OLIVER: WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (Blackwater Canyon Ranch Book 2) (4 page)

The horse whinnied and shifted. She tried to turn, but Oliver held her in place. “Don’t be afraid. They can sense fear.”

“That doesn’t help. Now, I’m more worried because I know that he knows.”

Oliver chuckled, the sound close to her ear, and she became aware of every space their bodies touched. His warm chest was against her back, her thighs next to his, his mouth only inches from her hair.

“He doesn’t want to be here anymore than I do,” she said and followed with a nervous laugh.

“Pet him. Let him know you’re his friend.” He took hold of her hand and placed it on the horse’s neck, sandwiching her between them. Instead of releasing her, he guided her hand with gentle strokes across the animal’s hair.

“He’s warm. And so big.” So incredibly big.

“He is.” Oliver finally removed his hand from hers. “Take the halter and slip it gently over his head.”

The idea rekindled her fear. “I can’t. You do it.” She tried to hand the leather to him.

“No, you need to learn. Don’t be afraid. Lift it slowly and place it over his nose.”

She searched the horse’s eyes, trying to slow her pulse. “Hello, Bastian,” she said softly. “I’m going to put this on you, okay? I promise I won’t hurt you.”

With slow movements, she did as Oliver had instructed. Bastian remained still until she finished, and then he shook his head.

She squealed in surprise and stepped back, right into Oliver. He steadied her by slipping an arm around her waist.

“Easy now.”

Daisy inhaled a quick breath and slipped from his grasp. With the big stallion towering over her, she headed toward the exit, removing the slack from the rope. Bastian stepped forward, giving her a slight thrill. He didn’t seem to mind her at all now.

A fierce sense of accomplishment flowed through her as she led him outside all on her own. When she reached the gate to the pasture, she stopped and smiled when Bastian did the same. She jerked on the gate to open it and guided the beautiful beast inside. He waited while she cautiously removed the halter.

She expected him to take off once she released him, but he only lowered his head to munch on the grass beneath his feet.

“Okay…bye.” The grin was still on her face as she closed the gate and strode back to the barn.

Oliver looked up when she rejoined him. She lifted her chin higher and walked to the next horse stall without saying a word.

When she finished escorting all the horses to the pasture, she reported to Oliver. A soft smile tilted his lips as though he was pleased with her. “Now comes the fun part.”

Her happiness died a quick death.

Oliver showed her where they stored the manure forks. “This part is easy, too. Fork the manure and dirty shavings into the muck bucket. Make sure you don’t miss any of the little pieces that might be hiding. Then look for dark spots in the shavings where the horses might have urinated. Scoop those, too. Add more clean shavings if needed, and you’re done.”

With humiliation burning in her veins, she lifted the manure fork and walked to the closest stall.

Daisy scooped pile after pile into the muck bucket. Several times, she had to stop when the strong smell of ammonia triggered her gag reflex. The heat of the morning filtered through the roof, and that, along with her strenuous activities, left her hot, sweaty, and ornery.

When she’d loaded as much as she could into the muck bucket, she steered it out of the stall. “Where do I take it?” If the tone of her voice was sharp, who could blame her?

Apparently, though, she was talking to herself. She paused and looked around, not immediately spotting Oliver. Where the hell had he gone?

Before she could yell for him, he strode back inside. When he spotted her cargo, he grinned. “Take it out back and dump it in the compost pile. You’ll know it when you see it, or should I say smell it?”

She responded with an annoyed look and wheeled the pile of shit and stinky shavings out the door. He was correct. She smelled her destination before she ever reached it. Flies swarmed the stinky mess, flitting around as if they were in heaven.

She dumped her load onto the pile, and then abandoned the muck bucket when the swarm of flies lifted into the air around her. Some hit her, and she swatted at them as she ran to safety a short distance away.

Several minutes passed before the bugs were all happily sitting on the poop pile and she dared to retrieve the bucket. She tilted the cart and headed back, hating every second of her chore.

As she neared the barn, she spotted Oliver leaning against the opened door with an amused smile on his face. By the look of him, she was certain he’d witnessed the whole, humiliating incident.

When she frowned, his smile grew bigger. “I hate you,” she said as she passed him. His laughter followed her down the walkway.

