“Wasn’t sure it was what you really wanted,” he said with a lazy wink that made my blood boil.
I wanted to knock that smug expression clean off his face.
My gaze dragged over him, every expensive thread, every polished inch. But it wasn’t the clothes that made me itch. It was the way he looked at her. Like she belonged to him. Like he knew every curve, every scar, every sound she made when she came.
Had he seen the three freckles at the top of her heart-shaped ass? Run his finger over the tiny scar on her forearm? Did he know her favorite nail polish was fire truck red and that she could drink beer like a cowboy but was a lightweight when it came to champagne? That she hummed Chris Stapleton when she thought no one was listening? That when she laughed hard enough to cry, she covered her face like she was afraid to be seen?
Had he even made her laugh so hard she snorted?
“I think the fact that she’s been living here for seven months probably gives you the answer to that,” I snapped, jaw clenched so tight it ached.
“And you are?” he asked, giving me a once-over like I was dirt under his hand-made shoes. “Do you work here with Tallulah?”
“He’s—” Tally started, but I didn’t let her finish.
“This is my ranch,” I cut in, heat pulsing behind my ears. “Brownie works with my brother, which means she’s under my protection. Test that theory if you’re feeling lucky.”
She blinked fast at the mention of her nickname. That hit her soft but deep. Call me a dog. Call me territorial. But I wasstaking my claim, and I didn’t give a damn who saw it. She wasn’t just any woman. She was the one who made me believe I could be something more.
It landed. His face pinched, unsure of what it meant, but certain it mattered. He wasn’t just visiting. He was calculating. Measuring me. Measuringus.
Asudden bark cracked the air, and Dorcas, Bertie’s gangly, soft as mash potato puppy came barreling around the side of the house like a canine cannonball. Her ears flopped, her tongue lolled, and her fur glistened with morning dew.
“Damn it, Dorcas,” I muttered, bracing.
“She got out again.” Tally crouched, her arms wide, her voice full of unfiltered affection. “Hey, Dorcas, you naughty girl. What are you doing out here?”
“She keeps pushing out through the back porch screen,” I muttered. “Nash swore he fixed it. Guess not.”
Dorcas trotted right past Tally and went straight for Declan. Sniffed his shoes. Then his pants. Then smeared a fat line of dog slobber down his expensive khakis.
He hissed and flinched like she was a rabid raccoon. “Go away,” he muttered. “Damn dog.”
Tally’s eyes darkened. She picked Dorcas up and cradled her to her chest like she was something precious.
“Her name isDorcas,” she said, voice like steel, her back now fully turned on her visitor. “I’ll take her to Ruth in the office.”
My gaze slid to Declan again. My pulse thundered in my ears. His eyes were on her, assessing her like she was a number on a spreadsheet.
“You should stay and deal with this,” I said, too sharply, voice lined with things I didn’t understand yet. My stomach churned; a landslide of feelings I didn’t have room for.
It was supposed to bejust sex. So why did it feel like someone had shoved a goddamn boulder into my throat?
I reached for Dorcas. “I’ll take her back to the house.”
“There’s nothing to deal with,” she insisted, brushing hair from her cheek. “He just needs to sign the divorce papers so I can be rid of him.”
“Tallulah.”
“Her name isfucking Tally,” I hissed, spinning on my heel. “Deal with him. Then get back to work. This is a ranch, not marriage guidance counseling.”
I stalked away. Every step burned. I didn’t know what scorched more,seeing that asshole on my land... Or knowing she mattered. Not just under me. Not just in my bed. Feeling her in my bones, my blood, in every breath I took.
But everywhere. She was the thing I looked for at the end of every day. The reason my mornings felt a little less heavy. I didn’t know when it had started, but I knew I’d feel it when it ended.
As I threw the hammer into the toolbox, the clang echoed, sharp and hollow, like it knew I was trying to bury something louder inside.
“She get out again?” Nash’s voice rumbled behind me, rough like gravel and amusement.
