found her oldest jeans and a simple tank. Any girl from Texas had a great pair of worn boots, so she’d thrown those on and pulled her hair into a ponytail. No makeup, no fuss. She was there to save her home, not get marks for her grooming.
Behind her, Annabelle heard the familiar sounds she’d grown to love over the past few months. Before she could turn or say a word, Colt’s gaze widened and she knew exactly what he saw.
Not that she wanted him to have any part of her personal life, but she was pleased to render him speechless for a bit. Maybe Colt Elliott could be shaken and knocked down a peg.
“And who are these pretty girls?” he asked, still keeping his eyes over her shoulder.
Annabelle smiled. “Emily and Lucy. My twins.”
* * *
Colt was rarely at a loss for words, but seeing Neil hold two mini versions of Annabelle was quite shocking. She hadn’t mentioned having a baby—or babies. Now he understood why she needed a flexible work schedule...and he felt like a complete jerk.
Twins were definitely a handful. He should know, considering his mother always said that about him and his brother Beau. Colt wondered how Annabelle thought she could work and manage two infants back at home, but—
No. He wasn’t going to get involved. Business and seduction were the only items on his agenda.
But could he still seduce her? Was she taken? There hadn’t been a ring on her finger and she’d never said anything about having a husband...not that he’d asked her any such thing.
Annabelle turned, crossed the foyer and kissed each girl on the cheek. Instantly, one of the girls reached for Annabelle, but she shook her head.
“I’ll be home soon. I love you both.”
As she came back to him, one baby started to fuss, which somehow triggered the other one to start whimpering. Annabelle kept walking until she was out the door. With his hands full of unhappy infants, Neil held on to Colt’s gaze, but Colt didn’t feel a bit guilty. That man had done some major damage to his family...damage Colt hoped Annabelle never found out about. He’d lost their home and that was bad enough. But there was more and it was certainly not Colt’s place to share.
He closed the door behind him, settled his hat back on his head and turned to Annabelle. She swiped at her cheeks, as if he didn’t notice the tear tracks.
Guilt punched him in the chest.
“Where’s the truck?” she asked, obviously not wanting to address her emotions.
Fine. He wasn’t one to get in touch with his emotions, either. Just another area he realized they may be more alike than he’d care to admit. They both clearly had a love for their family and were determined to get what they wanted.
But only one of them would be the winner in the end...and he never lost.
Colt stepped off the porch, making mental notes to expand its width and put in a stone walkway when the place was officially his. He needed to stay focused on the goal. While this house had good bones and was fine for everyday living, Colt wanted it to be up to the standards of his ranch. If they were going to merge the properties and open it to the public, all homes had to be similar in upgrades.
Colt nodded toward the side of the house. “I didn’t bring my car.”
Walking ahead of him, Annabelle rounded the house and stopped. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
Colt shook his head. “She needed a walk, so we’re taking him.”
Annabelle stood next to Lightning and glared his way. “I’m not riding with you.”
Glancing around, he held his arms out, palms up. “I don’t see another horse. Do you have one?”
Her lips thinned. He knew damn well she had no animals. Her father had sold them all.
“I seriously hate you,” she murmured.
Yeah, he got that. But Colt also saw how she looked at him. She may hate his actions, but she appreciated him as a man and he was more than fine with that. Keeping things physical would assure that everything stayed simple.
When he stepped forward to help her up, she shot him a stare that could’ve frozen hell over. He held up his hands to signal that he was backing off.
Hands on her hips, Annabelle stared at the horse as if weighing her options. She had none really.
“I’ll just drive,” she told him.
“That wasn’t part of our deal. Get on the horse.”
Her hand went to the reins. “Do you ever ask people nicely?”
“I can be very nice, Annabelle.” He stepped closer. His hand covered hers as her eyes widened. “Get on the horse or I’ll be forced to assist you like the gentleman my father raised.”
She pulled her hand from beneath his and let out a mock laugh, hoisting herself up onto the horse. “I haven’t met your brothers, but you are certainly no gentleman.”
Colt slid his foot through the stirrup and settled in right behind Annabelle. Her backside was nestled between his thighs and he was starting to question his own motives. He’d wanted this alone time. He’d purposely made this stipulation so he could use these moments to seduce her. The concept of riding the horse developed after the deal had been made.
Colt had no idea he’d lose grip on his power. He never thought she’d be the one seducing him...and she didn’t even have a clue.
The last woman he’d let have control over his emotions had left him mentally scarred and jaded. Colt pushed aside thoughts of his ex and reached around Annabelle to grab the reins. Her entire body tensed.
“Relax.” He snapped the straps lightly, sending Lightning into motion. “We’re just going next door.”
Which would take several minutes because of the expansive fields between their properties, and he had every intention of taking the scenic route.
“Why are you heading toward the back of the property?” she asked.
Strands from her ponytail blew in the breeze, tickling the side of his neck. Images of that hair spread all over him assaulted his mind. The floral scent from her shampoo or soap assaulted his senses. She shouldn’t smell like heaven, shouldn’t have the ability to affect him without saying a word.
“You’ve only seen this land from your side,” he explained. “I’m going to familiarize you with Pebblebrook.”
“I thought I was just going to be in the barns cleaning horse sh—”
“Oh, you will,” he laughed. She truly despised him, yet there was a fine line between lust and hate. He’d wear her down. “There will be times you’ll accompany me in the fields and you need to know the area. With five thousand acres, it’s easy to get turned around. But you’ll be working directly with me every day.”
Her shoulders slumped. The movement was slight, but being this close,
