…
Could her luck have finally changed? Jovy was grateful jackass had a sibling, and he wasn’t miserable.
“Since my brother’s conduct is a bit lacking today, Jovy,” Brick said with a grin, “allow me to introduce Vince and Cord.”
She exchanged greetings and shook hands with the handsome men before sitting down next to Stone—in a chair Brick held out for her.
Apparently, the older brother got all the manners, too. He didn’t get all the looks, though. Both Mitchums were extremely handsome. Heck, all four men at the table were gorgeous, and no doubt former military. There was a quiet discipline about them similar to her ex-boyfriend Adam. But only one of the men got under her skin and heated her from the inside out.
The scowling one on her left.
Not that she was going to do anything about it, other than ignore him. She wasn’t staying in town. Once her four weeks were up and she won the contest, she was leaving Texas. Besides, she didn’t date military men anymore. And she certainly didn’t want to be heated. It was plenty hot outside.
“Would you like something to drink?” Vince asked in a voice lacking the slight twang of the others, but that still held a familiar accent.
“No thanks.” She shook her head, doing her best to ignore the awareness tingling through her body, courtesy of her close proximity to the silent Stone. The urge to shift her chair away was strong, but the urge to shift closer was stronger, so she remained still and concentrated on the brown-eyed man seated across the table. “Are you from back east?”
A big smile crossed his handsome face. “Yes, ma’am. Cape May, New Jersey. Ever been?”
“Plenty of times. Growing up, every summer, we vacationed just north of there at Wildwood.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “Don’t tell my fellow Philadelphians, but there’s nothing like a boardwalk cheesesteak.”
Excitement sparked in the man’s dark eyes. “From Kearney’s Pier?”
“Yes!” She slapped the table and grinned.
“Interesting,” Stone spoke up, his low, sexy timbre sending goose bumps down her left side as she turned to find his gray gaze suspicious. “I thought you were a vegan.”
Damn. Her pulse hiccuped. Decision time. She hated to lie to people, but couldn’t speak the whole truth, either. The businesswoman in her knew it was a better sell if she ate the food she was about to push.
With a shrug, she settled on a half truth. “Not my whole life. After I became gluten intolerant, I decided to also give up meat and certain dairy products as well.”
“My sister doesn’t eat gluten, either.” Cord leaned forward to join the conversation. “She’s not allergic or intolerant—it was a matter of choice. And last month, she told me she cut out preservatives.”
Brick reeled back, his face twisted in distaste. “Your sister sounds crazy, man. Preservatives are in everything. Hell, they’re probably in the fu—” He paused to clear his throat. “In the air we breathe. What does she eat? Grass?”
The Jensen Ackles doppelgänger shook his head. “No, but she does love her salads.”
“Which is a hell of a lot better than the junk food you consume like a vacuum, bro.” Stone grinned, effectively sucking the air from Jovy’s lungs.
She blinked, mesmerized at the transformation from cold to freaking hot. He really was handsome. The friendly expression brought life to those gorgeous gray eyes and softened his features, transporting her to an hour earlier when he’d used his incredible body to shield her from a mad cow and attacking ladder.
Then she’d rewarded the chivalry by calling him a jackass.
Remorse tightened her chest. Way to go. He must’ve read something in her eyes, because his expression turned puzzled, and the attraction simmering between them amped up a notch. Butterflies returned to swarm her stomach with mutant reinforcements. That’s when her survival instinct kicked in. What was she doing? The man oozed addiction potential. One she couldn’t afford. She forced her attention back to the conversation.
“I hate to break it to you, buddy.” Vince cupped Brick’s shoulder and grinned. “Most of the food I cook at the ranch is preservative-free.”
The older Mitchum scoffed. “Bullshit, man. Your food has flavor.”
