Charisma
FUNNY HOW THE loss of security made me more appreciative when I got it again. Having somewhere safe to live made me feel human.
And I was thankful it wasn’t the extended stay hotel that had seen better days despite management doing their best. I was thankful that I’d had a roof over my head but this place was more than a roof. I’d been expecting a small studio style apartment but this was a full one bedroom and then some.
The casita, as Nate had called it, had a full galley-style kitchen, a beautiful front porch, a large bathroom with a soaking tub and a bedroom that was tastefully decorated.
Nate told me that he’d seen to the mattress being replaced because his sister-in-law used to live here.
I didn’t need him to elaborate on what that meant because they were newlyweds and I was sure they’d been getting it in.
Hell, I would have.
I was attempting to talk my brain into cooperating with my common sense but she wasn’t having any of it presently. Obligations that had followed me from home were lingering. The thoughts I had about the man who was my boss weren’t appropriate. But Lord knows who wouldn’t have them?
Nate was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome.
Skin that had been deepened by the sun and was the color of molasses.
The light beard on his face, the tall frame and the muscles that he’d clearly earned by battling wild animals.
Deep brown eyes that seemed to bare his soul every time he looked at me were set beneath long lashes on a square shaped face.
Kissable lips and hair that my hands itched to play in seemed to cap off the perfection this man possessed.
He was walking sex and as a woman who hadn’t been serviced in a while, I couldn’t help but notice.
“Get it together, Charisma.”
I’d looked around the room at the pitiful amount of stuff I’d brought with me and realized that I might send for more of it.
Part of me was too afraid to get comfortable here for long so for now I would stick with what I had.
Four big suitcases and three boxes held most of my items. When I’d made this change I’d been living with my parents.
My plan had been to purchase things for my household as I needed them but that wouldn’t be necessary.
The kitchen was fully equipped with the high end pots and pans.
I wasn’t sure if it was his mother’s doing or if it was because of his sister-in-law but this place was so much better than I’d dared myself to hope.
The front room even had enough space for an easel to be set up.
Because of the space surrounding the house I could set up outside anywhere and capture light at any time of day.
It really was heaven.
It was wild to think that everything was working out as well as it was. I never would’ve thought a girl like me would be working on a ranch. I was often in my head but working this ranch made me feel capable.
Well, not exactly a ranch. From what I’d learned over the last few days with Doc giving me the history lessons on Nate’s place in between my attempts to organize Nate’s life, it used to be a horse breeding facility.
The house was built for the family that once owned it but they’d gotten into major trouble.
It was all kinda hush-hush and I knew better than to ask questions about things that didn’t concern me.
I could gather enough that no one was sorry they were gone and everyone was happy that Nate was in charge.
That was enough of a swing to his favor to prevent me from questioning anything.
Between getting his business paperwork filled out, notarized and filed with the proper agencies, I hadn’t had that much time to look at the artwork in the barn.
Nate had given me the code and told me to have at it whenever I felt the need to do so.
Today was going to be the day I finally got down to looking at what was stored.
I clipped the phone to my jeans, which were the only things I wore now once I saw how casual work was, and exited my office.
I’d be able to take calls and schedule whoever needed it.
The storage barn was actually closer to the house than the portion of the land that was set aside for the business.
Nate was frustrated at the idea of me walking back and forth and promised to get me some fancy golf cart but I didn’t mind.
It gave me a chance to look at the flowers that were growing throughout the land and take in nature.
To be inspired again now that my immediate needs of shelter and job were met.
This man had the nerve to deposit a sign-on bonus into my account that we hadn’t agreed on as soon as he got my banking information.
I was more than thankful and had placed my first supply order the same night.
Spring was definitely coming and somehow it felt more like summer with the way the heat was already making itself known.
I heard branches rustling and braced myself to smile and wave at one of the hands that Nate had introduced me to or for it to be him or Doc coming from the house.
It wasn’t any of them.
