You’re a fucking idiot, Beckett!
Standing, he tossed the pencil down, and strode out the door almost knocking Melissa down in the process. He quickly grasped her arms to keep her from falling. She laughed up at him.
“Good thing you’re quick with your hands, Brayden.” Her arms started to wrap around his neck but he pulled them away, and she frowned up at him.
“Are you all right?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t hurt her by plowing into her.
“Yes. Are you?” She continued to frown at him.
Brayden cleared his throat. “Yes. I have an appointment with a potential ranch manager.”
“O-kay. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, we’ll talk later.” He removed his hands from her arms and started to walk around her when her next words stopped him.
“You’re going to say it was a mistake, aren’t you?”
“It was a mistake, Melissa,” he growled as he turned to look at her and by the expression on her face, he wished he hadn’t been so harsh.
“Bullshit, Brayden. It was great and you can’t deny it.”
“I’m not denying it. I’m saying it shouldn’t have happened and it sure as hell won’t happen again. It can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you work for me. That’s all it is between us and that’s all it will ever be.”
“You’re a real bastard.”
Striding to her and stopping in front of her, he towered over her.
“If you don’t like it, there’s the door.” He pointed to the door of the barn.
“Don’t think I wouldn’t love to go.”
“Then go. If you have another job lined up—go.”
“Maybe I will, when I find one.”
“Good. But for now, you still work here, so go do your job.”
“Fuck you,” she growled.
“You already did,” he said as he leaned down close to her.
He wasn’t ready for the punch to his gut. He grunted and bent forward with his hands braced on his knees. “What the fuck was that for?”
“That was uncalled for and I warned you if you told me it shouldn’t have happened I’d punch you.” She placed her hands on her slim hips and her eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
“I could fire you for that,” Brayden muttered as he took deep breaths to ease the pain. She sure packed a wallop.
“Go ahead. Fire me. I don’t care.” She marched away from him. He could hear her muttering under her breath and though he was only able to catch a few words, none of them was flattering.
He straightened up, as best he could, and took a deep breath then he walked down through the aisle of the barn to wait for the man coming for an interview.
****
“Damn that man. I knew he was going to do this. I just knew it,” Melissa muttered under her breath until she reached the room to check on the dog. Taking a deep breath to calm her anger, she pushed the door open and entered. A smile lit up her face as she squatted down by the cage and peered in at the dog.
“Hi, sweet boy…how are you today?” She laughed when the dog licked her hand. “You are getting so much better every day. I love how you’re eating and filling out…and you are such a pretty boy. I wish I knew your name.”
The dog licked her hand again and gazed up at her with love-filled eyes. She was sure he had some German Shepherd and maybe some Rottweiler in him. He was a big dog and needed fattening up. Melissa glanced toward the door when she heard a female voice calling out. She stood and opened the door then glanced down the barn aisle and smiled when she saw Dr. Tessa Garrett striding through barn.
Melissa stepped from the room and waved. She’d met Tessa one day in town and they’d hit it off immediately. “Over here, Tess.”
Tessa smiled and walked toward her. “Hi, Lissa. I wanted to come out to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m doing great. How are things at the hospital?”
“Busy. I heard about a dog here that Ferrell abandoned. I wanted to check on him, I know how busy a rescue place can get.” Tessa smiled at her.
“Come on, I’ll show you. I wish I knew his name. He didn’t have any tags on him.” Melissa led her into the room and pointed to the crate where the dog lay wagging his tail. Tessa knelt down alongside.
“Hi, baby. Aren’t you a pretty boy?” She looked up at Melissa. “I see German Shepherd, and maybe Rottweiler or Doberman in there.”
“Pretty close to what I was thinking. He’s a big boy. I hope he’ll get a good home.”
“I’d take him if I could, but Sam would have a fit if I brought another dog home.” Tessa smiled at her.
“Any idea what vet Ferrell was taking him to?” Melissa asked, hoping for some information about the dog, including a name.
“I could check records. When the vet office closed in Hartland, a lot of people started coming to me. I really don’t remember this dog though. Hell, his owner may not have taken him to a vet at all. We could also scan him for a chip, but I’m not too hopeful.”
“Yes, we could do that. If he doesn’t have one, I may ask Brayden if I can keep him.”
“That would be great. I’ll get going. I was passing by, and I just wanted to see how he was. Let’s get together for lunch one day soon.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Where is Mr. Beckett? I wanted to say hi while I was here.”
“He’s here, somewhere. I know he’s expecting a man for an interview so he can’t be too far away.”
“I’ll see him next time then.” Tessa started toward the door and turned to look at Melissa. “He’s very good looking…has to be kind of hard working around him all day.” Tessa laughed as she winked.
“Oh, it is. I avoid him at all costs.” At least, she would now.
Tessa smiled at her. “I’ll call you about lunch. Bye.”