“Come on. It’s not that bad.”

She parked the muck bucket near the next stall. “Where are the fresh straw shavings?”

“Wood shavings,” he corrected as he walked toward her.

“Whatever.” She wished she could tell him off, but that would only make her angrier.

“We have a pile stored in the very last stall. Use the clean bucket to haul them.”

“And where would that be?”

“In the stall as well.”

She stomped away to continue her work.

When she emerged awhile later from another stall pushing a second load of stinky shavings, she nearly mowed over Oliver. She stopped short, and then wished she hadn’t, and that she’d dumped it all over him instead. Another round of scooping it up would be worth it.

He held out a water bottle. “Thirsty?”

The urge to tell him no hovered on her tongue, but she couldn’t resist. She pulled off her gloves and wiped her brow with her forearm, pushing sweaty strands of hair out of her face before she thrust out her hand.

“You’re doing great.” He nodded his approval as she took the bottle and drank.

She remained mute. Certainly, there must have been a different job around the ranch that wasn’t so disgusting. This was his way of torturing her, and she knew it.

“Turn around,” he said, his drawl far too sexy for such an annoying man.

“Uh…no.” Turning her back to him was the last thing she wanted to do. That implied a certain amount of trust, and she didn’t trust him one bit.

“I have something that will help you.”

“What?”

He twirled his finger in the air.

With a sigh of annoyance, she turned. She couldn’t imagine what he could possibly have in mind.

Suddenly, his hands were in her hair. She tensed. He repeatedly combed the strands with his fingers, gathering them from her face and shoulders. His stroking soothed her disturbed emotions in a delicious way she couldn’t have predicted. She closed her eyes for a brief, amazing second, knowing he couldn’t see how his actions affected her.

Cooler air kissed the skin on the back of her neck, and she released a breath of relief. She remained motionless while he secured her hair with some sort of elastic.

“That’s better,” he said when he finished.

She turned to stare at him, not willing to forgive him just because he’d shown her a small kindness. She wouldn’t need his help if he hadn’t put her in this horrible situation in the first place.

“Thank you,” she said begrudgingly. She took another swig of the refreshing water, before she recapped it and set the bottle on the floor. Determined to stifle her physical attraction to him, she picked up the handles of the muck bucket and headed out into the June heat once again.

By the time Daisy reached the last stall, she was exhausted. Her arms and back ached from the constant scooping and hauling. She was certain she’d never been dirtier in her life. All she could hope was when she stepped out of the shower later on, she wouldn’t smell like horseshit.

She parked the disgusting muck bucket close to the stall’s gate and reached for the latch. Oliver came up behind her and pulled open the gate for her. She looked up at him in question.

“I’m done with my stuff for this morning. I thought you might like help.”

Numb from being overworked, she only stared.

He tugged the manure fork from her hand and held out a lead rope to her instead. “Could you do me a favor?”

“What?” She was too tired to fight or argue.

“The white mare you walked out earlier suffers from arthritis so we don’t ride her much anymore, but she could use some exercise to help loosen her joints. I usually walk Sugar around the pasture a few times every afternoon because she tends not to move much on her own. Would you mind doing that for me today?”

She blinked a couple of times, glancing between him and the manure fork. “You want me to take a horse for a walk?”

“Yes. Around the pasture a couple of times.”

Whatever. She took the lead and walked away. When she made it out into the sunshine, Daisy assessed her companion. After haltering her, Daisy coaxed her to move. The horse walked at a slow, steady rate, taking her time with each step.

After they’d walked for a while, Daisy stopped beneath the shade of a tree. “Are you hurting, old girl?” She looked into the horse’s deep brown eyes before petting her muzzle.

Sugar stood for a moment and then dropped her head to eat. With her mouth full of grass, she lifted her nose to sniff the air.

“Not much blowing out here today, Sugar.” The weather was hot with not a cloud in the bright blue sky.

Daisy bent over and pulled a clump of grass. Before she’d straightened, Sugar bit into it. Daisy held it for her until the horse had all of it in her mouth. “You like that, do you?” She fed her several more bites.

“Do you think he’ll come looking for us if we don’t go back?” Daisy patted the horse’s neck. “Maybe you and I should run away together. We probably wouldn’t get far since you’re gimpy and I’d be clueless where we were going, but even a few hours of freedom would be nice.”

