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Brielle furrowed her brows. Wait, Wade washired? Hired for what? Nothing was making sense anymore. Zeke clapped Wade on the shoulder and guided him toward the other side of the barn. “We’re starting tours of the ranch for out-of-staters. We’ve got a great deal of land and trails that lead through hills and the woods. Plus, you know how out-of-townerslovefeeling like a cowboy after that one show came out on television. We’re making our own little western world out here at Slate Rock Ranch.”
“Tours?” Wade murmured. He didn’t seem to care that Brielle was following close behind them.
Neither Wade nor her father gave her any mind, and it was infuriating. If this was how her father was going to play things, then she wasn’t going to apologize at all. She could get a job somewhere else. She didn’t have to help out with running the ranch like her sisters did.
And Zeke wasn’t nearly as intimidating as everyone in town thought.
She stopped suddenly.
Oh no! Everyone in town.
If everyone else thought Zeke was scary, then none of them would hire her—especially if they found out she was at odds with her father and he was trying a new way of getting her married off.
What was his issue? Why couldn’t he just accept the fact that one of his progenies didn’t want to be tied down?
She balled her hands into fists. Okay, so technically she was already tied down, but he didn’t know that, and he wasn’t going to find out. If Zeke Callahan wanted to play dirty, then she’d play dirty. He could make her do any grunt work he wanted. And she’d pay whatever rent he requested. But she wasn’t going to get married just because he told her to—and definitely not to Wade Keagan.
Brielle stormed out of the barn and headed straight for Wade’s truck. She didn’t know what she had planned when she climbed into the bed of his truck, but when he came back, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
There was only one logical reason why he’d shown up at her home to speak to her father. And it wasn’t to get a job. Wade was just doing what he’d promised. He wasn’t going to give up. Her temperature rose, and she couldn’t tell if it was due to frustration or just being flustered over the whole situation.
She wrung her hands and glanced back toward the barn. What was she doing? She shouldn’t be in his truck waiting for him. That was ridiculous. She was just feeding into what he wanted. And what Wade wanted was her attention.
Stumbling to her feet, she lurched forward when her knees locked and refused to bend. She nearly pitched herself over the tailgate of the truck when Wade materialized. He caught her shoulders, preventing her from falling.
One side of his mouth quirked upward. “We have got to stop meeting like this.”
She made an indignant sound and commenced with climbing out of his truck. After making sure her father was nowhere to be seen, she crossed her arms and gave Wade her best disgruntled look. “Seriously, what are you doing here? Wasn’t it enough for me to turn you down for a date? You had to come here and talk to my dad?” She hit her palm against her forehead and paced in front of him. “You realize he’s only offering you the job to mess with me, right?”
Brielle could feel Wade’s eyes following her as she passed in front of him. Back and forth she went, trying to come up with the words that would help him understand he needed to just walk away. There was no future in this for him.
“I swear, you’ve got to have alfalfa growing between your ears if you think that this was a good idea. Working for my dad isn’t easy. He holds people to a high standard.”
“You don’t think I can handle myself?”
She stopped. Slowly she dragged her gaze in his direction. About eighty percent of the time she’d spent with him, he’d been the strong silent type. It was as if he only spoke when there was something important to say. And lately, everything he’d said to her had to do with him wanting to explore a relationship with her. Brielle sighed, avoiding looking directly at him as she murmured, “Actually, no. I think hiring you would be a good call on his part.”
Her eyes shut, and she fought the oncoming blush.
“Well, if you think I’d be a good fit, then what’s the problem?”
“Theproblemis that I told you to leave me alone, and you refused. I shouldn’t have to give you a reason. No means no.”
His boots crunched against the dirt and pea gravel as he closed the distance between them. “I know what you’re thinking, Bri. And you’re probably right. I shouldn’t be here. I don’t know what possessed me to even come here. I like you a lot, and I thought maybe if you spent a little more time with me, then maybe you’d see that there’s value in what I have to offer.” He let out a sigh. “I’ll tell your father that I’m not up for the job.”
His words hit a chord, an off-sounding note in her head. This wasn’t right. Wade wasn’t hurting anyone by getting a job here. And working for Zeke Callahan was something men used to improve their working reputation and resume.
She didn’t want him to give up.
Brielle’s head snapped up just as Wade started toward the barn. His strides were much longer than hers, and she had to dart after him at a near sprint to catch up with his quick pace. She grabbed his left hand with both of hers and tugged him to a stop. “Wait.”
Wade frowned at where her hands held his before lifting to scrutinize her. “I’m not the kind of man who can be toyed with. Ask me to stay or don’t but understand it’s your final decision.”
Her hands trembled, and she had to release him so she could hide just how she was feeling. To ask him to stay was to commit to finding Tad to get her marriage voided. It would mean she was willing to throw caution to the wind to some degree. And neither of those things sounded attractive at all.
There was one thing Brielle had never been able to handle well, and that was the feeling that she was being backed into a corner. “I can’t ask you to stay,” she whispered.
The clouds in his green eyes darkened. “Okay.” He spun on his heel and turned toward the barn again.
