Chapter 21

Kate goes to put away all her things, but I go into the house with the cooler to make sure the vaccines stay cold. I’m not surprised to find Levi and Wiley in there going through the mail. I hate the mail, so both of them go through it to make sure we’re not missing anything important. Back when my pa was in charge, the mail was plagued with final notices and warnings from the bank. I haven’t quite gotten over that and prefer not to look through it at all. I just make sure the bills are paid and that the accountant has everything she needs.

“How was your shopping trip?” Wiley asks with a grin. “You get her new gloves?”

“Yeah, and jeans, a hat, and a pair of boots. She should be fine now,” I answer before handing the cooler to Levi. He immediately kneels down and starts putting them away in the small fridge we keep in the office. Later, when he needs them, they’ll go out to the fridge in the barn, but for now, we gotta make sure we have everything and do inventory.

“I bet she looks mighty fine in the jeans,” Wiley muses.

“Don’t you two get too caught up in her,” I warn. “She’s dangerous for productivity.”

Levi shrugs. “I have no interest in her.” But the way he won’t meet my eyes tells me otherwise.

Wiley grins, seeing the same thing I do. “I realize we’ve done the sharing thing before, but I hadn’t realized this was an option.”

“It’s not,” I grunt. “Too risky.”

“And city girls don’t last in ranch life,” Levi points out, clearly expecting her to quit at any moment.

“She’s doing just fine,” Wiley argues.

I shake my head at them. “Just mind your manners and don’t cause trouble. Broken hearts don’t work well on the ranch.”

I look pointedly at Levi, and he scowls.

“I don’t have time to cater to her,” he growls.

“Then don’t,” I growl back. “Let her learn, but don’t be an ass for no reason. She’s actually a pretty damn good help and I don’t want her running off because you hurt her feelings.”

Wiley’s grin widens. “So does that mean you’re interested in her, too, Dakota?”

I scowl. “She’s our employee. Besides, I ain’t got time for a woman.”

Wiley snorts. “That doesn’t answer my question, boss man.”

I toss my keys on the table and turn away. “I’ve got work to do. So do you two. Get on with it.”

“Of course we’ve got work to do,” Wiley teases. “Go on and do those spreadsheets you love. Try not to get distracted by the thought of Kate’s ass in her jeans.”

I throw the nearest thing to me at Wiley, which turns out to be an apple one of them must have brought in. He catches it with a laugh. “You still never answered my question,” he teases as he dances out of the room.

Fucking asshole. Always asking questions he already knows the answer to. But still. I’m the boss. I have work to do. I don’t have time to go chasing after a woman.

Especially one as much of a red flag as Kate Meadows.

Besides, I doubt she’d be interested if she knew the kind of man I really am.