The Rancher Meets His Match (The Millers of Morgan Valley #4) - Kate Pearce Page 0,71

know what the answers are, Julia. I just admire the hell out of you for trying to keep everything afloat.”

“Thank you.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. “This is kind of nice.”

“It is until you need the bathroom, which we both do before we turn in.” Kaiden deliberately didn’t take advantage of the moment to kiss the top of her head. “You’ll need to put on your rain slicker and head off out back to the lean-to.”

“You’re right.” She sat up. “Oh God, do you think there are spiders in there?”

“Probably.” Kaiden hid a grin.

“Will you go first, and get rid of them for me?”

The mixture of horror and hope on her beautiful face undid all his resolve.

“I might if you are willing to pay a forfeit.”

“Anything.” She clasped her hands together like she was praying.

He pretended to consider all the more outrageous things he could ask for, and settled on the simplest.

“A kiss.”

“Just the one?” She knew him well enough to be wary, and she was also a lawyer.

“That’s up to you. I’ve noticed in the past that you don’t seem to want to stop at one. But for the record, just one kiss on whichever part of my anatomy I ask for.”

Her gaze immediately dropped to his dick and then shot back up to his face.

“That’s way too much territory.”

“Then you go first to the bathroom.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll find you a flashlight.”

He was already smiling when she tapped him on the back and he swung around.

“All right. One kiss wherever you want it.” She stuck out her hand. “Deal?”

“Deal.” He shook her hand. “Let’s get our jackets.”

He went in first, armed not only with a stick, but also with a ton of disinfectant, and made sure the place was okay for his ladylove before she went inside. He even stayed and shone the flashlight over the door so that she could pee and continue to monitor the spider situation while he got soaked in the rain again.

After escorting Julia back to the cabin, Kaiden took a moment to check that both of the trucks were locked and to remove his gun and ammo from behind the back seat. Like most ranchers he always carried a weapon in his truck just in case. He also spied his medical kit and brought that in too.

Julia was drying her hair on the towel he kept in the truck for the dogs, not that he would mention that. She looked up as he came in and discarded his wet jacket.

“Why do you have your gun? Are you expecting trouble?”

“Not necessarily, but I don’t want to invite trouble and leave it in the truck in case someone decides to break in overnight.” He set it in a safe place away from the fire. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Dad said there were pot growers and rustlers up here last year.”

“There’s a lot of it about.” Kaiden took off his fleece-lined shirt. “I wouldn’t normally have come up here by myself, to be honest.”

She sighed. “Dad didn’t want me to either. I just didn’t want to spend the whole day looking at you outside my window so I made the suggestion. It wasn’t my finest moment. I can see that now.”

Kaiden paused as he took the towel from her. “If you don’t want me at your place—”

“That’s not it. The problem is me wanting what I can’t have, and trying to stop myself mooning over you all day.”

Kaiden slowly dried his hair, using the time to work out what he wanted to say to her frank admission. He liked the idea of her watching him work way too much. But, what was the point of going around the same old rodeo again? Nothing had changed. Neither of them could make a relationship work right now. . . .

Right now.

Kaiden set the towel over the back of the chair.

“You owe me.”

She straightened up, pushing her hair behind her ear. “I know.”

“Twice, actually.”

Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t remember that.”

“I saved you from Blaine.”

“No, you didn’t.” He was about to correct her when she carried on speaking. “You helped me by keeping an eye on my dad, and managing Father Pascal.”

“And by not killing Blaine for being so damned insensitive he turned up at your father’s ranch just to harass you about work.”

“Okay.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I’ll give you that.”

“So, given that you owe me twice, can you agree that right now, we’re kind of out