Country Heat (King Creek Cowboys Book 1) Read online

  Haylee returned and set the cornbread and last side dish on the table.

  “Even though Lester isn’t here, you do get corn bread after all.” Kit smiled. “This is a basic green chili and tomatillo version.” Kit then presented the last dish. “This is one of my favorites. Olive-oil-braised broccoli rabe with pine-nut crumble.”

  “Can’t begin to remember what you just told us.” Colt reached for the mashed potatoes and held it beside Julie so that she could take a helping. “But I’m sure we’re going to like it.”

  “Join us, Kit.” Julie put the serving spoon back into the mashed potatoes. “Since my niece, Elsa, couldn’t make it, we have an extra seat.”

  “That’s kind of you.” Kit smiled at Carter’s mom. “However, this is a family night and I don’t want to intrude. I’ll bring out the cake when you’re all finished with dinner.”

  “You’re not intruding.” Carter’s deep voice dragged Kit’s attention from Julie.

  God, she could barely breathe around him.

  Carter gestured to the chair beside him. “We’d all like to get to know you better.”

  Brady spoke up in a deadpan tone. “Then we know who to go after if we all get food poisoning.”

  Kit winced. Everyone else laughed, Grandpa Daniel the loudest of all.

  The next thing Kit knew, she was being ushered to sit beside Carter, with his other sister, Leeann, on her opposite side.

  Sitting next to Carter made her feel as if her body was on fire. She prayed her bra was padded enough that her nipples weren’t showing through her T-shirt. All she needed was to let everyone in his family see how physically attracted she was to Carter.

  She didn’t know him well at all, but from what she’d seen, he was a nice guy and loved by his employees. That was impression she’d had so far—time would tell if she was right about him.

  In the meantime, she had to get her hormones and her desire under control. After all, the man was her boss, and she had no business fantasizing about his big body pressed against hers…

  She nearly groaned and planted her face in the mashed potatoes Carter had spooned onto her plate while she was busy fantasizing about him.

  He also gave her a helping of broccoli rabe as the dishes were passed around, then served her one of the pork chops.

  It all happened so quickly that Kit felt surprised at suddenly being in the middle of what appeared to be an ordinary yet extraordinary family.

  She held her fork in her hand as her gaze drifted around the table, from one person to the next.

  Her thoughts slipped away, to another time and place. Her family had been much smaller, but she could still picture her own grandparents, parents, and sister around the table. In the memory it was Christmas, colored lights blazing on the tree, and the whole family was enjoying a well-cooked meal and family time.

  No doubt she had idealized that singular memory that came to her.

  After what Kit, her mother, and sister had gone through after her grandparents and father had passed away, memories like that one had all but crumbled to dust. Kit was surprised she had any to draw upon at all.

  “Are you all right?” Carter’s voice was a low murmur next to her ear, sending goose bumps down her arms.

  She straightened in her seat as reality returned. “Great.” She smiled, even though the memory had made her feel wistful and a little melancholy. “I hope your birthday dinner is up to your liking.”

  “Yes.” His voice was low and smoky with heat, the kind warmth that traveled through her from head to toe. “Beyond expectations.”

  Carter studied Kit, capturing her gaze with his. He wanted to reach out and slide his fingers through her butterscotch-colored hair that reached her shoulders in a thick wave. If a person’s eyes were truly a window to the soul, then Kit’s moss-green eyes were shuttered to avoid letting anyone see the depths of her being.

  She had curves and more curves that he had the intense desire to explore. He could imagine his fingertips drifting over her soft bare flesh, and his thumbs circling her hard nipples before he tasted them. God, he bet she tasted good—every inch of her.

  When they’d been at the grocery store, he’d spent a good deal of the time enjoying her movements. Watching her as she bent over to grab an item off a shelf, or when she opened the doors in the freezer section and the cold air made her nipples tighten into hard, obvious points against her shirt.

  He watched a pretty pink stain Kit’s cheeks. It was as if she had guessed every thought in his head and he wondered if he was that transparent.

  Her breast rose and fell with the quickening of her breaths. The sexual undercurrent that sizzled between them was something completely unexpected. It was crystal clear she felt it as much as he did.

  When he had first met her in the kitchen, he had been attracted to her. That attraction had intensified to something that had taken him completely off guard.

  Down boy. Kit is your employee, and you don’t date employees.

  If he fired her and then asked her out…

  He mentally shook his head. His thoughts were crazy as hell.

  “Where are you from, Kit?” Jill’s voice broke the connection between Carter and Kit.

  Kit looked vaguely confused for a moment, but recovered as she turned her attention to one of Carter’s three younger sisters. “Originally San Francisco, but I’ve been in L.A. for the past several years.”

  “I love L.A.” Haylee lowered her fork, mashed potato still on the tines. “It’s so fast-paced. Nothing like this place.”

  “But there’s something about San Francisco that’s just awesome,” Leeann said. “It is so cool that you can walk everywhere you want to go.”

  “San Francisco is okay.” Jill picked up her knife and fork. “I just don’t understand why so many homeless people live there. It’s so cold.”

  Carter frowned as he watched Kit’s face. She looked as though she’d been slapped.

