him and his kids. By that time he had opened the Lassiter Media office in L.A. and traveled back and forth a lot. He needed someone he trusted to take care of his kids and my mom was the obvious choice. She knew and loved the kids and they all considered her a second mother anyway.”

“That makes sense,” she agreed. “Was your parents’ home nearby?”

“We lived here at the homestead.” He couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of pride that he was the third generation to own this section of the ranch. “My dad was more of a cowboy than Uncle J.D. ever thought about being and when he wasn’t riding the rough stock in a rodeo somewhere, Dad was working here at the ranch. After my uncle built the main house, Uncle J.D. gave this part of the Big Blue to us.”

“No wonder the family is extremely close,” Fee said thoughtfully. “Sage, Dylan and Angelica are more like your siblings than they are cousins.”