Melissa waved at her then returned to the room where the dog was. She knelt down by the crate and stuck her finger in through the wire.
“How about we call you, Lucky? Because it was pure luck that you were found.” The dog licked her finger. She smiled. “Lucky, it is, for now.”
The day was about over and Melissa hadn’t seen Brayden since he told her their time together shouldn’t have happened. He’d wanted her, she knew he couldn’t deny that, but to change his mind after what they’d shared she couldn’t comprehend his thinking. His touch made her tremble. Damn, the man was fantastic in bed. She’d been with a few other men. Mostly in college, and none of them ever satisfied her like Brayden had. She had a feeling he was holding back because of Maisy. Shaking her head, she found that hard to believe. The woman had been gone for over five years.
Walking toward her apartment, she heard Julie’s voice in Brayden’s office. Was that why he wanted nothing more to do with her? He was moving on to Julie. Julie, who made it clear from almost the start that she wanted him, and didn’t like Melissa. That bitch! She cleared her throat and stepped through the doorway.
“I, uh…just wanted to say goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and turned to leave.
“Melissa,” Brayden said behind her making her insides jump.
She turned back around and he was standing by his chair. She couldn’t help but look up into those gorgeous eyes.
“Yes?”
“How’s the dog doing?”
“Good. He’s responding well. Tess said Ferrell never took the dog to her but she’s going to look through records to make sure.”
“You spoke to Dr. Garrett about him?”
“Yeah, she stopped by today. How did your meeting go?” She wanted to leave but if he could make small talk, so could she.
“Not good. He had no experience.”
“Maybe you should see what James is doing these days. You know, James, your father in-law.” She smirked when Julie let out a gasp. “Goodnight.”
Melissa grinned as she walked down the aisle and heard Julie exclaim, “You’re married?”
****
Damn her! She’d done that on purpose. Brayden took his seat behind his desk and stared at Julie as she stood with her hands on her hips glaring at him. Why she was glaring was beyond him since he’d never given her any type of encouragement.
“I’m not anymore. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Julie flopped down into the chair she’d vacated earlier. “What can I say, Brayden? I’m attracted to you and I always go after what I want.”
“In this case, don’t. I’m not interested, and you work for me.”
“Are you interested in her?” She jerked her chin toward the door.
Brayden slowly stood and placed his hands on the desk leaning forward. “First off, I won’t discuss my personal life with you. Second, I don’t get involved with employees. Third, get that idea out of your head or find another job. We clear?”
Julie stood and her eyes narrowed. “Crystal. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Brayden sat back down once she left the office. There were times he wondered why he loved women so much, then he remembered how soft their hair was, how their skin smelled, how he loved being inside them and kissing them. Shit! He loved the way Melissa kissed, how her skin smelled, how soft her hair was, and he sure as hell had loved being inside her.
After shutting down the computer, he walked out of the office. After glancing toward Melissa’s door, he left the barn, walked across the yard heading for the house. Looking up to the mountains, he smiled. The heat of the past few days had eased up and he knew winter would soon be arriving. He continued to the house and entered the kitchen then stopped when he remembered what Melissa had said. See what your father in-law is doing. Would James work with him, he wondered. He loved horses just as much as Brayden did and he was good with them. Brayden found his number and dialed it.
“Hello?”
“James? It’s Brayden.”
“How are you, son?”
“I’m good. How about you?”
“Same. What’s going on? How’s the rescue going?”
“It’s going really well. We are getting a lot of people coming in to adopt.”
“That’s wonderful. Maisy would be so happy…” James’s voice caught.
“What are you doing nowadays?”
“Not much. I’m sorry we haven’t talked much. Say, did you hire Melissa?”
“Yes, and she suggested I call you.” Brayden quickly explained how he’d love to have James come to work for him. “I understand if you’d rather not.”
“I’d love to come visit and talk with you about it. I miss working with horses.”
“Great. When could you come up? I have a huge house and you’re welcome to stay with me.” Brayden couldn’t help but grin.
“How about next week? I’ll see about when I can get a flight out.”
They discussed the job a little more and then hung up. Brayden was happy he’d called him. He’d always had a good relationship with James and he missed him almost as much as he missed his family and Maisy. He’d have to thank Melissa tomorrow for suggesting it, even though she’d only done it to piss off Julie. It had worked too. The little minx knew exactly what she was doing when she mentioned his father-in-law. Brayden chuckled. She would definitely keep him on his toes.
As he entered his bedroom, he pulled his sweat stained T-shirt off over his head, tossed it into the hamper then entered the bathroom to shower. A day working around horses didn’t make a man smell very good—add in the sweat, and the smell became downright repulsive. He reached in, turned on the shower, and stripped his clothes off as the bathroom filled with steam. He supposed he could use a shave too, he thought as he rubbed his hand over his raspy jaw. He opened the shower door and stepped in. The hot water flowed over his shoulders, chest, and down along his abs. His thoughts went to Melissa’s hands following that same path.
