Christine brightened at the mention of her middle son. He and Chanel were the same age and had been inseparable until they'd gone off to different universities hundreds of miles apart. "He called last night. He has finals next week."

Chanel nodded. She and Seth either talked or exchanged texts every day. Now that she was back on the ranch with no cell reception, they'd have to use e-mail. "He mentioned coming home for a while this summer."

"He hinted at it with me last night. I figured you would know more," Christine said.

Seth and his mother were close, but he hadn't felt at home on the ranch since he came out his senior year of high school. David stopped speaking to him. Chanel was thankful her father never changed how he acted around Seth, and though the other cowboys were kind, they seemed a bit uncomfortable around the young man they'd known since he was a little kid. Chanel had known about Seth for years, and it broke her heart when he wasn't embraced by all the people he loved once they knew the real him.

"He really misses home," Chanel said. Christine and Jessi went to visit him in Eugene, Oregon at least once a year. Always strapped for cash, it was hard for Chanel and Seth to pull off regular visits. It had been two years since she'd seen him face to face. Technology was great, but it didn't take the place of actually seeing her best friend.

"I know." Christine wrapped an arm around her niece's shoulders and gave a squeeze.

Chanel rested her head against Christine and closed her eyes. She didn't know how Seth managed to stay away from home for so long. Yes, things could be awkward here, but she knew once someone had lived in these mountains, they could never let them go. They replenished her, and she knew Seth was in need of what only this place could give him.

Dogs barking broke into Chanel's thoughts.

"Sounds like they made it back from town," Christine said.

Chanel followed her onto the front porch to see Mitch's gray truck bounce up the drive. Jessi beamed through the windshield as she sat sandwiched between Maddox and her uncle in the front seat. The girl leaned heavily toward Maddox, pressing her side body flush against him. Every high school girl's dream come true, Chanel thought. Why hadn't her father kicked her little b.u.t.t into the backseat? She'd have to keep an eye on Maddox round the clock to make sure he didn't try anything. It was going to be a long summer.

Maddox thunked a case of beer on the moving belt at the checkout counter, followed by cans of soup and chili, macaroni mix, frozen pizzas, and several boxes of cereal. He'd never seen such a small grocery store in his life. The selection was crummy, and Coach would tear his head off if he could see Maddox's summer menu. That's ok, he thought, Talbot would realize what a stupid idea it was to ship him off to the boondocks when he came back soft and weak from malnourishment. Despite slacking in other areas, Maddox had always eaten well, but he'd always had someone to cook for him.

The woman running the register gave him a wink. She looked to be a little older than him, with a few lines around her eyes, but her body was trim and her rack was full.

"Someone must be batchin' it," she said. The name Lila was printed on the name tag clipped above one of those tempting b.o.o.bs.

"Yeah, I'm kinda new at this," Maddox said giving her the full wattage smile that had coaxed dozens of hot coeds into his bed or the less attractive ones into doing his homework. Maybe this summer wouldn't be a total loss; if he could figure out how to get to town, that is. He didn't plan to drive his car over that road again until he was headed out for good.

"Probably gonna want sandwich fixings too," Mitch said adding a couple loaves of bread, peanut b.u.t.ter and jelly, and a.s.sorted lunchmeats to the pile of groceries. Maddox glanced around for Jessi. She'd chewed his ear off all the way to town, and he really didn't want her hanging around and ruining his chance with Lila. Thankfully, she was MIA.

"Hey, Mitch," Lila said.

"Hi, Lila. How're your parents?"

"Hangin' in there," Lila said as she swiped items across the scanner. "Mom's got her hands full managing the farm and taking care of Dad. I've been going over after work and helping with ch.o.r.es."

"What happened?" Maddox asked.

"Dad's horse threw him a couple weeks ago. Dislocated his shoulder. He thinks he's up to putting out salt this week, though."

Sounded like a day in a football program. Someone was always getting banged up.

Mitch grimaced. "I've been there. It's hard not to rush back out there when there's work to do. Tell 'em I said h.e.l.lo."

