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He got back to work but noticed almost immediately that he wasn’t making good time. Every shuffling sound she made, every sigh that slipped between her lips, caught him off guard. He was tempted to glance in her direction every single time but forced himself to stay on task. If he got done early enough, he was planning on heading to the city to check out the new bookstore that had opened.
It wasn’t the kind of bookstore he normally visited. This one specialized in books written by the independent author community.
“How long did it take you to learn that stuff?” she asked quietly.
Mason lowered the hoof to the ground and stared up at the source of his distraction. He let out another heavy sigh. “Just what do you want from me? I told you I’m not going to take your uncle up on the offer he made.”
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth until the soft, pink flesh turned white. “That sorta is the reason I’m here, though.”
Mason got to his feet and released the horse from the harness he’d strapped him to. Then he walked the animal back to his stall before retrieving the next. “I’m not going to leave my family’s ranch just because some old guy thinks it would be better for his niece. Sorry, but I could never do that. I care too much.”
“If you care so much, then why aren’t you helping him?”
“I care about my family. I care about this ranch. I thought that was clear.” Mason moved the stool to the front left hoof and got to work, his back to the woman who could mesmerize him with one sweeping motion of her eyes.
“But what about the money?”
That was the one question that got his hackles up. He tossed the tools aside and launched to his feet, crossing the distance between them so quickly that she ended up taking a swift step backward. Her eyes bugged from her head as she stared up at him.
Mason glared down at her. “I have already gone over this. The money isn’t worth the risk my family would take with me gone.”
“But don’t you have like ten brothers and sisters?” Her voice was small, nothing like the confident woman he’d encountered out in the field. “I bet they could spare one guy to help my uncle and me with his property. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
He was nearly nose to nose as he dipped his face lower. “Why do you even want me there? You have to already know that I’m not the kind of guy who would go easy on you because you’re a girl. I have two sisters, and they’re expected to pull just as much weight as the boys around here. You don’t want me to be there, I assure you.”
This time she moved close enough to him that he could see little flecks of blue in her green eyes. Her voice tightened along with the rest of her body. “Have you ever heard the saying that you should pick the devil you know over the one you don’t?”
“But we don’t know each other,” he muttered evenly, doing his best to ignore her voice, her eyes, and her scent. For the first time in his life that he could remember, he wanted to reach out and touch a woman. He wanted to feel the softness of her skin, the silken texture of her hair.
The weird thing was that he wanted to do these things with a woman he knew he couldn’t stand to be within five yards of. “You really want me to take that job your uncle offered?” he said.
“I do.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Well, you should.”
He thought about it for a moment, then took a swift step back and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I have no interest in playing this little game you have planned against your uncle.”
“Who said there was a game?” she said.
He heard her follow him as he returned to the horse’s side.
She continued, “There is no game. I just don’t think I’m going to be able to handle the summer without some kind of buffer, and you seem nice enough.”
Mason snorted. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
8
Harley
Harley had never been one to beg, but even she could see that this whole plan of hers was slipping through her fingers. She was losing him. There had to be something she could do to convince him to take the job, but what?
According to him, he didn’t care about the money. He didn’t care about helping her uncle. And he certainly couldn’t care less about helping her.
She had nothing. Desperation exuded from every part of her.
Mason turned from her, already moving on. He headed toward another stall and she hurried after him. “What do you want?” she asked.
