The Rancher Meets His Match (The Millers of Morgan Valley #4) - Kate Pearce Page 0,25

seconds. Daisy and Ben were home with their partners, and Lizzie, Adam’s girlfriend, turned up with her son, Roman, which meant they had almost a full house apart from their mother. Kaiden didn’t have a problem with it. Seeing his siblings happy meant the world to him.

In the years when it had just been them and their father, life had been hard. They hadn’t been encouraged to do much more than go to school, play sports, and work on the ranch. Jeff had mellowed slightly since Leanne had returned on her own terms and, in his own gruff way, occasionally tried to make amends for his past behavior.

“Kaiden, did you see my calf?” Roman skipped up to him. “He’s got such long eyelashes and when he drinks his milk I almost fall over he sucks so hard.”

Kaiden lifted the hot pan deftly over Roman’s head and set it on the table. “He certainly is cool.”

“I wanted to take him home, but Mom says he can’t live in our apartment.”

“She’s right, buddy. He wouldn’t feel happy cooped up like that,” Kaiden said.

Roman leaned in closer. “Mr. Jeff said something about clearing up all that cow shit, and Mom told him not to use that language in front of me, but I thought it was funny.”

“I’d listen to your mom,” Kaiden advised.

“And, then later, Adam said if we moved up here, I could take care of the calf all the time, and then Mom got all funny with him, and they made me go to bed.” Roman sighed. “I hate it when that happens.”

Kaiden put his hand on Roman’s shoulder. “First thing to remember is that it’s a good thing that Adam and your mom talk things out. Secondly, while I’m working in town, you can always hitch a ride up here after school to see your calf. What are you calling him?”

“Mr. Jeff says giving him a name will make him harder to kill and eat, but as I’m never ever doing that I’ve called him Buddy the Elf.”

Kaiden took a moment to process that slice of harsh reality from the ever-tactful Jeff, and then nodded approvingly. “It’s a great name.”

“Thank you.” Roman smiled up at him. “Now, I’d better go and help Mom, or she’ll be after me.”

As Kaiden straightened up he looked right into the eyes of Julia, who had just arrived with her dad. She wore a red fluffy sweater, black leggings, and her hair was down around her shoulders. His throat went dry at the luscious picture she presented and he hoped his tongue wasn’t actually hanging out.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey, yourself.” She came over to him. “Whose little boy is that?”

“That’s Roman, Lizzie Taylor’s son. Lizzie’s engaged to Adam.”

“She works at the coffee shop, right?”

“Yeah, she manages the everyday business while Yvonne concentrates on the baking.”

Wow, look at him, putting words together into inane sentences while his gaze was fixed on her red lips—the lips he’d recently kissed. He hadn’t meant to kiss her, but the devil inside him, that couldn’t resist teasing her, hadn’t wanted to stop.

“Are you okay?” Julia asked.

“I’m good.” Kaiden looked over toward the kitchen. “I’ve got to help Adam.”

Yeah, so he’d run away like an awestruck teenager with his first crush and leave her standing there. He was so smooth.

“I can help as well.”

Jeez. She was right behind him, her body warming, the citrus tones of her perfume driving him to distraction. She put her hand on his arm, and he resisted the impulse to purr like a cat.

“It’s okay. We don’t expect our guests to work.”

“That’s not what your father said when we came in.” She smiled and he returned the gesture.

Behind him someone coughed.

“Could you either help, or get out of the way, Bro? You’re blocking the exit.”

He half turned to see Danny with two pans of roasted potatoes in his well-protected hands and a patient expression on his face.

“Sorry.” Kaiden moved out of the way, inadvertently colliding with Julia, who gasped as he trod on her foot. “Sorry.”

She grabbed hold of his arm, and he helped her hobble over to the table and pulled out a chair. Wow, now he’d broken her foot. He crouched down beside her as she eased her boot off.

“I’m a clumsy ass,” Kaiden said, frowning.

“It’s okay, I should’ve moved quicker.”

Julia felt down from her ankle to her foot. Trouble was she’d been too busy smiling at Kaiden to notice anything else in the entire universe. What was going on? Who was she? “I think