“Well, la-de-da. Who died and made you king of the house?”
“Look, don’t be an ass. Magda is a nice girl. She’s had a hard life. The last thing she needs is an ape like you being your usual jerk-off self. We need a housekeeper. We’ve got one. Don’t run her off.”
“And what if she makes the first move?” Darren looked at his brother and pumped his eyebrows. “I mean, what if I find her in my bed? I’m just supposed to kick her out?”
Reno gritted his teeth so hard he was surprised he didn’t crack a tooth. His right hand curled into a fist and it was all he could do to keep from punching Darren’s nose. “First, you won’t find her in your bed. And second, well, there is no second. She just won’t be there.”
His brother scoffed. “Since when are you an expert on Magda Hobbs?”
There was no way Reno would tell Darren about how well he actually knew Magda, and he did know her well.
He knew about the Celtic tattoo for strength she had high on her inner right thigh. That the rose tattoo on her left wrist was for her mother and the bull on her right wrist was for Zeb. He loved the angel wings tattoo that covered her entire back and knew it represented her belief in a guardian angel.
He knew that Magda loved to have her breasts sucked.
He knew that running his tongue around the rim of Magda’s ear made goose bumps jump up on her arms.
And he knew about her fear of rejection. She would always be the first one to leave, be it a relationship or a party. If she was the one to walk away then she couldn’t be rejected, right?
“I know her better than you do,” Reno said. “We got to know each other this summer. As friends,” he added. “Nothing more, so leave her the hell alone when she’s in our house.”
“Touchy, touchy. Fine. I’d rather have a housekeeper than a bed partner anyway. A good housekeeper is so much harder to find.”
Reno shook his head. One of these days, some woman was going to come along and clip his brother’s wings, bring him to his knees. And Reno couldn’t wait to see Darren fall.
Magda was scheduled to move in and start to work on December twenty-seventh. She’d wanted to stay with her father through Christmas since he’d been released from the hospital.
Reno made Darren help him clean the house so she wouldn’t go running back out and leave. Reno spent a little extra time in the small bedroom with its attached bath downstairs that they’d designated for her. He wasn’t picky when it came to his own comfort, but the last thing he wanted was for her bathroom to be moldy or nasty.
He didn’t have any expectations that Magda would be interested in taking up where they’d left off this summer. If she was, she wouldn’t have stomped on his heart with her Doc Martens and left.
And, yes, there was a small sliver of resentment about how she’d walked away without a goodbye, an it’s been fun or anything. But he swore he wouldn’t let her know that she’d hurt him and he wouldn’t do anything to get back at her. He just hoped he could keep that promise.
There was more than a little nervousness about her taking up residence in his life twenty-four-seven. But once his mother, with all good intentions, had hired Magda, what could he say? “No, thanks. We don’t need a housekeeper.” He knew, and his mother knew, that was bullshit.
He collapsed into a living room chair at close to ten p.m. on the evening before Magda was to arrive. Darren sat on the sofa, his legs stretched out on the coffee table.
“Damn, I’m beat,” Reno said.
“I’m not surprised. If you’d cleaned the house like this before now, we wouldn’t need a housekeeper.”
“Don’t even think that I might be interested in doing this on a fulltime basis.”
Darren laughed. “I know exactly what you mean. But it will be nice to have clean clothes again, won’t it?”
“And dinner that doesn’t come from a can.”
Both men sighed and settled back to watch a little late-night television.
By six the next morning, Reno and Darren were out of the house and in the field repairing a fence that’d taken on a huge tree limb during the ice storm last week and lost. There’d been no cattle in the pasture, so they’d been in no hurry to fix it. However, Reno had pushed Darren into getting on it today, mostly so Reno didn’t have to face Magda just yet.
They’d left a note on the front door for Magda and the door unlocked. No one in their right mind would come all the way to their house to rob it. It was too far out and there was absolutely nothing of value in there.
About ten o’clock, as he was pulling the wire tight on the fence, a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle roared past them and up their drive.
“Think that’s her?” Darren asked.
“Yep. That’s her bike.”
“Sweet. I’d love to take her for a ride.”
Reno glared at him.
“I mean the bike, not the lady,” Darren clarified. “Man, you’re touchy.”
While Reno privately agreed with his brother, no way was he saying that aloud. “Ah, well, I hear she’s pretty particular about who she lets ride her Fat Boy.”
“So many jokes I could make, but seeing as you’ve got a stick up your butt about our new housekeeper, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Probably for the best.”
At about noon, Reno’s cell phone trilled and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Hello?”
“Reno? This is Magda. Magda Hobbs.”
The sound of her voice made his heart leap, pushing all the air from his lungs. As though there could be more than one Magda. As if he didn’t hear her voice every night in his dreams.
He drew in some air to calm his racing heart. It didn’t work. “Hi. I guess you got in the house without a problem.” Man, he hated how breathless and excited he sounded. He was a much better poker player than this.
“I did. I wondered if you guys were coming back to the house for lunch today.”
Reno looked at Darren. “You want to head back for lunch?”
