Cooking For Cowboy (Stampede Sizzlers) by Brenda Sinclair Read Free Book Online Page B

strode into the spare room and set her luggage on the carpeted floor.
    Sierra gaped at him. Seriously? No way. He couldn’t be saying what she thought he was saying. “Why this room?”
    He stood, smiling that killer smile. “Not what you might be thinking. I need you close by to help me keep an eye on Mom. Besides, the ranch help occupy three of the other guest rooms, and Celia doesn’t make up the Jack and Jill rooms unless we’re hosting a big shindig and people will be staying over.”
    She couldn’t argue with his logic. Darn it. She’d be stuck having him sleeping directly across the hall from her every night. An image of Chad’s long lean frame stretched out on her sofa drifted across her mind. Get a grip, Sierra. Or you’ll be suffering through several sleepless nights if you don’t rein in your sexual urges.
    “Okay, I didn’t take your mother’s medical issues into consideration. But you’re right. The more eyes watching over her, the safer she’ll be.” Sierra stepped across the threshold and glanced around. Tears burned behind her eyes. Her grandmother might still be alive if there’d been someone to watch over her while Sierra was at work.
    She moved throughout her carpeted living space which rivaled the square footage of her entire basement apartment. A king-sized bed dressed in a beautiful patchwork quilt and fluffy white pillows was situated at an angle in the far corner to the left. Two tall dressers covered the shorter wall and a plaid-upholstered chaise longue was angled in the right-hand corner. Sunshine streamed through a row of windows covered in light off-white linen draperies. A desk and an entertainment system with a TV set, DVD player, and a gaming system were lined along the other wall.
    “You’re kidding me, right?” Sierra met Chad’s eyes. “This is your mother’s room, and you’re just playing with me.”
    “No. Mom’s room is quite a bit bigger with a separate lounging room with a sofa and Jacuzzi and TV. This room is a mirror image of my room though.”
    Sierra peeked into the en suite where a walk-in shower and a separate jet-tub were situated against the wall. An assortment of potions and lotions and fluffy white towels were piled on the substantial vanity and awaited a guest’s every need. On her way back into the main room she noticed a walk-in closet on the left.
    “Okay, enough.” Sierra flopped down on the bed. “If this is the Parker equivalent of a guest room I may never leave.”
    “That’s music to my ears. I’m tired of hiring cooks.” Chad stood with his thumbs hooked in his jeans’ pockets, grinning broadly.
    “I was joking.” Sierra shook her head. “Stop smiling like that. I think you do it to bug me.”
    “What? I’m just a happy guy.” Chad crossed the room and sat next to her. “I know I’m right across the hall, but I won’t be making late-night surprise appearances in your bedroom. Well, not unless you ask me to.”
    Sierra leapt off the bed. “In your dreams, cowboy.”
    “Come on, lighten up. I desperately need a good cook. I promise to behave.” He raised his hand as if swearing under oath in a court of law.
    “I’m holding you to that.” Sierra bent down and grabbed Barney’s leash. At least, she hoped she was. Chad Parker was way too good-looking for her own good. And getting involved with someone she worked for was the last thing she wanted. If nothing else, she’d been totally professional wherever she’d worked. “Okay, show us the ranch, please.”
    “Meet you out on the deck in a few minutes,” said Chad.
    “Come on, Barney, we’ll unpack later.”
    Having lost the argument over her accommodations, Sierra stepped onto the deck with Barney in tow. From the bottom of the deck, a beautiful long-haired, tri-colored collie with pretty brown eyes, a pure white collar, and a graying muzzle hinting at his advanced age welcomed them with an enthusiastic woof. The collie appeared to be smiling at them. Barney’s