by Reeni Austin
"Wuh-moan!" Isaac smiled like he was about to burst. He grabbed Ramon's hand and started tugging, exclaiming, "Mah-cy's in the kitchen!" with familiarity, as if Ramon was already acquainted with her.
Ramon smirked down at him. Marcy's name was mentioned quite often in passing, but no one said anything about her visiting.
Isaac's face puckered in frustration. "Come on!" He pulled Ramon's hand even harder, his socked feet slipping along the hardwood floor.
"Fine." Ramon sighed and trudged ahead, intent on showing Patty and everyone else exactly how unhappy he was about this obvious set-up.
The voices in the kitchen went silent as Ramon entered the room. He kept his head down, making sure to avoid their eyes. But mostly, he wanted to avoid a glimpse at this uninvited house guest until absolutely necessary.
When Isaac let go of Ramon's hand, Victor said, "Marcy, this is my brother, Ramon."
Ramon shot Victor a cold glance, then stared back down at the floor.
Isaac's sudden voice startled him. "That's Wuh-moan. I wike him! He's the one who…"
Shutting his eyes and mouth tight, Ramon listened to Isaac chatter away to this chick about what a great guy he was.
Ramon his grumbling inside, now feeling like a jerk in the face of all those compliments.
But damn it. Shouldn't he have the right to decide who stays under his roof?
After Isaac stopped talking, he heard Marcy say, "Hi Ramon. It's nice to meet you."
Ramon opened his eyes, expecting to see her nearby, ready to shake his hand. But instead, she stood across the kitchen beside Patty, offering him a wave.
He looked at the brunette and said, "Hi there," letting his eyes flicker down her body for a split second in a technique he believed he had perfected. She'd never know he just checked her out. In that split second, he saw her body was short and thick. He figured if she grew another three or four inches she'd probably seem skinny. Her shirt wasn't revealing, but tight enough to show him how well she filled it out. He already looked forward to seeing how she'd rate from behind.
So, upon his initial assessment, Ramon definitely found her attractive, but he still resented her presence in his house. Besides, she wasn't his type. Too much makeup. And that long, chocolate brown hair was too shiny and perfect to be natural. She struck him as the kind of girl who'd spend her last ten bucks at a beauty salon before she'd pay her own rent.
Ramon scowled at Patty and decided to make his true feelings known. "So, I guess this was your doin'?"
Patty widened her eyes with a stunned expression. "Excuse me?"
Ramon shook his head. "You think I'm stupid? This strange woman shows up at my house with luggage? You could've told me Victor and Cara were at the airport before dinner."
Victor cleared his throat and placed a hand on Ramon's back. "If you wanna take it up with someone, it's me. It was my idea to invite Marcy. She's Cara's best friend. We need her help with the wedding and the housekeeping."
"Oh really?" Ramon narrowed his eyes at Victor.
"Yes, really," Victor said, his eyes piercing Ramon's. "She's gonna live here for the next month to keep your house in order for the remainder of our stay. She had her own cleaning business. She's really good."
Ramon's heart sank at Victor's mention of them only staying another month. But he was determined to look impassive. He asked another question without missing a beat. "So, she's your maid, then." He shrugged. "That's fine. She can stay. I know you've gotten used to paying people to clean up after you." Ramon gave Victor a knowing grin.
Victor ignored his brother's snide comment.
Ramon didn't believe Victor's reason for inviting this woman. His suspicion was confirmed a few minutes later when Patty cleverly offered to switch seats with Marcy at the dinner table, putting her right beside him. When Ramon looked at Patty, she smiled at him with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Ramon turned his attention to his food and stayed quiet during dinner, giving one-word responses to questions. Ignoring the sweet, perfumey scent of the woman sitting next to him.
It wasn't hard to get through dinner without talking. The women at the table dominated most of the conversation, discussing flowers and dresses and all sorts of boring wedding crap he easily tuned out. He sneaked an occasional glance at Isaac and saw him playing with his green beans, looking every bit as bored as Ramon felt.
