Why hadn’t she just listened to the advice Morgan gave her? Instead, she blew it off like none of it was important, and now it might be coming back to bite her in the ass.
“My brother Morgan had no business making any changes to anything I gave to you. I’m the only one who knows what places will be safe enough for you without supervision. Yes, you might be an award-winning photographer. However, none of those pictures came off my ranch. So, unless you stay where I tell you, I will ask you not to come back here. Do we understand each other, Ms. Mathis?” he asked in a low, controlled voice.
Akayie opened her mouth to argue, but quickly closed it. She couldn’t piss off Rowan anymore. For the past two days, he allowed her to take pictures of Braden Ranch to include in her gallery showing before starting on the calendar. He was right. She shouldn’t have gone against the rules he set for her. Morgan had been wrong to tell her to use this spot to get some extra scenery shots. She knew now to stay within the list Rowan set for her, because she didn’t want to go through another lecture from him.
Deciding to take the high road, she nodded at Rowan. “I understand you loud and clear, Mr. Braden. I’ll make sure not to break any more of your well-placed rules. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still have a full day of taking pictures before I head back to my hotel.”
Akayie brushed past Rowan, hoping that she was done with him for the rest of the day. He wasn’t as friendly as Morgan. Nothing about the man behind her seemed personable or easygoing. So, she would make sure if she saw him that she would turn and go the other way.
“Ms. Mathis,” Rowan called out behind her before she moved completely away from him.
Cursing underneath her breath, Akayie spun back around. “Yes, sir?”
“I will be watching you. Remember, if you want to make any changes to the list I’ve given you, ask only me. Not Morgan, Lucas, or lastly Tanner. I’ve the first and final say when it comes to anything on this property.”
Sighing, Akayie placed her hands on her hips and continued looking Rowan in the eye. She truly wanted to tell him where he could go, but she wanted to see this project through until the end. Sadly, it meant she would have to deal with the arrogant man in front of her until she fulfilled their contract.
“I know you will be. I’ll try my best to make sure to stay out of your way as much as possible.” Pivoting, she stormed away, wondering if had she made the right decision after all.
* * * *
Standing on the grass with the hot, Texas sun beaming down on his body, Rowan pulled his Stetson over his forehead, watching as the strong-willed Akayie stormed away from him. He remembered the way her chocolate brown eyes had narrowed at him. She had been a step away from telling him to sit in Hell with the devil before she swallowed it back down.
The pretty photographer hated listening to him, but she needed to realize he wasn’t like his brothers. He didn’t allow anyone who worked for him, including her, to break the rules. He knew that his comments had gotten underneath her skin, but he truly wasn’t concerned about it.
Ms. Mathis needed to know he set guidelines for the ranch. They were to be followed to the letter, even by a temporary employee like her. He wouldn’t have known she’d made her way out this far if a group of his men weren’t standing around staring at her. Most of his men spent their days working hard for him, so the addition of an attractive diversion would have their eyes wandering in her direction.
He knew they had better get themselves under control and ignore her, or some of them might be out of work before she left. Ms. Mathis was here to do a job for a month and then she would be on a plane back home. He liked order in his life, and in the short time she’d been on his property, Akayie was pushing it to the limits.
Why didn’t I just tell Morgan no and stick to it?
He wasn’t stupid. Of course, Akayie was a distraction for him. She was a beautiful woman and any man would be crazy not be attracted to her.
Rowan was also pretty sure that he and his brothers could have found another way to get Dante to forgive them for their past instead of inviting a stranger to take over most of his land.
For a tiny second, he wondered if had he been too harsh with her. She actually wouldn’t have been in any danger with all of his men around. No, he should have confronted her about not listening to him. Rowan hoped that Ms. Mathis knew how to listen, however; only time would tell with her.
