Page 43 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

Unfortunately, William seemed to be all of those things combined.

“Come to the house.” My dad waved William to his truck. “I’ll get you some shampoo that will kill anything and everything.”

“What about the four-wheeler?” he asked me.

“I’ll put it in the barn,” I said. “We can get it tomorrow.”

“You don’t need me for anything else?” William asked. Was that hope in his voice? Hope that I’d let him go, or hope that I’d need him for one more thing? I wasn’t sure, and I shouldn’t be speculating. I should be rejoicing that my dad hadn’t invited William to dinner and insisted that I come too.

I shook my head. “We’re finished for today.” It pained me to add, “You did a good job.”

William’s lips twitched. “What time do you want us here in the morning?” He planned to bring Patrick and Frank.

“Seven.”

He gave me a nod before he said, “I look forward to it.”

That was not a blush creeping its way up my neck but heat from working so hard. William turned and headed for my dad’s truck. I could feel my dad grinning at me in anticipation of a requited romantic interest and pointedly ignored him.

I turned and walked into the barn with purpose, but when I got there, I leaned against the outside of Betsy’s stall, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths.

William Harris hadn’t cracked today. He might not crack tomorrow. What would I do if I couldn’t dissuade him?

My phone buzzed from my overall bib pocket, and I drew it out, hoping for a distraction. It was a text from Jessica, asking if she could call me. I sent her a thumbs up, and a moment later, ‘No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn’ started to play. Jessica didn’t live in Brooklyn, but close enough. I chose the face-to-face option and grinned when a smiling Jessica appeared.

“Hey, girl.” The plain wall behind her back told me she was somewhere in her office.

“Ooh, we’re not in the middle of a field today,” Jessica said.

“Nope. We’re hiding in the barn.”

“Do I dare ask why?”

“Nope.” I noticed several horses peeking out of their stalls and pushed away from the wall to walk to them. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Jessica worked a demanding job in New York, but she wasn’t usually there this late.

“I’m having a Curvy Girl Crew crisis.” Jessica propped her chin in her palm and pouted. Her long dark hair was pulled up, and I could tell she was wearing a low-cut red top.

She wasn’t the only one having a crisis.

“The new guy is still being adorable?” I asked.

“Adorable and annoying,” Jessica grumbled.

She’d sent me pictures—he was medium height, totally ripped, and of Asian ancestry, which for Jessica was an added bonus. Unfortunately, he was her new boss and had come in guns a-blazing about everything that had to change for them to be successful. That list included things like anyone with long hair wearing it up instead of down and strong suggestions to exercise more.

“Sorry, darlin’,” I said.

Jessica sighed. “A year ago, I wouldn’t have given him a second look.”

I raised my eyebrow.

She laughed. “Okay, fine, I definitely would have looked, but I wouldn’t have pined.”

What Jessica didn’t have to say was that in the past two years, five of the seven of the Curvy Girl Crew had either gotten married or were engaged. I was thrilled for the others, but it left Jessica and me the only single gals left.

“I get it,” I said in response to her pining comment. Even before William, I’d caught myself wistfully wishing the man of my dreams would come onto the ranch and sweep me off my feet. It wasn’t normal, and I didn’t like it. “Do you want to talk about it?”

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