Toward the end of dinner, Ramon yawned repeatedly. It would be a struggle for him to stay awake for much longer. Already running on a sleep deficit, a stomach full of rich food was sure to induce a coma. Unfortunately, he remembered some paperwork he needed to finish, or else the feed orders wouldn't be placed on time.
With one more yawn, Ramon stood with his empty plate, interrupting Patty mid-sentence. "Sorry, guys. Got some work to do then I'm goin' to bed. Good night."
Disappointed, Patty said, "No, we're about to have dessert and coffee. At least have some coffee. It'll keep you awake for a little while."
Ramon shook his head as he headed out of the room. "Don't need anything keepin' me awake. Thanks."
Patty left the table and followed him into the kitchen as Victor and Tom started a new conversation. She looked over her shoulder into the dining room and tapped Ramon's arm as he lowered his dirty plate into the sink. "Do you really have to go so soon?"
"Yep." He headed away from her, toward the hall.
Sighing, she trailed along after him. "Well, fine then. Is there anything Marcy can help with? Filing, typing, anything you need—"
"Okay." Ramon turned around, glaring at Patty. "I know you did this."
"Did what?"
Ramon waved his hand in a vague gesture, too weary to put much effort into his words. "This. Marcy." He groaned. "You know what I'm talkin' about."
Patty smirked. "I'm not so sure about that." Then her eyes lit up. "But what do you think of her so far?"
Ramon let out a cynical chuckle. "No one asked my permission to let her stay at my house. So apparently, whatever I think doesn't mean shit."
Rolling her eyes, Patty said, "Don't be so grumpy. I just wanted your general first impression of your new house guest. It's a simple question."
Ramon said the first thing that came to mind. "Okay. She's short and stocky." He shrugged. "There you go."
Patty's nostrils flared, her head slowly shaking.
Ramon laughed. "What? My business thrives on makin' cows gain weight. I didn't say it was a bad thing."
Patty smacked his arm with the back of her hand.
And then a throat cleared.
Patty and Ramon both turned their heads to see Marcy standing there, holding her plate as she gave Ramon a hard stare.
"Shit," he muttered, hoping she hadn't heard his flippant comment.
Marcy quickly put her plate down in the sink, then she took a pie from the counter. In a haughty tone, she said, "I'll make sure to eat most of this now so you can sell me for a good price later. You know, like a cow."
Ramon sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, embarrassed. But impressed by her quick retort.
And pleased by the view as he watched her walk away.
Clearly angry, Patty pointed at him. "You know, everyone talks about how rude you are but I always take up for you. Always. Don't make me regret it."
"I'm sorry, Patty." He put a hand on each of her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "I said a dumb thing. I'm too tired to think right now. I'll apologize to Marcy tomorrow, after I've had some sleep."
Patty nodded. "Good." Then she shrugged away from him and rushed back to the dining room.
Ramon left the kitchen immediately and headed upstairs to take a shower. Hopefully it would clear his mind and wake him up enough to get some work done.
* * *
A few hours after dinner, Marcy was unpacking in her bedroom upstairs. Enjoying her first moment alone since she arrived.
She couldn't stop thinking about what an ass Ramon was. And not just his silly insult about her weight. The way he groan
ed and sighed all the way through dinner. No wonder Isaac liked him so much. He probably didn't notice Ramon was a grouch.
And Cara was absolutely right—Ramon was a jerk, and his attitude was a massive disappointment.
But he was also, unfortunately, way hotter than Cara originally described him months earlier.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a loud whisper. "Hey." Knock, knock, knock.
"Who's there?" she asked.
A throat cleared. "Ramon."
Flustered, Marcy said, "Come in, I guess. It's unlocked."
The door creaked open. Ramon walked in wearing flannel pajama pants and a white T-shirt. "Hey."
She imitated his abrupt tone. "Hey."
He looked around the room as if he was uncomfortable. "Uh… I told Patty I was gonna wait till tomorrow to apologize but I heard you through the wall and figured I'd get it over with now."
"Thanks," she said, sarcastically.
"Damn it. I didn't mean it like that. Now I remember why I was gonna wait." He ran his fingers through his tousled hair.
