Hung

But he didn’t make me wait long. He smiled and smacked his hand on the table, hard enough that I jumped a little. “Well, Macey, if you want the job, it’s yours. He leaned forward and braced his forearms on the table. “And I’m hoping like hell you want the job, because I think you’d be a perfect fit here.”

I didn’t even bother hiding my excitement as I nodded. “Yeah, I’d love to work here, to work on the ranch.” He gave me this straight, white, and blinding grin. My heart did a little flip in my chest, and I didn’t know what that meant. Hell, I didn’t even know if I liked it.

The last thing I needed was to have some infatuation with my new employer.

So I pushed all that emotion away, didn’t focus on the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous or that he made my pulse race just by looking at me, and concentrated on the task at hand.

I had a job, a place to stay, and food to eat, and I could start really looking forward to the future.

That’s what my dad would have wanted.

Chapter Four

Dalton

Several days later

I was always up before the sun, and as I lay there in bed and stared at the ceiling, the first thing on my mind was Macey.

As soon as I saw her standing on the porch, the screen from the door giving her this shadowed appearance, this almost frightened look on her face, something in me tightened uncomfortably… pleasurably. The very feminine part of her had called to the very masculine part of me.

I wanted to hire her on the spot before she even said anything, but I went through the process, not wanting to seem overly anxious, not making it sound like I was desperate for her.

But I was.

It had nothing to do with the fact that she knew all about ranch life, or that she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I could tell she was smart and witty, that she’d be a hard worker. She knew what it took to run, to keep a farm afloat. So when she agreed to work for me, I tried my hardest not to seem really fucking happy. But I smacked my hands on the damn table like a schoolboy who just aced his spelling test.

When she told me where she was staying—the rundown, shitty motel in town—I wasn’t ashamed at how I demanded she move in right away. She laughed nervously, and I reined back the possessiveness in me. I’d been really fucking disappointed she said she could wait, that she had to get some things in order but would move in within the next couple days.

And today was the day Macey would start working for me. To say I was anxious was an understatement. I’d given her keys to the house and a spare set for all the buildings on the ranch. It was better to give her access to everything since, even if she didn’t know it, she’d be part of the lifeline of this property.

I got up and went into the bathroom, used the facility, washed my hands and face, and brushed my teeth. I stared at myself in the mirror, running a hand over my cheeks and jaw, the days’-worth of scruff starting to really fill in.

I thought about what it all meant, why I had this instant attraction and connection toward Macey. Never in my life had I experienced something so strong before. Ignoring it would probably be the best route, given the fact that she was working for me, but even as I told myself I should keep my distance, the truth was, I knew I probably couldn’t.

I knew I wouldn’t.

Once I was dressed to work for the day, I opened my bedroom door and instantly smelled the scent of bacon coming from downstairs. My stomach grumbled. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a hot breakfast.

But who the hell was already here? It sure as hell wasn’t the brothers. No way they’d cook my ass breakfast.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, I rounded the corner and headed into the kitchen. And then I saw her standing by the stove, her long, dark hair piled high on her head, her back to me. She wore a pair of cutoff denim shirts, her thighs toned and a creamy color, her ass plump like a fucking ripe peach.

Don’t get hard. Don’t get hard.

She started transferring the bacon to a plate on the counter and turned around, a gasp leaving her when she saw I was standing there watching her. Her free hand went to her chest and she exhaled.

“You scared me,” she said softly then smiled, gesturing to the table. “I made breakfast for everyone, although I didn’t notice any ranch hands out yet.”