Chapter 18
Instinct kicked in when Jamie saw the period supplies in Rebecca”s bag. Now, her mood—a blend of tears and belligerence—made sense and, even better, gave him something to do. He”d come to talk—and they would—but all of his functioning brain cells were telling him to act.
”Show—not tell,” he murmured to himself.
”What?”
”Do you have to be here?”he asked.
”I don”t understand the question.”She rubbed a hand over her face and pushed her hair away. Tears and upset combined with a sultry day made her a charming hot mess. He liked the look.
”Do you have to be here?”he reiterated. ”As in, will this place fall apart if you leave?”
”Leave?”Her face wore an astonished expression. ”What are you talking about?”
They could continue this tennis match of bouncing words back and forth, or he could take the wheel. Being an excellent driver and knowing the destination he had in mind, Jamie steered with confidence.
Lifting off the corner of her desk, he stood and walked to the office door. Sticking his head through the open doorway, he called out, ”Hey, Sammy!”He whistled sharply. ”You nearby?”
”Jamie,”Rebecca yelped. She rose from her chair. ”What are you doing?”
”Gather your things,”he answered. ”I”m taking you away from here.”
”Ican”t just leave,”she snarled dismissively.
”Yeah, Rebecca. You can. Now be a good girl and grab your shit.”
”Excuse me?”Her mouth dropped open. She was adorably indignant at his deliberate use of a phrase he was sure would stiffen her spine.
Sammy came loping toward the office. His long strides reminded Jamie of a galloping horse. ”What”s up, Doc?”he asked when they were face-to-face.
Keeping his body in the doorway, Jamie gestured to Rebecca. ”Mrs. Tate is taking a break. Let”s call it half a personal day. Can you handle this place while she steps away?”
”Sure thing, Doc. Not much going on this afternoon. We”ll be fine.”Sammy pointedly looked around Jamie”s shoulder to address Rebecca. ”Don”t worry about a thing, Mrs. T. Give me a chance to flex my new and improved manager muscles.”
Jamie looked at Rebecca for an interpretation. She managed a half-smile and said, ”Stephanie and I have elevated Sammy to the ranch manager position. It”s a long overdue promotion.”
Sammy cracked a joke. ”I guess that fruit-of-the-month club subscription I got the Danes for Christmas last year was worth it, huh?”
The witty jest deserved their laughter. Everyone chuckled—even Rebecca.
Eager to move things along, Jamie facilitated a discussion between Rebecca and Sammy about cell phones and keeping in touch should an issue arise.
Then he all but shoved Sammy out of the office to concentrate on Rebecca. She did not make it easy and griped the entire time it took to shut down her computer and gather her things. He allowed her to mouth off, hoping she”d get it all out of her system sooner rather than later.
After leaving the office, they walked through the stables to the parking area. Rebecca stopped at each stall to check on every horse.
Stepping into the sunlight, she put her sunglasses on and veered toward her van. He cupped her elbow, gently but insistently guiding her to his truck instead.
”What are you doing?”she asked sharply.
”You”re taking a break,”he reminded her even though he had not sought her permission.
True to herself, Rebecca dug in and refused to take another step. By the set of her mouth and the way she stiffened, he could see that a verbal volley was loading.
He hadn”t let go of her elbow and drew her closer with a slight pull. ”Do you really want to do this here? Out in the open?”
Despite each wearing sunglasses, they stared at each other for a sizzling couple of seconds. Her vibe left no doubt that she quite badly wanted to tear his face off.
Was it all kinds of fucked up that he was enjoying this power play?
Yeah—especially since he knew what he was doing, and she didn”t.
But she would soon enough.
When she gave in, she did so with an amusing bon mot.
”In my diary, I”m calling this kidnapping.”
”Fair enough,”he chuckled. ”Now be a good girl,”he taunted her with a cheeky grin, ”and get in my truck.”
”Are you trying to rile me up?”
”Most definitely. You”re easier to handle when your fur is ruffled.”
”Handle? Fur? Do you hear yourself?”
He laughed. ”Yep. Do you realize you”re sitting in my truck?”
She sputtered and growled when he reached across her body to click the seatbelt firmly. The sound appeared to shock her into silence.
Taking advantage of her surprised reaction, he shut the passenger door and hurried to strap into the driver”s seat.
He sensed the conflict rolling off her in the confined space of the truck”s cab. He was testing her limits by taking over and being the one in control.
Jamie saw behind the ball-busting performance to the woman hiding in plain sight.
Gentling his tone, he told her what was going to happen. ”I”m taking you home and making us lunch. You”re going to let me take care of you and not worry about anything.”
”You”ve met me, right?”she mumbled sullenly. ”Being taken care of,”she said with emphatic air quotes, ”and not worrying about anything are not my strong suits.”
Her attempt to be sarcastic yet funny made him grin.
”Then you”re in for a treat. Enjoy the scenery. We”ll be there in three minutes.”
* * *
Gurl,what are you doing?
Becca didn”t have an easy answer, so she told her inner voice to buzz off.
Stealing a sidelong glance, she noted how he held his head, his cheekbones, and what she presumed was a tiny scar on his chin.
Absently brushing her jeans for no reason, she looked out the window.
Jamie”s place was off the main roadway, behind the old business center, which, over time, had been transformed into a large apartment for Remington Bisset and Finn O”Brien.