Darren nodded.
“Yeah, that’d be great.” He wondered how he would ever swallow around the boulder that had lodged in his throat the minute he’d heard her say his name.
“Okay,” she said with a slight hesitation in her voice. “I’ll see what I can find, but your cabinets are a little bare.”
Reno forced a chuckle, a little embarrassed that she’d found their cabinets basically empty. “Noticed that, did you? Honestly, we just haven’t had time to get to the store. You may have noticed on your way over that we kind of live in the middle of nowhere.”
“I noticed. I’ll have lunch ready in about thirty minutes.”
Reno slipped his phone back in his pocket. “Thirty minutes.” Great. That gave him a whole half an hour to get his shit together.
Thirty minutes later, Reno parked the work truck at the back door and Darren hopped out. From the truck, Reno watched as Darren opened the door, took one step inside and stopped. He backed out, toed off his boots and reentered.
Not wanting to make the same mistake, Reno left his boots on the back porch and walked in. He was greeted by the aroma of grilled ham and…he sniffed again…toast?
“Hello, Reno,” Magda said. “I have grilled cheese and ham sandwiches and tomato soup. Best I could do with what you guys had in the cabinets.”
“Sounds wonderful. Thanks.”
“Water? Coke? Tea?” Magda asked.
“I’ll get it,” he replied, heading for the refrigerator to grab a cold water.
Darren was already at the table, his sandwich half-gone. He took another bite and moaned. “So good.”
Reno sat and Magda set a bowl of soup and a sandwich in front of him. “Thanks.”
She joined the guys at the table. “I want us to get off to the right start,” she said, leaning forward and placing her arms on the t
able. “I wouldn’t have sought out this job. We are all really too close in age for me to feel one-hundred percent comfortable in the situation. However, I needed a job and your parents made me a very generous offer that I’d have been a fool to turn down. But…” She paused and waited until she could meet both their gazes before she continued. “But I want this to work out, which means there will be no kissing or touching or trapping me in the corner. No inappropriate comments. No sexual suggestions. I cook, clean and do laundry for you, but that’s it. I’m not here to share a bed or catch a husband. Have I made myself clear?”
Reno swallowed the bite of sandwich he’d been chewing. “Clear. And I completely agree. Darren?” He looked over at his brother.
“Got it. Damn, Magda, you’re one straight-shooting talker.”
She leaned back in the chair. “Yep, I am. Another thing is that I expect you two not to make my job even more difficult by being total slobs. That means leave your mud, manure and blood-coated boots outside. If I find them in the house, you’ll find them outside in a tree where they’ll land when I toss them out the door. Understood?”
Both men nodded, and Reno suppressed a smile. Darren had no idea that Magda was serious, nor how their lives were going to change.
That evening, Magda had dinner ready when they got home. She also had a list of supplies and food stock that she needed to get for the house. As at lunch, Magda joined them at the kitchen table to talk about her list and how they wanted to cover expenses. Reno noticed that while she would sit with them at the table, she’d yet to eat with them.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Reno asked around a bite of roast.
“I’ve eaten,” Magda said. “Thank you. Now about this list…”
Reno pulled his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out a credit card and pushed it across the table toward her. “Charge them.”
She eyed the card as though he were handing her a lit stick of dynamite. “Um, don’t you think the merchants might figure out that I’m not Reno Montgomery?”
Darren chuckled. “Damn straight. He’s ugly as a rock. You, on the other hand, are as beautiful as—”
He didn’t get to finish his statement. Magda slapped the back of his head.
“Ouch. What’d you do that for?” Darren rubbed his head.
“I told you today. No inappropriate comments.”
Reno jerked his glass of iced tea to his mouth to keep from laughing.
“That wasn’t inappropriate. I was just going to say—” He ducked his head to the side as Magda lifted her hand. “Never mind. I wasn’t going to say anything.”
She smiled and placed her hand in her lap. “Now, as I was saying, we need a way for me to pay for necessary supplies while I’m here.”
Reno swallowed more tea and then said, “I’ll call the bank tonight. They have a twenty-four-hour helpline. I’ll just add you to my card. If there is any problem, we can get together cash until we can get a card for you to use. I’d rather use credit so we can track the expenses, not that I’m saying you would take the cash and run, I mean, I’m not and… Why are you laughing?”
Magda’s laughter filled the room. To him, the sound was rain falling in a parched field. Refreshing. Revitalizing. But mostly, life affirming. He hadn’t realized how much hearing her laughter would hug his heart.
“You,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “You backpedaling from saying I might steal all one hundred of your dollars.”
“You ought to slap him on the head,” Darren suggested.
“You stay out of this,” Reno growled. “I didn’t say that I think you’d steal cash.”
She smiled. “We’ll get me a credit card. That’ll take care of the issue.” She stood. “I’ll let you guys finish dinner. I’m going to walk outside and call Zeb to check on him.”
The screen door snapped shut behind Magda as she left.
“Well,” Darren said, setting his fork down. “She’s a little intense, isn’t she? Or is it just me?”
