Page 33 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

She pointed at me. “You can’t wear your fancy duds on the ranch.”

“I assure you, I brought suitable clothing, and I have some to change in to.” I indicated my bag.

“No.” We went through the private checkpoint and then turned onto a main road.

“What do you mean, no? You don’t think I’m capable of picking out durable pants?”

“I think you’re capable of purchasing expensive pants. Durability is another story.”

I chuckled. “The man at the store assured me they would survive the apocalypse.”

“How many pockets do they have?” Brooke asked.

“Several.”

“Cargo pants can be a bad idea around active machinery.”

“I have several styles,” I assured her.

She humphed. “Maybe you can wear them, but if you want to be safe and comfortable, you’ll don these Texan threads I got for you.”

“Will I?”

“Yes, Will, you will.” She smirked.

“Yes, ma’am.” I’d told myself that this was going to be a professional relationship, but Brooke was adorable. And kind. And even though she still had an edge to her voice, she’d opted to take care of me.

After she merged onto the freeway, she said, “I hope you came ready to hit the ground running. We’ve got a lot to do today.”

I set the bag she’d given me on my lap. For some reason, having it there warmed me. “I’m all yours.”

Chapter 9

-Brooke-

Here I was, trying to intimidate the guy with the threat of immediate and messy chores, and he’s like, “Cool.”

I had yet to ruffle William’s feathers with anything I said or did.

Was that William Harris’ MO? Steady?

There were worse things for a guy to be.

As a younger woman, I’d wanted the handsome, outgoing man who every girl adored but who had chosen me.He’d be tall and blond, with curly hair, green eyes, a category-ten smile, and he’d be so in love with me I’d never have to wonder if he was looking at the other ladies when we went out dancing.

I’d dated a handful of guys, both from Whitehill and my college days, and none of them had ever been all of those things.

None of them had ever decided that I was more interesting than the slender girls.

Which was fine. The only man I needed in my life to tell me my worth was my dad.

My…steady…dad.

Ugh, was William like my father?

This was not a conversation I needed to be having in my head right now.

As soon as I turned onto the highway, I spoke to William about a topic I knew we both agreed on. “I thought you’d bring Frank.”

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