Country Heat (King Creek Cowboys Book 1) by Cheyenne McCray Page B

doing.
    The sound of boot steps sounded against wood outside the back door.
    “Sounds like the boys are coming in for breakfast,” Carter said.
    “Good timing.” Both for the food and to put a halt to her screaming attraction for the man. At least for now.
    It only took her a few moments to finish breakfast as the cowboys came through the door. They came in sporadically over the next ten minutes, until everyone was seated around the larger of the two tables. Carter helped Kit serve the men by assisting her in taking the buffet platters to the table.
    It wasn’t until the men were digging into their food that Kit realized how hungry she was. She should probably feel tired too, thanks to a long trip, late night, and early morning, but she felt energized and keen to start the rest of her day.
    While the men ate, joked around, and laughed, Kit went into the dining room with her own breakfast. She didn’t feel comfortable sitting with the men—at least not yet. But she did want to let them have at it while she was out of the room so that they’d feel free to say whatever the hell they wanted without worrying about what the new female cook would think.
    She ate a piece of toast with marmalade from a jar she had found in a cabinet. In addition to that, she had one soft boiled egg and a small sausage patty.
    When she heard the sounds of the men getting up along with the clank of plates and silverware, she swallowed her last bite of toast, then returned to the kitchen. The men were stacking the plates by the sink and setting the silverware on the counter.
    “Thank you.” She smiled at the men.
    Each one of the men put on their hats, gave her a nod, or said “thank you,” directly to her.
    When they left, Carter came up to her. “Need some help shopping tomorrow?”
    “I’m sure you’re busy.” She started rinsing off the dishes before she put them in the dishwasher. “Thank you for the offer.”
    “Nothing going on Sundays after I do the feeding.” Carter started helping her with the dishes. “I’d be glad for an excuse to get out. Not that I’m crazy about shopping, but I think I’d survive.”
    “Aha.” She rinsed off silverware before putting it into the dishwasher. “That settles it. I go alone.”
    “I’ll take you to the farmer’s market after we hit Costco.” Carter set his dish towel on the counter and moved closer to her. “You don’t have an assistant and I’m sure you can use the help. I’d be happy to.”
    She couldn’t say “No” to the boss no matter how many warning bells were going on in her head. It was clear he had made up his mind.
    “All right.” She wiped down the counters as he loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. “You don’t know what you’re in for.”
    “I’m sure I’ll survive.” He looked at her with amusement. “I’ve been through worse.”
    She couldn’t help a mischievous grin. “You’ve never shopped with me.”

    D amn . Carter mentally shook his head. Yeah, right now he should be out taking care of the daily duties involved with running the ranch, but he wanted to be around Kit and get to know her better. She had one hell of a pull on him, and he wasn’t sure how or why.
    “Is that a challenge?” He looked down at her and wanted to pull the clip out of her blonde hair, setting it all free so that he could slide his fingers through the silken strands. Even more, he wanted to draw her warm, hard body against his and taste her lips and her mouth. He wanted to explore every part of her. His throat worked.
    “It might be.” She gave an impish grin. “I doubt you could keep up with me.”
    Carter resisted the strong, primal pull she had on him. Every time he looked at her and their eyes met, he knew she felt the same way as he did, but she would never be the first to take action on those feelings.
    He would love to start right now, right here.
    Damn it. Kit is an employee. Keep your distance.
    The little warning voice was trying to fight