Page 15 of Seasoned with Love (Prosperity Ranch 4)

ROMAN’S FAVORITE TIME OF THE day was right before the sun came up. With the horizon brightening from a deep violet to a pale gray, the fields surrounding the ranch house were like a vast sea of white snow. It was too cold to stand on the back deck, so he settled for perching on a bar stool at the kitchen counter. Pretty much the same place he’d sat last night when talking to Cara Prosper.

He couldn’t explain why he’d been happy to learn she was single. It wasn’t like he was going to do anything about it. He wasn’t interested in dating—a point he’d repeated to Stacy more than once.

Speaking of Stacy . . . last night hadn’t gone so well. He’d told her that he wanted to keep things as they were. As friends. He didn’t want to get back together.

Stacy had started crying.

Complaining that they hadn’t even gone on a real date with just the two of them.

They never had any privacy.

So . . . how could he know he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her?

He didn’t have a good answer for that—except to fall back on Mia. His daughter was his sole focus now. Aside from his career, she had to be his first priority, not a girlfriend who’d just take more and more of his precious free time. Besides, she was so opposite of Liz that Roman wasn’t sure he was going in the right direction anyway. Liz had been a natural mother. Nurturing and devoted to Mia. Not necessarily to him, but to Mia, she’d been perfect.

Stacy wasn’t right for him, that he knew. And he wasn’t right for her—couldn’t she see that? They’d had an attraction, an interest, and it had led to flirting and a few kisses. Nothing beyond that. He’d cut it off before things could escalate. With a sigh, he wondered if he’d let things go too far anyway.

The sky outside was starting to pink as the rising sun neared the top of the horizon. He focused on the changing colors, which always sent a wave of peace through him. The minutes ticked by, and there it was. Gold spilled over the horizon, reaching across the wide expanse of light, making the snow glitter.

His first thought was of his daughter. Mia would love the glittery landscape, but she was snug in her bed for another couple of hours.

He gazed at the view a few more minutes, then rose to start the coffee maker. It had become his thing. Lila would be up and about soon enough, and he liked to do this one small favor for her. Lila made breakfast for the actors staying in the bunk house anyway, before she made her way to the main ranch house.

The sound of a deep rumble gave him pause. Was it thunder? The Wyoming sky had been an icy blue, without any hint of the storm from the night before. He abandoned the coffee maker and walked into the front room. The rumbling turned to a high-pitched beeping sound. A delivery truck was backing up to his garage.

Roman stared. What was the delivery, and why was it here at six forty-five in the morning? He made it to the front door just as the delivery guy hustled up the front steps.

“Oh, hello,” the driver said. He was rail thin and looked to be in his early twenties.

“You Cara Prosper?”

“Do I look like Cara Prosper?” Roman said, not sure if this was funny or annoying. He exhaled. “What’s in the truck?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the driver said. “I’m just the delivery guy. A bunch of boxes of stuff.”

Roman hesitated. Should he find Cara or let the delivery guy unload without any more information?

“Oh, here I am,” a woman’s voice said behind him. “Sorry about that. I overslept.”

Roman turned to see Cara, who’d apparently just tumbled out of bed. She wore slippers, cat-print leggings, and an oversized sleep shirt. Her blonde hair resembled a bird’s nest he’d once rescued at his childhood home.

She moved past him, her arms folded against the cold air seeping into the house.

Well, if she had just awakened, she must sleep on a cinnamon-scented pillow or something, because that was the scent he’d caught from her. Roman watched in fascination as she strode toward the delivery truck and climbed right inside. Even though it was easily twenty-something degrees outside, she moved among the boxes, opening them and inspecting the contents.

Roman grabbed a couple of jackets hanging by the door. He wasn’t even sure whose they were. He slipped on the larger one, then stepped out onto the porch, pulling the front door shut behind him.

He crossed the porch, then headed down the stairs in time to hear Cara tell the delivery guy, “The oranges need to be returned. Tell your grocer I’d like ripe ones. He can call me if he needs more explanation.”

Ah, so this must be all the food she’d ordered. Although he was still unclear as to why the delivery truck was here at the crack of dawn.

Cara spotted him and seemed to realize that he was outside in the bitter cold as well. “Did we wake you? Sorry about that.”

“I was awake.” He held out his hand toward her because she was about to jump down from the truck.

She hesitated a second, then grasped his hand. Hers was much colder than his. She hopped down, and they nearly bumped into each other.

“Here you go,” Roman said, releasing her hand and setting the jacket across her shoulders.

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