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Cole
Willow Morgan wasn’t anything like he’d expected. He’d expected a woman, rough and no-nonsense. Someone who looked like she knew what she was doing on a ranch. Instead, he saw a girl in a flowing dress and sandals. Did she even own a pair of cowboy boots? He couldn’t work with her. Even though Mr. Morgan said she’d come back to help with the ranch, he wondered if she even knew how to ride a horse.
Mrs. Morgan forced him to come in for lunch, and though he had work to do, he couldn’t say no to her fried chicken or her hospitality. If Mr. and Mrs. Morgan hadn’t taken him in, he didn’t know where he’d be right now. But probably not anywhere good. He’d done a short stint at the prison and once everyone had heard, no one wanted to hire him. But the Morgan’s were all about second chances. He respected that about them more than anything else. But all around, they were just plain, decent people.
He owed them a lot. Which mean he had to be civil to their daughter even if she looked like she belonged at a tea party instead of on a ranch.
When Mrs. Morgan returned to the kitchen to get more rolls, Willow raised her eyebrows at him. “I didn’t know you’d gotten so close to my parents.”
“They’re good people.”
“Everyone knows that. Which is why they’ve had so many people come and go in the past. Most everyone just tries to take advantage of them and it takes someone from the outside to see that.”
He pretended to be nonchalant about her words, though he knew exactly what she was getting at. She thought he was here for the money, to take over the ranch. It wasn’t a secret that the Morgan’s weren’t planning on staying much longer. They didn’t want the burden of the ranch anymore, even though it was worth millions.
It wasn’t the first time someone had looked down on him before, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last.
“Someone from the outside meaning you,” he said.
She nodded, challenge in her eyes. “Exactly. They were raised in a different time, when people treated each other better and it was all about hard work. I’ve been out there in the real world and I know how manipulative and deceitful people can be.”
He grunted and said, “Sounds like a personal problem to me.”
Her eyes flashed with anger, and he almost regretted saying something. Almost. She was a Morgan and he hated being disrespectful. But he hated being disrespected just as much.
The Morgan’s treated him fairly and he earned his keep. In exchange for being on call day and night, they let him stay in the small guesthouse behind the barn. That way he could be close by for any emergencies. And they also compensated with a fair wage for all the other work he did. He’d been doing that work for two years and they’d both been happy with the arrangement.
So why did Willow have to come and stick her nose in his business?
Before she could say anything, Mrs. Morgan returned with a basket full of rolls. “Eat them while they’re hot.”
He reached in and grabbed three, ignoring Willow’s glare. Calm. That’s what he had to be. He knew he did a good job and knew he deserved to be here. She couldn’t say anything that would get them to change their minds about him, could she?
“So,” Mrs. Morgan said, a smile playing on the corner of her lips, “we’ve got a little surprise for you.”
For a moment, he thought she was talking to him. But then he caught her glance at Willow.
“Just a little get-together.” Mrs. Morgan reached out to touch Willow’s hand. “To welcome you home.”
Shit. He’d forgotten about that. The little shindig, as Mr. Morgan called it. Right in the barn, which meant he wouldn’t be able to get things done in there at all this afternoon as they set up. As far as he knew, half the town was going to be there. And half the town on the other side of the ranch, too. Damn it. They’d expect him to be there.
“Mom, you didn’t have to,” Willow started.
“Of course we did.”
“An excuse to get everyone together, right? An excuse to party?” Willow smiled at her mom and he could almost see a soft side there. A vulnerable side.
His gaze dropped to her tits. And that rack didn’t hurt. Neither did her soft curly hair or her long, long legs under that dress. She might not look like she belonged on a ranch, but she definitely belonged in someone’s bed.
“You’ll be there of course, Cole?”
His gaze snapped to Willow’s. “What? I mean—yeah, of course.”
She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. Shit—she’d seen him staring. And what was that look? Oh yeah, the one everyone around town gave him. The one that said he’d been caught doing something wrong again, and it was just what everyone expected of him.
“We’ll have a band there, too,” Mrs. Morgan said. “So, dancing of course.”
Mrs. Morgan beamed, and he almost swore out loud. What the hell? Was she trying to set them up or something? That was the last thing he needed. He’d just started to prove himself here—he didn’t need to fuck it up by sleeping with his boss’s daughter.
Good thing for him Willow looked less than interested. In fact, she almost looked disgusted. Which pissed him off more than it should have considering he’d been living with that reaction most his life.
Her eyes narrowed with distrust, and in response his dick twitched. Damn it all to hell. So, Willow was hot. Sexy. She’d fit perfect in his hands. Closed tight around him. But going there would be opening a huge can of worms.
“I love dancing,” he said, just to spite her.
She rolled her eyes and he felt better. On an even keel. He’d play nice for now because he didn’t have a choice. But that didn’t mean he had to feel anything more for Willow than civility.
If only she wasn’t so damn sexy.