by MISSY HARPER
“What?” He whispered as he looked into those beautiful eyes, realizing he’d been more right about her than he’d ever expected. She’d certainly grown into those knees and elbows, and she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Your steak is getting cold.” Ethan blinked before glancing at the table, then back at her beautiful face. His eyes found her mouth and he wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything. His thumb moved to touch her bottom lip but her words stopped him before he found pay dirt.
“Come on, Cowboy! The shock will ware off, and then you’ll be ticked off because your steak is cold. Not to mention how excited my chef will be when you send it back! Let’s go. You’ll get used to the new to you version of me.” Rylee said as if being in his arms was not the place she’d always dreamed of being.
Rylee took advantage of his stunned moment and pushed away from the wall. Grabbing his hand, she started to walk back to the table where her brother awaited them.
“You realize this is the one and only time I’ll let you get away with that behavior, right?” Rylee asked, looking back over her shoulder as she led him back to his table and draped his jacket over the back of his chair.
“Meaning?” Ethan asked, finally beginning to get his bearings back.
“You ever try to man handle me again, Ethan, and I’ll be forced to kick your narrow little bull riding butt.” She informed him as they reached the table and heard Tanner chuckle around a bite of his fish.
“Yeah, well, you just make sure you keep your hands, and eyes, off my and any other cowboy’s butt, Runt!” He mumbled as he sat down with a huff and flicked his napkin roughly into his lap. Rylee offered him a sarcastic smile as she began to turn away from the table.
“Yeah, cause I was the one boring holes in your butt earlier.” She announced as she walked away, proving she knew he’d been staring at her the entire evening and that she was as feisty as ever.
Tanner laughed openly at his friends shocked face. He shook his head as he forked another bite of fish into his mouth.
“Don’t look at me like that, man. I warned you to leave that one alone, and to stay off Rylee’s shit list. One of these days you’re gonna learn to think with the head on your shoulders.” Tanner said with a grin, aiming his fork in the direction of Ethan’s head.
“You could have mentioned she was your sister.”
“And cheat everyone out of that down right entertaining display you two put on over there? Now why would I do something like that?” Tanner said with a satisfied smile as Ethan rolled his eyes at him.
“You could have warned me… oh, I don’t know, maybe let me know that Rylee went from being an awkward little kid to being damn gorgeous… hell, I can’t even think of her like that! It burns my brain, man.” Ethan jabbed his finger into his temple. “How the hell did that happen, Tanner?” He asked as he pointed his finger in Rylee’s direction then scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. “Do you have any idea what’s been going through my head?”
“It just happened, man.” Tanner conceded with a shrug of his shoulder.
“So, friend, are there any other major changes around here you haven’t told me about.” Ethan grabbed his fork and knife, viscously cutting into his perfectly cooked steak.
“You’ve been gone a while. Rylee’s looks are just the tip of the iceburg, Ethan. Just the very tip.”
Chapter 3
Rylee Revisited
“Ethan! What brings you to the Yellowbrook so early in the morning? I figured you’d be busy over at your own place today.” Thor called around the piece of hay sticking out of his mouth.
He and Tanner were both in the barn. Tanner looking like he was trying to appear as busy as possible. Thor looking relaxed, with his hat pushed back and elbows thrown over the top of the stall door, his boot heel hooked on the bottom rung. It was obvious Tanner was trying to get lost in his work, and Thor had chosen to take on more of a supervisory role. Ethan tipped his own hat back and looked at the man that had always been like a father to him.
“I’m lookin for that daughter of yours.” Ethan informed him, and it was obvious he was not there to pay a social call on her or apologize for his behavior the night before.
“Ah, so the cat’s outa the bag, huh?” Thor asked, slowly shaking his head up and down.
“If your referring to me learning about Rylee running my ranch, then yeah, the cat is definitely out of the bag, and that little hell cat of yours has got some explainin to do! So, do you know where I might find her?”
“Yep, sure do.” Thor drawled slowly as he chewed on the straw in his mouth. “But I wouldn’t advise my worse enemy to go lookin for her right now.” Thor warned, slowly shaking his head from side to side.
“And why is that?” Ethan asked with narrowed eyes.
“Because, if you’ll look out that door and across the corral, you’ll see that she’s about knee deep in Oliver’s ass right now.” He squinted and pointed with the straw he’d removed from his mouth.
“Now, if you want to be next, then just head on out there and get yourself in line, but I wouldn’t advise it.” Thor chuckled as he replaced the straw in his mouth.
“See, she’s real unhappy right now… in case you missed that. I hear you’re havin a little trouble picking up on the more subtle hints lately.” Thor’s grin split his face. “It’s understandable that ya might have a bit of trouble adjusting to all the changes. I’m just tryin to help ya out.” Thor chuckled as Ethan glared at Tanner.
“From what I’ve heard… and I ain’t stupid enough to get too close… Oliver paid five cents more for each pound of feed last month than he should have. To make matters worse, he didn’t tell her about it, and she only found out this morning when she opened the bill.” Thor said, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head as if Oliver was in for it now. “That boy should’ve known better.
