“We use it for holiday celebrations. It’s beautiful at Christmas time. But getting all my siblings and parents together is hard as we are all scattered over the place.”
“Where do your parents live then?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
“At the moment, they are spending their time in Europe. They might spend Christmas in LA this year with my brother and his partner.”
“I’m guessing your parents are rich?” Only rich people say they are summering in Europe. Why the hell does this not surprise me? Rich girls always have made-up jobs like accountability coach, Pilates instructor, influencer, you name it.
“He’s done well for himself. My dad owned a tech company. He’s retired now after selling it,” Everly explains.
Bingo.
And there it is, she’s loaded.
Why would Christian and Vanessa think she would be the right person to help us? She’s a rich daddy’s girl with no life experience.
“You grew up here, not in the city?”
“Yep, I love it here. The fresh air. The solitude. My horses.”
A country girl. How is she surviving in LA? “Horses?”
“Yep. Was Miss Rodeo twice,” she says proudly.
Guess she knows how to use ropes then? Where the hell did that thought come from? It needs to back the fuck up.
“Rodeos?”
“Barrel Racing State Champion … you’re looking at.”
“Why did you stop if you were so good?” I question.
“I stopped because …” she starts to explain, and then her face changes as if she caught herself about to tell me something she shouldn’t, and then she thinks better of it. A slight tension in her shoulders is clear. “It’s just family stuff.”
The mood in the Jeep falls awkward as I’ve obviously hit a nerve.
“I’ve never been horseback riding,” I confess, trying to turn the conversation around.
“Never?”
“None of our foster homes were fancy.”
“Guess you guys are in for a treat then because I know some of the best cowboys in town, and I think they would love to show some city slickers how to ride,” she says, giving me a wide smile.
I have a feeling payback is about to happen.
“Zeke and Eli seemed keen when I mentioned it to them earlier.”
Of course, they were. “When a pretty girl asks them to jump, they ask how damn high,” I say, which pulls a frown across her face.
“Never know, you could have an inner cowboy deep down inside you.”
“I doubt it.”
The Jeep drives up the long driveway before pulling up to the front door, where I see Zeke and Eli looking freshly showered and relaxed with big smiles on their faces.
Assholes.
Everly pulls to a stop, and Zeke opens her door for her. He offers his hand, which she takes, giving him a giggle.
That didn’t take him long to change her mind about him. Guess that speech earlier about being misogynist was just that, a well-rehearsed speech with no substance. I roll my eyes. She’s just like all the other women who work for us. Tonight she’ll be on her knees for Zeke. They all do eventually.
Eli comes around and opens my door. “Glad to see you’re alive.”
“She’s fucking crazy,” I tell him.
Eli’s eyes narrow. “No, she’s not. Everly’s great. You brought this on yourself.”
My jaw falls open at his comment. “A couple of hours, and you’re already changing to get a go at some pussy. Where’s your loyalty, man?” I hiss at him.
“Fuck you, Hendrix,” Eli spits before turning on his heel.
No, fuck him.
Fuck them.
They are always fucking up, and now they look at me like I’m the problem. If they want to suck up to cowgirl Barbie then fine.
“Did you enjoy your walk?” Zeke smirks as I walk around the car.
“I did actually.” I am not giving him the satisfaction of knowing how much it killed me to be left alone.
“You look like shit,” Zeke adds. “And you fucking stink.” Scrunching up his nose at me makes Everly laugh.
“You can freshen up upstairs. Your room is the last on the left. Your bags are already there,” Everly informs me.
I give them a salute and jog up the front steps, which are made of wood and stone. The cabin, if that’s what you call it, is your traditional log cabin just supersized.
Walking in the front entry, I stop and take in my surroundings. The sheer size of the home is overwhelming.
There is a large living room that looks out over the valley and the lake below via floor-to-ceiling windows. A stone fireplace sits on one side, and the dining room with the world’s biggest wooden table on the other. It looks like it sits twenty-plus. Behind that is the kitchen with its granite bench tops, oversized refrigerator, and a huge oven and cooktop.
“Just up the stairs.” Everly’s voice catches me off-guard, making me jump.
I nod and head on through the corridor to where the wooden stairs are located. Large stuffed grizzly bears and deer line the walls, which gives me the creeps. I leap up the stairs two at a time and turn right down the corridor, where there are rows of doors that must lead to bedrooms.
Moments later, I make it to my room at the farthest end of the house.
Farthest away from Everly, which is probably exactly where Zeke and Eli want me.
Whatever! They can have her.
She’s not my type anyway.
Liar.
Was my type, but after spending that car ride with her, there is no way in hell she is my type. Opening the door to my bedroom, I’m taken aback by the sheer size. It’s bigger than some of the houses I used to live in. The bed’s made from logs. There are floor-to-ceiling windows, and again it looks out over the lake and wilderness. There’s a balcony too. Opening the door, I step out into the mountain air, where there are a couple of chairs and a small table. I sit and take in the serenity. Closing my eyes, all I can hear are the sounds of birds and the rustle of the grass when the wind blows through it, which now sounds more relaxing than earlier when I was stranded. The tension in my shoulders releases, and my muscles relax with each deep inhale of the fresh air.
Then I smell something on the breeze, which has my lip curling up in disgust, and I realize it’s me. So I head on into the bathroom, where I see a luxurious spa bath that faces a large framed glass window that overlooks the mountains. Baths are not my thing, but after today, I deserve one, but then my stomach growls. Yeah, food is more important than a bath, so a shower it is. I quickly undress, step into the shower, and let the hot water rush over my aching muscles.
After one of the most satisfying showers of my life, I step out feeling new, cleansed, and almost reborn. I can probably deal with Everly’s smart mouth a little better than I have been. I grab the towel and use it to dry my hair as I walk out into the bedroom to grab a clean pair of clothes.
“Shit.” Everly squeals.
I lift my head to look at where she’s standing.
Her green eyes are wide in surprise as she stares at my naked form in all its glory right in front of her.
“I …” She stumbles over her words as her eyes travel over my body, making my dick twitch to life.
No. Easy, boy. She is not the one for us.