Lennox pushed past me, marching over to Nick. “Hey, dickhead!” He whipped around, leering down at her as she stopped in front of him. He tried to open his mouth to smart off, but she was faster.
She slammed her fist into his nose in a quick jab.
His hands flew to his face, covering his nose as blood began spilling down his face. “Ow! Oh, God. What the fuck?”
“Maybe think about that before being a complete and total asshole to someone who is trying to help your animal. Why the fuck are you coming to work on a ranch when you can’t even recognize that?”
I couldn’t help but smile because I’d thought the same thing.
“She’s just a fuckin’ dog—hey! What’re you doing?”
Lennox pushed past Nick and stood near the end of his truck. “Come on, sweet girl. Let’s go,” she called. The dog didn’t even hesitate. She hopped down and circled Lennox’s feet before laying down beside her.
Nick watched all of us for a second. “You can’t steal my dog!” He cried. “That’s illegal!”
“I’m not stealing your dog, Nick. Looks like she’s running away to a better home,” Lennox said, running her fingers along the top of the dog’s head.
“Callie!” Nick called, snapping his fingers. “Get over here!”
The dog didn’t move.
No matter how many times he called her name, Callie didn’t budge. She ducked her head behind Lennox’s knees, refusing to look at her old owner.
“You know what? Fuck this. Thanks for taking that bitch off my hands,” Nick called out, stepping into his truck and slamming the door.
Lennox surged forward, but I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into me. “I’ll hit you again!” she called out, thrashing in my hold. “Get the fuck off my ranch!”
Nick’s truck peeled out of the drive, kicking up rocks as he gassed it forward. I spun around, ensuring anything flying our way would hit me first. Even if I hated the reason why, I loved the feeling of her being against me. I loved how she squirmed and fought in my grip, and I couldn’t help but imagine it in a different scenario.
“What a dick,” Josie said, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Where’d you find him?”
Lennox slid down my body, shrugging out of my grip. Every part of her was vibrating with anger. “Yeah, what the fuck was that?” she asked, spinning to face me. “Did you not field him before inviting him out there and putting our animals at risk?”
“Ray Johnson referred him to me. The kid had worked for him the past few summers and did a good job, so I figured it was safe. You know damn well if I’d met him before today, he wouldn’t have made it this far.” I stepped forward, towering over her. “You were the one that challenged him to step in the ring with that fucker.”
“I knew he was an idiot, not that he was a piece of shit that probably abused animals!”
We stared at one another, chests heaving and thick tension rippling through the air. You could almost cut it with a knife. That was always the issue with us. The moment dissipatedbefore we knew it, and she smiled. I followed suit, unable to help myself.
“How’s your knuckles?” I asked, glancing down at her hand.
Lennox raised it between us, examining the irritated skin. “It’s been worse,” she said, shrugging. “The pain’s well deserved.”
A cold, wet nose brushed against my other hand, and we looked down to see Callie sitting near our feet and staring up at us. She didn’t have a tail, so it looked like her whole butt was wagging like crazy.
Lennox crouched down, scratching the pup behind her ears. “She has two different color eyes.”
I got down on their level. “Well, I’ll be damned.” The right eye was a soft brown, but the left was a brilliant blue. It almost looked like it was glowing. There was just a dusting of a darker color along the top of the iris. “You’re a pretty girl, aren’t ya?” I asked, looking up at Lennox out of habit.
She stared down at me, lips slightly parted. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but for the first time, I didn’t care. I wanted to act without thinking. I wanted to be a bit fucking reckless. I wanted?—
Callie jumped up, licking my face. I laughed, letting her get a few hits before gently pushing her down. “Alright, alright, alright,” I said, standing up.
“I think she’ll fit in around here just fine,” Josie said, stepping beside us. I’d almost forgotten she was here. I was damn glad I remembered before I did something foolish, like kiss her little sister until I’d forgotten my own name.
lennox
. . .