“Nothin makes that girl madder than someone cheating her out of a dime.” Tanner chimed in, leaning on the handle of his shovel.
Ethan followed the other men’s eyes to find Rylee standing before her mammoth brother, looking up at him with her finger pointed in his face, givin him what for. Now this was more like it! This was the Rylee he remembered. She had on an oversized flannel shirt, that had most likely belonged to one of her brothers. It was hanging open over a white t-shirt, and her blue jeans were bunched up over the tops of dirty cowboy boots. Her head was tilted so far back her ponytail was almost pointing straight toward the ground.
How many times had he seen her in exactly the same pose while they were growing up? That little Runt was always givin somebody what for! The only differences were this time Oliver’s head was down and his shoulders were slightly slumped instead of him fightin back with her just to make her mad as hell. Also, even in dirty boots, jeans and her hair in a ponytail, Rylee was breathtaking! This development was certainly new.
“Why does she care how much he spent on feed?” Ethan asked, trying to shake away the befuddlement at the odd feelings he found himself experiencing again. It was more than desire and it bugged the hell out of him!
“Well, it could be the money issue, but probably not. It might be that she already had a deal with the supplier, and Oliver didn’t hold the man’s feet to the fire. God forbid a Van der Brook not man up!” Thor switched the straw from one side of his mouth to the other.
“Rylee can’t stand it when somebody tries to go back on a deal already made.” Thor shook his head as he chewed on the piece of straw and continued in that lazy, laid back way of his. “It could be because Oliver didn’t tell her what he did, or didn’t do in this case. But my guess is she just woke up this mornin with a hankerin to chew somebody up one side and down the other. Poor ole Oliver just happened to be stupid enough to get in her way.” He lifted his hands in a defeated manner, as if to say who knows and there ain’t nothing I can do about it anyway.
“A man never really knows with that one, Ethan. The only thing we all know for sure
is she’s the boss, and if ya forget it, she has no problem remindin ya.” Thor stated, pinning Ethan with his raised brow. “You’d be wise to remember that.”
“The boss?” Ethan questioned with narrowed eyes.
“Dad turned the business side of the ranch over to Rylee years ago. And she runs it just like she does your brother’s restaurant, with an iron fist!” Tanner told him, exchanging his shovel for a pitchfork so he could spread hay in the stalls he’d just finished cleaning.
“The Runt runs Yellowbrook?” Ethan’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
“Yellowbrook, Nick’s Place and Hawkins Cattle.” Tanner told him as Ethan turned a questioning gaze toward Thor, rubbing his jaw.
“Ya see, Son, some folks thought I was crazy for turning the ranch over to Ry when she was only sixteen. Some thought it was down right abusive, but I thought it was ingenious!” Thor began to chuckle.
“Ya see, Ethan, while you were out ridin bulls, that little hell cat just woke up gorgeous one morning. She went from bein the butt of all the jokes round here to bein the butt every cowboy wanted to get his hands on, if ya know what I mean?” Ethan’s eyes turned dark at Thor’s comment and his lips thinned. The thought of anyone putting their hands on Rylee made him down right violent… unless it was around her neck, that he could understand. Thor chuckled at the look in Ethan’s eyes. Some things never changed.
“I, too, saw disaster written all over that, for my daughter and those poor cowboys alike. That’s why I devised a little plan to keep her so damn busy she wouldn’t have time for all the horny cowboys round here.” Ethan’s face contorted with anger at the thought, and Thor thought he might have heard a little growl come from the man’s throat.
“The responsibilities around here kept her so busy she really didn’t have time to date, but as all things with Rylee, she mastered it quickly. Dad joined forces with Nick to keep her even busier than ever.” Tanner helped explain with an almost evil grin. They thought they’d been really smart.
“The Runt never could resist a challenge, could she?” Ethan mused as he crossed his thick arms over his chest.
“Nope, and don’t think I was too proud to use it against her either.” Thor laughed.
“Oh shit, here she comes.” Tanner warned and suddenly got very busy.
Ethan chuckled and shook his head at his friends reaction. She was just a slip of a little thing… all mouth, no power, he thought as he turned his head and saw Rylee walking toward the barn. Time stood still and he felt sure he couldn’t take in a breath, or take his eyes off of her. She moved with the grace and assurance of a tiger stalking it’s prey. She was mesmerizing and so incredibly beautiful that he shamefully watched her walk all the way from the corral to the barn, savoring every second of it… with his mouth open!
“What the hell you lookin at, Hawkins?” She sneered as she walked past him. The way he was looking at her made her skin tingle and it ticked her off! She didn’t want to enjoy him looking at her. She already knew where it would lead and how it would end. There was nothing there for her and she knew it. She threw her work gloves on the shelf in frustration. Now, if only her damned girl parts would get the message!
“Almost five hundred dollars, Daddy! This is the second time, and I don’t want to hear it again!” She said, turning on her father with her finger pointed at him. “It’s coming out of his quarterly share! It’s the only way he’s ever gonna learn to grow a pair and man up when somebody’s trying to screw us out of a deal already made.” She demanded. “He’s too damn nice!”
