Page 10 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

“The first rule of living on a ranch,” she said in a smug voice. “Is never go outside without boots on. Something I thought an experienced cowboy would know.”

He bit back the nasty retort on the tip of his tongue and sat down on a nearby rock to pull on his socks and boots. As he did, he couldn’t help shooting a glance in Sunny’s direction.

She wasn’t naked. She wore a pair of panties that were no more than a tiny scrap of turquoise material and a shorty shirt that didn’t come close to covering her stomach. He couldn’t help staring at the small sunflower tattooed just inside her hipbone, it’s stem dipping beneath the elastic of her panties.

“I have a thing for sunflowers.” Sunny’s voice was soft and breathy. “You just can’t help but smile when you see one.”

Smiling wasn’t what the sunflower made Reid want to do. It made him want to drop to his knees and lick each petal before his tongue followed the stem all the way down to the very tip. He wanted to blame his raging sexual need on the fact that he hadn’t been with a woman since before his sister had called him. Which was almost a year ago. But while that didn’t help matters, he knew most of the blame belonged on the sunflower-tattooed woman standing within reach.

Sunny was temptation incarnate. A sexy siren made to drive men wild.

If she hadn’t been his boss’s sister, Reid would have given in to that temptation. He would have licked her tattoo, worshiped her magnificent breasts with his mouth and hands, and then wrapped those long, tanned legs around his waist and driven so deep inside her he’d forget all about the way his vibrant, healthy sister had faded away to nothing but skin and bones. Forget he was a horrible guardian. Forget he’d lost the dream of owning his own ranch.

“So what kind of punishment did you give Sophie?”

Sunny’s question pulled him from the path his brain had no business going down. He shook his head to clear it before he finished tugging on his boots. Without answering her question, he stood and headed down the path.

The trailer was parked just on the other side of the springs—a trailer that had been graciously offered to Reid by Sunny’s brother. Reid needed to remember that. But it was hard to remember when Sunny kept pushing him.

A twig snapped behind him. Close behind him.

He stopped in his tracks and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He had tried to keep his mouth shut in the hopes she would get the hint that he wasn’t interested and leave him alone, but it looked like he was going to have to use words.

And he had never been good with words.

He turned to find Sunny standing there. She had put on a pair of jeans and turquoise boots that matched her panties. Her smile was bright and cheerful. Which just pissed him off even more.

“What’s the matter with you? Can’t you take a hint? It’s none of your business how I disciplined Sophie. It’s none of your business how often I come swimming. I don’t know what you want from me, but you’re not going to get it. I want nothing todo with a spoiled little rich girl who has nothing better to do with her life than spend her brother’s money and follow men around like a dog in heat. So get the message, Sunshine Whitlock. I’m not interested!”

The smile stayed in place, but he could tell by the rigid way it froze on her face that he’d finally gotten through to her. He knew his words had been hurtful. But dammit, a man could only take so much temptation before he did something he would regret later.

He started walking again, but her shrieked cussword had him freezing in his tracks.

“Bullshit!”

He turned back around. Weirdly, she wasn’t looking at him. She was staring up at a tree branch.

“It’s not bullshit, Sunshine,” he said. “My body might be interested, but I’m not. I need this job. I don’t just need it for me. I need it for Sophie. After losing her mother, she needs the stability of a good home. So I would appreciate it if you didn’t go running to your brother and have me fired for declining his little sister.”

She pulled her gaze from the tree and stared at him. “That’s what you think of me? You think I’m the type of woman who would get someone fired?” When he didn’t say anything, she frowned. It was the first time he had ever seen her frown. Strangely, he liked it much better than her fake smile. “Well, you’re wrong, Reid Mitchell. I’m not some spoiled little brat who runs to her brother every time someone doesn’t like me. I’m a big girl who can deal with a little rejection. In fact, I’ve spent all my life dealing with it. So there’s no need to worry about losing your job.” She started to leave, but then stopped. “Oh, and by the way, I get the hint. I’ll stay away from you. Far, far away.” With a haughty sniff, she disappeared into the trees.

He should feel relieved.

So why didn’t he?

Maybe because he didn’t trust Sunny as far as he could throw her.

He didn’t sleep well that night. If he wasn’t worrying about getting fired, he was thinking about cradling moonlit breasts in his hands and following tattooed sunflower stems with his tongue. Once he pushed those thoughts from his mind, his guilt kicked in and he started feeling badly about being so harsh with her. What had she meant about it not being the first time she’d been rejected? No man in his right mind would reject a woman who looked like Sunny. The only reason he had was his job.

A job he still might lose.

Since he ended up only getting a few hours sleep, he was in a foul mood the following morning. It didn’t help that Sophie was still pouting about him confiscating her cellphone for taking his truck without permission. She glared at him across the kitchen table the entire time she ate her bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, crunching so loudly he wanted to pull out his hair.

On the way to take her to school, he tried to think up some wise parental words to explain why he’d taken her phone. But nothing came to mind. So all she received when she got out of the truck was a mumbled, “Have a good day,” before he pulled away.

When he reached the Holiday Ranch, he wouldn’t have been surprised to find Corbin waiting to fire him. But the only people sitting on the porch were Hallie and her grandmother, Mimi. Neither one of them looked like they were the bearers of bad news.

Of course, Corbin could arrive at any second.

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