“Get that cleaned up, then head to the kitchen for breakfast.” I didn’t mean for my tone to come out so gruff, but I didn’t like seeing the way she looked up at Jessie like he was her knight in fucking armor. Especially when I knew she’d never look at me like that.
“Yes, sir, boss-man, sir.” Jessie lifted his hand to his forehead in a mock salute. Then he and Whitley shared another smile.
My gut pinched while heat raced across my cheeks. I didn’t want to stand there and witness my ranch hand make a play for the wannabe cowgirl, so I turned on my heel and headed toward the kitchen attached to the bunkhouse.
Brownie had a huge platter of flapjacks on the counter, along with sausage, bacon, and some of his famous home fries. I fixed a plate and joined the other guys at the table. Having breakfast together gave me a chance to go over the schedule for the day. Also gave me a chance to check in on the guys every morning to see who was nursing a hangover or who might have stayed out way too late the night before.
We all grunted acknowledgment to each other. Filling our bellies came first. Conversation could wait.
The door to the kitchen opened, and a woman’s laughter crowded out the silence. Four pairs of eyes turned to find Whitley. Jessie held the door open for her, and I could have sworn he leaned in as she passed, so his hip brushed hers. Dammit. Having a woman around changed things. The guys were going to fall all over themselves trying to impress her.
“Who’s this?” Daniel asked.
“This is Whitley,” I said. “Whitley Silverstone.”
“As in Flint Silverstone’s…” Daniel’s voice trailed off as he connected the dots on his own.
“Daughter.” I said the word with enough emphasis that they’d have to be complete and utter idiots to not pick up on the underlying meaning.
“Oh.” Daniel focused his attention back on his meal.
“It’s nice to meet y’all.” Whitley lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers in a slight wave. The color painted on her fingernails matched the color of her lips. Looked like a soft, cotton candy pink. Before I could catch myself, I wondered if her lips would taste as sweet as they looked.
“Want me to fix you a plate?” Jessie didn’t seem put off by my revelation that the woman in my kitchen was my new business partner’s daughter. Looked like a private chat was in order. I couldn’t afford to have him getting any ideas about Whitley.
“Oh.” She glanced over at the spread Brownie had set out on the kitchen island. “That’s okay. I’m gluten free.”
“Why?” I asked.
Her cheeks pinked slightly—a few shades darker than her lips—then she glanced down at her feet. “It causes a lot of inflammation.”
“I can make you some scrambled eggs instead.” Brownie was an ex-Marine who’d spent years cooking in the military. I’d never once seen him offer to make any dietary accommodations. He’d always operated by the motto of what you see is what you get.
Whitley turned her gorgeous green eyes his way. “If you’re sure it’s not any trouble.”
“No trouble at all.” He reached for a pan with one hand, then pulled open the fridge to grab the eggs.
Great. Now she had my crew, including my cook, under her spell. The sooner I could get rid of her, the better off we’d all be. I pushed back from the table and stood.
“We’re bucking some new bulls this morning. Meet me down at the ring when you’re done with breakfast.” I scraped the few remaining bites from my plate into the garbage, then set it in the sink. Maybe once she’d strapped a ten-pound dummy onto the backs of the dozens of bulls, she’d be ready to head home to daddy. I wouldn’t risk Flint’s wrath by turning her away, but if she quit on her own, he couldn’t blame me for that.
The guys nodded in acknowledgment.
Figuring it was settled, I had to walk away before I said or did something I’d regret.
6
WHITLEY
I’d been workingside by side with Chase’s ranch hands for the past two days, and I loved it. I adored being around the animals. Couldn’t get enough of watching the stoic cowboys do their jobs with a quiet confidence I found so appealing. Just like the horses and bulls I’d met, all the ranch hands had different personalities. Jessie was a flirt. Daniel was cautious, but curious. And Will had such unbridled enthusiasm for everything. He made me feel like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know exactly what was going on, but was just happy to be there.
The only one I hadn’t been able to figure out yet was Chase. While the other guys were more than happy to answer my questions or lend a helping hand, Chase kept his distance. He had walls in place, and there didn’t appear to be any cracks in his exterior.
“Are you ready to meet some of the bulls up close?” Chase stopped by where I’d been filling water buckets. My heart bounced around in my chest. The bulls were the reason my dad had invested in the ranch. I couldn’t wait to find out what Chase’s plans were.
“Yes. That would be great.” I’d watched them work with the younger bulls over the past two days, but hadn’t had a chance to meet the rodeo bulls they hauled to events around the country. I turned off the hose and followed him to the other barn, where he kept the bulls in metal enclosures.
“We want to get them used to what they’d experience being on the road. That’s why we keep them in the same type of stalls they’d be in behind the scenes of a rodeo,” Chase explained.