So? That's her answer?

My chest burns. Never in my life have I ever dealt with a person who irritates me as much as Paige does. Considering my brothers and sister, that's saying something.

“You'll end up dead on your feet and won't be able to look after your mom,” I reply.

She juts out a hip and plants her hand on it. “You know my mom, she doesn't need much looking after. In fact, being out of the house and not available to cart her around town is probably a good thing.”

There's music playing in this crap bar, loud enough that she had to raise her voice for me to hear her. As eyes move to us, I realize our conversation is not going unnoticed.

Women, some I recognize from my infrequent trips into town, are not hiding the way their eyes size me up. I've never been comfortable with the attention I've received. If I have to grocery shop, or check my mail, that's all I'm interested in, not what some random woman will bluntly promise she'll do for me in bed.

It's a part of the reason I stay away. Men are just as bad, but to prove how tough they are. Starting a fight with a guy as big as me makes them feel like they have a big dick or something. It never ends well when I have to prove otherwise just to have some peace.

“People are watching,” I say.

She glances over her shoulder to smile and wave at the tables around us. The smiles, and lust filled looks she gets in return make my gut tighten.

“Asher Thompson, what in the world are you doing here?” A sugary sweet voice asks.

Paige jumps, not seeing Quinn’s approach since it came from the side.

“I'm here to talk to Paige,” I reply, not bothering to look at her.

As usual, my lack of interest does nothing to discourage her. She rounds Paige, and stands behind my chair, setting her hands on my shoulders in a familiar way she shouldn't. I don't like to be touched, or rather, I don't like to be touched by some people. Quinn falls into the people I don't want touching me category.

She has to move out of the way, her hands falling from my shoulders, when I push my chair back and stand.

“Can I talk to you outside?” I ask, my eyes never leaving Paige.

Quinn’s mouth drops in surprise at my brushoff. Her gaze moves to Paige and by the sneer on her face, she doesn't seem impressed.

Standing almost side-by-side, Quinn would be considered the more obviously attractive of the two. She carries herself in a way that makes it clear she's used to getting whatever or whomever she wants, except for me. That it hasn't sunk in I'm not interested in Quinn physically, or in any other way, is her problem, not mine.

“I've got nothing to say to you and you've got nothing I want to hear so how about you go so I can get back to work,” Paige snips.

Jesus, does she always need to be such a pain in my ass?

Quinn’s mouth drops further when I grab Paige’s hand and pull her toward the door.

“There a problem here?” Malcolm, the owner of this shithole and all around dick asks, stepping in front of me before I reach the door.

He's the kind of guy who loves to throw his weight around to prove how important he thinks he is.

Surprising me, Paige steps between us. “No problem, I just need to take a quick break.”

His body stays tense as his eyes flick to her face before his gaze moves back to me. He's itching for a tussle and she just threw a wrench in that plan. Stepping aside to let us pass, his eyes warn me this isn't over.

When we get to the parking lot, Paige turns on me. “Was the He-Man act really necessary?”

“What?”

She jabs her finger toward my face. “I might work for you one day a week and my mother might think you shit bricks of pure gold but that does not make you the boss of me and it does not give you the right to come into my job and start butting into my life. You need to get in your Jeep and go home now.”

Bricks of pure gold?

“Paige—,” I start but am quickly cut off.

“What is it with you?” She asks. “Why do you even act like you care?”

She doesn't give me a chance to respond. “You don't like me and you have to know by now I don't like you. Consider yourself relieved of any obligation you think you're under. I seriously do not have time for this shit.”

On that, she turns, and marches right back into the bar. Grumbling to myself, I head to my Jeep and climb in. It just happens to be parked next to Millie’s Explorer. Instead of leaving, I dig around my glove box for my headlamp, put it and my reading glasses on, and flip open the book Abby brought me this week.

It's a biography of a mountain climber who climbed mountains all over the world. While he climbed with teams, he, himself, was a loner. I'm not far into it when I see the parallels between his life and my own. When he starts to explain how meeting his now wife on one of those mountains changed his life, I roll my eyes.

Real subtle Abby.

“Are you kidding me?”

The sound of Paige’s voice brings me back to the present. I look out my window and hurriedly reach up to turn off my headlamp after she shields her eyes.

Once it's off the darkness of the parking lot momentarily blinds me. I pull off my reading glasses and rub at my eyes.

Paige, I've come to learn, has no problem finding words. “Why are you still here?”

Blinking I can start to make out her face, and her frown. “I'm going to follow you home.”

Her eyes flash, the darkness doing nothing to hide the spark of anger in them. “What if I'm not going home?”

I reach for the door handle and her hand reaches out to slap the outside of my door.

“You stay in there Sasquatch. I'm leaving and you are not following me.”

I watch as she stalks off to her Explorer, slamming the door once she's inside it. Gravel flies as she quickly reverses, her tires peeling once she hits asphalt. Seconds later I pull out behind her, making no attempt to hide the fact that I am following her.

I can't explain why I’m doing it, not even to myself. It's not like Millie asked me to, though she might have if she had the opportunity to. Best I can understand, I still feel somewhat responsible for Millie’s fall. That guilt, and something else I’m not willing to look into further, has me now looking out for her daughter, whether she wants me to or not.

She parks, and I slide into the spot next to her. I'm not surprised to see her waiting for me when I open my door.

“You. Are. Unbelievable,” she says, anger roiling across her words.

“Go inside,” I order with a finger pointed to the house.

She balls her fists. “I'll stay out here all night if I want to and there is not one thing you can do about it.”

I could throw her over my shoulder and carry her in, but deciding against getting physical, I call her bluff and get back in my Jeep. “Suit yourself. The sofa would be more comfortable but if you want to sleep on concrete that's your choice.”

