Page 32 of Honey Bee Hearts

He nods. “Can’t say I’m not intrigued to see who you show up as next.”

“You don’t think it’s silly?”

He straightens and closes the distance between us. Colt is taller than I am, but not nearly as tall as Trent. Still, he towers over me as he looks down into my eyes, getting a little closer than necessary. I don’t move away. Call it stubbornness or interest, I don’t know.

“On the contrary, I find you very interesting, Anny Oakley,” he rasps, his eyes on mine before they drop quickly to my lips and then back up. I stop breathing but just when I think he’d going to do something I don’t think I’ll regret, he takes a stepback. “See you at dinner,” he says instead, his eyes flickering with bad intentions.

I open the cabin door and slip inside before leaning my back against it, my chest rising and falling rapidly as if I’d held my breath too long. Maybe I did. I don’t know.

“Well, holy shit,” Jinx says from the untouched bed. “If you don’t fuck him, I will. You know. . . if I could.”

I flush and laugh despite the ridiculous situation.

Jinx gasps. “You like him, don’t you, Everhart!”

“What’s not to like?” I ask, grinning. And then I look over at my sewing machine I’d set up on the table. “What should I be tomorrow? It’s gotta be something impressive.”

My eyes flicker over the pile of fabric and snag on a bright pink cotton.

Chapter 19

Rhett

Our little guest has been at Circle Bee for over a week now and she’s apparently made quite the impression on everyone. She’s a pretty thing, for sure, but she has Gunnar eating out of her hands. Now Colt can’t stop talking about her after their day together yesterday. I haven’t spent much time with her yet, figuring I’d take her out on harvest day, but now I’m intrigued. What’s so special about her that has Gunnar and Colt tied up in knots? At least I know Trent won’t be like that. He’s kept to himself the entire time she’s been here so far.

Colt said their day had been fine and Gunnar has warned me about her prosthetic leg that none of us seemed to know about, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of her when I walk into breakfast. I stumble to a stop, my eyes widening. She’s beaming up at Mel as he sets a plate of French toast in front of her. There’s some color in her cheeks today, more brightness to her, but that’s not what surprises me.

Before, she’d been in casual clothes or a simple button down. That’s not what she’s wearing today. She’s dressed in all hot pink. Hot pink flared pants, hot pink vest that shows off hercleavage as well as a bit of skin on top of the pants. She has a bandana tied around her neck and that same cheap cowboy hat on her head. The hat is starting to look a little worse for wear and it doesn’t really go with the outfit, but she seems to know she needs a hat. That thing ain’t going to last much longer.

I whistle and everyone looks up. “Well, don’t you look fancy today,” I say, grinning at her. “What’s the occasion?”

She flushes and I get a nice show of it traveling down her neck and to the tops of her tits. “It’s Thursday,” she says.

I nod, trying hard to hold back my chuckle. “Well, happy Thursday to me then because you look mighty fine in that getup,” I compliment. “You been enjoying your time here at Circle Bee, Wild West Barbie?”

She laughs at my nickname. “Yes. Everyone has been great. I really enjoyed hanging out with the dogs yesterday, and Gunnar took me horseback riding.”

The plate in front of me sits empty. When I look at Mel to see if he’s going to serve me like he did Fable, he scowls, so I narrow my eyes and load my own plate. Stuffy old man playing favorites, I see. “Apparently, one of them took a liking to you,” I muse. “One of the border collies is sitting on the porch waitin’.”

She perks up, but it’s Colt who responds. “That’s probably Jethro,” he offers. “He’s been whining all morning. The moment I let him out of the big yard, he came running to find her.”

“He’s a sweetheart,” she replies, beaming. “I’m happy for him to follow me if you don’t mind.”

Colt shrugs. “He’s flunking the training program anyways. It doesn’t matter if he misses a day.”

She takes a bite of her french toast and glances at me. “So what’s the itinerary for today? Do I get to meet the bees?”

“Not yet,” I say, straightening. I try to smile but I can feel it tightening with tension. “We have some business to attend to today, so you’re free to wander around the ranch at your leisureas long as you stick to the rules. Gunnar, Colt, and I won’t be available.” Trent will be but he isn’t the kind to volunteer to entertain guests, so I don’t even mention him. He’s happier spending his time out in the garage.

Fable nods in understanding. “Okay. That’s totally fine.”

Though she seems to understand, there’s a bit of disappointment in her eyes. I can’t blame her. I’m a delight to be around. Can’t say the same about Colt and Gunnar though. I snort at my joke despite no one else being able to hear it.

“We’ll make it up to you,” I say, before her posture can droop too much. I grab her hand and kiss the back of it, looking up at her over her knuckles. “You ever been to a honkytonk, Wild West Barbie?”

“Can’t say I have,” she answers, gently tugging on her hand.

I hold fast for a few seconds more before I let her go. “Well, we’ll head out on Saturday night after work is done if you’re interested. The Boot Skoot has a live band.” My eyes trace blatantly down her body. “I look forward to seeing what you find to wear.” I shovel a few bites of food into my mouth before I gesture to Colt and Gunnar. “We’ve gotta go.”

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