Page 6 of The Boss

"It's so strange. When I asked about this ranch, a couple of people in town acted really odd. As if there was something illegal going on here and there was an unspoken rule that nobody talks about it."

Boss shrugs. "We keep to ourselves. There's five of us living here now. We each have our own reason for wanting to be a loner. Maybe the townies can’t understand that."

As we come around the curve and pass a clump of thick trees, I gasp. Boss looks at me to see what's wrong, then follows my gaze before chuckling and throwing the truck into park. "That one's my house. We each have our own place along this road."

He jumps out and walks around to my side to help me out, and I sputter a strangled noise of surprise, staring in disbelief as we walk toward the gigantic front porch. It's beautiful, like something straight out of Modern Country House Monthly.

He leads me inside, dropping everything on thick rubber mats at the front door. We kick off our shoes, then he takes my bags upstairs. "Follow me." A moment later, I'm standing in the center of a beautifully decorated green and white bedroom.

“I have a big extended family," he says. "So I have two guestrooms for when they visit. This is the nicer one. Is this better than the bunk room or your car?"

"Yes. Thank you so much."

"Good. Get settled, then come down and help me make dinner." Even though it kind of comes out like an order, the twinkle in his eye softens his tone.

Forty minutes later, we're laughing about old TV shows and how every generation has a twist on the same classic. He also teases out that I'm twenty-one, casually dropping the fact that he's thirty-six into the conversation.

There was a saucy twinkle in his eyes when he asked my age. He's been extremely friendly, and a bit…well, not physical exactly, but…eager to be close to me. He couldn't really be thinking of me in that way, could he?

I keep sneaking looks around the house, and everything looks normal. Well, the casual upscale version of normal. Like, I've only seen those appliance names in real estate listings, never in anyone's home. The rooms here are so large it makes every house I've ever lived in look very small in comparison. It’s definitely not the home of an axe murderer, drug addict, or criminal, put it that way.

Boss loads up our plates with food, then arranges everything on the coffee table in front of the TV. "Ready for a magic trick?" I nod. He pulls up on the surface of the table, and it pops up on hinges, making it the perfect height for eating. "The guy at the store called it a millennial table. Apparently millennials only eat in front of the TV or something. I just figure it's a good height for eating while watching a movie."

"This is definitely movie food." He's made chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and garlic bread.

Boss grins. "If I’d run into you downtown, I would've asked you on a date. Driven you to Sandersville to take you to a proper pub. Since the roads are out, my living room is going to have to play the part of the pub. Beer? Wine? Water?"

"Oh. Whatever you're having, thank you."

He returns from the kitchen with two glasses of white wine, then sits beside me and starts scrolling movies, while my head reels from the way he’s just casually announced that he would want to date me.

He leans and whispers in my ear. "I didn't mean to freak you out. You can forget I said that, if you like."

"No, it's fine. I'm just…surprised."

"Surprised that any red-blooded man wouldn't jump at the chance to spend time with a gorgeous woman such as yourself?"

I feel my cheeks flame. Feel my knees begin to twitch.

"Interesting. I've just learned something about you," he chuckles. "You haven't been told how beautiful you are nearly enough. That's fine. I've got you here until at least lunchtime tomorrow, so I can tell you dozens of times until it sinks in."

He looks so serious that I burst out laughing.

"Hey.” Something pops into my head, and I need to know immediately. "Everyone here on the ranch calls you Boss. What does your mother call you?"

"Honey, mostly. Sometimes sweetie. Once a year she calls me her birthday boy."

I reach out and smack his knee, then jump, surprised I did that so casually. He just laughs, then pulls out his wallet and shows me his driver’s license.

Falcon Wolfe.

"Seriously? That's a rockstar name. Or maybe a movie star."

"I know." He smirks. "I told you about my extended family. Lots of us have weird names. Well, about half, I guess. I mean, I have a cousin Bear, but I also have a cousin Josh, so it balances out."

"But… What would you prefer I call you?"

He grows still for a moment. Then another. Then his hand moves slowly, wrapping around me, pulling me close so he can nuzzle into my ear. "Beautiful, I need you to know that this is the most I'm going to touch you without your permission. If you want me to back off, just place a hand on my chest and push. As to your question, you can call me Boss. We'll have a friendly dinner, and a fabulous breakfast in the morning. And then I'll make sure you get on your way just fine."