Resisting the Rancher

by Kadie Scott

  She finished up the dishes as Will stood there silently watching. At least Evaline wasn’t paying attention, busy with cleaning up. Still, his staring made her clumsy and she dropped the silverware more than once.

  “Careful, there, butterfingers,” he murmured after the third time.

  “Why don’t you go away?” she muttered out of the side of her mouth.

  “And miss this chance to be with my new bride?” came the whispered reply.

  So, it was about the appearance. She supposed that they’d have to keep the PDA dialed to high for a while, then they could turn down the volume of the lovey-dovey stuff.

  “Hey, Will, I need some advice…” Jennings’s voice floated down the hall before he appeared at the door.

  Drying her hands on a dish towel, she took advantage of Will’s distraction. “I’m beat. I’m going to bed.” She went up on tiptoe and gave him a short kiss, though she was tempted to linger. “Night.”

  She’d made it all the way to the door when he spoke. “I won’t be far behind you.”

  What did that mean? Did she have minutes or hours to try to be asleep when he came in? Because being awake was not an option. She’d been too tempted to take advantage. She smiled over her shoulder like that would be fine, then, as soon as she was out of view, rushed to the room.

  She pulled PJs out of the drawer where she’d put them. Will had cleared out half his drawers for her, and given her half his closet. That had been plenty of space for her, though she suspected he was feeling a bit cramped. She’d already added a new set of drawers to her list of items to buy sooner rather than later. She didn’t need anything fancy or large.

  Dressed for bed, teeth and hair brushed, she stared at the bed. She should ask which side Will preferred, but she didn’t want to go out to do so. Not dressed in hot pink shorts and a tight tank top to match. Common sense came to her rescue as she noticed one of the bedside tables already held Will’s alarm clock and a book.

  Fine. She’d take the other side.

  Unfortunately, the other side meant getting on her hands and knees to try to get to the outlet for her alarm clock and her phone charger. She didn’t hear the door open.

  “There’s a sight I never quite imagined when I thought of the first night home with my new bride.” Dark laughter lurked in Will’s voice.

  She paused and crossed her eyes in annoyance. “Laugh it up, fuzzball.”

  To give him credit, she didn’t hear any laughter. “You’re quoting Star Wars at me now?”

  Rusty didn’t comment and continued messing with the plug. The soft click of the door, told her he’d closed it. “I’ll be just a minute.” She grunted as she struggled. “Your plug is a bit tough to reach.”

  “Take your time. I don’t mind the view.”

  Rusty snorted at that. “We don’t have an audience, Mr. Hill. So you can quit with the cutesy comments.”

  Silence greeted her comment, and she briefly wished she could see his face for his reaction. She hadn’t meant to be quite so snippy with him.

  “Do you need your big, strong husband to help?” Now his voice was coming from the other side of the bed. He’d obviously decided she was taking too long.

  “No. I’ve got—” She extended her middle finger and managed to slot the charger into the plug. “Got it,” she finished.

  With a sigh, she backed out from under the bed to find Will at the drawers pulling out flannel PJ bottoms.

  “Won’t those be too hot?” she asked.

  “I usually sleep in the raw.” He glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows raised.

  Oh. “Do you go commando too?” Rusty closed her eyes the second the words finished pouring from her mouth. Where the hell had her filters gone? Seemed as though she was in for a world of firsts for a while.

  “No. I’m a boxers guy.”

  She snapped her eyes open and brazened it out. “I’d be fine if you slept in your boxers.” No need for him to be miserable just because they had to maintain a semblance of propriety in this uber-strange situation.

  “Thanks. That would be better.” He turned to face her and stilled, his gaze trailing down her from head to toe in a sweep she felt in every single nerve ending as though he’d physically touched her. For the first time since they’d said I do, he appeared to be uncomfortable. “Do you need the bathroom?” he asked.

  Not what she’d been expecting.

