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feed me,
I'll go home for lunch. I need to check on Becky anyway. But it's
too long a drive to come back today and get anything done. I'll be
back tomorrow."
    "Dammit, I'll fix you lunch!" She jumped up
and crossed angrily to the refrigerator. He was pushing his luck.
Just wait until she knew something about ranching. She'd tell him
to take a flying leap. She hadn't come all the way from Boston to
end up with some arrogant cowboy who thought she should wait on him
hand and foot. Dammit, she was the boss—not him.
    "Mind if I use your phone while you fix it?"
he asked, amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
    "No." She knew she was overreacting, but she
was so mad she could spit. All she wanted to do was come out here
and enjoy her ranch. Now she had a hot-blooded cowboy disturbing
her beyond belief. One that didn't even like her and was constantly
pointing out her shortcomings as far as ranching was concerned. All
he wanted was her ranch, and she was catering to all his needs.
First breakfast, now lunch. Did he expect dinner, too?
    For a moment she was distracted. Dinner.
Quiet, with candles and maybe even a fire in the fireplace. It got
cool here in the mountains at night. Even in May. After a nice
meal, veal perhaps, or beef, they'd sip their wine, talk quietly.
He'd kiss her again. Run his hands over her—
    "Ow!" She'd sliced her finger. No more
daydreaming. Or if she did any, it had to be about the ranch, not
some sexy cowboy.
    She set their places as Trace came back.
    "Your daughter okay?" she asked.
    "Fine."
    "And your ranch doesn't need you while you're
here?" she asked as she began eating the luncheon-meat sandwich.
She wished she'd had some real ham or roast beef. She needed to get
to the store.
    Trace looked up, hesitated a moment. "I've
got a good foreman."
    "Maybe you should run your own place and send
him over here."
    "I prefer this setup."
    "I bet. Anytime you see me doing anything
wrong, you can jump in with another offer to buy me out."
    "Maybe." He ate the light lunch, pleased with
the hearty helpings she'd dished up.
    “ You sure are talkative
when you want to tell me what I can't do and everything I don't
know. But trying to get you to tell me anything about yourself
dries you up faster than an antihistamine."
    He blinked at her analogy and smiled. "What
do you want to know, Kalli? I've told you the important stuff. I'm
not married so an affair between us will hurt no one. I don't think
you can make it on the ranch. Now, before you get all puffed up and
addled, let me say it won't be for lack of trying. But it's just
too much unless you've been born and bred to it. Philip was having
a tough time, and he'd been doing it for years."
    "A lot of ranchers are very successful," she
protested.
    "Yeah, and a lot go broke. Stay for a few
days and learn all you can, but then look at it long and hard. I
think you should accept my offer."
    He flicked her a glance, wondering when she
would order him off the property. As soon as she could get a
competent manager, he guessed. He had to make sure no one tried for
the job. He had a vested interest in seeing the place managed
properly. He didn't want the thing falling apart before he took
over. It might take a little while to get rid of her, but she
wouldn't stay. He knew all about city girls enamored with thoughts
of ranches and cowboys, but the reality was too stark. Too far from
parties and shops and good times, they had to leave. He could wait
her out.
    Kalli nibbled on her sandwich as thoughts
spun and tumbled around in her mind. She was extremely conscious of
Trace sitting a few feet from her. Wondering. how long she could
maintain this heightened sense of awareness, she remembered his
words earlier. I want you.
    "—computers?" he asked.
    She blinked and stared at him. "What?"
    "I said, do you know much about computers?"
He looked at her. What had she been thinking about?
    "A little. At the hospital we did all our
records on than. Why?"
    "All the ranch records are on a