He ducked his head under the water but still couldn’t push thoughts of Melissa from his head. He felt his cock begin to rise and thought about taking his own pleasure but to be honest, he’d rather have a woman. He shut off the hot water and let the icy chill remaining flow over him putting out the fire. After he shaved, his plan was to hit the sack. He hoped he would sleep. He was just about to the point where he could fall asleep in the house without tossing and turning for hours but it still wasn’t easy. Of course, if he were honest, tonight it wasn’t the thought of being inside that would keep him awake. It would be thinking of Melissa and how much he still wanted her and how he couldn’t have her. Never again. Not if he wanted to keep his sanity.
He suspected it was going to be a long night.
****
The next day, Melissa walked into Brayden’s office then hesitated when she saw he was on the phone. He held up a finger, finished up the call, hung up the phone, and looked up at her.
“I’m going for lunch. I’m meeting Tess at the diner. Would you like me to bring you something back? They have fantastic burgers.” Damn it. She could be nice—even if it killed her.
“That would be great. I think I can hold off for another hour or so until you get back. Mustard and onions, please. I know all about their burgers. Besides my family, those burgers were another thing I missed living in Texas.”
“Fries too?” He nodded in response. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”
“Melissa?”
“Yes?”
“Although, I know why you suggested it yesterday, I did call my father in-law. He’s coming next week to talk about the job. Thank you.”
Melissa bit back a grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you’re welcome.”
She walked out of his office and smiled when she heard him chuckle. The smile left her face when she saw Julie barreling down on her.
“You think you’re so smart,” Julie said in a snide tone of voice.
Melissa almost snorted. What was this? Grade school? “Actually, I am pretty smart. You can’t be a dummy and become a veterinarian.”
Julie stepped closer to her. “I know why you said what you did. You wanted me to think Brayden was married.”
“Why would I do that, Julie?”
“Because you want him. Well, he already told me he wasn’t involved with you and he wouldn’t be.” She stepped around her and marched off down through the barn.
Melissa was stunned. He’d told Julie he wouldn’t get involved with her. He was in for a rude awakening when she got back. She’d go back and call him on it now, but she was running late to meet Tess.
Chapter Eight
Melissa entered the diner and saw Tess waving to her from a booth in the back. She weaved her way through the tables and slid onto the seat across from her. Connie, the owner of the diner, came over with menus and water.
“What would you like to drink? I’ll get them while you look at the menus.”
“Coffee for me, Connie,” Tess said with a smile.
“I’ll take the same, thank you.” Melissa smiled. “Oh, and I’ll need a burger to go.”
“Just let me know a few minutes before you’re about to leave.” Connie smiled at her and walked back to the counter.
“Are you taking a burger home for dinner?” Tess laughed.
“No. As good as they are, if I ate them as much as I’d like I’d weigh five hundred pounds. No, I’m taking one back for Brayden.”
“He seems nice. Do you like working for him?”
“Yes. Well, I like the job. Him, I’m not so sure of yet.” Melissa could feel the heat pouring into her cheeks.
Tess tilted her head and stared at her. “Really? I think there’s a story there.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you about it one day.”
Tess laughed. “Fair enough. I already know what I want. I don’t know why I’m even looking at the menu.” The smile on her face grew when she glanced to the doorway when the bell over the door jingled. Melissa turned to see a good-looking man in a khaki shirt with a badge pinned to it enter the diner. She quickly turned to face Tess.
“W
ho is that?” Melissa asked with widened eyes.
“That is my husband and the Sheriff of Clifton, Sam Garrett.”
Melissa’s jaw went slack. “Wow. That’s your husband! Are you serious?” She winked at her friend when Tess’s eyes narrowed at her.
Tess laughed. “Stop trying to make me jealous. I have no worries, I know he loves me.”
Melissa laughed. “Sorry, I just had to.”
She turned to see Sam weaving his way through the tables heading their way but people kept stopping him to talk. Finally, he stood beside the table and smiled down at them.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he said looking at Tess.
“Hi honey,” Melissa said laughing.
Sam looked startled at first, but then laughed.
“Stop.” Tess admonished her. “Sam, this is Doctor Melissa Conroy. She’s the vet at the sanctuary Brayden has going. Melissa, my husband, Sam.”
Sam stuck his hand out and Melissa took it. She knew she was staring but the man was downright gorgeous. If she wasn’t already head over heels in love with Brayden and Sam wasn’t married…
“It’s nice to meet you, Melissa,” Sam said then turned to Tess. “I called my order in already and I need to get going but I’ll see you at home later, angel.” He leaned down, kissed Tess, and said something against her lips. When he straightened up, he grinned then put his fingers to his Stetson and walked off toward the front counter.
“Okay, I’m nosy. What did he say to you, because you are beet red?”
Tess laughed. “I can’t repeat it but that man can make me blush anytime he says something.”
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