  Rusty shook her head. “I already brushed my teeth and… stuff.” She canted her head at the door. “It’s all yours.”

  “Thanks.”

  They were starting to sound like awkward teenagers on a weird first date. Will disappeared into the bathroom, and Rusty took the opportunity to hop into bed. Only she was wide awake. No way could she lay here and pretend to be asleep by the time he came out.

  “Shoot,” she muttered. Then tossed back the covers.

  If she was going to be awake, she needed something to occupy her mind. She dug around in her backpack and came up with her e-reader. Reading a book would relax her and be a signal that she wasn’t interested in talking. Win-win. She also grabbed her glasses case.

  A few minutes after she’d got settled, but was far from into the book—the words swimming on the page in front of her—Will finally emerged.

  She glanced up. “I took the left side because it looks like you’re already settled on the right side.” She waved a hand at his bedside table. “I hope that’s okay.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Now he was the one giving off vibes that said he didn’t want to get into a discussion. Fine with her. Rusty went back to her book, only his T-shirt suddenly registered and she laughed.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Your T-shirt looks familiar.” She tipped her chin at his chest.

  Will glanced down then chuckled. “I guess it does.”

  He was wearing the manly version of the one she’d had on the other day about adulting. Another gift from his family, no doubt.

  She smiled. “When is your birthday by the way? As your wife, I should probably know these things.”

  “November second. Yours?”

  “March third.”

  Will pulled back his side of the covers, then paused. “Would you prefer I sleep on top of the sheets, or maybe we put a pillow between us or something?”

  Yes. Absolutely, yes. But she didn’t say so, because no way would she give him any hint this bothered her. “No. That’s okay. We’re both adults.”

  Besides, a pillow or a sheet would be a token barrier if they really wanted to…

  Rusty gave herself a mental shake. You don’t want to.

  *

  What Will wanted to do, which was pull her up against his body, was way out of the question. Hell, they needed to get past kissing having the effect of sending her hot-foot in the other direction before they took it to that level. The pillow suggestion was more for him than for her, not that it would be much of a deterrent. Still, something was better than nothing.

  He slipped between the sheets and pretended not to notice when his weight had her sliding toward him, or the way she scooted to the very edge of the bed to overcorrect. Taking a leaf from her example, he picked up the book he’d been reading for a while. But after he’d read the same page three times without absorbing a single word, he gave up and put it down.

  Instead, he turned on his side to face Rusty.

  He’d meant to give her more time to get settled before joining her in the room. But he’d helped Autry with a decision about selling some stock, then he’d sat in the family room with his parents and brothers, making small talk, and watching the minute hand on the old-fashioned clock on the mantel tick off each agonizing minute. Fifteen was about as much as he’d handled before jumping up, receiving twin grins of devilry from Autry and Jennings.

  Jennings passed Autry a five-dollar bill, and Will had raised his eyebrows.

  Jennings shrugged. “We had a bet going as to how long you’d hold out before joining your new wif
e. I said ten minutes, Autry said fifteen.”

  He’d ignored his brothers’ shenanigans and said a general good night to the room before heading down the hall to his bedroom. Perhaps the time had come to build his own place on the ranch, separate from the main house.

  He had no idea what he’d expected when he came into the room. It certainly hadn’t been a view of Rusty’s nicely rounded backside in short shorts as she squished under his bed. Will hadn’t known if he should laugh, offer to help, or groan as her position put him in mind of what he’d like to do to her, and with her, and… Hell.

  He’d gone with the first two options, not that she’d accepted the help.

  After a minute, Rusty flicked him a sideways glance. “You’re staring,” she said.

  “Yup.”

  Her lips clamped tightly and Will held in a chuckle, but didn’t stop. Why not stare? Rusty was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Surprisingly dark lashes brushed her cheeks when she blinked. Her full lips, even tight with annoyance, were fantasy inducing. And he had the almost uncontrollable urge to wrap a lock of her fiery hair around his finger and savor the silky texture.

