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“There are times I wish I was an only child,” Rome grumbled before he looked at her. “So you’re sure we’re good?”
“I promise. We’re good.”
At least, she was. But in the days that followed, she realized Rome wasn’t. After their morning of “release,” he seemed to avoid her like the plague. He spent all day working the ranch. At meals, he took a seat on the other side of the table from her and let Casey do most of the talking. At night, he headed to his room with just a simple good night.
She should be relieved, but annoyed was a more accurate description of the way she felt. Extremely annoyed. He’d obviously thought things over and decided he couldn’t chance the homely wallflower falling in love with him by giving her any attention at all. The more he ignored her, the madder she got.
And the more projects she took on around the house to work out that anger.
She not only cooked breakfast and dinner, but she also made casseroles and baked pies and put them in the large freezer in the garage. She got the boxes she’d left at her parents’ house that were filled with her things she’d packed when she’d moved out of her and Brandon’s apartment and filled her room with knickknacks and pictures of her family and the quilt her mama’s aunt had given her. She scrubbed down the porch and found three old rockers at a garage sale to put there. Today, she planned to make a garden in the front of the porch and fill it with the daffodils, tulips, and jonquils she’d gotten in town.
She had made friends with the animals. The dog, Blake Shelton, was lying in the dirt next to where she was hacking up the ground with a spade. The four barn cats, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntire, and George Jones—not to be confused with Decker and Sweetie’s hound dog, George Strait—were napping on the porch in the sun. Mister Carson the goat was nosing around the flowers that were lined up on the porch steps. Cloe was about to issue a warning when Rome spoke behind her.
“What are you doing?”
She startled and glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there . . . looking like a sexy cowboy straight off the trail. A sexy cowboy she was extremely annoyed with. It had been much easier to keep her anger in check when Sam and Casey were there. But they had gone to Austin on business and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Now that she and Rome were completely alone, she couldn’t help being a little snide.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m getting ready to plant flowers. What are you doing? I thought you said you wouldn’t be back until late.”
He didn’t answer. His gaze seemed to be riveted to her butt. She figured it was covered in dirt. She reached behind her and brushed it off. “So why are you home so early?”
He jerked his attention away from her butt. “I ripped my jeans on a fence and need to change.”
“Then change.” She went back to hacking. When he didn’t leave, she glanced over her shoulder. “Is there a problem?”
“I just don’t understand why you’re planting a garden when you’re going to be leaving soon.”
Talk about angry. She had to take two deep breaths to keep from exploding.
“I know I’m leaving, Rome. But I thought a little pop of color might be nice.” She got up and his eyes seemed to widen. She was sure she looked silly in the gardening hat Casey had given her, but at the moment, she could have cared less. “But if you don’t want flowers, you don’t want flowers.” She yanked off her gardening gloves and tossed them to the porch before she walked into the house, letting the screen door slam behind her.
She knew she was being irrational. He was right. Why would she plant flowers when she was only living there for a few months? Of course, she wasn’t angry at him for questioning her flower planting. She was angry at him for ignoring her for the last few days. Even that was irrational, but she couldn’t seem to help it.
Once in the bedroom, she realized how horrible she looked. Sweat and dirt streaked her cheeks and the floppy hat with its big pink gingham bow didn’t help. She pulled it off and tossed it to the top of the dresser before she headed for the bathroom. She had just stripped down and stepped into the shower when the door opened and Rome walked in.
“Where did you get this?”
The glass door was fogged with steam, but she still tried to cover herself. “Get out!”
“Not until you tell me where you got this hat?”
She turned the shower off and reached her hand out the door for the towel that hung on the hook. Once it was wrapped securely around her, she stepped out of the shower. Rome stood there holding the gardening hat Casey had given her to use so she wouldn’t get sunburned.
“Casey gave it to me and you can’t just keep barging in on me while I’m showering.”
“Then start locking the fucking door!”
She had never seen Rome this angry before, but she was just as angry. She stepped closer and got in his face. “I shouldn’t have to lock the door when it’s my door to my room! What were you doing in my room, anyway? I thought we were going to keep separate bedrooms so your wallflower wife wouldn’t get too attached.”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb, Rome. Not when you’ve ignored me ever since we had sex.”
“It wasn’t sex!”
“Fine! Ever since we reached orgasm together, you have been acting like if you give me any kind of attention, I’m going to fall head over heels in love with you. News alert, Rome Remington. I’m not that stupid. I know what happened the other morning wasn’t anything but sexual release and I haven’t given it another thought.” It was a lie. She had given it lots of thoughts. Which was probably another reason she was so angry.
“Well, good for you,” he snapped. “Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
