“And if I were on your staff, I’d agree.” I leaned against the wall closest to where she was standing. “But as I pointed out yesterday, I am only here for two weeks. So that does not make me part of your staff. I’m not being paid, nor do you have any control over whether I’m hired or fired.” If we needed to speak in business terms, then I could do that. I’d had plenty of practice at Blackthorne. “Taking all that into consideration, there is noconflict of interest.” I gave her a small smile. “I also noticed you didn’t say you aren’t interested in me. That’s a plus.”
“I’m not.” I saw her throat bob as she swallowed, and her eyes darted away. “I don’t eat where I poop.”
“That’s good to know on a whole host of levels, but again, I’m not an employee.” I pushed off the wall. “But speaking of eating, how about dinner?”
“Are you kidding?” Her eyes doubled in size.
“Not in the least.”
“No.” The expression on her face was priceless. Like a toss between exasperation and intrigue. “You really have to stop this.”
“Fine.” I agreed. “I won’t ask you out to dinner until my time here is up.”
She blew out a breath and turned away.
“Will you be at my lesson this afternoon?” I asked instead.
“Why would I come to your lesson?” She didn’t look my direction this time.
“I figured you’d want to make sure I was doing a good job.” I leaned closer to her so that my lips were near her ear and lowered my voice. “It would also give you a chance to make sure I’m serious when I said my interest was completely in you and I have no intention of hitting on all the guests.” I knew I was serious, but I wasn’t above using her suspicion to my advantage. That and I might have wanted to show off for her a little.
“I’m busy.” She didn’t move.
“You might learn something.” I so wanted to put my hand on her waist, but I didn’t. I was pushing my luck by invading her space like this. I didn’t want to give her a reason to push me away.
“I’m good.” She pulled in a breath, and I felt her back brush up against me.
Without another word, she walked into the kitchen. I took a moment to pull myself together, then followed behind.
Chapter 4
Bria
I finished going through the first round of annual reviews. I’d start calling in our employees next week to sit down with them and talk about ways we could improve over the year. So far there weren’t any actual problem areas which would make Carl happy. There were only a few people we needed to see progress from or possibly think about letting go. That was the part of the job I didn’t like.
I looked at my watch to note the time. I was back on schedule. Breakfast had run a touch longer than I’d planned thanks to our added guest. I’d tried leaving twice but got pulled back into the conversation both times. It wasn’t until I mentioned having a meeting with our evening coordinator, Cheyenne, about the barn dance that I was finally able to get out of there. If Junior was going to keep joining us each morning, then I might need to rethink my days.
My mind drifted back to the few minutes we shared in the hallway. I had no idea why he was so focused on me, but I didn’t for a second believe it was because he found me attractive. I’d learned as a kid beauty wasn’t one of my gifts. I also did my best to give off the impression that I wasn’t interested in a relationship at all times, mostly because I wasn’t. I liked my life just as it was, and I had no desire to upset the balance. Adding other people in just opened you up for stress and heartache. Those were two things I didn’t need in my world.
Still, I guess if he was going to hit on anyone, it was probably best that it was me. I could hold my own, and it would keep him from hitting on the guests. I would really hate to get a complaintabout our instructors or, worse, a bad review online. That would suck for our upcoming summer season. That was when we were busiest.
I swung my chair around and glanced out the window. I couldn’t see the riding ring, but I knew Junior’s class was starting soon. He was hopefully out there now getting ready. I wondered if he was already riding his horse or was he setting up the space? Did he wear chaps like some of the riders or was he planning on staying in the jeans that clung to his thighs like a second skin?
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for me to sit in on his first lesson. My presence would keep him from doing the wrong thing and make sure that we didn’t have any issues along the way. I’d have to move some things around and possibly stay a little later this evening, but it wasn’t as if we worked regular business hours here. It also helped that I lived on the ranch so I didn’t have far to go to get home.
The more I thought about it, the better I felt about this decision. I’d show up and stay for about half an hour. Just long enough to make sure that our resident Romeo wasn’t trying to find a Juliet, and then I’d come back and get the rest of the reviews done so I could set up a time to meet with Carl. I pulled up my calendar and rearranged my time to slot in an additional half hour. That should be plenty of time.
An hour later, I wasn’t so sure.
I walked toward the paddock. As much as I hated being late, I was actually running a few minutes behind. At this rate, I wouldn’t get there until right when Junior should be starting his lesson, and I’d wanted to be a good five minutes early.
As soon as the field came into view, I could see him already riding around the barrels that had been put out for his display. I would never admit this to anyone, but the man was fine. I’d never really been into darker skinned men. There was nothingwrong with it, but I just tended to be attracted to the guys closer to my own complexion. Junior was different.
I watched as he rode his horse around each barrel with measured strength. His muscular thighs hugged the horse tight. His arms bulged out beneath the edge of his shirt. The stubble of his beard did nothing to hide the concentration set of his jaw. I wondered if he concentrated that hard on everything he did.
Heat worked its way up my back, and I blew out a slow breath as I reminded myself I was only here to make sure he didn’t give the ranch a bad name. Squaring my shoulders, I walked forward to where the guests who had signed up for this lesson were standing.
There were a few couples, three guys, and about four women watching him ride. Each of them wore smiles on their faces, which brought one to mine. It probably would be a good idea for me to get out and join in with a few of the activities that we hosted in the future. I read each review and customer survey we collected, but there was something to be said for talking to the people and getting feedback in the moment.