Lila nodded. "Will do," she said, and Mitch wandered away from the counter.

"That'll be eighty nine twenty six," Lila said. "I haven't seen you in before. Guessing you're workin' for Mitch this summer?"

"Yeah," Maddox said swiping his debit card through the machine.

"It's not often someone new comes around. Usually everyone just swaps kids. What brought you here?"

Maddox racked his brain trying to think of something cool to say. I'm in hot water with my coach and was banished for the summer. Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead in a hillbilly place like this probably wouldn't get him her number.

"Just wanted a change of scenery this summer. It's my last free one. I'm starting my senior year at Doumit this fall. Hoping to get drafted into the NFL in the spring."

Recognition lit Lila's eyes. "Oh yeah, Mitch's daughter, Chanel, is going there. Are you guys together?"

Maddox almost dropped the case of beer he'd just picked up from the counter. "No!"

"I just figured since you two are both up there, and you're workin' for her dad...," Lila's voice trailed away, her dark eyes studying him carefully.

Maddox grinned. Yes, there was hope for this summer.

"Just friends," he said.

She leaned toward him. "Did you say you might get drafted next spring?"

"I'm hoping, but my odds are pretty good." What was he saying? Right now he'd be lucky to ride the bench this season. He had to get back in Coach's good graces. It ticked him off that he had to play these stupid games, but he kept his smile in place. This chick would never know. He'd be her football hero all summer, or until he discovered someone cuter.

Lila ran her tongue over her full lips and picked up a pen. She scribbled a phone number on the back of Maddox's receipt before handing it to him, sliding her hand along his before letting go. "Give me a call next time you're going to be in town."

"I will," Maddox said, his heart beating a bit faster at the idea of hooking up with someone despite being in this h.e.l.lhole. He gathered up the rest of his bags and headed for the door.

Mitch was waiting by the pickup, scratching his dogs' ears. Jessi was across the parking lot with a group of teenage girls. They giggled when he came into sight. Great, he thought, he had a fan club. He could only imagine what she was telling her friends after smashing her body against his all the way to town. She was a sweet kid but just that, a kid. Maddox liked his women full grown. Besides, she lived in the midst of her brother, uncle, and several other men who would kick his a.s.s if he even gave her a sideways glance. Not to mention the wrath he'd endure from Chanel if he touched her baby cousin. Shutting Jessi down wouldn't be easy. He'd seen that hungry look in girls' faces before. They were hard to shake, and he'd have to be careful with this one. If he hurt Jessi's feelings it would be as bad as if he'd messed around with her. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Here, stick everything in these coolers. That'll keep it cool and the dogs out of 'em on the drive home." Mitch lifted the lid on a large cooler, and Maddox hefted the bags and the box of beer over the edge of the truck bed.

"Bye, Jessi. Call us later!"

Jessi broke from the adolescent herd, leaving giggles and whispers in her wake, and crossed the parking lot. Maddox noticed a little sway to her hips as she came his way. She brushed pa.s.sed him and climbed into the pickup, sliding to her place in the middle of the bench seat.

Mitch climbed behind the wheel. "Geeze, Jess, give the guy some breathing room. Scoot over this way or get in the backseat."

A grateful smile tugged on Maddox's lips as he slammed the pa.s.senger door. Thank you, Mitch.

Jessi sulked for a couple of miles, and then she was yammering away again about all the fun things there were to do on the ranch. She covered everything from riding horses in ponds, which sounded like a terrible idea to him, to hiking to waterfalls. That one intrigued him, but not to do with Jessi. He imagined skinny-dipping in a secluded spot with the curvy Lila. Mitch was quiet for most of the drive except to point out some deer grazing in a meadow. How did he tune out Jessi's babbling? Maybe surviving raising a teenage daughter did that to a man. From what he'd seen in the A-frame the day before, it looked like Mitch had done it alone too. Aside from Chanel, there was no sign of another woman living there.

For just a second, Maddox wondered what Chanel had been like in high school. Had she been silly like her cousin, or had she been the snarky condescending person she was now?