Turning on his heel, Rowan walked towards the stables at the far side of the ranch. He was halfway past the corral when he spotted Lucas coming towards him from the other side of the property. Surprised, he stopped in his tracks and waited for his brother. Lucas never came to the ranch during the middle of the week, so something important must be on his mind for him to show up like this.
“What are you doing here?” he asked once Lucas was close enough. “I thought you would back at work. Don’t you have a big case coming up in a few weeks?”
“Well, nice to see you too. Can’t I just stop by and check in on my big brother?” Lucas asked, stopping in front of him.
Rowan relaxed a little. He was already at odds with Morgan over Akayie. He wasn’t in the mood to get into a fight over nothing with Lucas. Why did everything always get turned around and made his fault? Couldn’t anyone else stand up and admit maybe it was something they had done?
“Of course you can. I’ve just had a hectic day. I wasn’t trying to take it out on you. So, why did you come to see me?”
“I was headed to lunch when I decided to see how you were handling our new visitor. I know how you aren’t fond of strangers on our land. Is everything going okay between the two of you? Have you tried to keep your rules down to a minimum?”
Rowan’s dark eyebrows slanted into a frown. “I’ve worked too hard to get everything the way I want it. She hasn’t been here a week and already my men are unable to do their jobs. All they want to do is stop and watch her anytime she is close to them. I don’t have time for them to be goofing off,” he replied.
“Don’t you think you could be overreacting just a little?” Lucas questioned. “I’ve talked with Morgan and I agree with him. Akayie does seem like a pretty nice woman. I thought while I was here I might talk to her and see how things are going. But, I haven’t seen her around.”
He groaned. He was trying his hardest not to get into a disagreement with his brother. They had been having problems with each over the past several months, but they worked through them. He didn’t want to hear how badly he was treating the photographer. Honestly, he hadn’t said much to her today until a few minutes ago and he wasn’t about to apologize for being who he was.
“No, I wasn’t overreacting, Lucas. Before we decided to hire Ms. Mathis, she knew I was going to set ground rules, and she decided not to follow them. So, I advised her if she did it again that she would be out of a job. I couldn’t have made it any clearer to her. I believe we both have a better understanding of each other now.”
Lucas’ eyebrows shot up. “Shit, are you telling me you fired her? Why would you do that without talking to the rest of about this? We decided together to hire her for this project. When are you going to learn not to say the first thing that comes into your head? I need to call…”
“Will you stop and let me finish?” Rowan snapped, cutting off his brother. “No, she hasn’t been fired. Ms. Mathis is still working for us; however, I did put her on notice. She knows where the boundaries are now and will think twice before crossing them again.”
“Thank God your attitude didn’t ruin things for the rest of us. But, Rowan, one day your ‘speak now and think later’ way of being is going to hurt you,” Lucas commented in a controlled voice. “I just hope it doesn’t cost you something important.”
Rowan shrugged. “I guess I’ll worry about that time when it comes. Besides, the way I’ve been living has worked pretty well for me so far. Now, if you want to speak with Ms. Mathis she should be on the south side of the property. I need to head to the stables and speak with so
me of my men. I want to see how the foal I bought last month is coming along.”
Without waiting for a reply, he brushed past his brother and continued in the direction he was going before saw Lucas coming towards him.
Chapter Two
Walking towards a part of the Braden Ranch property she had permission to take pictures of, Akayie fought down the sudden urge to turn around and give Mr. Rowan Braden a piece of her mind. She didn’t understand why Rowan set limitations on her craft. If the Braden Brothers wanted quality pictures, then Morgan or one of the other brothers should have volunteered to be the person who dealt with her.
Rowan was rude, harsh, and wouldn’t know how to crack a smile if someone paid him to do it. He had to be one of the unfriendliest clients she had ever dealt with in her seven-year career. Even the male fitness model who wanted a wall full of his own pictures wasn’t as unbending as the man she just walked away from.
Rowan Braden was in a class all by himself.
