"What about your mom?"
"Dead."
"No siblings?"
"Two brothers. One is overseas."
"Where's the other?" he asks.
I hesitate for a long time before sighing. "Prison for drug trafficking."
"Shit. I'm sorry."
I shrug without looking at him. "He knew the consequences."
"How long is he in for?"
I rinse the pan and place it carefully on the rack before turning to him. He's leaning against the counter behind me, his arms crossed, his eyes locked on me. "Why do you want to know? So you can run and tell the Carringtons that they made a mistake hiring me? You already made your opinion on that clear, Walker."
"That's not—"
"I can finish up here by myself. Feel free to scamper off to bed."
"Scamper off to bed?" His brows pull together before he mutters a curse and saunters toward me. He's hot all the damn time, but he's something else entirely when he's looming over me, looking like he isn't sure whether he wants to kiss me or spank me. "I'm going to let that fiery little attitude slide because I pissed you off," he murmurs, hooking a finger beneath my chin so I'm forced to meet his steely gaze. "But keep it up, and you'regoing to learn exactly what I'm thinking about doing in that bed. Believe me, Sunshine.Scamperingisn't part of it."
I open my mouth to say…something…but he doesn't give me the chance before he leans down, brushing his lips against mine in a hard kiss. I don't mean to whimper, but I do anyway.
His tongue flicks my bottom lip before he groans softly. "You taste a helluva lot better than the goddamn hot sauce you put on my tacos, Letty," he growls and then takes a step back, his expression searing me. "I'll wait in the mess hall for you to finish so I can walk you back to your place for the night."
"Walker, that's not…" He catches my gaze, and my protest dies in my throat. "Thank you."
Ispend all nighttossing and turning, thinking about his kiss and the look in his eye immediately before. By the time my alarm goes off, I'm exhausted, cranky, and a little irrational. I've also decided that Walker Jessup is a big problem.
How dare he kiss me after telling me that I'm a distraction, a problem, a lamb to the slaughter, and everything else? The problem on this ranch isn't me. It isn't the other cowboys, either. It's him.
He is such a hypocrite!
As soon as my feet touch the floor, I stomp to the desk and write out the equivalent of a war declaration before tacking it to my front door.
No Grumps Allowed
(This means you, Walker)
I need the reminder that he's the enemy. Maybe it'll keep me from doing something completely stupid, like inviting him inside so I can climb him.
I spend half my morning cursing his name while I prep breakfast, trying to convince myself that I don't actually want him. I'm convinced I've succeeded…right up until he strolls into my kitchen, looking as wildly perfect as he did last night. My heart flutters, and all my hard work goes right down the drain.
"How long until breakfast?" he asks by way of greeting.
I scowl daggers at him. "It'll be ready when it's ready, Walker Jessup. Do I go into your fields and ask you how long until the cow is milked or the bull is castrated?"
His lips twitch. "Sunshine."
"You know, I'm beginning to think rude is your default setting. Were you a rodeo cowboy before? I bet you probably got bucked off a horse a few too many times and it addled your brains."
"I'm not askin' to be rude, Sunshine. I'm askin' because you've got a mess hall full of eager cowboys out there, and when I walked in, they were all lined up at the kitchen door, fighting over who gets the first place."
"I…What? Are you serious?" I blink at him.
