Page 30 of Hard To Love

She did look like a fairy tale princess. Big bright blue eyes, dark hair that I swore was darker than midnight. The contrast against her naturally tan skin made my body react in a way it hadn’t in a very long time.

“Corey!” my cousin’s deep voice sounded, and I watched him jog his way toward me. “What did I say about running off?”

“To be careful?” my girl guessed. I had a feeling that was not the right answer.

My cousin shut his eyes and looked up at the sky. Probably asking some kind of higher power for patience because Corey loved to push her boundaries. She was wild and loved adventures. But that was because of my cousin. He’d taught her to love all that. He exhaled and shook his head.

“No running off like that in town. There are cars all over the place.”

“Sorry, Daddy!”

“Sorry about that, Troy.” He scooped Corey out of my arms and frowned. “Why are you—" The question died on his tongue when he noticed the visibly drenched woman standing next to me. “Oh! Hey!” he said as his eyes bounced from to the woman to me.

Knowing my reputation and way with women, I knew my cousin was putting one and one together and coming up with a hundred.

“I’m this guy’s cousin,. August West.” He extended his hand. She smiled at him and gave him her own hand.

“I’m Melody Quintanilla.”

“Melody —” he started to say, then his eyes widened. “Shit, hey! Nice to meet you. I came into town to get you.” To get her? I found myself standing straighter, crossing my arms over my chest. Why the hell was my very married with a bunch of kids cousin picking up the girl who was so pretty I couldn’t seem to string two words together?

“You were?” I asked gruffly and felt both of their eyes on me, but I was scowling in my cousin’s direction.

“Yeah. Melody is the new cook at the ranch,” he shared, tossing me a subtle warning.

One I was familiar with.

And just like that, any hope of getting to know just how wet I could get the pretty thing next to me dissolved.

Melody was going to work at the ranch, which made her forbidden.

But damn if that didn’t make me want her more.