Page 19 of Brutal Heir

Tension builds inside me. It’s been a long day, and dealing with Sage’s stubbornness is the last thing I need right now. I put the gearshift into park. “There you go, not listening.”

“You clearly—” Sage starts, but I cut her off. I’ve had just about enough of her attitude.

“What else did I say?” I ask.

She closes her mouth, but I can see the anger simmering just beneath the surface. If she could, she’d probably take a swing at me. But she doesn’t say a word.

I turn in my seat, setting my forearm on the steering wheel as I drive my point home. “You have no idea, do you?”

“I…” Sage’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times. I stare at her long enough that she squirms in her seat.

“I said you don’t belong out here,not-without-a-weapon. And not with you not watching where you’re going,” I remind her.

“Oh.” She settles back into the seat, all the bluster disappearing. It’s like she’s finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

“You know why I remember the words so clearly?” I continue, not expecting an answer. “Because you’re not the first person I’ve said them to.” I give her a few seconds to let that sink in. “As you’ve just learned, there’s shit out here that’ll kill you. You”—I pause—“illegals, cows, a horse. You’re not the first one to learn the hard way, and you won’t be the last.”

She nods slowly, her expression serious. “I understand,” she says, again.

“The job you’ve taken on is dangerous. This isn’t just pushing papers or typing on a keyboard. You’re running around the ranch, by yourself, and I don’t want anything to happen to you while you’re on my land.”

“I appreciate your concern,” she says softly. “I swear, I’m usually not like this.” She hesitates, wetting her lips. “Being around you, just…You throw me off my game. I end up feeling totally inadequate in the long run,” she admits, shouldershunched.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not trying to make you feel inadequate,” I say, losing some of the bitterness. “I just want you to be safe.”

“I know,” she says. “And I appreciate it. It’s just...sometimes it’s hard to accept help from someone when you’re used to doing everything on your own.”

I nod in understanding. “I get it.” I’m the same way. Asking for help isn’t in my nature, but out here, in the middle of nowhere, it becomes necessary. Not even I can survive on my own forever. “But I guess my way of making sure you look out for yourself can be hard.”

She smiles at that, probably the first genuine smile I’ve seen from her. “Yeah, a little.”

“A little.” I scoff. Whatever brought her out to the middle of nowhere had to be bad. I’m no fucking shoulder to cry on, but at least she’ll live to see another day.

“You know,” Sage says, breaking the silence. “Maybe you’re not as scary as I thought you were when we met.”

How do I respond to that? I mean, she’s not wrong. While I have a reputation for being a hard-ass on the ranch, that doesn’t begin to cover who I was before.

Her face reddens, as if she’s regretting her choice of words. But it’s too late now. “I mean, you have this whole tough guy thing going on,” she rushes on, fumbling her words.

“Scary, huh?” I finally respond.

She gives a nervous laugh, the sound filling the truck cab. “Yeah. You’re all quiet and brooding, and you have that intensestare that makes me think you’re waiting to see how you can chew me up and spit me out…this time.”

I can’t help but chuckle at that. She’s not too far off, but I’m not going to admit that to her. Yet, somehow, the fact she picked up on that is oddly satisfying.

“And I’m sorry for…earlier.” She glances across the lot, to the hangar, an apologetic expression on her face. “I was judgy, and I shouldn’t have done that.”

Resentment claws at my insides. So, I like looking at a woman’s naked body. Most men do. “Was it the porn or the selection?” I ask her, half-joking.

She tightens her lips, holding back a smile. “I guess I’ve never seen a woman with a fox tail.”

“Sometimes life gets boring. You go online, hit the wrong button, and end up going down the rabbit hole.” I shrug. “Or the fox hole, in this case.”

Her forehead wrinkles. “I’ve never seen you in town.”

“Nah. Got nothing to do there.”

She does a double take, eyes widening. “What do you do for fun?”

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