Jovy knew from her own diet there were plenty of tasty all-natural foods out there. One just had to know where to look. She didn’t have a gluten allergy, but some wheat-based products did bother her, so she hadn’t told a complete lie. Gluten no longer graced her palate. Not dairy, though, and certainly not meat. Heck, no. She loved meat. White. Dark. Red. Didn’t matter. Carnivore was her middle name, and the prospect of not being able to eat any for the next four weeks was hard to swallow. Especially when she could smell a succulent steak and hear it sizzling in the kitchen through the pass-through behind the bar.
Her stomach growled, but luckily it coincided with the sound of a text arriving on her phone. Sweet. “That should be the courier.” She swiped the cell off the table, then frowned at the message. “He broke down. Won’t arrive until tomorrow.”
A grumble sounded on her left. “Figures.”
“I’m not lying.” She shoved the screen in his face.
“Could be from anyone.”
His brother chuckled. “Ignore him, Jovy. Why don’t you come out to the At-Ease Ranch tomorrow for Sunday brunch?”
Yep. Definitely former military.
“Thank you, but…I’m not sure when I’ll have the money.”
“The courier has your phone number. I’m sure he can track you down,” Brick stated, proving to be just as stubborn as his brooding brother. “Trust me, you won’t want to miss brunch. Vince here is a great cook.”
The handsome guy from Jersey nodded. “True. I’m Italian. Cooking is in my blood. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to have some gluten-free, meatless, and dairy-free entrées for you.”
Her taste buds sobbed. “Thank you,” she repeated, already mourning the lack of meat.
The older Mitchum cocked his head. “Do you need a ride? I’m sure my little brother won’t mind coming to town to get you.”
Oh, hell… “No,” she rushed to say, starting to realize Stone Mitchum was in control of more than her lease. The rapid beat of her heart confirmed the fact. She couldn’t afford any alone time with the sexy cowboy…especially in the close confines of a vehicle. “The rental company is dropping off my car at ten tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect.” Brick grinned. “Then we’ll see you at eleven. My brother will text you the directions. Right, Stone?”
Her handsome rescuer had grown quiet again. Not wanting to appear rude, she turned toward him, which put her knee in contact with his hard thigh. Tiny tingles flowed to her hip and zinged an uninvited heat between her legs.
As if experiencing the same unwanted awareness, he shifted in his chair. “Yeah. Sure,” he muttered, dropping his attention to the empty mug in his hand.
She swallowed. Twice. “Okay. See you then.”
Jovy waited until she was outside before she sucked in a lungful of air. Why did the courier’s car have to break down? Now she had to spend time with Stone tomorrow. In a social setting. Dammit. The past half hour had been bad enough. Not because he was rude, but because her body pulled a Lula Belle—she yearned for his touch.
She didn’t want to be a Lula Belle. Not for anyone. Been there. Done that. Had the scars. And the timing couldn’t be worse. Her future was on the line. Her dream. Her promise. She couldn’t afford a distraction, no matter how handsome.
Now, if she could just get her body to stop mooing.
Chapter Four
Sunday was a day of rest for almost everyone at At-Ease. Not for Stone. Sunday was paperwork day. Since none of the other yahoos stepped up to tackle that pain-in-the-ass chore, it fell on him to record and file receipts, as well as make sure the material for each job the upcoming week was either in the storage barn at the ranch or set to deliver on-site. It was also the day he worked on estimates.
&n
bsp; Provided he could find the damn specs.
He shuffled through the papers on his desk—for the second time that morning—then bent to inspect the piles on the floor. Where the hell was it? He was supposed to call the McGregors with a total tonight. Foxtrot Construction needed this job.
The McGregors owned the feed store in Joyful, and two more in neighboring towns. Stone had met with them on Friday to walk the property and discuss their store expansion, and was excited to discover they also wanted their supply shed torn down and a bigger one built in its place. If Foxtrot landed this job and nailed the construction, there was a good chance they’d get the contracts for the other two stores, too. Which meant they could catch up on their bills, and best of all…hire more vets.
But not without that damn paper.
Muttering a curse, Stone dropped to his knees, hoping his notes had fallen onto the pile in front of his desk. He should’ve worked on the damn estimate last night, instead of sitting at the Beer and Steer, draining a pitcher and thinking about his sexy new tenant.
