Page 4 of Untamed

“You won’t be saying that once you’ve done a couple of hours of work. Just wait until you have cleaned twenty stalls and helped round up thousands of cattle. You will be begging to go back to Georgia by the time summer ends,” Maverick mocks, smirking.

Straightening my shoulders, I level him with a glare. My father and brother may see me as a little princess, but I’m so much more than that. Like Maverick, I was born for this life.

“I doubt it. I love it here and hard work doesn’t scare me. I can’t wait to dive back into the day-to-day grind of the ranch.”

Maverick, ever the asshole, chuckles. “We’ll see. I give it a week, max,” he says with a wink, making it clear he is teasing me.

A hand clasping mine pulls my attention to my dad. He smiles, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t listen to him, Sweetheart. You’ll do just fine.” Then he clears his throat, his expression turning serious. “But you should know, there are going to be some ground rules.”

Resisting an eye roll, I grab the pot of coffee, pouring myself a mug as I wait for whateverruleshave been put in place.

“Go on,” I prompt when he doesn’t speak for a long moment.

“You’re nearly nineteen, Mila, and an attractive young lady.” My brows furrow wondering where he is going with this. “I have a lot of men on my payroll. A lot of men with raging hormones…”

“He means horny,” my brother adds, cutting him off.

Dad’s head snaps toward Maverick, his eyes narrowing as he shoots him a warning glare. “Don’t you have work to be getting on with?” he asks, one brow arching in challenge. My brother, undeterred, smirks, and takes a leisurely sip of his coffee. Dad shifts his attention back to me, his face softening. “What I mean to say is, you need to stay away from them. I called a meetingwith all the staff, informed them of your arrival and made it clear that you are completely off limits.”

My eyes widened in shock, heat crawling up my neck in sheer embarrassment. He did what?

“Sure, you can be polite to them, I wouldn’t expect anything less, but that’s where it ends. As far as you’re concerned, they are ranch hands, wranglers. They work for me and that’s it. I don’t want them distracted. Understand?”

Snorting, I shake my head, muttering under my breath. “I’m not a damn child.”

“What?” Dad asks.

Forcing a smile, I give him the answer he wants to hear. “Understood, Dad. But honestly, you don’t need to worry. I have no intention of getting involved with anyone before I head off to college.”

My mood drops at the thought of college. Not because I don’t want to continue with my studies, it's just that I would rather do home learning here, than go off to some school out of state. It's a source of contention between me and my father and not worth another argument this early in the morning.

Clearing my throat, I add. “I’m just here to enjoy the summer and spend time with you, Mamaw, Maverick and Nova. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

He nods, his stern expression morphing into a smile. “That’s good, Honey. I knew I didn’t have to worry about you, but I wanted to bring it up, to avoid any misunderstandings with the staff.”

I open my mouth to respond only to snap it shut when Mamaw places a plate stacked full of chocolate chip pancakes in front of me. I grin as the tension of the last few moments leaves my body and, picking up my fork, I dig in.

“Oh, by the way, Brandon’s working here now,” Maverick speaks, just as a plate of bacon and eggs is placed in front of him.

My fork freezes halfway to my mouth as I glance at my brother. Brandon is his best friend. The same friend I made out with once last year when he visited Georgia with Maverick. My brother knows about it, and even though it was a mistake, and I only see Brandon as a friend, I can tell he wants more. He made that clear with the hundreds of texts he sent afterward. I let him down gently, but no matter how many times I’ve told him we’re not going to happen, he remains persistent.

Shrugging, I force a smile. “It will be nice to catch up with him.”

Maverick smirks, shaking his head with a knowing look before his expression sobers. Clearing his throat, a fleeting, unreadable emotion flickers across his face as he says casually, “And speaking of friends, Nova’s been helping out on the ranch.”

Smiling, I take a bite of my pancake. Nova, my best friend since we were born. Our parents were all best friends before my mother decided to break the foursome.

Before I moved to Georgia, Nova and I were inseparable. And though we don’t see each other as often as we’d like, she’s visited me many times, and our friendship has remained as strong as ever. Maverick believing I wouldn’t already know this tidbit of information is laughable.

“I know,” I say. “Even though we don’t live in the same state, we talk all the time.”

He searches my face, his features shifting into an emotion I can’t quite place. I hold his gaze, but he stays silent for a long moment, a range of emotions flickering in his eyes before he blinks them away and forces a smile.

Suspicion creeps in, but before I can ask him what’s on his mind, he stands, grabs his black Stetson and settles it firmly on his head.

“Very well. It’s good to have you back, Mila.”

Chapter Four

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