Taming His Heart

Laura is finally done with college and could really use a break. What she didn't expect was to find herself spending a summer on a ranch in the middle of rural Idaho, but it's exactly what she needs.

Justin has worked at Cottonwood Ranch for years, and loves his job. And up until he meets Laura at Cottonwood Manor, he's perfectly happy putting every waking moment into the ranch.

The spark between them is undeniable, but the fact that Laura is only there for a few months hangs over their heads. Will she convince Justin that there is more to life than work, or will she go back to the world she's willing to leave behind?

Laura slammed the trunk to her car and stared at the large house in front of her. The advertisements had promised a chance to get away from it all while still being pampered in a four-star hotel. She wasn’t sure the four-star part would describe this place, but it was definitely away from everything. She couldn’t see any civilization for miles except for a
ranch she’d passed a few miles back.

“You’re sure this is it?” Her best
friend Mandy slid her sunglasses up on the top of her head.

“Do you see any other mansions around here?” Laura grabbed her luggage and hefted it up the steps. “Come on. You said you wanted to get away from the city. Here we are.”

Mandy sighed and followed behind her. “Yes, but some civilization would be nice.”

Laura laughed and opened the door. School had been rough that semester and even with graduation done, she still needed a way to unwind. Cottonwood Creek Inn
seemed to be the perfect place to go. Three months of getting away from it all, and then she’d be ready to take over the world.

Inside, the hallway opened up into a
large lobby. Rooms off to the sides were busy with activity, and the smells coming from the kitchen had Laura’s stomach growling. A woman stood at the registration table and smiled when Laura approached.

“Hello, and welcome to Cottonwood Creek Inn. Do you have a reservation?” The woman glanced between Laura and Mandy. 

“Yes, we have a room. It’s under Laura Owens. It should be two queens.” Laura pulled her wallet out of her purse and found the credit card she’d used for the reservation.

The woman typed a few things into the computer and then grabbed keys off a hook on the wall. “You’ll be upstairs to the left. Do you need help with your luggage?”

“We’re fine.” Laura took the keys and
headed for the stairs. They reminded her of a fairy tale with the wood railing and wide steps. She set her bag down to unlock the room and opened the door. Her breath caught as she looked inside. Two beds were nestled into a room with a vaulted ceiling. The decorations were simple and tasteful. It was as if she’d
stepped back to the early twentieth century. “Wow.”

“No kidding.” Mandy set her bag next
to one of the beds and flopped onto it. “Oh man. I’m never getting up again.”

Laura dropped onto the other bed and groaned. “I’m not either. Where did they find beds this comfortable?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t care. I’m
not leaving this one.” Mandy rolled over and yawned. “We didn’t have anywhere to be today, right?”

Laura checked her phone. “Nope. Today is just relaxing. Tomorrow we were going to check out the town and maybe that ranch down the road. We’ll decide from there what we do for the rest of the summer.”

“I say we order room service and just
stay right here for the rest of the night.” Mandy kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes.

“As much as I want to sleep, I’m dying to see what the rest of this place looks like.” Laura stood back up and went to the door. “Are you coming?”

Mandy faked a snore and shoved a
pillow on her head. Laura laughed and made sure she had the keys before leaving the room. She’d been surprised that they had actual keys instead of the key cards like most hotels, but after seeing the decor in her room, it made sense. They’d obviously tried to stick with an old-fashioned theme and these large
keys were just perfect. She slipped hers into her pocket and went downstairs.

“Oh, hey, is your room to your
liking?” the woman at the counter asked.

“It’s perfect. I just wanted to
explore.” Laura took a few pamphlets that sat near the desk to look through later. “Are there any good trails out there?”

“There are paths you can take through the gardens, or you can take a horse up into the mountains behind us. I usually take a few groups up there every day. I recommend taking a walk through our property first, though. We have a maze and gardens. My favorite place is the
small fairy garden in the back.”

Laura’s eyebrows rose. “A fairy
garden? That’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to see one. Maybe I’ll go there first. And then if we want to go on a horse ride later?”

“Then you’ll head down to my family’s ranch and we’ll set you up there.” The woman stuck her hand out. “I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Rachel.”

“Laura. It’s nice to meet you. A horse
ride sounds fun, but for now I think I’m going to go check out the gardens.” 

“It’s just out those doors. Head down
the path and take a right just before the maze. You’ll see the small fence
around it.”

