She was guarded about something and I didn’t think it had to do with me.
“Since you know my name, don’t you think it’s fair that I learn yours?” I asked after a couple of minutes.
“Not really.”
Damn, the woman was guarded as hell. “Okay, then I’ll just call you sunshine. You’re right that I don’t own the ranch, although I may own a percentage of the corporation in the next few months. Big Meadow is owned by a buddy of mine, Jake Travers, although his buddies call him Hawk.”
“Hawk and Mustang. Who else do you have in your posse, Dog and Beast?”
I shook my head. The girl had a chip on her shoulder the size of a boulder, and I thought mine was oppressive. “They’re call signs and mean something to us.”
She slowly turned her head. “Ex-military?”
“Yup. Marines. Anyway, Hawk inherited the ranch from his father and brother, and we’re going to make it something special. It’s a privilege to work with him as well as the almost two hundred men and women who help keep this ranch going.”
“Why the empty barn?”
“Bringing in additional stock. We’ve been preparing for a couple of months.” The awkward tension remained between us.
As well as the explosive electricity.
I drove slowly past several of the fields, allowing her to get a good look at our livestock. I was damn proud of what we’d been able to accomplish in the few months and had even fallen in love with the place.
She didn’t seem impressed, although she sat on the edge of her seat, scanning the horizon.
“There’s something special about Montana. The mountains. The clean air. The beautiful rivers. I’d forgotten how much I missed the place.” I wasn’t certain why I’d bothered to tell her anything personal. It was unlikely we’d ever see each other again, even if the Neanderthal side of me still wanted to claim her as my own.
“How long were you gone?” she asked in a quiet voice, which was entirely different than before.
“Let’s just say long enough I hadn’t wanted to come back at first. I didn’t think I’d find anything that would feel like home. Funny thing about that. Memories can be the beginning of a new life.”
“Or they can be nothing more than a continuous nightmare.”
Her answer wasn’t one I would have expected, but I knew better than most that there wasn’t a person alive who didn’t have some form of demon living deep inside their psyche. I just couldn’t seem to exorcise mine. “Yeah, I suppose.”
I continued the drive, pointing out some of the new fencing, waving to several of the ranch hands as I passed.
Once again, she was quiet.
“Up here is Hawk’s residence, the first barns that were built housing the family horses. Up ahead we have the real meat of our organization.” I continued driving, moving past the majority of the workers.
“Wow.”
The single word from her luscious mouth was likely the only one I was going to get. I’d take that as a win. As I made my way out the back entrance, heading to where I’d located her truck when I’d driven in, her entire body tensed.
“What, you didn’t think I figured out that we likely had an intruder on the facility?” I asked as I pulled next to the aging vehicle.
Her mouth furrowed and she gripped the dashboard for a few seconds before reaching for the door handle.
“So, does that satisfy your insistence that we’re not abusing animals?” I continued.
She climbed out before bothering to answer. “Looks can always be deceiving.”
Jesus Christ. The woman had a sharper edge to her than I did. “Let me give you a piece of advice, sunshine. If you’re going to case a joint, don’t leave your truck out in a wide-open space.”
I heard the slight huffing sound and wanted nothing more than to drag her back over my lap. I doubted anything would be able to get through to her or teach her a lesson.
“Danni. My name is Danni.” With that, she shut the door with a hard thud.
Sunset.
I patted Snickers, rubbing my hand across his mane as I stared up at the mountains. The sun had just dipped below the top of the mountains, leaving the sky like a vibrant painting. I chuckled from even thinking the sentiment. Hell, I wasn’t a romantic kind of guy. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever paid attention to the mountains, let alone the color of the sky when I lived here before.
No, I’d been more interested in causing trouble. Skipping school.