Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
BOOKER
I peered into my living room at the woman sitting on my couch looking like a frightened little bird, even if she was trying to pretend like she had all the answers to the world’s problems.
Hiding in the kitchen wasn’t exactly the best idea, but then inviting her back to the ranch and telling her I’d give her a job wasn’t something I’d ever do, either.
Hell, I had the ranch because I’d take horses over people any day.
But as soon as I’d looked through the car window and seen her bruised and breaking down inside, I knew she needed help.
And for some reason, I knew I was the one who would give it to her.
Which was completely against my nature.
Now, she was sitting in my living room looking so lost, and I had absolutely no idea what to do apart from lecturing her about the dangers of getting into a car with a man she didn’t know, even if that man had been me.
I pulled my cell out of my pocket and glared at it.
Maybe Delaney could help. She was a girl. She knew how to talk girl. She might even have a job for Reece.
My eyes moved back to the woman in question as I leaned back to get a view of her through the open door. The bruises on her face were a pretty clear sign that she was in some kind of trouble. From the way she favored her side, I’d say her injuries extended further than her face as well.
I couldn’t send her to Trace and Delaney’s doorstep if that trouble was going to follow her there.
Which meant that Reece was my problem, at least for now.
“Do you need any help in there?” she called out from the living room, sounding nervous.
She probably thought I was preparing some kind of poison for her while I was lurking out here. It would at least be the first sensible thought she’d had since I’d met her if it was.
“No.”
I winced at the gruffness of my voice. Damn it. This was a traumatized woman. I could at least try to be passably nice at first.
“No, thank you ,” I stressed, trying not to grit my teeth as I did.
“Aww, did that hurt, big bear?” she asked, her voice sounding like it was directly behind me, and I was embarrassed at just how much it made me jump.
So, because I was trying to be nice, I turned around and just glared at her rather than saying what I really wanted to say.
I nodded to the kitchen table. “Sit.”
She moved without question and then sat down and watched to see what I’d do next.
I should have left her in the dark living room because sitting on that chair in front of the window, her long blond hair glistened in the sun as she watched me curiously with those warm chocolate eyes, I could feel my heart thump in my chest.
I grabbed the coffee I’d been procrastinating over and moved to the other side of the table, hoping the wooden furniture would block the view of all the curves her sweater did absolutely nothing to hide.
Unfortunately for me, the vision of her was already burned into my memory, and I was feeling like a creep for even having looked.
“So,” she said after an uncomfortably long pause. “What exactly is this job that you want me to do? How much does it pay, and for how long do you expect it to last?”
I could feel my lips twitching in amusement as she tried not to squirm in her seat and project the picture of a confident job prospect instead.
This was the point where I was supposed to answer her. The thing was, I didn’t want to talk about that. I wanted to know who the hell had done that to her face and demand that she tell me where I could find them.
So I did my usual and reverted to my usual attitude instead.
“Come on.” I lurched out of my seat and headed to the back door, leaving the coffee untouched on the table.
It was cold anyway. I’d spent far too long hiding in the kitchen for it to be worth drinking now.
Val jumped out of her bed and trotted to my side like she always did.
“Erm, okay.” She followed a few steps behind me as I jogged down the back porch steps and headed to the old bunkhouse.
“This used to be where the ranch hands bunked back in the day,” I told her as I opened the door and then stepped to the side to let her go past.
Reece’s eyes widened in alarm at the dark interior, and she hesitated.
Finally, the woman was making a sensible decision for the first time today and questioning her own safety.
I reached around the doorframe and switched on the lights, illuminating the interior. Reece’s eyes widened in surprise as she cautiously took another step closer.
“We had it changed into a cottage last year. The ranch hands were happy to get an updated bunkhouse further back on the property, away from the main house. Don’t feel like they’re being watched over all the time then,” I added, so she’d at least know that she’d be safe out here even if she was on her own.
Reece smiled and walked inside, looking around at the cozy little living room and kitchenette that had been added.
The cottage was a single-story structure, but we’d been able to squeeze in a bedroom on either side of the living room and a small bathroom. It was the only finished one on the property at the moment. The plans for building the others were moving slowly but surely, but they wouldn’t be habitable for a while.
“This is for me?” she asked as she peered through the bathroom door, her eyes wide in surprise.
“It’s the best I can offer. I’m sure you can make do for now.”
When she turned to look at me again, there were tears pouring down her face, and I froze.
Shit.
Val moved to Reece’s side, sat down, and leaned against her leg like she did whenever someone was upset. I could have sworn the dog was staring at me accusingly.
Was this too much? I didn’t think she’d want to stay in the house with me. It felt a bit too much like I was trying to say there were strings attached to the help I was offering.
There definitely weren’t.
I didn’t even know why I’d offered. I liked my space. My own company, if you didn’t count Val. But she’d looked so lost and broken sitting in that car at the side of the road, and I wasn’t about to just abandon her out there when she was so obviously in trouble.
“This is…”
I braced myself for the criticism. For that thing people do when they try to manipulate you into giving more than you’re prepared to do.
“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She sniffled and then moved toward me.
I saw it coming. It was hard not to when she was walking across the room with her arms opened wide.
A hug.
One of those human gestures that was completely unnecessary for anyone over the age of twelve. Or four if you grew up in the house I did, and even then, it only ever came from the nanny.
Reece wrapped her arms around me as much as she could and squeezed. I heard the hitch of her breath, and I knew it had hurt her. For some reason, that was what made me move. I might have just awkwardly patted her on the back, but it was the warmest gesture I’d ever made for a stranger.
“It’s nothing,” I said quickly, gently taking her arms and unwrapping them from me, not wanting to hurt her anymore.
I awkwardly cleared my throat and then stepped back out of the door. Val looked at Reece and then followed me.
“I’ll leave you to get settled in. We can look around the ranch tomorrow and talk about the job.” I kept backing up as she watched me awkwardly. I should have remembered the low deck we’d put on the front of the cottage in place of a porch and stumbled down the small step instead. “I’ll get your bags from the truck.”
I turned and strode away, my hands rubbing against my arms like I could erase her touch if I tried hard enough.
This was going to be an issue.
She was going to be an issue.
This was just my luck. You try to do a nice thing, and you end up with someone wanting to act like a human being around you. It would have been easier to pick up a stray dog from the side of the road. I should have known better than to rescue some damsel in distress.