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, he was attuned to every aspect of her.
“And what happens at the end?” Her voice was so low, almost defeated. “You’re just going to give the property back and play hero for saving the day?”
“I’m not a hero.” Her body rocked back and forth against his as he murmured into her ear. There was no way he was going to answer that question outright. “I do have motives, but we don’t have to talk about that right now.”
Annabelle jerked around. “I knew you weren’t doing any of this out of the kindness of your black heart.”
Facing the open fields once again, she asked, “So why this game with my father?”
“I’m not a complete bastard, Annabelle.” Though some would say otherwise. “I’m giving your father a chance to redeem himself. I don’t think he can, but everyone deserves a second chance.”
“You weren’t expecting me to come home.”
“A minor glitch, but a pleasant surprise,” he replied as he neared the fence line separating the two properties.
“This isn’t a game, Colt.” She glanced back over her shoulder, her deep green eyes piercing his. “You’re playing with our lives, my dreams.”
His father had dreams as well, and Colt was going to see them through no matter what sultry beauty stood in his way. Business first, seduction second—and nothing else mattered.
“I’m fully aware of the stakes,” he informed her. “I have a vision, too.”
“To toy with people’s lives and count your money?”
He couldn’t blame her for being angry. He’d feel the same if he were in her position. But he’d never let himself get into this predicament. His land was his life. From the time he was a toddler with his first set of boots and shiny belt buckle, he knew ranching was the only future he wanted. His brothers all set out in different paths, but Colt wanted to stay right here. And yes, money was a nice byproduct of the lifestyle he loved so much.
All the Elliott boys had grown up with a rather lavish lifestyle. They were all doing what they loved, but they’d also been handed a handsome inheritance when their grandfather passed away. Still, regardless of their last name, they worked hard and played hard.
“You aren’t the only one with goals,” he stated as he steered Lighting toward his brother’s house, settled in the back of the property. “That log home back there is Nolan’s.”
She may not care about his family, but she was going to be working for him and he took his ranch very seriously. At the end of the day, regardless of the fact he wanted her physically, she would have to do the job he hired her for.
When she remained silent, he kept going. “He’s the oldest. He’ll help occasionally, but he’s a surgeon so his time is limited.”
“He sounds nice.”
Colt agreed, even though her comment was a jab at him. “I have another brother, Hayes. He’s in the army.”
“Wow. Two brothers who give back and help others, then you who steal. We haven’t even discussed your movie star brother.”
Colt swallowed. “My twin, Beau. He rarely comes home. Ranch life was never for him.”
Beau and Colt never saw eye to eye on most things, but they had a special bond. Colt loved Beau, even though he wished he would’ve stuck around. Apparently fame was more important than family.
“Sounds like they made wiser life decisions.”
Colt had developed thick skin over the years. He couldn’t be in the ranching industry and not toughen up. But he wasn’t about to sit there and have her question his integrity or his purpose.
“My grandfather built the first house on Pebblebrook, the one Hayes lives in when he’s home. Then he passed this land down to my father who ended up building the house I live in. We all work hard, Annabelle. We do what we love, we make good money, and that’s nothing to be sorry for.”
Once again, those green eyes turned to him. “No, you have plenty of other things to be sorry for.”
Perhaps he did. Maybe he was no better than her father who’d put her in this position. Colt didn’t want to expose his reasons for paying the loan. The fact she knew he had a motive was enough for now. A wise businessman never showed his entire hand from the get-go.
Annabelle hated him, that was definitely no secret. But he wasn’t backing down. Not on the land and certainly not on the woman.
Annabelle absolutely loathed being on this horse with Colt. Well, her body enjoyed the ride, but that physical reaction didn’t mean a thing. So what if his body fit perfectly against hers? So what if his voice tickled her ear and sent shivers through her? She could handle that. She had bigger issues to deal with than her body’s unwanted reaction.
Colt seemed like such a normal guy in some ways. When he discussed his family there was such love, such adoration. The love and adoration she had for her own family had been shattered, broken, and she was left to pick up the shards and attempt to piece them back together.
The twins were the one bright spot in all of this chaos. They were precious, innocent, and Annabelle intended to keep them protected from the worries she faced. They would have a stable family life, maybe not the traditional family she longed for, but what was traditional these days?
Circling back to her more lustful thoughts, Annabelle couldn’t ignore the tingle each time his body rocked against hers. That broad, strong chest would brush her back, his muscular forearms aligning with hers. His tanned skin to her pale. They were completely opposite in every way imaginable.
Colt Elliott was a gorgeous man, there was no denying that fact. He was also arrogant, frustrating, and the bane of her existence.
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister.” Colt’s words broke through her thoughts, and he actually sounded sincere. “I know you don’t want to hear it from me, but losing a family member is hard.”
