Page 14 of Wrangling Nash

I could see in her eyes she was impressed. She’d likely assumed that I’d been born and raised on the Cameron ranch and never left. Not that there was anything wrong with doing that, but women like her were attracted to titles, money, prestige, and professional successes. That was something I no longer cared about even if at one time I’d had it.

I swallowed and recalled my senior year of college. “I did, for a few years... My mom passed away during my senior year of college. I considered moving back to help, but other priorities kept me in Houston. When I graduated, I took a job with the city as an engineer. Priorities changed, and I made the decision three years later to move back to Lonestar Junction and work on the Cameron ranch.”

Jovie nodded, though I knew my answer was vague and left many holes, thankfully, she didn’t push forward.

“What did you do before uprooting your life and moving to take over your grandfather’s ranch?” I asked.

“I was the CFO for a tech startup in Houston.”

“Damn, so you’re beautiful and smart,” I said with a grin, making her tan skin pink up even more. I wondered if she turned that pink when she orgasmed too as my eyes dropped to the skin on her neck that she was now revealed as she turned her side to look out of the gator.

“I worked hard to get there. I loved my job.”

“Shit, well, I’m surprised you gave it up to move here then.”

She shrugged. “It felt like my grandfather really wanted me to, and I always loved and respected him. I don’t plan on staying for longer than twelve months, though. I’ll stick it out, sell the place to Rig and move back to Houston next year.”

I nodded, understanding another city girl seeking a cash-out, though I supposed her selling would benefit me eventually.

“So, do you have a crazy girlfriend like Wylie that I should know about?”

I chuckled; thoughts of my ex-girlfriend Brooke resurfaced. “I sure as hell don’t.”

The rest of the day with Jovie went according to plan. We covered another part of the property, fixed a fence, did maintenance on the chicken coops, and ended the evening with an introduction to Mitchell, who was a bit friendlier than I preferred.

“Hi Jovie, it’s nice to meet you,” Mitchell greeted, flashing a big smile as he took her hand in his.

Earlier, she had accidentally smudged some grease under her eye while handing me a tool, making her even more attractive to me. I hadn’t mentioned it because I liked how it looked. It roughed up her usually polished appearance, making her feel a little more attainable. Unfortunately, Mitchell noticed.

“Here,” he said, wiping the grease from her cheek with his thumb gently, “you had a little grease on your cheek.” He smiled at her, and she beamed back, her cheeks turning pink again. This time though, it wasn’t for me, and I couldn’t help but feel a flurry of jealousy inside of me.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Alright, we’re heading back to the house. Gloria said she’s making a roast, and I wouldn’t want Jovie to miss out on her delicious meal.”

Mitchell nodded but continued to stare straight at Jovie, who had already turned and headed back to the gator for our ride.

“Is she single?” he asked when she was out of earshot.

“I have no idea,” I responded.

He nodded again, letting out a low whistle. “They don’t make girls like that down here, Nash. Keep her away from Wylie before he ruins her.”

I chuckled, knowing Wylie wouldn’t be interested in anything more than giving her a hard time. Normal, smart, and beautiful wasn’t his type.

“Will do, Mitchell.”

Chapter 12: Nash

The remainder of the week working with Jovie went smoothly. We dedicated Wednesday to assessing the ranch’s equipment inventory. I walked her through the operation of each piece of equipment and conducted a general assessment of their current functionality, showing her what types of things she’d want to look out for when it came to wear and tear.?

At one point, I helped guide Jovie to sit on a combine at her request because she wanted to see how it operated. My hands wrapped around her tiny waist as I lifted her up to the big step and into the cab of the tractor. As she climbed up ahead of me, I couldn’t help staring at the view I got of her ass bursting out of her Levi jeans. Like two perfect ovals, desperate to be squeezed. After that, I could barely get through the demonstration, the image in my head replayed on a loop.

Thursday morning Jovie suggested we spend some time riding horses, something she said she hadn’t done since visiting her grandpa as a little girl. I considered the prospect of lifting her again onto a horse and watching her body bounce up and down in tune with the powerful animal, but the situation in my denim jeans told me that might be a better activity to defer to Clay. I was doing my best to keep things professional, strictly focused on the ranch, but Jovie and her tight jeans and low-cut tank tops she wore every day had my mind focused on everything but work most days.

Mitchell joined us on Thursday evening to discuss the maintenance software and its tracking capabilities for depreciation of the ranch equipment. Despite my attempts to give them space in Jovie’s office, I couldn’t resist checking in and paced by the open door a few times while I sipped on a glass of whiskey. The jealousy over anyone spending time with Jovie, especially knowing Mitchell found her attractive, gnawed at me, though I knew I was acting irrationally.

By Friday, it was evident that Jovie was exhausted from her first week on the ranch. I decided to take it easy on her and focused on showing the irrigation management system and how to identify faults in the lines and maintain it. By noon, she’d let out two back-to-back yawns, and I decided it was time to call it a day.

“How about heading back to the ranch now? You can have an early dinner and squeeze in a nap?” I suggested.

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