Chapter 3
reed
Idropped another spool of steel wire beside the fence line. “This should be enough to rewire what’s broken, but I’ll have to talk to Chuck about getting more.”
We’d have to make sure we had backstock, especially at the rate the vandal was cutting wire.
Hopefully, once Jude set up those extra game cams, we’d catch the culprit.
In the meantime, I was already planning on running night shifts with the other hired hands.
Chuck couldn’t afford to lose any more cattle.
I brushed my gloved hands off on my worn Wranglers. The spring sun blazed, causing sweat to run down the sides of my face, my shirt sticking uncomfortably to my back.
For May, it was as hot as Satan’s ass crack.
We hadn’t had rain in over ten days, and already, we were below average rainfall for the season.
It was shaping up to be a drought year, which led to poor ranching conditions.
Which meant Chuck was going to have to rent grazing land to keep the cattle fed.
“Let’s get busy, boys. I don’t want to still be out here when the sun sets.” I’d be back out anyway on the first watch. Marshall and Jace were staring beyond me into the glaring sun, their hands shading their eyes.
“What?” I turned to look in the direction they were looking and froze. My breath caught in my throat, and my blood rushed to all my extremities, including my dick.
What the fuck does she think she’s doing?
Lina Larsen was picking her way around the sagebrush in nothing but a swimsuit, fringed jacket, and boots.
She had a towel flung over her shoulder and the neck of a bottle of Jack in her grasp.
Her long, bronze legs disappeared into brown cowboy boots, begging to be wrapped around my waist. It was a one-piece, but it was the sexiest one-piece I’d ever seen.
A plunging neckline framed her perfect tits, and the high cut accentuated her perfect, wide hips.
Shit! Was that a thong? Her firm, tan ass was out for all to see.
“Get to work!” I barked at the men. Like fuck was I going to let these dickheads get an eyeful of Lina.
“Who’s that?” Marshall asked, appreciation in his voice.
“The boss’s daughter and none of your fucking business,” I said a little too harshly, but I hoped each word sounded like gravel in their ears. “Now get to work.”
I whipped off my gloves, slapping them on the fence post. What in the hell did she think she was doing?
I stormed toward her, hoping my broad back cast enough of a shadow to shield her from their prying eyes.
She skipped over a large rock, holding tightly onto the bottle, her fringe and wavy, brown hair swaying in the breeze. Did she walk all the way out here?
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?
” I seethed through gritted teeth. I could feel my body tightening up, preparing for the tongue-lashing she was bound to give me, and my inevitable, rock-hard cock that would ache for hours until I could take care of it.
Fucking shit! I was in for one painful night now.
“Coming to talk to you,” she said matter-of-factly. Her golden-brown eyes narrowed, telling me that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant chat. But it was never a pleasant chat with her.
My eyebrows raised all the same. She had avoided me for months, barely exchanging a few words here and there, and now she was seeking me out.
“In that?” My eyes trailed along her exposed skin until I felt my dick twitch, causing my eyes to flick right back to hers. Lock that fucking eye contact, I told myself. Otherwise, my dick was going to start leaking at just the sight of her.
She glowered at me, her hand going to her hip. She was all fucking sass, and as much as she raised my blood pressure, she made my heart pound even harder.
“Yes, in this, asshole. It’s ninety fucking degrees out, and I’m doing the one thing that helps me de-stress after being on the road. Why should you care what I wear to do it?”
“I care if you’re distracting my ranch hands.”
“At least I’m wearing a jacket. You’re welcome.” She peered over my shoulder, giving a little wave hello, and I followed her gaze. Marshall and Jace were both gawking at her despite the sun in their eyes.
“Fucking shit. See what I mean. I don’t have time for this. We have fences to repair and a long night ahead of us.”
I turned back to look at her. Her mouth curved in a flirty smile, fluttering her fingers at those two fucking bastards.
“Lina.” Her name came out rough and scalding, like a cattle brand being plunged straight down my throat. Shit! Why did her name have to feel so fucking good and painful all at the same time?
The brat rolled her eyes at me. “Fine. Come with me.”
She turned away then, which was a big fucking mistake. Her bare ass cheeks flexed and bounced as she walked. I swallowed the thick lump in my throat and quickly adjusted myself in my pants before following her.
Lina walked over to the stock tank beside the fence line.
The tank was bone dry thanks to the arid weather.
Setting her bottle down on the ground and throwing her towel over the fence, she turned on the spigot to the well line.
Air sputtered and thumped through the pipes before water spewed from the faucet into the tank.
Without even looking at me, she toed off her boots, her bright-purple toenails digging into the dirt.
Fuck. Even her toes were tan and sexy. I was not a foot guy, but Lina could convert me.
I was still very much an ass man, though, and she still hadn’t turned around to look at me as she shrugged off her jacket and draped it over her boots.
I hated that I wanted her to look at me. To really look at me. I wanted her eyes, her words—anything. The last few months were torture … watching her come and go, dart the other way whenever I entered the stables, or see her hopping into some douchebag’s truck when she went out.
Growing impatient, I cleared my throat. “What’s this about, Lina?”
She turned around then, her warm, brown eyes watching me. She arched her back, her perky tits straining against the nylon. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from groaning.
Pointing her toes, she stepped into the water, submerging her body into the tank as it continued to fill. She sighed in relief as soon as she touched the cool water.
My eyes flicked to hers. She had one eyebrow cocked in amusement, continuing to stare at me while she picked up the bottle of Jack, twisting off the cap and bringing it to her full lips. She took a swig before setting it back down beside the tank.
“Jude just told me about the cut lines,” she said. “By the sounds of it, it’s been happening for a while.”
