Chapter 3
ETTA
Itake the stranger’s hand, feeling like I’m in some sort of dream.
I've never thought about needing a man. I've always been completely independent. My family doesn't care about me other than as a source of cheap labor, so all they do is boss me around mercilessly.
But now here’s a man who is literally called Boss, who clearly detests my profession, caring for me as if I were his responsibility.
When he releases my hand, I miss the warmth of his skin against mine. Wow, he really is tall. His hulking frame almost takes up the entire hallway as he walks to the second door.
He opens it, turns on the light, and I peek in the doorway with him.
Oh.
It’s a good-sized room, but everything is filthy. Boss shakes his head. "Damn. Someone left the window open." He goes over to close it, then looks around at the bunk beds. All three are rumpled and covered in a layer of dust.
"I’ll be fine." I hope I sound more confident than I feel. "It's still better than my car."
"No way." He taps the top bunk, and a layer of dust rises up from the sheet. "This is officially a health hazard."
He leads me back out to the main room, then checks his phone.
"Good. My texts are rolling in now. The main lights turning on were from our second generator kicking in.
We'll have to conserve power for the next few hours, but we’ll be fine.
Apparently they've rolled the tree away from the power line, but it will still take several hours to chop up the tree so it can be moved off the road. Then there’s the power line to repair, and they won't be able to fix the road itself until it stops raining and everything settles. That’ll probably be tomorrow afternoon or so. "
He nods to the phone, then to me. "So. We've got a timeline."
"Really, if it’s just one night, I'll be fine anywhere."
"Good. I'm taking you to a much nicer place where you can stay the night." He heads for the door, picking up the umbrella on the way. "We’ll grab anything you need from your car, then take my truck there."
"I don't want to be a bother. Really."
He takes hold of my shoulders, giving me a little shake and making me laugh.
"Etta, this is an emergency. You're not a bother, you're someone in need of help.
Now, I'm not your boss, but I'm the boss of this ranch.
And as the boss I'm going to take you somewhere clean and safe and dry, I'm going to feed you dinner, and I'm going to show you to the guest suite. Sound fair?"
"Very, yes. Thank you."
I grab my bags, glad that I checked out of the bed and breakfast this morning.
I had planned to be on the road by this evening if all went well.
If not, I figured I could just book another night.
But now, as Boss carries my bags while holding the umbrella over us through the misty rain, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.
He looks over and chuckles at my deep inhale as I climb into his truck. "Why does the air smell so much fresher out here?" I ask.
"Horse manure," he deadpans.
He drives slowly and the road rounds a corner, revealing a massive stable. "Is that the source of the manure?" I grin.
Boss snorts. "Nosy real estate people. Yes, it's our horse stable." He smiles, then flashes a grin. "If you promise to keep the secret…"
"I do."
"We take in rescue horses. Times are tough for some folks, and many can't afford to care for their animals anymore. So we take them off their hands."
"Wow." I shake my head as we pass the massive building and go around a curve that bends the other way.
"We also have some rescue goats, and my buddy Stone found an abandoned llama last year.
We're doing our best with him. Plus, there's a small herd of cattle.
Vegetable gardens, some small crops. We also have a big garage where Smoky is always fixing trucks and tractors, and anything else he can get his hands on. "
"It's so strange. When I asked about this ranch, a couple of people in town acted really odd. As if there was something illegal going on here and there was an unspoken rule that nobody talks about it."
Boss shrugs. "We keep to ourselves. There's five of us living here now. We each have our own reason for wanting to be a loner. Maybe the townies can’t understand that."
As we come around the curve and pass a clump of thick trees, I gasp. Boss looks at me to see what's wrong, then follows my gaze before chuckling and throwing the truck into park. "That one's my house. We each have our own place along this road."
He jumps out and walks around to my side to help me out, and I sputter a strangled noise of surprise, staring in disbelief as we walk toward the gigantic front porch. It's beautiful, like something straight out of Modern Country House Monthly.
He leads me inside, dropping everything on thick rubber mats at the front door. We kick off our shoes, then he takes my bags upstairs. "Follow me." A moment later, I'm standing in the center of a beautifully decorated green and white bedroom.
“I have a big extended family," he says. "So I have two guestrooms for when they visit. This is the nicer one. Is this better than the bunk room or your car?"
"Yes. Thank you so much."
"Good. Get settled, then come down and help me make dinner." Even though it kind of comes out like an order, the twinkle in his eye softens his tone.
Forty minutes later, we're laughing about old TV shows and how every generation has a twist on the same classic. He also teases out that I'm twenty-one, casually dropping the fact that he's thirty-six into the conversation.
