Arriving back home, she parked the truck next to the back door and began to carry the bags into the house.
“Let me help you with that,” Enzo, one of the ranchers, said.He was a wolf in one of the local packs, but liked to work at Lord’s.
“You really don’t have to help me,” she said.
“Please, I insist.A pretty lady should not be forced to carry all these bags.”
Astrid couldn’t help but blush.“Uh, thank you.”She was not used to being complimented.
Enzo helped her with the bags.
“So, there is this dance,” Enzo said.
She looked at him, pushing some of her hair out of her face.
“Get to work, Enzo,” Lord said, startling the two of them.
Enzo looked at her, and then toward Lord.Had he been about to ask her on a date?That couldn’t be right, could it?No, that had to be wrong.No one asked her out on a date.She didn’t even have a date to prom.No one wanted to date the fat girl.That was what she had been called.Fat Astrid.
“I don’t appreciate you flirting with my men,” Lord said.
Her mouth fell open.Normally, she would never dream of arguing back, certainly not with a boss, but that statement was rude.
“Flirting.What are you talking about?”
“You’re here to do a job, do it, and leave my men alone.”
She glared at him.“I was not flirting with your men.I don’t even know how to flirt.How dare you!He was being nice and helping me with these bags, not that I needed help.I did not ask for anything.”
She wanted to scream at him, but instead, she grabbed the nearest bags and went straight to the pantry.How dare he!She was not flirting.She didn’t even know what flirting was, and if Enzo was going to invite her to the dance at the local bar, then she would never have said yes.She couldn’t dance, and going out partying was not for her.
Astrid was a recluse.Years of not being invited to any parties had helped with that.Halloween, to her, was spent dressed up, answering the door, offering candy, and watching horror movies with her parents, or alone.If her parents got invited to parties, she house-sat.That was her life.
Lord was nowhere to be found when she made her way back into the kitchen, and she was thankful for that, because he would have gotten another piece of her mind.
****
Lord didn’t like howEnzo was looking at Astrid.Over the past couple of months, he had seen the way the younger rancher stayed close to the house.He was always the first one there at mealtimes and tended to be one of the last to leave.He was not interested in creating a romantic environment for the two lovebirds.
Gripping the rope in his palms, he twisted it, hoping to feel the anger leave his body.There was no way he could be jealous.Astrid didn’t belong to him.
“Are you done strangling the rope?”Blake asked, coming into the barn.
“Fuck off.”
“You’re in a bad mood, and that can only mean one thing, Enzo has pissed you off again.”
Lord looked toward Blake, who lifted his hands up in surrender.
“Sorry, I’m not some kind of psychic.I just saw how pissed off Enzo was with you getting him to muck out stalls,” Blake said.“You don’t need to be a wolf to know you and he are butting heads.”
“He was about to ask Astrid to the dance,” Lord said.
“And?”
“That is not appropriate.”
Blake laughed.“Is there some kind of rule out that says the ranch hands can’t ask Astrid out?”
