Page 3 of Big Burly Foreman

“They asked me not to tell you why, but to make sure you attend.”

Chapter Two

Logan

I’ve only had my breath robbed twice in all of my thirty-five years.

The first time was three years ago while on active duty in the military. My squad and I were set to be deployed to the Middle East for the next six months, when, in a cruel twist of fate, a fire broke out on our base the night before we were to leave. I could have come out unharmed, but I ran back into the blazing fire to help the others still inside.

I managed to save several people who’d been trapped, but a ceiling beam broke apart and dropped on top of me just as I was making my way out. The beam not only broke my legs, but it cut my military life short. I was lucky to escape with only minor burns thanks to a group of bystanders who pulled the beam off my legs. Still, the damage was done, and I spent the next six months in the hospital and another six after that in rehab. When I got the all clear to return to work, it was with the knowledge that I could never be a soldier again. I had to start a new life.

The second time I lost my breath was not half as dramatic as the first, but equally impactful. I’d just gotten the news that I’d been offered a job as a ranch hand and was looking around the ranch, when a little slip of a thing bumped into me. She was as light as a feather when I grabbed her to stop her from plummeting to the ground, but when my eyes met hers, green like the deepest forest, I’d been sucked in. I accepted the job offer that same day.

Nothing has been the same since then, and despite being surrounded by every luxury money can buy, Ashley Blackwell stands out among all the glitter and shine.

Whenever she is near, I can’t take my eyes off her, but I am not the only one watching her. Every other man present tracks her movements, admiring her angelic beauty.

Tonight, her parents are hosting some fancy dinner party. Normally, I wouldn’t be in the main house, but their chef needed help with some heavy lifting, and I volunteered, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ashley. I can just see her through the open door to the dining room. She’s wearing a gorgeous green cocktail dress that not only highlights her perfect curves but also emphasizes her innocent forest-green eyes. Her lips are curved in a pretty smile as she talks to the woman seated next to her, but I’ve known her long enough to know it’s not her true smile.

No, my favorite is the shy one she gifts me every time I call her princess. I love the delicate, rosy hue that covers her cheeks and neck every time I am close. I love watching her reactions to my not-so-accidental touches, the way her eyes heat at the sight of my shirtless chest, and how her entire body seems to vibrate when we’re close.

Like a ray of sunshine, she attracts everyone’s attention wherever she goes, but it’s not just her immense beauty. Despite being the heiress of a massive fortune, Ashley is precious inside and out. She is loved and adored by everyone who works at the ranch.

I know it’s wrong and likely near impossible, but I have plans for Ashley and me. Soon, they’ll all know she’s mine.

And she will too!

To hell with the difference in our social status and the plan her parents have for her.

As I stare at Ashley, movement on her other side catches my attention, and I notice the man sitting next to her for the first time. He leans in close to talk to her, placing his hand over hers, and I have to grip the counter behind me to stop myself form bursting into the room and ripping him away from her. I hate the smile she gives him as she turns in his direction. However reserved it may be, I still hate it!

It's only when she pulls her hand away from his and settles it into her lap that I can release my hold on the counter.

“Pathetic, isn’t it?” someone says from my side, and I don’t need to turn to know it’s Eric, the foreman.

“What’s pathetic?” I ask, my eyes still on Ashley.

“The man her parents chose for her. I know they haven’t said it yet, but the kid, Joseph Berkley, is the one they want her to marry. I heard her parents discussing it when I dropped off the expense reports to the office earlier.”

My fists clench, but I don’t say a thing, which Eric takes for a sign to carry on.

“I bet the boy doesn’t even know how to saddle a horse. I heard his family deals with tech. I can’t see the poor girl being with someone like him, but then again, they’re both rich.”

Eric flashes me a look of pity that I chose to ignore, but when he offers me a beer, I give him a quizzical look. We aren’t allowed to take anything from the kitchen. Hell, we shouldn’t even still be here now that dinner has started.

Catching my look, Eric smiles mischievously. “We’re off the clock. The least they can do after asking for our help is let us have a beer.”

I return his smile and accept the bottle, lifting it to my mouth and taking a long pull of the bitter liquid, hoping it cools my temper before I do something drastic. I can hardly focus on anything but the fact that Ashley is still talking to the kid, Joseph Berkley.

Calling him a kid is a stretch as he appears to be in his mid or late twenties, but he’s an ill fit for my woman.

And Ashley is mine. She doesn’t know it yet, but I intend to make it known to everyone soon.

The kid lifts a hand and brushes Ashely’s hair over her shoulder. My vision tinges red at the sight, and I start for them when a hand grabs my arm and stops me.

“Stop it, Smith. If you walk in there, you’ll kill the kid. Then you’ll get fired, and where will that leave me?”

I push down the irritation clogging my throat and raise a brow at Eric. “What do you mean?”

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