Page 14 of The Rancher's Code

Cole wasstraight.It was painfully obvious. There was also the fact that I’d heard Amber mention Cole’s ex-wife in passing, a detail she hadn’t dwelled on because it didn’t matter too much anymore. Apparently, they hadn’t had any kids together, and she’d never been super close to the family.

I returned my attention to the window, not wanting to delude myself with any more thoughts of Cole?—

Oh.

It was raining.

And it was raininghard.

Cole pulled up to a remote cabin on what felt like the edge of the property line. He hastily got out of the truck, pulling open my door before motioning for me to rush inside. Once we were both in, I took a moment to look around the place, noting how small it really was.

Well, small for the Stratton Ranch, anyway.

It was a one-bedroom cabin, complete with a fireplace, a bachelor’s kitchen, and not much else. There were some supplies stacked up in the corner and a few books scattered here and there, but besides that, there wasn’t much else to the place.

“Was this place built just to hang out and stargaze from the front porch?” I asked, still looking around. “I’m not used to the cabins out here being so… rustic.”

Cole laughed. “No. We might be rich, but we’re still practical. This is a resting place for the ranch hands. There are a few of these places all around the property. You don’t want people suffering with no way to get inside anywhere. Especially if they’re all the way out here.”

Cole nodded towards one of the windows. “There’s also the matter of storms taking people by surprise. We’d be stuck out in the car if it weren’t for this place.”

“Stuck?” I pressed. “Are you saying we can’t go back to the main area? Because of the storm?”

“With the way that rain is coming down…” Cole paused. “We could try but I don’t think it’d be worth it. Might as well stay put until it’s safe to go back.”

“Shit.” I groaned. “Welp, it’s a good thing I already had dinner.”

I watchedas Cole put another log into the fireplace, the room feeling so much warmer for it.

I didn’t remember it being that cold outside, but maybe the storm had brought the temperature down. I felt myself shivering in my rain-soaked shirt but couldn’t think of any other options. It wasn’t like I’d brought backup clothes to the cabin, and there was no way in hell that I was going to strip down in front of Cole. I was already feeling way too weird and vulnerable around him, I didn’t need to somehow up the ante even further.

There was also the fact that one of us was attracted to the other…

And the other just wasn’t.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting my mind drift away from thoughts of Cole, back towards wedding planning, my life in the city, literally anything that wasn’t being stranded in this cabin with the cutest cowboy ever.

A few seconds later I felt Cole take a seat beside me on the floor. I looked over and noticed that he was shirtless?—

Shirtless?

I blinked a couple of times, wanting to make sure that I wasn’t seeing things. “Uh, Cole?”

“Yeah?”

“Where’s your shirt?”

“It’s wet. I’m letting it dry a little closer to the fire.” He pointed towards his shirt in front of us. “You might want to do the same. I can see how bad you’re shivering from here.”

“Uh…” It felt like my brain was short-circuiting as I took in every bit of his bare chest. Cole was just as hot as I’d expected him to be, his muscles toned by working on the farm, his shoulders broad and perfect. It was like he was built by and for the outdoors, the perfect image of a cowboy, even down to the way he carried himself, all rugged and wise.

“You okay, Dylan?”

“Uh…” I heard myself repeat the phrase, truly unable to think of anything else to say. Not wanting to come off as a total space case, I quickly pulled my shirt off and threw it down next to Cole’s. I then crossed my arms across myself, hiding the majority of my body, not interested in anything Cole had to say about it.

Wait.

Why the hell would Cole have anything to say about my body?

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