Page 4 of Thaw My Heart

She blinks in surprise and smiles. Her hands drift to her waist, drawing my attention to the slender shape of her hips. Like I need a reminder. “Sure did, Cowboy. Why?”

Cowboy?

“Don’t call me that,” I snap. “And don’t do that again. If you need to haul your trailer, just ask me. I’ve got a perfectly capable truck.”

“Why not?” she asks sweetly.

“Why not, what?” Is she trying to get on my nerves?

“Why not call you by what you are, Cowboy?” she grins, infuriating every vein in my body.

“I’m not a fucking cowboy.”

I’m only a man living in the woods to escape people. Nothing like the other boys on the ranch, who are straight-up cowboys in every way. Men who’ve dreamed of working on a ranch like this their entire lives. Lone Pine Ranch wasn’t my first dream, but I’m done with dreams. Of planning futures that only caused pain, regret, and the kind of heartache that makes a man wish he were dead.

She flinches at my tone but then laughs it off. Pursing her pouty lips as she stares at me with something in her eyes I can’t place. “You work at a ranch in Montana. By definition, you’re exactly that Cowboy,” she accentuates the nickname with a playful smile.

Fuck, her smile.

This is not what I need right now.

“I’m a Ranch Foreman.” Cowboys are lower on the totem pole. As Ranch Foreman, I’m one of three supervisors at Lone Pine, working under the direction of my uncle, to ensure tasks are completed safely and efficiently while overseeing all security operations.

“I know who you are,” she rolls her eyes. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Her gaze trails along my face. “Blake said you’d be difficult. In fact, pretty much everyone in town has the same opinion of you.”

Blake Dalton is one of my oldest friends, but now I’m wondering how long he’s known that Sadie was going to be my neighbor… As far as everyone else, I couldn’t give a shit about what they thought.

“And? What are they accusing me of this time?”

Rumors floating around Aspen Hollow are nothing new. Perhaps the people here just didn’t have enough to do, or maybe they’re too bored. Small town talk is something of a hobby in these parts.

“And…” she repeats, taking a small step towards me. But I swear she’s nervous about it. Nervous about me. “They say you’re the nicest guy around. Grumpy, but nice,” she adds with a non-committal shrug.

It’s not like I can disagree with her, as “grumpy but nice” sums me up perfectly.

She crosses her arms, looking at me in thought as a challenging smile spreads across her face. “Some even say that you’re charming, but I’m not seeing it.”

“That’s funny,” I take a small step towards her, leaving only inches between us. “That’s exactly what I heard about you, but I’m not seeing it.”

She smirks, giving me a thorough glance over before darting her tongue out to her lips. My dick twitches. “This is going to be fun, Cowboy.”

Wait, is she checking me out? Why the fuck am I staring at her tongue? Why am I thinking about how it would taste?

“It’s Kit or nothing.” Heat builds in my chest. “And I’m serious about the trailer.”

“I bet you are,” she fires back with a brilliant smile. Even her goddamn smile is already annoying me. “Safety must be really important to you, Cowboy.”

“For fuck’s sake, stop—” But before I can finish, I feel something sniffing my boot, grabbing my attention. I glance down, noticing a small orange animal with short legs and a long, fluffy tail with a white tip.

“That’s Fox. I think she likes you.”

“Fox?” What a ridiculous name, but it did look like a fox.

“She’s not too fond of men. You must be a good one underneath all that hard, grumpy exterior,” she points her finger at me playfully.

“What is it, exactly?” I ask.

She bends down to pet Fox between the ears, looking up at me under her long eyelashes. “She’s a Corgi. You don’t get out much, do you?”