“Whatleyouhave?”
Sky jumped, startled, and looked at Jared in confusion.
He laughed.“She’s asking what we want for lunch?”
He almost laughed again when they both scowled at him.He coughed out a laugh behind his hand before shielding his face from them with the menu.After a minute, he looked at Sky.She was studying the menu like it was the holy Bible, and she looked more uncomfortable as the seconds passed.
“Baby, do you want me to order for us?”
Sky let out a relieved sigh.“Yes, please.”Then she set her menu down.
After he ordered, and the waitress walked away, Jared reached across the table for her hands.“How are you holding up?”
“I’m tired, how about you?”
“A little.We’ll head home after this, so you can rest while I get some work done today.”
“Absolutely,” she said and tried to pull away from him.“I’m sorry about making you stay in town for so long.”
“For one thing, I made you stay here, not vice-versa, and I hire people who can take care of most of the ranch work, so I can do other things when I need to.”
Jared released her hands when the waitress came back with their waters and his coffee.
“What do you want to do for the rest of the day?”
“I don’t know.Are there things I can help you with outside?”
He lifted his eyes as he set his coffee cup down.“I don’t want you outside right now.”
“What?Why?”
“Because we have more men on the ranch now than usual.I don’t know a few of them well, and I don’t want them messing with you.”
“I see.”She frowned and looked down at her glass.Sky guessed that living with Jared wasn’t going to be any different than when she lived with her father.
Jared watched the light go out in her eyes and could have kicked himself.
“It’s only for a few days.Although one thing I’m very serious about is that you are never to leave the ranch without me.”
Sky looked at his hard face.“Is that an order?”
Jared leaned over the table and narrowed his eyes.“Yes, and I’m telling you right now there will be hell to pay if you disobey me on this.You don’t know your way around, and you could easily get lost.”
Sky leaned over a bit and narrowed her own eyes.“I didn’t know I had to obey you?”
Jared smiled.“You just promised to obey me in front of several people, Babe, you can’t go back on your vows now.”
Sky stiffened and sat back.“I don’t remember saying that.”
Jared leaned back and rested his arm on the back of the booth seat.“Ask Abby.”
She wanted to kick him under the table and was shocked by the urge.She’d never been a fighter, had always been a passive woman until she’d met him.On the other hand, she felt a little stronger as time passed, and it might do him good not to have a doormat for a wife.
Jared was afraid of the look on her face.He narrowed his eyes.“I mean it, Sky.”
Sky leaned back as the waitress placed plates in front of them.She noticed he was still staring at her and shrugged before picking up a fat fry and popping it into her mouth.
Jared gazed at the top of her head and bit back a smile.She was turning out to have spunk, and he was happy and worried that the more she trusted him, the sassier she was going to get.He decided he was okay with that.He liked watching her bloom right before his eyes, and he’d have reasons to bicker with her.
