Page 8 of Wild Rose (Blue River Springs #1)

Wilder

The first ray of sunlight hasn’t even warmed the fields and my patience is already burning out. It’s past eight and Rose was due in the Saddle Room an hour ago. I stare at the collection of vintage saddles mounted on the walls instead of getting my head into all the work I have ahead of me.

Since my new assistant is a no-show.

I run a hand through my hair and reach for the paperwork stacked on the desk, shuffling through it like I’m looking for something specific when I know damn well I’m not.

I toss the papers back down, berating myself for thinking I could make this work.

This was a mistake. Dad warned me never to do business with friends—which, let’s be honest, is exactly what I did with Wesley. Except he’s not the problem.

I grab my hat from the desk, shove it on my head, and pace to the window. Still no sign of her walking down from the cabins.

How hard can it be to show up on time?

Maybe her phone died. Maybe the sound is off on her alarm.

Maybe I had this coming .

Rose isn’t exactly what I expected when she stepped out of Wes’s car fifteen hours ago. Short shorts, burgundy boots, and green eyes that lock me in like a forest path, leading somewhere I can’t resist.

This is a sign.

If she’s distracting me this much without even being here—there’s no way I could work side by side with her all summer.

Especially when she keeps slamming herself into me—accident or not.

Her throaty gasps from our collisions wrapped around me like velvet. I swear I kept hearing them all night in my head. If Dallas wasn’t asleep in the next room, I’d have blasted music just to tune them out.

And the shower I took when I got home barely erased the lingering sensation of her touch.

When she bumped into me from behind, she steadied herself with a firm grip on my arm, and it felt .?.?. good to be that anchor for her.

I growl, dragging a hand down my face. It’s bad enough having Wes’s sister working for me. I don’t need to complicate things by noticing how soft her skin is. How her breasts felt pressed against me. Or the flush in her cheeks when they had.

Work. I need to work.

My boots thud against the hardwood as I pace my office. I could march up to her cabin and bang on the door. Give her a piece of my mind.

Except the thought of standing face to face with her, especially when she might still be in her pajamas .?.?. or worse, some city girl nightie, makes me rethink that fast.

Before I can make up my mind, the sound of an engine outside breaks the morning quiet. Peering out the window, I find Wesley’s truck pulling up in front of the Saddle Room. I yank the door open and march out.

Of course she asked her brother for a ride. Heaven forbid she walks a little more than a city block.

Wait. There’s no one in the passenger seat.

Wesley steps out with a large to-go cup and brown paper bag, his grin as easygoing as ever.

My jaw is tight as I weigh my options. Take out my frustration on my best friend. Or play it cool.

I swallow, taking my time as I walk over. “You bring me somethin’?”

“Rose didn’t stop in for breakfast this morning. Figured you got her starting early, so I brought it over.”

I clench my back teeth. Wesley’s quick to notice, his grin dropping.

“Oh boy, what’d she do? It’s her attitude, isn’t it?”

I shake my head, forcing a laugh as I choose to play it cool. “Nah, she’s fine. Just settling in, I think.”

Wesley’s brows furrow as he looks past me to my office. “Shouldn’t you be prepping for the tour group comin’ in later, instead of delivering coffee?” I ask, noticing how my tone is laced with annoyance.

I never said I was good at playing it cool.

Wes blinks at my unexpected brush-off. Thankfully, he doesn’t confront me about it—not at work. Though it’ll catch up with me later over beers, I suppose.

“Just wanted to check on her.” He hands me the paper bag and hot coffee cup.

“And maybe make sure she doesn’t hate me for draggin’ her out here.

I may have made a cappuccino muffin batch this morning, extra chocolate chips.

” He winks for good measure and turns back to his car without another word.

But his mood’s changed, and I feel like shit.

“Hey,” I call back. “What’s a guy gotta do to get one of these? ’Cause my brother ain’t bringing me anything but more work.” I chuckle.

Wes is unamused, watching me for a long moment. Then glances at the door to my office. “She’s not here yet, is she?”

I rub the back of my neck. “Probably still getting settled.”

Wes shakes his head. “I’ll swing by the cottage and check on her.”

Panic flares in my chest. If he finds out Rose spent the night in the drafty old cabin—one I took her to in order to prove a point—he might just deck me for messing with her.

“Actually, I was just about to head that way,” I say quickly. “And hell, she’s probably already on her way.”

Wes gives me a long look, then shrugs. “All right, just .?.?. keep an eye on her for me?”

I look away, acting bored. “You got it.”

I watch him drive off, my stomach knotting tighter with each passing second. If this is any indication of how my summer is going to go—I’m putting a stop to it.

It’s nearly nine when I storm back into the Saddle Room and pick up the phone. I don’t bother with small-talk when the familiar elderly voice answers. “Ginger, I need you to do me a favor.”

