“Ms. Paulson, I—”
She jumped up with a gasp, her face pale. She swayed slightly and he jumped forward, afraid she was going to faint dead away. But she pulled herself together before he got there, firming her shoulders.
“Are you all right?” he asked gruffly. Of course, she’s not all right, you’ve been growling at her since she got here. No wonder she was jumpy.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming and didn’t hear you.”
He didn’t think that was all of it. She still looked a bit too pale for his liking and now that he was paying more attention to her, he could see the dark smudges under her green eyes. Her skin had a sallow tone to it, as though she’d been recently ill. Yet none of that detracted from how gorgeous she was.
How had he not noticed before?
Because you were too focused on the fact that she’s a woman. She stared at him, obviously waiting for him to say something. She clenched her hands together so tight her fingers were white. He should say something reassuring. He needed to channel some of Kent’s charm and put her at ease.
“You shouldn’t be daydreaming while you’re in a stranger’s house,” he found himself reprimanding her.
Smooth, Romeo.
“What?”
“You’re all alone with a strange man. I could have done anything to you and nobody would be able to hear you. You should be on your guard. You should have heard me the minute I walked into the room.”
She stared at him in shock then her gaze narrowed and her shoulders went back. Okay, maybe not as timid as he’d first thought. “Are you saying you plan to attack me?”
“Of course not. But not everyone is me.”
“Thank God for that,” she muttered.
Strangely, he found himself amused by her. But this was an important lesson he was imparting and he couldn’t let her think that he took it lightly.
“You’re a woman on your own, you must protect yourself. Next time, remain aware.”
“Perhaps next time, I’ll just wait outside.”
“Even better,” he said curtly. He saw the disbelief on her face. Knew she wanted to point out that he’d ordered her inside. But he’d spent enough time on this. It was time for her to be on her way then he’d need to sort this mess out.
Christ, what a headache.
“Ms. Paulson—”
“Charlie,” she interrupted.
“What?”
“My friends call me Charlie.”
“We’re not friends.”
She flinched. Kent was always telling him he was too blunt and abrasive. Maybe he was growing unused to dealing with the opposite sex. He guessed Eden didn’t count since she was his sister and used to him.
He was becoming an anti-social grouch. And he’d just hurt this little girl’s feelings.
Not a little girl. Woman.
Except he just couldn’t get that thought out of his head. And if the way she was looking at him now was any indication…well, those big eyes, filled with hurt and disillusionment, would be enough to make any self-respecting daddy take her into his arms and try to ease the hurt with cuddles and kisses.
She’s not a Little. She’s not yours. And she’s going to leave as soon as you can get this done.
“I know we’re not friends, I guess it’s just something people say. Not like I really have any friends to call me Charlie, so I suppose I should have said that everyone calls me Charlie.” By the time she stopped talking, she was bright red and her gaze was darting around the room as though searching for an escape.
She didn’t have any friends? How did someone so sweet and young not have a pile of friends?
“I can’t believe I just blurted all that out.” She ran her hand over her face and he noticed the way it trembled. Nerves?
Say something kind.
“I don’t like the name, Charlie.”
She blinked. Stared.
“I think Charlotte is a beautiful name, though.”
“Oh, well, thanks, I think.” She looked slightly confused, as though trying to work out whether to be insulted or complimented.
“Charlotte, I—”
“Boss man, can I speak to you?” a voice interrupted.
He let out a low noise of displeasure that had Charlotte taking a step back. Crap. He turned to Zeke. “What is it with everyone interrupting me? What is it? I’m busy.”
“Won’t take a minute of your time,” Zeke replied, not appearing the least bit intimidated by Clint’s bad mood. “It’s important.”
“Fine.” He turned back to Charlotte. “Stay here. Don’t move.”
“I really think that I should just—”
“Sit. Stay.”
He turned away before she could say anything more. But he was guessing she didn’t notice the huge mirror on the wall ahead of him. The one in which he saw her stick her tongue out at his back.
Hmm, definitely not as timid as he’d first thought.
* * *
Oh God, she was an idiot.
Why did she have to blurt out the fact that she didn’t have friends? What was she still doing here? She needed to leave. It was obvious that he’d been about to tell her to leave before he was interrupted. She should just leave first. Save him the hassle.
Except right now, her legs didn’t really feel up to carrying her anywhere. She sat back on the sofa. She’d just give herself a few minutes of rest. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that it had been a long time since she’d eaten that apple for breakfast. And considering she hadn’t had dinner last night; the apple had barely touched the sides of her stomach. In the past few weeks she knew she’d lost more weight and if she wasn’t careful, she was going to start looking gaunt.
Or pass out at a scary, intimidating cowboy’s feet.
Yeah, and wouldn’t that just add to this crappy day.
* * *
“What is it?” he snapped at Zeke.
“Need to show you something.”
“Couldn’t it wait until after I’ve dealt with Charlotte?”
Zeke’s eyebrow rose in surprise.
