Reece (Stud Ranch 4)

“What?” Ruth asked. “You expect me to just make you breakfast every morning and help around the ranch? Why should I? It’s not like you’re paying me. And you didn’t inherit a wife with the property, buddy.”

Jeremiah just glared her down as he yanked off his hat. “Never thought I did. Didn’t intend to inherit a landlady with the property either.” He jammed his wide-brimmed hat on the hook. “And I can cook myself breakfast just fine, thank you very much.”

“Oh, let me!” I said, hurrying into the kitchen.

Ruth swung her head towards me, as if I’d just betrayed all womankind. Shit, I hadn’t meant that.

I held up my hands. “Or not. Just trying to be helpful in return for hospitality. Sorry if I’m overstepping.”

But Jeremiah’s gaze landed on me, and it didn’t glance off immediately like it had all yesterday. Instead he paused and seemed like he was assessing something.

“I saw the work you did out on the bunkhouse yesterday,” he said. “I can’t believe you cleaned up that whole place by yourself.”

“Oh.” I shrugged, not expecting the compliment. “I don’t mind a little hard work. And I’m so grateful you all gave me a safe place to stay when I needed it.”

He nodded. “Reece said you were good with the calf, too.”

I smiled. “Bessie’s a pleasure. Can I see her again before we leave?” I asked Reece, then looked to Ruth. “I know we’ll need to get going soon, but maybe I can feed her one last time?”

Ruth opened her mouth to say something, but Jeremiah cut her off. “What if you didn’t leave?”

“What?” I choked out right at the same time as Ruth said, “First good idea you’ve had since I met you.”

I looked back and forth between Jeremiah and Ruth, suddenly acutely feeling Reece’s presence in the room, but not able to bring myself to look at him. Who was I kidding, the entire time since I’d stepped in the room, he was all I could think about, all I could sense, but I’d refused, refused to look his direction. So what if I felt even an iota of the heat I had from last night? God, I’d die of embarrassment of anybody else here sensed any of that.

So I kept my gaze firmly averted.

Until his brother suddenly came out with the ludicrous question about me not leaving.

I met Reece’s eyes and they were staring right at me, steely gray to match his dark gray Henley shirt he wore.

“I agree,” he said. “You should stay. No need to move on so soon if there’s no one waiting for you.”

I blinked, then looked back at Jeremiah, if only for my sanity. “But I’m not strong enough to be a ranch hand.”

Ruth scoffed. “That’s bullshit. You think women haven’t been doing this work for centuries? Plus, machines do most of the heavy lifting these days. I kept the ranch afloat almost a whole month and all the cows fed and watered before these two showed up. All by myself.” She waved her arms toward the twins.

“No wonder—”

Ruth pointed her finger in Jeremiah’s face. “Finish that sentence and I’ll put this boot so far up your ass you’ll be coughing leather. You try running this place by yourself. I about dropped with exhaustion at the end of every night. And guess what. No one was paying me shit. It was just for love of these stupid animals and this land.”

Jeremiah’s face gentled, just the slightest bit, but he didn’t say a word to her, he just moved his eyes from her, back to me. “See? I’ve known plenty of women who worked side by side with a man and were more reliable by half. I know you got your own plans and being a ranch hand probably ain’t on that list. But the way I see it, we’re short-handed at the moment, and you probably need some cash to make an easier start of it. At least stay through calving season. That’s two months’ pay to set you on your way, and two months for me to find more permanent steady labor.”

I blinked and felt stupid that I didn’t know what to say at his offer.

It made sense when he explained it like that.

But I’d made plans. I’d had it all mapped out so clearly in my head.

My eyes flicked involuntarily to Reece, and I realized what was really stopping me from accepting.

I never would have been so forward and slept with him like that, been so uninhibited, if I knew I’d be staying on.

But what did I really have in Austin?

The hope of maybe finding a women’s shelter and hoping they had a spot for me. I’d googled several on Ruth’s computer last night and had their addresses. Yeah, I could call ahead, but even if they did have space, what if I couldn’t find a job right off?