  Her breasts, outlined by the soft material of her tank top, rose and fell with a huff. “Do you need something?” she demanded.

  “Can’t a man look at his wife?” he asked.

  She eyed him over the rim of her glasses. Another thing he hadn’t expected—the purple rimmed reading glasses gave her a studious air that he found… damn adorable.

  “Not his fake wife,” she said.

  Then she returned her attention to her book. Will stopped resisting, reaching for a curl that lay against her arm. Usually she kept it back in a braid. He liked it down.

  Rusty tensed at the move. “What are you doing?” she asked after a moment.

  “Seeing how soft your hair is.” Seemed pretty obvious to him.

  “Why?”

  Will shrugged. “Doing this, instead of what I really want to do, seemed like a good idea.”

  The tip of her pink tongue snaked out to wet her lips. After a moment, she put her e-reader down and turned her head to face him.

  “I find that very distracting. Do you mind?”

  Will chuckled but released her and rolled to his back. “My apologies, ma’am, I’m just not used to having someone in here with me. I find you distracting.”

  Rather than resume reading, she canted her head in his direction. “No way do I believe you’ve never had a woman in your bed.”

  He hitched his mouth up. “Why, Mrs. Hill, are you saying you find me attractive?”

  She snorted. “You know you are. Stop fishing.”

  That was the first he’d heard of it, as generic as her answer was. His poor ego soaked in the small give on her part. “To answer your question, I’ve never taken a woman to this room, out of respect for my parents.”

  “Oh.” She sat quietly for a beat. Then a giggle suddenly escaped her, the sound going straight to his already hard crotch.

  “What?” Will asked.

  “I’m picturing Dad’s reaction if I’d ever taken a guy to my room at home.”

  “Given your tendency to push his buttons, I’m surprised you didn’t do something like that on purpose.”

  She rolled her eyes expressively. “I had zero wish to be party to murder.”

  Someone banged on Will’s door with a fist and Rusty jumped.

  “Better not hear anything inappropriate from you two,” Autry called through the door.

  “Go away,” Will called back. “We’re busy.”

  Rusty smacked his arm as Autry’s laughter faded down the hallway, but he just winked. “We have to keep up the appearance, honey.”

  “Are all brothers this annoying?” she asked, her brows drawn into a frown.

  A tug in the region of his heart had Will turning to her, a hand on her leg through the blanket, because she’d lost her own brother before they’d had a grown relationship. “Autry is harmless.”

  “Oh, I know.” She waved away the comment. “I don’t mind.”

  “In fact, he might be a tad jealous.”

  “What?” She snorted inelegantly. And even that was cute. “No way.”

  “Sweetheart, you seem to have no idea how beautiful you are. Autry is usually the Hill with all the prettiest women. Having me snag the prize before him is a bit of a switch up.”

  “That surprises me,” she said. Then glanced away, as though she hadn’t meant to voice that out loud.

  A fact which caught his full attention. “Which part?”

  Her lips pursed. “The part about Autry being the Hill with the prettiest woman. No offence to your brother, but I bet many of those women would’ve gone for you if you crooked a finger.”

  Will grinned. “Are you saying, in a roundabout way, that you find me more attractive than my brothers?”

  She shifted, sort of twitching her shoulders. “Well… I haven’t got to know them yet.”

  So, yes. Warmth lit in the region of his heart. “I’m glad.”

  That drew her gaze, and something in her eyes seemed to soften. “What do you really want to do?”

  Her eyes widened. Again, he got the impression she’d spoken without thinking. And had her voice gone all husky?

  “What do I want to do?” he asked.

  She nodded slowly, not looking away. “You said that you were playing with my hair instead of doing what you wanted. What do you want?”

  The air punched from his lungs. Did she mean what he thought? “If I tell you, you’ll run a mile.” Or slap his face.

