Chapter 9 Mary
MARY
I’m being quiet, which is unlike me. Even though Everett hasn’t known me for long, I think he’s picking up on the shift in my mood.
It’s not bad, exactly, just… different.
I know better than to flirt with my clients, or get involved with them at all.
Unlike my little sister, I have no interest in marrying rich and living off my husband’s credit card.
I’m not here to find a partner or even a friend—I’m here to do my job.
Looking at Everett as anything other than a client will put my job at risk, and if I start thinking of him personally, I run the risk of completely ruining all my hard work rebranding the ranch.
My job is to figure out what an outsider wants to see from a business, and deliver that in a neat package to consumers. Developing a connection of any sort will only cloud my judgment.
There’s just something about Everett that keeps him at the front of my mind, no matter how hard I try to ignore it.
It’s not just attraction, although I’m not blind or stupid enough to deny that he’s absurdly good looking.
I think it has more to do with the softness that he tries so hard to keep buried.
He shows this burly, grumpy frown to the world, but the second he thinks no one is paying attention, he’s nothing but gentle.
Even when he looks so exhausted that I’m surprised he’s on his feet, he’s patient with the cows and chickens and even the people on the ranch.
He teaches the youngest ranch hand about the importance of proper feed for all the animals, and he answers every single one of their questions thoroughly, even if he grumbles his way through the explanations.
When we walked down the sidewalk together, he walked on the side of traffic, and he offered me his arm when we crossed the street without thinking.
His eyes lit up when he was talking about his deceased wife in the diner, and there was something so achingly sweet in the way he said her name.
There’s this tenderness at his core, and it makes me want to brush away the dirt and the pain that surrounds that soft spot. It makes me want to take care of him.
I almost laugh at the idea. This isn’t an old romance movie, and I’d have no idea what I was doing, anyway.
I dated one guy for a whopping six months while we were both in college, and we were both so busy that it hardly counts as a relationship.
Men my age are either entirely too immature or focused on climbing the corporate ladder, so I made the decision several years back to shelve the idea of dating for now and pursue my own career.
Pursuing anything with Everett, or even trying to, would be flat out idiotic.
It’s a relief when we finally come across a little hotel with a neon sign in the window announcing vacancy.
“Oh, good,” I say with a sigh, looking up to smile at Everett. “We’ll be able to get rooms for the night. I was starting to worry that there weren’t any hotels out here.”
A grin just barely touches the corner of his lips as he pulls the door open for me.
“There’s this place, and there’s also a motel up the road a bit,” he says. “If we’d broken down in the next town over, though, we’d be screwed.”
I offer him a theatrical shudder of horror as I step gratefully into the air conditioned lobby.
It’s a small place, boasting cracked linoleum and the set-in stench of cigarette smoke, but it’s definitely better than no hotel at all.
I’d probably have had a meltdown if we’d broken down somewhere further away and had to walk to another town for a place to spend the night.
These boots may be comfortable, but they’re not made for walking long distances.
The woman behind the counter glances up as we step inside, her wrinkled face creasing in a well-practiced smile.
“Hello there.” Her voice sounds like she’s been smoking a pack a day for about forty years straight, but she also looks like she’d make a mean apple pie. “Are you two looking for a room for the night?”
I smile in return, relief making some of the exhaustion fade. She can probably see just how tired I am as I set my purse down on the counter so I can rifle through it for my wallet. My boss isn’t going to be happy with this expense report, but he’ll just have to deal with it.
“Yes, please,” I say with a smile, hoping to counteract the way I’m sure Everett is frowning behind me. “If you have two rooms, each with a queen bed, that’d be incredible, but if not, two rooms with twin beds will work.”
At this point, anywhere to sleep would be thrilling. It’s hardly past sundown, but I feel like I’ve been awake for two days straight. The good mood that has been blooming in my chest trips over itself and deflates as soon as she winces, shaking her head apologetically.
“Oh, I’m sorry, honey,” she says, glancing between the two of us. “I’ve only got one room open for tonight. It’s got a queen bed and a sofa, though.”
I feel the blood rush from my face. “I—sorry?”
Caught between panic and dismay, my heart stutters in my chest. There’s no way I can share a room with Everett, not with how much of a mess my head is right now.
Sharing a bed with him would be downright disastrous.
