Roped Tight (Ryker Ranch #4) - Kim Loraine Page 0,11

blaming you. Plans change. Nobody could have predicted the two of them would get called in for a meeting with the fish and wildlife commissioner. It's no big deal.”

Something flickered in his eyes, uncertainty maybe. “Yeah, well… I’ll see if this fireplace is working. Just our luck squirrels will have made a nest inside it or something.” Sam's boots clunked across the floor as he headed to the long-neglected fireplace. But when he opened the flu, a rush of fresh air came inside.

“I saw some wood around back. Should I go get us some?”

He nodded, his ass on perfect display as he crouched down in front of that fire. “Kindling too,” he said.

Even though it was the middle of summer, we were far enough in the mountains that the air was brisk, and I knew the night was gonna get cold. I needed to bring in enough wood to light the fire and that stove so we could get us some food cooking. I was starved.

I wondered briefly if Sam would like to help me build a fire pit out front. I could set up a couple of camp chairs, and maybe we could get to know each other a little better while the sun went down and the whiskey started flowing. Despite how prickly he'd been since the night at The Silver Spur, I wanted to know more about the man I couldn’t get my mind off of.

After checking on the horses, I went around back and loaded up as much wood as I could carry. I'd have to cut up some more, but we’d have enough to start.

By the time I’d finished, Sam had already gotten a fire going, the orange glow of the flames making the cabin feel cozy rather than run-down. It was a welcome change.

“Looks like you’ve lit your share of fires,” I murmured, dropping the last of the logs near the hearth. “There wasn’t much to get things going.”

“All you need is a spark.” He swallowed, his gaze flicking away from me.

“Should be enough for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll build our supply. We should get the stable fixed up first thing.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that first, then we need to check out the roof and make any repairs we can.”

I looked up at the ceiling, doing a cursory check for water damage. The place was solidly built, thank fuck, and I didn’t see anything, but we’d need to make a closer inspection to really see what needed to be done.

The rest of the evening, we were kept busy making the place somewhat livable, and by the time we called it a night, I felt like this was somewhere I could spend my time. That was the whole reason we were here.

I took off my boots and slipped them under the bed before rolling out my sleeping bag. The crackle of the fire was the only noise as I settled on the bed and closed my eyes. It had been hard, sitting in tense, awkward silence with Sam between when we’d eaten supper and when we decided to turn in. I didn’t want to bring up the kiss, but we were gonna have to talk about it eventually.

Just not tonight.

Now, I listened as Sam moved around the room, finally relaxing a little when the thump of his boots hitting the floor was followed by the couch creaking as he laid down. He let out a low groan, the sound one of pure discomfort, and I had to all but bite my tongue to keep from offering to share the bed with him. I couldn’t sleep in the same bed with Sam Ryker without…reacting to him.

Dammit, this was going to be harder than I’d thought.

Sam

Tucker and I had been riding the land for the better part of the day, surveying the trails and clearing some of the brush. Just as we’d done for the last two days. We'd also been gathering stones and had built a round fire pit out in front of the cabin. Tucker's idea. But I had to admit, I liked the idea of sitting quietly with him and enjoying the sound of the campfire.

It was near dusk now, the perfect time for fishing. I thought I might go back to the cabin and grab my gear before catching us some dinner. Tuck had been really quiet all day, but I hadn't really given him much reason to want to talk to me. The truth was I didn't know what to say to him. ‘Hey,