I hear Hayes and the kids start a race back to the house, and once I can’t hear their footsteps anymore, I know they’re far enough away from me to break my promise.

  “What the fuck were you thinkin’?” I crowd into her space, but she doesn’t relent. If anything, she leans into it.

  “I was thinkin’ that your kids wanted to come see a cow. I was thinkin’ that I’m an adult, and I know how to take care of kids. I was a nanny before this, and I grew up with a gaggle of kids around. I’m not an idiot, Rhett. Don’t treat me like one.”

  Her hands go to her hips, and she stands there defiantly. Her face is tipped up to meet mine, and the setting sun makes her eyes look more green than brown. And that peachy hair is falling out of her braids and into her face. Her eyes narrow like she’s just waiting for me to fight back, to tell her she’s wrong and that she is actually a child. She’s looking at me like she wants the fight. My cock stirs.

  “Poppy, you don’t know the first thing about taking care of kids around farm animals. Dogs? Sure. I’ll allow it. But when you’re taking my kids into the middle of nowhere, without letting anyone know where you are, around animals that can kill you if they get the mind to—”

  “It’s a fucking cow!” she shouts. “God!” Her hands jut out and shove me hard on the chest. I take a step back, more so from the shock that she just shoved me than the force of it. Although, damn, she’s pretty strong. “Why do you have to be such a dick?”

  “Did you just shove me?”

  She shoves me again.

  “Yes!”

  I can’t help it… I laugh.

  She groans. “You are seriously so infuriating.”

  “Look, I’m sorry for getting so angry,” I say, trying to quell my laughter. “But you can’t do that shit until you know your way around the ranch and the animals better.”

  “I do not accept your apology.” Her arms cross in front of her chest, drawing my attention down from her face before I can stop myself.

  God, that body. She has curves for days, and I just know she’s soft in all the right places underneath those clothes.

  “See something you like?” Her voice drips with venom. She does not like me. Not that I blame her. I’ve not been nice to her a single time since she arrived. What would there be for her to like?

  I grin and make a show of looking her over. Should I be more professional and bring my eyes straight back up to her face? Most definitely. But there’s something about her attitude that’s addicting. I like pushing her buttons. So I take my time and let my eyes linger in all the places they’ve wanted to for the past week. And then when I finally meet her eyes, they’re heated.

  She’s pissed. My dick is throbbing, and I try my hardest to quell it.

  I grunt and raise a shoulder, trying to look unaffected.

  “Fuck. You. Rhett Black. Fuck you.” She starts to walk away but turns around to deliver another blow. “You are welcome, by the way, for watching your kids.”

  “Hey,” I say, grabbing her by the arm. She swings around and tugs her arm free. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say here?”

  She gives me a look like I’ve grown another head.

  “Yeah. That grunt was loud and clear.”

  “No, I mean—” I sigh. Shit, I’ve stepped in it. “I mean about my kids and the big-ass animals you know nothin’ about.”

  “Loud. And. Clear.” She gives a mock salute and turns on her heel. Her jeans grip her ass as she walks away, and I tilt my head to the side to get a better view.

  I wonder if she even knows how to get back to the house. I should probably go after her, make sure she gets home okay. I shouldn’t just stand here and watch her walk away, loving every single second I get of watching that ass sway.

  But if I do go after her and walk her back to her cabin…I’m worried about walking away. Her sweet face, spicy attitude, and perfect body are a triple threat. I haven’t felt like this around a woman in too long. I don’t trust myself.

  I don’t trust my cock. It sucks all the blood from my brain, not leaving a lot of critical thinking skills. And when I think back to how adorable they all looked lying in the field together, laughing and tickling each other, my heart lurches. Their momma never took the time to love them like that, doting on them and giving them the attention they deserve. But Poppy did. Poppy has been.

  Momma told me they’ve been spending lunch together every day, and every day, Poppy answers all their questions and teaches them how to be with the dogs. She’s been nothing but nice to my kids and my family, and here I am, shoutin’ at her and making her so angry she shoves and shouts at me.

