Page 37 of In Plain Sight

I shook my head and couldn’t help but grin at my tenacious mate.

I took a moment to throw on some clothes and then headed back downstairs. Clay was already there talking to the team and handing out assignments. He nodded my way when he saw me standing there. As soon as he was done, he walked over.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey. Heard you guys had a long night but the new calves arrived safe and sound. I’m sure Ruby is over the moon about that.”

I smiled. “She is. And she hasn’t been to sleep yet, but she’s taking a shower and determined to be down to work in a few minutes.”

He shook his head. “I’m not surprised. She has this thing where no one can do her job for her or as good as her. Mostly she just has this need to prove she’s the best and doesn’t seem to realize no one questions that point. We all know how good she is and how much she loves the animals, but it doesn’t matter who or how many people tell her that. It’s never enough.”

I frowned. “Yeah, I believe that. Be honest with me, do you need her this morning?”

“No. She’ll fuss, but I’ve already given out the assignments and everyone was in early, excited about the birth of the babies anyway. I can do her walk through and run through her checklist. It’s not a problem if you think you can actually get her to stay away.” He laughed, knowing that was going to be the hardest part.

I grinned. “We’ll see.”

“Good luck,” Clay said as I headed off to find Wyatt.

“Look what the cat dragged in. You look like shit. Heard you pulled an all-nighter with Ruby last night. Didn’t expect to see your face around here today,” Wyatt teased.

“Good. That’s what I was hoping you’d say. I could probably handle the day but getting Ruby to actually sleep will be difficult and if I leave, she will, too. She’s still got a little adrenaline from the night, but I can tell she’s on the verge of crashing and I really don’t want her to push too hard when it’s not necessary.”

“Amen to that,” Thomas said from behind me. I turned to look at him, knowing I must be tired to have not even heard him approach. “My sister is going to fight you tooth and nail over this, you know.”

“I know, but at least you went home for a few hours. She just went upstairs long enough to shower and change. I’m trying to make sure everything’s in order before she gets out. I can see how exhausted she is, but I know she’ll push on anyway.”

Truth was, I was worried about her and highly impressed and proud of her. I’d met few people in my life with the commitment and work ethic my mate held herself to.

“Tell her I’m officially giving you both the day off,” Thomas said. “You okay with that, Wyatt? I can ride with you if you need an extra hand.”

“Not necessary, it’s been quiet out there, boss. And I hear y’all had quite the late night party. You should probably take it easy today, too.”

“You’re probably right, but at least I got a few hours of sleep. I should be okay,” Thomas said before turning back to me. “You think you can manage to keep Ruby home today?”

“I’ll do my best,” I promised with a grin. I knew ways to ensure she’d stay home, but whether I could get her to actually sleep was the bigger question.

“Something tells me he won’t have any problems keeping that girl in bed,” Wyatt said with a wink. “Y’all take care. Some of us have to work today.”

I said goodbye to Thomas a few minutes later and made my way back up to the apartment. Ruby was in the kitchen making coffee, already dressed and ready for the day.

“Where’d you go?” she asked.

“To check in with everyone for you. Clay has everything under control. Let him do his job. Spoke with Wyatt and Thomas, too. We both have the day off. Boss’s orders.”

She was already protesting when I reached over and turned off the coffee pot and swooped her up into my arms.

“Bran, I have work to do. Stop it,” she squealed.

“Sleep, Ruby. You need sleep more,” I insisted as I reached the bedroom and plopped her down on the bed unceremoniously.

“This isn’t funny,” she huffed.

“It’s not meant to be,” I said as I stripped out of my clothes and left them in a pile on the floor. I saw her nose flare and eyes widen at the sight. I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “I swear I’m putting those back on later. I just put them on, they’re still clean.”

I could see the redheaded temper flaring. But she didn’t pull back when I approached her. I seductively removed her clothes and got no real pushback. Depositing them on the floor next to mine, I pulled the covers back and slid in next to her. She curled into me and sighed.

“I don’t appreciate being bullied like this.”

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