She growls low in her throat and I have to stop myself from smiling. As frustrating as she is, irritating her was surprisingly fun tonight.

“See you tomorrow night Paige.”

She takes a step toward me but I turn on my Jeep and am already pulling away. My headlights illuminate her, showcasing just how pissed off she is.

For some reason, I smile the entire drive home. It's not until I'm inside and reflecting on my actions tonight that my smile disappears. What the hell am I doing, and why do I even care?

I don't like her. She's just some spoiled lazy brat. Only she isn't, and learning how hard she is working was a shock. Before Abby called and told me, I had assumed I knew everything there was to know about Paige. I had wrongly convicted her and in doing so, uncovered something about myself.

 

* * *

Looking up from my page, I watch as Paige walks out of the bar and toward the Explorer. The moment she sees me, she waves. Since it’s only one finger she’s waving, I have a feeling it isn’t to say hi.

Slipping off my glasses, I set them and my book on the passenger seat. She’s almost to her mom’s SUV when I climb out of my Cherokee.

“Paige.”

She doesn’t say a word or stop at my greeting. Instead, she strolls right past me. She wastes no time firing up the engine and backing out of her spot. I have to jump out of the way as she narrowly avoids running me over. Something tells me she was aiming for me.

I’ll give her one thing; no woman has ever tried to run me over before. She’s laughing as she pulls out of the lot. Hurrying back to my SUV, I follow her making a point to stay far enough behind her to show her I’m not chasing her. By the time I reach her mom’s place, she’s already let herself in and turned off the outside light. I’ll have to remember not to get out of my Cherokee tomorrow night.

* * *

She decides against flipping me off tonight, and smiles and waves as she crosses the lot toward me. This scares me more than when she tried to run me over. What is she up to?

My eyes scan her, lingering on her sculpted calves before shifting to see if she’s carrying a baseball bat or some other weapon. I see nothing aside from her purse but stay on guard since she’s being friendly. After she climbs into her seat, she gives me a little finger wave before slowly backing out.

I hold back a cringe, wondering if she plans to ram my SUV. When she doesn’t, I turn the key and shift into reverse. Nothing happens.

Looking down at my display I double check to make sure I shifted to reverse and not past it to neutral. When I confirm I’m in reverse, I gently press on the gas. The engine revs but I go nowhere. Shifting back into park I push open my door and climb out just in time to see Paige laughing as she pulls out of the lot.

My eyes move over my Cherokee and stop dead on my tires, or more specifically the blocks she somehow managed to place behind them.

That conniving little brat.

Removing the blocks and tossing them into the back takes no time. Either way, she’s long gone and by the time I reach her mom’s place, the outside light is off again. Vowing to myself she won’t trick me tomorrow night, I drive home.

* * *

Tonight I decide against parking in the Moose’s lot and park across the street instead. When she leaves, I watch as she looks for me, frowning when she can’t find me. Her head turns back toward the bar and I watch as that dick Malcolm walks over to her.

Deciding now is as good of a time as any to let her know I showed, I tap my horn and flip on my lights. She jumps and then shades her eyes to look and see who honked. The moment she recognizes my ride, she gives me a one-fingered salute.

It’s my turn to throw my head back and laugh.

Without saying another word to Malcolm, she climbs into her SUV and leaves. As soon as she pulls out of the parking lot, I turn out after her. When we reach her mom’s place, she pauses to frown at me. Then she’s gone, slipping inside the door and switching off the outside light. Her frown bothers me enough that it’s a few long moments before I pull away.

I prefer her laughing.

* * *

 “Here,” Paige says, passing me a water and a plate of fries through my window.

I’m back in the parking lot of the Moose tonight, parked right next to Millie’s Explorer.

“Are you trying to drug me?” I had asked.

She shrugs her slender shoulders. “Consider it a truce.”

I’ve finished all of the fries and am still working on my drink when she returns an hour or so later.

“Shouldn't you be playing with your wood?”

I choke on my water.

“This your idea of a truce?” I ask, once I’m done coughing.

“Humor me,” she says, leaning against my door. “You hired my mom so you wouldn't have to leave your land. Now you're leaving it every day to stalk me. What gives?”

My head jerks back. “I am not stalking you.”

She presses her lips together before a bubble of laughter escapes. “What would you call it?”

I frown partly at her question and more so at the way she's acting. “Why are you being nice to me?”

She shrugs. “You have everyone here convinced we’re dating. Since I don't need guys hitting on me while I'm trying to work, it's turning out to be an unexpected perk. That, and the fact that my mom said you're a stubborn mule, my words, not hers, and once you fixate on something you're impossible to shake.”

My brows come together. “Have men been hitting on you?”

Why did I ask that?

She tilts her head to the side, her eyes moving over my face. “If I had more time, I might have been interested in finding out what makes you tick. Or, what you'd look like without that beard.”

My hand involuntarily goes to my beard. “What?”

She raises her brows and backs away. “Afraid we’re just going to have to stick to a pretend relationship. That way you still have to pay me and won't be pining after me when I leave for Austin.”

My hand falls and I reach for the door handle. “You're leaving?”

She turns away but looks over her shoulder to say, “Don't even pretend like you're going to miss me because we both know you won't.”

Autopilot kicks in when she starts to back out and I follow her back to her mom’s house. I wait and watch until she's safely inside before I leave. Why does it bother me so much that she's leaving?

Why do I care?

She has only been a distraction, and a giant pain in my ass. I don't like her and I never did.

That's not actually true though.

After I found out how hard she has been working, I realized how wrong my assumptions about her were. I thought I knew her but I really didn't. Even when I was rude to her she didn't say anything, she just took it.

Even when she's flipping me off or laughing in my face… I do like her.