Reece (Stud Ranch)

I looked down at myself, engulfed in his large, faded Grateful Dead t-shirt that came just a few inches short of my knees and hugged my arms to myself. It was chilly in the room and my feet on the wood floor were cold.

I’d need to go hunt down my own clothes soon. For another second, though, it was nice to just breathe in the cold air of this new life and wonder who I’d be today.

I was stretching my arms high above my head when the door suddenly pushed open and a tired-looking, mud-drenched woman came in the room. She was tall, with thick brown hair that escaped in all directions from a braid that was barely holding together anymore.

It was shocking to see a stranger opening the door. Shocking too, because apparently me trying to jam that chair underneath the doorknob wouldn’t have done anything if Reece or anyone else had tried to intrude last night to molest or otherwise harm me. Ruth had pushed the door open and the chair had just bumped free and pushed along the ground with the door. Good Lord. The hairs on my arms raised.

Which was right about when the woman saw me and let out a little screech. Her face went immediately bright red. “Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you doing in my bed?”

“Oh, hi,” I said, scrambling to my feet, then realizing I was in nothing but a shirt and underwear. She had to be Ruth.

Then I looked around in confusion. “Isn’t this Reece’s room?”

I waved awkwardly, deciding to start over. “Hi, I’m Charlie. God, I’m so sorry. This is your room? I must have gotten the rooms mixed up last night when he told me where to go. He said second door to the left, but I wasn’t sure if he was counting the bathroom, and it was so late. I just saw the bed and kind of face-planted honestly. Reece said—"

If I thought her face was bright with color before, it was nothing to her reaction at my words.

“Get dressed,” she snapped at me. “I can’t believe he let his whore sleep in my bed.”

My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

But she just glared back at me. “Oh my fucking God. Get out of my bed and the fuck out of my room. Take the sheets with you, you can toss them in the washer on your way out.”

My mouth dropped open. This woman had gotten the wrong impression, and maybe I couldn’t blame her, I didn’t know how I’d feel finding a strange woman in my bedroom. But I also did not appreciate being called a whore at whatever the hell o’clock it was in the morning.

At the same time, considering it had been her warm bed I’d slept in, the first in over a week, I just zipped my lip and gave her a single nod. “Sure, whatever. I’m outta here, anyway.”

She scoffed, then shook her head at me. Then she spun and stormed down the hall, yelling, “Reece Walker! We need to establish some house rules. Right the fuck now.”

I shook my head and looked around. I didn’t really have any things to gather. So I just gritted my teeth and pulled the sheets off the bed and balled them in my arms. I’d handed my dirty clothes through the door last night for Reece to wash, so there was nothing to do but walk downstairs if I was going to retrieve them.

At least I’d seen the washer and dryer on the way in yesterday. Easy, since they were in the mudroom we’d entered through last night. There hadn’t been much in the way of a tour—just us tromping into the house, me following behind Reece as he gave me some clothes to sleep in, let me change in the bathroom and directed me on where to go upstairs to sleep. His pajama bottoms swamped me, but they were good enough for decency’s sake while I made my way upstairs, basically holding them up the entire way.

I’d considered the fact that he didn’t follow me upstairs to “show me the bedroom” really cool of him, as if he knew a woman alone in a house with a man would not appreciate that. Which I wouldn’t have.

Now I was back holding up the pajama bottoms and trying not to trip as I made my way back downstairs. Right when I was near the bottom of the staircase, I heard the sound of raised voices.

“—didn’t think it had to be stated, but I have a no-whores-allowed-in-my-bed policy. Where did you even find her? You were supposed to be putting in fence posts, not carousing at the local bar picking up chicks. Jesus, who did I just sell my daddy’s ranch to?”

“Stop laying into my brother, Ruth. You’re just cranky cause you were out all night chasing runaway cows.”