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THE RANCH OFFICES HAD been a separate building since his mother decided that things had to change. “I don’t like that the minute you all walk into the house, you’re talking about business because this is where it is conducted. Build an office building,” she demanded of Richard.
“Honey, you don’t build office space for the ranch you live on.”
“You will now. I mean it. No more making my home the center of all business. I want people to come here to relax.” Her children knew their mother was serious, but Richard had ignored the signs.
“Business is relaxing.” Richard smiled at his wife in that charming way that often worked.
“Until you start arguing.” Kayleigh was not budging.
“Sweetheart, men like to argue a little. Gets the blood pumping.”
“Oh, I thought you liked to get it pumping another way. Well, don’t let me stop you then.”
They built the office the next month. That was nearly ten years ago.
Richard Red Eagle was a contemplative man who stood tall and strong. Few defied him, and most who did soon regret it. His warm dark complexion and Sioux heritage deepened the serious expression he often wore. Kayleigh usually deferred to her husband, but she was rarely deterred from her goal when the issue was important. Understanding the submission his wife freely gave him as the gift it was, Richard rarely demanded she relented her position. He taught his sons to treat their women the same way.
“She is the reason you get up in the morning, take pleasure in a good day’s work, enjoy a warm and happy home, and don’t mind growing old. Find your soulmate, and you will never regret the decision.”
Stryker never realized how much his mother controlled in boyhood, but now, as he hit adulthood and began to pay attention to women, he admired his parents for keeping that balance for so long. He wanted that same kind of relationship between himself and his better half. As soon as that special person was found, he would start on that.
If he were honest with himself, he had tried with other women, but they hadn’t fit the bill quite right. Stryker had some particular ideas about forever partnerships, and there was someone out there for him. He had no doubt that she would come soon, so he kept his ears and eyes open. His heart, well, that would come later.
Richard stood in stark contrast to his lovely, ruddy complexioned, saucy-mouthed, blue-eyed, Irish wife. Kayleigh laughed spontaneously, making her dark auburn locks jump joyously, while Richard often appeared solemn and brooding. She was impulsive, where her husband was thoughtful. They complimented each other and kept life from going too far one way or the other, and those attributes were shared among their offspring.
Stryker was an orderly, logical thinker on most days. He had a temper like his mother, hot and quick, but it also blew over as quickly. He took his focus and single-mindedness from his father, which helped him get through days like today.
Stryker’s logical, orderly life was off kilter. Tauna, Stryker and Renee’s assistant, had decided that today was the day to give birth, or rather her little belly bean had. Today was Monday and the first day of a new group of “Duders,” as Renee called the guests, to arrive for a week of playing cowboy. It was not the day to deliver a baby.
Renee laughed. “Oh, get over it. It’s not like she made it happen. I’m glad everything worked out for Tauna. I bet she doesn’t come back.”
“What? No, that is not an option, and don’t you dare jinx it by saying so,” chastised her brother.
“Talk about over dramatic. Stryker, get over it. She deserves to spend time with her baby. I’m just saying, with her husband getting that big promotion and raise,” she shrugged, “You can’t discount the possibility. Just call the agency I gave you the number to, and they will send our temp worker over.”
“I thought you set that up,” responded Stryker with a frown.
“I did, but they wanted your information and approval as well.”
“Why?” asked Stryker.
“Because she or he will be working directly with both of us, and you are the administrator, I guess. Just call them.”
“About that... I gave it all to Tauna.”
“Okay, I’ll call over there.”
“And I might have left it late.”
Renee sighed. “How late?”
“Friday afternoon?” Stryker, who was confident in most things, gave his sister an apologetic look and sheepish grin.
“Oh hell Stryker. For a man who prides himself on efficiency, you sure can screw things up.” She reached for the phone. “I’ll handle this, but don’t go anywhere. They will still need to talk to you. And you owe me.”
“How was I to know she’d go into labor already.”
“Stryker, her due date was in a week. That’s why I said to return the agency call immediately.”
“Besides, I thought personnel was your... oh, right. Forget that. Thanks, sis. The sooner they can send someone over, the better.”
“Of course, and I’ll try to get someone who is emotionally immune to your demands. As an added bonus, if they’re telepathic, that would be perfect.”