I may not have much experience in dating, but I’m not foolhardy enough to test my resolve by falling asleep a foot away from him. Before I have a chance to really spiral into worry, Everett coughs uncomfortably behind me.
“There’s another motel down the road, like I said,” he says. “You take this room, I’ll go there.”
His face twists into something that could be distaste or annoyance, and for some reason, the sight sparks a flash of hurt in my chest. It aches sharp and hot up into my throat, and without thinking, I turn back to the woman.
I slap my card down on the counter and slide it toward her, my shoulders set firmly.
“We’ll take it,” I say.
Everett blows out a frustrated breath behind me before I feel his fingers wrap around my bicep.
He tugs, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get me to turn and meet his eyes.
Confusion swims over his features, his brows set in a deep frown, and it just makes that strange fluttering feeling in my chest kick up more strongly.
“What are you doing, Ms. Bryce?” he asks, his voice low enough to offer us a semblance of privacy.
“Getting us a room for the night,” I say plainly as I tug at his hold on my arm.
But he doesn’t let me go.
His eyes search my face for an explanation, but I doubt he’ll find one. Honestly, I don’t even have one for myself, just a gut deep need to not let him walk away right now. He shifts his gaze to where the woman is staring at us in confusion, nodding apologetically as he pulls me a few steps away.
“A moment, please,” he says to the woman.
“Go ahead and ring me up, if you would,” I toss over my shoulder.
He leads me closer to the door so we can pitch our voices down and at least pretend that we can’t be heard. The lobby is quiet save for the clacking of a keyboard as the woman behind the desk rings me up for the room.
“Ms. Bryce,” Everett starts.
“Mary,” I cut him off firmly. “My name is Mary.”
He doesn’t even roll his eyes at me like he usually does when I correct him on my name, which probably isn’t a great sign.
I don’t know why I’m being so insistent about this—the room, my name, hell, even fixing his damn ranch—but desperation is bubbling in my gut.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I blurt out.
He blinks at me for a moment, his shoulders slumping a bit. It looks like he was expecting an argument of some sort, like he thought I was mad for some reason, although I don’t know why. I find myself talking before I have a chance to think through my words, babbling out excuses.
“My phone doesn’t have service, and I have no clue where we are,” I say, gesturing wildly to the hotel lobby and the darkening streets outside. “What if something happens and I can’t get a hold of you? There could be a fire, or—or someone could break in!”
My voice cracks as I stutter out half-realized worries, and I realize my hands are shaking only when I clench them into fists at my sides to stop myself from reaching out for Everett.
He still looks confused, but there’s that same softness in the corners of his eyes that made me melt earlier. It’s like he wants to comfort me, but has no idea how to do that, no idea what comfort looks like anymore.
I’m probably just tired and stressed beyond my limits, but I kind of want to cry.
“You don’t have to worry about someone breaking in around here.” His voice is still gruff, but the familiarity of his tone is soothing all on its own. “The motel is right down the street. I won’t be far if you need something.”
It’s a shoddy attempt at alleviating my concerns, but it works nonetheless. The scent of his cologne puts a little of my panic to rest. Though, he seems to waver for a moment. Hesitation fills his face as he lets out a heavy breath and turns toward the room.
“I’ll come make sure the room is safe,” he offers, “if you want.”
I nod in agreement, a relieved sigh punching up from my diaphragm.
In all honesty, I’m not that concerned about the safety of the room.
Sure, as a woman it’s a worry in any new place, especially if I’m alone.
But my main concern right now is making sure that Everett doesn’t just leave.
I feel a little shaky at the thought, like his presence has become something that I rely on, rather than a minor annoyance.
“I’d appreciate that.” My voice comes out softer than I intend it to, and Everett’s eyes flick to my lips for half a second when I wet them with the tip of my tongue. “Thank you.”
He just grunts, which I take to mean you’re welcome, and steps back from me. The air around me feels suddenly much colder, and I shake my head to clear the thoughts of how warm I’d be pressed right up against him.
“Room 3 is all yours,” the woman says as we approach the counter again. “Just down the hall on the right.”
She glances between the two of us curiously, but doesn’t ask any questions. Everett takes the key and I take my card back so I can slip it into my wallet.
“Thank you,” I say, meeting her smile with one of my own. God knows what’s going through her mind right now. But I sure as hell know what’s been running through mine lately.
And every thought seems to linger back to the sexy rancher I’m meant to work for.