“I came to talk to the person who does the hiring on the ranch, but I’m afraid I arrived at an in opportune time. Did someone just get married?”

At the thought of his recently reformed brother gone from this world, leaving Lucy and the whole family in despair, a fresh shaft of pain, sharp and swift, pierced his gut. He rocked back on his hand-tooled cowboy boots. “There was a funeral today.”

She bit her lower lip, drawing his attention to that succulent part of her mouth despite his darkest thoughts. What in hell was the matter with him? There’d been women since Jenny died, but none of them had stirred him the way this stranger did. It made no sense.

“Then I’m glad I didn’t intrude. Thank you for talking to me.” Summarily dismissing him, an experience he couldn’t remember ever happening before, she climbed back in her car. In a few seconds she’d be gone.

The sensible part of him wished he could allow her to drive away, but he wasn’t finished with her. She’d claimed she wanted to talk to the person in charge of personnel. He did the hiring himself. No one worked at the Bonnibelle-either in the house or on the spread-unless he okayed it.

Whatever the qualifications she might bring for a position she wanted, she’d be the last person he’d consider. Not even then…

She didn’t come off flirtatious, which was a surprise. Yet her unconscious sensuality would play havoc with the harmony he’d worked like the devil to maintain among the stockmen since their parents’ death in a light airplane crash three years back. Buck had fallen apart after that. It had taken Lucy’s sure, steady love for him to start putting himself back together.

Exhaling heavily, Cole took the few steps necessary to place his body next to the door she’d just closed. He braced his hands against the open window and lowered his head.

She turned a surprised gaze to him, giving him the full benefit of her dark fringed eyes, an unusual combination on a blond. A man could think he was falling through a cloud less western sky just looking into them.