Page 39 of Wildflowers & Whiskey

Bryan is sitting there, quiet as a mouse, his head resting on both hands as he stares with intense focus at the papers spread across every inch of the dining table. The one that usually seats about sixteen people.

His head whips up.

“Jesus.” He leans back in the chair, hand flying to his chest. “You startled me, for fuck’s sake.”

If it wasn’t for the faint snigger of a laugh that follows, I’d think he was being pissy with me. Which would’ve not ended well for him. I’m not scared to chew a grown man’s ear off if he’s being an utter dick.

“Still not used to me being in the house, huh?” I tease.

“You’d be correct, ma’am,” Bryan says “ma'am” with that thick southern drawl of his, the one that could have any girl swooning. Lucky for me, I’ve heard about his escapades out in the town. He’s a ladies’ man here, but in London we’d call him a fuckboy.

I move closer to the end of the table, eyeing Bryan as he gathers the scattered papers. “Okay, this is going to sound weird, but can you close your eyes for about a minute?”

“Oh, hell no. The last time a woman asked me to close my eyes, I was handcuffed to a bed by one wrist.” He lifts his hand, fist bent back, emphasising his wrist like it was evidence of the encounter.

“I don’t even want to know…” I flap one of my hands as my shoulders shrug. “But I promise I do not have access to any apparatus that could be used to bind you to anything. Just please shut them and keep them shut!”

His eyes narrow as he studies me for a moment before letting out a dramatic sigh. “Fine.”

Bryan squeezes his eyes shut. I move toward my destination, opening the fridge enroute to cover my tracks. It seems like an overkill, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

I grab the family-sized bag of peanut butter goodies and return to my original spot at the end of the table.

“You’re good to look now.”

“Wow, what a neat magic trick.” Sarcastic bastard.

“Probably not the healthiest idea to put edible items near cleaning chemicals.”

“Told you to close your eyes!” I shake my head, ripping the bag open.

“I did. I found those yesterday, figured they were yours. Lucky for you, I don’t like the vile little things.”

“One less snack thief to worry about, then.” I pop one in my mouth, savouring the nutty chocolate melt on my tongue. “So, what’s got you all stressed in the kitchen at this hour? Isn’t it past the little cowboy’s bedtime?”

“Ha. Very funny.” He sniggers. “I’m working on a top-secret project. Figured I’d work here because as soon as my ass hits the couch, I won’t get anything done.”

“Makes sense, I’d be the same.”

“How’d your pitch to the boss man go?”

I fill Bryan in on Wade’s response to the supply plan that he kindly assisted with as my personal chauffeur. I really need to get over the fear of driving on the other side of the road.

Naturally, the conversation spirals into a mini-planning session, Bryan reeling off other small businesses we could get on board. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it gets me excited about what this could mean for the ranch and the town. How I could help so many people here.

I’m scribbling notes on a scrap bit of paper I stole from Bryan, and before I know it, twenty minutes have gone by.

The sound of boots on the floorboards makes me look up before he even appears in the doorway. I’ve developed some sort of spidey-sense when it comes to Wade Carter. There’s a shift in the air whenever he is around that has my hairs on my arms standing up and my heart racing.

He appears in the doorway and nods once at both of us before moving straight to the sink. I grab a handful of my chocolate, shoving it into my mouth as my eyes trace his every movement.

“Anyway,” Bryan says, gathering his remaining papers and leaving our unfinished conversation alone for now. “If you want to join me tomorrow, I'm heading to the other side of the ranch to check the fencing. Colt said you want more things to do, so we could see if there’s any fixing that needs doing. Also, I could show you that stretch of the ranch, it's beautiful out there.”

I open my mouth to answer.

“She's with me tomorrow.”

Wade is not even looking at us. I stare at the back of his head, utterly baffled.