Maddox was relieved when they finally pulled up the driveway into Mitch's sister-in-law's house. He'd told Maddox they were having dinner there that evening. Maddox was glad he didn't have to bust into his cardboard rations quite yet, and he couldn't wait to escape the confined s.p.a.ce with Jessi. His relief was tempered when he saw Chanel leaning against the porch with a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair.

Jessi tumbled out of the truck on his heels. "Mom, have you met Maddox yet?"

The older woman smiled, and Maddox was drawn to her warm brown eyes. She took his extended hand in both of hers and squeezed. "I haven't. Christine Eber. I'm Jessi and David's mom, and resident housemother. You just let me know if you need anything or get hungry."

Maddox didn't miss the rolling of Chanel's eyes. Apparently, she didn't want to share her aunt with him either.

"Can I grab you a beer?" Mitch asked, pausing with the screen door open.

"That'd be great," Maddox replied.

"Chel?"

"Sure, thanks," she said.

Jessi shot her mom a pleading look, and Christine shook her head. "Don't even think about it, young lady. There's root beer in the back porch fridge."

The girl's cheeks flamed red at the reminder that she was not yet an adult. She let out an exasperated sigh and stomped across the porch and into the house.

Christine turned back to Maddox. "How was your trip to town?"

"I won't starve now," Maddox said. It was all he could think of that wouldn't insult the small grocery store, and he wasn't about to share meeting Lila with Christine and Chanel.

"It was nice of Dad to take the time to haul you to the store," Chanel said.

Maddox shrugged. "I appreciate it."

Mitch reappeared and pa.s.sed ice-cold bottles of beer to Christine, Maddox, and Chanel. Jessi was conspicuously absent to Maddox's relief.

"You want me to fire up the barbeque?" Mitch asked Christine.

"That would be great, thanks," she replied and turned to follow Mitch around the house. She shot Chanel a look before stepping off the porch.

As soon as Christine was out of sight, Chanel whirled on Maddox, pinning him with a glare. "They aren't going to keep jumping to your beck and call. The work week starts tomorrow."

"Okaaayyy," Maddox said slowly before taking a drink from his beer.

"I mean it. No one is going to do your work for you. No one is going to molly coddle you."

"Not looking for that." She was starting to p.i.s.s him off.

"My father doesn't run a taxi service into town. Figure out how to get yourself there in the future. He's a busy man. We all work hard out here. No one has time to hold your hand." Chanel started to pace up and down the porch. Her agitation was palpable.

"What exactly are you driving at?"

"I know why you're here. You're about to get booted from the team. Your draft stock is hot right now. You can't afford to lose your spot. But, at the same time, you're a lazy, conceited a.s.shole convinced you can ride everyone else's efforts to the top. That doesn't work out here. That will either get you fired or hurt." Chanel paused and guzzled half her beer. If the moment had been different, Maddox would have been impressed, but he was too angry.

"I don't have to put up with this." He started to leave the deck, but Chanel caught him by the arm. Her touch sent an unexpected jolt through him. Unwilling to accept any attraction to this brat, he blamed it on the electricity of the situation.

"Yes, you do." Her lips curled into a sarcastic smile, her green-gold eyes glittering. "I've been a.s.signed to your sorry a.s.s all summer. I get to oversee your training, everything."

"What? I'm here to work for Mitch."

"I told you, Dad is a busy man. He doesn't have time to babysit you. You're stuck with me, so I'm giving you the heads up. Dad will report back to your coach based on what I tell him. You want to play football? You have to prove to me you're not a spoiled, lazy jock. What we do out here every day keeps food on our table. There is no slacking." She downed the rest of the beer and slammed the empty bottle on the porch rail before stalking down the steps and around the house.

Maddox opened and closed his mouth. There were no words for what had just happened. He'd never met anyone who could tear him up one side and down the other like that. The whole coaching staff had tried, and here he was rendered speechless by a little cowgirl in too tight jeans.