All she was asking for was an inch, but he came across like she wanted a whole damn mile, which wasn’t true. Akayie wondered why Rowan even agreed to her being here. He made her believe he hated seeing her anywhere on Braden Ranch. Maybe she should rethink her reasons for doing this. She wouldn’t stay anywhere she wasn’t wanted and, without a doubt, Rowan “the asshole” Braden didn’t want her walking around his precious property.
As she continued towards the next location she was allowed to take pictures of, according to Rowan’s rules, Akayie paused when she noticed a man riding a beautiful chestnut stallion straight for her. For split second she thought about turning back around and going off in the opposite direction, but quickly banished the idea. She wasn’t a coward, so she waited and watched as the rider got closer to her.
God, did Rowan actually send one of his men to check up on her after their fight? If that was really true, she was done dealing with his shit. She didn’t have to take this kind of attitude from him or anyone else.
The man stopped the stallion a few feet in front of her. Leaning over the saddle, he pushed his creamy white Stetson off his forehead and smiled down at her. A pair of compelling, magnetic light gray eyes stared down into hers.
“Hello, Ms. Mathis,” Lucas Braden said. “How are things going for you this morning? Are you getting all the pictures you wanted before you start on the calendar?”
Akayie stared up at Rowan’s baby brother, who was about four years younger than Morgan. She’d met Lucas at the airport when he tagged along with Morgan to pick her up. Seeing both of them standing side by side literally stopped her in her tracks. They looked like brothers, but the slight difference in their looks stood out to her.
Morgan’s powerful stance had emphasized the force of his thighs and the slimness of his hips. His well-muscled body moved with an easy grace, like he was comfortable in his skin and didn’t have a problem with showing off who he was. Yet, there were touches of humor around the corner of his eyes with the tiny lines there, like he smiled more than he frowned. One lock of his sandy brown hair had fallen across his forehead when he had taken off his cowboy hat. However, Morgan’s best feature in her photographer’s eye was his bright, clear, and direct blue eyes. He couldn’t hide anything behind those beautiful babies.
Lucas was the total opposite of his two older brothers with coal black hair cut close to his head, giving him more a ruggedly handsome look that women who bought the calendar were going to fall in love with. Hell, she prayed that she kept her mouth shut long enough to get everything she needed finished and not confess to both men how gorgeous she thought they were.
Hopefully she could work quickly, and Rowan would forget about her so she could get this job done early and be on a flight out of here. Akayie brought herself back from her inner thoughts to answer Lucas’ question.
“Honestly, Mr. Braden, I’ve had better days,” she admitted. “I did think about going back to the hotel and calling it a day.”
“Lucas,” he instantly corrected. “Does your bad day have anything to do with my big brother, and I’m not talking about Morgan.”
Akayie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “How did you know?” she questioned.
Laughing, Lucas sat back in his saddle. “I’m not surprised,” he said. “Rowan has a hard time accepting change. He loves for everything to stay in its place and for the work days at the ranch to stick to a strict schedule.”
Great!
Why hadn’t she checked everything out about this job better before she purchased the building where her studio was located? It hadn’t been a smart move on her part to buy it so fast, but the location was amazing, and she hadn’t wanted to lose it. She hated that Rowan Braden’s large check was the only way to pay for it. She had other clients, but they were smaller jobs and none of them added up to what he was paying her. Maybe she could have asked her parents for help. Yeah, they might give her a lecture about dropping out of college to pursue this dream, but they’d write her a check and everything would go back to normal.
“Should I just pack up and leave?” she asked. “I haven’t started taking pictures of the guys for the calendar yet. I’m going to be honest. In the past few days that I’ve been here, Rowan hasn’t been the easiest man to be around. He acts like I’m trying to distract his men on purpose. All I have been doing is taking some shots of the scenery. Braden Ranch is breathtaking and, if I remember correctly, part of my agreement was that I was allowed to get some extras shots to display in my studio. I think it will be an excellent promotional tool for the calendars.”