Stryker sent her the evil eye before chuckling. “I guess that would help.”
“It would.”
***
STRYKER LOOKED UP FROM the projection sheets Declan had left him before going off to teach. They were building an addition to the guest bunkhouse as soon as the season was over. Leaning back in his chair to appear relaxed, maybe even laid back, he waited for their new temp. It had been a week since Tauna had delivered a beautiful baby girl, and the agency had sent over the first temp that arrived the next day. She had lasted exactly 8 hours. Her main complaint was the dust and Stryker’s gruff manner.
So, they tried again. The next one had lasted two days but said it wasn’t what she normally did and didn’t feel comfortable with the rough workers coming in and out so often. There were so many men, and they were intimidating. Stryker wasn’t sure if she meant the guests, the ranch hands, or the Red Eagles.
Finally, they called the agency and begged for an assistant that wasn’t easily intimidated and, hopefully, one used to the craziness of business done on a ranch. Friday, the agency called and said they thought they had the right person for them. Avery Emerson would be there at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. Finally, a man who could handle the work and the workers. Stryker was elated.
Renee opened the door to his office and ushered in the temp. Stryker looked up, and his first impression was he must have misunderstood who this was. This woman was too beautiful and delicate to deal with the roughness of this place. Besides, who would name their daughter Avery, especially one that looked so unlike any man he’d ever met?
“Hello,” he said in his friendly business voice.
The woman by Renee’s side strode in with confidence. She appeared like a little powerhouse of energy that he didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t stay. Then his mouth salivated, and his groin tightened. She really couldn’t stay, but maybe he could get her home number. He’d love to take her out.
“Stryker, this is Avery Emerson, our new temp,” said Renee.
“But, you aren’t a man,” said Stryker.
The small feisty woman grinned. “Very observant, and no, I’m not a man. Avery used to be a man’s name. My mother loved it, so my father allowed her to call me Avery, but he gave me the middle name of Rose, so people didn’t confuse me with a boy.”
Stryker couldn’t help but stare in disbelief. Oh, hell, no. The guy he was expecting had turned out to be a girl. Not a man who looked like he ate nails for breakfast and would not encourage backtalk, but a petite woman who made him want to stand between her and the rest of the world. His hands itched to caress her face and spank her at the same time for coming out here, thinking she would be able to handle the rowdiness of the Dude Ranch guests and his cowboys.
He’d never get anything done with her around. Her pillowy breasts called to him, and were her nipples showing? Was she cold, or was she interested? Like men’s penises, nipples were a dead giveaway. She was either very cold or very stimulated. He could guess why hers were puckered, and it wasn’t the seventy-five-degree weather they had today. Eyes higher, Red Eagle.
“I can assure you there is no way anyone could confuse you with a boy,” he murmured.
“Stryker,” Renee whispered urgently.
“Sorry. Hello, Miss Emerson. Nice to meet you. Renee, after you get Miss Emerson settled, could you check back in with me? Something has come up, and we need to go over it.”
“Really? Give me a minute.” It was clear Renee was confused, but she led Avery out to the front room where the assistant’s desk was or would be if he allowed her to stay.
***
AVERY TURNED TO RENEE and whispered as they left the room. “He doesn’t like me. Maybe I should just go and let them find you a man.”
“Don’t you dare,” Renee hissed. “You’re perfect. Stryker will come around. He doesn’t want a man, really, and neither do I. You’re here for both of us and the office work. He doesn’t get to be the deciding vote.”
“But it’s obvious he’s the one who runs the office,” Avery pointed out.
“His part of it, yes. I have a part of it, and so does Declan, Seamus, and Callen.”
“Wow, is one assistant enough?”
“Yep. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ll explain it more later. I’d better go appease the dragon.”
Avery couldn’t believe her good fortune. She already had a chance to go through file cabinets, messages, and other things without being seen. Avery didn’t think she’d be left alone for a few days. That was if she was allowed to stay at all. This might be her only chance to check things out and see if she could find anything interesting.
She experienced a large pang of guilt for being deceptive and an even bigger worry that she might get caught, but her brother Ben said it was necessary for the farm. She would do anything for her father’s happiness, and if this would keep the farm in his name, then so be it.
