Page 6 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
I hesitate again, this time trying to find my footing. I’ve walked into this all wrong, and I’m going to have to hustle to fix it. “I didn’t think?—”
“You didn’t think women could be ranch hands?” She cuts me off, leaning back with a mock-incredulous look. “I wish I could say that’s a new one.”
“No, it’s just that you’re so…” I scramble for something better to say, but I’m off balance and know everything’s coming out worse than I mean it to. I have no idea how to fix this. I meet her eyes, and the words slip out before I have a chance to hold them back. “It’s just that you’re so pretty.”
She blinks at me, her lips parted in surprise, and I’m staring down the business end of one hell of an awkward silence.
“Well, thank you. I suppose,” she finally says, her voice uncertain. “But being pretty has nothing to do with my ability to work. This isn’t a Miss America Pageant.” She steps back and gestures for me to follow her inside the house.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I stammer, immediately regretting my choice of words. My heart is hammering uncomfortably in my throat. Why can’t I think straight?
In the living room, she spins around and faces me. “Mr. Greer?—”
“Oliver.”
Her lips press thin. “I’m here to show you around, to teach you how to take care of the animals, the right way?—”
“Of course?—”
“I’m not interested in anything else, so let’s make that clear right now.”
I nod in understanding, forcing myself to swallow the lump of embarrassment lodged in my throat. “Of course,” I agree again. “I apologize if that was… inappropriate.”
God, what’s wrong with me? Usually, I know exactly what to say and when to say it, but ever since that damn panic attack a few weeks ago, I’ve been all out of sorts. I don’t even recognize myself anymore.
“Great. Let’s get started with the house, and then I’ll introduce you to the animals.”
“Introduce?” I laugh. “Do they shake hands?”
Her eyes narrow the slightest bit. “The house is a little over a hundred years old, and it can get drafty…”
She goes on, explaining the heating, the cellar, the well water, but I can hardly listen. I already felt like a fish out of water driving through town, and now the first person I’ve spoken to in Miralena thinks I’m an idiot.
Hell, maybe I am. Maybe this house purchase and break from work was a mistake. I’m already in it, though, and if I’m known for anything, it’s for seeing things through.
Even when it means getting my ass kicked in the process.
CHAPTER 4
CARLY
“Cozy,” Oliver says, looking around like it’s the first time he’s ever been in a barn.
For all I know, it might be.
I lean against a stall door. “Got a lot of work to do if you’re planning to settle in quickly. You ride?”
His mouth tilts into something like a smile. “Sure.”
Sure? What’s that supposed to mean?
“Good for you,” I say, nodding. “These guys are waiting for you to take them on.”
He leans over the stall I’m next to, and for a second I can’t breathe. His tall, muscled body is not more than a couple inches from mine, and the woodsy smell lingering on his skin invades my nose. My heartbeat picks up, and everything turns technicolor. His hazel eyes, his rich brown hair, the piece of hay resting on his shoulder.
Then Ace, the palomino in the stall, snorts and I’m brought back to reality. Oliver steps back so quick he bumps into a rake. It’s all I can do not to bust out laughing.
“You in it for the long haul, then?” I ask. I could play nice, but honestly I don’t feel like it, and the animals deserve so much more than the vibe this guy is giving off.
