Page 7 of Belonging to the Rancher

Why now? He’d sworn off women. It was embarrassing but it had been five years since he had dated anyone. The last woman he’d been with had said some cruel things about Clarissa’s mom. It was when he had visited the town regularly, and he’d gone on dates and done everything single men did.

Clarissa was twenty years old when he began to see her in a different way. Axe was then thirty-five years old and hadn’t liked the fact he was crushing on a woman fifteen years his junior. So he’d attempted to forget about her on wasteful dates. Nothing had worked, so he’d welcomed his reclusive lifestyle.

He didn’t know what had drawn Clarissa to his home, but he knew he couldn’t keep her.

Opening the kitchen door, he looked to see Dolly and Susie there, looking adorable. Axe bent down, picked each of them up, wagging tails and all, and carried them up to his bedroom. He broke all his rules, but then Gus had also shared his bed with him as well. Taking them into his room, he hoped he’d be able to use them as an excuse not to go into Clarissa’s bedroom and finish what they had started.

He would have to let her go.

He was her boss.

They couldn’t be together.

Clarissa deserved someone her own age. Even as he thought that, he knew he couldn’t stand the thought of another man being with her.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?” he said out loud.

He didn’t allow his ranch hands to come to the house, and he didn’t want to have to deal with letting her go. Why did life have to be so fucking confusing? Why did Clarissa have to get under his skin?

Dolly and Susie were not much help. They had found their places on his bed, had snuggled up, and were already fast asleep. Climbing into bed, Axe stared up at his ceiling.

He tried to close his eyes but when he did, all he could see was Clarissa. Her eyes had closed and her hands had welcomed him. She had wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly, not wanting to let him go. He didn’t want to let her go either.

Fuck.

Why had he fucked this up by kissing her? He shouldn’t have touched her feet. No, he shouldn’t have walked downstairs. That was his biggest mistake. He’d set it right, one way or another.

Chapter Four

Clarissa hadn’t been able to sleep a wink. For the rest of the night, she had been playing that kiss through her head, and she didn’t have a clue why he had stopped. What had she done wrong?

This was her very first kiss, and it had ended like that! What happened? Was she a bad kisser?

The cycle of questions had been permanently on repeat inside her head. So, now she sat in her chair at the kitchen table, with a mug of coffee, waiting. She had no doubt he’d arrive. It was already five-thirty, so it was only a matter of minutes before he stepped into the kitchen.

When her mother’s illness started to get worse, Clarissa had gotten used to waking up early. She never used to be an early riser, but that all changed within a matter of days. There was never a moment to miss with her mother.

So, she sat and waited, arms folded. Prepared.

She didn’t know exactly what she was going to say. She wanted her questions answered and he was the only person who could answer them. Nibbling her lip, she reached for her coffee and took a sip.

The sound of his door opening seemed to echo around the house. She also knew he’d taken Dolly and Susie to his bedroom last night. They were not here for her to take care of. She’d already changed their water and cleaned up their sleeping area, folding the blankets they already loved. Sure enough, Dolly was the first one around the corner, and as soon as the little dog saw her, there was a wagging tail, which made her smile. Susie came next with another wagging tail, followed by Axe.

He stopped the moment he saw her. For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Clarissa felt her nerves and even her arousal at seeing him start to rise. This wasn’t good. She was determined to stay angry around him. And so, she waited.

The problem was, Axe was a master at the silent treatment. He had years to master this problem.

Arms folded, itching to say something.

She was pretty sure her lips were still sensitive from his kisses last night. To her, it had been an amazing kiss. She wanted him to kiss her again, and again, and again. The truth was, she wanted those hands all over her body, to show her exactly what she’d been missing.

Clarissa didn’t know if he was her “forever” kind of man that her mother had warned her about, but it was certainly close.

She looked at him and waited.

And then, she just couldn’t take it anymore.

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