She waited patiently and put a blouse on a hanger, trying not to be obvious that she was giving his hard, lean body a thorough once-over. His chiseled chest and abs were on full display through that thin material.
He sat at the foot of the bed, hunched forward. "Please forgive me. We got off on the wrong foot. I've barely slept in days. I'm bound to say anything when I'm like this. I didn't mean what you heard me say in the kitchen. I was just talkin' outta my ass. I'm really sorry."
She shrugged. "It's fine. I knew what to expect from you."
"Hmm. Cara hates me, doesn't she?"
Marcy ignored the question.
Ramon said, "It's okay. I can tell. I'm used to it. Women usually hate me."
"And why is that, you think?" She lifted her eyebrows, as if she didn't know the answer.
"I'm blunt. Can't help it. Just how I am."
"Blunt." She chuckled. "You mean, straightforward? Outspoken?"
"Yeah."
"Honest."
He gave her a little smirk, ignoring her question.
Marcy said, "So, you honestly think I'm a cow?"
"Aw, fuck." He rolled his eyes, then focused them on her. "Cows are money to me. Cows paid for this house, this land. But you women… I swear." He scoffed. "You know, if I wanted to call you 'fat' I would've called you a pig."
With wide eyes, Marcy said, "Wow."
Ramon scoffed. "What? That's not an insult. It's just a description." He leaned forward. "I don't know what you think you heard, but I didn't call you a cow. I called you 'short and stocky.' Which you are."
She took a deep breath to stay calm. "Wow, again," she muttered. "Tell me something I don't know."
"Hey." Showing a sexy smile, he scooted closer to her and placed a hand on her arm. "I didn't say it was a bad thing, did I?"
She shivered at his touch, steeling her voice to sound casual. "It sure didn't sound like a compliment."
He shrugged and pulled away. "Guess it depends on the source. Personally, I have no idea why women are always starvin' themselves. I need somethin' to hold on to." He made a grabbing gesture with his hands. "And if I may be honest, again, I think you're really cute."
"Cute? How old are you? Ten?"
He looked away, laughing, then said, "Okay. Pretty." Voice lowered, he added, "Sexy. You're very sexy to me."
Is he hitting on me, or testing me?
Marcy had a test of her own. It was something she'd seen in a movie recently. "All right." She brought a hand to her hip and sidestepped directly in front of him. "So, if I'm sexy to you, does that mean if I were to take a little trip through your Internet search history, I'd find pictures that look like this?" She gestured down at her body.
Ramon gave her a blank grin. His eyes dropped to her chest, then her hips, then back up to look in her eyes. "Maybe. But I can't know for sure unless you take your clothes off."
Her pulse raced. Biting back her smile, she wondered how far she could take it. But she decided not to give him the satisfaction. At least, not just yet. Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, she shuffled back to her suitcase. "Maybe some other time when you're not so tired."
Ramon laughed, then leaned back on his elbows. His tone got a bit more serious. "So what's your deal, anyway? You married? Divorced? Single?" He shrugged. "Otherwise attached?"
"Single. Not that it's any of your business."
"So, Victor said you had your own company. What happened? Must've been something bad if you were willing to pick up and move so far away for a whole month."
As she hung another blouse, she gave him a thoughtful look. Maybe as owner of the house, he was within his rights to ask these questions. And she sensed he was genuinely curious. So, as she turned around to hang the blouse in the closet, she gave him an honest answer. "I started my cleaning business a few years ago, after I lost my job. Turns out a lot of other people suddenly had the same business idea." She turned to the suitcase on the bed. "It's too competitive. And to make things worse, this new industrial cleaning company moved to town. Undercut my prices. I didn't stand a chance."
"Yeah." He let out a sympathetic huff. "I get that. What'd you do before you started workin' for yourself?"
Marcy hesitated, confused by his sudden interest, but urged on by the sincerity in his eyes. "I was a bookkeeper for a long time, until that company folded. That was the job I lost a few years ago. Haven't been able to find another one like it."
Ramon yawned, then said, "So, since you already knew how to keep the books, you figured you'd start your own company? Is that what happened?"
