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RENEE CAME OUT TO CHECK on things and saw Avery making a cup of tea. “Sorry. I was on an important call. Things okay out here?”
“Yep. Declan just ran in to find something and left again.”
“Was that Declan slamming out?” asked Renee with a frown.
“Stryker. He said he was going out on the ranch.”
“Huh. Hope things are okay.”
“Wouldn’t he say so if they weren’t?”
“I guess. It’s just... well, never mind. Want to run to the house for lunch? Tauna did pretty often when she was here. It’s part of the pay.” Renee reached for her sweater.
“I brought my lunch today, but I’ll remember for tomorrow. Thanks anyway.”
But Tuesday, Avery didn’t go either, feigning something personal she needed to take care of. She needed to stay as separate as she could if she were going to do what Ben wanted: get the dirt on the Red Eagle Ranch and especially Stryker Red Eagle. They had done something that put the farm in jeopardy. It didn’t sound right, nor sit right with her, but Ben wouldn’t make that stuff up.
The next day, she congratulated herself on the place being empty at lunch until Renee ran in to retrieve something from her office to show her brother Callen.
“Come on. It’s lunchtime.”
“I already ate.”
“You did not. And you had better not let Stryker catch you in a fib.”
“No, really, see, my lunch container.”
“I’m going to get a complex if you keep this up.”
“I won’t, I promise. I just need to get used to things.”
“Tomorrow, no exceptions. I’m pulling rank here. The others want to meet you.”
“Promise.”
Renee left to grab her own lunch but complained that ‘Avery didn't have to eat alone’ as she closed the door behind her.
Renee was gone shopping for the ranch on day four, so Avery could get away with once again eating away from the main house. Avery cleared her desk before pulling out leftover dinner from last night. If she could just keep this up, things wouldn’t be so bad. Even though the other Avery, the non-sneaky one, wanted to join the group and get to know everyone, it wasn’t a good idea. She could slip and share the wrong information. That could be fatal to her task and the farm.
She’d find some dirt, all big operations must have some, she’d give it to Ben, and that would be the end. Deciding it would all be over soon, she looked at last night’s dinner; barbeque pork, potato salad, and chopped salad. She had brought the whole plate of leftovers. There was too much for her to eat, but no one at home ate leftovers besides her.
Avery’s parents had divorced when she was ten. Her mother had never liked living in the country, but the farm had been her father’s family home for four generations. He couldn’t leave, and she couldn’t stay, so when her three children were old enough to fend for themselves, she left, and he stayed.
The kids were left to decide who to live with. Avery never regretted staying, but she enjoyed her visits with her mother, too. The country taught Avery how to deal with life, like learning to cook and clean. The city taught her how to deal with powerful people. She had plenty of both these days.
Avery could handle the handsome, moody man with control issues that fingered millions of dollars daily, figuratively speaking, and over the years, likely hundreds of women, physically speaking. But could she handle her own heart that raced when she first saw his confused face when he realized the male Avery turned out to be a female Avery? She stared at the food on her desk but made no movements toward eating it.
Whenever she envisioned Stryker, her clit pulsated in want. Earlier today, his darkly toned voice that matched his dark features made her shiver. It resonated through the dividing door when he spoke on the phone, giving her goose flesh. His broodiness shone through when Stryker had called out for Renee soon after that.
“She left to find a guest, Mr. Red Eagle. Can I help?”
“I said Stryker was fine. Only those trying to get money off the ranch call me that,” he snapped. He couldn’t have known how close to the truth he was at that moment. He had been serious, but then a full, sexy smile flashed across his face, throwing her off guard. He leaned back in his chair. “But I think I’m safe with you.”
Damn. Avery wished he were right.
“Y-yes, sir,” she stuttered. Taking a quick breath, she steadied. “I’ll tell your sister you’re looking for her when she gets back.”
“Nah, I’ll just call her. Will you grab us coffee and sit with me for a few minutes? I’d like to get to know you better.”
“I’ll get you coffee, but I don’t drink it, usually. I prefer tea.”
“Health nut, huh?” He spoke almost in a dismissing way.
“No, I like the smell of coffee more than the taste of it.”
“Really? Both of my grandmothers prefer tea, but one prefers herbal and the other black. We’d better get some tea in then because I don’t think we have much.”
“I brought my own, but did you just call me old?” A hint of horror accompanied the question.
