Had I been flirting with Liz? I’d known her since we were kids. Her family was as local to this valley as mine. She was my friend. We’d shared a fumbling kiss sometime during middle school, but besides that, our relationship had always been platonic.
Liz touched my arm a lot, and she always hung out near my end of the bar when I was in, but did she have feelings for me?
No. No way. Liz didn’t act anything like a woman who wanted me in her bed. She was a friend. Nothing more.
Gemma was the only woman who’d be tangled in my sheets.
She put on such a strong façade. She was fearless and wild. But beneath it all, she was scared. Of me. Of her future. She hid her fears well, but last night, I’d been given a glimpse. Would she run from those fears? Or would she stay here and face them?
Would she let me in?
Rory appeared in the door’s window and I waved him inside. He shrugged off the Carhartt coat he’d been wearing and hung it on the hook beside my own.
“Thanks for coming in today,” I said.
“No problem. I like the hours.”
I steepled my fingers in front of my chin and took a long look at the boy. Though he wasn’t really a boy anymore. Maybe because I’d seen him grow up, I still saw him as the kid who’d chased Mom’s border collie, Max, around the yard. But Rory stood nearly as tall as me at six three and if he kept working like he did, he’d fill out his lanky frame.
“I’m giving you a raise.”
His jaw dropped. “You are?”
“An extra two dollars an hour.” There was no need to wait on his raise. He’d earned it. And it was time to give him more responsibilities too. “I want you to start shadowing Cash in the afternoons when he’s not on a ride. You’re a natural with horses but I want you to get more experience with breaking the younger animals.”
If this new horse facility worked out, Rory would be a good asset for Cash. It would suck to lose him here, but I wasn’t going to cost the kid an opportunity at a better job because hiring stable hands was a pain in my ass.
“Okay.” A grin stretched across his face. “You got it.”
“Good. Focus on the stables this morning. Then I’d like you to take Oreo out for a long ride. Work him hard. Cash said he was a real shit the other day for one of the guests. Maybe he just needs to burn some energy and get a reminder about who’s in charge.”
“Will do.” Rory stood from the chair and grabbed his coat but paused as he opened the door. “Thanks, Easton. I sure do appreciate the raise. And the opportunity.”
“You’ve earned it.”
He nodded, closing the door behind him and leaving me to my emails. There wasn’t much for me to do on a regular basis in the office. Thankfully, our bookkeeper made sure the bills and employees were paid. It allowed me to be out where I needed to be, on the land with the animals and with the staff.
But there were days when desk work was unavoidable. The schedule needed to be drafted for next month so I could send it to Katherine. We’d have a three-hour meeting to pair my staff with her resort activities and guest needs. Then I’d fill in gaps to make sure all the ranch work was covered.
I rolled up my sleeves and dove in, putting in the couple of hours necessary to work it through, while I ate a few granola bars I kept stashed in my desk. After the schedule was penciled into the calendar, I fired up my computer and scrolled through the emails I’d been ignoring for the last week.
Most were deleted and I’d almost cleared through everything when the ding of an incoming message filled the room.
It was an email from my Realtor and I clicked it immediately to read the message.
“Yes.” I fist-pumped and double-clicked the attachment. It was the same moment my phone rang. “Hey,” I answered. “I just opened your email.”
“Good,” she said. “I wanted to call and make sure it came through and you didn’t have any questions on the buy-sell.”
“Seems straightforward.” The sellers had accepted my offer with a few reasonable contingencies. Which meant it was time to tell my family what I’d been doing and hope they didn’t freak the hell out that I’d done it behind their backs. “I’ll get it signed today and sent back.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Easton. And congratulations.”
“Thanks.” I hung up and read the agreement in detail.
The door to my office opened and I glanced up, expecting Rory.
But it was Gemma leaning against the frame. “So this is where you’re hiding?”
I frowned. “Where is your coat?”
“This is my coat.” She gestured to the black leather jacket she’d worn to my house. It wasn’t thick enough or warm enough for the weather.
“Here.” I stood up and took a flannel off the hooks. It would be too big for her, but at least it would add another layer of warmth.
“Is this your way of telling me to get out?” She arched an eyebrow as I handed her the flannel.
“No.” My head was still a mess when it came to her and work hadn’t helped, but I wouldn’t chase her away. She looked too beautiful, her cheeks rosy from the chill outside, and her lips a darker shade of natural pink from my kisses last night.
She came into the office, closing the door behind her and took the chair opposite my desk. “You left without waking me this morning.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I owe you another apology for last night. I unloaded a lot on you and I’m sorry. I hate that you saw me cry.”
This woman. She pretended to have it all together. Except no one did. When would she realize she didn’t need to pretend for me?
“It’s fine, Gemma.”
“It’s really not. I apologize for the drama.” She folded her hands in her lap, keeping her expression neutral and her posture poised. Her hair was styled, curled in loose waves that fell over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were lined with black and shaded with a soft glimmer.
She looked gorgeous this morning. Chic.
Guarded.
Goddamn it. She really was driving me fucking insane. I shook my head, annoyed and frustrated. “Don’t. Just . . . stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop apologizing,” I barked. “I don’t want a fucking apology.”
“Never mind.” She held up her hands and stood from the chair, leaving the flannel draped over the arm. “I’ll let you get back to work. Clearly, I’m bothering you.”
She was two steps out the door when I shot out of my chair and chased her down.
“Oh no, you don’t.” I gripped her elbow and spun her to face me. “You don’t get to run away from me.”
“You just snapped at me.” She threw an arm toward the office. “I’m not running away. I’m letting you cool off.”
“Well, I don’t want to cool off. I don’t give a damn about the drama. For once, it was nice to see you. The real you without all of”—I flung my wrist, motioning up and down her body—“this.”
“Clothes? Pretty sure you saw me without all my clothes last night.”
“No.” I frowned. “With the armor.”