"Yeah, something like that." She looked at him. "Why are you asking me all this stuff?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I've lived in this house since I was eight years old and I've always worked at this ranch. Guess I'm kinda curious about the rest of the world."
"Do you wish you'd made some different decisions?"
"Nah. I'm happy. Can't think of anything else I'd rather be doin'. I just have a curious mind, I suppose."
"Did you go to college?"
"Nope. Couldn't stand the thought of it. You?"
"Beauty school."
He nodded slowly. "Ah. That explains it."
"Explains what?"
"Your hair. It's so long and shiny. Like, too perfect or something. Must take a lot of work to get it that way."
"What?" Marcy gave him a disbelieving squint, determined not to show how flattered she truly was. "That's an odd thing to say. All I do is condition, keep it trimmed, take vitamins. It's pretty easy."
"Hmm." He sat up, eyeing her. "So. Haircuts." He flashed a little smile. "Is that a service you offer? You know, along with the housekeeping?"
"Are you asking for a haircut?"
"Maybe. Tell me why you don't do it anymore."
She rolled her eyes as she thought back to those days. "I only lasted a couple years. I used to argue with clients about what looked best. Sometimes the style a lady wants isn't the style a lady needs." Her eyebrows shot up.
Ramon laughed. "Seriously? You mean, you just gave people whatever hair you thought they needed?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes. Especially if they were vague. I'd just lie afterward and say, 'I'm sorry, I thought this was what you wanted.' But I finally quit after this mean old lady slapped me. That was the last straw."
"Someone slapped you? You've gotta be kiddin' me."
"True story. I think she was senile, though. She kept calling me 'Denise.'" Marcy huffed. "I stared at her in the mirror," she pointed at herself as if reenacting, "Marcy. My name is Marcy." She rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair of pants from her suitcase. "She didn't like her new hair color and then she slapped me and that was that. I packed up my tools and walked out."
Ramon doubled over, laughing hard.
"It's not that funny." Marcy kept her eyes on him, watching until he calmed down.
"I think it is." He grinned. "So, would you cut m
y hair?"
"Sure. But it looks fine to me."
"It's just long enough to annoy me right now. And I don't have time to go to the barber shop." He snorted. "I was supposed to get it cut last week before Armando's wedding but I didn't."
"Okay. I didn't bring my tools with me but I guess I can find a beauty supply store tomorrow."
Ramon nodded. "All right." Then his lips parted in a massive yawn. "Well, I gotta get some sleep." As he stood, he gave her body a lingering glance, then met her eyes. "If you need me for anything, remember, I'm just on the other side of that wall." He pointed behind him.
"I'll definitely remember that." Was that a thinly-veiled sexual advance? And did she want it to be? She held his gaze for a moment, unable to think of a better response.
But then Marcy thought of something she heard him say in the kitchen when they were introduced. She said, "And by the way, thank you for letting me stay in your house. I'm sorry they kept me a secret. For the record, I'd be pissed if I were you."
"I am, a little. But not at you. It wasn't your fault." He shrugged. "Sorry to hear about what happened to your company. I can relate to that. But I'm glad you found a job, however temporary it is. I hope this'll be good for you."
"Yeah. Thanks."
He looked into her eyes like he wanted to say something else, and suddenly extended his hand. "It was nice meeting you."
She took his hand, unprepared for her body's physical reaction to his rough fingers. "Likewise." An odd, sensual quiver started where his skin touched hers, radiating all the way down to her toes.
"I'll be lookin' forward to that haircut." Ramon let go of her hand and calmly left the room.
Marcy waited until she heard his door shut, then she sat on her bed, dumbfounded and wondering what the hell just happened.
CHAPTER 4
Ramon whistled happily to himself when lunchtime came the next day. His pulse quickened, hopeful he'd see Marcy in a few minutes.
Suddenly, he understood why Henry hooked up with Elsa. Also, dare he say it, why Henry hooked up with Mama. Ranching was a lonely life, but even if he wasn't lonely, it would be difficult to resist a woman like Marcy.