Rhett grins. “That was certainly a unique entrance.”
My cheeks burn. “Awkward is my middle name.”
His grin gets bigger. “I’m Rhett.”
He extends a hand.
I shove my tiny hand out. “I’m Lei.”
His hand is big and wraps around mine. God damn, I don’t think I’ve ever touched something so perfect and yet so rugged in my life.
“Good to meet you, Lei Awkward.”
I laugh, but it sounds more like a hyena on crack than it does an elegant woman. I slam my mouth closed. My nervous laugh is horrific, and I can guarantee the poor guy is probably wondering what the hell he’s gotten into. He releases my hand and steps back as everyone else climbs off the bus. The sly grin on his face can’t be missed.
“Hey everyone,” Rhett says, when they all gather around, eyes wide as they take in all that he is. “Welcome to Walker Hills. You’re the very first out here, and we’re hopin’ to give you an extra special good time.”
Eeek.
Shit.
I adjust my top, pulling it down. It rode up when I fell. I suddenly feel very self-conscious around a man that looks like him, and we haven’t even met the other ones yet. They’re all watching from the deck, looking like perfect wax statues, they’re moving that little. It’s like they’re posed to be intimidating and perfect, because that’s exactly what they look like right now.
I wonder what they’re thinking of us.
We’re all on the nerdy side. None of us are stunningly good looking, we’re not out here flaunting bikinis just so we can get our hands on these guys. I’m certain they’ve had many groups of women trying to book in, purely to spend a month staring at them. Yet they chose us to be their first group, and I’m still uncertain why.
I’m petite—at least, that’s the word I prefer to use. I’m tiny. I’m barely five foot and that’s stretching. I’m a little curvier than I’d like, and my tummy jiggles a little too much. I wear glasses, the cutest pair I could find, and my hair is long, sandy brown, and thick. I usually keep it tied up because it’s too hard to control otherwise. I have freckles on my nose, and my skin isn’t that perfect porcelain all the beautiful girls have. My eyes are the color of murky pond water, and although I’d say I’m pretty enough, I’m certainly not the kind of girl these men would ever take a second glance at.
No.
But I’m okay with who I am.
“We’ll show you to your cabins, get you settled in, and then I’ll introduce you to everyone and go over how this will all work. Don’t be shy to ask for anythin’ you want or need, that’s what we’re here for.”
I swallow and give Rhett an awkward smile, because he’s grinning at me and I’m not sure why. He’s probably trying to hold back a laugh after he heard the sounds I made earlier. Or the fact that I fell out of the bus. Or the fact that I hit my head. All within five minutes of meeting him. I can only imagine how the conversation with his friends is going to go when we leave.
I shift uncomfortably.
“Lei, I’ll take you for a tour around before you settle in. Discuss what you want out of your time here.”
“Me?” I squeak, pointing to myself.
“You’re Lei, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
He’s so intense. His eyes don’t even waver as they scan over me.
“Are you sure?”
God. Shut up, Lei.
He grins. “Oh, I’m sure.”
Sweet mother of mercy.
Someone help.
“HAVE YOU BEEN ON A ranch before?” Rhett asks as we walk around the grand old house, a place that makes me feel so warm inside, I’m almost certain I could live here forever and just be completely content.
“No,” I tell him. “I’m not really much of a country girl. I don’t even think I’ve been on a horse. I did go on a pony ride once.”
Oh lord, Lei, shut the hell up.
A pony ride?
Probably when I was four.
He doesn’t want to know that.
He chuckles. “Good to know. Can’t say I’ve got any ponies around here, but I’m sure we’ll manage.”
My cheeks burn.
“Oh, wonderful,” I squeak.
“You’re in the main cabin, closest to the house. I’ll debrief with you daily, get an idea on what you want to do for the day. We’ve got a range of options, but bein’ that we’re starting out, things might not run as effortlessly as you’d hope. So, we’re just goin’ to do the best we can.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great, we’re just happy to have a break,” I say.
“I’ll show you the barn.”
He leads me out of the house and toward the massive barn. As soon as we walk in, the smell of horses and hay makes me smile. I don’t have a lot to do with the country life, but oh my, could I live it so effortlessly. I walk up to the stall where a beautiful black horse is poking its head over the railing.
“Don’t let him fool you, Diablo is a fuckin’ monster and will take your hand off with one bite.”
I was mid-way through stretching my hand out toward the beautiful horse, but quickly pull it back in. “He’s so beautiful, though.”
“Beauty is a lie, sweetheart, it’s just a skin over the ugliest parts of us.”
I blink.
Would it be bad if I pulled my notebook out and wrote that down? Because that, that right there, that’s the kind of thing I want in my book.
I make a mental note to write it down later.
“Why is he so mean?”
Rhett stops, and looks at the black horse, giving it a squinty eyed look. “Because he’s a fuckin’ dick, that’s why. Born that way, die that way.”
“There must be a reason,” I say, looking at the horse who nickers at me, encouraging me over, like evil demon spawn, trying to trick me with his beauty so he can snap me right up as soon as I give in.
He’s smart.
I like that about him.
I’ll win him over. Just you wait and see.
“Had him since he was born, not a single bad thing has happened to him, he came out fightin’ and he’ll go down fightin’. Best horse I’ve had, though. Knows how to work and knows the land.”
“He’s calling me over,” I murmur, so wanting to go and see him. “He doesn’t look like he’s going to take my hand off, he looks like he just wants a nice pat.”
That could be how he rolls, though. Clever.
“That’s his trick. Many a stable hand has come out bloody because of that very fuckin’ trick.”
Right.
Well, the stable hand should have been smarter about it. You have to outsmart evil with love and compassion, so much that they just don’t know what has hit them and finally give in just to make you stop. I’ve tried it on a few men before, I can’t say it was very successful, but you know...this is a horse we’re talking about.
“We’ll be friends, Diablo. Just you wait,” I say to him.
He stomps his hoof angrily, baring his teeth.
I snort and turn, glancing at Rhett.
“What?”