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“You’re not afraid of storms are you?”
Hayes’s question pulled her from her thoughts. The way he studied her from across the room had her wondering if he always stared with such intensity.
“No, no.”
Silence settled heavy between them and Alexa didn’t know how to keep this situation from getting more uncomfortable.
Smoothing her damp hair away from her face, Alexa met Hayes’s steady stare. “Don’t let me get in your way,” she told him. “I can sit here and drink coffee and you can do…whatever it is that you do.”
He continued to stare, not showing an ounce of emotion. “I don’t do much other than renovate this place when I’m not working on the ranch.”
He worked? Like, manual labor? Alexa knew the Elliotts were well-known ranchers, but she figured they handled the glamorous side of things and hired out all the work.
“Well, point me toward the coffee mugs and I can take it from there. I’ll just wait for the storm to pass.”
Hayes stared another minute, then turned to the cabinet to pull her down a navy mug. He set it on the counter and walked out of the room.
Alexa simply stood there, staring at the now empty hallway. Apparently Hayes wasn’t in the hosting mood. Oh well, she’d told him to go about his business and clearly that’s what he intended to do.
Fine by her. She didn’t want to annoy him any more than she apparently already had.
CHAPTER FOUR
Hayes flattened his palms on his desk and blew out a sigh. What the hell was he doing?
Not that he had much choice in what to do next with his unexpected guest. He might want to be left alone to battle his demons and renovate his home, but he couldn’t be a jerk. That’s not how he’d been raised. The Elliott boys had been taught how to treat people, and women were always treated with the utmost respect. His father had handled his marriage as if Hayes’s mother was royalty.
Which was why Hayes had had to walk out of the kitchen. Because Alexa standing there in his clothes was too damn tempting. He respected her, even though she was driving him insane. Walking away was his only option.
While he wouldn’t mind a little stress reliever in the most primal, old-fashioned way, something about her screamed innocence and vulnerability. He could find a better use for that sassy mouth of hers, but yet again, that desire waved every red flag inside his mind.
Yes, he wanted the hell out of her, but that was just lust. Alexa didn’t seem like the type to give in to lustful feelings.
Unless properly persuaded.
He deliberately turned his thoughts to the storm. The rain pounded against the windows and the thunder continued to roll every few minutes. Thankfully, it wasn’t booming. An occasional streak of lightning flashed across the sky. No, this storm wasn’t letting up anytime soon. He’d thought for sure it wasn’t going to do anything until tomorrow.
His eyes landed on the piece of mail he’d attempted to ignore. The governor had chosen the wrong recipient for the Man of Honor award.
This was a new award and apparently Hayes had been the first choice. When they’d called him last week to inform him, he’d been numb, shocked, then angry. Hayes didn’t want a damn award for serving his country. He didn’t want to be recognized because he’d been the only one in his platoon to survive. His busted-up knee was nothing compared to what his brothers had gone through.
Pushing away from his desk, he turned and headed out of his office and down the hall to the kitchen. The last thing he wanted was to see that damn gold-embossed invitation.
Initially, he’d thought working in his office would allow him to ignore Alexa. He figured he’d look over some of the dude ranch plans, but then the invitation mocked him. And now he felt guilty for walking out on her without saying a word.
His brothers, Nolan and Colt, were moving forward with the transformation of a portion of the ranch property. It wouldn’t be long before Pebblebrook’s dude ranch would be up and running and pulling in tourists just like their father had always wanted. Even though he was in a nursing facility and not in his right mind, his sons planned to push through and keep the patriarch informed each step of the way. He might not recall his plans, but the boys needed the communication with their dad.
Well, three of the four boys. Colt’s twin, Beau, wasn’t part of the process. He was too busy out in LA, making movies and being Hollywood’s playboy to worry with the ranch. Or at least that’s the way it seemed. The media loved any scoop they could get on the so-called “it” actor and, as of late, Beau had been seen in some compromising pictures with an up-and-coming actress.
Beau would occasionally call or text one of his brothers, but more often than not, he couldn’t be reached because he was off in some remote location working…and whatever else he did.
Hayes kept his true feelings for Beau’s choices to himself. He and Beau didn’t mesh well on a good day, so it was probably best Colt’s twin wasn’t around. It was crazy how Colt and Beau were identical twins, but Colt worked his ass off at the ranch while Beau would rather smile pretty for the camera. Definitely night-and-day brothers.
