His eyes landed on the piece of mail he’d attempted to ignore. The governor had chosen the wrong recipient for the Man of Honor award.
This was a new award and apparently Hayes had been the first choice. When they’d called him last week to inform him, he’d been numb, shocked, then angry. Hayes didn’t want a damn award for serving his country. He didn’t want to be recognized because he’d been the only one in his platoon to survive. His busted-up knee was nothing compared to what his brothers had gone through.
Pushing away from his desk, he turned and headed out of his office and down the hall to the kitchen. The last thing he wanted was to see that damn gold-embossed invitation.
Initially, he’d thought working in his office would allow him to ignore Alexa. He figured he’d look over some of the dude ranch plans, but then the invitation mocked him. And now he felt guilty for walking out on her without saying a word.
His brothers, Nolan and Colt, were moving forward with the transformation of a portion of the ranch property. It wouldn’t be long before Pebblebrook’s dude ranch would be up and running and pulling in tourists just like their father had always wanted. Even though he was in a nursing facility and not in his right mind, his sons planned to push through and keep the patriarch informed each step of the way. He might not recall his plans, but the boys needed the communication with their dad.
Well, three of the four boys. Colt’s twin, Beau, wasn’t part of the process. He was too busy out in LA, making movies and being Hollywood’s playboy to worry with the ranch. Or at least that’s the way it seemed. The media loved any scoop they could get on the so-called “it” actor and, as of late, Beau had been seen in some compromising pictures with an up-and-coming actress.
Beau would occasionally call or text one of his brothers, but more often than not, he couldn’t be reached because he was off in some remote location working...and whatever else he did.
Hayes kept his true feelings for Beau’s choices to himself. He and Beau didn’t mesh well on a good day, so it was probably best Colt’s twin wasn’t around. It was crazy how Colt and Beau were identical twins, but Colt worked his ass off at the ranch while Beau would rather smile pretty for the camera. Definitely night-and-day brothers.
Hayes entered the kitchen and came up short. Alexa had the back door propped open while she examined the screen door. She muttered under her breath and Hayes couldn’t make out quite what she was saying, but she seemed extremely determined in whatever it was she was doing.
Intrigued about what she was attempting, Hayes crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame leading from the hall to the kitchen. Alexa opened the screen wider, then eased it back. She fiddled with the spring at the top and slid the stopper along the bar in the middle. Then she eased the door back and forth again.
Hayes chewed on the inside of his lip and tried not to focus on how slender her shoulders were beneath his T-shirt, or how she’d had to fold the waistband and the cuffs of the pants just so they’d somewhat fit. The stirring of normal emotions felt so foreign, he was starting to wonder if she’d put a spell on him. How could one voluptuous woman with eyes dark as night be so enthralling?
Her long black hair had started to dry and hung in ropelike waves down her back. He clenched his fists against his chest and ignored the fantasy of how silky all that hair would feel sliding between his fingertips...because he’d never know. Letting his mind wander was a moot point.
Alexa shifted slightly and met his eyes. Her hands stilled on the door as she slowly brought it to a close. The pounding rain blew in on his back porch and the porch swing tapped a rhythm against the side of the house.
“Sorry. I just... I thought maybe I could fix the door and keep it from slamming so hard.”
Even though her eyes never wavered from his, the rest of her body language showed she was completely nervous. She wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling the material tighter and showcasing the fact that she wore nothing beneath his shirt.
His body betrayed him and stirred with arousal.
“Do you often go around fixing stranger’s doors?”
She tipped her head and offered a slight grin. “I’m wearing your clothes, so I’m not sure how much of a stranger you are. Besides, I fixed my own door at home, so I thought I could work on yours.”
He could fix the damn thing himself, but he’d just gotten used to closing it softly, and not fixing it was more about the principle now. He wasn’t about to let that door win. It was a damn door and he refused to be intimidated by it.
Besides, it wasn’t like anyone ever stopped by. Occasionally his brothers would drop in, but usually they were in the old barn or Hayes saw them down at the main stables. With his house tucked away on the farthest corner of the property, there wasn’t much use for anyone to come back here. All the livestock were kept on the west side more toward Nolan’s home.
“Are you that bored?” he asked.
She stepped further into the kitchen, shutting the oak door at her back and drowning out the sound of the rain pelting the back porch. “I didn’t want to get in your way. When you left a while ago, it seemed like you were angry that I was here.”
Angry? No. Frustrated, sexually charged and confused as hell? Absolutely.
“I’m not angry with you.”
He needed her to know that. It wasn’t her fault she was stuck here with a guy who couldn’t handle a door closing and who had the social skills of a wooden spoon.
Hayes remained in the doorway as she crossed the room. The way those curves moved beneath his clothes was so ridiculously hot. He hadn’t been with a woman since his ex, but he hadn’t been looking, either.
Yet here Alexa stood, all barefoot in his kitchen with her black hair down and those dark eyes showing way too much.