  “I guess it’s a problem here, too, but we don’t see it on an everyday basis because we have to drive just about everywhere we go.” Jill continued speaking as she cut into her pork chop. “It must be hard.”

  “It is.” Kit’s throat worked. “It’s very difficult for people who are homeless to live anywhere. Being on the street isn’t living.”

  Jill had touched a tender nerve with Kit, and Carter wondered why.

  Seemingly oblivious to Kit’s discomfort, and the slight heat beneath her words, Jill nodded. “I understand.”

  You can’t possibly understand, Kit’s eyes seemed to say. But her expression was now a study in neutrality.

  “Where did you work in L.A.?” Haylee pointed to the food on her plate, and Carter was relieved she had changed the subject. “You must have been the chef at a really nice place because this is not your typical rancher’s fair.”

  Their mom laughed. “Heaven’s no, it’s certainly not.”

  “I was head chef at one of the larger boutique hotels.” Kit offered a reserved smile. “Ours catered to wealthier clientele and provided amenities that most boutique hotels do not.”

  “What in the world are you doing here?” Sometimes Jill’s habit of saying what was on her mind and being blunt had Carter shaking his head.

  “I love the country.” Kit shrugged one shoulder, but it was not a casual shrug. Her body was tense, as if she was prepared to run. “I spent a lot of time on my grandparents’ farm in Northern California when I was growing up.”

  “What happened to your grandparents?” Jill barreled forward and Carter wanted to do a face-palm.

  Kit sounded hoarse as she spoke. “They died in a car accident on their way to visit my father, when he was in the hospital.”

  Before Jill could stomp all over Kit’s feelings any more than she already had, Carter cut in. “Where did you learn how to cook like this?”

  An expression of relief passed over Kit’s features. “Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles.”

  “I’m not surp
rised,” Julie said. “This is amazing.”

  “I’m glad you are enjoying it.” Kit smiled, some of the tension seeming to roll off her shoulders. “I love to cook, so it’s a pleasure for me.”

  “Believe me, the pleasure is definitely all ours.” Justin settled his fork on his already empty plate, amusement in his chocolate-colored eyes. “I’m going for thirds after I finish seconds.”

  Everyone laughed, and a smile lit Kit’s eyes.

  She was a beautiful woman. A woman with many layers…a woman who Carter would like to get to know better. Much better.

  Throughout the birthday dinner, his family was hell bent on telling as many embarrassing stories as possible about Carter. He just shook his head and laughed with the rest of them.

  They talked about the time he got drunk on his eighteenth birthday; his aversion to carrots and how he would spit them out when he was a baby—more like projectile vomiting; how nervous he’d been on his first prom date and that he’d had spinach stuck in his braces after prom dinner; and a few other stories.

  He watched Kit during dinner without making it obvious that’s what he was doing. At least he hoped she and his family hadn’t noticed.

  Carter found her almost mesmerizing. Something about her made it difficult to focus on anything else. When she laughed at some of the tales, her eyes sparkled and her grin was infectious. She was an entirely different woman now than she was when talking about herself.

  When they finished dinner, Leeann and Haylee helped Kit clear the dishes, and then Kit brought out the cake. It was a four-layer white cake with custard and raspberry filling, and chocolate ganache icing.

  After a huge bite, he turned to Kit. “This is the best damned cake I’ve ever had—even better than the one you served to the employees after lunch. That one was the best I’d had before now.”

  Everyone else chimed in with enthusiastic compliments.

  Kit looked embarrassed but pleased. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Love it.” He dug into the velvety white cake and chocolate ganache until only crumbs remained, and then helped himself to seconds.

  When dinner wound down, and Kit and the McLeods had cleared the table, everyone insisted on pitching in to clean up in the kitchen, too.

  Kit laughed and smiled with his family as they joked around and made record time with the dishes. Kit had cleaned the kitchen as she cooked, so it hadn’t been a mess.

  Once Carter had seen his family out the front door, he returned to the kitchen where Kit was wiping down the mixer she had used.

  She glanced up and he could swear he heard a small gasp escape her as their gazes locked. Not a gasp from being startled, but one from recognizing a truth—

  She felt the same connection between them that he did, something that was clear in her green eyes.

  Raw. Sexual. Intense.

  A truth of knowing each other in ways he couldn’t explain.

  Shit.

  He was already in over his head and he barely knew the woman. Maybe it was time to get the hell out of there and cool off.

  For one moment he thought about saying goodnight and leaving.

  No.

  One thing Carter McLeod never did was run away from anything, including his feelings. He faced things head-on, figured it out, and determined if he should move on or explore the situation further.

  This was one instance where he didn’t intend to go anywhere.

  5

  Kit brushed hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture as Carter studied her. She looked tired but still beautiful as hell. The sexual tension between them ramped up even higher now that they were alone.

  She leaned back against a counter, clearly in an attempt to appear casual. “I’ve been so busy all day that I haven’t thought about where I’m supposed to sleep.”

  The thought of her in bed shot erotic images through his mind. He forced away pictures of her, beautiful and naked in his own bed.