Stryker laughed then. It was the first spontaneous, full-bellied laugh she’d heard from him. It made him much more approachable, and her core tingled so strongly, she needed to shift positions for just a hope of relief.
“No.” His laughter died down, but his eyes still held the merriment. “Far from it. You are very much a young woman.” He paused as they stared at each other. More tingle, more shifting positions. “Miss Emerson...”
“I...”
Stryker shook his head and waved her out. “Make your tea and bring me a cup of coffee. Let’s sit down and get to know one another better.”
“But I have so much to do.” The heat had risen considerably.
“Darlin’, I’m the boss, and I need you to do what I ask. Please.”
That last was obviously added as an afterthought. He could be charming and downright irresistible when he put his mind to it. All thoughts of a snarky comeback were dissolved.
Avery hesitated at the firm steel running through the words before nodding. “Right. Sorry, Sir.”
“Sir. I could get used to you calling me that.” He chuckled as she scurried out like a naughty schoolgirl. What was wrong with her? And sir was a term of respect, not servitude, and yet...
Avery sagged against the wall as she waited for the water to heat. Her emotions were everywhere. She brought their mugs in, and for the next fifteen minutes, they chatted and damn if she didn’t like him a lot. He frowned when the phone rang, heaving a big sigh and sharing an apologetic smile. He answered and ended the call with a few words.
“Guess our break is over, darlin’. I’m serious about buying the tea you like on the ranch’s tab.”
“It’s fine.”
He sighed. “Avery, don’t make me have to spank you the first week you’re here.”
She looked up quickly, and he was smiling. A joke. Of course, it was. If only she hadn’t gushed at the thought, it would be funny. And when he’d finally said her name for the first time, it was chastising. She was done for, especially when she heard him dial and then begin to chat with whoever was on the other line. It sounded like a sibling or family member had called, and he’d called them back.
Stryker was almost indulgent, gentle even, and that was a far cry from the man she had first encountered. Maybe it was his mother. Or a girlfriend. Oh hell. Maybe he was married. No, he didn’t wear a ring, and she would have heard by now. She hoped. She had to find out because getting the hots for a married man was not in her makeup. If Stryker had a wife, that would make everything easier and harder. Why had she allowed herself to be pulled into one of Ben’s schemes?
Stryker soon left to deal with whatever the phone call was about, waving as he passed, but it was obviously just a courtesy. His mind was already far away from the office. Then he stopped short of the entryway.
“Avery, I’ll be out for a little bit. You go ahead and go to lunch at the house. I’ll be there soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stryker nodded and headed for the door, only to stop after a step. “Avery, don’t skip lunch again.”
“I haven’t skipped lunch.”
“Renee tells me you haven’t eaten at the house yet. Do that today.”
“Oh, but I brought my lunch.”
“Avery, that offer to warm your butt is still open. Don’t force me to do it because you’re insubordinate.”
She opened her mouth to protest. I mean, insubordinate? This wasn’t the army. But his irritated and expectant look told her that he meant every word.
“Y-yes, sir.”
He nodded acceptance. “I have my phone.” He grabbed his hat off the wall rack and walked out.
This was going to be more difficult than she had ever imagined. How was she going to do what she was charged to do if her panties were wet and her heated center throbbed all the time? Hiding her feelings and thoughts was not her strong suit. And Lord knew she needed to keep this job on the Red Eagle Ranch.
Somehow, her family’s future depended on it, which is why she used her mother’s maiden name instead of her Camden birth name. Avery instinctively knew that if Stryker found out about her deception and the reason behind it, any hope of remaining friends would be over.
Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore, and not only because she was defying his direct order by not going to the house. She had never felt this way about a man before, and even though she was out of her league, she trusted him.
Avery decided Ben would need to figure things out himself. With that decision, she wondered why her father hadn’t mentioned anything. Something was up. She just couldn’t betray this family who had accepted her without fuss. Well, without too much fuss. The only question was, did she stay and tell them or go and keep quiet. She was leaning towards going.
An hour later, the door swung open and in strode the man himself. Stryker entered the office with his brother Seamus.
Stryker took off his hat and turned toward his office when he saw Avery at her desk in the corner of the room. His look of surprise was obvious. He probably didn’t expect her to disobey his directive, signaled by the pronounced tilt of his head and the raised eyebrow.
