Resisting the Rancher (Redwood Falls 3)

What exactly did he think was happening here?

As he opened his lips and shot off his mouth, she found out exactly what he thought was happening. “Are you bored, baby? Is it only my attention you need, or did you come down here with the express purpose of flaunting your perfect little ass in front of the men?”

Bored? Flaunting? Perfect little ass? Wow. She’d known he was frustrated—after all, with his son home all weekend, Jeff hadn’t been able to have any stress relief since Friday. But taking it out on her? What an ass.

She was just about to open her mouth and tell him about his son when he cut her off and continued shooting shit. “Was the curiosity too damn much to bear?” he questioned sarcastically. “Being here all this time and having no idea about the other men who work here? Or did you dress like this and come down here just to make me jealous? You have to know those jeans look damn good on you.”

Janet was pretty much speechless as fury ran through her system. She’d heard of jealous, possessive men—she knew they existed. She’d never come across one before, not that she knew of, and this display was probably beyond the pale. She’d done nothing to deserve this and her temper soared.

So mad she could barely breathe, she felt her face harden in lines of truculence, but she tried with everything she had to keep her voice calm, because the better she reacted, the more of a bastard it would make him appear to be. “Listen, asshole,” she began in a mild but flat voice, “the school nurse just called. Zach’s running a fever and they want you to come pick him up.”

You’d have thought her news would have been all the impetus he needed to release her wrist, and then maybe apologize, because after all, it was now crystal clear to both of them that his attitude had been beyond contemptible. He’d attacked her for nothing; she’d been completely innocent and it was now damn well obvious he knew it. And yet he didn’t release her, and no apology was forthcoming, as his fingers only tightened.

“You want to let go now?” she asked, pulling on her arm while holding a whimpering Hannah against her with the other.

His features went into lock-down mode, the hooded look he displayed when he didn’t want her to know what he was thinking came into sudden prominence. Janet hated that look above everything else, but he did release her arm.

The second she was free, she turned away from him and immediately went to the door. She twisted the knob, but it was locked and she couldn’t figure out the mechanism, which was different from anything she’d ever seen. So she dropped her hand and waited. She heard his booted feet come up behind her and slowly, he reached around her and unlocked the door.

She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when his hands came to her upper arms. She felt his tension as his palms encircled her shoulders. “Janet,” he began, but she refused to hear whatever he wanted to say—she put her hand back on the doorknob, twisted it, and walked away from him, refusing to allow him to get in another word.

****

Two hours later, Jeff walked into the house carrying Zach’s backpack, with Zach trailing behind him.

Hannah was in her playpen in the living room and Janet ignored Jeff completely, still so mad at him she could barely see straight. But she was worried about Zach, so she walked straight to the boy, wrapping one arm around him and laying her hand on his forehead with the other. “Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked, definitely noting his heightened temperature.

“I’m sick,” he mumbled, “I feel like shit—I mean, I feel—crappy.”

Janet had to smile as he caught himself. “Did the nurse give you anything for the fever?”

The boy shook his head as he swayed on his feet.

She gripped him more tightly. “Did she tell you what your temperature was?” Janet asked, feeling for herself that it was fairly high.

“One-oh-two,” he mumbled.

“Okay, mister. In bed with you. Go on now. I’ll bring you something for the fever. Are you hungry? Do you want some soup?”

“No, just want to sleep,” he said, turning toward his bedroom.

“I’ll be there in a minute, sweetie,” she said as the boy walked away. She turned toward Jeff because she had no other choice, she needed information. “What do you usually give him? Did you talk to the nurse? Did she look in his throat? At his ears? Did she recommend him seeing a doctor or did she say to let it play out?”

He watched her for all of two seconds while he seemed to take in her questions. “She said his throat was angry-looking and he probably needed antibiotics, so I took him to the clinic.”

“They didn’t give him anything for the fever? It’s been a couple of hours, it should have broken by now.”

“Doctor said to give him ibuprofen as needed.”

“Well? Are you telling me that no one has given him any yet?” she asked, getting angry now. What the hell?

“I’m on it now—calm down,” he answered as he watched her with a stoic expression.

Knowing exactly where the over-the-counter medications were kept, she began walking in that direction. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of him.”

“Janet,” he snapped out in that tone she hated, but it did get her attention. She stopped in her tracks and swung around to face him, waiting. There was a look on his face that she was having a problem reading. He didn’t say anything more, but he shifted on his feet, his hand going to his brow and rubbing.

“What?” she questioned sharply, wanting nothing more than to get some ibuprofen into Zach as quickly as possible.

And then she got it. Jeff thought that she was overstepping her bounds. It was his kid—and she was nothing more than the housekeeper. Knowing he was conflicted about his next words, Janet decided she couldn’t wait any longer for his bullshit and snapped, “We’ll talk in a minute. I’m getting some medicine down Zach’s throat and I’m doing it now. Watch Hannah,” she directed over her shoulder as she began to walk away.

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But then his dark voice stopped her once again. “Hey,” he said in a way that made her spin toward him.

He watched her silently for a moment and then he seemed to come to an abrupt decision. He tossed her a small white pharmacy sack that she hadn’t noticed he’d been holding.

She reached out and snagged it in mid-air. With that, she turned away on a mission.

****

Fuck.

How the hell could shit have gotten so wildly out of his control, and only since that morning? When he’d awoken, everything had been fine. He’d been relieved it was Monday, and he had to admit he’d been looking forward to the baby’s nap from the moment he’d gotten out of bed with a raging hard-on.

But shit had gone nowhere but south since then.

From the moment he’d lost control in the barn and let Janet see his jealousy, he’d pretty much fucked himself. And he had been jealous—burning up with it. Jonah—that fast and loose asshole—staring at his woman as if he wanted to plant it in her right then and there, even with the baby plastered to her chest. The son-of-a-bitch was lucky that Jeff hadn’t fired him on the spot.

And he was still tempted. Was he going to have to send the other man on a mission every time his goddamn groceries were delivered? There had been a reason he’d sent the man in the opposite direction the last time his supplies had shown up. The bastard was too good-looking, too fucking young and smart-mouthed—the kid was a goddamn player and not only did Jeff not want Janet to meet the guy—he damn sure didn’t need Jonah panting around the damn house all the time.

And Jeff had really blown it—blown it all to fucking hell and back. He’d dismissed Jonah and then he’d turned on Janet and taken his frustrations out on her.

Dumbass. What an amateur move. Where was his goddamn brain around that girl? After he’d lost control of his mouth, she’d turned it on him and turned it on him good. Telling him about Zach in her sweetest little voice—although she had called him an asshole. But who could really blame her for that?