Page 11 of Old-Fashioned Rancher

“It’s only Wednesday,” he protested. “Why do they need to be here so early?”

“Remember what we talked about, Dad?” Avery said lightly with a pointed look. “You’re a generous and welcoming host.”

He grumbled something under his breath I couldn’t make out. His steely gaze swept over the volunteers before settling on me.

“Are you sure I can’t bribe you to be on my side in all this?” he asked. “My daughter has turned against me.”

I shook my head.

“Not a chance. I’m enjoying this too much.”

Grady sighed and dismounted from his horse. In the blink of an eye, Avery swept the reins out of his grasp.

“Since you two are perfectly capable of holding down the fort, I’m going to find Bowen and strong-arm him into handing over those cowboys like he promised.”

Grady started to sputter an objection, but Avery was already striding away with his horse trailing along behind her.

“I’m tempted to put that little troublemaker on the first flight out of here,” he muttered.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle my laughter.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Grady turned to look at me and arched an eyebrow.

“Is that a challenge?”

“Just calling your bluff. It’s obvious that you like having Avery around. You get along very well together. You would never do anything to get rid of her.”

He sighed, his bluster rapidly deflating like a balloon.

“She’s as stubborn as an ox.”

“Oh, so she takes after you then.”

Grady’s gaze snapped toward me. I beamed. He shook his head.

“You know, most grown men don’t have the guts to talk to me like that. And yet, you barely even flinch.”

I shrugged.

“What can I say? You can huff and puff all you want. I’m not afraid of a big bad wolf like you.”

I could have sworn something darkened in Grady’s eyes. Then he glanced away, scrubbing his hand over his mouth. Before I could get confused about what just passed between us, he reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out my card.

“I didn’t call,” he said, soft with chagrin.

For a moment, I remained quiet, mesmerized by the way he traced the edge of my business card with his callused thumb. He’d changed his shirt since our last meeting, which meant that he’d purposefully kept that card in his pocket for two days, carried close to his heart.

“No, you didn’t,” I replied gently. “And if I’m honest, I’ve been a little disappointed about it, Mr. McCall.”

“Since you’re conspiring with my daughter, I think it’s safe to say we can be on a first name basis. Agreed?”

A faint smile touched my lips.

“Agreed.”

Grady continued trailing his thumb along the edge of the card. That damned blush threatened to steal up my neck again. Why did my whole body suddenly become hot, tight, and achy all over at the thought of his touch?

---