Reno smiled. “Intense lady. Really, she’s quite nice once you can get through the hard outer shell.”
“Like an M&M?”
Reno laughed. “Yeah, but don’t let her hear you call her an M&M, not if you value the back of your head.”
“I don’t get it. How come you know her and I don’t?”
“I’ve spent more time at Kicking Bull Ranch than you. Remember before we bought this place I came out for a couple of weeks to do some research before you arrived?”
“Yeah. I remember.”
“I’d planned to stay with KC, but I spent so much time going back and forth between the Landry ranch and Travis’s ranch talking to the guys that Olivia told me it would make more sense for me to stay out there than drive back into town every day to stay with KC. So that’s what I did. Magda worked for Mitch and Olivia then, so I got to know her.” He produced what he hoped looked like a careless shrug. “End of story. But I do know that she did a fabulous job for them, and we’re lucky as hell to have her, so don’t screw it up.”
He stood and collected his plate and utensils. “And bring your dishes to the sink and wash them.”
“Why? We have Magda now.”
Reno gave his brother a withering look. “Don’t be a pig.”
The main house on the D&R was much bigger than she’d thought it would be. Nicer too. She’d had visions of putting one of the guys out of his room when she moved in, but the place was large enough to accommodate all of them comfortably.
She glanced back at the small two-story ranch house. The house and the flower beds around it could definitely use some work, but the fences and fields looked well cared for.
A couple of horses in the corral next to the barn noticed she was walking toward them. They headed for the railing, nickering and tossing their manes around. She realized they thought she was bringing them a treat.
“Sorry, guys.” She held up her empty hands. “Next time, I promise.”
The buck-colored horse seemed to accept her apologies and put its head over the railing to be petted. As she stroked down its neck, she felt the tension easing out of her muscles.
She’d been nervous to the point of nausea at seeing Reno again. At first, she’d feared he might outright reject his mother’s gift of hiring them a housekeeper. Then, when he didn’t, she’d worried that he’d be a total ass to her when she showed up at his house. But that hadn’t happened either. He’d been nice and supportive, and that made her even more nervous. Even she realized what an ass she’d been leaving town without giving him any type of explanation or even telling him goodbye.
“She’s a sweetheart.”
She turned toward the voice. Reno stepped up to run his hand down the horse’s nose.
“What’s her name?”
“Layla. And she’ll do anything for a carrot.”
Magda smiled. “So that’s why I found plenty of carrots in the house but few other vegetables.”
Reno chuckled. “Maybe. You can ride her, you know. Anytime you want.”
“Thanks, but this isn’t a vacation for me. I won’t be going out on trail rides.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Just saying. She’s usually here and an easy ride, so if you have some free time and want to see the ranch, feel free to throw a saddle on her.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Listen, my working here isn’t going to be a problem, is it? I realize my leaving was sudden but…” She shrugged, her blood throbbing in her ears. “I’m sorry I left without saying anything to you.”
“Why did you leave?”
She looked toward the horses. “I just needed some breathing room.” Turning toward him, she asked, “We’re going to be okay, right?”
He smiled and everything inside her melted. It was so unfair that a simple act like him smiling could rattle her so badly.
“We’re fi
ne,” he said. “Darren and I are both glad to have you here.”
They were quiet for a minute, then Reno said, “How’s Zeb?”
She breathed a sigh of relief at the change of subject. “I haven’t called him yet. I got into enjoying the view and lost track of time.”
“Well, I’ll let you make your call then.” He turned to leave.
“Reno.”
He whirled back around. “Yes?”
“This isn’t going to be too weird, is it? I mean, we can make this work, right? Put this past summer behind us?”
“Sure, Mags. Whatever. It’s water under the bridge.”
She studied his face to see if he was telling the truth, but it was totally blank.
“Thanks.” She pulled out her phone. “Better check on Dad.”
Reno nodded and started back up the hill toward the house.
In Magda’s humble opinion, Reno was sex on two legs. She wanted to reach out and run her hand along the tight muscles of his butt, not that she’d do that. But she had in the past, and Lordy, she could remember how it felt…soft skin covering granite-hard ass. Totally yummy.
She jerked her gaze back to Layla before Reno caught her admiring his backside. He might get the wrong idea. Or maybe not.
She punched in her dad’s number. “Hi. How are you feeling?” she asked when he answered.
“Good,” he said, his voice stronger than she’d heard it in a while. “Walked around a little outside today. Not too much. I have to go see Dr. Myles tomorrow.”
“You want me to come drive you?”
“Thanks, pumpkin, but Blanche’s going to drive me.”
“So what’s the deal with you two?”
“Deal? What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Zeb Hobbs. A tiger doesn’t change its stripes. I’ve never known you to date the same woman for more than a month, and I’ve never seen you date any female close to your age.”
He harrumphed into the phone. “You’re my daughter, not my mother.”
She laughed. “Uh huh. I’ll change the subject. Ask Dr. Myles when you can drive again while you’re there.”
Texas Bossa Nova (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 5) Page 4
