Page 23 of Into the Fire
“Is that what they’re callin’ it these days?” hesaid with a chuckle, stepping a little too close under the pretense of hanging the rag still in his hands. “Didn’t think Levi had it in him to bring someone like you around. Thought maybe he'd sworn off women for life.”
Emery crossed her arms, unsure what this guy's angle was as she held his gaze. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he started up again.
Cocking his head as if weighing her up, he leaned in just an inch from her shoulder. “Gotta say, I like that pretty pink toenail polish you've got on. Got me wondering what you've got on under those cut-off shorts.”
Before he could continue, the door to the tack room behind them creaked open, followed by heavy, purposeful boots stomping down the aisle of the barn.
Levi.
His jaw was tight, his posture solid as he walked in and caught the end of the exchange. His eyes flicked between Emery and his ranch hand, narrowingslightly.
“Get to work, Cole. You shouldn't be out here chatting on work hours,” Levi said, voice sharp enough that Emery was glad it wasn’t directed at her.
Cole stepped back, suddenly all business. “Just bein’ friendly, boss.”
Levi’s gaze didn’t waver. “You've got enough work to keep busy without the commentary. You’ve got fence posts to load.”
“Right. On it.” Cole disappeared fast, leaving just dust and awkwardness behind him.
Emery looked over at Levi, who was still watching the spot the guy had just vacated.
“You gonna growl at me too?” she asked lightly, trying to ease the tension.
Levi looked at her with something unreadable in his expression. Protective. Intense.
“I don’t like the way he looked at you, and I heard more than enough to decide that I don’t want him around you,” he muttered.
She tilted her head. “I can handle some guy trying to get attention. I’ve dealt with worse.”
“That doesn’t mean you should have to,” he said gruffly. “Especially not here.”
The edge in his voice surprised her. Not angry, just territorial in a way she hadn’t seen before.
She stepped closer, brushing her hair off her shoulder. “Is this a general ‘protecting the help’ thing or...?”
His jaw worked for a second as if he was chewing on whether or not he wanted to say what was on his mind.
Finally, he looked at her, the deep blue of his eyes sharp but steady.
“You’re not just the help, Emery. Not to me.”
Her heart gave a quickened, heavy beat. The muffled sound of a phone alarm buzzed from her back pocket—a reminder she’d set to switch the laundry.
She gave a soft, almost breathless laugh and stepped back. “Guess that’s my cue.”
Levi nodded once, eyes still on her. “Guess so.”
But as she walked back toward the house, she could feel his eyes on her the entire way, and this time, she didn’t mind one bit.
The afternoon sun had shifted by the time Emery pulled into the school pickup lane, still thinking about the look Levi had given her in the barn. Guarded, but there was something more behind it. Like there was something he wanted to say, but he was too stubborn—or too scared—to speak it. She sighed, fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel.
You’re not just the help, Emery. Not to me.
Those words had followed her all day. Was she overthinking it? Did she take it the wrong way? Was he having the same thoughts pop into his head as she was?
When June finally appeared among the small crowd of kids, Emery’s smile fell. Something was wrong.
Her little face was blotchy, her eyes rimmed pink. She was dragging her backpack behind her and didn’t wave or run over like she usually did.