CHAPTER FOUR.

Monday morning the crew gathered in the shop, most with mugs of strong coffee in hand. Their days started with a quick meeting at seven-unless they needed to leave the barn earlier on big cattle moving days-and even in summer, the mornings were often cool and damp.

"Mornin'," Mitch greeted his crew as he and Chanel came in through the back door.

Murmurs of "mornin'" went through the group of men. The crew lit up when they saw Chanel behind her father. Several of the guys had been working for Mitch since she was in elementary school, or they were family.

"Well, there she is!" Fritz Harbor boomed and grabbed her into a rib-crushing hug. Chanel stood on tiptoe to kiss what she could see of Fritz's weathered cheek. His giant, black handlebar mustache tickled her nose. "When did you get home?"

"Sat.u.r.day afternoon. You were out on the mountain turning out pairs," Chanel said. Fritz was her father's right-hand man when it came to the herd.

"You plannin' to do some ridin' with me this summer?" Fritz asked.

"You know it!"

Chanel's cousin, David, gave her a one-armed hug. "I thought you'd be showing up pretty soon."

Jerry Spindle waddled through the front door of the shop. Jerry had started on at the Double O when Chanel was a senior in high school, and she'd never outgrown the urge to giggle when she hadn't seen him for a while. The combination of his build and his last name were just too much.

"Sorry I'm late," Jerry grouched. "Tried to get that kid outta bed. Not gonna happen."

Mitch frowned at this report. "I told him seven last night at dinner."

Jerry shrugged. "Don't know what to tell ya. You'd think a hot shot athlete would be used to bein' up with the chickens." He shot a stream of tobacco into the metal barrel that served as a trashcan. Mitch had two hard and fast rules: no spitting on the concrete shop floor and no smoking in the barn.

"I'll take care of him. Thanks for tryin', Jer," Mitch said. Then he switched to business. "The ground's finally dry enough to seed the hay in those two new fields. I'm plannin' to have Chanel teach Maddox how to drive the tractor and get that started. We're about a week behind, so we'll need to put some hustle into it."

Chanel nodded, though she cringed inside. She would much rather go move cattle or put out salt blocks to supplement the herd's diet than spend the day cooped up in a tractor with Maddox. It was going to be a tight squeeze, and that thought made her belly flutter just the tiniest bit, which did not amuse her.

Mitch continued, "Jer, there's a stretch of down fence up on Big Dog Flat. Why don't you take a six wheeler up there and fix it. If you get done early, check in with me. We've got some other little things to take care of today before we get totally behind. Fritz and David, go ahead and take the younger cow/calf pairs from the Bronc Pasture and start pointing them toward Eagle Summit. Jer, you got the salt out there Sat.u.r.day, right?"

"Yep," Jerry replied and spat again. His lower lip still bulged.

"I'll get the kids lined out," Mitch said and turned to Chanel. "Why don't you go feed that b.u.mmer calf up in the barn while I root out Maddox."

"Sure," she replied. One of Chanel's favorite things about living on a ranch was caring for the orphan calves. With the right nurturing, they could grow up as strong as the ones with mothers.

Chanel chewed her lip as she mixed the milk-replacer into a large plastic bottle and snapped on the nipple. This summer was going to be all kinds of complicated. Maddox was already causing problems by not being ready for work this morning. And she was still frustrated with her father for bringing him here and sticking her with him. On the other hand, Christine was right. Mitch was too busy to be tied up with babysitting Maddox. For years he'd a.s.signed the summer help to her, so it shouldn't be a surprise she was in charge again. However, the summer help was usually local high school guys or ones who'd just graduated. They already knew how to ride horses and operate equipment. All she had to do was point them to where they needed to go.

Her heavy thoughts melted away when she saw the small black calf with its white face and black mask. The brockle faces had always been her favorites. It was curled up in a pile of straw at the back of the stall.

"Hey, bud. I've got your breakfast," she said softly not wanting to scare the baby. She knew what it was like to lose a mother. No matter your species, it was traumatic.