She didn’t speak as I came back, gently washing away anylingering traces of her being sick. “I don’t have all the fancy shit you probably use to take off your makeup, so this is gonna have to do.”
“Ugh,” she said, closing her eyes and curling into a ball when I was done. “My face is going to hate me in the morning.”
I chuckled. “Oh, I think your head might hate you more. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch.”
Lennox opened one eye, glaring. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”
“Anytime,” I said, with a little salute. “Let me get you some water and medicine so we can lessen the damage.”
The best thing about living on the ranch was the well water. I didn’t have to worry about filling a filtered pitcher or any of that shit. I went back to the kitchen, grabbed an insulated glass, and filled it to the brim.
By the time I got back to my bedroom, I was greeted by Lennox’s snores. Her mouth was open, letting out a sound I didn’t know someone so dainty could make. I momentarily leaned against the doorframe, watching her chest's soft rise and fall.
The night might not have ended as expected, but I was okay with that. Seeing her here, in my bed, was somehow gratifying enough. Come tomorrow, I knew she’d wake up hating me.
lennox
. . .
Four Months Later
“Fucking piece of shit,”I cursed, tugging at the rusted bolt lock on the gate. I’d told Dad we needed to replace it for months, but did anyone ever listen to me? Nope. They sure didn’t, and now the stupid thing was stuck.
I stepped back, hands on my hips, scrutinizing the gate. My horse, Strider, stood beside me, munching on some grass. He lifted his head, huffing in annoyance. “What?” I asked, turning his way. The bastard had been judging me all afternoon. He was ready to be back in the barn with his friends and was pissed that we were still at least three miles from home. “Please feel free to step in anytime if you think you can do a better job.”
He just stomped his feet and went back to eating, leaving me to figure out how I was going to do this.
It didn’t help that it’d rained last night. My boots slipped in the mud each time I pulled on the stupid gate. I’d nearly fallen on my ass three times in the past five minutes alone.
“Come on, come on, come on,” I muttered, moving forward and tugging again. My hands ached from the rusted metal. I’d forgotten my gloves in the barn this morning and was too proud to turn around to get them. “Why won’t you just?—”
“Need a hand?”
I stilled at his voice, turning slowly to scowl at the man looking down at me. Usually, I was attuned to his presence. My internal warning bells began ringing whenever we were within ten feet of one another. It had come in handy over the past few months since I’d vowed to ignore Bishop Bryant until the day I fucking died.
The universe had given me a lot over the course of my life, but keeping me from going there with the man in front of me was probably the greatest opportunity of all.
But here I was, fussing over a stupid gate instead of paying attention to my surroundings. The only good thing about that infuriating man showing up was seeing his massive gelding, Titan. He looked mean as hell, just like his owner, but he was a softie with a penchant for sweet treats at the end of the day.
“No,” I said, crossing my arms. “And if I did, it wouldn’t be fromyou.”
Bishop looked up toward the darkening sky. “There’s another storm rolling in. Think you can get it open before that happens? Or are you gonna be showing up to dinner like a soaked rat?”
“Thank you for the weather report, Captain Obvious,” I said, giving him a mock salute. “This wouldn’t have been an issue if Dad had replaced the gate like I told him three months ago.”
“And just like I told him and you, there are more important things to spend money on. We needed patches done on both the barn roof and the enclosed arena. Thankfully, he listened to me.”
“Oh yes,” I said sarcastically, “the mini fridge and brand-new coffee maker were a necessary purchase. They were very valid.”
“Hey, your dad bought them because of the boys working so hard during the clinic,” he said, laughing. “Who am I to turn away free gifts? Seems a bit rude.”
My hands curled into fists at my side. “Dammit,” I cursed at a bite of pain, bringing my palm up to examine it. I’d cut it thismorning moving some old barbed wire. I hadn't even realized I'd done it until I felt blood drip and looked down. I had no choice but to crudely wrap it in a clean strip of cloth I’d torn off my t-shirt.
“Where the fuck are your gloves?” Bishop bit out. He dismounted Titan and stormed over, taking my hand in his. “What’d you do?”
I ripped it back, holding it close to my chest. “I left them in the barn this morning. It’s fine.” I’d cleaned the cut the best I could and re-wrapped it when I stopped for lunch, but it wasn’t a great job. I knew better than anyone how important it was to take care of your hands when working. Dad was going to chew my ass out for not being more careful. It was something he’d drilled into us as kids, or at least tried to.
Bishop pointed in my direction. “Doug’s gonna have your ass for this. How long has he been telling you to keep a spare pair of gloves in your saddle bag, huh? You know the rules.”