She could feel Ethan’s eyes on her as she spoke. How many times had she dreamed he’d come home, only to find her attractive and desirable? How many times had she prayed he’d some day look at her as he had last night? Her stomach was tied in knots, and still doing flips, from the way he’d touched her in the hallway! Unfortunately, she knew what Ethan was like. She’d kept tabs on her favorite bull rider the entire time he’d been gone, and she’d found that he was your typical bull-riding cowboy when it came to women. He had them often, and seldom the same one twice.
It didn’t matter how long she’d waited to have his attention. It didn’t matter that she truly loved him. She could not allow herself to fall into his trap. It would destroy her if he found out she still loved him, and then she turned out to be just another woman he spent a little more than eight seconds riding.
There needed to be distance between them. It was the only way she could insure she would not end up in his bed. Lord knows she couldn’t depend on her own self control, and by the holes he was boring into her every time they were in the same room, it looked like his mind may be headed in the same direction as her own. That meant she would need to be the one to put that much needed distance between them. The best way to keep him from wanting her was to simply keep him angry with her… right?
“You know, Ethan, if you take a picture it might work better for you?” Rylee said, rounding on him, catching him staring at her again. Her long blonde ponytail swung around to rest on her shoulder as she pinned him with her eyes.
Ethan’s sexy smile spread across his face as he looked down into those tiger striped eyes, forgetting why he was there in the first place. Damn it! What the hell was wrong with him? This was Rylee! The Runt. Tanner’s little sister. Thor’s daughter for Pete’s sake! She was not some buckle bunny he could take for a ride and hop off of when the buzzer rang!
“And how might that work better for me, Runt?” He asked, dragging out the nickname he knew she hated.
“Because a picture can’t put my foot up your ass for starin at me… again! Now why don’t you tell me why your standing in my barn and not over working your own place?” She demanded as she crossed her arms under her breasts.
God help him but it just made them more noticeable, and he failed to avoid staring blatantly down at them. He quickly looked back up at her face when he realized he was still enjoying the view, but it was too late.
“Like what ya see, cowboy?” She raised an arched eyebrow at him. “Well, take a good look… go ahead, get it out of your system, because this is as close as you’re ever gonna get, Hawkins. I know all about you and your many conquests. I’m not interested in any eight seconds you might have to offer. So, when you’re done lookin your fill, you can tell me what the hell you’re doing here, or get the hell out of my barn. Makes no difference to me.”
“Well, it just looks like I’m shit out of luck all around where you’re concerned, Rylee.” Ethan said sarcastically. “And trust me, Runt, eight seconds is more than you could handle.”
“Whatever.” She mumbled as she pushed past him on her way out of the barn. “Get out of my barn, Ethan! My people have work to do!” She had to get away form him while she still could. Her girl parts were nearing munity with him looking at her that way. They were like having Benedict Arnold under her skirt, riding fast and furious toward disaster! The charade she was trying to portray was quickly melting away. She couldn’t let him know what an easy target she was.
Ethan reached his big hand out and wrapped it around her upper arm, roughly spinning her back around to face him.
“I don’t think so.” He growled. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Runt. First of all, you’re gonna tell me how you ended up with control of my ranch, and then you’re gonna explain to me why it’s six hundred thousand dollars in debt!” He yelled as he tightened his grip on her arm, finally remembering why he’d come there to begin with.
“And Rylee, I don’t care how pissed off you are this mornin, if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed or how bad Oliver screwed up. You’re gonna answer for this, and you’re gonna do it right fuckin now. You got that?” He sneered down into her face.
She may be the most beautiful damn woman he’d ever laid eyes on, but she was gonna tell him how his ranch ended up over half a million dollars in debt, and what she planned to do about it. One way or another, she was gonna answer his questions and come up with his money. If he had to shake h
er till she talked, he would. If it required him turnin her over his knee, well, it wouldn’t be the first time.
“I warned you last night I wasn’t gonna put up with you man handling me, Ethan.” She said as she looked down at his hand gripping her arm.
“And I told you I wasn’t above turnin you around and spankin your sassy little ass if I didn’t get some answers. I’m still not, if you’re wonderin?” He offered her an evil smile that would have chilled her blood if it wasn’t already beginning to boil.
“Now, Son, I wanta remind ya, the last time ya tried that she put cha in the dirt.” Thor reminded him from his supervisory position against the stall door. It was obvious from his chuckle that he was enjoying himself.
“Stay out of this, Thor! I love ya like a father, but your little hell cat here’s got some explainin to do.” Ethan said to Thor as he stared down at Rylee’s narrowed eyes.
“Yeah Daddy, stay out of it! I can handle, Ethan.” She said as she glared up at him. “Get your hand off of me, or I’ll sell your entire ranch, and everything on it, for a dollar to some city slicker who wants to turn it into a Dude Ranch! And before you further make a fool of yourself, we both know I have the power to carry through with my threat… unlike you!” Rylee pointed out with an angry sneer.
“You’re playin with fire, little girl!” He seethed as he tightened his hold on her arm.
“I hold all the cards, Ethan, and I haven’t been a little girl in a very long time! A fact we all know you are quite aware of, cowboy. Now, be a good boy and let go of my arm!” She yelled the last phrase at him.
