Cowboys & Angels Read Free

beginning. Are you busy tonight?”
    She scrambled to get her bearings. Trey Wheeler was a fast mover. She should have anticipated such an invitation, but she hadn’t. “Sorry, but I make it a policy not to date resort guests.” She smiled to take the sting out of the rejection.
    “I get that, but this isn’t a date. It’s a thank-you dinner for saving my life. That’s significantly more important than a date.”
    “So you’ll take me to dinner and consider your obligation to me fully satisfied?”
    He grinned. “I didn’t say that.”
    Her heartbeat ratcheted up another notch. He had a killer smile going on, and he was employing it to maximum effect. He seemed determined to charm her, and he was accomplishing his goal.
    But she followed her personal rule about not dating guests for many reasons. All sorts of complications could arise, including getting fired for unprofessional conduct. Every resort she’d worked for had agreed it was a good policy, although some were more relaxed about the issue than others.
    And even if she didn’t have a strict policy against dating guests, she’d be wary of dating this one. Catching a guy on the rebound wasn’t her idea of fun. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Trey, but dinner isn’t a good idea. I understand that you want to thank me in some way, but anyone would have done the same under similar circumstances. Your gratitude is very sweet, but you don’t owe me for doing the right thing.”
    “I think I do, but if dinner won’t work, I’ll come up with something else.”
    “No, really. That’s unnecessary. Knowing that you’re all recovered is enough of a reward for me.”
    His brown gaze was warm as it swept over her. “I admire your modesty, but this is important to me, and I’m not the kind of man to just let it go. You’ll be hearing from me. See you later, Elle.” He touched the brim of his hat and walked out of the shop.
    She stared after him, her pulse hopping around like a Mexican jumping bean.
    “You should have accepted his invitation to dinner,” Samantha said.
    Elle turned. “You know I don’t believe in getting cozy with a guest.”
    “Yeah, but he has a point about the special circumstances. Besides, not many guests look like him. He’s one hot cowboy. I say he’s worthy of a little rule-bending.”
    “Let’s think about this for a minute, Sam. He’s not simply a guest. He works at a ranch in the area, which means he won’t be completely gone come Tuesday afternoon.”
    “Even better! Then he’ll stop being the kind of conflict of interest that bothers you so much.”
    “No, but...” Elle felt ridiculous putting her reservations about Trey into words. She’d sound paranoid, or at least presumptuous. She didn’t know him at all, so she couldn’t predict how he’d behave in a relationship.
    Yet she’d heard his heartbroken plea to Cassie, obviously his former lover. Cassie might be old news by now, but Trey didn’t strike her as the type who’d be fine with dating a woman who spent half the year in Argentina. He seemed too intense for a casual affair.
    Casual affairs were all she allowed herself because she had such a great life following the snow. She didn’t want to tie herself down to one place or one man. Not yet, anyway.
    Maybe in a few years she’d grow tired of the traveling. At that point, someone like Trey would be a possibility. But he wasn’t right for her now, no matter how fast her heart beat when he was near.
    Samantha frowned in obvious disapproval. “I know what it means when you tighten your jaw. You’re going to reject this yummy man’s advances, aren’t you?”
    Elle consciously relaxed her jaw and smiled at Sam. “Yep. But you’re welcome to him, if he appeals to you that much.”
    “Oh, he does, but I don’t stand a chance. He only has eyes for you.”
    “That’s silly.”
    “No, it’s incredibly romantic. Did you hear what he said? He recognized your voice. That means he carried the