The Rancher's Rules

This time Grant’s insides churned with dread rather than anticipation. It would be Zoe. He had no doubt. When her truck came into view he just stood there, like a man ready to face his executioner. Only he wasn’t ready.

Zoe stopped the truck three feet from Carlene’s car and got out. She glanced briefly at the car, and then at him. Her eyes widened when they took in his waterlogged state. “What happened?”

“Fire alarm.”

Carlene chose that moment to make her appearance in the open doorway. Mascara ran down her face like an athlete’s black line gone amok. Her hair was plastered like wet string against her skull, and she was glaring at him as if he had set off the alarm on purpose.

After the mess he’d made of things, he couldn’t blame her.

A choked exclamation from Zoe had his attention careening away from the woman glaring at him. He turned to face Zoe.

“I didn’t realize that you had company.” Her even tone belied the stricken expression in her eyes. “I came by to tell you Tyler will be out to pick up the parrot sometime tomorrow. At least something good came from yesterday.”

Was she trying to say that the change in their relationship wasn’t good? He wouldn’t accept that. “It’s not what it looks like. I didn’t know she was coming.”

Zoe didn’t say anything. She turned to leave and he chased after her, grabbing her arm. “I mean it, Zoe. I was planning on coming to see you when she showed up.”

He turned back to Carlene and demanded, “Tell her.”

Carlene swiped at her wet hair. “So she’s the one, huh?”

Zoe tried to yank her arm away. “No.”

He blew out a frustrated breath and wouldn’t let go. “Yes.”

Carlene’s gaze met Zoe’s. “He’s telling the truth. I came out tonight on a whim. I felt bad about the way I left last time, and I didn’t realize the two of you had become an item. If it will make you feel any better, he made it clear from the start he wasn’t interested. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I’m sorry.”

Some of the tension drained from Zoe, but she still tugged against his restraining hold. He let go.

She turned and started walking toward her truck again. His insides froze. “Zoe?”

It came out like a plea and he didn’t care.

“Call me when you aren’t otherwise engaged,” she tossed back over her shoulder when she reached the driver’s door. Then she left.

Carlene sighed. “I didn’t mean to cause problems between you two. If I’d known it was like that I wouldn’t have come. I probably shouldn’t have come anyway.”

“We’ll work it out.” He hoped. “I’m sorry if I misled you with my actions.”

She shrugged. “These things happen. But if I were you, I wouldn’t make a habit of giving flowers, especially roses, to one woman when you want another one.”

“I won’t.” But he had no idea if the one he wanted to give flowers to would accept them from him.

CHAPTER TEN

THE smell of bleach burned Zoe’s nostrils as she finished scrubbing the bathtub and then rinsed it.

She peeled off the bright yellow rubber glove from her right hand and swiped at her forehead. “Whew.”

The cats were hiding somewhere. They knew better than to get in her way when she was in a cleaning frenzy.

She’d already tried venting, but it hadn’t helped. Forty-five minutes of girl-chat with Jenny had only served to fan the outrage Zoe had felt, driving up to Grant’s home and finding him and Carlene in what could only be termed a compromising circumstance. Jenny had reminded her that Grant had caught Zoe and Tyler in a similar situation and it had been innocent.

It hadn’t helped. It wasn’t the same. There was too real a risk that Grant had wanted Carlene there, even if he hadn’t invited her. After all, he’d invited her once before.

The pain in her chest was way too familiar. She’d felt exactly like this four years ago, when Grant had dropped her off at home in order to take that New York model on a romantic evening flight in his plane. She’d cried for two solid hours that night. She refused to cry this time.

The stinging in her eyes had everything to do with the bleach she was using to clean and nothing to do with overactive tear ducts. She took a deep breath and held it, trying to assuage the very physical ache in her chest. It shouldn’t hurt this much. She wasn’t in love with Grant like she had been when she was nineteen.

The air hissed from between her lips as she let it out and drew another quick breath. She wasn’t. Only a total idiot would let herself love a man who had rejected her so completely once already and had given red roses to another woman. Sure, he’d tried to justify it, but the details hadn’t done a thing to explain why he’d asked Carlene out in the first place.