Just beyond, at the end of a side road hidden in thetrees, was a building that had also undergone a renovation facelift. What once had been a construction office was now a modern desert home.
The unexpected charm and sophistication took her by surprise. It was embarrassing to admit she”d pictured something boring and basic.
”Is this real?”
”Sorry.”His head turned. ”Didn”t get that. What?”
Feeling like an idiot, she muttered, ”I thought you lived in an old construction trailer. This is no trailer.”
They”d pulled into a long driveway.
He gestured at the house. ”This is my favorite view—with the mountains in the distance.”
A few seconds passed. When he continued, Becca heard what sounded like contentment in his voice. And perhaps a smidge of pride.
”For the record, it was a couple of modular buildings. Not a trailer. I”ve seen pictures of the transformation. Ben has an actual goddamn scrapbook full of them. What you see is a Draegyn St. John project. He and his band of merry workmen reworked the place. Three bedrooms and a chef”s kitchen done in a no-fuss style. When I took the place, the curb appeal was a bit rough. With Ben”s and Drae”s help, I redesigned the front patio with an adobe brick wall instead of a fence.”
”Speechless.”She paused and then said, ”It”s incredible, Jamie. I like the iron medallions above the front door and the big window. It”s very Southwest.”
”The medallion design is recreated in the gate, as well. Look,” he pointed out. ”The ironworkers at Phoenix Forge do fantastic metalwork.”
The truck crawled forward. As they slowly drove down the right side of the house, she was surprised at how large the place was.
They stopped near the side door beneath a wide carport. A parking sign declaring the area reserved for Tardis parking was hanging from a tall privacy fence.
”Come on.”He turned the engine off, pressed a button on a remote controller attached to the sun visor, and exited the truck.
Coming around to the passenger side, he opened her door and offered help as she slid off the seat. His hand was warm—his grip firm.
When her feet were firmly on the ground, he grabbed his hat and her bag.
”Ladies first.”He waved at the side door. ”It”s open. I unlocked it with the remote.”
Pushing the door wide, Becca stepped inside and was immediately struck by the level of sophistication in Jamie”s lifestyle. To her right was the kitchen, and to her left was a rustic, live-edge dining table with four chairs. Beyond the eating area was the open-plan great room.
Jamie bustled past as she took in the home”s interior. No joke—she”d give her eye teeth for his kitchen. The sink was beneath a window on the back wall. Next to the washing-up area was a set of French doors leading outside.
The stove backsplash was made of gorgeous Spanish-influenced tile. It rose behind the distinctive range hood to the ceiling.
She eyed the pot filler protruding from the wall above the range and felt nothing but envy.
”Do you have a change of clothes in your bag?”he asked.
”Um, kind of,”she replied. Glancing at her wet shirt, she made a face. ”I”ve got flip-flops and yoga pants but no top.”
”Hold that thought.”
He walked away, leaving her to wander around the kitchen. One of the first things she noticed was a water bowl on a feeding mat near the back door. Remembering he”d acquired a cat, she glanced around but didn”t see the furry feline lurking anywhere.
She peeked inside the pantry, peered out the French doors at a backyard that blew her mind, and ran her hands on the butcher block counters. An enormous island topped with something marble-like was big enough to make dozens of cookies at one time. Niches on either side of the range had shelves overflowing with spices and various olive oil and vinegar bottles.
Jamie Hunter was comfortable in the kitchen.
When he returned, he said, ”Here you go,”handing her a neatly folded T-shirt and her workbag. I”ll show you to the bathroom.”
”Where”s your cat,”she asked.
”Cat? She”s probably asleep on my pillow.”
He led her through the dining area to a hallway with two bedrooms and a full bath.
”Shared bath,”he explained.”Never gets used. Is the Western theme too much? It is, isn”t it?”he asked with a slight chuckle.
Becca laughed.”Well, the giant cactus shower curtain and Western art are a bit much. The same goes for the wood ladder pretending to be a towel rack. It”s impractical.”
”Ran out of decorating mojo by the time I got to the extra bedrooms and bath.”He looked around and shook his head. ”It”s tacky as fuck.”
Offering a half smile, he added, ”Make yourself at home. The closet has everything you need. I”m going to throw together some lunch, so take your time. I”ll be in the kitchen.”
She placed the T-shirt on the vanity counter, lifted the workbag, and dropped it on the counter with a thud. Digging around inside it, she pushed aside her laptop and a notebook and found her rolled-up yoga pants plus an old pair of flip-flops. Just in case a change of undies was necessary, she fished around for a makeup pouch she kept stuffed with panties for those days when the heat made her sweat through her work clothes.
Stripping to her underwear, she tore off the wretched bra and tossed it aside.
”Uh oh.”
She was perturbed to discover no sports bra was hiding in her bag.
Choosing something fresh-scented from a ceramic bowl holding cute wrapped soaps, she wet a wash cloth and pressed it to her face.
”Ahh.”
Many minutes later, she felt better, and while still achy and bloated, the refresh helped.
The T-shirt Jamie gave her was too big, but that worked in her favor since her boobs were hanging free.
Hurriedly stuffing her crap into the bag, she checked her appearance in the mirror, decided that stretchy pants and baggy T-shirts suited her, and took a deep breath.
Becca still didn”t know what she was thinking by letting Jamie take charge and sweep her away from work, but for now, she was going with it.