The door to my office bursts open and a brunette flies in like there’s a blizzard outside.

My mouth goes dry at the sight. Wild-haired, flushed, and gasping for breath, is Rose. The girl I need to remind myself to look after the way my best friend asked.

“Never mind, I’m all set,” I mutter to Ginger before hanging up.

Her pink lips close as she looks up at me apologetically and swallows hard. “I am so sorry.”

Tearing my eyes off her face, I scan the rest of her. She’s in a long-sleeved shirt again—blue this time, and a pair of denim shorts. And the burgundy boots from yesterday.

Before I can form words, Rose holds her hands up. “Before you yell, yes, I set an alarm—I swear I did. I thought I hit snooze, but apparently, I shut it off—I’ve been known to do that—plus I was out super late—”

“Rose,” I bark, holding up a hand to stop her. She takes a deep breath.

“What do you mean you were out late? Where did you go?”

She shrugs. “I took a power nap, got up, had a can of soup .?.?. and then later, when I couldn’t sleep, I took a walk.”

I cock my head. “How much later?”

“Eleven.”

I glare at her.

She frowns at me, placing her hands at her hips, still catching her breath. “Don’t look at me like that, I can take a walk whenever I want. Just because I’m staying on your grounds, doesn’t make it your business.”

A mix of frustration and something else I don’t want to name tightens my chest. “Rose, I’m not one to stop you from going out, but you don’t know your way around. Especially at night. You can’t be wandering around the ranch after dark. It’s not safe.”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like I went out there looking for rattlesnakes and coyotes.

I saw a bonfire over by the corral and figured it was a ranch thing.

Bunch of nice boys were having beers and roasting marshmallows.

” She shrugs innocently as if she had no choice. “Didn’t want to miss the party.”

I crack my neck. It’s not that I don’t allow bonfires on the ranch—especially when we’ve got the fire pits for it. But I don’t exactly love the idea of my best friend’s sister walking into one.

My jaw tightens. “You did what?”

She blinks at my tone, her smile faltering. “I joined them for a little while. It looked fun, and they didn’t mind. They all seemed really nice.”

“Rose,” I say firmly, stepping closer. “You can’t do that.

I’ve got decent enough men on my staff, but some are still fairly new.

I don’t know them all that well. Especially not what they’re like when they’re drinking.

” Her eyes are wide but she still seems confused.

“You’ve got to understand what I’m saying.

Some of these guys are only here for a few weeks before they move on.

Bottom line is, I don’t trust them all.”

She tugs on her bottom lip. “Right.”

Fisting a hand, I hold it against my mouth, fighting the urge to ask if she slept OK otherwise, because she looks like she could use another few hours. “Want some coffee?”

Green eyes light up, and it lifts something heavy off my chest. “Coffee?”

I point to my desk. “Your brother brought it by a few minutes ago. Said he didn’t see you at breakfast and figured you were hard at work.”

I take my seat and motion to the chair across the cluttered desk. “Let’s go over a few things on the agenda this week, then I’ll leave you to it.”

She crosses to my desk but doesn’t sit. “Wilder, I’m so sorry I held you back this morning.”

My gut twists at the unexpected tenderness.

The man in me wants to tell her it’s all right and that maybe a good night’s sleep is what she needed.

But the boss in me—and fine, maybe the protectiveness in me—wants to scowl and yell at her for spending a late evening with strange men.

If that’s just her first night, what the hell kind of trouble do I have ahead of me?

She looks at me tentatively and continues, “If you could stop looking at me like that, I’d like to explain. It’s just I’m used to late hours because I have trouble falling a—”

“Rose. Sit down, drink your coffee and let’s get to work.”

I need to take a step back. A bossy step back. Because fuck how much time I’ve already lost this morning. I want to go find Landry or Jeff and make them tell me who was at the gathering last night and if anyone showed any level of disrespect toward Rose.

She releases a breath and sits. “OK.” She pops the lid of the cup and takes a sip, releasing a moan. “Wes makes the best coffee.” She lifts her eyes to mine.

“Can we focus?” I shout, tossing down the stack of mail.

Her eyes drop to the papers as that throat works again to swallow. “They told me you do that. A lot.”

“What?”

“Yell. I should tell you, I don’t .?.?. do well with people yelling at me.” She holds up her hands in defense. “And I in no way mean that as a threat, I swear. I just .?.?. well, I don’t like it. And I might—”

I perk a brow. “Cry?”

“Slap you. It’s .?.?. impulsive. I almost got arrested for assault against my old manager. Bitch had it comi—” She covers her mouth, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink. “You know what? I’ve wasted enough of your time, let’s get on with it.” She motions to the stack of papers.

She’s agonizingly adorable.

What the hell did I get myself into?