"Whatever," she huffs like she'd rather set me on fire than listen to me. "Like I just said, I don't need your protection. I can take care of myself."
Dammit.
"There are more heifers here than women," I say, refusing to give up. Contrary to her opinion, I'm not an overgrowncaveman…most of the time. "Most of these guys work from sunup to sundown, seven days a week. As far as they're concerned, every woman in the vicinity is fair game because they haven't let off steam in months. They'll sleep with anything that moves, and you're the prettiest little thing we've had around here in ages. You'll be a lamb to the slaughter."
She stares at me for a long moment before turning to Tanner. "Am I hired?"
"Of course," he says, grinning at her.
"And this place is mine?"
"Absolutely."
"You said I could have anyone I wanted here, right?"
"That's what I said," he agrees cheerfully, and if he weren't my boss, I'd strangle him.
"Good." She turns to me with a baleful smile. "Get out of my house. It's a grump-free zone."
Tanner howls with laughter.
I throw my hands up, muttering a curse. Guess I'm going to spend the next year of my life murdering the help for trying to sleep with my future wife. Fucking awesome.
"You're an idiot," Tannersays, strolling up to me once he's got Letty on her way back to town in a rusted truck old enough to qualify for antique plates. "You're lucky she didn't rip your balls off for that bullshit."
I scratch my jaw, not entirely sure he's wrong. "You could have warned me," I bitch.
"And ruin my fun?" He looks at me like I've lost it. "Why the fuck would I do that?"
"You're an asshole."
"And she thinks you belong in the early 1900s. This is going to be so fun for me." He smirks, leaning up against a fence post. "But seriously, man. What the fuck was that about?"
"Pretty sure that was destiny fucking me with a rusty pole," I mutter, ripping my hat off to scratch my head. "It's hard to think when you're staring at your future."
"Jesus Christ." He doubles over, howling with laughter. Again.
"This is your fault." I glare at him. "Now, I have to go put the fear of God into every man on this ranch. If they don't leave her alone, I may do something drastic."
"You don't think that was drastic?" He wipes his eyes, wheezing again. And goddamn, I miss Cole. At least he was sane. I'm not so sure about Tanner.
"That was…I don't know what the fuck that was," I mutter. "That was a train wreck."
"Yeah." He slaps me on the back. "You owe her an apology."
"I know."
"You may also want to cook for yourself for the next six months. She may damn well poison you."
"Considered that possibility," I mutter. "I'll take my chances."
"It's your funeral." He chuckles again, shaking his head before he sobers. "In all seriousness, Walker, she needs this job. I promised Jorge to look out for her onceTapiasclosed. She's too proud to admit it, but I know she's desperate for work. Without it, she'll be on the streets."
My heart clenches at the thought of her out there on her own with nowhere to go. Hell no.
"I'll keep an eye out for her." I have no idea where I'll find the time to do it. It's calving season. We're already up to our ears inshit to do every day, but that doesn't matter. Hell will freeze over before I let anyone harass her out here.
"Don't piss her off."