There was a saucy twinkle in his eyes when he asked my age. He's been extremely friendly, and a bit…well, not physical exactly, but…eager to be close to me. He couldn't really be thinking of me in that way, could he?
I keep sneaking looks around the house, and everything looks normal.
Well, the casual upscale version of normal.
Like, I've only seen those appliance names in real estate listings, never in anyone's home.
The rooms here are so large it makes every house I've ever lived in look very small in comparison. It’s definitely not the home of an axe murderer, drug addict, or criminal, put it that way.
Boss loads up our plates with food, then arranges everything on the coffee table in front of the TV.
"Ready for a magic trick?" I nod. He pulls up on the surface of the table, and it pops up on hinges, making it the perfect height for eating.
"The guy at the store called it a millennial table.
Apparently millennials only eat in front of the TV or something.
I just figure it's a good height for eating while watching a movie. "
"This is definitely movie food." He's made chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and garlic bread.
Boss grins. "If I’d run into you downtown, I would've asked you on a date. Driven you to Sandersville to take you to a proper pub. Since the roads are out, my living room is going to have to play the part of the pub. Beer? Wine? Water?"
"Oh. Whatever you're having, thank you."
He returns from the kitchen with two glasses of white wine, then sits beside me and starts scrolling movies, while my head reels from the way he’s just casually announced that he would want to date me.
He leans and whispers in my ear. "I didn't mean to freak you out. You can forget I said that, if you like."
"No, it's fine. I'm just…surprised."
"Surprised that any red-blooded man wouldn't jump at the chance to spend time with a gorgeous woman such as yourself?"
I feel my cheeks flame. Feel my knees begin to twitch.
"Interesting. I've just learned something about you," he chuckles. "You haven't been told how beautiful you are nearly enough. That's fine. I've got you here until at least lunchtime tomorrow, so I can tell you dozens of times until it sinks in."
He looks so serious that I burst out laughing.
"Hey.” Something pops into my head, and I need to know immediately. "Everyone here on the ranch calls you Boss. What does your mother call you?"
"Honey, mostly. Sometimes sweetie. Once a year she calls me her birthday boy."
I reach out and smack his knee, then jump, surprised I did that so casually. He just laughs, then pulls out his wallet and shows me his driver’s license.
Falcon Wolfe.
"Seriously? That's a rockstar name. Or maybe a movie star."
"I know." He smirks. "I told you about my extended family. Lots of us have weird names. Well, about half, I guess. I mean, I have a cousin Bear, but I also have a cousin Josh, so it balances out."
"But… What would you prefer I call you?"
He grows still for a moment. Then another.
Then his hand moves slowly, wrapping around me, pulling me close so he can nuzzle into my ear.
"Beautiful, I need you to know that this is the most I'm going to touch you without your permission.
If you want me to back off, just place a hand on my chest and push.
As to your question, you can call me Boss.
We'll have a friendly dinner, and a fabulous breakfast in the morning.
And then I'll make sure you get on your way just fine. "
My heart is racing. His lips are so close to mine. I'm terrified he can hear my heartbeat, see how my cheeks are flushed. I can't quite catch my breath. "And… And if I don't want to put a hand on your chest and push you away?" I murmur.
"Then all you have to do is turn your head two inches and kiss me, beautiful." My heart seizes in my throat. "You can call me Boss,” he continues. “Or Falcon. Or anything you want. Honestly, I just want you to call me yours."
I've heard of so many men demanding that women belong to them.
Here's a man who wants to belong to me? Even if this is just for one evening, it's pushing all my buttons in the best possible way.
This incredibly sexy man is making me feel more secure and cared for than anyone ever has.
More alive. More in charge of my own life. More…
My head turns, and our lips meet in a soft, tentative kiss.
I hear his sharp inhale, feel the second his lips part, inviting me to do the same.
My hands wander across his wide shoulders, pulling him closer.
His hand runs around my back, the other palm around my knee and under my skirt, just far enough to give me tingles without crossing any lines.
"So sweet," he growls into my lips. "I knew you would be. Sexy little angel."
A breathy moan escapes my lips as he kisses me more deeply, my entire body melting into a puddle. I bite back a whimper when he pulls away. "You need food, beautiful. Time for dinner while it's almost as hot as you are."
He chuckles, setting me back in place and pulling my skirt down politely.
“I probably shouldn't have done that," he says, stirring some butter into his mashed potatoes.
"Now I'm addicted to you. When it comes time for you to leave after lunch tomorrow, I'll be making up a reason why you need to stay a bit longer. "
He grins, flashing me a look out of the corner of his eye.
I'm already nodding. "I'll, um, probably agree to that.”