Arrogant Devil(20)
Still, it’s something. Without waiting for a reply, she turns, and I watch her saunter out of the room, dragging my gaze from the strands of dark hair that have fallen from her bun to the curve of her ass in the only pair of jeans she owns. My stomach tightens and my heart pounds. A heat creeps up my neck.
When she’s gone, I stare at her note, trying to refocus my attention on the phone call. In reality, I’m only half listening, too damn focused on the princess.
9
Meredith
Jack has shown his face once all morning, and it was so he could come down to make another pot of coffee. When I heard him walking down the stairs, I made sure to look extra busy. I was already vacuuming, but I vacuumed harder, heaving the thing back and forth as fast as I could. I looked like I was racing against an imaginary clock. He completely ignored me.
When he walked back by with his new cup of coffee, I’d moved on to the hallway. He had to walk right by me to get to the stairs and I held my breath, quietly praying he would trip on the vacuum cord. His spilled coffee would be my mess to clean, but I’d do it with a half-hidden grin.
Sadly, he stepped purposefully over the cord without acknowledging me then trotted right back up the stairs.
His quiet indifference is a silent weapon I can’t fend off. I’m jumpy and on edge, listening for every little sound and jerking my attention to the stairs each time I think I hear him walking down them.
He hasn’t made another appearance, but that hasn’t stopped him from hanging around in my thoughts. I can’t get the image of him from this morning out of my head. When I walked into his office, he was sitting behind his desk, phone pressed to his ear, gaze straight on me. His hatred plumed off him like smoke. He had a sharp stare and cool confidence, and I took one good look at him then nearly spilled his coffee all over the floor.
It’s bad enough that I don’t like his personality, but his appearance isn’t exactly helping matters. I really want to find him unattractive, but I don’t. He might be rougher around the edges than the men back in California, but with his chiseled jaw and piercing gaze, it’s impossible to call him anything less than handsome. I try to tell myself his hair needs a trim and he’s too sun-kissed. He could use a shave—his face would feel all scratchy. Wait, what? Pull it together Meredith. There will be no feeling his face.
I’m not a fool. If his personality weren’t so unyielding, I have no doubt there’d be a different woman warming his sheets every night. Even so, I bet he isn’t lacking for female attention. I shiver at the thought of having to wash sweaty sheets or empty condoms from his trashcan.
Ugh! Okay, enough, brain. You’ve had your fun.
I snip that line of thinking and decide it’s time for me to get out of this house. I think Jack’s proximity is tainting my thoughts. Some fresh air will do me some good.
It’s time for a grocery store run.
I jot down a list of everything I want to make for meals then survey the pantry and fridge. Edith and Jack have enough barbecue sauce and baked beans to last them well into an apocalypse. Veggies and fruits are nowhere to be found, unless you count the dusty jars of pickled okra labeled Edith - July 2002. Yum. That will change once I make it back with the groceries. I grab the envelope with the grocery money from the counter then find Edith out on the porch throwing the ball for Alfred. Fortunately, the activity seems to be holding his attention so well that he doesn’t care to acknowledge me. Still, I aim to make my time near him as brief as possible.
“Hey Edith, is there a car I can borrow to drive to the grocery store?”
She turns and holds up her hand to shield the sun from her eyes. “Yeah, go ask one of the hands, they’ll set you up with a truck.”
I turn toward the barn and spot a half-dozen ranch hands at work. There are varying shades of cowboy hats and an ample amount of denim. I can smell the testosterone from way over here.
“Umm…is there one in particular I should aim for?” Perhaps the weakest one in the herd?
“Don’t think it’ll matter really. I’m sure they’ll all be dying to help you as soon as you make your way over there.”
She’s right, of course. After I skirt around the house as stealthily as possible to avoid Alfred’s interest, I don’t even make it halfway to the barn before the first cowboy catches up with me. He falls in line right beside me and holds out his hand. “Hey there, name’s Chris.”
He doesn’t look a day over eighteen, especially with the sunshine glinting off his blond hair. With a goofy lopsided grin and sunburned cheeks, he seems relatively harmless.
“Nice to meet you, Chris. I’m Meredith.”
“I saw you at the meeting the other day. I’ve gotta say, I’m surprised to see you around after that. You workin’ up in the house now?”
“Started on Monday.”
We continue heading toward the row of vehicles beside the barn.
“What do you think so far?”
I squint one eye to study him. I don’t know how loyal Chris is to Jack, but something about his gentle manner makes me want to give him an honest answer.
“Let’s just say I’ve had an interesting start.”
“That bad, huh?” He chuckles and shakes his head. “He gets better, I promise. When I first started working here, I couldn’t even look him in the eye.”