The Rancher's Rules

“I don’t. My hands will take care of your pets, and the real problem was that I didn’t want a hamster. I’m not the small pets type and you know it.”

No, he was the tycoon type, with a strong attachment to the land.

“I feel responsible for you being evicted and I am doing my best for you now.”

She didn’t need that reminder of his guilt. She’d much rather think he was helping her because they were friends. She really wished he didn’t want to get rid of her. “They’ll miss me.”

“You can visit, Zoe. You’re not going to be living in another state. The Patterson place is only about ten minutes away. Besides, I’ll help you find a place and you won’t be separated all that long.”

Zoe dug in her heels. “No.”

Grant leaned over and petted Maurice. “Be reasonable, Zoe.”

“No.”

He straightened, and his conciliatory smile was gone. “You’re an unmarried grade school teacher. Neither your principal nor the school board are going to think highly of you living with a man.”

Grant had a point and he knew it. She did too, which was why she hadn’t argued too fiercely with him the night before. “It isn’t going to be that long. I’ll explain to my principal about getting evicted. He’ll understand.”

Grant shook his head. “He might, but other people won’t. Do you want everyone in town talking about you?”

Zoe laughed, but it was hollow. The specter of gossip was all too real. “I don’t care what anyone who doesn’t know me well enough to know better thinks,” she said, with more rebellion than truth.

“What about your students’ parents?”

Why was he pushing so hard? “What about them?”

“Don’t play dense, Zoe. You don’t want your children’s parents to think you’re living with some man.”

“You aren’t some man. You’re my best friend,” she muttered.

He smiled. “Yeah. And because I’m your best friend, I’m not going to let you ruin your life, niña. What do you say? Should I call Frank back? The sooner you get moved to his place the better.”

Zoe could not stifle the twinge of pain that Grant’s eagerness to get rid of her caused. It reminded her too much of her dad’s attitude when he’d moved her mom to Arizona. “Will you ask him if I can bring Princess and Alexander?”

Grant smiled, obviously relieved. “Sure.”

“Great. You’d better do it right away. You wouldn’t want me to have to stick around any longer than absolutely necessary.” She could not help the bitterness in her voice.

Turning on her heel, she headed out of the barn. Grant couldn’t have made himself clearer if he had shouted through a megaphone. He did not want her around. She should have expected it. She’d worn out her welcome with her dad before she’d ever been born just by being a girl.

Grant snagged her coat and stopped her mid-step. “Hold it.”

She refused to turn around.

“I’m not trying to get rid of you.”

Zoe snorted in disbelief. Right.

“Okay, maybe I am. But it isn’t because I don’t want you around. Come on, querida. You know it’s for the best; you’re just too stubborn to admit it.”

She heard his words. In one part of her mind they made sense, but they did nothing to dislodge the lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling so emotional. Perhaps the words hurt so much because they were almost identical to the ones her dad had spoken when he’d told her he was selling the family ranch rather than let her oversee it.

Heck, Grant probably had some convoluted reason why his actions on The Night had been best for her too. She’d hurt then and she hurt now.

She shook her arm loose from his grip and headed up to the house. Her happy reserves were all used up and she was in no mood to discuss why it was better for her for Grant to kick her out too.

CHAPTER THREE

GRANT tapped his pen against the desktop. He’d been working the figures on their most recent Japanese export deal, but he couldn’t concentrate. The image of Zoe’s hurt expression when he’d convinced her to leave her animals on his ranch and move into the Pattersons’ was burned into his brain.

It didn’t help that she’d been avoiding him ever since. She’d been by to care for her animals twice yesterday. Both times she had made excuses not to stick around and talk. Not that he had time for it, but it bothered him that she didn’t.

Which made him what? Contrary, if nothing else. He should be grateful she was avoiding him with the way his hormones had been behaving around her lately, but he wasn’t.