Bachelor Cowboy by Roxann Delaney Page A

immediately who it was and ignored it. When the knocking continued and no one else answered it, she left the pie crust she was rolling out on the table and went to the stairs.
    “Aunt Aggie, will you get the door please? Dusty’s here, and I’m up to my armpits in pie dough.”
    “You’ll have to get it, dear,” Aggie called down. “I’m indisposed.”
    Kate couldn’t imagine what her aunt would consider indisposed unless she was stark naked and dripping wet. With an exasperated mutter about the poor timing of some people, she hurried to wipe the sticky dough from her hands, hoping she could find a way to keep him out of the kitchen so she wouldn’t have to spend time alone with him. She now knew what he really thought of her. Thankfully, getting no answer at the kitchen door, he was now knocking on the front door.
    “You’re looking better,” he greeted her, when she opened the door. “How’s your hand?”
    “Fine. Is there something you need?” With all the things that had been going through her mind while she baked, Kate wasn’t in the mood for a conversation with him.
    “I was hoping to talk to Aggie,” he explained.
    “She’s, uh, busy upstairs, but she should be down in a few minutes. You can wait in the living room,” she told him.
    He was staring at her, the intensity of his brown gaze unraveling her already thin nerves. “Aren’t you going to keep me company?” he asked as she turned for the kitchen.
    “I’m sure you can wait alone for a few minutes,” she grumbled, walking out of the room. She didn’t need his unnerving looks or time spent chitchatting about who knew what, and there was no telling how long Aunt Aggie would be “indisposed,” whatever that meant.
    If only her aunt would get a move on so she wouldn’t be alone with him. Turning back to make sure he wasn’t following her, she nearly ran into him. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.
    “I’ll be more comfortable in the kitchen,” he answered with a heart-tripping grin.
    “Well, I won’t,” she said and continued on her way through the hallway.
    With no way to stop him from following, she walked into the kitchen where the table was loaded with paraphernalia for pie baking.
    He turned her around, brushing at her face with one finger, his touch featherlight, without even a glance at the table. “Did you know you have flour on your face?” he asked in a slow, lazy voice.
    It took her a moment to start breathing again and actually form a reply. “As you can see, I’m baking pies and in case you didn’t know, flour tends to get everywhere.”
    Aggie’s voice rang out in the hallway, causing them both to jump back. “Did you say Dusty was here?”
    “I’m in the kitchen with Kate,” he called out, his gaze never leaving hers.
    To Kate’s relief, Aggie walked into the room. “Good, I need to talk to you before you leave, Dusty.”
    The look he gave Kate before turning to answer nearly melted Kate on the spot. “Ask away, Miss Aggie.”
    “Well, now,” she began, a broad smile on her face as she looked from Dusty to Kate, “I meant to ask you before you ran off after harvest—”
    “I didn’t run off,” he protested.
    Aggie waved a dismissive hand. “Whatever. The thing is we could still use some help around here.”
    After a quick glance at Kate, he nodded. “That’s one of the reasons I stopped by. I was going to ask you if you needed some help.”
    “We can do it ourselves,” Kate said, jumping in to save her sanity. Weren’t things bad enough already without him around every day again? He confused her. And she didn’t like it. She didn’t like the way he had her thinking of things she had never wanted.
    Aggie sat at the table, pushing aside a pie pan containing the dough for one of the light, fluffy-crusted pies. “Kate is a little on the stubborn side, I’m afraid.” She gave Dusty an apologetic smile, and Kate nearly groaned aloud. “She’s had a difficult week, with the