“Daisy?” Oliver’s voice came from somewhere behind her.

She sighed. “I guess this means my time is up.”

Instead of heading directly toward the front of the barn, she purposefully walked around to the back. When she reached the doorway to the barn and didn’t see Oliver, she stepped inside and hung up the lead rope before checking his work.

Thankfully, he’d finished cleaning the last stall.

“There you are.”

Daisy erased her smile before she faced him.

He nodded toward the doorway. “Let’s wash up and go eat lunch.”

“Lunch?” She’d been so busy that she’d forgotten about eating. “It has to be way past lunchtime.”

He glanced at his watch. “No. It’s barely twelve-thirty.”

She blinked, amazed. With the way she ached, she’d swear she’d been laboring all day.

“That’s what happens when you get up at the crack of dawn. You get a bunch more daylight than if you sleep in.” He led the way to a large basin at the front of the barn and turned on the water.

“I feel like I’ve been working all day.”

“Because you’re not used to it.” He squirted soap in his hands and began to scrub while he moved out of the way so she could do the same.

“Washing my hands is not going to be enough. I need a day-long shower.”

“Don’t we all.”

She finished washing and then tagged along behind him toward the house.

The inside of the kitchen was a ghost town. A tray of sandwiches sat on the counter. It appeared as though a couple had been removed and the plastic wrap rearranged back on top.

“Where is everyone?” She grabbed a sandwich and bit into it, trying to tame the ravenous beast inside her.

“Not sure. I’ll bet Rachel and Caleb aren’t back yet. Joe and Mickey probably took their lunch and left.” Oliver opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water and a soda, and held them up for her. “Which one do you want?”

“Water.” She might need more than one.

He tucked two bottles beneath his arm before he piled a couple of sandwiches on a plate. “Let’s eat outside. It’s too nice to be in here.” Without waiting for her response, he headed out the back door.

She rolled her eyes, wishing she could have a few moments to relax inside instead.

He led her to the shade of a lovely maple tree. Rachel and Caleb had placed wicker chairs there along with a small table. Daisy practically fell onto the soft green cushion of a chair.

They ate their lunch in silence. She might have been able to come up with something sassy to say if she hadn’t been so tired, but at this point, she was happy to let it go. Oliver had put her through the ringer today, emotionally and physically. He’d tortured her with work, only to show enough kindness that she didn’t rip off his head. He tossed her emotions back and forth enough all day that she had nothing left.

When she finished eating, she leaned back against the cushion and stared out at the beautiful Wyoming countryside. “I’ve never liked being out in the open like this, but I have to admit this land has a wild beauty that appeals to me.”

He snorted, and she shifted her gaze to him to check his reaction. “I told you so. I don’t know why anyone would want to be anywhere else.”

He seemed determined to be at odds with her. “Lots of reasons. Restaurants, clubs, theaters, shopping districts—”

“Shopping districts?”

She gave him a sarcastic smile. “Where a lot of stores are all housed in a defined, close location. You know, if you’re looking for a dress and don’t want to travel all over town to different stores, you can go to a shopping district or mall and find a bunch all together.”

“I don’t typically shop for dresses.” He regarded her from beneath his ball cap with a twinkle in his eye, and she knew he teased her.

She pretended ignorance. “You might look for something else, though. A new suit. A new pair of boots. A coat.”

“I find everything I need right here in town. Don’t see much reason to go anywhere else.”

“Okay, whatever.” She closed her eyes and focused on the soft sounds of nature. No point in arguing with the man.

“I hate it when you do that.”

She lifted an eyelid. “Do what?”

“Say whatever and then dismiss me.”

She straightened and fully opened her eyes. “I didn’t dismiss you.”

“Sure you did.”

“No, but I don’t see the point in arguing with a man who’s so closed to new ideas.” She folded her arms across her chest and shut her eyes.

“You’re wrong, and there you go shutting me out again. Do you do that to your boyfriends, too?”

Frustration drew her eyes open again. “Here’s a question for you. If you dislike me so much, hate the way I dress and the way I act, why are you still hanging around me? At any moment, you could leave and save yourself the annoyance.” She sincerely wished he would.

