Chapter 4
Chapter Four
A t first, Reid thought he’d run into a dead tree limb. But when the tree limb kicked at him, he realized his mistake. He grabbed the foot that came inches from his family jewels and surfaced to find . . .
“Sunshine.” The word came out of his mouth like a curse. She didn’t seem to take offense. She was too busy thrashing around and drowning.
He released her foot and hooked an arm around her waist, reeling her in. As soon as her body came in contact with his, he realized two things.
One, it had been way too long since he’d held a woman and he’d forgotten how damn good it felt.
And two, she was naked.
Sweet soft breasts melted against him, but it was the hard nipples drilling his chest that gave her state of clothing away.
His cock perked up and then jumped to full attention like a sleeping dog who had just gotten a whiff of a grilling T-bone steak.
Reid instantly released her and tried to swim away. Unfortunately, she had latched on to him like a life raft. Her hands clutched his shoulders while her legs were wrapped around his waist, her curvy ass brushing the top of his raging erection with each rippling wave.
There was a moment, one insane moment, when Reid actually thought about sliding his hands over that sweet ass and taking what his body so obviously wanted. She had made it clear that she wanted him. Even now, her moonlit eyes were filled with heat and a twinkle of excitement. He knew sex with her would be wild and exciting. And if anyone needed a little wild excitement, it was Reid. All his life he had chosen to walk the straight and narrow and look where it had gotten him.
He had no savings.
No woman.
And a belligerent teenager who hated his guts.
Of course, having sex with Sunny wasn’t going to change any of those things. Even if he wanted a permanent relationship—which he didn’t—Sunny wasn’t the permanent relationship type. She was interested in him for one reason and one reason only. To entertain her while she was here. Once she grew bored with him, she would easily drop him like a hot potato. Or throw him under the bus with her brother.
Then he’d have no savings and no job.
Ignoring his body’s demands, he leaned back and kicked toward the shallows. Once he could stand, he untangled her limbs from around him and headed for shore. He hoped she would continue her swim and leave him the hell alone.
He wasn’t that lucky.
As soon as he grabbed his towel to dry off, he heard splashes behind him. He turned to see her walking out of the springs like a glorious, moonlit water nymph. He quickly turned back around, but not before the image of grapefruit-sized breasts topped with large rose-colored nipples was seared into his brain.
“So I guess you swim here often,” she said.
He spotted her clothes lying on a nearby rock—something he wished he’d spotted earlier— and grabbed them, shoving them at her without turning. She laughed. She had one of those husky laughs that settled in a man’s soul . . . and lower. He could still pound nails with the erection pressing against his wet swim trunks.
He needed to get out of there and he needed to get out of there now.
He picked up his boots and headed for the path that led to the trailer. He’d only taken a few steps when a sharp rock bit into his heel. Pain shot up his leg and had him cursing and hopping on one foot. Sunny’s laughter made him even more hopping mad.
“The first rule of living on a ranch,” she said in a smug voice. “Is never go outside without boots on. Something I thought an experienced cowboy would know.”
He bit back the nasty retort on the tip of his tongue and sat down on a nearby rock to pull on his socks and boots. As he did, he couldn’t help shooting a glance in Sunny’s direction.
She wasn’t naked. She wore a pair of panties that were no more than a tiny scrap of turquoise material and a shorty shirt that didn’t come close to covering her stomach. He couldn’t help staring at the small sunflower tattooed just inside her hipbone, it’s stem dipping beneath the elastic of her panties.
“I have a thing for sunflowers.” Sunny’s voice was soft and breathy. “You just can’t help but smile when you see one.”
Smiling wasn’t what the sunflower made Reid want to do. It made him want to drop to his knees and lick each petal before his tongue followed the stem all the way down to the very tip. He wanted to blame his raging sexual need on the fact that he hadn’t been with a woman since before his sister had called him. Which was almost a year ago. But while that didn’t help matters, he knew most of the blame belonged on the sunflower-tattooed woman standing within reach.
Sunny was temptation incarnate. A sexy siren made to drive men wild.
