After he left, I closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath. This was torture. Pure, calculated torture. And the worst part was, I couldn’t even call him out on it without admitting that it was affecting me. That would only inspire him to torture me further.
The shower didn’t help. All I could think about was Jesse standing in this exact spot minutes earlier, water running down his body, that damn piercing always catching my eye. By the time I got out, I was in an even fouler mood than before.
I dressed quickly and headed downstairs, praying Jesse had gone back to his room. No such luck. He was in the kitchen, thankfully dressed now, pouring coffee into two mugs.
“Made you some,” he said, sliding one across the counter to me. “Figured you’d need it.”
I grunted in response, taking the mug but keeping my distance. The kitchen suddenly felt too small with both of us in it. I could smell his shampoo from here.
“So,” Jesse continued, leaning against the counter, his lower back arched provocatively while he pretended it was totally normal. “I’ve got about twenty-eight deliveries to make once the beef shows up. Probably won’t be able to help much around the ranch today.”
“Finally,” I grunted. “A peaceful day.”
Jesse’s lips twitched with amusement. “Peaceful? That hurts my feelings, Cole.”
“Good,” I muttered, taking a swig of coffee and burning my tongue in the process. I winced, setting the mug down harder than necessary.
“Careful there,” Jesse said, his voice dropping lower. “It’s hot.”
I shot him a glare, but he just smiled innocently back at me. That was another thing he’d started doing—making everything sound like innuendo while maintaining plausible deniability. If I called him on it, he’d just act confused, like I was the one with the dirty mind.
“I’m heading out,” I said, grabbing my hat from the hook by the door. “Cattle need feeding before the delivery truck arrives.”
“Want some company?” Jesse asked, pushing off the counter and taking a step toward me.
“No.” I jammed my hat on my head and yanked the door open. “Just... stay here and wait for the delivery.”
The crisp morning air hit me like a blessing as I escaped the house. I sucked in deep lungfuls, trying to clear my head of Jesse’s scent, of the way water droplets had clung to his skin, of how his lips had wrapped around the rim of his coffee mug.
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered to myself, stomping toward the barn. “Get it together, Cole.”
The ranch hands were already up and moving, going about their morning chores with the efficiency of men who’d donethis work for years. They nodded respectfully as I passed, a few calling out good mornings that I returned with a grunt.
Mitch fell into step beside me as I headed for the feed shed. “Morning, boss. Heard we got deliveries coming in today.”
“Yeah,” I replied, grateful for the distraction. “First batch from the processing plant. Jesse’s gonna handle distribution.”
Mitch nodded, helping me load feed bags onto the ATV. “His website idea seems to be working out. Evelyn was showing me on her phone yesterday. Says we’ve got orders coming in from all over the country.”
I grunted noncommittally. The last thing I needed was to hear about how right Jesse had been. About anything.
“You two getting along any better?” Mitch asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.
I stiffened, nearly dropping the feed bag I was holding. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged. “Just asking. You two were at each other’s throats when he first showed up. Seems like things have calmed down a bit.”
If only Mitch knew just how wrong he was. Things hadn’t calmed down at all. They’d just changed into something I couldn’t talk about with anyone.
“We’re making it work,” I said shortly. “For the ranch.”
Mitch helped me secure the last bag, then leaned against the ATV, studying me. “You know, regardless of what you say, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”
“You his fuckin’ agent or somethin’ now?” I shot back.
Mitch held up his hands in defeat. “I’m just sayin’, Cole. He could’ve let you lose the ranch and he didn’t. He can’t be that bad.”
I huffed. “Yeah well… you haven’t known him as long as I have.”