“Seamus, have you met Avery? She’s our temp worker while Tauna is on leave.”
Seamus Red Eagle, who, unbelievably, was bigger than Stryker in every way, stared down at her for a moment. “Is Tauna coming back?”
“Now, don’t you start,” grumbled Stryker.
Seamus cocked his head slightly as he continued to stare at Avery. “Don’t I know you? Were you with Ben Camden a few weeks back?”
“I know him if that’s the question.”
“Yeah, I remember now. Camden got into some pretty hot water later that night. I don’t think you were with him then.”
“No.” She didn’t know what he was talking about, but it certainly was something she would look into. That was about the time Ben got jumpy.
“Well, I’m gonna grab some lunch. You two coming?” asked Seamus.
“No, I’m good,” said Avery.
“Go on ahead. I’ll get with you when I have more information on that plan we talked about.”
“Yep. Better hurry before I eat it all,” warned Seamus with a smile. “Good to finally meet you, Avery.” She returned his smile and watched him leave, her anxiety rising.
Stryker’s thoughtful expression was quickly shuttered and then replaced by a kindly stern one. “Darlin’, why are you here? I told you to have lunch at the house. Didn’t Renee take you? Think before you answer with a lie that I can’t overlook.”
“She offered, but I like to bring my lunch, and now,” she made a face, “I don’t feel like eating. Would you like it?”
He looked at her full sectioned container then back at her with raised eyebrows. “You can eat all of that in one sitting?”
“Not hardly,” she said with a chuckle.
“Well, good thing, because I was going to have to check for hollow legs.”
“My legs are plenty filled out.” Avery felt the heat race into her face, even as she finished her sentence. Not what she meant to say.
“Yes,” his voice had darkened into that sexy tone again. Her face grew hotter.
How was she going to stand up against his charm? It was hidden at times by his gruff exterior but was there, nonetheless. This man was flipping all her switches, and she loved it. But she shouldn’t.
She had to pretend he was the enemy so she could finish what her brother said she needed to do. She was charged to get information that Ben could use to barter with to save the Camden Ranch. Barter? No, she had decided not to do that, Avery reminded herself. Something was not right about it, and there were so many things right about Stryker.
Ben implied Stryker and the Red Eagle Ranch were involved somehow. But Avery had gotten to know these people, at least on the surface, and she had full access to most things. There wasn’t anything that she could find that hinted at the Camden Farm or her family. The ranch didn’t even buy their feed from the same place.
Something didn’t sound right, but Ben was pretty worried, so she said she’d do it. She’d been conflicted, and it sucked. That all changed this morning when Stryker had made a special effort to get to know her personally. She had a feeling he was going to say something right before the phone rang. No, Avery had pretty much decided she wouldn’t keep looking for dirt for Ben.
She looked up at Stryker, scrutinizing her. His stare mesmerized her and yet had her pushing away from the intensity.
“Have you eaten?” she asked her boss.
“No, but I’ll get over to the house before too long.”
“Here, have this. I’m really not hungry. It’s leftovers, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s yours. I’m not a bad cook.” She pushed the dish over to Stryker.
“No, I don’t expect you are. A bad cook, I mean. I do expect you to be hungry.” He walked over to grab another fork, two napkins, and bottles of water before returning. “Only if you eat with me.”
“I said...”
He sighed. “I can see I’m going to have trouble with you. I’m the boss, darlin’, remember? Besides, you have to eat something, and I am not in the habit of accepting arguments.”
“I don’t think you can make me eat,” came her sassy reply.
He watched her a moment before shrugging. “Okay, then. I’ll grab something at the house later.” He turned to retreat.
“All right. Are you always this pushy and manipulative?”
“No, sometimes I demand, and there is no telling Da-, me no. I don’t take it well.”
“I can see that.”
“Good, and just so you know, minding me is always better than defying me. It makes life more comfortable.”
“Don’t you mean listening to you? Or even following your directions? Minding sounds like... I don’t know, juvenile.”
He flashed a smile. “Nope. It sounds like what it is, me taking care of what’s mine. I meant what I said, and I advise that you remember that.”
Avery opened her mouth to say something but closed it. Stryker grinned and nodded. “I knew you’d figure it out.”
Before Avery could respond, Renee strolled in, giving them a grin and breaking their connection for the moment. “I knew you’d eventually get along.”