  God, I’m an ass.

  She reaches the gate, looks around, and then takes off in the opposite direction she should be going. I drop my head back and sigh.

  “Lord, give me the fucking strength.” I take a deep breath and set off after her.

  Goddamnmotherfucker.

  He is an insufferable ass. I take back my apology for saying no woman could stay with him long enough to have babies. Because I don’t even know how anyone could stay long enough to get naked with the asshole.

  I look both ways, remembering the way we came from when the kids and I walked over to this field. But I think, unless I’m incredibly turned around, which could very well be the case, that my little house is to the right. I’m not very sure about that, but I refuse to seem like I don’t know what I’m doing after that little rant he went on about me not being grown up enough to handle his fucking kids.

  That stung. That stung, a lot.

  I know I’ve always been looked at as too young and too this and too that. Being the baby of your family means they don’t understand your boundaries or that you are actually a capable human being. There’s always the stigma of being the youngest. While I took advantage of this throughout my years in high school, I’m a little over it as of late.

  And to say that while also looking me up and down like I was something he wanted to take his time eating… God, I hate him. I hate him. And I refuse to admit that him shrugging after looking me over also hurt. Because that look in his eye was heated, so I refuse to believe he’s actually unimpressed. If I do that, my self-confidence will take a massive hit, and no man is going to be the cause of that.

  “Poppy!” he shouts.

  I can hear his heavy footsteps jogging toward me. I pick up my own pace, practically speed walking to get away from him.

  “You’ve said all you needed to say!” I shout back. “Leave it be, Rhett!”

  “So I should just leave you walkin’ the wrong way?”

  Shit.

  I stop, and he plows into me from behind.

  Hah, that’s what she said.

  “Fuck’s sake, Poppy!” He grabs onto my arms to keep me from toppling over, and I very quickly right myself and yank free.

  “Leave me alone.” I grunt out my frustration and start walking in the opposite direction.

  “Just let me walk you home, you infuriating woman!”

  “I’d rather chew glass, thanks.”

  “Poppy,” he groans, catching up with me easily with those long, strong legs of his. Christ, even when I’m furious with him, I can’t stop my mind from going to the gutter.

  Ugh, who am I kidding? My mind lives there. Rent-free. Utilities? Paid for. Internet and cable? Wouldn’t dream of paying for it.

  “I can either walk with you or walk behind you. Whichever you prefer.”

  “I prefer not at all,” I grumble.

  “I prefer behind you.” His tone is playful, but I am not in the mood.

  I remain silent.

  “Come on.” He sighs.

  “No, Rhett,” I snap back as he walks up beside me. “You come on. Ya know, I don’t feel I’ve done anything to warrant your anger. Other than having pink hair and accidentally oversleeping on my first day. But only one of those is cause enough for you to reprimand me.”

  “I—”

  I cut him off. “I’m not done. I may be, what? Five years younger than you?”

  “Try a decade.” He scoffs.

  Oh, that’s surprising. This man does not look much over thirty, let alone closer to forty. The manual labor of working on a ranch has been very, very kind to him. I eye him out of my peripherals but soldier on.

  “But that doesn’t mean I’m a child. I grew up in a small town surrounded by farmland. So while I may not be as knowledgeable as you, I’m not an idiot.” I tug out my French braids and run my fingers over my scalp. This man is giving me a headache. “I’m an adult, with childcare experience, who was asked to watch your kids for one afternoon. I love those kids. I wouldn’t let anything happen to them, and I need you to trust me on that.”

  He grunts. Just freaking grunts…

  So I give up and resign myself to walking in silence the rest of the way to my house. Clearly, he’s not going to let me walk alone, and I’m not going to try and hold a conversation with someone who only communicates via grunting like a caveman.

  The little house comes into view after a tense walk, and I couldn’t be happier. It was cooler today, so I left the windows open, and the string lights they hung outside for me cast a warm glow over the little porch.

