Chapter 3
Jealous – Nick Jonas
Wilder
My brothers and I each had our roles on the ranch, each of us comfortable with them.
Nash was our leader, being the eldest he’d naturally fallen into the role of final decision maker and voice of reason.
Gunner was our horse man, the one who’d taken us to the next level with his skills and talent, the one who made sure we had the best, safest working horses.
Then there was me, I was the work horse.
The one who managed the day to day schedules, worked alongside the men and kept them happy as well as making sure the cattle were safe.
Which was why I was checking fences. Fences which were the bane of my life.
Boundary fences had to be checked on a regular basis, it was imperative.
If we didn’t and there were gaps or broken fencing we were at risk of cattle wandering onto other ranch land, or worse, rustlers.
A combination of both if we considered Brad Jenkins, one of our neighboring ranchers, and some of the dubious men he had working for him.
So, while the cattle were on the high ground, it was the ideal opportunity
That was why building a new paddock fence wasn’t on the top of my ‘I can’t wait to do that’ list. All the men were busy, though, checking water troughs, and making sure the tracks from the higher ground were clear, ready to move them down in a couple of weeks’ time.
As the new stallion’s arrival was imminent and training was ramping up, Gunner needed another paddock asap. That meant it was down to me and Glenn, and he was not my favorite work buddy. He was a decent guy, but his eyes wandered away from the job too often for my liking.
“I’ve marked it out,” I told him. “If we can get the posts in today at least that’ll be a start.”
“Sure. No problem.” Glenn shucked off his jacket and hung it over the rail of the existing paddock.
The guy was broad and tall, his blond hair touching his collar and was far too pretty for me to take him seriously. He was my age yet looked a year or two younger, probably because he’d had a cushy office job before realizing it wasn’t for him.
Losing my own jacket, I threw it next to Glenn’s and did a little internal fist pump that my biceps were bigger than his.
“Okay, let’s get going.”
He gave me a nod and we set to work, not talking a great deal, only when it was necessary.
We were just putting in the third post, getting ready to knock it in with the rammer, when she walked toward us.
Hips rolling, long legs in tight jeans and red flannel caressing her perfect tits as her one long braid bounced as she walked.
“Gentlemen.”
That sultry voice of hers was crystal clear and as confident as her stride in our direction, the grass crunching under her Western boots.
“Hey, Tally.” Glenn lifted his tee and wiped his forehead with it, no doubt giving her a glimpse of his stomach muscles. Well, I had news for him, he smelled a little ripe.
“Desperate or something,” I muttered as I turned my ball cap backwards.
What? I wasn’t doing it because I knew she found it sexy, and yes it was October, but I didn’t want the sun on my neck since we had to consider the fact that the ozone layer was fucked.
I then yanked off my own shirt and tossed it aside.
“Hot, hard work,” I said to no one in particular, catching Tally’s eyes drag down my chest before she looked away.
So fucking worth it even if I was damn well freezing my nipples off.
“Is this our new paddock?” she asked, her voice a little shaky as she did a full circle surveying the expanse of grass. “It’s going to be big.”
“Apparently he’s a big stallion,” I replied. My eyes looked her up and down, resting a little longer on her ass. The ass I’d spanked the night before. “We all like a big stallion, right?”
She turned back around, her eyebrows raised and a smirk touching her lips. “Indeed, we do.”
“Yes, ma’am there’s nothing better. Though, I’ve been told size isn’t everything. It’s all about the technique.”
Winking at her, the thrill I got when she straightened her spine felt like a victory.
Being around her was full of little victories.
When she screamed out my name, when I heard her little gasp just as I pushed inside her, when she straightened her spine as heat pooled in her belly. Yep, lots of little victories.
“You’re looking good today, Tally.” Glenn hooked his hands from his hips. “Glowing in fact.”
His words weren’t welcome, and he was lucky I didn’t let him know exactly who was responsible for that glow.
“Why thank you.” She grinned at him and shoved her hands into her jeans’ pockets. “I do feel well rested recently. Although, I think I need to up my cardio. I’m not getting much of a workout recently.
The smile she flashed at me was wicked and devious, she knew she was tempting the bull.
“You don’t want to get a fat ass now do you?” I offered, picking up the rammer. “You ready, Glenn?”
He was staring at me, fear in his eyes, as he opened his mouth and then closed it again. His gaze shot to Tally who immediately dropped her grin and schooled a more serious expression.
“Are you saying I have a fat ass?” Tally asked me. “Did you hear what he said, Glenn, that I have a fat ass?”
I had to feel sorry for the guy, he was torn between being offended for Tally and staying on the right side of his boss. Maybe if he hadn’t been making goo-goo eyes at her I wouldn’t have felt the need to comment.
“I would never comment on the size of your ass,” I told her. “Which I should say is a perfectly good size.”
Glenn heaved out a sigh, and the broadness of his shoulders visibly shrunk by a couple of inches.
The guy was a pussy. He should have had the balls to tell me I was being a dick to Tally, not feel relieved that I’d said her ass was fine. Which was just as wrong since he had no idea I was on first name terms with it.
“Okay, Glenn, let’s do this.” He lifted the rammer, putting it in place and grabbing a handle each, we slammed it down onto the post. As soon as I was happy it was secure I nodded at him to move on to the next one.
Looking up, I was surprised to see Tally was still there, watching closely, arms crossed under her tits and her head on one side.
“Enjoying the view?” Glenn asked her with a chuckle.
Sheesh, this guy was pissing me off. “I think Tally has better things to do than watch us build a fence.” I levelled a tight smile at her. “You do, don’t you?”
“You trying to get rid of me?” she asked.
Watching her standing there looking like she could conquer the world made my dick go hard behind my zipper.
When she first got here, about seven months ago, she was a little shy but two months of living in our house because her cabin wasn’t ready, soon brought her out of her shell.
Now, well now she was sassy as hell with a confident jut of her chin, a ramrod straight back and a quick wit and sharp tongue.
Not to mention how damn good she was in bed.
“I think you should get on with some work,” I told her nodding to Glenn to take the other end of the next post. “It’s quite the busy schedule you have I believe.”
“Two things,” she said, pausing to glare at me while biting her bottom lip. “One, you’re not my boss. And two, you have no idea what my schedule is.”
“Two things, Tally, the names on the deeds of this ranch are Nash Miller, Gunner Miller and Wilder Miller. You need to dig a bit more dirt out of the hole, Glenn.” I wiped the sweat from my brow.
“Of whom I’m the latter, so that does kind of make me your boss, and secondly, drop it in Glenn, and secondly I think you know that I’m aware of your schedule Miss.
Brown.” I lifted my head and gave her an arched brow. “So go do some work.”
“Okay, whatever, but you should know.” She pointed to the post. “That isn’t straight. In fact, I think Dorcas’ hind leg is straighter.”
I shook my head, chuckling at her audacity. “You know what your problem is? You’d watch a man build you a house with his bare hands then roll your eyes at the paint color.”
“Glad to be of service, gentlemen.”
She walked away with that perfect swing in her hips, and it took everything I had not to yell for her to come back.
“Damn that woman is going to write my obituary one of these days,” I muttered under my breath.
Because as much as I told myself it was just sex, I liked the way she distracted me. Maybe a little too much.
And Jesus. That woman’s hips should come with a warning label that said, 'May cause reckless decisions and sudden boners’.