“What do you want?” The only reason he’d let the other man pull him away was because Zeke wasn’t the type to say something was important unless it was. But he didn’t want to leave Charlotte alone for long.
He didn’t think about why that might be.
“Come look at her car.”
He followed Zeke out to the beat-up Chevy, frowning as he studied it. The left-hand side mirror was taped on with black duct tape. It had a huge scratch down one door and a dent in the back fender.
“It’s a wreck.” And if she was his, there was no way in hell he’d ever let her drive it. That was for sure.
“Yeah, I know. It’s leaking radiator fluid. She wouldn’t get far before breaking down.”
Great. So now he had to arrange to have her car towed back into town. “I’ll call Dave and get him to come out. He can give her a ride back into town with him.” Dave was the local mechanic.
“That’s not the only reason I called you out here, boss man,” Zeke drawled. “Look inside.”
He let out a puff of impatience. But he peered in the front window. Interior seemed to be just as beaten up as the exterior. “What exactly am I looking for?” He moved to the back window then froze. “Ah, hell.”
“Yeah, figured you’d want to see that. Guessing there’s no need for Dave to get here quick?”
He sent the other man a look. “No.”
Zeke rubbed his chest. “Thank Christ for that. I’ve still got heartburn from Ellie’s breakfast; didn’t think I would be able to survive dinner as well.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just hope she can cook. Dinner will be a trial run.”
But even if she was a terrible cook, he knew he couldn’t just send her away. Not after seeing what was in her back seat.
“Want me to have a go at fixing her car?”
“Yeah, put all her luggage in the cabin we set up for the cook and then see what you can do with it.
” He doubted she had the money to pay Dave to fix it and he couldn’t let her drive the car as it was.
“You’re letting her stay in a cabin? On her own?” Doubt filled Zeke’s voice. “That a good idea?”
Probably not. “It’s the only place we have for her.”
“She could stay with you.”
His body stirred at the thought. No. Bad idea.
“You going to assign someone as her guardian?”
He should. But that might send her running and he couldn’t let her leave until he was sure she had somewhere to go.
“I don’t know. She’s only here a few weeks. If I tell her how everything works here…”
“She might freak and leave.” Zeke nodded. “I get it, boss man. You know we’ll go with whatever you decide.”
He turned away. Time to give Charlotte the good news. Well, hopefully she saw it that way. If she hadn’t been frightened off by him already.
“But just so you know,” Zeke added. “I’m happy to be her guardian.”
Like fucking hell he would.
3
She half-ran to keep up with the big cowboy as his long strides ate up the distance between the main house and wherever the hell they were going. She wasn’t sure where that was, because he’d strode into the house, found her in the mudroom instead of the living room where he’d left her, given her a disapproving look then told her to follow him.
She remembered his admonishment about letting down her guard when she was alone with a man. Maybe it would have been a good idea to ask him where they were going before they’d set off from the house, and her car.
“Um, Mr. Jensen? Where are we going?”
He stopped abruptly and she plowed right into his back. She stumbled backwards, falling heavily onto her bottom. For a moment she sat on the hard ground, trying to catch her breath and convince herself that hadn’t just happened. Tears filled her eyes. Damn, that hurt. Even worse than the physical pain was the embarrassment.
“Ah, darlin’, you all right?”
Instead of acting annoyed or impatient, he crouched down in front of her. Then to her surprise, he reached out and gently grasped hold of her chin, raising it. She tried to turn her face away, not wanting him to see the pain and humiliation that was no doubt stamped on her face.
“Look at me,” he commanded in a low voice. But unlike earlier, his tone was soft. Almost tender.
And that was worse. If he’d growled at her, she probably would have found the gumption to climb to her feet and tell him where to go. Maybe. Possibly. But this tenderness had her floundering. And she found herself having to blink back tears. One must have slipped free, because he reached out with his thumb and wiped it away. Her heart caught then skipped a beat. He held her firmly but gently and the look in his eyes…well, she could almost imagine he cared.
Even though she knew that was ridiculous.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “Always been a bit clumsy.”
“I think I should be the one apologizing,” he said dryly. “First I make you sprint to keep up with me and then I stop without warning and send you flying. And all without telling you where we’re going.” He sighed. “I’m afraid I’ve never been one to explain myself and I seem to get worse the older I get. I’m used to having my own way.”
She wasn’t quite sure why he was telling her all this, but she nodded.
“Um, I’d like to get up.” Before anyone else came along and saw them.
He tilted his head to the side. “You in any pain?”
Well, her ass now throbbed and she was pretty sure she’d have a nice bruise there, but she shook her head. “I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed. “You want to reconsider that answer? Because lying will get you into trouble, little girl.”
This time her heart completely stopped. Those words had the power to turn her to mush and she could feel her Little side taking over. She had to ruthlessly push her back. He couldn’t know what those words meant.
“What?”
