“Well… he isn’t a bronc rider anymore.”
She looks at me, confused. “You said he’s a bronc rider and that’s how you met.”
“Yeah. Well. I guess he technically is, but he owns the ranch.” I wring my hands while I wait for her to understand what I’m saying.
When she crosses her arms and sits back in her chair, eyes narrowed as she watches us carefully, I know she’s figuring it all out. Not wanting to be the first to speak, I sit back and try my best to keep from fidgeting as I wait for her to say something. Anything.
“Well, that’s one way to get in your boss’s good graces…”
“Aunt Sophia!”
Heat rises to my cheeks, and I can’t tell if it’s anger, embarrassment, or a combination of both. Before I can respond, my aunt’s face splits into a grin, and she smacks the arm of her chair.
“Relax, I’m kidding. I feel better knowing he’s a ranch owner and not one fall away from the poor house.”
Oh my god.I didn’t think this could possibly go worse than I imagined, but here we are. I don’t even have a response to what she just said. Leave it to her to find a way to compliment the man and insult him all at the same time. Humiliation threatens to consume me as my entire body heats.
“That’s understandable,” Tate says after a beat. “I’ve been running my family ranch since my father passed away fifteen years ago. And when I took it over, I also had my younger brother to look after since he was only seventeen. Climbing the ranks in the PBR was fun, but those days are long gone. I couldn’t afford to be just an injury away from disaster. Not when it was all up to me to keep the ranch going. I only have Boulder Ranch because the owner came to me personally and asked if I would be interested in taking it over.”
Tate’s response is much more cool, calm, and collected than what I wanted to say to her. My anger hasn’t completely dissolved, even as my aunt looks at Tate like Jesus is back. It’s obvious she was just testing him, but she didn’t need to be so insulting. Tate’s warm grasp on my thigh is the only thing keeping me from snapping at her, even though the conversation has already moved on.
“I am so sorry,” I whisper when my aunt finally retreats to the kitchen to finish cooking.
“She just wants what’s best for you. I’d be worried if she wasn’t concerned about some cowboy sweeping her niece off her feet,” he says as he stands and pulls me up. “I’m going to grab our bags from the truck.”
That makes me laugh. I hadn’t thought about it like that. City girl moves to the country and gets mixed up with some no-good cowboy. I get it. If it was my daughter, I’d be beyond suspicious. And there have been times when Aunt Sophia was more of a mother than my actual mom, so I suppose it makes sense, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling completely mortified. When she’d said those things to Tate, I wanted nothing more than to disappear.
With the hope of calming my nerves, I make my way to the small bathroom. I’m hoping a hot shower will settle my nerves, plus it’ll be nice to freshen up after sitting in the car.
“Mind if I join you?”
Tate is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he drinks me in. My heart pounds from the way his heated gaze scorches every inch of my naked body. Obviously, he’s seen me naked before, but there’s something about being in my aunt’s house that makes me want to cover up. It feels like he shouldn’t be standing here.
“My aunt is just in the other room,” I whisper.
“So?”
“So, we can’t be doing that when she is right there.”
Smirking, Tate stalks toward me until he’s only inches away. “So? She’s not in here. Anyway, I was just talking about a shower. I’m sure your aunt wouldn’t have a problem with us freshening up before dinner. Would she?”
I shake my head, unable to form words when all my focus is on his fingers as they work at the buttons of his shirt. The muscles of his chest and torso move and flex as he maneuvers the fabric over his shoulders.
“No,” I breathe. “It’s polite to freshen up for dinner. You’re right.”
He hums as his hands move down to his belt. That simple act has heat pooling between my legs. I may have said we can’t do anything with my aunt a couple of rooms away, but all I can think about is the way his hands feel on my body. He pulls his pants and underwear off in one step and my gaze stops at his semi-erect dick.
“Get in,” he says in a low voice.
Licking my lips, I turn around and step into the shower. Hot water sprays over me as I move to the front to give Tate space. The shower isn’t big enough for two people to comfortably fit, but that only means no one is left standing in the cold. The thought of the way we must look squeezing into the small space makes me giggle, and I cover my mouth to keep quiet.
“Something funny?” Tate asks.
I look up into his teasing gaze and shake my head, before turning it into a nod. “We don’t both fit in here. I’m sure we look ridiculous.”
He smiles. Really smiles. His dimples show as deep creases and his eyes crinkle around the edges. I can’t look away. I can barely breathe. His laugh is a soft rumble against my shoulder where it’s pressed against his chest.
“I think we look perfect.”
