by Johnson, Cat
Ansley had to admit the sweeping vistas, the open space spanning all the way to the mountains in the distance, all had a certain appeal. Not that she could really concentrate on the scenery when she was still practically shaking mad from what Ryan had done to her just moments before. It was ridiculous. It was humiliating. She’d come on to him and he’d turned her down flat. Men simply didn't do that.
This summer was full of surprises. The Kane brothers hadn’t been in her plans. Being attracted to them definitely hadn’t been either.
She tried to appreciate the landscape but her cheeks still burned with the memories of what had happened with Jeremy before he retreated and suddenly began treating her like a child, and now Ryan ignoring her advances. Maybe the quiet countryside might have been a nice change without these sexy, infuriating men around, but she could barely think about that now.
Buildings came into view. Ugly, metal, shed type structures. The country was not so pretty after all. Ansley started to re-evaluate the bucolic landscape.
“What are those?” She wasn’t planning on speaking to him but curiosity got the better of her. She had to make sure she wasn’t going to be sleeping in those overgrown tin cans.
Ryan glanced where she pointed. “A few of the shops where we store the equipment.”
Equipment? Like hoes and stuff? “What kind of equipment?”
“Tractors. Hay thrashers. The machines we use around the ranch.”
“Oh.” The only farm equipment of any type Ansley had seen up close was the noisy kind her grandmother’s landscapers used when they came at the crack of dawn and woke her up each week to cut the lawn. “I guess I’ll have to learn about all that stuff.”
“Sure, if you want. That there is one of the barns.” Ryan pointed to her right. She looked out the window and was more impressed than she’d been with the sheds. It didn’t exactly look like the barns she’d seen pictured on Currier and Ives Christmas cards but it was close. In the snow it would probably be beautiful.
“And there’s Jeremy’s house,” he continued.
That caught her attention. Not so much the white, single-story structure, but the fact Ryan had referred to it as Jeremy’s alone. “He has his own house?”
“Yup. When Gramps died a few years back, Jeremy moved out here to help run the ranch. He got here first so he has his own place. I’m in the main house with Grams, but luckily her bedroom is at the other end of the house from mine.” He flashed her a grin.
She was still angry with him, but of the two brothers, Ryan was by far the most talkative. She’d have a lot more chance of getting information out of him than the other one at the bar. Forewarned was forearmed. If she was going to have to spend the summer here, she might as well get the lay of the land.
Something Ryan had said broke through her inner dialogue. “Wait, you guys weren’t born and raised here?”
“Born, no. Raised, sort of. This place has been in our family for about a hundred years. My dad was born here but he went to college in Denver. That’s where he met my mom. He got a job in the city, they got married, and had Jeremy and me.”
“So you grew up in Denver.” Ansley had trouble redirecting her first impressions of the two cowboys. She’d assumed they’d both been born in and had never left Bumfuck, but Denver was a real city. Not New York City, but a city none-the-less.
“Sure did, but every year from the time we were little we’d spend summers here. When Gramps died, we all knew Grams couldn’t run the ranch alone. It was a no brainer. Jeremy dropped out of college and came right out. I followed him as soon as I graduated high school.” He shrugged like it was no big hardship to give up school and Denver to shovel cow manure on a ranch in the middle of nowhere.
“Didn’t you and your brother want to finish your education and get a good job?”
A surprised laugh answered her question. “This is a good job. It’s a great job. I love it. I make my own hours. I’m outdoors, not trapped behind a desk all day. Not many men can say all that about their jobs. We live here rent free. My only boss, if you can call her that, is my grandmother and she lets us run things on our own mostly. Jeremy usually handles the details, so I just get my work done and then go off looking for some fun.”
Huh. Interesting. She remembered Jeremy carefully studying her passport when he’d proofed her before he’d served her—and serviced her—at the bar before he backed off. “Does Jeremy always do the right thing?”
That elicited a deep chuckle. “Most times. Like how he told me you’re off limits.”
“Why am I off limits?”
