Page 30 of The Outlaw and the Heir

He glanced over at me before swinging out of the saddle. “Why do I feel there's another smart comment comin'?"

"Not particularly," I said as I pushed the horse forward, dismounting once I saw a shimmer of sunlight off the water. "But despite acting like a stubborn mule most of the time, I've always had this feeling deep down that you were an intelligent person."

"Alright, so yes, something smart to say."

"More like I'm hoping you can take those brains of yours and wrap them around our conversation and come up with an answer or explanation of your own as to whether someone who sounds as bitter as me could still occasionally sound like they hope for things."

Not for the first time tonight, I felt surprised when his annoyance flared behind his stare before his expression completely shut down as he turned away with a shake of his head. “And now you sound like my father. Are you trying to act like him to get under my skin?"

Which was...not what I expected him to say. The accusation, which was what it was, made me pause as I stared at him in curiosity and no small amount of surprise. There wasn't a lot about his father that aligned with how I was as a person, even with his very limited knowledge of who I was.

"I can promise you," I said as my boots finally hit the dirt. "I am not trying to be like your father, not on purpose, in any case.I wouldn't even know where to begin. I've met the man a handful of times, and the last time was the first time we had a one-on-one conversation, so I can't say I have much knowledge to work on to mimic him."

Ambrose watched me with that same stony, emotionless expression before snorting harshly. “Don't think I don't see how you can read people like books."

At that, I cast a sideways, disbelieving look at him. "Aside from the fact that I'm sure that's the closest you've come to giving me a compliment, do you really think someone like your dad is easy to read and emulate?"

At that, the stony mask finally broke, and he frowned in what I thought was annoyance, not aimed at me for once. “I don't know. Reading people isn't exactly my thing."

"Really?" I asked as we let the horses plod toward the riverbank to drink. "Because from what I've seen, the men at the ranch respect you a great deal, even the house staff."

"They give my father respect. They just like me sometimes."

"I'd say they like you more than sometimes. And don't think that respect is just shown in one way. It's not just snapping to attention and following orders, that's respect, but there's some fear in there as well. The kind you engender comes from a far warmer, familiar place. These people respect you because they trust that you're leading them in the right direction and you're willing to do what needs to be done. Theylikeyou because you're not cold and unapproachable, stubborn and grumpy, yes, but you're not mean, and you don't put people on edge just by existing near them."

He stared at me for a few heartbeats before snorting. “I certainly don't put you on edge, that's for sure."

"That would be because you’re so exceedingly handsome I can't bring myself to act as though you’re a threat," I toldhim with a raised brow. "I'm barely containing the wanton lust burning inside me whenever I see you."

Ambrose stared at me, a dry expression on his face as he sat on one of the large rocks on the riverbank. It was an upgrade from his normal annoyed expression when dealing with me, at least. It stayed on his face as he grabbed his boots and yanked them off, freeing his feet before turning around and sticking them into the river after rolling up the cuffs of his pants.

"And here I am, getting exposed to more skin," I said with a more exaggerated sigh than was strictly necessary, but I still enjoyed myself all the same.

He froze for a moment, shooting me a dirty look. The sight of him soaking his feet gave me a twinge of envy, and I followed suit, choosing a rock near him so he wouldn't get nervous about me trying anything. I groaned when my feet hit the water. It wasn't nearly as cool as I would have liked, but it was far better than being stuffed into boots under the scorching sun.

"Really?" he asked, giving me a frown again.

"What?"

"Is all that noise really necessary?"

I cracked an eye open and looked at him in disbelief. “I'm sorry, am I not allowed to appreciate the feel of water on my feet after I've been roasting them all day? Or is the sound of my moaning too distracting for you?"

He rolled his eyes. “Eventually, those jokes are gonna stop getting a rise outta me, and then where will you be?"

"Now, who said anything about them being jokes?"

He was quiet, and while I was tempted to open my eyes to see what he was doing, I decided that whatever strange little breakdown he might be having was none of my concern. I could finally enjoy the hot air by soaking my feet, and I wasn't going to let whatever issues he had get in the way.

"I ain't never met someone quite like you, that's for sure," he finally muttered.

That managed to pull a snort from me. “You know, there's a lot of people who, if they said that, it would sound like a compliment. But from you? I'm not so sure."

"I'm not so sure joking about stuff like that is supposed to be complimented," he said, and I heard him rustling around on the rock, doing who knew what while I soaked in sunlight and water. "But I ain't ever known anyone else willin' to do it. I'm surprised no one's given you a beatin' for it."

I shook my head, chuckling. “It's funny how I know you have a brain in that head, and yet at the same time, you're so damn dense."

"Yeah, and you always thinkin' you're the smartest person in the room is gonna get you killed one day," he growled.

---