Chapter Eleven
Ivy
It’s late afternoon when Ryker finishes stabilizing the chicken coop. I love to watch him work. His big, rough hands. His hard, flexing muscles. The way he somehow knows how to do everything without directions or how-to videos.
“You get those chickens all set up in the brooder?” He brushes his hands down over his jeans, his voice gruff as he grips my waist and pulls me close.
“Sure did! They’re set up in the back corner of the barn near Lightning. I had a good talk with her, and she promises to watch over the chicks tonight. You trust her?”
“With my life.” He smiles and leans into my lips, kissing me roughly. “We’ve got a special connection.”
“Now I’m jealous!” I smile and tuck under his arm. “I’ll have to monitor your time with her closely.”
He tilts his head to the side and grins as he glances back toward Lightning, who really does seem to be looking over the chicks. “Sorry, girl. I’ve got to give Ivy all the love now. You understand?” He pets her nose sweetly then turns back toward me for a kiss and a squeeze of my ass.
I love how he can’t take his hands off me, how he needs me. I hope nothing ever changes.
“So, what do you think about these whiskey recipes? Are you really going to call Archer and see what he knows?”
“Yeah.” He nods once, still holding me against his chest in the light of the brooder. “I think sales might be down, and if Dad really had whiskey recipes the whole mountain loved, we could use them to draw people in.”
“But you were right earlier, too. Why would the redneck tell you about them? They want you guys off the mountain, not more profitable.”
“Who knows? I—”
Ryker is mid-shrug when I catch Benny out of the corner of my eye with some dude I’ve never seen before. He’s young, my age maybe. Light hair, blue eyes, dressed like he’s come from a business meeting.
“Hey,” Benny says, rounding to meet us in the back of the barn. “What are you guys doing back here?”
I grin wide and toss my hands up in pride. “We’ve been working on the coop all day. What do you think?”
“Looks good.” He narrows his brows and glances toward Ryker. “Pretty generous of you to do all this for nothing.” There’s a bite to Benny’s tone that’s unusual and makes me think there’s more coming, though I haven’t figured how the strange man fits into the scenario.
Ryker glances toward me then back at my brother as he side-eyes the man he’s brought with him. “It’s not for nothing. Have you seen the price of eggs? Who’s the pretty boy?”
“Oh.” Benny nods toward the dude in a blue button up.
“I was talking my sister up at the bar, saying how sweet and smart she is, then I started sharing pictures, and before you know it, I’ve set Ivy up with a blind date.
I brought dinner, figuring we could all get to know each other a little.
” I can’t explain the tone in Benny’s voice, but something isn’t right.
“Dinner?” Ryker clears his throat. “How generous.”
“Yeah.” Benny glances toward me. “Nice guy, knows a lot about farming.”
“Hydroponic gardening,” the guy corrects. “But yeah, I guess you could say farming.”
Oh God.
Ryker’s shoulders tense, and I can tell without him saying a single word that he’s pissed.
“You just brought some strange man to my house to look around and date your sister?” Ryker says gruffly. “You lost your fuckin’ mind?”
Benny shuffles his feet forward in an attempt to speak lower, as not to be rude to the man he’s brought home. “He’s a nice guy. This could be good for her.”
Ryker’s jaw clenches. “He needs to go.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say to the guy who’s awkwardly standing behind my brother. “I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“What the hell are you talking about? All you talk about is finding a man.” My brother usually means well, but tonight he’s off. Maybe he had too much to drink.
“I don’t talk about finding a man all the time,” I snap. “I talk about falling in love. What’s going on with you, Benny?”
“What?” My brother shrugs. “What’s the difference between finding a man and falling in love? You’ve got to meet a man to fall in love. Come on, Ivy. This would be good for you. You haven’t met anyone real in a long time. You spend so much time with all these internet guys. Allen is real.”
“Allen?” I clear my throat and glance toward Ryker, then toward the man next to Benny. “Your name is Allen?”
“Yes,” the man nods, “and I know what you’re going to say, but this isn’t about the auction. You can keep that money fair and square. You don’t owe me anything. I just… I liked talking to you.”
I’m not sure he even finishes his sentence before Ryker has him backed against the wall, his forearm beneath his neck. “You piece of fuckin’ shit.”
“Jesus.” Benny tries pushing Ryker off Allen but there’s no budge. “I know about you and Ivy, asshole! I followed you two to the farm store. Holding hands, kissing, your fucking hand on her ass. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Why the fuck would you bring some other guy home if you knew I was with your sister?” Ryker redirects his focus toward my brother. “You know who this asshole is? He’s the weirdo that was trying to buy her virginity.”
Benny narrows his brows and stares at me. “What? Why were you—”
“I was trying to get ahead. It was stupid. Ryker helped me see that, and—”
“And then he started fucking you?” Benny’s jaw clenches. “I knew something weird was going on with you two the second I got here. Why the hell did you lie to me?”
“We can talk about this later. Right now, you need to take this fuck back to town before I kill him.” Ryker seethes through clenched teeth as he stares at the guy who doesn’t look like the type that would buy someone’s innocence online.
I’m not sure what I expected, but a nerd wasn’t it, though maybe I was looking at it all wrong.
Maybe a nerd was exactly what I should’ve expected.
“Sorry about the misunderstanding,” Allen looks past Ryker and Benny, “but I have to talk to you again, Ivy. You’re so kind, thoughtful, and even more beautiful—”
Ryker draws back and punches him in the jaw before he can finish his sentence. “Get him the fuck out of here, Benny, or I swear to fuckin’ God, I’ll put him in the hospital.” He makes the demand, grabs me by the waist, hauls me up over his shoulder, and takes me into the house without another word.
I probably shouldn’t be impressed by violence.
It’s so archaic, old school covered in red flags, but in a world where men no longer understand how to protect a woman, Ryker stands out.
He’d do anything for me. He’d risk his reputation, he’d punch a man square in the jaw, he’d love me above all else, and that, that’s everything I’ve been looking for.