“Oh, darlin’, for oh so many reasons.” He grinned.
“Do you always do what your brother tells you to?” She hadn’t been off limits to Jeremy when his tongue was between her legs. Then again, he’d shut her down right after that. And now that the Kane brothers knew their grandmothers were friends, there was probably some sort of backward cowboy code taking her off the market in their eyes.
“No, I don’t do everything Jeremy tells me.” He shot her an evil grin. “Not if I can help it anyway.”
“Then why did you do it today?”
Ryan glanced sideways at her before focusing his gaze back on the road in front of them. “I happen to agree with him this time.”
She was starting to see a major difference between the two Kane brothers. Jeremy—serious and law abiding. Ryan—reckless and fun loving. And yet both had blown her off. Actually turned down the offer of what she’d always thought all men wanted.
Ansley scowled at that just as a larger house came into view and interrupted her thoughts.
“Here we are.” Ryan pulled up in front and parked. Shutting off the engine, he turned to her. “Well it’s nothing to frown about. I know it’s not much, but it’s home.”
It was her own thoughts she was frowning at, not the sprawling picturesque farmhouse in front of her. Ansley didn’t have time to figure out how to respond to Ryan as the screen door on the front porch swung open and who she assumed was the boss lady herself came out.
“And here’s the lady of the house now.” Ryan swung his door open and came immediately around to open hers.
No boy in Connecticut had ever walked around to open a car door for her. She tried not to think how she could get used to this kind of treatment. Of course she had to remember she was also not in a car now, but a dirty farm truck. Would she trade sports cars for pickup trucks if they came with sexy, polite cowboys? Not if they kept playing the gentleman and refusing to give her want she wanted, she wouldn’t.
Thinking how Ryan had been totally uninterested in her had her scowling again. Then she remembered that he hadn’t been completely unresponsive. Off limits or not, he’d noticed her. His admiring glances. His hard-on. There were certain parts of a man’s anatomy that couldn’t lie.
As for the rest of the Kane family package, trading a grandmother who lectured for one who’d gotten arrested for assaulting a male stripper might not be so bad either. Maybe she should reconsider her plan to get herself sent back to Connecticut. A summer working on the challenge the Kane brothers presented, and enjoying a grandmother who was fun and not a control freak, was looking better and better.
The woman in question came running over. “Ansley. My God, you look just like Moira did at your age.”
That wasn’t the best way to win over her heart, but Ansley smiled sweetly and accepted Ramona Kane’s hug anyway. “Um, thanks, and thank you for having me.”
Had she actually just said that? More importantly, with a glance at Ryan over the shorter woman’s shoulder, had she actually meant it?
He winked at her as he unloaded her luggage from the back of the pickup truck. Dragging the suitcases from atop the piled bags of cow food, or whatever was loaded in there, he smiled and watched her being engulfed by the hug from his grandmother.
“Come inside. I’m sure you want to get comfortable after traveling all day.” Ramona grabbed her hand, squeezed it and pulled her up the short flight o
f stairs leading onto the porch. “We’re having short ribs for dinner. Oh, you’re not a vegetarian are you? I never thought to ask.”
“No, I’m not.” She supposed she’d have been in trouble on a cattle ranch if she were a vegetarian.
“Good. I’m glad, because my short ribs are award winning according to the judges at the town fair. Ryan, are you okay with those bags?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ryan smiled at Ansley again and she tried to ignore how her heart did a flip.
“Let me run ahead and turn on the fan in the guest room. It must be getting beastly in there by this time of day. Ryan, you show Ansley in.” Ramona went in ahead of them.
“Sure thing.” Ryan carried both bags up the porch stairs and plopped them down hard. “What the devil did you pack, girl?”
“Just the necessities.” She noted he hadn’t had any trouble carrying both of them though. Maybe there was something to be said for farm living. It made for nice strong arms. Those could be useful in so many ways. An image of Ryan bracing her against the wall as he plunged into her flew into her mind.
