Chapter 4 #2
“Ride a different horse. We can’t chance the stallion going after her again.”
Silver opened her mouth to say something, then stopped and glanced in the direction of the pasture where the wild horses had been grazing. A tiny wrinkle appeared in her brow.
She knew he was right.
Her attention shifted back to him, and this time she observed him more carefully, as if cataloging all the ways he’d changed since they’d last seen each other. Which had been after sharing a kiss.
He couldn’t keep from glancing at her lips. It had been a long time since they’d stood in the shadows of the barn at the ranch and he’d dragged her into his arms with a hungry desperation and loss of control that he’d never felt with any other woman he’d kissed. And he’d kissed a fair share.
He tore his gaze from her mouth, hoping she couldn’t see through his dark sunglasses to his eyes. That was the first and last time he was looking at her lips. It also had to be the last time he thought about the long-ago kiss.
She cocked her head as she finished studying him. “I didn’t want you to come, you know.”
He shrugged.
“Franklin is the one who wanted you. I tried to convince him to find someone else.”
The ranch hands had stepped away and now stood near the paddock fence, watching the interaction.
Beryl was still at Silver’s side and was frowning at Dustin.
Behind her spectacles, her eyes held questions—like who was Dustin?
And what was his history with Silver? Since Silver disliked so few people, Beryl was probably concluding he was the lowest scum of the earth.
Because only scum could hurt a person as sweet as Silver.
“Now that you’re here, I suppose we’ll have to make the best of this awkward situation, won’t we?”
That was so like Silver to be positive and try to smooth things over.
He needed to agree with her, but he shook his head curtly. “Don’t worry. I keep my interactions with clients to a minimum.”
That was true. An EPA usually blended into the background, staying vigilant and focused on the environment in order to prevent any problems before they could happen. However, at times, he was also required to take a more active but undercover role with the client in order not to draw suspicion.
Isaac exited the ranch house, where Dustin had tasked him with installing the security cameras their company used for every client.
In baggy cargo shorts, flip-flops, and the same tie-dyed T-shirt from earlier in the day, Isaac had let down his long shaggy hair, which fell an inch below his shoulders.
Now that Silver was done working, Dustin and Isaac were due for a meeting with her.
As agents, they always sat down with the client to discuss the problem and come up with a plan.
Even though he didn’t necessarily want to sit across from her and engage in a conversation, this was one he couldn’t avoid.
“Ready, dude?” Isaac halted near the house, his hand shielding his eyes from the slant of the evening sun.
Dustin gave Isaac a curt nod. Then he unfolded his arms and faced Silver again, who was watching him with unabashed curiosity.
A part of him was equally curious about her and wanted to stare back and analyze her just like he did everything else, learning every nuance and detail. Instead, he forced himself to motion to the house. “We need to have a meeting with you.”
Her big blue eyes regarded him another moment before she leaned into Beryl and murmured in the woman’s ear.
Beryl commented in a low tone, something about the evening meal.
Their conversation continued for a few more seconds.
Although Dustin could have strained to decipher it, he decided it wasn’t worth the effort.
Besides, he guessed Silver would tell him soon enough.
She pulled away from Beryl and offered him a smile—one he could easily fall for. But he wouldn’t.
“Great,” she said. “Let’s have a meeting over dinner. My chef has a meal planned for eight o’clock. Will that work?”
He knew without looking at his watch that it was nearing seven thirty. “No need. We’ll take care of our own meals.”
Franklin had made arrangements for him and Isaac to stay in a small furnished apartment above the barn in the ranch hand quarters. They’d picked up a few groceries on their way out of Denver. They would grab more in Boulder when they had time.
“I have a fabulous chef, and Beryl tells me it would be no trouble at all for you and your assistant to join us.”
Beryl sighed with exasperation. “That’s not what I said, Miss St. James—”
“Wonderful. It’s settled.” While Silver smiled warmly at her assistant, her tone was firm, a sign she’d matured in her ability to stand up for herself and not let others dictate her life. Or at least mostly so, since she’d let Franklin have his way in the hiring of her protection agent.
Silver put her hat back on, then started toward her house.
She walked with the grace and poise of a woman wearing an evening gown and brilliant jewels, not cowboy boots and jeans with a fancy design on each pocket.
He wasn’t complaining about those jeans.
Not at all. They hugged her body, showing off a fine backside. Very fine.
She glanced over her shoulder, her gaze connecting with his. She lifted a brow, and her mouth quirked up on one side. The half smile wasn’t sultry or smirky. No, the Silver he’d known had never been flirtatious or conniving.
But she was obviously aware of the power she had over people—over men.
Whatever power she had, he wouldn’t fall under her spell.
He didn’t interact with her and instead shifted his gaze to the old barn that he’d already surveyed as part of his walk-through of the property.
The red paint was new, the decorative weathervane was bent, and the loft window had a bird’s nest in it—more details he hadn’t cataloged the first time he’d assessed the place.
The specifics were useless, but they gave him something else to think about besides Silver walking away and looking attractive doing so. He didn’t want to notice that about her. Didn’t want to notice how incredible Silver St. James was.
He’d been afraid of this happening.
He shouldn’t have come. Maybe he should back out now before he got too far into the assignment. But how could he?
For one thing, Killian would be livid and would make him suffer in some way for giving up the job—would probably send him to the worst location for his next assignment. For another, the bonus was too much to lose for both himself and the agency.
Dustin blew out a tight breath.
No, he had to stay with the plan. He would keep the wall between him and Silver high, and he wouldn’t scale it in any way.