Chapter Two #2
Cole snorted. “You can’t be serious?”
Victoria’s jaw tightened, and she folded her arms on the desk in front of her. “Why is that?”
He threw his arm out at her, indicating her body. “No way in hell you can run a ranch.”
“Give me one good reason.” He didn’t answer and continued to stare at her. “Answer me. Why do you think I can’t do this?”
A look crossed his face. “Because you’re not made for this kind of work.”
For some reason, his remark stung deeper than she’d expected, and she had to swallow back the tears that burned her throat and behind her eyelids. “You don’t know me at all, so I don’t know how you can determine that I’m not ... what?” she yelped.
He moved fast, his arm striking across the desk, and he grabbed her wrist.
“Easy,” he said when she started to panic. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to show you something.”
She stopped struggling but stayed stiff. Once again, a spear of heat raced through her, and she didn’t like or understand it.
He wrapped his massive hand around her wrist. “Do you see this?”
She tore her eyes from his face to look at his hand on her arm and swallowed. “What?” she asked, confused.
“You’re so tiny. I could wrap my fingers around your wrists twice.”
Victoria’s spine straightened, and a frown puckered her brows. “Maybe you’re just abnormally huge.”
“Oh, I know I’m a large man, but that has nothing to do with your size and this ranch.”
She tried to pull her arm back, but he just tightened his grip. “Why is this any of your business?”
“Because I want the ranch. But I also worry that you’ll injure yourself.”
“I don’t believe that at all. Oh, I believe you want the ranch, but the other ... you don’t care about me, and you certainly have no say in anything I do.”
“For some weird reason, I do care, and I’m making it my business now.”
Victoria stood and vigorously yanked at her arm, setting herself free of him, but at a price.
“Goddammit.” He released her instantly. “Don’t do that. You could have hurt yourself. Let me see your arm.”
“It’s okay,” she said, but knew it was most likely red, so she tried to hide it behind her.
He walked around the desk, reached around her, and gently took her hand, then lifted her arm. His fingers ran softly over the bright red marks her action had caused.
“See. You bruise so easily.” His thumb slid over her soft skin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you pain.”
Victoria pulled away and was glad when he released her, because of the physical feelings she didn’t understand he was causing in her. She rubbed at the red mark on her arm.
“You didn’t. It’s fine, I promise.”
He studied her for a moment. “Why exactly do you want to stay here?”
Victoria lifted her chin. “That is none of your business, but I will tell you. I’ve always loved this ranch. I’ve dreamed of living here most of my life.”
He paused for a moment. A look of cold disgust crossed his face before his face hardened. “You loved the ranch, just not your uncle.”
Shock pierced her heart. Why would he say something like that?
“What are you talking about?”
“Because the only time you came was after he was dead. He was sick for a year, and you never came.”
Victoria wanted to scream that she tried to come, she wanted to be here for him, but there had not been one thing he’d ever said to indicate he was sick. She knew she’d feel the guilt for the rest of her life. A burning ball of sadness seemed to choke her.
“I’d like you to leave.”
His eyes narrowed on her as he bent to pick up the hat he’d dropped before he slapped it on his head. “When you’re ready to sell, give me a call.”
Victoria watched him leave, waited until the front door closed, and fell back into the chair, covering her face with her hands as great sobs shook her body.
She’d just met the man, but for some reason, his words cut deep.
She wanted to yell at him that she’d never known of her uncle’s illness, or she would have been here.
It was one of her biggest regrets that she hadn’t just come as she had wanted to, but he always had a reason she should wait.
Victoria stood, turned off the lights, and after she locked the doors, made her way up the stairs to the bedroom she’d always used when she’d been here.
She couldn’t make herself go into her uncle’s bedroom.
His hat lay on the doorknob, a shirt draped over the chair in the corner, and his scent was still on every surface.
She wanted to keep that as long as possible. It made her feel like he was close.
Sometimes when she felt especially lonely or overwhelmed, she’d lie on his bed. Just being around his things and smelling him made her feel better.
She fell into bed after a quick shower. As tired as she was, she was surprised it took her a long time to fall asleep. Her mind wouldn’t shut down. The words Cole threw at her kept moving through her mind, keeping her from getting the rest her body badly needed.
She knew what Cole had said about her not being strong enough was partly right.
She’d been here three weeks, and in that time, she’d lost six pounds she really didn’t need to and had gotten a limited amount of sleep.
She knew she needed to eat better. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches probably weren’t healthy for every meal.
Every morning, she tried to eat a bowl of cereal, but usually just started with coffee because she wasn't hungry. She knew she’d need to make herself eat more, but right now she was too tired.
Unfortunately, Cole’s face was the last thing on her mind as sleep claimed her.
But instead of the anger she should feel toward him, she only felt the need.
When he was around, even when they were fighting, her desire for him soared, and she was absolutely powerless to change the way he made her feel.
She never felt like this around a man before and didn’t know how to handle it.
The fact that he didn’t like her should have cooled her feelings, but it didn’t.
Victoria guessed there would be more confrontations between them, and she was terrified she was going to come out the loser in this situation, in more ways than one.