  Holy hell, he shouldn’t be rushing this. Where had his control gone? Apparently close proximity to this woman knocked it clear out of his head.

  “Try me,” Rusty said.

  He considered her for a long moment—soft breasts rising and falling quickly, a pink hue in her cheeks, but deep brown eyes steady. Did she really want to know? His tightened, like a vice had wrapped around his ribs while every other part of him hardened to painful levels.

  “I’d rather show you.”

  Slowly, giving her every opportunity to pull away or stop him, Will moved his hand and brushed up her arm, over her delicate collarbone, then traced the dipping neckline of her top. Her breathing hitched at his touch, but she didn’t stop him.

  His own breathing sounded too loud in his ears. “I should stop.”

  Only he didn’t. Instead, he hooked a finger in her top and pulled it down, exposing a ripe, rose-colored nipple already standing to attention, begging for his touch.

  “Why?” she asked, voice ragged now.

  “You need time to adjust to all this.” He tweaked her nipple and a tiny whimper escaped her. “You have to be reeling from all the changes in your life.”

  “Sounds sensible,” she whispered.

  A glance at her face showed her watching his hands, her eyes glittering, her expression tight, reflecting his own need. He rolled her nipple between his fingers, relishing the shiver that made her tremble.

  At the same time, though, a voice of responsibility niggled at the back of his mind. Will pulled his hand away. Closing his eyes, he swallowed, reaching for a control he wasn’t sure he’d find.

  “Don’t stop,” Rusty begged.

  He opened his eyes to find hers closed as well. “I don’t want to take advantage of you,” he said.

  Her long lashes fluttered up so she could look at him.

  A headache started behind his eyes, probably from how hard he was clenching his jaw to keep his hands off. “I owe you the knowledge that you are safe here with me,” he insisted.

  Will flopped back against his pillow and flung an arm over his eyes. Lord, what had he been thinking? That was just it, though. He wasn’t thinking, his dick was.

  “You’re right,” she said, so quietly he almost didn’t catch it.

  The bed rustled as Rusty moved around. After a second she stopped and he glanced over, from beneath his arm to find she’d rearranged her clothes.
Then she scooted down under the covers and turned off her bedside lamp. He did the same, and kept his back firmly to her as he lay down.

  “You’re a good man, Williams Hill.”

  Her voice drifted to him in the darkness, and Will swallowed again. He was trying dammit, but sometimes being good sucked.

  Chapter Ten

  “Damn that woman can sit a horse.”

  “Yeah. I could watch her all day long.”

  Will paused in unloading bales of hay from his truck into the barn as the conversation going on between Jordan and Chris caught his attention.

  He fought back a spurt of irritation. Men admired women in general, and cowboys admired a woman who could sit a horse. They weren’t saying anything inappropriate, necessarily. He had no reason to want to bust their heads together and send them off with their tails tucked between their legs.

  He should leave it alone and get on with his work. Still, he made his way down the length of the barn to where the back side opened into a covered arena where Rusty preferred to work her horses most often. Chris and Jordan were perched on the metal fence ringing the soft dirt of the large space, watching as she took one of her horses through various exercises designed to train it to turn around a barrel quickly.

  This was a greener horse, and a bit nervous. He kept hopping away from the barrel, out from under her, and she held her seat every time. She also had infinite patience and gentle hands on the reins. He had zero doubts she’d know the best way to calm the jumpy animal and work those fears out of him.

  And Chris and Jordan were right. Rusty was a thing of beauty to watch—the deep red hair hanging down her back in a long ponytail, the toned curve of her body on display in jeans and a black T-shirt—this one read “Girlz Rule” in pink glitter—and perfectly in control of the large animal between her thighs.

  Dammit. A few weeks into her stint at High Hill Ranch and thoughts like those only plagued him more frequently. Lying beside her night after night, her rose-sweet scent imbedded into his pillow, didn’t help matters any.