My own eyebrows rose at that. I didn’t even think she’d be concerned about the fence lines while she was away from the ranch. “Chuck didn’t tell you?”
She scoffed, picking up the whiskey again and taking another pull, this time keeping it in her grasp while she rested it against the lip of the tank.
“Dad doesn’t want me to worry, so he tends to keep things from me. How long has this been happening?”
“Three, maybe four months now.” I shifted on my feet, trying to look anywhere but at her tits as they rose and fell, the water splashing across them as the tank continued to fill.
“Dad won’t call the cops or the livestock commissioner unless he loses the herd. Are they stealing cattle?”
I shook my head. “We’ve been able to recover them each time. Whoever is doing it is just cutting wires and creating more work for us.”
Since coming to Thornbrush Ranch, I’d learned Chuck was a proud and private man.
He took care of his own—land, horses, and cattle included.
Lina was right. He wasn’t going to involve law enforcement unless it was absolutely necessary, especially after everything they went through last year with Hazel Miller and Jesse Matheus.
More reason for me to station myself out here tonight.
“I don’t think this is just some kids fucking around.
” She brought the bottle back to her mouth.
My eyes couldn’t help following her movement, watching her plump lips wrap around the top of the bottle.
My cock was growing uncomfortably hard by the second.
Her throat bobbed, swallowing it down. I involuntarily gulped.
“I don’t think so, either,” I managed to say. “The guys and I are going to take shifts until we get more cameras up.”
Her mouth popped off the bottle. Goddammit! Why was she torturing me? At this point, it felt like she was doing it on purpose. A bead of whiskey slipped down her plump bottom lip, her tongue darting out to catch it.
Fucking hell! “Are we done here?” I snapped, impatient.
Her eyes dropped to my pants. She had to see the hard-on behind my zipper. I needed to move, to get away from her. Otherwise, I was going to combust.
“Are you staying out here tonight?” she asked.
“What’s it to you?” I knew I sounded like an asshole, but I needed to be done with this conversation before I did something I’d regret. Why did she care what happened on her dad’s ranch while she was away? We were handling it.
Her brows pinched, her mouth pressing into a firm line. “It’s my family ranch, you dick. I think I have a right to know what’s going on here. And if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m going to fucking help!”
She took another gulp of the whiskey like it was her lifeline. Like it was the only thing keeping her from jumping down my throat.
“You going to be out here all afternoon?” It was already getting late in the day, and I couldn’t have her distracting the guys while we had a job to do. I couldn’t have her distracting me.
“For as long as it takes me to cool down. Are you going to just argue with me and give them a show?” She pointed the mouth of the bottle toward Marshall and Jace. “Or are you going to do your job?”
I scowled at her. “Only if you let us do our fucking job,” I said, turning away and marching back to where the guys quickly pretended they were busy at work.
My hands balled into fists. I wanted to storm back over there and either climb into that tank with her and have her grind that wet pussy against my belt buckle until she came, or pull her out of that water and tie her to a fence post until she begged for my cock.
“I’m taking the first shift!” Her voice rose behind me.
“The hell you are!” I hollered, my shoulders going rigid to keep myself from turning back around to face her. Of course she’d demand to help with the night watch.
“Try to stop me, cowboy!”
Shit! I was going to have to fight her over the first watch, wasn’t I? Maybe tying her to a fence post wasn’t such a bad idea.
lina
The water might have cooled my heated skin from the hot sun, but it did nothing to lower my body temperature.
I knew he felt my eyes on him. He kept lifting his cowboy hat to wipe his brow, casually checking over his shoulder to see if I was still there—pretending that he wasn’t looking.
His T-shirt clung to his back, and his muscles flexed and bulged while he rolled out the wire across the fence posts.
The new ranch hands were more blatant about their perusal. I winked at one of them—the handsome blond one with the mustache—when his lips curved in a grin.
Sipping the whiskey, I could feel my stress melting away. I wouldn’t drink enough to get tipsy, especially if I was coming out here later tonight. Just enough to relax and not feel as though my brain were going ninety miles per hour all the fucking time.
Dad wasn’t going to like that I volunteered to work a night watch, but he wouldn’t demand I stay away, either. He knew once my mind was set on something, he shouldn’t waste his breath.
I turned off the spigot and let the water wash over my chest. My nipples pebbled beneath my swimsuit, peeking up over the waterline.
I took another swallow of the bottle, savoring the burn down my throat, but all it was doing was making me hotter and building this insufferable arousal Reed stirred in me. I needed relief.
I rubbed my thighs together in the water and ran my hand down my chest, feeling the stiff peaks while I watched them repair the fence.
I smirked when the blond hand stopped to stare. Reed barked at him to get back to work and then turned to glare at me.
Running my hand up and down my chest, over my cleavage and neck, letting the water cool my heated skin, I let him see where my fingertips traveled.
His eyes grew dark beneath the brim of his hat while he glowered at me.
I raised the bottle to him before taking another sip.
Why hadn’t he found another job yet? This had to be as miserable for him as it was for me.
To see the person I hated with a passion every time I came home.
To watch those hands mend fences, wrangle cattle, and train colts, all the while knowing exactly how those calloused fingers felt between my thighs.
“Ugh!” None of this was helping me de-stress. If anything, it was making me horny as fuck.
I capped the bottle and stepped out of the tank, letting the water slosh over the sides. Grabbing the towel off the fence, I dried off, wrapping it around my waist before I stuffed my feet back into my boots.
“Fucking shit,” I grumbled, feeling my swimsuit cling between my legs. It wasn’t just wet from the water, either. Now I needed more than a shower.
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me when I scooped up the liquor bottle and jacket before walking away, my toes squishing in my boots.
Reed thought I had no business helping with night watch. Well, fuck him. This was my ranch.