Honeymoon With the Rancher

“And what have you been up to? Because that doesn’t look like the swimsuit I imagined you’d wear for an afternoon poolside.”

First of all, the idea that he’d imagined her in a bathing suit sent a tingle through her body. Then she realized she was in the dirty coveralls again. And that she had yet to clean up the mess from the painting. Brush and can still sat beside the shed door.

“I have a surprise for you,” she said, excited to show him her handiwork.

She led him to the shed and watched his face as he saw the fresh paint. “You did this?”

She nodded. “I knew you wanted to have it done for Maria and Carlos’s return.”

Her excitement turned sour when the smile slipped from his face and his jaw tightened. “What is it? Did I do something wrong? Is the job not good enough?”

“You didn’t have to do this,” he said sharply. “You should have spent the afternoon by the pool.”

All her elation sank into a pit of disappointment. She’d wanted to please him. She’d wanted to help, to pay him back for the things he’d done for her all week. The low feeling was suddenly infused with anger. At him, for taking the pleasure of completing the task away from her and at herself, for letting him. She stalked over to the can and brush and picked both up. She spun back, intending to head to the barn but he shot out a hand, stopping her—and paint splashed up over the lid and down the leg of the coveralls.

Oh-so-coolly, Sophia reached out and removed his hand from her arm.

“I did go for a swim,” she informed him. “It was lovely. And I felt absolutely useless. So I decided to finish what we started the other day. You would have, if you’d had time. And I knew you wanted it done for Maria and Carlos’s return. So yes, I did it. Not that you’re grateful in any way, shape or form.”

Tomas pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his hair, leaving the curls lying in rills on his head. A smudge of dirt darkened his cheek and Sophia inhaled, fortifying herself. It was not sexy. It was not.

And perhaps if she told herself that long enough, she might just believe it.

She swept past him, determined to clean the brush and put the lid back on the can before going to the house. She was glad the Rodriguezes would be back tonight! Maybe she’d have someone to talk to who didn’t feel the need to move between both ends of an emotional barometer!

“Sophia!” His steps sounded behind her, boots on hard ground. She refused to turn around, just kept walking, bound up in righteousness and feeling vastly unappreciated.

“Sophia! Wait.”

She stopped at the imperious command, then with a toss of her head started off again.

He refused to chase after her. “You are so infuriating!” he called.

That had her turning around. “So are you!”

He’d meant it when he’d said he didn’t know what to do with her. He’d phrased it all wrong, he knew. But any other words he formed in his head seemed to say way more than he wanted to. If things hadn’t halted last night, he knew he would have made love to her. Just the thought of it now was enough to tie him in knots. And it would have been a huge mistake. Now it seemed everything he’d said made her angrier with him. Was it what he said or was it because of last night?

He’d be damned if he’d ask her.

“I just meant…you’re a guest, Sophia. This wasn’t necessary.”

“This is a working estancia, right? Didn’t you tell me that one of the big draws is helping out?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“But I didn’t do the job well enough? Is that it?”

“No, it looks great, but…”

“But what?”

Tomas took a step forward, his patience wearing thin. It had been a long, hot afternoon and he’d tried putting her out of his mind and could not to his growing irritation. “If you would let me get a word in, I would tell you that I did not expect you to do this. This is above and beyond. It is my responsibility to have things repaired, not yours.”

“Is that your version of thank you?”

How he could want to kiss and throttle a woman at the same time was beyond him.

“I do thank you.” The shed did look wonderful. And Sophia was riled up and looking as gorgeous as he’d ever seen her, even in the ratty coveralls. “It’s not that. I put that expectation on you and I shouldn’t have.”