Laura waved and went out the doors
that Rachel gestured to and stepped down onto a stone path. A rich aroma of flowers hung in the air. Others walked around the gardens, some laughing, while others sat on small stone benches and read their books. 

The garden that Rachel had mentioned had a cute little wrought iron fence around it with a small gate. She opened it and stepped inside. Small statues of fairies dotted the garden, giving it a magical feel. No wonder Rachel loved this place so much. It was as if everything else had disappeared as soon as she closed the gate.

A small fairy had tipped over near the
edge of the pathway, so Laura knelt down to fix it. The features of the face were delicate, and she had to set it down carefully so it wouldn’t break. 

“There you go. Hopefully you won’t tip over again.” 

“Oh, I won’t.” A voice sounded behind her, making Laura jump.

She stood and whipped around to find a man standing there with a grin on his face. His blue eyes danced, making Laura’s stomach do a somersault. This was definitely not what she was expecting to find in here.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize someone
else was in here.” Laura’s face burned. “I’ll leave.”

“No, you can stay. I was just
finishing up with the trimming. I must have knocked the fairy down with the
hose by mistake.” His sheepish grin only made Laura’s heart flutter faster.

Laura gestured toward the fairy,
trying to find words. “Well, it’s fixed. So, no worries, right?”

“I guess so.” He stood there, looking
almost as uncomfortable as Laura felt. “I guess I’d better go. I have more work to do.” 

“Uh, right. Okay.” Laura watched him
leave, wishing he’d stay, but she was too tongue tied to ask him.

The fairies all seemed to stare at
her, laughing at how awkward she’d been, so Laura decided she’d try the garden again later. It was time to check out the maze. The hedges were huge for just having the hotel open a year before, but it made the maze that much more fun. All of the exhaustion from the work she’d put into college seemed to fade away
as she walked through, trying to decide which way she should turn next. In the center, there were a few benches set in a circle for those who had made it that far. Laura dropped to the bench to rest and glanced up at the mountain that towered
above the maze. If that was the mountain Rachel was talking about, Laura definitely needed to check it out later. The view had to be pretty amazing from up there. For now, she’d keep her feet on the ground right there. She’d never ridden a horse, and after the embarrassment in the fairy garden, she couldn’t
handle anymore right then.

Footsteps sounded behind Laura. She turned to find the same guy standing there, holding a bucket of tools.

“We just keep running into each other, don’t we?” The guy laughed.

“Are you following me?” A flare of
anger ran through Laura. 

He held his hands up in surrender. Or
at least tried to. One hand was weighed down by the bucket. “I promise you I’m not. Besides, I was in the garden before you were. My job is to do repairs. And that bench you’re sitting on is wobbly. It needs to be reinforced.”

“Oh, you’re the grounds crew?” Of
course he was. Why else would have tools in his hands? Laura couldn’t help it. She moved her legs back and forth to see if it was really insecure. The bench moved under her. Yep, he was right.

“Yes, I’m one of a few. We all help
around the grounds when we’re not busy over at the ranch. Today is my turn.” He knelt down next to the bench.

Laura watched him work before she
realized she was staring. “I’ll let you work and continue on my walk. I should probably check in with my friend before she reports me as missing.” 

“Sounds good.” He grinned and went
back to work. Laura pretended not to watch how his bicep flexed as he twisted the wrench.

Okay, time to go. It took three tries
to find the exit before she finally found her way out of the center. She could have sworn she heard laughing behind her. It was a good thing it was just his turn helping out today. By tomorrow she could have her dignity back. She’d just have to make sure she avoided him the rest of the day. Except that right now she was lost. Left turn? No, that was a dead end. Right turn? Nope, same thing.
Maybe . . . no. Nothing was going to get her to go back and ask. Nothing. 

“Need help?” 

Laura closed her eyes. That was the
last voice she wanted to hear right then. She gritted her teeth and turned around. “No, I’m good. You can go back to your bench-fixing.”

“So, you don’t care that you missed
the turn two turns ago?” His eyes laughed while he tried to keep a straight face.

“No, I was . . . just memorizing all
the different ways you could go.” Even in her mind, that was a lame excuse. 

His eyebrows raised. “Uh-huh. And how is that working for you?”

“Great. I know which ways I can’t go
now.” She stomped back the other way before stopping. “Two turns?”