This time, she looked him in the eyes rather than the ground.
She shrugged. “We just made something out of nothing. I want to work here, but I hope you all won’t keep avoiding me like the plague.”
“We just kind of thought you hated us.”
“I don’t hate you. I have no reason to.”
“Gabe said some things…”
“I know he didn’t mean anything he said. People make mistakes.”
Gabe hadn’t made a mistake. They all wanted to have a ménage relationship with Annalise, but it wasn’t worth losing her completely. Maybe she’d never be on board with their twisted desires or maybe it would just take time. He was willing to wait.
He ran a hand along his jawline, realizing he hadn’t bothered to shave the past few days. It was hard to give a shit when his emotions were all over the place. “You’ll really forgive us? Forgive me?”
“I’m helping you with the piglets, aren’t I?” Her smile was sweeter than sunshine.
“Right.” He pushed off from the barn wall and continued to the pigpen around back. “Okay. There they are. You get four and I’ll get four. Fair?”
“Sounds fair.”
****
Annalise felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She hated the silent treatment. It reminded her of life back home when she was younger. Everyone loved to pretend she didn’t exist. Or to ignore what was happening under their noses.
It was one of her triggers as an adult, so hearing Archie talk to her beyond the required pleasantries was refreshing and healing. This all started weeks ago because of a misunderstanding—or so they wanted her to believe. Gabe had said outright that they all wanted her, wanted to keep and share her between the three of them. It was too much to process and next to impossible for her to believe.
Being alone with Archie brought back her deep-seated feelings. His brilliant blue eyes stared down at her in the sunlight, and the scruff on his face made him even more masculine. Part of her wanted him to blurt out it was all true, to demand she agree to their foursome. But it felt like more a fantasy now that they were talking civilly again.
He opened the gate for her, quickly closing it behind her. She was already wearing her rubber boots.
“Sneak up behind them and grab them around the middle. They’re squirmy little things, so make sure you don’t let go once you get a grip,” he said.
Annalise liked pulling her weight around the ranch. They paid her well and gave her room and board, so she liked to do more than just cooking and cleaning when she could. How hard could it be to transfer a few cute, little piglets? And they were cute. In fact, all the animals at this end of the ranch were adorable.
She took measured steps, the muck suctioning around her boots, making it difficult to walk. Annalise wanted to appear capable and not a damsel in distress, but as soon as she lunged forward, her boots stayed rooted and she fell face-first into the mud.
Did Archie just laugh? She swore she heard it for a second.
She struggled to her knees and tried to push the muck off her arms, but she only made it worse.
“Need some help?” he asked.
Annalise answered through clenched teeth. “I’m fine.” She managed to get up with unexpected difficulty, then lifted her boot before going after the next piglet. She was already a mess, so what did it matter now?
Worse than the thick mud was the smell.
When she snagged the rear leg of a piglet, it began to squeal and struggle. She brought it close to her chest as not to drop it and calm it down. Even in her predicament, when she looked down at its little face, she couldn’t help but smile. It was so small and cute.
She hadn’t realized she’d zoned out while bonding with the little pig. Annalise turned in Archie’s direction. “I did it.”
“You certainly did.” He had one booted foot on the fence rail. No man should look that sexy in a pair of blue jeans and t-shirt. She knew for a fact all those muscles were hard-earned and not from a gym. “How about the rest?”
“I think you’ll be much faster than me. One is enough for today.” She was already in desperate need of a shower, and it was a long walk back to the house. Wrangling pigs was not her forte.
She passed the squirming piglet to Archie, and he placed it in a large crate in the back of the trailer. He vaulted over the top rail of the fence into the pen with ease and began snatching up piglets like it was his full-time job—she supposed it was. Archie was a seasoned cowboy, and she watched in awe as he finished up the job with barely any muck on his boots.
Once loaded in the crate, he brushed off his hands and turned to her.
“What just happened?” she asked.
He laughed. She noticed a cute dimple on his right cheek when he smiled, a mix of boyish charm and rugged masculinity. Was Gabe telling the truth, even a little bit, about the three of them being crazy about her? A flicker of hope burned inside of her.
“I have a few talents.”
She had no response because her mind was in the gutter. Annalise just stood there like a clueless, filthy beast.
“The other animals are much easier to handle, but you can’t be comfortable the way you are. Once that mud dries, you won’t even be able to crack a smile.”
She could only imagine what she looked like. “I guess I should head back and clean up.”
He frowned. “No need.” Archie beckoned her to follow him to the barn. He ducked into a stall and came out with a green hose. “We should get the worst of it off here.”
“Okay.” It sounded more like a question because she wasn’t crazy about the idea of being hosed off with cold water.
“Close your eyes. You’ve got a second skin.”
She did as told, using her hands to cup over her eyes. The first blast of cold water made her gasp, but it wasn’t as bad as she expected as the heat outside was brutal. It was almost refreshing and very nice to feel the gross mud wash off.
Archie was thorough, moving around her, soaking her clothes right through. She began to feel self-conscious, realizing her clothes would be clinging to her explosive curves. Would he be able to see clear through her blouse?
When the water stopped, she opened her eyes, running her hands through her wet hair to get it off her face. “This wasn’t how I planned my morning when I came out here with your lunch bag.”
“That’s what makes life fun, isn’t it? The unexpected. The crazy memories.” He was standing close to her, within an arm’s length.
“I’ll definitely remember today for the rest of my life.”
He closed the short distance between them, reaching out to adjust the collar of her shirt. When she glanced down, her blouse was completely transparent and practically glued to her body. Even her satin bra was soaked, showing her dark areolas and hard nipples.
Her face heated with embarrassment. Her cheeks were likely redder than her hair.
When he didn’t move his hand, his fingers caressing her neck, she looked up to make eye contact with him. There was no more humor in his eyes, only need, desire. Her pussy instantly clenched, moisture flooding her already wet panties.
She was thirty years old, but this was the first time she’d been in this position. The range of emotions coming alive inside her confused her, but she undoubtedly wanted Archie. Should she resist? She didn’t want to refuse him anything right now.