“Sure. Front desk is right through here.” He shot Amanda a friendly wink as he opened the manual side of the entrance for her. As she stepped into the comfort of the rustic lobby, the momentary warmth she’d felt from her pleasant interaction with Matthew and Eli dropped to her knees. Sam Pleasant was standing there, leaning against the front desk. Amanda felt herself swallow as she took in the sight of him. How did a man look so good in jeans, a flannel shirt and wool lined canvas jacket? The cowboy hat dangling from his fingers didn’t help one bit and neither did the small dog sniffing around at his feet.

He’d been working on a serious five o’clock shadow when she’d run into him earlier in the week. She’d been too upset to process it as something she should add to her Late Night Alone Time files, but now that five o’clock shadow was showing the beginnings of a very nice beard.

Amanda didn’t deserve this sort of torture. She had two seconds to figure out how she was going to handle it.

“Hey,” Sam said with a bright smile as Amanda crossed the recently polished stone floor.

“Hey. You didn’t have to meet me here,” she replied, her voice sounding less than calm and cool.

“Of course I did. You’re my guest.” He stepped closer so they were only a few feet apart, but Amanda could tell he was stopping himself from moving any closer, or even hugging her. She’d drawn her boundaries and he was respecting them, but why did she suddenly regret drawing those lines in the sand? “Good to see you.”

“Same,” Amanda said, and smiled back at him before she turned to the young Black man behind the desk. His name tag said TANNER. “Hi.”

“Welcome to Big Rock Ranch, Miss McQueen. We have suite twenty-four all ready for you.”

“Oh no, Sam. I don’t need a suite—”

“It’s fine,” he replied, waving her off.

“We had a last-minute cancellation,” Tanner added.

“The Hummingbird cabin popped up, but I figured you didn’t want to be out there alone so you’re in the suite. You just spread out in that huge bed.”

“I guess it won’t be all bad,” Amanda admitted as she took the keycard from Tanner’s outstretched hand.

“You want me to walk down there with you?”

“Ah, sure.”

“Tanner, I’m gonna leave Poppy here a minute,” he said as he nodded to the small sandy brown dog with a black muzzle sniffing at her sneakers.

“No!” Amanda bit her lips like she could take her sudden and unexpected enthusiasm back. “You—you can bring her.” She glanced at Tanner for final approval.