“Around here, lying will get you a throbbing ass. And I’m not talking about the pain in your bottom you’re experiencing right now. I’m talking about the sort of burning butt you’ll get from a spanking.”
He couldn’t be for real. There was no way that had just come out of his mouth.
“What?”
It seemed he’d struck her speechless. Well, nearly. She stared at him, her green eyes sparkling with tears. Another one slipped over. Shit. He was in trouble, because right now he wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and kiss away all her pain.
Clint wasn’t certain why he’d just blurted all that out. He had fully intended to keep his daddy side on lockdown. But when she’d stared at him with those vulnerable eyes, he’d been unable to hold back. Her quiet admission that she was often clumsy had eaten away at his tough exterior. She needed a protector. Someone to watch out for her. A guardian.
But it can’t be you.
Fuck. She worked for him. He couldn’t be her guardian as well. And yet he didn’t like the idea of assigning someone else to that role.
What the fuck was he going to do?
And then there was the fact that after he explained everything, she might go tearing out of here like the hounds of hell were on her heels. He didn’t want rumors spreading about what the people on Sanctuary Ranch got up to. Not that he was concerned about gossip, but the women on the ranch often liked to go into town and he wouldn’t have them hurt.
Hiring a cook from the agency had been a risk to everyone’s privacy. But it was only for a few weeks and everyone knew to watch what they said or did around strangers who visited the ranch. Not that it happened a lot.
But this stranger happened to be a woman. Which made a big difference to how she was treated.
He needed to tread carefully. He ran his thumb over Charlotte’s cheek. Damn, she had smooth skin. He felt his body stir. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d reacted to a female like this. And in such a short space of time. He barely even knew her.
“You might want to close that mouth, darlin’ before you start catching flies.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”
He stiffened. Her voice was higher-pitched. Younger sounding. Or was he imagining things? Fuck. He didn’t know anymore. He was so out of practice.
Not that he’d ever tell Kent that. Bastard already thought he knew everything. He’d become insufferable if Clint ever told him he was right. As his older brother, it was Clint’s job to keep Kent’s ego to a manageable size.
“Are you saying you’d spank me if I lied?”
Hmm, funny, she didn’t actually sound horrified by that. Nor was she trying to push him away. Or calling him an asshole. Or giving him any reaction he might have expected.
Instead, she almost looked intrigued.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was saying.”
“You can’t do that.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I can’t?”
She blushed. Shook her head. “No. You have no rights over me.”
“I will if you agree to work here.”
“So, I have the job?” she asked.
“No.”
“Oh. Sorry. I misunderstood.” She pulled back from him and he let her go, even though he immediately missed touching her.
He sighed. “No, you didn’t. I just haven’t explained myself. At all. I’m more used to barking out orders rather than giving explanations. I’d like to offer you a trial run. Lunch has already been and gone, but if you agree to cook dinner, we’ll see how that goes. Then we can discuss you staying on for the next few weeks.” He’d placed his hand on her leg to keep her from trying to get up and he could feel the way her thigh trembled. Shit. Was she scared of him?
And why wouldn’t she be, fool? You threatened to spank her. He stood then reached down and wrapped his hands around her waist to pull her up.
“Jesus, you weigh nothing. First big wind and you’re going to blow over.”
“I will not,” she argued. “I’m sturdier than I look.”
“I doubt that.” He frowned. “Cooking for the amount of people I have working here is hard work. It’s long hours. It’s taxing. Life on a ranch ain’t easy. You going to be able to handle it?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Of course, I can. I’m not fragile. And I can cook. You’ll see that after tonight.”
“All right then, it’s agreed. You’ll do a trial run, if you’re any good, we’ll talk terms.”
4
She’d been an idiot for agreeing to this. She’d been so insulted that he thought she couldn’t handle this job that she couldn’t say no. And now here she was, nervous as hell because this was a trial and she might fail. This was an unfamiliar kitchen. She hadn’t had much time to inspect the pantry or freezer and she’d had no choice but to cook the meat that had already been thawing.
Which just happened to be venison.
Now, while Charlie was a good cook, she wasn’t trained or anything. And she’d never cooked with venison. So, she’d found herself left in a strange kitchen, with something she’d never used before and her only help was an ancient, shriveled man named Allan. Apparently, he’d been doing most of the cooking while the full-time cook was recovering from a broken leg and he didn’t seem all that happy to have her take over. Well, she thought that was it. He hadn’t actually said anything to her. Just grunted a few times when she’d asked a question.
She hadn’t dared ask him to help. Because what if he refused? Then what the hell would she do? So, she was running around doing it all herself while he watched. Old grump.
She’d quickly Googled some recipes on her phone before frantically trying to get enough food ready to feed a group of hungry men and women.
Fuck. Fuck.
What was she doing? Most people would have slapped their boss for threatening to spank them before hightailing it out of there. But not Charlie. No, she was fascinated. Her whole body warmed at the thought of being turned over the big rancher’s lap.
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