Ryan raised a brow. “The necessities, huh? Okay. Follow me. I’ll be putting your necessities in the guest room across the hall from my room.”
Across the hall? How convenient.
He leaned close and smiled. “Don’t worry, all the bedroom doors lock from the inside.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re not, but I am. I was talking more about me locking my door against you.” He smirked and held the door open for her.
With a humph, she walked inside past him and heard his laugh behind her. The man was infuriating. Unfortunately, she also was afraid she really liked him. His damned annoying and frustrating brother too.
Jeremy walked through the back door and heard the sounds of dinner in progress. Coming around the corner, he saw his family and their new guest already seated at the big old wooden table in the kitchen.
“Thanks for waiting, Grams.” He raised a brow.
“Oh, keep your britches on. I heard your truck on the drive. We just sat down this minute.”
He had called to let her know he’d left the bar and was on his way, and it did look like they’d just started digging into the platters of food, but it was still fun teasing his grandmother.
“Yeah, yeah. I see who the favorite grandson is. No need to wait on me. No problem.”
Ryan grinned at Jeremy’s teasing. “What can I say?”
“How are you settling in?” Jeremy sat down opposite Ansley.
“Fine.” She only met his gaze for a second, then looked away.
From her one word answer it was hard for him to tell what was going on in that pretty head of hers.
“Good. Glad to hear it.” Jeremy grabbed himself a hefty helping of potato salad and piled his plate high with ribs. “Did you two show her around the place yet?”
He was kind of hoping to be there for that, to see Miss Connecticut’s reaction to a field full of cows and manure for himself.
“Nope. Not yet. There was a lot of unpacking to do.” Ryan shot Ansley a sideways look, which she answered with a scowl.
Grams glanced at their house guest. “The grand tour can wait until tomorrow morning. Ansley has all summer to get acquainted with the ranch. She’s probably tired from her trip. Aren’t you, darlin’?”
“A little. I’m still on Connecticut time. I think I’ll turn in early tonight.”
True to her word Ansley did just what she’d said. She excused herself after they’d eaten the dessert of his grandmother’s homemade strawberry shortcake and she’d helped clear the table.
Grams shooed the boys out of the kitchen. She insisted she take care of washing the dishes herself since they never rinsed them well enough for her liking. He and Ryan ended up on the front porch alone.
Jeremy stared into the distance, not seeing any one thing in particular. “She’s quieter than I expected. At the bar she had no problem talking my ear off.”
Ryan let out a snort of a laugh.
“What?”
His brother glanced at him, then away. “Well she sure as shit ain’t the shy type. I was just remembering the little show she put on at the lake today.”
“Yeah, about that.” Jeremy looked pointedly at him.
Ryan shot him a glance. “Why are you looking at me like I did something?”
“Because you usually have.” Jeremy continued to watch Ryan, who scowled but didn’t answer.
He should have made Ansley wait with him at the bar until his shift was over, but then she probably would have been sloshed on vodka long before dinnertime.
Nope, he’d done the best he could. Warned Ryan and hoped for the best.
Dishrag still held in her hands, his grandmother joined them before he could question his brother any further. She sat on the swing hanging from the porch beams. “Ah. My favorite time of day. The work’s all done and there’s nothing to do but sit and relax.”
“Yup,” he agreed.
“She’s a sweet girl.” Gram’s pushed with one foot against the floor, starting the swing rocking.
“Yup.” What else was Jeremy supposed to say to his grandmother? That he’d eaten her friend’s granddaughter out on top of the bar? That Ansley’s expert touch had him coming in her mouth within five minutes of meeting? That whatever major emotional issues she was battling inside herself, or with her family back home, had Ansley offering her ass up to strange men in bars?
“Ryan? What do you think?”
After flashing Jeremy a quick sideways glance, Ryan treated their grandmother to a wide grin. “I like her. I hope she sticks around for a long time.”
Jeremy was sure Ryan did. He’d obviously enjoyed the strip show by the pond a little too much. He narrowed his gaze at his brother. “Ry. There’s something I wanted to show you in the barn.”