The woman couldn’t hide her emotions and she wavered from vulnerable to turned on to unsure. And damn if all of those crystal clear emotions didn’t make him want to pick her up and drag her to his room. He wanted to protect her, to figure out why she went from sassy to insecure in the span of seconds, and he wanted to kiss the hell out of those unpainted lips.
Damn her for calling him on that earlier. She’d pegged him...which only made him want her all the more.
“What are your plans for the kitchen?” she asked, stopping just in front of him.
Her random question threw him off. “My plans?”
“You said you’re renovating,” she reminded him. “And someone with that coffee setup surely has a grand idea of what he wants done in here.”
Hayes pushed off the door and eased around her. How pathetic to be running from a curvaceous woman who was utterly harmless. Well, she wasn’t exactly harmless or he wouldn’t be so anxious. She made him achy and needy and he sure as hell did not like this unfamiliar emotional place he was in. Not one bit.
Hayes went to the coffee station he’d temporarily set up and poured himself a steaming mug. “I have plenty of plans, but everything takes time.”
“What have you done so far in the rest of the house?” she asked as she turned to face him.
“Master bedroom and bath.”
He was pretty proud of how the work had turned out. He’d done everything himself, often at night when he couldn’t sleep.
“What are you working on next?” she asked.
Hayes shrugged. “You planning on pitching in?”
A ghost of a smile danced around her lips. “If that rain doesn’t let up, it could be a long night. Might as well find something to occupy our time.”
The words were completely true, but now that she said them and they were hovering in the air between them, Hayes was having a hard time remembering why he was keeping his hands to himself.
If Alexa ended up being an overnight guest, he better find a project real soon to get started on or he’d have those clothes stripped off her before midnight.
/> “I plan on doing every room and then starting on the outside,” he told her. “I have no timeline.”
It wasn’t like he was going anywhere. He’d come back to heal, in his own time, and to assist with the dude ranch. Renovating was simply a much needed distraction.
He’d had surgery on his leg in Germany before he came back to the States. Since then he’d done some in-home therapy, but he was stuck with this damn limp, a physical reminder of that horrendous day. So that portion of his healing had gone as far as possible. He wasn’t too sure if the mental healing would make any better progress.
“You’re doing all the work yourself?” she asked, tipping her head to the side.
“Why would I hire for it when I’m perfectly capable?”
Alexa shrugged and crossed to the kitchen table. She took a seat and rested her elbows on the scarred wooden top. “Because you’re loaded.”
Hayes stared for another minute before he let out a bark of laughter. He didn’t remember the last time he’d actually laughed, but his temporary roommate was seriously getting through the wall he’d been hiding behind.
Maybe that was most of her appeal. She clearly knew about the PTSD, she hadn’t offered apologies and she didn’t back down from what she wanted to say. All of that added up to one sexy package.
“There goes that honest mouth again.”
One dainty fingertip traced a scarred pattern over the tabletop. “I mean, I love manual labor, but most people would rather just have someone else do the grunt work. Especially when they could afford to just tear this place down and build from scratch and make it five times the size.”
He met her gaze. “I’m not like anyone you’ve ever met.”
Dark eyes widened at his declaration. The whisky color called to him, but he knew that was just hormones talking. The electricity flickered, pulling him from the trance.
“Are you kidding me?” she muttered beneath her breath, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling.
“Eager to leave?”
Her eyes snapped back to his. “Aren’t you just as eager to see me go?”
There were two ways he could answer that and both of them were honest. Yes, he wanted her to go because he hated visitors.
On the other hand, no. He wanted her to stay so he could watch her body move beneath his clothes a little longer. Masochism clearly had settled in deep here because at this point he’d rather be tormented by her snarky comments and her tempting curves than to see her walk away.
“No,” he said, earning him another surprised face.
Her mouth dropped open and he was moving before he even realized it. Hayes came to stand beside her chair. With one hand on the back of the chair, and one hand on the table, he caged her in and leaned down slightly. “I like how you tried to protect me from the big bad slamming door.”
“If you’re just going to mock me—”
“I’m not,” he clarified. “I haven’t been attracted to a woman in a long time.”
She blinked, those long, dark lashes briefly shaded her doe eyes. “And what do you expect me to do with that information?”
Damn she had a mouth on her. He liked it.
“I don’t expect anything, but just as you are up-front and honest, so am I.”
Her eyes studied him, more his mouth than anything. She was tempted, that much was obvious. She’d been tempted the moment she’d turned to greet him in the stables, but she’d been too ladylike to not keep her thoughts to herself.
Hayes was excellent at reading people. Well, not his ex-fiancée. He hadn’t seen that coming.
“Well, Hayes,” she drawled out and made every nerve ending in his body stand up and beg for attention. “As much as I’d love for you to rip your clothes off me and have your wicked way, I’m afraid I live in the real world and that’s just not something I do.”