If she hadn’t been his boss’s sister, Reid would have given in to that temptation. He would have licked her tattoo, worshiped her magnificent breasts with his mouth and hands, and then wrapped those long, tanned legs around his waist and driven so deep inside her he’d forget all about the way his vibrant, healthy sister had faded away to nothing but skin and bones. Forget he was a horrible guardian. Forget he’d lost the dream of owning his own ranch.
“So what kind of punishment did you give Sophie?”
Sunny’s question pulled him from the path his brain had no business going down. He shook his head to clear it before he finished tugging on his boots. Without answering her question, he stood and headed down the path.
The trailer was parked just on the other side of the springs—a trailer that had been graciously offered to Reid by Sunny’s brother. Reid needed to remember that. But it was hard to remember when Sunny kept pushing him.
A twig snapped behind him. Close behind him.
He stopped in his tracks and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He had tried to keep his mouth shut in the hopes she would get the hint that he wasn’t interested and leave him alone, but it looked like he was going to have to use words.
And he had never been good with words.
He turned to find Sunny standing there. She had put on a pair of jeans and turquoise boots that matched her panties. Her smile was bright and cheerful. Which just pissed him off even more.
“What’s the matter with you? Can’t you take a hint? It’s none of your business how I disciplined Sophie. It’s none of your business how often I come swimming. I don’t know what you want from me, but you’re not going to get it. I want nothing to do with a spoiled little rich girl who has nothing better to do with her life than spend her brother’s money and follow men around like a dog in heat. So get the message, Sunshine Whitlock. I’m not interested!”
The smile stayed in place, but he could tell by the rigid way it froze on her face that he’d finally gotten through to her. He knew his words had been hurtful. But dammit, a man could only take so much temptation before he did something he would regret later.
He started walking again, but her shrieked cussword had him freezing in his tracks.
“Bullshit!”
He turned back around. Weirdly, she wasn’t looking at him. She was staring up at a tree branch.
“It’s not bullshit, Sunshine,” he said. “My body might be interested, but I’m not. I need this job. I don’t just need it for me. I need it for Sophie. After losing her mother, she needs the stability of a good home. So I would appreciate it if you didn’t go running to your brother and have me fired for declining his little sister.”
She pulled her gaze from the tree and stared at him. “That’s what you think of me? You think I’m the type of woman who would get someone fired?” When he didn’t say anything, she frowned. It was the first time he had ever seen her frown. Strangely, he liked it much better than her fake smile. “Well, you’re wrong, Reid Mitchell. I’m not some spoiled little brat who runs to her brother every time someone doesn’t like me. I’m a big girl who can deal with a little rejection. In fact, I’ve spent all my life dealing with it. So there’s no need to worry about losing your job.” She started to leave, but then stopped. “Oh, and by the way, I get the hint. I’ll stay away from you. Far, far away.” With a haughty sniff, she disappeared into the trees.
He should feel relieved.
So why didn’t he?
Maybe because he didn’t trust Sunny as far as he could throw her.
He didn’t sleep well that night. If he wasn’t worrying about getting fired, he was thinking about cradling moonlit breasts in his hands and following tattooed sunflower stems with his tongue. Once he pushed those thoughts from his mind, his guilt kicked in and he started feeling badly about being so harsh with her. What had she meant about it not being the first time she’d been rejected? No man in his right mind would reject a woman who looked like Sunny. The only reason he had was his job.
A job he still might lose.
Since he ended up only getting a few hours sleep, he was in a foul mood the following morning. It didn’t help that Sophie was still pouting about him confiscating her cellphone for taking his truck without permission. She glared at him across the kitchen table the entire time she ate her bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, crunching so loudly he wanted to pull out his hair.
On the way to take her to school, he tried to think up some wise parental words to explain why he’d taken her phone. But nothing came to mind. So all she received when she got out of the truck was a mumbled, “Have a good day,” before he pulled away.
When he reached the Holiday Ranch, he wouldn’t have been surprised to find Corbin waiting to fire him. But the only people sitting on the porch were Hallie and her grandmother, Mimi. Neither one of them looked like they were the bearers of bad news.
