What was his freakin’ deal?
Why wouldn’t he allow me to go home?
Seriously, I’d have been home hours ago if it wasn’t for him.
I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms, keeping my gaze level on the man who looked highly amused by my anger.
“You just left?” he accused.
“I was ready to go home.” I shrugged.
“You were intimidated by my sister’s kids,” he guessed.
I grumbled something obscene under my breath.
“Those kids are awful,” I told him bluntly. “I’m honestly sorry that their parents have to deal with them.”
“They’re not that bad,” he started to say, but then burst out laughing about halfway through, and was hard-pressed to even finish the sentence. “Okay, they’re just as bad as you’re thinking. But really, when you get on their good side, they’re kind of handy to have around. They’re like those little hellhounds that you always hear about the Devil having around. They’re loyal to a fault, and will do shit that you’d never even dream of one doing… all because they love you.”
I had no doubt that they’d be like little wrecking balls when it came to their family, taking out anybody who threatened them or who they considered their own.
“I don’t want any kids,” I blurted.
Ace blinked. “You don’t?”
I shook my head. “No.”
He hummed under his breath. “Why? Is it because of my nieces and nephews?”
I thought about lying, but truthfully, I didn’t see any reason to hide the truth from him.
“No,” I admitted. “It’s because of the fact that all kids are awful. I haven’t met a single one that I like yet, your nieces and nephews included.”
He started laughing. “Nico and Georgia’s kids are an acquired taste. I can only handle them so much before they get on my nerves. I’m sure it’s just them being kids, but I’m hoping it’s different when the kids are your own. I do want ranch hands eventually I don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for. I’m still thinking about stealing their youngest, Heath, away to try to form him into something that I’d want to eventually be around.”
My lips twitched when he sidled up to me on the horse and offered me a hand.
I took it, and the next second, I was up on the horse in front of him.
I felt instantly protected, but also vulnerable as hell.
“Why is Heath the only one with a ‘H’ name?” I whispered to Ace.
Ace smirked. “His real name is Beaufort Heath, but he couldn’t pronounce Beaufort so Heath it was,” Ace explained. “And when he finally could pronounce it, he refused to answer to it. Not that I blame him. Georgia is a real piece of work with those names.”
I nodded in understanding. That made sense.
“Are they done at five?” I questioned.
Why I cared, I didn’t know, but it was definitely something that was on my mind. And since I was being forced to stay here against my will, I might as well get my questions answered.
“I dunno.” He shrugged. “We’re catholic, so birth control isn’t really something used. Though, if they’re not using birth control, they would have had more. But, I’m not really interested in asking my sister those kinds of details, so I’ll just play the wait and see game.”
I turned to him slowly. “You don’t use birth control?”
He looked down at me with a playful smirk on his face. One that made my belly flop around and butterflies explode inside of me.
His eyes were so freakin’ beautiful—and sinful—that I had a hard time forming my next statement after he said, “I do… but for the right woman, I wouldn’t.”
“That’s kind of stupid. Either you practice it, or you don’t. It being the right woman or not should be irrelevant if you are a true Catholic,” I informed him.
He chuckled against my back.
“Is that right?” he teased.
I nodded once.
“Let me take you out on a date.”
I immediately shook my head.
“No.”
“Why not?” he challenged me.
“Because you don’t know me,” I said, then so quiet that it was near impossible for him to hear, “And I’m a piece of trash.”Chapter 8I’m not a rapper. I just cuss a lot.
-Coffee Cup
Ace
I didn’t realize that she felt that way.
I was fairly positive that she hadn’t meant for me to hear the words that’d come out of her mouth, but I had.
On the way back last night, I stewed over what she’d said, and wondered how I would get around what she thought of herself.
I’d been back in town for a while now, but I’d been a hermit. Though, saying that, I had heard about the town bad girl, Codie Spears. The granddaughter of Jacob Spears. The girl that set the town on fire as she hightailed herself out of it—literally.
Though, that was just speculation.
When I’d gotten the call from Jacob Spears asking if I’d be willing to help Codie with a couple of cows, I’d been reluctant.