“Who says I don’t like you?” A frown settled between his brows.

She snorted. “It’s obvious after the way you talked about me last night to Caleb and how you’ve treated me today.”

He narrowed his gaze. “I knew you’d overheard us.”

Dang it
. “That’s beside the point.”

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his ankles as he studied her. “I didn’t treat you any differently today than I would have any other newbie ranch hand. There’s a lot to do around here, and you have to start somewhere.”

Her ire spiked. “Do I look like a ranch hand to you?” She gestured with her fingers to indicate her face and breasts.

He stared at her for a hard moment, his gaze sliding slowly down her body, sending a flood of heat rushing through her. Her core involuntarily tightened along with her nipples, and she crossed her legs as well as her arms.

“No.”

His simple answer stole her words, and all she could do was gawk. After a few seconds, she stood, grabbed her water bottle and headed for the house. She’d had enough of him and this day.

“I’ll need you back in the barn by one-thirty,” he called after her.

“Screw that.” She went inside the house and let the screen door slam behind her. If Rachel had a problem with her, she could say something.

****

Ah, hell. Oliver had never met a woman who’d vexed him as much as Daisy Halsted. Rachel had wanted him to keep her busy, and he’d given her a chore she could handle. What was wrong with that? She’d done a great job, and she should be proud of her first day on the ranch. If she stuck around long enough, she might learn a thing or too.

However, he sincerely hoped she didn’t.

Caleb might think Daisy was sweet, but she was as sour as vinegar to him. Still, her hips had sashayed in the most intriguing way as she’d stomped toward the house. His body urged him to follow, to make peace. But his mind warned him if he did go after her, he was sure to incur her wrath.

What was a man supposed to do with a soft, fragile woman like Daisy besides take her to bed? He couldn’t very well do that seeing that she was his boss’s sister. If he could though, he’d like to see that sass turn into sexual energy.

He stood and headed toward the barn. Why in the hell had Daisy suddenly become his problem? He hadn’t invited her to stay, so he shouldn’t have to babysit her.

The sound of Rachel’s truck coming up the drive stopped him before he entered the structure. She waved as she parked and then climbed from her beat up old truck. She kept saying she intended to buy a new one, but she hadn’t yet.

“Hey,” she said as she hurried toward him. “How did the morning go with Daisy? Did she stay out of trouble?”

“I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re worried she might get in. If she had her way, she wouldn’t step foot out of the house.”

Rachel gave him an awkward shrug. “She’s a city girl. She’s always been delicate, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Oliver snorted. “I don’t know why you’re so worried about her getting hurt. What the hell could happen to her here?”

She glanced toward the house. “She broke her leg falling from a horse when she was little. That was the last time she visited Blackwater. She’s been scared of horses ever since, and…I don’t know…I guess I want to make sure she’s safe and has a good time so she’ll want to come back again. I’ve missed her, and I don’t want anything to happen that might keep her away.”

“Well, shit.” He’d already screwed up.

Rachel frowned. “What? Tell me what happened.”

He supposed he’d better come out with it now as opposed to having Daisy tattle on him. “I had her put the horses to pasture and then made her clean stalls this morning.”

She widened her eyes in disbelief. “Oh, no. I should have told you about her before I left her in your hands. Shit, this is not good.”

She stopped her raving after a moment and glanced back to him. “Did she do okay?”

“Other than sore muscles and a few ruffled feathers, she’s fine. She was hesitant with the horses at first, but she seemed to overcome it quickly. She took Sugar for a walk by herself.”

Rachel sagged in relief. “Thank God.”

In his opinion, her reaction bordered on being overly protective. “Maybe she’s not so afraid anymore. That happened a long time ago, and maybe this isn’t that big of a deal to her.” He tried to phrase his statement as kindly as possible since he’d already pissed off his boss’s only sister.

“Maybe. Maybe not. The only thing I know is I need my sister to be a bigger part of my life. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until she showed up. Whatever we do, we need to make sure she’s happy and feels welcome.”

He nodded, hoping he hadn’t royally fucked that up already. He truly hadn’t meant to be mean to her or make her angry. Still, for whatever reason, he seemed to have earned an advanced degree in that area without knowing it.