Page 15 of Running to the Cowboy

She should be using my shower.

She should be sleeping in my bed.

But why?

To keep her under my watch and under my protection. Mine alone.

I don’t want her out of my arm’s reach if I can help it.

If I told her the truth, she’d be horrified. I can’t help it; I can’t stand the thought of her working here long enough to get a reference. A reference for what? Some other job? To rent a house? A house where I don’t live, where I can’t look after her?

I sound like a lunatic, but I can’t let her leave. She can’t be out there alone, knowing nothing about the real world.

But after everything she’s been through, she doesn’t need me looking after her. She needs someone like Dani.

That’s why I was so relieved when my ranch hand showed up with those clothes tonight. Dani should be the one to look after Olivia, not me.

Olivia doesn’t need a guy like me ogling her, forcing my will on her, bossing her around.

Olivia needs to be treated with patience and respect, and most of all, understanding and kindness.

How would I react if she was my daughter and she had stumbled into some lonely, lecherous cowboy’s house? I’d be putting him in his place, that’s what.

I know all this, yet as I step into the shower, close my eyes, and let the hot spray wash away the day’s dirt, sweat, aches, and pains, my mind’s eye can only see the memory of how Olivia looks wearing my clothes.

I thought my shirts would be big enough for her to wear as a nightshirt, but the way her breasts were practically popping the buttons…the way her ass stretched those seams.

Groaning, I soap up my hands, then rest my forehead against the tile. There’s only one thing I can do to clear my head and make this ache disappear.

Chapter Seven

Olivia

I wanted to say so much more than simply goodnight.

I wanted to hug Wylie and thank him for his kindness. I wanted to thank him and the rest of the men for letting me stay and work for them. I wanted to hug Curly and tell him he reminded me of my Granddad.

But I didn’t get to say all of that before Dani showed up. It’s a blessing that she did, no matter how uncomfortable that moment was, with me feeling like a charity case on display. She’s a blessing because her presence made me realize that my out-of-control feelings about Wylie were making me delusional.

As I lie here trying to sleep, I focus on the unfamiliar sounds of this house.

Boards creak in the hallway as Jake and Ennis return from their evening chores. I hear them in their rooms, taking showers, then heading back to the kitchen for late-night snacks. Morevoices perk my ears until I realize the guys are watching TV in the living room.

Soon, they go to bed. I lie here for another hour until sleep starts to take over.

As I’m about to drift off, branches scratch against my window, startling me.

Sitting up in bed, I stare at the shadow on the other side of the glass.

Wrapping Curly’s quilt around me, I approach the window, staying hidden.

A pair of reflective eyes high up in the tree look back at me. When I spot the striped furry tail in the moonlight, I breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s just a raccoon.”

I’m so relieved that I have to go to the bathroom. After that, I need some tea to settle my nerves. Quietly, I pad into the kitchen and fill the kettle with water. I fetch a cup from the cabinet and hunt for some caffeine-free tea. After a lot of digging, I find some chamomile. Later, as I wait for the tea to brew, a soft voice cuts through the silence.

“Can’t sleep?”

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