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Dude was the name everyone called the ranch hand. Apparently, he earned it on one of the other big ranches and brought it with him to the Gracey.
He nudged the brim of his hat up to eye her. His gaze dropped from her face to her cleavage enhanced by the pushup bra and tight-fitting top. “You headed to the Badlands this evening?”
“Every Friday.”
“Gonna do some dancing?”
“Plan to.” She cast a look around the vicinity, but only managed to catch the attention of a couple guys walking out of the barn. One carried a saddle, but rather than put it on the horse it was meant for, he set it on the top rail of the fence and leaned in to talk to Meadow.
“Hiya, Meadow. Looking mighty pretty today.” His eyes creased when he smiled. She might think he was good-looking in that rough and rugged way all cowboys did, if she didn’t know what a man whore he was down at Badlands. It wasn’t only a rumor that he slept with all the girls in town—she’d seen him leaving the bar with them.
“Thanks.” She tried to keep her focus on the small talk, but she turned her head left and right, hoping to see Colton. She was wasting her time standing here.
She pushed off the fence. “Well, I’ve got better things to do than stand around talking to you two.”
They laughed at her biting words, and she felt their gazes on her ass as she walked away.
She strutted around the front of the barn. An older guy who shod their horses drifted to the door to watch her. As she rounded the corner, she caught sight of the ranch manager, who threw her a smile and a wave. As soon as she entered the bar, plenty of guys would be eye-fucking her.
She only wanted attention from one man, and he was nowhere to be seen.
Colton Nox wouldn’t even give her the time of day. She was beginning to feel like Forest’s nerdy little sister all over again.
She continued to roam the ranch in search of the former SEAL turned cowpoke. At least her father had left the ranch for a conference, and she didn’t have to worry about him telling her off for how she was dressed. Anyway, she was an adult and didn’t need him to shield her.
Not that her father ever had. That was Forest.
“Don’t you think you should go inside, out of this heat?” The drawl came from behind her. She spun, heart thumping at the thought of Colton standing there.
But it was only Zach, the ranch manager.
She gave him a defiant look. “If my father told you to watch over me, you’re wasting your time.”
He chuckled. His eyes crinkled with amusement that changed him from the stern guy who’d done a stint in prison before coming to the Gracey Ranch to something more relaxed. “Your father did mention he’ll be gone a few weeks. Those meetings with feed suppliers and horse buyers takes time.”
She cocked a brow. “So he did tell you to watch over me.”
He studied her for a long moment. “I’m in charge of the ranch while he’s gone.”
“I don’t need looking after. Spare your energy for the horses and the guys you boss around.”
God, she was tired of being treated like a gangly kid. Her father would never see her as an adult, and since Forest’s death, he’d come down even harder about her behavior. Not that she ever got herself in trouble. Sure, she flirted with the ranch hands and a few men down at Badlands, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t one hundred percent in control at all times.
She brushed her long hair over one shoulder. “I’m heading into Eden tonight. Don’t wait up for me.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Webb looked over her outfit like some protective uncle.
The last thing she needed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find a man who knows how to treat me right—at least for the night!”
Webb laughed again, but this time his eyes narrowed as if he didn’t quite know whether or not to believe her.
Since she wasn’t getting what she wanted from this conversation—and she hadn’t found Colton either—she walked away from the manager without another word. As she crossed the yard to her pickup parked in front of the four-stall garage, she swept her gaze over the ranch in hopes of seeing Forest’s military buddy.
From the brief times she’d seen him, she sure remembered every detail about him. His height and build, the way his dark eyes settled on her and seemed to trace her movements—at least before he realized she caught him looking.
By the time she reached her vehicle, she was sweating slightly from the extreme heat that wouldn’t improve after the sun went down. Badlands would be even hotter, with all those bodies crowded into a stuffy building, doing two things that raised their temperature even higher—drinking alcohol and dancing.
