The Rancher's Unexpected Family by Myrna Mackenzie

Author:Myrna Mackenzie
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Larkville Legacy, Harlequin
ISBN: 9780373178360
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-10-01T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

SIZZLE, pop, ignore that touch. It was just an accident, a nothing touch. Belay all sensation, Kathryn ordered herself, but it wasn’t an easy thing to do. With Holt, she was always a bit unbalanced. Half the time she struggled with her desire to kiss the man. The rest of the time she wanted to run as far from him as she could. He made her feel things she had no business feeling.

That was a concern. When she left here, she had to know she could be a world unto herself, not in need of another person’s praise, affection, validation or financial support. Because needing people had always been her downfall.

That was why it was so difficult to accept the baby bounty that had come her way lately. Holt’s half sister, Ellie Jackson, had dropped off a pretty outfit for Izzy, and she and Kathryn had bonded a bit. Kathryn was suddenly getting to know women she hadn’t known her last time here.

Other anonymous gifts had simply appeared on her porch. The thought that Holt might be at the heart of all this wouldn’t subside. The fact that he might be practicing his “ruler of the ranch” methods on her made her wary.

Still, even the most independent of people sometimes had to work with people to reach their goals.

“Why the sudden interest in ranching?” Holt asked in that sexy, grumpy way of his. She wished he didn’t sound so...virile. Especially since she was still trying to forget what it had felt like when her body had come up against his in that accidental touch a moment ago.

Get your mind back on target, she ordered herself.

“Do you have places here where people could stay?” she asked, ignoring his grumpy question.

Those dark eyes were wary. “People? You?”

She felt the blush coming on and quickly turned away and tried to pretend that the horizon held some mystery for her. “Not me. Other people. City people. People who might want to visit a ranch.”

“This isn’t a dude ranch.”

“I know. I’m not suggesting you make it one.”

“Good. Because this ranch doesn’t just belong to me. There are a number of us Calhouns...and some other siblings, too, as you may have heard.”

“How do you feel about your father’s other children? You didn’t even know they existed a few months ago.”

He raised one brow.

There was that embarrassing blush again. “I don’t mean to pry, or certainly to imply anything by that. I just— It has to be a shock to find out that you have half brothers and sisters.”

“He wasn’t married to my mother then, so it’s none of my affair. I’m the keeper of the Calhoun ranch. If there are others, none of that changes my role.”

Kathryn had a sudden urge to kiss Holt to see if she could get a reaction, to discover if there were real feelings lurking under that cool facade, but the heat that quickly rose in her at that thought told her that it would be a bad idea to kiss Holt.

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