AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s called roughin’ it. Bunkhouse initiation rules,” I say with a chuckle.
That earns me an eye roll. I’d like to say she can sleep in my bed instead, but I keep that idea to myself.
“What’s all this? Need any help?”
“Uh. It’s nothing,” I say. I stand and flip the tailgate up, then turn to walk toward the driver’s side door.
“Where you headed?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” I reply.
“And you rarely give answers.” She crosses her arms and quirks one eyebrow up to challenge me.
I sigh and turn back toward her, one hand still on the door handle. She pops one hip out to the side and stares me down. I look away, trying to convince myself to blow her off and tell her to mind her own business. But those are the last two things on earth that I want her to do.
There’s something about being around her that is so addicting to me. I couldn’t make myself push her away no matter how hard I tried. It’s not even how pretty she is that makes me so crazy, although that alone knocks me out of my fucking boots. It’s the way I have to constantly wipe the smile off of my face to avoid looking like a damn Cheshire cat when I’m near her. The things she says, thewayshe says them…
Inviting her along is a terrible idea. But I can’t help but want to spend more time with her.
Fuck it.
“Hop in then, nosy.”
She squeals and I expect her to run around the front of the truck and get in on the passenger side, but she slips underneath my arm just as I open the driver’s side door.
I watch with amusement and shake my head when she crawls across the bench seat and clicks her seat belt in place, excited smile and all.
It’s a short drive to Miss Lynn’s kitchen, one I know by heart because I make it every Sunday morning. She set up a food bank a while back. I started packing up coolers of frozen meat, keeping some vegetables from the garden, and taking them to her every week. I leave money too and that always seems to put a tear in her eye.
It’s not easy in this economy. Especially not around here. Westridge is a town with a lot of struggling families. After the oil industry took a downturn not long ago, a lot of people lost their jobs. The major oil company based out of this county went bankrupt and left them all out to dry.
Miss Lynn never asked for my help, but she did have a close relationship with the previous owner of the ranch. When I learned that her food bank was on the verge of shutting down, I stepped in to give as much as possible.
“Can we stop by my Mom and Dad’s real quick? I need to grab a few things.”
“Sure. But we don’t have a whole lot of time,” I answer her.
“I’ll be fast I promise!”
A few minutes later, we pull into their humble driveway. I helped Warren out fixing their front porch one time. It’s an old trailer, but they take good care of their place and it has a charm to it. There’s a welcome sign in the middle of a wreath hanging from their front door, and it swings back and forth when Blythe pushes through and runs inside.
When she skips down the porch steps a minute later withveryworn-in pink boots on and an overflowing duffle bag, I laugh.
“What?!” she says nearly out of breath.
“Those boots look like they’ve seen better days.”
“Speak a word against these babies and I’ll shave off your left eyebrow while you’re sleeping.” She lifts her foot, slaps the side of the boot a few times, and dust flies everywhere. We both crack up and I rest my hand on the back of the seat to look out the back window and back up out of the parking space.
My fingers graze her left shoulder, and I decide not to move my hand even when I’m finished backing up the truck.
“You’d have to sleep in my room to accomplish that. My door is way too loud. I’d hear you sneak in,” I challenge her.
“I will then!”
I lift one brow in interest. “Promise?”
Judging by the slap she gives my bicep, I’m guessing that’s a no. Damn. I’d let her shave both of my eyebrows off if it meant having her back in my bed. Just the thought of her skin lying on my sheets all night gets me hard.
