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down from here without too many broken bones would be welcome at this point.
    She risked a look downward. She saw a tall, well-built body in denim shirt and tight faded jeans that looked good even from her precarious perch, topped by a black cowboy hat that tilted up to reveal a handsome face and deep dark brown eyes regarding her incredulously.
    “What in the holy hell are you doing?” Trey asked.
    She grinned down at him. “Oh, nothing.” She replied breezily. “Just hanging around.”

Trey stared in disbelief. Marielle dangled from the barn loft, her long, bare legs swaying slightly. His eyes traveled upwards to her rounded bottom, displayed to perfection in the snug-fitting shorts, and on to her slender torso. With both arms above her head, the denim shirt she wore had pulled up and showed a tantalizing amount of creamy skin and trim waistline. Her body was perfect, he thought, absolutely perfect. But if he didn’t quit gawking at her and start helping her down from there—the perfect body would be lying in a heap at his feet. He stepped forward.
    “Let go,” He told her.
    “Can’t you move the ladder over here or something?” she asked her voice breathy.
    “I could. But there’s no need. If you’ll just let go, I’ll catch you.” He dodged her waving legs. “And quit kicking.”
    Marielle stilled. Trey watched the play of emotions across her lovely face. She looked down at him and bit her bottom lip, expression doubtful. “Well….”she said.
    Trey heaved an exasperated sigh. “Marielle,” he said patiently, “let go. You’ll be fine. I’ll catch you. Now come on—drop!”
    He saw her chest expand as she took a deep breath. “Okay,” she replied. “Here goes!”
    He braced himself; arms outstretched, and caught her waist as she dropped from the loft. She slid down in his embrace and came to rest with the top of her head just below his chin. Her body was pressing against his. He could feel her heart beating and felt his own heartbeat accelerate from the sensations her nearness aroused. Her slim yet lush body was molded to him and he was painfully aware of the warm, pliant flesh of the woman in his arms. He inhaled sharply as he caught the scent of her hair. Clean-smelling and fragrant, it reminded him of sun-ripened berries. His mouth watered.
    He let her go and stepped back, needing to put some distance between himself and the alluring female he’d rescued. Marielle Stevens was too tempting for her own good … or his! He took a deep breath to steady himself. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but how did you get yourself into that predicament?” he inquired.
    “I wanted to see the kittens up in the loft,” she replied. “My foot got stuck in the ladder and then the ladder fell—”
    And then you couldn’t get back down.” Trey grinned and shook his head. “Woman, you’re accident-prone. What would you have done today if I hadn’t come along?”
    “I’d have fallen, I suppose. I couldn’t have held on much longer. But I doubt if I’d have been hurt too badly. It wasn’t that far down. “She gazed up at him, her emerald eyes twinkling. “It just looked like it from up there.”
    “Maybe it wouldn’t have been a life-threatening fall. But it proves my point that it’s risky for you to live on a mountain ranch by yourself. It’s going to be hard enough on you as it is now. Winters up here are rough. Too rough for you. Believe me, you‘ve got as much chance of lasting through one of our winters as a hothouse orchid. I told you I’d give you a fair price—”
    “And I told you the Double D is not for sale!” she broke in hotly. “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand? Read my lips! This. Ranch. Is. Not. For. Sale.”
    Trey stared at her. Her tongue flicked out to moisten her bottom lip while those amazing green eyes glared at him. Read her lips? Hell, he could think of better things to do with her lips than read them, he decided. Impulsively, he lowered his head and