“Now? What is it? I was just in there before dinner.” He frowned.
“I’ll show you. Come on.” Jeremy walked to the barn with long, angry strides. Once inside, he turned on his brother. “What happened between you and Ansley this afternoon? And don’t say nothing.”
“Sorry, but that’s the truth. I swear to you, nothing happened. And she wasn’t very happy about it either. Poor thing. Don’t think a man’s ever said no to her before.” Ryan laughed. “You won’t believe me if I told you want she wanted me to do, but you should have seen her face when I didn’t.”
Jeremy sure as hell could imagine. He was sure it was the same thing she’d offered up to him and he too had turned her down. “What the hell is up with the girl? What’s her game?”
“I wish I could be sure, because I sure as hell would enjoy taking her up on her offer if I didn’t think there were strings attached.”
“What strings? What are you thinking?”
Ryan shrugged. “I think she wants to get sent home and I don’t think she’s picky about how it happens.”
“Agreed. But there’s more. It not just deviousness. It’s…” Jeremy searched for how to tell his brother what he thought without sounding like a shrink. “It’s like when a kid acts up because getting yelled at is better than getting no attention at all. You know?”
“You think that’s what she’s doing? Looking for attention.” Ryan stared out the door into the night for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I can see that. She certainly does crave attention. So what do we do? Keep dodging her? Because I have to tell you, Jeremy, she drops her clothes and sticks her ass out at me again, I can’t promise I’m not going to take advantage of it. A man only has so much will power.”
Didn’t Jeremy know it. He drew in a deep breath and let it out again slowly. “I don’t know. Maybe if we showed her positive attention, she’d stop looking for the negative kind.” Maybe it was as simple as treating her like one would treat a child who acted out, only Ansley was no child. Not by any stretch of the imagination. He remembered the feel of her body bearing down on his fingers and his cock swelled. She was a
tempting creature. “You sure you didn’t touch her today, Ryan?”
“Scouts honor.” Ryan held up two fingers.
“You got kicked out of Boy Scouts,” Jeremy reminded him.
Ryan winced. “Yeah, I remember.”
“What I don’t get is why she’s acting so strangely now. A girl who loves to flirt and shock folks the way she does, doesn’t suddenly turn into the shy, silent type who goes to bed right after dinner.”
“Maybe because I turned her down. Her feelings are hurt.” Ryan shrugged.
“Yeah, that does make sense.” And what Ryan didn’t know is that Jeremy had turned her down too. Okay, it had been after a whole lot else, but still, she wasn’t a girl who liked being told no. He could see that. Jeremy shook his head and turned toward the door. “Hell, I don’t now. I’m heading to bed.”
A shower and then he’d hit the hay for a night spent alone trying not to imagine Ansley nude and dripping fresh from the lake. Or dripping in maraschino cherry juice just waiting to be licked off. Knowing she was sleeping right next door in the main house, too close to him and way too damn close to Ryan should be hell. Oh yeah, Jeremy wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.
It was going to be one long ass summer.
CHAPTER 10
After saying goodnight to Grams, Ryan headed for his bedroom. Not wanting to wake Ansley if she’d really gone to sleep, he crept down the hall as quietly as a six-foot-tall man in cowboy boots could on bare wood floors. He paused before turning toward his door.
Ansley’s room was right there, and there was a sliver of light sneaking out around the frame of her door. Maybe he should knock and at least say good night. Jeremy had said they should try and give her positive attention. This could be step one—showing her she was a member of their family while she was here, maybe make sure she didn’t need anything since it was her first night.
He raised his hand to knock when a moan stilled his motion. Afraid to breath, he waited. It came again. Definitely a sound Ryan had heard before, that of a woman experiencing pleasure. He swallowed hard and leaned his head closer. That’s when he noticed the old door hadn’t quite latched and the crack was big enough he could see inside. There on the bed, her eyes closed, was Ansley.