There was not one unaffected cell in Avery’s entire body. This man turned her on even though her brain said he was too impressed with his own person to be a man you would keep forever. However, a short rainy season during her dry spell would be much appreciated. No, there was no way Avery would continue looking for something that she was sure didn’t exist. She’d been used again, this time by her brother. Now, to find out why. She might get to take a dip in lake Stryker yet.
She should have just gone to her father in the beginning. Could there be another side to this story? Ben was irresponsible at times, plenty of times, but he wouldn’t set her up to hurt a man and his business if it weren’t true, would he? The indecision nearly drove her mad.
Even Ben wouldn’t stoop that low, would he? For what purpose? Avery would just have to keep listening at keyholes and peruse the files as much as she could to find something. But as the day wore on, her concerns and doubts wouldn’t leave her for long.
Maybe when she’d spoken to Ben, things had made sense in an isolated context, but in general, there seemed to be big pieces of information missing, like, what was he exactly going to do with whatever she found, assuming she could get it? Was he going to blackmail them? She wouldn’t be a part of that. No, taken separately, this scheme sounded sketchy at best, illegal at worst.
Maybe not blackmail; he wouldn’t do that. Avery wasn’t going to look for dirt. She was looking for something that tied them to the farm. Something that had happened or would happen that could take the family farm from her dad. But there was not one iota of evidence anywhere that led her to believe they even knew the Camden farm existed.
***
STRYKER WAS CONFUSED. He really liked Avery. This was a woman who was not only attractive but could hold her own. His earlier thoughts were wrong. Avery could handle the men, and the office pressures, as well as Tauna had. Avery was catching on to his idiosyncrasies more than he would have ever hoped.
He’d heard Avery dress down a handsy duder who had immediately stopped harassing her afterward. Stryker had backed away without stepping in, although he wanted to protect her. His first instinct was to nail the mouthy visitor to the wall, but Avery handled herself well. Good girl. More than that, she was efficient. She rarely asked twice about anything she learned. Plus, the family liked her. All these were items in her favor.
Stryker had been having impure thoughts about Avery since he met her, but he was in the market for a different type of woman. He worried that his own needs slanted how he viewed Avery’s actions in a favorable light, but he honestly thought she had certain desirable tendencies that matched his own proclivities. Behaviors such as when he’d playfully threatened to spank her. Something that she could have called him on as sexual harassment and have won but didn’t.
He’d said it once for being naughty when Avery referred to one of the duders in an uncomplimentary way and several times when she didn’t mind him. She had blushed and wiggled in her chair. Intoxicating. He used some of the words he knew would trigger that wiggle in a receptive woman, like “naughty” and “good girl.” Once he’d threatened a trip over his knee, and she giggled but covered it quickly with a cough.
It worked every time, and every time he baited her, it was torture for him. He wanted her and couldn’t see a way to have her unless he went against his own rules of fraternization. On Friday of her first week, Avery showed her hand quite by accident. She had no idea, but the Daddy in him homed in on it immediately.
Avery had poked her head into his office. “I’m going to step outside to get some air and to stretch my legs. I’ll be back in a few.”
She hadn’t been gone but a minute when she screeched his name.
“Stryker! Stryker, hurry!”
He’d dropped his tablet on the desk and raced outside to find Avery staring down at a poised rattler, barely breathing.
“Darlin’, look at me.”
“No,” she whispered, “I have to watch him.”
He instinctively dropped his voice and hardened it. “Avery, listen to Daddy. I need you to stay still.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hesitate.
“Okay.” She didn’t seem frightened as much as cautious. He put his full attention on Avery and her proximity to the snake while he felt Carson put something in his hand. It was the handle of what was likely a big straw broom from the barn by the weight and feel. Perfect.
“Avery, I’m going to put the broom between you and the snake, darlin’. You need to wait until I say run, and then you run to Carson, behind me. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good girl.” He slid the broad broom head between the snake and her. “Now.”
She raced to Carson but as soon as Stryker had “swept” the snake through the air, the light thud verifying it had landed a distance away, she screeched and ran to him. Stryker held Avery tight for a moment. She was heaven in his arms; her sweet lilac scent was intoxicating. Her cheek rubbed against his shirt as he rubbed her back and prayed his erection wasn’t too noticeable.
