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ChapterOne
MOLLY
I waitat the edge of a waterfall shower, hoping it doesn’t blast hot, then cold, like it did at my old place. There, I had to rush in and out of the unpredictable spray in bursts to rinse, wishing my hair wasn’t so long. But here, in this beautifully furnished new apartment, everything is pristine, and the temperature stays at one hundred and two degrees. The fancy dial says so.
Morning light streams in through a small, glazed window, illuminating the travertine-tiled bathroom in a soft, sandy glow. I rub suds through my hair. Life is about to change for the better. I hope it will. I need it to.
I don’t want to hurry through this first shower here, but I have to, so I lather my legs with foam and quickly run a razor in long strokes over my calf. With water massaging my back, I recall the ways I hustled to get here, under this perfect spray in a bathroom fit for a Fifth Avenue spa. I got up earlier than all the other stable hands, found and corrected any mishaps and poor horse care. I even did that damn spreadsheet on cost efficiency of feed and stall bedding.
I didn’t enjoy asking a high schooler working the weekend shifts at the stables to double-check my basic Excel formulas. I wasn’t exactly a straight-A student in high school, and that was almost ten years ago. But to get the job, my humility was worth it.
I can still see Colton Hunter, CEO of PMR, Purple Mountain Enterprises, nodding and pulling his lips downward, his brow furrowed and impressed. After the interview he granted me, he gave me my dream job along with a shiny, unused key to this beautiful apartment. That key is the whole reason I came to Starlight Canyon in the first place. That key is compensation worth more than my paycheck.
I rinse off excess shaving foam like it’s the murkier moments of my old life slipping off me down the drain. But it seems like yin and yang are true. Because apparently with every dream, there is a nightmare. There’s only one catch to this aspiration of mine coming full circle. I have to live with Dashiell Hunter. My boss. The lone wolf. Man of few words. Notorious grump. And the cowboy whose hat I had to go over to get this job through his CEO brother.
When I moved to Starlight Canyon for my fourth stable-hand gig, it was because I saw the ad for manager and the apartment that came with it. I knew I’d mostly be competing with seasonal workers who would come and go, and that my three years’ stable experience would give me an advantage. Thing was, Dash, wasn’t interested in actually hiring anyone, including me.
So, I went to his brother, head honcho of every single business the Hunters own, and showed him why I was the best hire. Dash might not take kindly to that, but I’ll figure it out when I have to. Giving up easy isn’t in my DNA. Whether nature or nurture, my balled-up fists are here to stay. If Dash wants me out, he’ll need more than his snakeskin boots to do it.
I close my eyes and let the warm, soothing water rain on my face. God, it feels good to be almost there. I have less than three months to get this plan over the finish line, and only one thing stands in my way.That one thingismy boss, but I know I can figure out a way to get the apartment to myself. Dash might be my nightmare, but I’m probably his, too.
How little time he spends around us ranch hands, or anyone for that matter, tells me he’ll likely move out when he realizes I’m not going. It will only be a matter of time. Hopefully. It’s not like this apartment is the only place for him to live. The Hunters have plenty of options. He used to live with his sister over on the private side of the ranch, she told me so herself. And even though it’s hard to believe, given his grouchy disposition, she also said she misses living with him.
I don’t want to leave this shower. I wish I could stay under it until the hot water runs out. But Colt Hunter offered me more than a job and keys. He threw me a friendly piece of advice. Dash apparently works at night and sleeps a lot of the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s because he’s a werewolf. Colt said if I’m out the door working by five-thirty, I should be able to avoid Dash in the apartment most days.
Since I usually hit the stables by then, I figure I’d better keep that schedule because avoiding his royal grumpiness while he lets Colt’s undermining decision marinate is definitely a good idea.
