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“Get your ass on home before you irritate me any more than you already have.”
“Aren’t you going to drive me back to my car?”
He shook his head. “Lord Almighty, girl, you are a pain in my ass.” She thought for a moment he might seriously leave her there. “Get in the truck.”
She climbed into the passenger seat, and she couldn’t help but notice that now he smelled distinctly of sweat. She also couldn’t help but notice that, for some reason, on him it wasn’t a terribly unpleasant smell. It was earthy. It seemed to have taken on the sun and the soil, the pine trees and the fresh-cut grass. It was like all the work he had done had bled into his body, like it had become part of him. It was captivating. In a way that she hadn’t imagined it could be.
He was still mad at her. But he’d made her laugh, even if he hadn’t meant to. And that shifted something.
“So, you had soybeans on the whole property for...”
“Why the hell does that matter?” he said, spitting the words like nails.
She worked at being moderate in tone again, because apparently laughing at him wasn’t any more appreciated than sniping. “Because. I’m curious about the ranching operation, how long exactly it’s been going and what all it entailed.”
“Why?”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m interested. I said that I wanted to help, and I do. Your sister has concerns about the organization of the paperwork, and I kind of want to get an idea of what sort of help you might need.”
But apparently the moment for sharing was over. Because he didn’t answer. And she could see she’d hit a full-on brick wall with him.
They got back to the house, and blonde, sunny Camilla was standing outside the front door watering a potted plant. She shaded her face as they drove up. “Hey,” she said. “Did you have a good workday?”
“Just the best,” said Quinn, smiling widely.
“Great. I have to ask you something,” said Camilla. “I hope you won’t take offense, but I’ve never been this close to a Four Corners person, you know, apart from the big barn meeting, and then we had to leave because Levi thought you all might shoot him.”
“We...wouldn’t have shot him.”
“That is reassuring. Are you guys a cult?”
For the second time that day, Quinn found herself laughing unexpectedly.
“No,” said Quinn. “We are not a cult. Is that a prevailing rumor?”
“Well,” said Camilla. “You do kind of all hang out in a commune sort of environment. You and your sisters wear flower dresses. It looks a little Amish.”
Quinn couldn’t help herself. She was bemused, but she had to laugh. “Amish. Believe me when I tell you, we are not Amish. Do you have any idea the kinds of things that have gone on at that ranch in the last couple of years?”
After so many years of the families being separate...they’d started hooking up. Elsie Garrett with Hunter McCloud, Alaina with Gus McCloud. Then there was Sawyer and his mail-order bride. Plus all the babies.
“No,” said Camilla.
“Well...it’s a lot of sex,” said Quinn.
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t a cult,” said Camilla. “It’s my understanding that the best cults are sex cults.”
“Please. Stop,” said Levi, pushing past both of them and heading toward the house. “Talk about sex cults on your own time, please. I can’t bear it. I am going to go take a shower. See you at dinner,” he said, directing that at Camilla. Then he stormed inside and slammed the door shut, and Quinn spent a full thirty seconds standing there trying not to imagine him in the shower. With water sluicing over all that bronze skin and...
What was wrong with her?
He was mean. He didn’t like her. He was in no way being kind to her in any way, shape or form, and she was ready to melt into a puddle at his feet.
She was imagining him in the shower. Imagining joining him in the shower.
His hands were so big and he worked the land all the time, so they were probably rough, and oh, good Lord, what was wrong with her? Seriously.
She’d never even been kissed.
