Efrem Read Online Free PDF Page A

hallway.
    “Looks like the Boss Lady has her hands full right now, Jerry. Best we come back when she’s not so busy .” With that, he pulled the door shut with a bang.
    She turned to look at Efrem, hoping she wouldn’t see a smug grin or the look of a man well pleased with himself. She didn’t. What she did see stopped her cold.
    Efrem stood ramrod straight, his hands fisted at his sides, his eyes fixed on the closed door. His full lips compressed into two thin, white lines. Shocked at the anger that emanated from him, she stood up.
    “Efrem?”
    He slowly focused on her. “What is that guy’s problem?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Or is he more than your foreman ?”
    “No!” she said, a little ticked and a little hurt. “He’s worked on the ranch for years. My father hired him.”
    Efrem’s anger faded. “Why do you take that from him?”
    “Take what?”
    “Everything. The way he talks to you, the way he talks about you. The man doesn’t show you an ounce of respect.”
    She stared at him. He was worried. About her. He wasn’t mad that Dan caught them kissing, just Dan’s reaction to it. She wanted to get closer to her manly geek to...touch him again.
    Warning bell!
    Trey had always thought getting caught kissing her was funny. He loved to show off his relationship with the boss, especially around Dan.
    “He does his job,” she said.
    “There’s more to every job than the basics.”
    She leaned her right hip against the front edge of the desk. He leaned his left hip against the desk and absently began stroking his thumb across the back of her hand.
    “Do the basics include using a whip, Lisa?”
    Even as distracted as she was by his touch, the question grabbed her attention. “A whip?”
    He glanced at the door, then out the window before looking at her again. “He wanted to know if I had a quirt. He said if I did, I should make sure the ‘Boss Lady’ didn’t see it. But it was more than okay with him.”
    Lisa’s mouth dropped open in shock, then anger. She’d fired cowboys she caught using a quirt on a horse. The only thing worse than a man whipping a horse was a man hurting a child. She started to move for the door, but he stopped her with a quick, light touch.
    “He wants you , Lisa. But on his terms. And they don’t include you remaining ranch manager.”
    She felt the blood drain from her face. Efrem cupped her elbows.
    “You got all that from a question about a quirt?”
    “No. We, well he, talked for a while before shutting down when he found out who I was.”
    Dan had been a friend to her grandfather, and to her , she had thought, if a little smarmy. But she’d been wrong if Efrem was right. She had to admit Efrem didn’t have anything to gain by lying to her. She was trying hard to control her emotions in the face of a major betrayal. Not just of her, but her grandfather who trained horses with a soft voice and a softer touch. It was one of the few things she and Trey had agreed on. Now Trey ’ s animosity toward Dan became clear.
    Kiss and cuddle the Boss Lady and rub it in Dan’s face. And keep his mouth shut. Job security. She was glad Trey wasn’t here right now because of what she felt capable of doing to him. Efrem watched her with a worried look. She was beyond worried. Furious, betrayed, and enraged doesn’t cover what I’m feeling.
    “What else did he talk about?” Proud that her voice didn’t break, she still heard shrill anger in her voice. She hoped Efrem didn’t misinterpret it but she had bigger polecats to fry right now.
    “He said things around here would change when he became manager.” He looked into her eyes. “When you were no longer the Boss, just his lady.”
    “His…?”
    She saw the concern in Efrem’s eyes. It was nice that he was concerned, but this wasn’t his problem. Just the same, his grip tightened.
    “Excuse me. I need to have a talk with Dan.” She pulled away but turned to face him when he started to follow. “No,