Unexpected Hero (Buttermilk Valley Book 1) Read online

  Sometimes he thought it was all a dream, to deliberate doing more, leaving. To think there was more outside of the ranch was a risk. He’d built a safety net here and he could think of far worse places to be. So he guessed he should consider himself lucky that he had landed here at the bleakest time of his life.

  Ben considered himself a likeable guy. He was kind, gentle, and honest—Laura told him he was a perfect gentleman. What would she think of him now if she could see him?

  She’d probably tell him that he’d never find a suitable woman and have a family while he was working another man’s land. He chuckled. Although he wasn’t in any hurry to leave Nirvana, there were long, cold nights that he longed for someone to hold. Someone to make love with.

  He got up from the bed and walked to the window, staring out but seeing nothing. He loved sex, and despite the belief that he shouldn’t have any problems in that area, he didn’t have sex very often. Working on the ranch wasn’t what some people thought. They weren’t gigolos, or cowboys for hire. They did want to make the guests happy, just like the staff at a hotel. In fact, there weren’t many women who visited the ranch that he found himself attracted to. A lot of the heartbreaks were divorced socialites who just wanted to get away and be left alone for a while. He wasn’t in their league—rich or refined enough for their tastes. They lived in a different world than him.

  How did this newest heartbreak, Cara, fit with the rest?

  Something he saw in Cara’s eyes told him she’d suffered more than he could understand. She carried a lot of sadness and her eyes were a window into her grief.

  He could offer her friendship.

  He went to his closet, grabbed the first shirt he came to and dragged it on. He could use a beer.