Bossing the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 4)

Her cheeks go red. “My mother.”

“Oh lord!” I say with amusement. “That’s embarrassing.”

“Well yeah, especially because I kept telling her that Ethan and I were going to Netflix and chill. She finally just came out and asked me if we had…” She pauses and lifts her eyebrows.

“Well have you?” I look back and forth between them. It’s an honest-to-God question.

They both say no at the same time. In my mind, I fill it in with a not yet.

“Okay. Well, I’ll see you two at the house then?”

“Yep,” Ethan says. “We’re gonna grab some cake too.”

They walk to the buffet together as I tell everyone else goodbye and give Kenzie a hug.

“Do you wanna come over and watch TV with us?” I ask.

“Nah, not tonight. I’m exhausted from chasing people’s children around all day. I’ll take a rain check, but you better cash in soon!” she warns.

“Deal.”

“Plus, you gotta catch me up on life,” she says as we walk out to the parking lot. When I see my truck, I confirm that I did not leave the lights on and give myself a mental note to get those two airheads back.

Chapter Eight

Connor

It’s just after seven, and I’ve already had two cups of coffee while Olivia eats her oatmeal. I’ll only have her for another week before I take her back to Vivian. Four weeks in the summer isn’t enough, and I wish I had more time with her. No matter what Vivian implies, I’m not a piece of shit dad who doesn’t want to see his kid. She acts like me getting Olivia is an inconvenience to her and makes up excuses anytime I want to see her. It’s exhausting to keep arguing with her, but I’ll continue to fight for time with my daughter if I have to.

Before work, I drop Olivia off at my parents’, then go to the office. After I turn on the lights and adjust the thermostat, I go straight to my laptop and start researching my situation with Vivian and how to fight for more custody. Every article I read just puts me in a bad mood, so I stop looking and check the local news. This week's headliner is the Texas State Fair, which I’ve already promised Olivia we’d attend tomorrow. That reminds me, I need to tell Elizabeth she’ll be taking emergency calls tomorrow since I won’t be available.

When I go to the break room for a bottle of water, Elle walks in, and I almost don’t recognize her with golden brown and blond highlights. She meets my eyes, and layers of cut hair fall in her face. When she first started working for me, her hair was this color. After a while, she went back to her natural color, and it’s been that way for years. She was beautiful then but is somehow even more gorgeous now.

“Mornin’,” she greets with a warm smile, and the fresh scent of her body wash suffocates me. She smells good enough to eat.

“Good morning,” I offer in return.

For a moment, she stands with her eyebrow arched as if she’s waiting for me to notice her hair, but I pretend I don’t. “What?” I finally ask.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” She groans as she pours herself a cup of coffee.

For the rest of the day, we barely say a word to one another. By the time the shift is over, there’s a thick wall between us. I’m sure it’s because I’m an asshole and didn’t compliment or say anything about her hair.

Once everyone has left for the day, I lock up, then pick up Olivia. Mom texted me earlier and told me she was making her famous lemon pepper chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes and invited us to stay for dinner. Considering it’s one of the best meals she makes, there’s no way I could pass it up.

I feel the exhaustion from the long day already starting to settle in as soon as I walk through the front door. Olivia runs over and wraps her arms around my waist. “Daddy!”

“Hey, sweetie!” I pick her up. “Did you have fun with Grammy and Poppy today?”

She quickly nods. “Grammy and I had chocolate ice cream cones with sprinkles!”

A laugh escapes me as I meet my mother’s eyes. “Oh really?”

“I couldn’t tell her no,” she says with a shrug, but I completely understand. Since we don’t get Olivia very often, it’s hard not to give her everything she wants. Maybe that’s me spoiling her, but she deserves it. I’d give her anything she asked for.

After Mom fixes a plate for everyone, Dad says grace, and we dig in. The meal tastes so good and is far better than what I’ve been eating for lunch the past few days.

“So I heard someone was going to the fair tomorrow.” Dad shoots Olivia a wink.