Opening the file cabinets, she skimmed quickly for the farm’s name or references to anything related to her family but found nothing. Things were filed in neat sections according to the ranch divisions, and every file she opened appeared, on first perusal, to be just as they were labeled. Well, nothing here would help.
Ben had made it sound like it would be something easily located. Almost a banner of boasting their new acquisition endeavor, but that was definitely not the case. She would give them a more thorough search when she was alone. Avery jumped when the front door opened, but it was just the UPS guy.
Avery smiled and signed for the boxes before checking the sender and addressee names. Nothing exciting. She stacked them by the table against the wall. Next, she began to sort through paperwork on that table but, other than files that needed to be refiled and miscellaneous items, it didn’t appear to be more than general, run-of-the-mill business items. None of which were related to the farm or her family. Finally, she sat at her desk and familiarized herself with the items in it. Nothing that was out of the ordinary. Whatever her brother Ben was talking about must be in Stryker’s office or one of the other offices. That would be trickier. As she walked past Stryker’s door on her way to Renee’s office, she heard her name and had to stop and listen in.
***
RENEE RETURNED AND closed the door. She walked over to Stryker’s desk and rounded it to sit on the edge next to his chair. He watched her militantly fold her arms. He had to swallow his grin. She would crucify him if he let it slip that he thought she was cute, and Renee wouldn’t appreciate that knowledge.
She could annoy the hell out of him, but he loved his sister deeply. That’s why keeping her out of harm’s way and making sure she didn’t make an error when it came to a boyfriend was his primary concern for her. But not today. Today another woman concerned him.
Stryker shifted his attention to the reason his sister was looking so determined. Avery, the woman he could already see himself balls deep inside, was here for a reason. It was that reason that kept him sober-minded. When he laid eyes on Avery Emerson, his inner protectiveness was hyper-activated, and his libido was charged with crashing ions; the ensuing explosion was imminent if she stayed. Which she wasn’t. The first man who swore at her or shoved her out of the way would find his face decorated by Stryker’s fist. And that wouldn’t work.
“I can read that face, Stryker, and I promise you that I refuse to send her packing,” she hissed. “I like Avery, and she doesn’t appear to be easily intimidated. She has two brothers and no sisters, and she lives on a farm. I think she gets the macho crap you guys try to spread and isn’t impressed or overwhelmed.” Renee continued to regale Avery’s qualifications, including a degree in Business with a focus on agricultural administration. “She can handle this job.”
“That little thing? She can’t be more than five feet.”
The door swung open partially, obviously not completely closed by Renee. He wondered if that was done on purpose, but his next thought took flight when Avery’s head appeared.
“I’m five feet two, and if you have any more questions, you could be polite enough to ask me yourself.”
Avery didn’t cross her arms, but he could see she wanted to match Renee’s stance. If the woman was going to stay, he would have to decide whether he would treat her as a sister or his woman because there would be no middle ground here. His cock said, take her, and his brain said he would regret fishing in his own pond.
Avery’s eyes were intelligent, causing Stryker to wonder if she knew what he was debating. She seemed to realize that she should wait her prospective boss out. Avery held his gaze seconds too long, not to be interpreted as anything but a challenge. The minx was behaving like a sassy submissive, and that realization made his cock harder.
“Did you need something, Avery?” asked Renee.
“I have some questions, and if you don’t mind helping me a little, I’m sure I’ll be able to do things myself soon.”
Avery leaned in a little further. Her tone was edged with irritation, but the tip of her tongue darted out, making it obvious she was hesitant to say more. Smart girl. He wondered if these were calculated moves, but he didn’t think so. She intrigued and impressed him because it was unconscious.
“Continue,” he said indulgently.
Little Miss Defiant continued. “Mr. Red Eagle, I am open to answering any of your questions if you choose to ask them. Is that how you want me to address you, or will Stryker be sufficient?”
Stryker ran his hands through his hair. “Oh, hell, I’m sorry, darlin’, but our guys can be kind of rough around here. I was just trying to look out for you. The last two temps, well, you’re the third in a week.”