“No, stay,” he quickly answered. “Rowan’s bark is worse than his bite, but he will move onto something else more important concerning the ranch and leave you alone. He has a tendency to worry over small things too much. He may not act like it, but he does want you to finish the calendar. Rowan has been living by his own rules for a very long time. He’s a loner by nature. He doesn’t think he has to answer to anyone but himself.”
“Doesn’t he understand life isn’t like what he’s trying to make it out to be?”
“Of course he does. But, Rowan doesn’t like repeating himself or dealing with anyone who doesn’t do what he tells them to do the very first time,” Lucas told her.
Akayie wasn’t quite sure if she agreed with what Lucas was trying to sell her. He and Morgan talked about their brother like he was this misunderstood, anti-social man, but she believed there was more to his story. There was absolutely nothing solitary about Rowan.
In the short period of time he was around her, she figured out Rowan got a lot of pleasure from being in control and telling her exactly what to do. She noticed how his eyes lit up when he noticed how angry he made her with his stupid rules concerning his precious ranch. It was almost like Rowan was purposely pulling her strings to stir up a fight between them, so she would quit and he wouldn’t have to fire her.
“How can I do that when he’s blocking me at every turn?” Akayie questioned. “He knew the places he assigned me aren’t as breathtaking as candid shots of the stables and the surrounding area. If he will just give me a little room, we can work with each other instead of against each other while I’m here.”
Lucas continued watching her with a steady gaze, without saying a word. She wondered if he was in agreement with Morgan or Rowan. All she did know was that the barriers Rowan was putting up around her were killing her creative style. She honestly didn’t know how much longer she would be able to handle it, or him.
“I wish I could tell you things might get better, but I can’t,” he sighed. “Rowan likes to have things his way and seldom changes his mind once it’s made up. But, I will try to get him to ease up a little on you. I’ll be at the office on and off the rest of the week, but I’ll see about talking to him again tomorrow before I head back into town.”
“Wait a minute. I forgot that you’re a lawyer,” Akayie said.
“Yes, ma’am. I am. I made partner almost two months ago. Most of my time is spent dealing with clients and workin
g on upcoming cases. Truthfully, I’m only able to make it out to the ranch once or twice a month. Braden Ranch is one hundred percent Rowan’s heart and soul. So, he’s a little protective of everything on it. He has worked very hard to get where he is today, and I don’t blame him for wanting to keep everything in order. I’m sure Morgan has already told you this.”
She nodded. “Yes, he did. However, I never thought your brother would be this difficult and I have dealt with extremely demanding clients in my past. I’m not here to stop or hurt how he runs the everyday schedule of his ranch workers doing their jobs. Doesn’t he understand that I have a job to do as well? He hired me to be here for an entire month and I’m only a few days into getting it done. How does he expect me to handle the rest of the month if he keeps making everything so complicated?”
“Alright, I hear you,” Lucas laughed, catching her off guard.
“Why are you laughing?” Akayie frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“I love how Rowan has the ability not only to get under our skin, but yours as well, and you’re a stranger. He has more gifts than we give him credit for.”
Akayie wanted to disagree, but she couldn’t. Rowan was working hard to get on her last nerve, but she wasn’t about to tell Lucas. No matter how much he talked about Rowan’s flaws, they were still family and would stick by each other. Blood was thicker than water, especially when it came to men protecting their families.
“I will try my best to be the bigger person and overlook his less-than-friendly attitude towards me. I really want to do a good job since it's for a good cause. I think women will be lining up to hang the handsome Braden Brothers and the other attractive men here on their walls.”
Smiling at her, Lucas leaned back in his saddle. “Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad you find me attractive. You’re very pretty yourself. I will see what I can do to make Rowan more approachable and back off some.”
Akayie didn’t believe Lucas or Morgan had the ability to get through to Rowan, but she would let him try because she never quit a job. She sure didn’t want Rowan Braden to be the client to make a mark on her perfect record.
Rowan Page 2