Even though she delivered an impressive verbal punch, he had to give her credit. She managed to say that and sound sexy at the same time.
“I don’t either, darlin’, but there’s always a first time for everything. Isn’t that the old saying?”
Alexa pushed to her feet, forcing him to step back slightly. But he didn’t move too far. Her body slid against his. He fisted his hands and willed all of his control to step up and assist a brother out. He couldn’t resist this woman and her sarcasm and the way she called him on everything.
“I recognize PTSD.”
And there went the arousal he’d had since meeting her.
Hayes turned away and headed to the kitchen window above the sink. He’d rather watch the rain come down in sheets than address the proverbial elephant in the room that his brothers had badgered him about for weeks.
“My grandfather had—”
“Enough.”
He hadn’t meant to yell, but damn it, he wasn’t going to be analyzed. Not by his brothers and sure as hell not by this stranger he was more attracted to than he should be.
Hayes was well aware what he suffered from and giving it a label wasn’t going to fix the issue. At some point, he’d have to go talk to someone, to bare his soul and give up all the demons in his mind that he’d lived with for years.
The electricity flickered once more, but remained on. Hayes continued to stare out into the yard where it stretched to the river. Puddles were forming in the grass and the waters in the river rolled quicker than usual. They were in for a hell of a storm and Alexa wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“Why don’t you get flashlights,” she suggested. “We better be prepared for the worst.”
Prepared? He nearly laughed. He knew full well that there was no preparation for Alexa of the raven hair and mouthy chatter. She’d hit the nail on the head when she’d thrown out PTSD. Little did she know, others had tried to heal him and had failed.
What made her think she could come in here after knowing him only hours when his brothers who’d known him his entire life hadn’t been able to get anywhere? Alexa might be the sexiest woman he’d ever seen, she might have a smart mouth, but she wasn’t going to do any psychoanalyzing. If she wanted to do anything regarding this sexual tension, he’d be totally on board with that.
This was going to be a long, long night.
Five
Well, clearly the topic of PTSD was off the table. Alexa wouldn’t make the mistake of bringing that up again. The man knew he had it—just as she knew. What level of hell did he live in on a daily basis? Did he just battle all of this on his own?
Alexa didn’t know his brothers. Well, she’d seen Beau Elliott in movies, but that didn’t necessarily count. From the way Hayes spoke about the others, he had a support system right here. Was he not ready to reach out? Perhaps he was too proud?
When her sister had passed, Alexa’s father had a difficult time accepting help from others. But then he’d realized that was the only way he’d be able to move on and heal not only himself, but also his family.
“Tell me about your movie-star brother,” she tossed out.
Hayes let out a humorless laugh. “You really know which subjects to hone in on to get on my bad side.”
“Then maybe you should get me a list of safe things to discuss because I’ve yet to see a good side.”
The glare he shot her suggested she should keep quiet, and that grouchy demeanor might work on some, but not her. She wasn’t worried.
“Maybe we should try to get along during this storm and skip the getting-to-know-you portion of the night,” he growled.
She thought about that for a second, but opted to ignore his request.
“I’d rather play the game,” she countered. “I mean, I am wearing your clothes and it doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere anytime soon.”
Hayes shook his head, clearly not on board. “How about we get flashlights and candles? Then maybe I’ll tell you about my renovations.”<
br />
She pursed her lips and tipped her head to the side. “Sounds like a good idea to me. I can give you some tips.”
“Did I ask for tips?” he countered. Alexa crossed the room and patted his cheek. “Consider it my payment for your Southern hospitality.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he muttered beneath his breath.
“Sure you did, but you chose to push your moodiness aside and step up as a gentleman.”
Those dark eyes traveled over her. “I’m always a gentleman, Lex.”
Something shifted inside her. “Don’t call me that.”
Scott had always used that as his nickname for her and no one had called her Lex in two years.
Hayes’s dark eyes landed on hers. “Fine. Alexa.”
The way her name slid through his lips as he drawled it out made her think of skin to skin and promising nights. However, there would be neither skin on skin nor a passion-filled night.
“Let’s start in the bedroom.”
She blinked, then smiled. “Lead the way, cowboy.”
Hayes did move, but not to lead the way. He leaned in and came within an inch of her. So close, his warm breath tickled the side of her face.
“And for the record, don’t pat me like a little boy again.”
Swallowing hard, she eased her face back just slightly to look him dead in the eyes. “Believe me, Hayes, I definitely don’t see you as a little boy.”
* * *
He wasn’t sure what was more nerve-wracking, the fact she followed so close behind as he led the way up to the second floor, or the way she’d volleyed that sexual tension back in his face.
“Do we need to do anything for your horses?”
Hayes reached the landing and turned to face her. “They’re all right. I have hay and feed in the barn. They’re just as comfortable as they’d be down in Colt’s stable.”
Taming the Texan Page 4