  “I think I’m good from here,” I tell him, gesturing to where we can both clearly see the house. But he won’t stop walking, just trudging on like he’s determined to drop me at the damn door.

  “Made it this far,” he says in a quiet voice. “May as well walk you to the door.”

  I roll my eyes but let him. Not like I could stop him anyway. This man doesn’t give up. I’ve shouted at him and physically assaulted him. At this point, I’m genuinely surprised I still have a job.

  “Why didn’t you fire me?” I ask when we walk up the front steps.

  “Why would I fire you?”

  I give him a look. “Because you showed up at my front door the first morning I was supposed to be working and saw me covered in wine. I was incredibly late. And then, if you remember, just a while ago, you laid into me about taking your kids into a cow field.”

  “Because I overreacted about my kids and because one fuckup doesn’t mean you should lose your job.”

  “Meaning your mom and dad said no.”

  He laughs. “Something like that.” He rubs the back of his neck and reluctantly meets my gaze. “The ranch needs you. Wells needs you. He’s been doing this alone for too long, and it’s startin’ to wear on him. Poor kid needs a life outside this ranch.”

  I nod.

  “Okay, then.”

  He crosses his arms under his pecs, which make his biceps bulge and puts his strong hands on display. I can’t help but let my eyes wander over his body, just like he had done to me back in the pasture. Where I’m soft and curvy, this man is hard and straight. Broad shoulders, strong torso, and thick thighs are proof that he works hard.

  When my eyes finally make their way back up his body, I find a little glint in his eyes. He’s been watching me soak him in. But when he steps closer, crowding me toward the front door, I get a little wary. My body is screaming yes, but my mind has alarm bells going off.

  The scent of sweat, leather, and a hint of laundry detergent fills my senses, making those alarm bells a bit quieter. There’s a cool breeze that sweeps across the porch and makes a few pieces of his hair fall into his eyes. I fight the urge to push it back because that is not what employees do to their bosses. Those brown eyes bore into me, and I can’t look away, no matter how badly I want to.

  My back hits the screen door. There’s nowhere for me to go. He’s stalked me into a corner with no way out. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I can’t take a deep breath. Meanwhile, he just smirks down at me, his eyes moving from my lips to my eyes and back like they can’t decide what they like the look of better.

  “Poppy.” My name sounds delicious on his tongue. “See somethin’ you like?”

  “I do,” I admit.

  He pushes closer, his hips bumping against my own. His arms unfold, and his hands can’t decide where to go. They sit on his hips and then move quickly like they’re going to grab me before getting shoved in his pockets. I put one of my hands behind my back, making my chest push forward a little as I search for the doorknob, while the other goes to his jaw. The scruff bites at my fingers, and my clit pulses when his mouth opens just slightly.

  He leans in like he’s going to kiss me. God, I want him to.

  “But this thing right here, “ I tell him as I run my thumb over his mouth, “ruins everything else about you.”

  Before he can say anything, I twist the handle and curl around the door to slip inside.

  “Good night, Rhett.”

  The screen door shuts, and I close the wood door, completely shutting him out. I even go as far as to dead bolt it, hoping that it’ll stop me from opening it and jumping into his strong arms just to find out how good of a kisser he is.

  Slowly, I lower my forehead onto the door and wait to hear him walk away. It takes a minute, but eventually, his footsteps recede, and I can breathe again. Turning and slumping to the floor, I bang my head behind me on the hardwood.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid, Poppy.”

  I walked straight home last night, bypassing Momma and Pops’ house to pick up the kids. They could wait. They wouldn’t even miss me. Throwing open the door, I ran up the steps and jumped in a shower of water so cold it may as well have come from the damn Arctic.

  But it didn’t help. My cock was still throbbing painfully as the cold water beat down on it. After a minute, I gave up and turned the water up until the entire bathroom filled with steam. When my hand wrapped around the base of my cock, I hissed at the pleasure.