“What the hell are you doing on the floor? Lose a contact?”
He eye-rolled his brother. “More like a contract if I don’t find the McGregor paper.”
“Sure you’re not in here hiding from a certain hot tenant due to arrive any minute?”
No. All right…yeah, that too. He’d sported two hard-ons because of her yesterday, and one of them lasted long into the night. Damn woman woke his body up. Not something his big-mouth brother needed to know.
Stone sat back and glared at the idiot grinning at him from the doorway. “Instead of razzing my ass, do something useful and help me look.”
“So, you’re saying you’re not in here hiding from Jovy?”
He shook his head. “No. Of course not.” Not exactly a lie. He needed to find the damn paper. And he wasn’t at all surprised Brick completely ignored his plea for help. His brother hated paperwork even more than Stone. “I’m look—”
“Good.” His brother nodded toward the window overlooking the driveway. “Because she just pulled up.”
Stone stilled. Damn pulse kicked up, too. Christ. The woman wasn’t even in the house and she affected his body.
A knock sounded on the door.
“You might want to get up off the floor, bro, unless you’re deliberately flaunting your ass at her.” Brick grinned. “It is your good side.”
“Fuck you,” Stone growled, rising to his feet.
His brother’s chuckle faded into the hall as he answered the front door. “Jovy! So great to see you. Did you have any trouble finding the place?”
“Not at all,” she replied, smile evident in her tone. “It was a nice ride. Great scenery.”
A warmth spread through Stone’s body. He blamed the heat on the exertion of getting off the floor, not her pleasant voice. Nope. It had absolutely nothing to do with their visitor.
“Is Stone around? I met with the courier and want to give him the money I owe.”
At the sweet sound of his name on her lips, shivers ricocheted down his spine. No way could he blame that reaction on rising to his feet. Nor could Stone ignore the fact that he liked it. A lot. Too much.
Dammit.
“Yeah, he’s right in here, trying to find a needle in a paper stack,” Brick replied.
Stone had barely regained control of his pulse when the beauty breezed into the office and promptly sucked the air right out of the room. Looking cool, yet hot as hell with her hair in another ponytail, she wore a strapless peach sundress that hugged her delectable chest while showing off the soft, supple skin he was trying his best to forget.
Once again, Jovy stirred life into his body. She didn’t say anything. Didn’t touch him. Just walked into the damn room and stole his breath…along with a few brain cells. All he could do was stand there and stare, wondering if she wore a bra.
Not exactly his finest moment, especially with his idiot brother smirking at him from behind the woman’s back.
Bastard.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice Stone’s condition. She was too busy gazing around the office with her own slack-jawed expression.
“Oh. Wow.” She blinked and scanned the room again. “What happened in here?” Her hand rose to her throat. “Were you ransacked? Did you call the police?”
The concern, deepening the brown in her hazel eyes, caught him off guard.
Stone shook his head. “No—”
“This is how the office always looks,” Brick cut him off.
“Oh.” She cleared her throat—the one she still gripped. “I see.”
Was her eye twitching?
His brother leaned against the doorframe. “Jovy wants to make her payment. Then it’s time to eat.”
Distaste tightened her features. Stone didn’t know if the look was the result of having to sit down to a table with meat entrées, or if the state of the office was to blame. Probably the latter.
“Yes. Here.” She released her throat to dig in her purse and came out with a handful of cash.
Hallelujah.
Relief eased through his chest. When he added her payment to the ones in the safe, he had enough for the loan and could pay earlier than the end of the grace period for a change. A smile tugged his lips.
That felt good. Damn good.
Almost as good as the brush of her fingers against his palm. Or the smell of that damn flowery perfume of hers. Or was that her hair? The urge to lean closer and sniff was strong.
“I’m sorry it’s late, but I swear I didn’t know.” Her gaze was open and honest, and widened a fraction as awareness buzzed between them. She released the money and drew her hand away. “Th-thank you for giving me a few days’ grace. I promise not to be late on the others.”
