Claimed By Her Cowboys

He watched her fidget. “Just teasing.”

“I was going to put them on the table for dinner … if that’s okay.”

“You do whatever you like, sweetheart.” He winked, and she immediately looked to the ground. Why was she so jumpy? Vinny wasn’t sure if she couldn’t stand him or was genuinely shy. Either way, he needed to try his best to keep professional if she was to have a future on the ranch.

She just stood there.

“You okay?” he asked.

Annalise shrugged. “Have you heard anything from Gabe about the job? It’s been over a week. I just wondered if he was leaning toward hiring me on permanently or not.”

Had it really been that long already?

It seemed cruel to keep leading her on. He’d have to talk with Gabe and Archie. There was no legitimate reason for Gabe to cut her loose. She cooked, cleaned, and did a ton of extras they never even asked for. Life had never been better.

“I’ll talk to him. Nothing to worry about.”

“I hope so. All my eggs are kind of in this basket.”

He tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“This job, the room, everything. It’s perfect. A dream, really. I have to get my stuff out of my old apartment by the end of the week. If this doesn’t work out, I’m not sure what I’ll do.”

“How about I bring my pick-up truck and help you move your stuff out tomorrow?”

“I can’t ask you to do that, and I don’t want the job out of pity. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She started to step back, adjusting the wildflowers in her arm.

“Nonsense. Archie will be happy to help. We’ll get your stuff tomorrow. No arguing about it.”

“Do you think we should? I haven’t gotten the all-clear from Gabe yet. I don’t want to make any assumptions or make things awkward for him.”

Gabe may be rough around the edges, but he wasn’t a monster. Even he would have to have mercy on their little housekeeper. Anyway, if anyone was able to talk Gabe into something, it was him.

“We definitely should.”

He got up and dusted himself off with his Stetson.

She appeared to visibly relax. “I’ve never met a Vinny before. That’s not a common name around here.”

“Well, my birth certificate says Vincent Liam O’Brian, but that sounds too formal. In school, it made me cringe, and at home, it was usually only used before I got a beating.”

“I’m sorry.”

He frowned, not sure why she suddenly looked so sullen. Then he ran his words back in his head and realized she probably didn’t have a fucked-up childhood like he had. He’d stopped feeling sorry for himself a long time ago. “Nothing to be sorry about. I’m not too good at story telling.”

“Well, I like both versions. I’ll use Vinny so I don’t upset you, though.”

Vinny walked closer to her until she had to back up against one of the old shade trees close to the barn. “You can’t upset me, sweetheart. That ship sailed long ago. Anything you call me will sound perfect coming from your lips.” He brushed the backs of his fingers along her jawline, staring into those deep green eyes—but pulled back just as fast. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

He turned away from her and moved hastily into the barn. Vinny was no good for a sweet thing like her, but every time he was near her, he dreamed of impossible things. Stupid things that weren’t meant for a cowboy like him.

Women flocked to him, always had, and he rarely turned them down. He didn’t do girlfriends because he tired of them after a couple of weeks. Vinny and stability were like oil and water. The only humane thing to do was keep his distance.

****

Annalise rushed into the house. As soon as she shut the door, she leaned back against it and closed her eyes. She hugged the flowers to her chest and took slow, measured breaths to calm herself down.

Would her past ever leave her alone?

She’d never spent much one-on-one time with the men. Her focus was on keeping her job and ensuring they were happy with her services. She kept her head down and feelings bottled up—but she wasn’t blind. All three of the cowboys were ridiculously handsome, tall, and hard with muscle. She’d seen them working the fields, handling the horses, and washing up in the outdoor shower at the end of the day.

Vinny had disheveled dirty-blond hair that was a little too long in the front. When he’d run his hand through it, her heart always skipped a beat. Of all the men, he was the crazy one, always joking and laughing. The risk-taker. But she knew there was a darker side. A sad side. She felt it sometimes, especially in the evenings. Now he’d opened up a little window into his psyche and she’d been right all along. There was much more to the sexy blue-eyed cowboy than what met the eye.