oh . Not what you expected?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because that kind of fascination isn’t usually aimed my direction.”
“Straightforward. I like that. I expected you to play coy.” The back of his fingers continued to lightly caress her damp skin. “I want to paint you, sculpt you. Do you in every medium.”
“You sure that wasn’t a line?”
He shook his head. “There’s a reason we both ended up here today, Macie. Don’t know why, but I ain’t about to argue with fate. Or question my good fortune.”
A hot tongue of desire licked along her veins.
“So what’s your answer?”
“Take your damn hand off my daughter.”
Carter froze.
“Move it or lose it, son,” Cash ordered. “Now.”
Macie snapped out of her sexual stupor. “Back off, Dad.”
“Like hell. Who is this joker?”
Gemma said, “Cash, wait—”
“I told you to stay away from—”
“—you.” Macie stomped over and came nose to nose with her father. “Which I did.
You can’t blame me for not waiting around for you to ditch me.” Again .
28
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Rode Hard, Put Up Wet
Cash’s eyes and his voice softened. “Oh, honey-girl, I ain’t gonna ditch you.” He shot Carter a dark look. “But it appears you decided to ditch me with the first loser wannabe cowboy that comes along, eh?”
Gemma cleared her throat.
Macie and Cash both swiveled to look at her.
“Cash Big Crow, meet Carter McKay. Carter, Cash is the new foreman I hired for the Bar 9 Ranch. You two will be working together.”
“You gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” Carter muttered.
Macie frowned. Her dad had taken a job? What’d happened to them hitting the road this summer?
“McKay?” Cash repeated. “You’re related to them slimeball McKays from up around Crook County?”
Carter’s gaze hardened.
“Cash! What a thing to say,” Gemma chided. “You’ve been friends with Colby McKay for years.”
“I am friends with him, just as long as he and his wild brothers are far away from my only daughter.”
“Macie is an adult,” Carter pointed out.
“True,” Gemma said.
“Jesus, Gem.” He threw his hands in the air. “You know the bad reputation them McKay boys have!”
“With all due respect, sir, I’m nothin’ like my brothers.”
Cash whirled on Carter. “Yeah? I ain’t some dumb Indian. I traveled the rodeo circuit with Colby. I know what he’s like—like breeds like, so I ain’t lettin’ a McKay within two miles of Macie.”
“Well, that’s gonna be difficult, since we’ll all be living together on the Bar 9 for the next few months,” Gemma said dryly.
“All? Me too?” Macie asked suspiciously. Her gaze darted from Gemma to her dad and back to Gemma.
Gemma nodded. “You are welcome to stay as long as you want. Cash said he’d set up his camper for you. I’ll warn you there might be some chores involved if you’re living with me.”
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Lorelei James
Macie’s head spun. This was all happening way too fast; hooking up with her dad, him taking a new job on the spur of the moment, meeting the woman she suspected would be more than Dad’s new boss, and trying to figure out what weird connection she and Carter shared, mostly whether it was real or wishful thinking on her part.
Her dad lowered his voice. “Truth is, I need this job. But I want to spend time with you, that’s why I’m here. Can we try it for awhile and see how it goes? If it don’t work, we can go on as planned?”
What other choice did she have? Besides, wouldn’t this provide them with neutral ground? If trying to establish a father/daughter relationship wasn’t working, would it be easier to place blame on outside forces? Such as the stress of a new job, or romantic relationships or an unfamiliar setting? She could leave and he wouldn’t be forced to give up a good job opportunity. She briefly closed her eyes. “I guess.”
“Then I guess it’s unanimous,” Carter said.