Page 20 of The Rancher

“Afraid to touch me?” she sneered as she pulled her hand away.

“I don’t want to get my hand dirty,” he shot back.

She sniffed. “No need to be rude.”

“You know how I feel about you on my property. Now go away. Until tomorrow.” Ray turned his back and started for the barn.

Lyris watched him go and then turned to Marissa. “Well, I guess he told you. You should leave now, there is nothing for you here.” She turned and followed Ray to the barn. Lyris had things to discuss with Ray, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.

The barn,with its twenty stalls, was quiet. Even the horses didn’t make a sound. Then Lyris heard Ray. He sounded like he was on the phone. His office was in the back, on the right side of the barn, between the tack room and her office. The stall with the hay and straw was across the aisle on the left side of the barn.

“I want those papers drawn up as soon as possible. I’ll be at your office at nine in the morning and it needs to be done.” He listened. “Good. See you then.” Ray walked out of the office toward Lyris. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I only wanted a mother for Maddy. I know now I need more than that.”

When he got close, he opened his arms.

She wanted so badly to hug him. To tell him everything would be all right, but she had to be strong. She couldn’t take another broken heart. Lyris put her arms out to stop him.

He furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”

Lyris swallowed hard. “I don’t believe we should see each other. For all intents and purposes, you are my employer. And though I’m not a regular employee, you’re the boss. That makes you off-limits.”

Ray shook his head. “You are a contract worker, not my employee. What’s really going on? I felt a spark with you, and I know you did, too.”

She decided to lay it on the line and paced from one stall across the aisle to another. “I’ve been involved with my employer before. It didn’t end well. I wasn’t good enough for his father—or, I guess, for him because he didn’t put up a fight. He continued to see me, even though he was getting engaged to another woman. I still thought we had a future. He told me it would all go away and it could be like it was. I believed him.”

Ray crossed his arms over his chest. “What does that have to do with us? I’m not engaged and don’t plan on getting engaged any time soon. I won’t use you like that.”

“Those are the words I want to hear, but I’m scared. I won’t survive another broken heart. That one nearly killed me. I spent months getting over it.”

“Who did this to you? I want a name.”

“His name was Kevin Chandler. I worked for the Triple C, more than three years ago. It’s done. I’m fairly sure he marriedSarah Jacobs, the woman he cheated on me with.” Lyris heard the bitterness in her voice but couldn’t stop it.

Ray’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “He did. I attended the wedding. I am acquaintances with his father, Geoffrey. They married three years ago, probably only months after you left. They’ve separated now. It’s really too bad. They have a two-year-old daughter. Kevin will probably get custody because of who his father is. That’s not in that little girl’s best interest, but I can’t do anything about it.”

Lyris expected to feel more…pain at the confirmation of the marriage and glee at the subsequent separation. But all she felt was sorry for the child and the mother, who was a pawn in Geoffrey’s machinations. She couldn’t care less about Kevin or his father.

“Hindsight is always 20/20.”

“What will you see in hindsight when you do this? You’re not even giving us a chance?”

She shrugged and lifted her hands, palms up. “I…I don’t know. All I can do is this. I have to protect myself. I’m sorry. I’ll leave, if you like. You don’t have to honor my contract.”

Ray shook his head. “Your contract remains in effect. You might have given up on us, but I haven’t. I’ll prove to you that we are meant to be.”

Lyris closed her eyes, her heart breaking all over again.Why can’t he understand?“I have work to do. Majesty is about to foal and Black Beauty just did about thirty minutes ago. I need to be ready.”

“I’ll be there with you.”

She shook her head. What she didn’t need was Ray being so close. “That’s not necessary.”

He gazed at her with a grin that was almost feral. “I’m not one to give up easily, especially when it’s something so important.”

Lyris moved a hand with the index finger pointing back and forth between them. “This isn’t important. We are not important. I’m here for the horses.”I never expected to fall in love. Stop it. I can’t be in love with him. I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks.

He grabbed her finger and held it.

She tried pulling it away. “I’m a mess from Black Beauty’s foal.”