Page 10 of Big Burly Foreman

“Okay, I trust you.”

That’s all I need to hear from her. I spent ten years in the military, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use my hard-earned skills on anyone that dared think they could take Ashley from me. I have connections with some of the most powerful people in the country, and I will use every last one if I need to.

Ashley has stolen my heart. She made it hers the second she bumped into me, and I will do everything it takes to make sure it stays that way.

Chapter Five

Ashley

I dream of the blue-eyed cowboy.

I always dream of the cowboy, but this time, it feels so real. His touch feels so real as he runs his hands all over my body; his sighs against my skin are addictive. His kisses are so wild and hot that I ignore the scratch of the hay poking through the thin material I’m sitting on.

“Ashley!”

In this dream, he hugs me in his arms and peppers gentle kisses all over my face moments after he’s pleasured my body into exhaustion in a dark room. A room where I am not supposed to make any noise, or they’ll hear and stop us.

“Ashley!”

I wake up with a start, jumping back when I am met by a green, ghostly face with my mother’s glaring eyes. It takes me a minute to place the green sludge on her face as a mask and another one to calm my hammering heart.

It’s a lot to wake up from a sex dream with my favorite cowboy, only to be faced with my mother in a green mask. It’s more effective than any caffeine, that’s for sure.

“What the heck, Mom!” I cry out, burying my face in my pillow. “Did you consider even for a second that I would be terrified to wake up to Shrek breathing down on my face?”

“Yes, Ashley, it did occur to me, and that’s why I did it.”

“And what did I do to deserve this form of child abuse?”

“You ditched the dinner last night. Everyone was looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found.”

I sit up at her words.

That was real?

The party, Logan, Joseph, the barn . . . all of it was real!

“I’m sorry, I had a slight headache, and I didn’t want to ruin dinner, so I thought I would come up here and nap a bit. I must’ve slept longer than I thought.”

My mother lets out an exasperated sigh before getting up from the bed while patting her green skin. “I told the Berkleys as much. I know my daughter would never just up and leave for no good reason.”

I wince as a stab of guilt pierces my chest. I’ve never lied to my parents about anything. Never had a reason to. Well, until now, but I know she would never understand.

If I told my mother about Logan, she would freak out and tell my dad, and then he would be in trouble.

“I’ll apologize to the Berkleys for leaving so suddenly,” I offer, climbing out of bed to head to the bathroom.

“That’s great. Start with their son. He’s coming over this afternoon, so the two of you can get to know each other better,” my mother says, oblivious to the look of horror that crosses my face. “The two of you never had a chance to chat properly last night, so this will be your opportunity.”

“Mom . . .”

“He has such amazing stories about backpacking through Asia that he wants to tell you, I think he said.”

“Why him?” I ask, and she turns to look at me. Her eyes are hazel, the only thing I didn’t get from her. The shape of our eyes is the same, and so are most of our other features, including the blonde hair tied in a bun at the top of her head.

“What do you mean?” my mom asks with mock confusion, but she knows what I am asking, she just doesn’t want to answer.

When she and my dad were introduced to each other, she was only eighteen, and although she was not in love with him, she married him six months later. It wasn’t until years into the marriage that she grew fond of him and then fell in love. Her words, not mine.

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