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She snorted. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you.
His lips twitched into a smile. “I don’t expect you to believe me at all. I haven’t earned your trust.”
“And you never will.” She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.”
Surprise flitted behind her gaze but that was all. The rest of her demeanor remained unchanged.
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Because neither am I.”
She frowned, seemingly unsure of where this was going. The fact was, he couldn’t deny he was impressed with her. Even after everything he’d said and how he’d treated her, she was hanging in there. She was a force to be reckoned with and while he was absolutely terrified of her, he was a little in awe at the same time.
“You’re going to do you and I’ll do me and in the end, we’ll see who the better man is.”
“Or woman.”
He rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”
“I’ll see you there,” she snapped back.
Daniel threw back his head and laughed. “There’s a difference between you and me. I didn’t notice it at first, but I finally figured it out. You aren’t capable of being flexible. I can see it in the way you stand, in the way you’ve planned out this whole thing—don’t pretend you didn’t hire the Holts to help. What’s going to happen when you stumble? All those things you have stacked up so neatly will tumble like an avalanche of rock. You’re going to end up on the wrong side of the road with nowhere to go.” He straightened and winked at her. “It’s the people who know how to roll with the punches who survive. And that’s exactly who I am.”
CHAPTERSIX
For being a ranch,the Reese house was a great deal quieter than Megan had expected. Granted it was a huge house and maybe everyone there was just spread out. She’d read books. She’d heard firsthand from Gabby how early Bo would get up in the morning to head out and do the work required to run this place.
Megan crept down the stairs at six-thirty in the morning, expecting to find everyone in the kitchen finishing up their breakfast. But there were no voices, no laughter. It was all too quiet. Gabby’s door had been shut and Megan hadn’t wanted to knock in case she was still a late riser.
She turned into the kitchen to find it completely empty except for one person.
Great. What was Daniel doing here? And more importantly, what was he doing up this early?
He glanced up from his coffee while seated at the kitchen table, as he put his phone down. He didn’t sport the usual scowl she’d grown accustomed to. In fact, it was hard for her to maintain the kind of fury she’d been able to use as a shield when she was able to get a good look at him.
His dark hair wasn’t as dark with the morning sun spilling in from the window. There was a sort of golden glow in the undertones she hadn’t noticed before. His mussed hair paired with his scruffy beard made him incredibly attractive—so much so that she found herself wondering why he wasn’t tied down like his brothers.
Stop it right now, Meg. You’re not supposed to crush on him. You have enough on your plate without having to worry about developing feelings for a guy who would sooner see you fail.
She tapped her fingers on her legs and glanced around the kitchen though she already knew she wouldn’t find a single soul to converse with.
Daniel took a loud sip of his coffee, drawing her attention toward him. He put his mug down then settled back in his seat. “You might have won over my family, but we’re not going to be friends.”
“I never wanted to be friends with you.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
She eyed his mug. The room smelled like vanilla and hazelnut, a combination she’d loved since she was in college. “I thought you didn’t make your own coffee,” she said stiffly.
He cocked his head to the side. “Why would I say a ridiculous thing like that?”
“Because you’re all about getting your morning beverages from a shop. Because that’s whateveryonedoes.” She smirked.
Megan still wanted to know where he’d gotten it. Was it brewed here? Did he go out and get it only to pour it into a mug? Her mouth watered and her head pounded just a little more. She needed her morning fix just like anyone.
“You want some?”