She nodded. “Yes, I heard this was a hard place to work.”
This time Renee spoke up. “What? No, they left because it didn’t fit them.”
“Why don’t you let me decide?” said Avery, her eyes holding Stryker’s gaze.
“You don’t look bigger than a minute. No harm, no foul if you want to pack it in now.”
“No thanks, Stryker, I can handle things just fine.”
He sucked in a slow, measured breath and let it out again. “Fine, but I expect that you will tell me if someone gets out of line.”
She opened the door wider and stood straight. “I’ll tell you when I can’t deal with anyone. How’s that?”
Renee saw Stryker’s hand form a fist and decided to answer for him. “That’s fine, Avery. I’ll be right out.”
Avery hesitated, then left. Renee leveled a stern warning glare in her brother’s direction.
“Behave,” she hissed as she turned to leave his office.
“Hey, brat, that’s my line.”
Neither woman reappeared, but Stryker spent the morning interrupted by thoughts of those dark gray eyes and Avery’s sweet scent. Lilacs and lime never smelled sweeter. Her hair, a warm milk chocolate color, fascinated him. He could imagine the silken feel of it drifting through his fingers as he tightened his fist in its fullness, pulling her to him as he punished her lips for being so red and enticing and her tongue so insolent.
By eleven, he couldn’t handle the distraction of Avery any longer. He slammed out of his chair, standing with such force the sound of it crashing against the window frame behind him was startling. He righted the chair, grabbed his hat, and stormed out of his office.
“I’m on the ranch. Call me if something comes up.” His voice was gruff, aggressive even and the front door was slammed closed.
Avery watched her temporary boss storm out of the office. She could understand his frustration because if she affected him as much as he affected her, it was probably getting awfully hot in his office. While he did things to her insides that no man had ever done so dramatically, she couldn’t give in to her feelings.
He was a moody man, and she didn’t have time for that even if he sent her libido into orbit. It had only started as an offer for a temp job, but once Ben discovered where she was going to work, he had demanded she add the family agenda. She was only out for a connection between him and the farm and then something that would break that link. Once that was found, she would likely need to slip away quickly and quietly. And that just sucked.
She waited to see if there would be any movement from Renee’s office, but when all was quiet for a few moments, she walked closer. Renee was evidently on the phone because Avery could hear an involved conversation going on inside. Good, maybe she could sneak into Stryker’s office and look through some of his papers while they were otherwise occupied.
Avery locked the front door so that she only had to worry about Renee catching her. Her heart pounded, and her blood rushed as she worked on scanning through all the paperwork in the inbox and then in the outbox on Stryker’s desk. Automatically picking up a dirty coffee cup from Stryker’s desk, she tried to open a file cabinet but found it was locked. There was a noise in the office next door, and then the front door opened. Caught with nowhere to go, she carried his cup out of the office.
Declan walked in the door and pocketed his keys. “Who locked the door?”
“The last one to go in or out of that door was Stryker.” Not a lie but not an answer to the question asked.
Declan paused. “Is Stryker in there?” He nodded in the direction of the room she was exiting.
“No, I was dropping off something and grabbing his coffee cup to clean.”
“He’s washing his cup now?”
Avery frowned and looked inside the cup. “Well, I am. This is disgusting.”
Declan laughed. “I could get used to you. But a word to the wise. I’d have it washed and then refilled with coffee as soon as he walks in the door, so he doesn’t notice right away that you’ve washed it.”
“Why? Doesn’t he like it cleaned?”
“Nope. Says it adds character and flavor to his next cup.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Right.”
“Hey, I’m Declan, but I don’t have time to chat. I’ll see you at dinner or lunch soon. Yeah?”
“Oh, um, yes.”
“Good.” He walked into another office and then left quickly with a backward wave as he closed the front door.
That was too close for comfort. Avery quickly scrubbed Stryker’s cup and flipped it upside down in the small dish drainer to dry. It was ready to be filled. She turned on the hot water for tea and prayed Stryker didn’t notice. She wasn’t up to this spy business. Going behind people’s back kept her stomach in an uproar. The honesty in her bones was rioting, and it was more than a little uncomfortable. Something told her if Stryker ever found out, she would be one sorry woman.