She bit her lip and wanted to kick them both for turning her on and then calling all the hands over. “Oh, yeah,” she murmured suggestively in a quiet tone as the men approached. Both men had already helped themselves to a kolache and had just taken a bite. “Now I’m all hot…and wet.”
Chapter Thirteen
She smiled with satisfaction when Clayton choked on his bite. Chance did a double take, and his eyes bugged a little. She thought she heard a needy little moan come from him before the men joined them. If those men thought they were going to get her all hot, teasing her like that, they needed to know she could give as good as she got.
The men greeted her and thanked her for the snack. She had a chance to meet the other ranch hands who didn’t actually live there and reintroduced herself to Boone and Richard Warner, whom she’d met once when they’d visited the café with Chance, Clayton, and some of the other men, including Gil. Both men remembered her and welcomed her to the ranch.
Lydia said, “Chance and Clayton tell me that you’re engaged.”
Richard, the taller of the two, nodded and replied, “Yes ma’am.” His pale-blue eyes were gorgeous, and his quiet demeanor was a big contrast to his brother who was darker in eye color and seemed to have a much more intense personality. She wished she could meet the woman who’d captured the hearts of these men and their brother who she hadn’t met yet.
“When is the wedding planned for?”
“The end of next month. We just proposed a few days ago.”
“Would you let her know I’m a chef? I’d love to help out if they need food prepared or the cake made.”
Richard nodded and his smile lit his handsome face, “Yes, ma’am, I will. Maya would love to meet you. We told her last night you’d arrived on the ranch. She’ll probably be looking for an excuse to pay a visit.”
Lydia smiled and said, “That would be terrific. I’m the only female on the ranch. I’d love to have another woman’s company.”
Chance said, “You can visit Discretion with her sometime. I’m sure the girls would all love—” Chance sounded like his words got cut off.
Clayton said, “We can also take you into town if you want to shop at Stigall’s. Any word on the car, Chance?”
Chance eyed his brother as he rubbed a rib and said, “Nope, not a word, but it hasn’t been that long. I’m sure we’ll know something soon.”
Lydia thought they were both acting a little peculiar but smiled at the men as they all complimented her on her cooking skills and thanked her for bringing them such a nice treat.
Checking her watch, she said, “Well, I’d better get back to the house. My help should be arriving soon.”
The men all wished her a good day and then went back to work. Chance lifted Lydia onto his horse, and the three of them rode back to the house. She hadn’t been on a horse in a while but felt perfectly safe with Chance holding her in front of him. They stopped at the gate, and Clayton leaned over to give her a kiss then said, “Don’t work too hard today, Lydi. We want to spend time with you this evening. Okay?”
“All right.” That was good because she was ready to spend time with them, too.
She turned to Chance and hugged him and then kissed him as well. He grinned and said, “It helped this morning, didn’t it?”
“Yes. You both broke the ice really well.” She giggled as Chance helped her down then Clayton handed her the empty basket. She patted their finely matched quarter horses and blew both men kisses.
“Thanks for the ride, cowboys.” They both groaned at her suggestive tone.
Clayton chuckled in an equally provocative tone and replied, “If you think that was a ride, Lydi, we’ve got a surprise in store for you.”
She watched those handsome cowboys as they trotted away, thinking about what a ride with them might entail.
Excited and ready to get started, she waited for her help to arrive. She cleared the floors to make it easy to go from room to room both upstairs and downstairs. She checked her watch at nine o’clock and looked out her bedroom window. There was no sign of anybody on the long winding driveway. On her way down she checked the men’s rooms and brought their laundry baskets downstairs.
By nine fifteen she was getting a little hacked off but wanted to give her helper the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps there had been some miscommunication about the time. She’d give it a little longer and then call the employment agency to ask if there was a problem. She’d already pulled the furniture away from the walls in the family room and turned the chairs onto the table in the dining room when the doorbell finally rang at nine forty-five. Blowing hair off her brow, Lydia answered the door. She hid her shock at what stood before her.