Of course, Corbin could arrive at any second.
“Come on up, Reid,” Hallie called as soon as he got out of his truck. “Mama made cinnamon rolls and they’re still warm.”
He wasted no time heading up the porch steps. If he were going to be canned, he’d rather leave with his stomach full of Darla Holiday’s delicious cinnamon rolls. As soon as Hallie handed him a plate, he dug in to the yeasty rolls covered in brown sugar, cinnamon, and thick white icing.
Mimi chuckled. “I do love a man with a good appetite.”
Mimi Holiday was a piece of work. She had been just as welcoming as the rest of the Holidays, but there was a calculating gleam in her eyes that always made Reid feel a little leery. Not to mention, she didn’t believe in beating around the bush.
Once Reid finished the cinnamon roll, she sent him a pointed look. “I hear your niece stole your truck and took it for a joyride.”
“Mimi!” Hallie said.
Mimi glanced at her granddaughter. “What? If it was a secret, you should have said so.” She looked back at Reid. “And it’s not like other parents haven’t had to deal with the same thing. Three of my granddaughters stole Hank’s truck without permission. Hallie here included.”
Hallie turned to her. “You knew? But I never told anyone. Not even my sisters.”
Mimi shrugged. “It’s called being older and wiser . . . and a bit of an insomniac. I watched you from my bedroom window.”
“Why didn’t you tell Daddy?”
“Because all you did was drive around in circles in the back pasture. And I knew why you did it. You were ticked off at your daddy and needed to blow off some steam. There’s no harm in that.” She looked at Reid. “But there is harm in what Sophie did. Sunny could have been seriously hurt . . . or even killed when Sophie ran her off the road.”
Reid wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You mean when Sunny ran Sophie off the road.”
Hallie sent her grandmother a warning look, but Mimi didn’t even glance in her direction. “That’s not what I mean at all. According to what Sunny told my granddaughters in their Secret Sisterhood meeting, it was Sophie who ran Sunny off the road. Sunny just took the blame so Sophie wouldn’t get into trouble. And if it had just been a little joyride like Hallie took, I would agree. But looking at your phone while driving on a highway is not just a little joyride. It’s dangerous. As Sophie’s guardian, you need to know about it so you can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Reid looked at Hallie. “She was on her phone?”
Hallie sighed and nodded. “At least that’s what Sophie told Sunny.”
Reid didn’t know whom he was most mad at. Sophie or Sunny. Probably Sunny. Most kids would come up with a lie to get out of trouble. Sunny was an adult and he didn’t doubt for a second she was the one who had concocted the cock-and-bull story about hydroplaning and running off the road.
He jumped to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to talk with Sunny and get the information straight from the horse’s mouth.” But before he could turn to leave, Mimi pointed a finger at him.
“Sit down!”
He sat back down.
“You don’t need to go running over to Corbin’s with both guns blazing,” Mimi said. “That’s a sure way to get yourself fired. Corbin likes you a lot, but he adores his little sister and can’t see past the end of his nose where she’s concerned.”
“Mimi’s right,” Hallie said. “Besides, Sunny only lied because she was trying to protect Sophie.”
“From her own flesh and blood!” he snapped. “What did she think I was going to do? Beat my own niece black and blue?”
“Maybe she has reason to believe that’s how guardians deal with ornery teenagers,” Mimi said. Before Reid could ask what she meant, she continued. “But Sunny’s not the problem. Sophie is. She’s mourning her mama and having to deal with a new school and a new parent. That would be too much for anyone, let alone a fifteen-year-old girl.”
Reid knew that. He just didn’t know how to help her.
Mimi reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know it’s not easy balancing discipline with love and understanding, but you’ll figure it out. And if you need help, you just say the word.” She winked. “I’m a bit of an expert on dealing with teenage girls.”
There was a part of him that wanted to take Mimi up on the offer, but the other part—the stubborn part—refused to let his bosses think he couldn’t handle his own family matters.
He got up and pulled on his hat. “Thanks, Ms. Mimi, but I got things taken care of.”
The first thing he was going to take care of was giving Sunshine Whitlock a piece of his mind.