Page 4 of The Rancher’s Addiction

J enny pulled up outside the barn at M & M Ranch early the following day before the sun even came up over the horizon.

She took another long swallow of coffee, something she considered the juice of life because it kept her going most days.

Since coming to the area and finding they had no specialty coffee shops, she’d splurged and bought a fancy coffee maker so she could make her own.

It was strong, which is exactly what she needed every morning to start her day. She had gotten hooked on it in college.

She looked around and knew it was early by most people’s standards, but she also knew how early ranchers started every morning. She guessed right. At least ten men were milling about doing different chores.

She got out and turned to get her bag.

“You’re up bright and early.”

Jenny stiffened at the gruff voice and almost groaned. It was too early to fence words with this man, and she had nowhere near enough coffee to take him on. But it looked like she didn’t have a choice. She plastered on her smile and turned.

Her physical awareness of him sent shivers of need down her spine, but she ignored it. He’d be the last man that would want her and had already taken an instant dislike to her.

“Good morning, Mr. McKenzie.”

“What’s good about it?” he growled.

She sighed. “How is Rush doing this morning?”

“How about we go see?”

She followed him into the barn and walked past where the horse had been the day before. Mac took her to a small paddock and opened the gate to let them in. Right away, she could tell Rush felt much better because he was prancing around with his tail up.

She chuckled. “Well, I’m not needed here.”

Mac grunted, making her eyes roll.

She whistled and was pleased when the horse came to them. She saw Mac stiffen beside her and didn’t know if he was afraid the horse would hurt her or the opposite.

Jenny laughed when the horse pushed between them and started to nuzzle the side of her head and snorted out a greeting. She ran a hand down his neck.

“How are you doing, handsome?”

She laughed when he breathed in her face and then rested his head on her shoulder.

“Are you feeling better, boy?”

Rush snorted.

She bent and grabbed her stethoscope out of her bag.

“How about I listen just to make sure?”

The horse stood still but turned his head to be able to see her.

She listened carefully, moving the diaphragm over his side. “Much better.” She flipped the stethoscope tube around her neck and checked his pulse.

She patted the horse's neck, bent, and put her equipment away. She grabbed her bag and stood. “I think he’s good.” She held out a hand and waited to see if Mac would take it or just stare at it. “If there are any problems, call the office. I’m on-call all weekend.”

Her heartbeat accelerated when his big hand engulfed hers. She tried to pull away, but his grip just tightened. Her eyes flew to his to see him study her face.

“Well, I must be going.”

She tried again to pull away.

“I’m going to call in another vet to make sure Rush is okay.”

The words didn’t register at first, and then when they did, dejection twisted her gut, but after years of hiding her feelings, she was able to keep a blank face. She tried for the last time to get her hand back.

“Of course, that’s your prerogative. May I have my hand back?”

He dropped it and took a step back. She waited to see what his next move would be and then gritted her teeth when he frowned down at her like she’d done something wrong.

She opened the gate and walked through, wanting to close it as a barrier between them, but he caught it and walked around to stand beside her.

“Well, have a nice day,” she said brightly and walked away. A gasp tore from her throat when he twirled her around to face him.

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

She didn’t understand why he was so angry. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Do you care that I’m calling another vet?”

She rubbed the headache that was starting between her brows. Every word out of the man’s mouth was harsh and filled with resentment. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. It’s your horse and your money.” She turned and walked away.

She thought she heard a low growl from him but ignored it, got in her truck, and drove away.

Jenny didn’t understand why his approval meant so much to her.

She was used to people underestimating her.

It had happened her whole life. Hell, even her parents had done that.

But something about that man made her want him to look at her with approval and pride.

The fact it probably would never happen was something she had to come to terms with.

It would be better all around if they never ran into each other. Although the community was relatively small, everyone was so spaced out she could go for months and not see him.

The day was going to be beautiful, and if there were no calls, she might just have time to finish the tile in her master bathroom and would be able to grout it the next day.

****

H is teeth clenched at the ache the woman caused. Ever since he got his first glimpse of her, he’d been aching. Some kind of biological reaction to her had his stomach tied in knots, which made his already rigid demeanor more intense.

A gut-wrenching feeling of loneliness hit him as he watched her drive away.

It was ridiculous because he had thirty employees around him every day.

Hell, he was rarely alone. His bedroom was his sanctuary and the only place no one else was allowed.

He had a seating area on one side of the huge room and a small bar.

He liked to go up after he’d worked in the office to relax, watch the news, and have a drink before going to bed.

In the beginning, when Carly was there, he would want her in bed every night before going to sleep. He had an overlarge libido and was thrilled to have an outlet besides his hand. That was until she started using sex as a tool to get money and other things from him.

The caring he’d felt for her had quickly diminished. Any affection he had fell apart and died when he found out about the other men. He’d had her bags packed when she came home one day. He’d told her calmly that she was kicked out and he was filing for divorce.

She’d gone crazy throwing anything she could get her hands on at him. He told her if she didn’t take her things with her when she left, they would be burned. He thought he’d get some satisfaction out of destroying her, but all he wanted at that moment was peace.

No more nights of listening to her complaints. No more nights of going to bed frustrated with both her and his sex drive, but he wasn’t willing to let her use sex as a tool against him. When she figured out he didn’t care, she had moved into another bedroom months earlier.

Their marriage had lasted less than two years, and it was still too long for him.

It took another year to go to court to get rid of her.

He hadn’t anticipated her coming for money just about every month.

He’d vowed as she drove away that he’d never put himself through that type of relationship again.

Now it was a few years later, and he craved having a woman in his bed every night instead of him driving an hour to a widow's house to relieve his frustration every other week. It wasn’t enough.

Another thing that bothered him was he was the last of the McKenzie’s, and if he didn’t have any children, the name would die with him.

Children were something he’d always dreamed of having.

He remembered riding on his father's lap when he was young and then on his own horse beside his dad’s as they surveyed the ranch.

He’d dreamed of doing the same thing with his own children.

He was thirty-five years old and had almost given up on it until he’d seen Jenny.

She made him want to work for that dream again.

The problem was she terrified him. She was the first woman to catch his interest in years, and it would tear him apart if she didn’t want him.

So, he pushed her away at the same time he craved to pull her into his arms.

He knew his anger with her was irrational, but the emotions twisting inside him were something he’d never dealt with before. He always tended to hide behind a wall of cruel irritation and indifference when he was confused about something—especially women.

He felt more for Jenny than he had anyone, even his ex-wife, and it freaked him out, turning him into a senseless bastard. He didn’t know if he wanted to alter his attitude or not. It seemed safer to let things go on the way they were.