Stone nodded, then turned his back on her to tuck the money in the safe…and keep his hands to himself. The woman was full of surprises and too irresistible for his control.
It was going to be a long four weeks.
…
How was she ever going to get through the next month?
Jovy walked next to Stone toward a dozen men seated at the longest table she’d ever seen, flanked by two equally long benches. Several guys had shoulder-length hair, two were bald, some wore beards, and the rest sported a buzz cut. Not a man-bun in sight. One thing they all had in common, though, was a hungry expression. She could relate. Her stomach rumbled in appreciation of the delicious-smelling breakfast and lunch entrées that covered the sixteen-foot table centered in the open living room/dining room.
“Here they come now.” Brick rose to his feet, and she tried to keep the surprise from her face when all the men at the table followed suit, showing manners she hadn’t seen often. “Everyone, this is Jovy, one of our tenants from town. Jovy, these men are the heart and soul of Foxtrot Construction.”
She smiled and nodded a greeting as realization dawned. The men standing before her with rigid postures and more of that quiet discipline were all military. “Foxtrot. You’re the group I heard about in town.” Admiration warmed her chest. The Mitchum brothers weren’t just landlords, they were part owners of a construction company that employed veterans.
Brick smiled. “It was Stone’s idea.”
Supplying jobs to those in need and teaching them a trade in the process was more than admirable. She met Stone’s gaze. “It was a good one.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, like she’d caught him by surprise, before he nodded and helped her sit. As Jovy settled on the bench between the two brothers, she acknowledged that the sparks between them were stronger than the day before. So strong, it was a wonder his office hadn’t caught fire when she’d first walked in. Especially with all the paper tossed about.
What she wouldn’t give to have free rein in that room.
Her eye twitched.
The business side of her had nearly gone into convulsions at the sight of the chaos. It had taken all her willpower to keep her hands off the man’s paperwork—and his body. She glan
ced at Stone from under her lashes, and a fluttering whispered through her stomach. Damn, he was hot.
“Vince is making something special for you in the kitchen.” His low tone sent goose bumps skittering down her side. “But I hope you don’t mind passing the platters around. That’s usually how we do brunch.” He reached for a dish of bacon and knocked a mound onto his plate before passing it to the man on his left.
“Sure,” she replied, forcing back disappointment at missing out on the mouthwatering crispiness.
On the drive in, she had given herself a hearty pep talk to prepare to eat a meatless meal. But the smell of all the meat being passed around proved to be too much. Her stomach growled. Loud.
Apparently it didn’t get the memo.
Stone took a plate of sausage links from her and smiled. “I’m sure your food will be right out.”
Great. She could hardly wait for her tasteless dish. Although, if the aroma from these entrées was anything to go by, Vince could probably make cardboard taste delicious.
She returned Stone’s smile and refused to let her gaze linger on the ham Brick passed to her. This was her punishment for lying about her meatless preference. If she hadn’t opened her big mouth yesterday, she could be experiencing food nirvana right now. Idiot. At the time, it had made sense. Good business sense. And business was the reason she was in Texas. Not to pig out.
Jovy straightened her shoulders. She was a Larson. She’d persevere. It was doable. She could handle it. Although…damn…she’d much rather handle the platter of biscuits and sausage gravy—right into her stomach.
Come on. Seriously? Sausage gravy? She didn’t get food like this back home.
“So, Jovy,” Stone said as he loaded a helping onto his plate. “What made you want to open a meatless café in Texas?” He turned to study her. “Is it some sort of trial run to prove to your grandfather you can handle a business?”
Damn. Her heart rocked in her chest. The man was shrewd. And thorough. He must’ve researched her online. Which made sense. She was renting off him. Duh. She nodded, passing him a plate of scrambled eggs. Her stomach cried out for those eggs.
In the Ranger's Arms (The Men of At Ease Ranch) Page 4