  I pictured Poppy the entire time. The way her ass looked under her dress, the strawberry panties she was wearing, the way her hips ground against me on the horse. Her eyes, her lips, her breasts…everything was flashing in front of my eyes as I tugged roughly on my dick.

  I came so hard I thought my knees were gonna give out. Wouldn’t that have been a way for someone to find me. Dick in hand, knocked out from coming so hard I hit my head on the tile. Christ.

  I have got to get a damn grip on myself. I cannot be lusting after that poor girl. The last thing she needs is her boss, an old man — a single dad, no less — hitting on her while she tries to do her job.

  But the way she touched my jaw and looked over my body had my mind on the fritz. I wondered if she was wet for me and what she’d taste like once I got my tongue between her thighs. A girl with a mouth like hers would sound the prettiest as she screamed out my name.

  “Daddy, is Poppy gonna be at Grammy’s?”

  I’m jolted from my memory and look over to see Joey popping her head around my bedroom doorframe. Her hair is in a mess of a bun on top of her head, hanging on for dear life as she tilts her head to look at me.

  “I’m guessin’ so.”

  “I like her,” she says as her eyes light up. She dips her head back out into the hallway while her little fingers still cling to the frame. “Told you she’d be comin’!” she shouts down the hall.

  “Hey, Joey!” I call out to her before she can run away.

  “Yeah, Dad?” She pops right back in, her little bun wobbling to the side.

  “Make sure you don’t bother Poppy while she’s workin’.”

  “We don’t. She likes us.” Her matter-of-factness makes me grin.

  “That might be the case, pumpkin, but she’s tryin’ to work. She has a job to do, and she can’t be watching you and your brother every day.”

  She sighs and, with all the attitude in the world, leans a hip against the doorframe as she crosses her arms.

  “She doesn’t watch us. Grammy does. We take Poppy and Uncle Wells lunch.”

  “Well, maybe y’all should stop doing that every day. Let Poppy and your uncle do what they need to do.”

  “Well, maybe you should talk to Grammy. Because she’s the one takin’ us over there every day.” Her little eyebrows raise up, and damn if I don’t see myself in the way she acts sometimes.

  “You’re kind of sassy.”

  She smiles and pushes her nose in the air.

  “I know.”

  And then, like a bolt of lightning, she’s gone, calling after her brother. I quickly finish in the bathroom, brushing my teeth and running my fingers through my hair. I’m tempted to do something with it, maybe actually run a comb through it or use that pomade shit Hayes got me two Christmases ago. It’s just been sitting there untouched ever since.

  I sigh. Fuck it. I pull it out of the drawer and put a little in my hand, rubbing them together before messing it around in my hair. It settles into a bit of a style, and eventually, I just give up.

  “Let’s go!” I shout through the house.

  The kids run ahead of me on our walk over. The sun is low in the sky, and it casts their shadows in the grass. God, they’re cute kids. I know I’m biased, but these kids have my heart.

  I always knew I wanted kids. Growing up in such a tight-knit family can make you feel one of two ways: you strongly want that in your future, or you don’t. Dean never has, but the rest of us always did. I swallow the bad taste in my mouth when my thoughts turn to Dean.

  We have given that boy so much…

  So much time and so much money and so much help. And every time, he just throws it away, swallows whatever sorrows he has with a bottle of the cheapest liquor he can get his hands on.

  “Hurry up! We’re gonna be late!” Wade shouts back at me.

  I just laugh. “Go on, then. Run if you want! I’m comin’.”

  We are not going to be late. We’re going to be early, but keeping these kids away from their grandparents is like pullin’ teeth. On their first day of kindergarten, I thought Momma was gonna have to sit with them all day at school. They were bawling and hiccoughing, tearing my heart right out of my chest with each breath.

  I watch them run inside, and I’m not long after them. The kids are carrying on with their uncles in the living room while Pops takes up his normal seat at the table, paper in hand. And then I see the flash of pink hair, and my whole body reacts. My cock remembers what we did last night, and he’s ready for round two. And this time, he wants the real thing.

 

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