Reluctantly, I turn off the dial, and the shower stops. I sigh and remind myself I can have another one in here whenever the hell I want. This place is mine. Home. I allow myself a few more moments of satisfaction, then step out into the steamy space and onto the plush, deep-pile rug. I wriggle my toes into the soft surface, and a tight squeal escapes. This bathroom is so damn lush. I can’t wait to have my sister here with me.
I look around and don’t see my towel. I don’t know what time it is, but I was only in the shower for seven minutes or so, maybe a little more. I’m sure there’s a cushion of time before Dash gets back, so I confidently swing open the door and stride to the room where I left my suitcase this morning.
I scurry along the floor, hoping in vain I don’t leave water-shaped footprints to the bedroom I claimed as my own. There are two in the apartment, both identical in decor, but one, though sparsely populated, had evidence of male belongings on a shelf and a digital alarm clock on the nightstand, so I left my suitcase on the top of the bed in the other, assuming it was vacant.
But when I turn around the oak doorjamb, ninety degrees into said room that is supposed to be empty, it isn’t anymore.
Even though my heart is racing like a hummingbird, I’m completely paralyzed. Because there is Dash Hunter, staring at me and my dripping body, stained pink from hot water, naked as the day I was born, right there in front of him.
It all happens in less than a second, but every embarrassing moment unfolds as if in slow motion. Dash holds my Elsie Silver book and tosses it down quickly. Though I clearly startled him, though he has a buck-naked employee before him, though this suitcase and that romance book are total intruders, his gaze is the same as always. His piercing green eyes absorb me and my birthday suit like we’re just another nuisance.
I rush back around the doorframe, heart pounding against my ribcage, crumpling at how it’s shitty enough Dash doesn’t want me here and now he’s seen me in the buff?Damn it. I don’t like anyone seeing me without clothes, but certainly not my boss.Definitelynot Dash who floats around this place with judgment in his shoulders and constant disapproval in his grunts. Fucking hell. He definitely noticed the stretch marks on my upper thighs, rosy like a fresh swipe from a tiger claw after that hot shower.
I send my voice around the doorframe to the glowering face I see in my mind’s eye. “I forgot my towel. Can you hand it to me, please?”
He doesn’t say a word. My scorching embarrassment stops time. My heart thrashes. Every drop of water slides off my body dramatically and explodes on the floor, messing uphisspace. It seems to take forever before he extends my towel through the doorway in a large, manly, very tanned hand.
I grab it hastily. “Thank you.” I wrap it around my boobs as much as I can. Now I wish I had a bigger towel. Staring at the ceiling, I shake my head as if telling the universe I can’t believe she did this to me.
The last thing I want to do is turn and face Dash wearing only a terrycloth strip. And the second to last thing I want to do is tell him about me living here before his brother does. Or maybe Colt already did? But by the way he threw my book down, as if caught by surprise, he had no clue he’d be finding me and my things here this morning.
I squeeze my eyes shut and take a few cleansing breaths. I remind myself I’m not doing this just for my own personal gain. This cause is bigger than me. And that? That gives me the strength to square myself in the doorjamb. Still, I cling to the tuck of my towel, white knuckled.
I prepare to launch into a speech about tolerating each other, but to my surprise, Dash speaks first. I haven’t heard his voice many times. It’s rare for him to speak. He’s not much of a manager around here. And when he gives directions, he usually does it with nods, head tilts, and high eyebrows show his disappointment.
The sound comes into the space, flat but rich, masculine, and damn if this man doesn’t have a panty-melting voice. “Colt hired you.”
I smile innocently, because I am innocent, and also because I want to show Dash I’m harmless. I don’t want to fight with him. I don’t like fighting with anyone, but I will always stand my ground. “He did.”
I wait to see if he will say something else. He holds his tongue, but his gaze wanders the length of my body. He considers me, staring with inquisitive eyes that have me wriggling inside. This man wearsI don’t give a fucklike a badge of honor. He’s a mystery. He stands there, keeping me waiting and curious. The moment is as if quiet thunder rolls in a sky that could boil over, or could drop a torrential downpour.