“It’s over now. You’re okay, darlin’. Usually, we don’t get rattlers that close to the doors, but it happens. They come up from the coulee down there when it gets too wet, looking for warmer, dryer land.”
She nodded, then stood back. “I’m, uh, thank you, sir.”
His voice sounded as husky as hers. “Anytime, darlin’. Better now?” He pulled her hair out of her face.
“Yes. I think I’ll just skip my break today.”
“Yep. That might be a good idea or take it inside.” He grinned, and she blushed. Damn cute.
Carson had wandered off to greet the man in the fancy vehicle. Stryker offered a smile full of regret. “Sorry, darlin’, guess the excitement is over. My meeting is about to start.” He moved one last wisp of hair from her face before he said, “You sure you’re okay?”
She cleared her throat and straightened, brushing her clothes clear of their imaginary debris. “Oh, I’m fine. I better make sure you have something to drink. Thanks again, Stryker.”
No “sir” this time. He missed hearing it, but she wasn’t ready to admit openly what he knew was going on inside or at least who she was in part. She may have dropped the sir, but she’d totally missed his use of Daddy, as though it was part of their normal conversation.
He hadn’t planned on referring to himself in that way, but for the first time since he knew he enjoyed the role of being a Daddy, he liked hearing it. He just had a protective side to him that many men only skirted. It had felt good saying it out loud. The reference had tumbled out so naturally. It was a good way to figure out how Avery felt about the term. Subconsciously, she reacted well. It was the conscious part that he had to work on, but he could wait.
***
DID SHE JUST RESPOND favorably to her boss, referring to himself as Daddy, and did she just naturally call him “sir?” She did, and just the thought had her whole body heating up again. More than that, now that she wasn’t scared out of her mind, she loved the idea but hated it in the same breath. Embarrassed didn’t even cover her mixed-up thoughts on how she’d responded to how Stryker handled everything. And Carson heard the whole thing. She would never be able to hold her head up again but for the weight of mortification. Maybe Carson didn’t notice. Fat chance.
Stryker seemed to take everything in stride as though it were normal. He ran the place. No one would call him on anything he did or said. She couldn’t allow herself to yield to her inner desires concerning Stryker Red Eagle, no matter how wet she still was. Ben said her boss was the cause of the farm trouble, but her dad didn’t act as though there were any concerns. Wouldn’t he have said something when he’d heard she had taken a job at the ranch?
Even her eldest brother, Cassidy, didn’t seem to have any concerns with the ranch, and he usually always showed his hand. Maybe she should ask her dad or Cass about the state of affairs, even though Ben said not to bother them. Yes, they might be disturbed that she knew, but better they head this whole problem off together than alone. And still, she felt uneasy. Her dad would never condone bringing in anyone or hurting anyone else for his own gain. Not even to save his own neck or family land.
When she got home that night, Ben grabbed her roughly, stopping her from going to her room. “Ow, Ben. What the hell?”
“Stop walking then and tell me you’ve found something.”
She jerked her hand free from his grip. “Well, I haven’t. I don’t think there is anything. They pay their workers well, are generous to their guests, and pay their bills on time. There is not one scrap of paper with our farm’s name on it or any reference to us.”
Her dad walked by, and she smiled at him. He seemed chipper, not like a man who needed money or was about to lose his livelihood. Another nail in Ben’s coffin. She suddenly knew at that moment that Ben had lied. He yanked on her arm again.
“There has to be something. Those Red Eagles can’t be as perfect as they appear to the world. No one is.”
No, she thought to herself. Stryker is a Daddy, and he would crush anyone who hurt his family. Avery knew that instinctively and he had demonstrated a flash of the inner man today. The man she wished she could explore further. A man whose protective arm she wanted to feel wrapped around her.
“Well, there isn’t.” Avery yanked her arm out of Ben’s clawing grasp. “You can’t bully me any longer. I won’t allow it. I’m not a child that you can intimidate. If I find something, then I’ll let you know, but you have to hear me when I say, so far, nothing is connecting them to us except me.” But she had no intention of looking any further, nor of telling Ben of her change in plans. Her brother was too volatile right now.
“If only that were true,” said Ben as she walked off.
Ben was the only one who seemed nervous and worried about the farm. Not the workers, not the manager, or anyone else, which bothered her a lot. And didn’t Seamus say something about Ben getting into trouble a few weeks back? Yeah, something was up. Maybe it was time to turn her focus on her brother.