A man I didn’t recognize stepped onto the path from the house and I jumped back and screamed out in surprise.
He looked just as startled as I was but that didn’t prevent me from backing up away from him.
I was tense, my mind racing back to the last time I had been alone with a man I didn’t know.
Even in a room filled with people I’d been vulnerable.
And right now I was hidden in the trails halfway between the house and the business with someone who didn’t belong.
“Who are you?”
“Who are you?” He was dressed like he was from here but his accent was wrong.
Didn’t have the deep southern twang that even permeated Nate’s speech at times.
His tone was too polished and practiced.
The pristine condition of his clothing screaming that he too was trying to dress the part to blend in.
Like their culture was a costume he could don and remove whenever he wanted.
“I should ask you that. You shouldn’t be here. What are you doing walking on this path?”
“I know the owner of this place—”
“Then you should’ve sought him out before you snuck around his property like this.” I put my hand on my belt ready to call for Nate but the man in front of me held up his hand.
The sounds of nature had gone still like they were all waiting to hear the tea and run back and tell the rest of their woodland friends what was up.
“Not the current one, the one before. Just walking around the property reminiscing.”
“That’s fucking trespassing!” I don’t know why I was so angry. Usually, I was good at keeping my cool but this felt like such a violation of Nate’s boundaries.
He took a step toward me with a smile but it didn’t feel sincere. “There’s no harm—”
“I’m telling you there’s harm! You can’t just walk on people’s property because you used to know the guy that lived here. Leave now while you’re still able to.”
“Is that a threat?”
My response was swallowed in the sound of hooves coming through brush. And not just four, no it sounded like a full on stampede that was heading our way.
My head shook because I knew this was going to be an over reaction of epic proportions and frankly, this asshole in front of me deserved it.
I could tell when he realized that I might have been alone but I wasn’t vulnerable the way he thought I was.
The protection might not have been close by but they were certainly at hand.
And damn if that didn’t make me feel good.
Nate came through the path first on top of a brown horse that I’d seen him practice with often.
Even the horse looked pissed and I could see Nate’s eyes on me, assessing the scene and getting angrier by the second.
Doc, James and a man I wasn’t familiar with were all riding behind him looking like the hood musketeers.
Nate rode straight for me and when he got close he tossed himself off the moving horse and had his gun pulled before his feet hit the ground.
That move was practiced, erotic and probably the smoothest thing I’d ever seen in my life.
If the cowboy lust didn’t make sense before, I definitely understood now.
Nate stormed, because he was a cloud of fury and potent energy, toward the two of us and gently tugged me behind him.
It was wild how he harnessed that energy when touching me while simultaneously releasing it on the trespasser.
Nate’s gun, which had to be Glock, was at the man’s head and he only said one word.
“Explain.”
The rest of the men were jumping off their horses their presence at our back providing backup I was sure Nate didn’t need.
I didn’t want to distract him but I didn’t like his energy feeling like this.
It was chaotic and I was used to the easy-going charming Nate that had emerged in recent days.
This one reminded me of the night we met.
“Nate—”
“No. Not you, Charmy. I want to hear from the muthafucka bold enough to walk on my fucking land without permission. The one who scared you enough we heard you scream all the way out by the barn.”
That’s why they were here. They’d heard me and dropped everything to come running. This man was doing his best to do more than star in my nighttime fantasies.
The trespasser swallowed and tried to smile despite the gun pressed against his temple. “I’m an old friend of the de la Costas—”
“So you’re a piece of shit just like them.” Not a question, a statement. One that had the barrel of Nate’s gun digging deeper into the side of this man’s head. I had seen more violence in the last few weeks than in the decades before I came to Texas.
“No. I was just reminiscing. Like I told the girl.” He nodded toward me as best he could with a gun to his head.
“Watch your gotdamn mouth. That’s a lady.” Doc was walking up and I could tell if he got started he was going to be even worse than Nate to keep calm.