2. Asher

CHAPTER 2

ASHER

I shutthe door and lean against it, letting my forehead rest on the cool hard wood. I fucked up. I should have asked more questions when Chief Taylor asked me to give Madelyn Weston a job. I didn’t think of it because I was so surprised that the chief was asking for a favor. He had to know that I wouldn’t tell him no. He was a good friend to my parents, and after their death, he made sure to keep an eye out for all us boys.

There’s another knock on the door, and I curse under my breath. “Fuck.”

I clench my eyes shut and shake my head. I have to do this. I told Chief Taylor I would. I rip the door open harder than I should. “Yeah?”

I train my eyes on her face and not let it scan it down her body like I did before. I think that’s what got me off track, but the longer I stare into her angry blue eyes, I realize that they are enough to get me off kilter, and my scowl deepens.

“Uh, I’m here to see Asher Wild.”

I lean against the open door. “That’s me.”

She grits her teeth. “Right, well, I’m Madelyn Weston. I’m here for the farm labor position.”

As an afterthought, she holds her hand out for me to shake. I shouldn’t do it, I know I shouldn’t, but I reach out and wrap my big hand around her smaller one. The feel of her smooth fingers against my rougher ones has me holding her hand a little tighter.

Before I can make a fool of myself, I release her hand, and she holds it against her chest, over her heart. I told myself I wouldn’t, but I look her up and down again. I take in her expensive jeans, boots, manicured hands, and flawless skin. I step out onto the porch, and she backs away the closer I get. After glancing into the driveway and seeing the high-dollar Bentley, I know she’s in the wrong place, even though she doesn’t know it yet. I cross my arms over my chest. “There’s been a mistake.”

She puts a hand on her shapely hip. “What do you mean?”

Instead of irritating me with her sass, it makes me enamored with her even more. “I mean, I hired a farmer. You don’t look like any farmer I’ve seen before.”

“I have a master’s degree in agriculture management. I’ve spent years learning about everything that happens on a fruit farm. I’ve either volunteered or worked at farms since I graduated high school.”

I run my hand across my chin, “That couldn’t have been that long ago.”

She bristles, causing her cheeks to turn a bright pink. “I’m twenty-eight, but thank you for the compliment.”

I slap a hand on my thigh. “Look, you’re obviously qualified because Chief Taylor wouldn’t have recommended you if you weren’t. But the position has been filled.”

Her mouth drops. “Filled?”

Before I can admit to her I’m lying, I bite my lip and say nothing.

She blows out a breath, “Look, I came a really long way to get here. Can I come inside so we can at least talk?” She pauses and must realize that I’m about to tell her no because she blinks her long lashes at me and pleads, “Please.”

Fuck, there’s no way I can say no to that. I walk back to the door, push it open, and hold it open for her. “Come on in.”

She walks in, and I follow behind her. I avert my eyes from what I know is going to be a shapely ass in tight blue jeans and walk past her. “We can talk here in the office.”

I stop on the other side of my desk and then gesture to the seat across from me, making sure to put the big wood desk and some distance between us. She’s looking around the office, and I take the opportunity to look at her. My first assessment still rings true. Madelyn Weston doesn’t belong here.

I gesture to the chair closest to her. “Have a seat.”

Once she sits down, I do the same.

She’s sitting on the edge of her seat. “Mr. Wild.”

“Asher,” I correct her.

“Asher,” she says, and the sound of my name rolling off her tongue sends a vibration through my body. I do my best to ignore it. “Chief Taylor assured me that I had the position. Did he lie to me?”

I take a deep breath. It’s tempting to say yes, just so she’ll leave and take it up with him, but I can’t do that. “No, he was told that you had a job here.”

She lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “I’m a hard worker. I have impeccable references. I can make a difference here, I know I can.”

I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in my seat. “Do you know what this job consists of? Do you know you’ll get dirty? Heck, you might even ruin your pretty clothes.”

She pulls at the collar of her shirt. “I was trying to make a good first impression, but I understand now that you might have been more impressed if I came in here with dirt under my nails and on my face.” She huffs her breath and shakes her head. “Look, Asher, I’m not sure what I did to rub you the wrong way this morning, but I have work clothes, and I’m not afraid to get dirty. Actually, I prefer it.”

My hands tighten into fists. The very last thing I need to be thinking about right now is Madelyn “dirty” or rubbing me any kind of way.

She stands up, crosses her arms over her chest, and pushes her breasts up in the process. “Look, I’m good at what I do.”

I’m saved from answering when the screen door slams, and I hear Beau hollering through the house, “Ash, whose Bentley is that in the driveway?”

He comes to a halt as he passes the office door and stares at Madelyn before coming into the office. I jump out of my chair and come around the desk, cutting him off. Stunned, he almost plows into me and says, “Well, hello—”

I cut him off and give him a look that he’ll understand. “Beau, this is Madelyn. Madelyn, this is my youngest brother, Beau.”

Beau starts to put his hand out, and I grunt at him. I can feel my face get hot from my caveman behavior. This is not who I am, but the thought of Beau touching Madelyn—even just to shake her hand—goes all through me. I ignore the stares from each of them, and Beau drops his hand. “So the Bentley is yours?”

She nods and asks her own question, directing it at me. “Wait, there’s more of you? Delilah told me about Fletch, but I had no idea there were more of you.”

I scrunch my nose up. Why would Delilah mention Fletch? Is it because he works for her dad? Or was she thinking of fixing Madelyn up with him? I clear my throat. “Yeah, there’s six of us.”

Beau points at me. “And this is the grumpy one, in case you couldn’t tell.”

“Har har. Did you get that irrigation system fixed on the south side?”

He shakes his head. “No, but we figured out the problem. I had to come in and get a bigger wrench and got sidetracked with the Bentley.”

“Okay,” I tell him, looking between him and the door.

He laughs and holds his hands up. “Okay, I got it. I’m out. Nice to meet you, Madelyn.”

She calls after him softly, “You too, Beau.”

The smile she had for my brother disappears when she looks at me. “Soooo…”

From where I’m standing, I can see the freckles on her nose and the gold specks in her eyes. I would have sworn her eyes were blue earlier, but now they look more green. “I thought your eyes were blue.”

She seems taken aback. “Uh, yeah, well, they’re hazel really. My grandma always said she’s never seen anything like it. Depending on where I’m at in the light, they can appear green or blue.”

I stare into her eyes as if I’m searching for something. For the longest time, I’ve put off women. I’ve been down this road, and it only led to heartbreak. There’s no way I’m interested in going through all that again.

I take a step back and then another. It’s like I’m having to move away from her just to be able to think clearly. Surely I can do this. I can hire Madelyn even if I’m attracted to her. I can remain professional and follow through with my promise to Chief Taylor.