Page 22 of The Rancher

She kept expecting him to say something…make some inappropriate remark, but he watched her interacting with the mare and filly.

“I’ll see you at dinner. Thank you for taking good care of Majesty. She’s special to me. She was Francie’s horse. Not the one that tripped. That horse had two broken front legs, and we had to euthanize him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I never like it when an animal has to be destroyed.”

Ray scratched the mare’s ears. “I don’t, either. It’s always the last resort. Until later,Dr. Jennings.”

Lyris ducked her chin. “Mr. Kincaid.”

As he walked off, he chuckled.

She fumed. How did he get her dander up so easily?

CHAPTER 7

Marissa Holloway drove home from Whispering Wind Ranch with her anger as her only company. By the time she arrived, she was in a rage.

I’ll show him. He can’t just throw me aside as if I was a piece of trash. Sure, I made a mistake. She smiled.And I’m still making that mistake, but Scott is worth it. No one has ever satisfied me like he does. If only I’d managed to keep Scott and have Ray, too, her life would be perfect. Now if Scott would just find a way to make some money. I can’t afford to support us both…at least, not in the style I’ve become accustomed to.

She drove into the garage, killed the engine, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door. Then she stomped into the house, set her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, and bellowed Scott’s name.

A few minutes later, he ambled into the kitchen dressed in boxer shorts and scratching his head. His hair was standing up all over…the look was not a good one. Scott was a lot of things. Sexy-looking in the morning was not one of them. Luckily for her, she found the other things he could do made up for the morning bedhead.

“Why aren’t you up yet? We’ve talked about this. You need to find a job. I can’t support us anymore. We’re burning through money at an alarming rate.” She wouldn’t tell him about the one-hundred-and-fifty thousand she was getting from Ray tomorrow. That was her money and she wasn’t about to spend it on Scott, regardless of how good he was in bed.

“Why don’t you just find some old guy to marry and then off him like the last one?”

She slapped his face. “What have we talked about? We don’t talk about how Reginald Holloway died. Got it?”

He rubbed his cheek, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. “Got it.”

She knew he didn’t like it when she slapped him or when she reminded him to keep his mouth closed, and she didn’t care.

“Good. Now, get showered and dressed. I want you to concentrate on getting a job today.” Marissa lifted a hand and pointed her index finger. “Don’t even start about anything else. You need a job. I don’t care what you do, as long as you do something to bring in money.” She cupped his jaw and purred. “Just remember to save all that loving for me.”

He smiled and pulled her flush with his body. “You’re the only one for me, baby. Now and forever.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rolled up on her toes, smacking a loud kiss on his lips. “And don’t you forget it.”

Scott lowered his head to hers. “Never.” He kissed her deeply.

Even his morning breath didn’t repulse Marissa. He was quite the kisser, and she’d take every kiss she could get. He made her feel alive in ways Ray never did…never could. Yet, she pulled away. She patted his face, her heart softening a little. He could find a job after lunch. “Go shower and I’ll take you to lunch.”

His eyes lit up. “Where are you taking me? Who knows, I might reward you when we get back.”

Now he had her. She knew his rewards involved rolling around in bed. After the morning she’d just had, she deserved a little roll. “Where do you want to go?”

“The Juicy Seafood. You know I can’t resist their boil-in-a-bag-of-butter seafood.”

“Okay, we’ll go there. If you get cleaned up in the next half hour.”

“Consider it done.” He took off like a shot for the bathroom.

Now was the time to call David Gardner and see if he could top Ray’s price. If he did, she’d call Ray and tell him she wouldn’t be at the lawyer’s office tomorrow.

She pressed his number into the phone. “Yes, David Gardner, please. Tell him it’s Marissa Holloway.”

She listened, then said, “Yes, I’ll hold.”