Lone Star Rancher by Laurie Paige Page B

silence.
    When he put the paper down, she did, too. She glanced outside. Clouds were on the horizon, dark and heavy gray. The weather channel had predicted a storm front would be in today.
    â€œLooks as if the storm is on its way,” she said.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œAren’t you heading out to the far pastures again?”
    â€œNo.”
    At his short answer, she nodded calmly.
    â€œI’ll have a few days off while the crew is doing some fence repairs before starting on a new sector,” he said.
    Miles had explained they used a temporary crew to help with the roundup each fall and the calf count each spring, but normally the brothers and a couple of cowboys who lived on the other side of the ranch did the rest of the work.
    â€œWhat were you planning to do today?” Clyde asked.
    She shrugged. “Read, I suppose, and hide from the housekeeper this morning. I was going to work on some furniture for the ranch office—”
    â€œWhat ranch office?”
    â€œThe one Miles and I planned this past week.” She grinned at her host’s frown. “The room on the other side of the dining area was empty, so I put the rocking chair and magazine rack in there. Miles realized it would be a good place for the ranch records so he and Steven wouldn’t have to invade your room each time they needed to check on something.”
    The black, nearly straight eyebrows rose slightly. “That’s a good idea.”
    Jessica nearly fell off the stool when he smiled.
    â€œYou finished?” he asked.
    She nodded.
    â€œThen let’s get cracking. Today will be a good day to work inside.”
    To her amazement, he led the way upstairs and into his room. The bed wasn’t exactly made, but the plaid comforter had been fluffed over the covers. She could detect bumps under it as if the sheets had been smoothed carelessly.
    Under the windows along the north wall was a desk and two file cabinets and another, taller cabinet, its doors open to reveal several pieces of equipment that went with the computer on the desk.
    â€œLet’s take the drawers out of the file cabinets and move them first, then I’ll disconnect the electronic stuff.”
    He seemed enthusiastic about the task, so she pitched in and helped. Instead of letting her carry the drawers neatly filled with manila folders and hanging files, he brought in a dolly from the storage shed. Together they loaded it and gently eased the dolly down the steps and into the room now designated as the office. That was where the housekeeper, a woman she didn’t know, found them.
    After a quick introduction to the older woman, Clyde turned to Jessica. “Where do you want the file cabinets?”
    â€œHere,” she said, going to the back wall. “We’ll put thedesk facing the windows, so you…or whoever is working,” she added, “can see the barns and pastures.”
    He nodded.
    It took a couple of hours to get everything down the steps and into the room, then a couple more for him to reconnect the computer parts and check everything out.
    She removed a calendar and a dry erase board from the wall of his bedroom and put them on the inside of the doors of the computer cabinet. “There,” she told him, “these will be handy, yet out of sight.”
    He glanced up from the monitor, where flashing numbers indicated a file defragmentation check was taking place. “Good.” His grin was one of satisfaction. “Thanks for your help. I’ve been meaning to do this for ages, but…”
    At his shrug, she said, “You never found the time.”
    â€œNone of us made the time,” he corrected. He looked at his watch. “It’s one o’clock. We haven’t had lunch.”
    â€œI’ll fix sandwiches,” she volunteered, then recalled he didn’t want her doing anything for him.
    His perusal was thoughtful. “You haven’t been away from the ranch since