Page 34 of The Female Warrior & The Charming Gentleman

“Nothing too exciting, I’m afraid. I need to check fence line and practice.”

“Autumn and I will go on a walk around theproperty,” Jarom said.

“I don’t think so,” she sassed back as she glanced up at him.

“Please.” She’d occasionally seen his ‘business face’ on social media, but usually he was happy and teasing and light. Right now, he was intense and she could see why he was so successful. His charm, good looks, work ethic, and background all helped, but he had a steely backbone too. She was sucked in by that confident appeal combined with the unique trust she had in him and how he treated her. His blue eyes asked her to agree. He wanted to be alone with her. What if he tried to talk about her childhood, the nightmares, or a future between them? She’d made it clear enough they had no future. Right?

“We’ll meet you back here for lunch,” Autumn murmured, not taking her eyes off of Jarom.

“All right.” Easton let out a heavy breath. “I’ll have Chad follow you.”

“Thank you, Easton,” Jarom said smoothly, but his eyes were thanking her for agreeing to go on a walk.

“Sure.” Easton saluted them and trudged down the stairs.

Autumn turned to Jarom. “Nothing like your usual exciting life, eh?”

“Being close to you is more excitement than anything in my previous life, love.”

He was back to the charming lines. She had to keep up. “Oh, I’m certain. None of those frilly ladies can kick you in the head when you need it?”

He chuckled. “That was a first. You are definitely unique, Autumn.”

Was ‘unique’ a compliment?

She turned and headed for the stairs instead of begging for a compliment.

What was happening to her? Autumn Cardon didn’t beg for compliments. Men the world over complimented her, and she brushed them off.

She didn’t know how to brush Jarom off.

Chapter

Twelve

Autumn and Jaromexited the house and met retired Captain Chad Millecan on the porch. Aiden had sent her the pedigrees of the Coleville ranch hands when they first started working with them over a year ago. Chad was a thirty-something, burly ranch hand who’d served with the Navy SEALs and now had a wife and two young daughters. She, Easton, and Jared carried a gun and a knife at all times, but this guy was armed with a P226 MK25 pistol and SRK knife visible and an M4A1 slung over his back.

“Thank you for taking the time to escort us, kind sir,” Jarom said with his usual flair, shaking Chad’s hand.

Chad blinked at him. He probably thought Jarom was a preppy guy he’d never relate to. Autumn knew Chad’s type. Former military, ultra-tough and skilled; great guy, but he had trouble relating to anyone who wasn’t as burly and manly as he was. Her spine straightened. Chad might be a former SEALcaptain and more heavily armed than her, but she’d fight him if he disparaged Jarom.

A slow smile spread across Chad’s face. “It is an honor, Mr. Love.” He inclined his head to him like a knight of old. “My wife is enamored with you. She follows you on all your social media sites. I can’t tell her you’re here, but would you sign something for me and after you’re home safe I’ll give it to her? She knows the Colevilles have famous friends like Elizabeth Oliver so that’ll explain how I met you. I have to tell you she became even more of a ‘fan girl’ when you pretended to be engaged to Elizabeth and protected and rescued her from her father.”

Jarom smiled as if this response was normal. Autumn was stunned. Everybody was a Jarom groupie, apparently. Wasn’t Chad bothered his wife was enamored with an ultra-hot and famous billionaire?

Ugh. She could keep stacking up the reasons she couldn’t be with Jarom. Being associated with someone as famous and recognizable as him would change the jobs she could do.

Selfishly, she didn’t want to share him with the world or be jealous of every woman who had a crush on him. She’d assumed it was simply every un-attached woman, but apparently the married women had crushes on him too, with the approval of their beefy husbands. It was perplexing.

“I’m the one who is honored, Chad.” Jarom gave him a winning smile. “If you live on the property, can we not simply go meet her and I can sign something for her then?”

“No,” Autumn interjected. “The Colevilles’ security personnel and their families are vetted and trustworthy, but the fewer people who know you’re here the better. What if his wife decides to share with theworld she met you?”

“Chad’s lovely wife would never do that,” Jarom protested.

Chad lifted his hands. “No, she wouldn’t, but think how excited she’d be about meeting you.” He arched his brows. “What if she slipped and accidentally told her mom or her sister or her friend? She’d say something like ‘You can’t tell anyone and then she’d squeal, ‘I met Jarom Love!’.” And the tough, burly guy waved his hands in fake excitement and squealed—actually squealed.

Autumn could only stare. She rarely felt behind or out of touch. Right now, she felt both. She couldn’t comprehend how Jarom won hearts from every walk of life and made even a bodyguard act unlike himself.

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