Dead Giveaway by Diane Benefiel

Author:Diane Benefiel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romantic suspense, enemies to lovers, danger and intrigue, finding everything they never thought they would have, he owns a ranch in the sierra nevada mountains, he will do anything to keep her and his nephew safe, her best friend was murdered, on the run with a child in tow, she flees to a small town in the high sierras, the man who hates her is her best safe refuge
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Chapter Twelve

After two days recuperating from her bout with the flu, Gwen was finally ready to get back to work. She rose before dawn, made a pot of coffee, and took a steaming mug with her as she walked to the barn in the chilly morning air, Bubba following at her heels.

The barn was lit. Ben or one of the hands was already at work. She entered the wide doors, going immediately to the feed room to check the schedule. Hanging her coat on a hook, she crossed to the stacked bales to load hay onto the wheelbarrow and begin the morning rounds. Physical labor might help to keep her mind focused on something other than Eli’s kiss.

If a week ago someone had told her that Eli MacElvoy would kiss her and admit to an attraction, she would have laughed hysterically. Now she didn’t know what to think. She’d spent a good part of yesterday reliving that brief meeting of lips until she’d had to order herself to get a grip. Maybe Eli was being honest and did feel attracted, but she wasn’t going to attach any greater meaning to their relationship, such as it was.

Doubling down on work to distract herself, she tended to the horses. Ranch hands came in and out of the barn, and a wavering tenor voice echoed from the workshop, singing of love for a dog named Boo.

Gwen gave Queenie her two flakes of hay, moved on to the next stall, and then on down the line until she came to Xander. He peered out of his stall, tossing his head when she raised a hand to stroke his cheek.

“Is that the way it is?” When he looked down his nose at her, Gwen ignored him, filling his hay rack but not giving him any attention. When she would have left without even giving him a pat, the big stallion bumped her with his head.

“Oh, I see. You think I have something for you.” Again, she raised her hand to stroke him. Xander stood motionless, then bent his head to allow her to pet him. She rubbed between his ears and along his neck, then finally pulled carrot pieces from her pocket. “Is this what you want?” Gwen held out the treats, which he used his lips to gingerly pick off her palm. “Just remember who loves you, big guy.”

She made the rounds again with the grain mixture. Once the horses were fed she returned to the front of the barn and retrieved her insulated coffee mug from where she’d stashed it, taking it into the tack room. Opening a can of saddle soap, she went to work on a saddle, daubing her soft cloth in the soap and working it into the leather.

By the time she’d finished with the saddle, the tenor had switched to singing about Mr. Bojangles. Wiping her hands on a clean cloth, Gwen peeked through the workshop door and found Whit sitting on a stool in front of a contraption where he appeared to be winding string from a bobbin onto a wire.

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