  Once he managed to put the slideshow in his head to sleep, he cleared his throat. “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

  The thought of her quitting and driving away flashed through his mind. He didn’t even want to think about her leaving the ranch. Even though he barely knew her, he felt a pull like nothing he’d ever experienced before. It was…magic.

  Shit. What the hell am I thinking?

  She pushed away from the counter. “Everything I have is still out in my SUV.”

  “I’ll help you with your belongings.” He walked toward the hat rack. He glanced back to her. “I take it the purse is yours.”

  “Yes. My keys are inside it.” She waited as he retrieved the purse from the hat rack and he handed it to her. The keys jangled as she dug them out of the leather bag. “I saw two smaller houses.” She looked up at him. “Am I rooming in one of them?”

  “Better yet,” he said, “I have a guest house in the back that you’ll have all to yourself. Belle prepared it for you this morning. It’s about the size of a small apartment and includes a kitchen, bedroom, living room. Lots of privacy with the hedges and trees that surround it.”

  “Sounds fantastic to me.” Her shoulders visibly relaxed. “I thought I would be rooming with other onsite employees.”

  He gestured for her to precede him, then fell into step beside her as they headed to the front door, which he opened for her. His mama had taught him to be a gentleman, and it was second nature to him. Women deserved respect, and he liked putting a woman before himself.

  He walked beside her into the night. Landscape lights illuminated their way as they strolled down the path to the Lexus, and a new moon rose above the horizon.

  “I can drive the SUV to your new parking space,” he said.

  She nodded as she used the fob to unlock the SUV’s doors and handed him the keys.

  Their fingers brushed as he took them. The connection was nothing short of electric—like the air before a storm started and lightning struck. He heard her sharp inhale and his heart thumped hard against his breastbone.

  She tore her gaze from his and hurried to the passenger side. He beat her to the door and opened it. Another zinging sensation passed between them as he helped her into the vehicle. His cock hardened and ached as visions of her bare body beneath his shot through his mind.

  Thank God it was dark so she couldn’t see his erection.

  After he shut the door behind her, his mind spun as he strode to the driver’s side. He hesitated long enough to make sure his cock wasn’t at full attention before he climbed in.

  What the hell was going on? He’d felt strong attraction to women, but nothing like this.

  Without looking at her, he started the Lexus. He inhaled deeply through his nose, her soft, floral scent filling him.

  Get it together, McLeod.

  Gravel crunched beneath the Lexus as the vehicle ate up the short distance to the back of the house. It traveled smoothly—compared to the work trucks—over the uneven ground. He glanced at her. “Nice ride.”

  She looked tired and relaxed in the passenger seat and all together beautiful. “This SUV and I have been through a lot together.”

  He thought about asking her what she had been through with the Lexus. She didn’t offer and it seemed it might be too personal a question to ask when they barely knew each other.

  The headlights bounced on the dirt road that went to the back of the property. The guest house was a fair distance from the house to give the resident privacy, and was usually reserved for family. However, when he hired Kit, Carter had decided to let her live in it for the time being because she had taken such a drastic pay cut to work for him. He’d thought it would only be for as long as she lasted, which could be days or months. He’d figured it wouldn’t be long, and that would give them time to find another cook.

  Now, after one day, he didn’t want her going anywhere.

  He pulled up to the small white cottage-like house surrounded by hedges and shaded by trees fighting each other to reach the sky.<
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  When he parked the car and killed the engine, he turned his full attention on her. She had her hand on the door handle, like she was ready to bolt the moment she could get out.

  He rested his hand on her forearm and tried to ignore the softness of her skin and the hitch in her breathing. “Let me get the door.” He said his best country good ol’ boy voice, “If you don’t, my mama’s gonna tan my hide.”

  Her expression turned from wary to amused, and she laughed. “We can’t have that.”

  Kit let out a sigh of relief when Carter let his fingers slide from her arm, leaving a heated trail on her flesh, it wasn’t hard to imagine what it would feel like to have his strong, callused hands caressing her body, his touch setting her on fire.

  Get it together, Kit.

  She didn’t want to offend his cowboy honor, so she waited for him to come around to the passenger side. Truth was, she wanted the contact of his flesh against hers, but she wanted more than just his hands on her…

  A shiver raced through her as he reached the door. Stop it. No more thinking this way.

  One day on the job and she was ready to fall into this cowboy’s arms. The boss’s arms.

  Was she once again catering herself to a man, falling right back into step with the first man she’s attracted to?

  She struggled to break away from the thoughts, and clenched her teeth to try to ground herself. He opened the door and held his hand out for her to take. She smiled, no easy task with her jaws clamped shut. She forced herself to relax, but felt a little wobbly as his large, warm hand surrounded hers, and from the crazy, tingling sensations his touch sent through her.

  When her feet were on the ground, he held her hand longer than necessary, or longer than she should have let him.

  It took some effort to calm herself, but she managed. She drew her hand away and walked in front of him, around to the back of the SUV. The night air was cool, the slightest of breezes caressing her face and arms.

  He beat her to the back of the Lexus, of course, and he raised the door. She doubted she’d ever be able to move fast enough to avoid his gallant gestures. Did she want to avoid them?