Daisy Mae tilted her Stetson in my direction, her long braid swinging behind her. She was a no-nonsense person who knew how to get the job done, which was the reason I’d recently made her one of my supervisors. A few ranch hands had walked off the job instead of taking orders from a woman, but when they challenged my decision, I hadn’t backed down. They could either do what they were paid to or get the hell off my property.
“Okay, boss. I’ll look out for her.”
I hopped into my truck with a grin. It was obvious Clayton was sweet on Daisy Mae, but she would chew his ass to shreds before she allowed him to distract her from her duties, and that was exactly how she would see his “looking out for her.”
When I drove away, I sobered. I didn’t need to check with Lawson in person. He was just a phone call away, but the excuse got me back to the house to see Ozzie. After the wedding planner fiasco, we’d come to a truce in which I barely saw him. I left the house before he woke up and returned when he was already gone to bed.
After two days I’d had enough. I needed to know what he was up to.
How were the wedding plans going? Had he decided where on the ranch to get married? Had he contacted the different caterers I’d suggested?
Was he really going through with the wedding?
I brought the truck to a halt and scowled. That was exactly the reason I’d stayed away from him. The question burned on the tip of my tongue. How could it not? Ozzie and Carter were not a good fit, but how much of that was my intuition and how much was me wanting Ozzie to call the wedding off so we could end up in bed together?
With those traitorous thoughts, was it not best to leave Ozzie alone? If he married Carter, it had to be his decision. And if he woke up to all the warning signs that Carter didn’t deserve him, then calling off the wedding had to be his decision as well.
Too bad being an impartial observer in the matter was so fucking difficult.
I got out of the truck, grabbed my toiletries from the passenger’s seat, and headed toward the outdoor showers. I’d installed them a year ago after a cleaner quit on me when Itracked mud and dirt onto the floor they’d just cleaned. This way, I could get all the grime off me before entering the house.
The four showers were simple: rustic open stalls at the side of the house with wooden walls to provide a semblance of privacy. One was reserved for me, while anyone else could use the other three.
Under the icy water, I scrubbed off the dirt and sweat from the day’s work. When I toweled off, I felt almost human again after another grueling day working under the sun. I wrapped a large towel around my waist and let myself into the house through the back door.
I left my boots at the bottom of the steps and walked to the kitchen. A cold beer sounded pretty damn good to cool down my insides and soothe my parched throat. Judging by the clings and clangs of pots and pans, Gertie was already preparing this evening’s dinner.
“Hey, Gertie, something smells good. When are you going to leave that man of yours and marry me?” My smile faltered. Ozzie sat at the island, a binder on the table and several papers around him. “Oh, hello, Ozzie.”
He tore his gaze away from my naked chest. “Um, hi, Gray.”
“Is this why you’re in my kitchen half-naked?” Gertie said. “While that sinful body of yours is tempting, Gray, you only have eyes for this ranch. I would be a fool to think I could compete with that.”
“That’s not true, Gertie.” I walked up to her and kissed her cheek. “I could give up the ranch for you.”
She elbowed me in the gut, but her face turned red. “Oh, you smooth-talking devil. Git!”
Ozzie’s laughter rang out, a sound I loved. He always frowned too much as if he was worrying about something.
“Best not to look at him, Ozzie,” Gertie said. “Next thing you know, you’re falling for the father, even though you’re engagedto the son. Can you imagine the scandal? Why, we haven’t had a scandal this big since that Anders ran off with all of Lawson’s money and left him flat broke. Then he had the audacity to return to town.” Gertie shook her head. “I blame Grant, taking Anders in when he knows what he did.” She clicked her tongue. “Good men are really hard to find.”
Keeping a straight face when she had just described the scenario I was avoiding was the hardest thing I’d done in ages. For a moment, my face remained frozen in an awkward smile as I tried to maintain my composure. Ozzie, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open, looked as stunned as I felt.
“Uh, that’s a long time ago, Gertie. Lawson’s moved on with Opie, and he’s very happy.” I opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. Gertie handed me a bottle opener. “Thanks.”
“It might have been a long time ago, but every time I see Anders, he upsets my spirit.”
“Wait…are you referring to the Lawson and Opie we ran into at the restaurant, Gray?”
“Yup.”
“Damn, that’s cold.”
“That boy knew damn well he was only marrying Lawson for his money. He milked him for every single penny he had.”
“I can’t imagine marrying someone for money.” Ozzie flipped a page in his book. He picked up a glue stick and pasted one of the papers on the page. “You should only marry for love. When you’ve found the perfect man who sweeps you off your feet with his charm, passion, and sincerity. The man who values your happiness more than his own and is willing to grow old with you, facing whatever trials that may come. That’s what true love is.”
I took a long gulp of my beer to calm my racing heartbeat. Didn’t Ozzie hear himself? Or maybe I didn’t know his relationship with my son as well as I thought I did?
