Arrogant Devil(26)

All heads spin to me as if they’ve been waiting for the answer to that question all day. A few of them rub their necks from whiplash.

I answer swiftly, tacking on my most gruff tone, the one that makes them pee their pants. “She is nobody’s goddamn business. Show her some respect and get back to work.”

I catch Chris smiling, seemingly happy with me for sticking up for her. What the hell is wrong with him?

I get my answer when he and David catch up to me as I’m walking back toward the farmhouse.

“Hey boss, is there any lumber we could use to fix up that shack you’ve tucked Miss Meredith away in? I figure we could patch up the floor pretty quick, shouldn’t take longer than a day or two.”

“First of all, why are you calling her Miss Meredith like she’s your mommy’s friend? Second, what are you talking about?”

They exchange a glance like, here we go again, and then David speaks up. “Which part are you confused about? The lumber or the—”

“Who said anything about fixing up the shack?”

Chris’ eyes go wide. “Haven’t you been inside there lately? There are gaps in the floorboards this far apart.” He stretches his arms out as wide as they’ll go. It’s an exaggeration…I think. “A snake could crawl in sideways.”

David nods. “Not to mention, it’s about to get hot as hell. Once we fix the floors, we could drop in a window unit from the hardware store. They’re pretty cheap these days—”

I hold up my hand so they’ll both shut their yaps. “Why do you two care? You don’t even know her.”

Chris frowns, clearly offended. “We met her yesterday.”

“Oh yeah? Now y’all are buddies?”

He shrugs. “I gave her directions to the grocery store.”

“And now she has y’all running around working for her?”

He stops walking and props his hands on his hips. David follows suit. “Oh no, she didn’t ask—just seems like the right thing to do. You know she made us muffins this morning, brought ’em out to all the guys, still warm from the oven, just like Gammy used to make.”

What is going on? When did all my ranch hands go soft? And why didn’t I get any of these muffins?

“So what do you think?” Chris asks, his eyes comically large and brimming with hope.

“We’ll do it on our own time if that’s the problem,” David adds.

“I’ll think about it.”

They beam, and I leave them there like two little love-struck schoolboys.

Meredith is sitting on the porch steps, soaking up the sun and watching me approach. When I get within earshot, she holds up her hands. “Before you accuse me of slacking on the job, I’m taking my fifteen-minute break. I asked around and all the guys said we’re allowed two a day.”

I tip my head down to hide my amusement. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Oh sure.”

I reach the stairs and crouch down to pet Alfred, who’s lounging on the grass there. “I’m surprised you’re sitting so close to him.”

“It’s intentional. I’m trying immersion therapy.”

I peer up at her and squint to keep the sun out of my eyes.

“How’s that working out for you?”

She shrugs and scoots a smidge away from him, trying to play it off like she was just readjusting her seat. “It’s not so bad now that his attention is on you.”

I make a point to scratch his belly so he’ll roll onto his back. His tongue lolls out of the side of his mouth and his hind leg starts to kick the air.

“Well now you’re just showing off,” she says in a clipped tone.

“I promise you, he’s a lover, not a fighter.”

“That’s odd.”

“Why?”

“Well, they say pets are a reflection of their owners, but I guess there must be some exceptions.”

I turn to see her lean back on the stairs, a coy smile hinting that she was teasing, not trying to land a punch. I should push to stand and get back to work, but I’m stuck focusing on the sprinkling of freckles across the brim her nose. Were they there when she first showed up?

“The guys said you brought them muffins this morning.”

She tips her head to the side and her smile fades. “If I say I did, will I get in trouble?”

“Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know, you sounded kind of annoyed just then.”

I frown. “I think that’s just my default tone.”

She laughs at that—a rich, warm laugh that stops me in my tracks. My gaze hitches on the deep dimple dotting the left side of her smile. When she notices me staring, she clears her throat and motions back to the house.

“I saved one for you, though it wasn’t easy—Edith already sniffed out the two I hid behind the breadbox.” I don’t think she can tell how shocked I am by the gesture because she continues nonchalantly. “I could bring it up to your office with some coffee.”

“I thought you were resisting the notion of waiting on me hand and foot?”

She looks away, eyes narrowing. “If you don’t want it, just say so.”

That hurt expression twists my insides, and my first instinct is to fall to my knees and beg for that damn muffin, but I catch myself. What the hell am I doing, standing here and chatting? I shouldn’t be warming up to Meredith. I shouldn’t be letting my guard down with her at all. She’s a heartbreaker. She’s spoiled and flighty. If Helen is to be believed, she left her husband to teach him some kind of bratty lesson. I’d be wise to keep my distance, even if that means hurting her feelings to do it.