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Jordan stopped a few feet away from them and folded her arms. She eyed Rhys. Tendrils of hair that escaped his cap were soaked. He had probably got overheated working in that hot-ass barn, hence why his shirt was off.
That green monster inside her didn’t want Sara Beth ogling her man without his shirt. He was still hot enough to ogle with his clothes on, but seeing him like this should be a treat only for Jordan.
“Um, Rhys.” Sara Beth paused and glanced over at Jordan. The look of disdain was evident. She pointed at Jordan. “Does she have to be here? I just came out here to talk.”
“There’s nothing we need to talk about,” Rhys said. He glanced over at Jordan and tossed her a wink. That man was downright sexy and he knew it.
Jordan made a mental note in the back of her mind to remind him that she thought it, too.
“But anything you’ve got to say to me, you can say in front of my woman.”
Oh, he was definitely going to be rewarded for that little tidbit he’d just tossed in.
Rhys rolledhis eyes at the way Sara Beth kept looking over at Jordan. She seemed nervous, but hell, she should be. He already knew why she was here. Nova had told her that he was allowing her to go on the cruise. His cellphone had about ten text messages from Sara Beth and about eight voicemails. He had ignored every single one of them. Nothing she would say was going to make him change his mind.
But for her to just show up at the farm, he’d half expected it.
“What do you want, Sara Beth?” he asked. He dropped the water hose in the trough to let it finish filling up. He had planned to leave the horses out for a little while longer and allow them to graze and walk around. The water would be a bonus to let them drink as much as they wanted.
“You haven’t answered any of my calls or text messages,” Sara Beth huffed.
She stomped her foot on the ground slightly. Her small scowl was one that Rhys used to hate seeing. It meant she was mad and there was some groveling he would have to do to even figure out how and when he had pissed her off. Hell, she used to get mad at him for snoring in his sleep.
“And you just showed up. Didn’t take the hint, did you?” Jordan quipped.
Rhys bit back a smirk at Sara Beth’s mouth dropping open slightly. She was never used to anyone confronting her or being condescending to her.
“Excuse me? I needed to talk to my ex-husband about our daughter. That gives me a right to be here,” Sara Beth snarled.
Jordan’s eyes narrowed on her, and Rhys felt the shift in Jordan. She had been in control, but now she was two seconds from snapping. Rhys held up his hand. Jordan tossed her frosty gaze to him, and he knew what it meant without her saying one word.
“Nova is grown, Sara Beth. If she wants to go do something as fantastic as go to Europe, I’m all for it. You and I certainly didn’t do anything like that at her age.” It was the truth. He and Sara Beth had been each other’s shadow when they were younger. He certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford something like that. His parents made ends meet, and sailing in Europe would not have been in the budget.
“I know.” Sara Beth’s eyes softened. She gave Rhys a small smile. She reached up and tucked her thick blonde hair behind her ear and tried an attempt to look innocent. “But aren’t you worried about security? Will she be safe? How much money will she need? Why would they invite her?”
“Those are all questions you would have had answered had you spoken with your daughter,” Jordan interjected.
“Why is she talking to me?” Sara Beth sniped. She faced Jordan and rested her hands on her waist. Her face flushed from anger. “No one is talking to you. This is between me and Rhys.”
“Who the hell do you think you are talking to?” Jordan growled. Her voice dropped down a few decibels.
Rhys needed to put an end to this.
“Jordan is right,” Rhys said. He took a step forward to put himself between the women. Sara Beth was crazy to think she could face Jordan. Rhys had been witness to Jordan taking down grown men, and Sara Beth would not stand a chance. She wasn’t even a fighter. Why was she trying to be confrontational with Jordan? “I know you spoke with Nova. Why didn’t you ask her those questions yourself?”
“Well, because…” Sara Beth sputtered. Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red. Disbelief filled her face as she stared at Rhys.
He sighed and didn’t want to argue with the woman. Nova was an adult, and it was time they treated her like one. He knew it was hard to understand that, but that was also one of the reasons he didn’t care that she went. She needed life experiences like this one.
“Have you even met these people who she is going with?”
“Yes, I have and I have their phone numbers. Nova texted them to me, and I plan to call tonight after dinner,” Rhys replied. Now he was starting to get a little pissed. How dare she come over here and try to act like he hadn’t been the one raising their daughter. Didn’t she know he was used to making decisions for Nova?
“Well, I just think this decision should have been discussed with me,” Sara Beth huffed.
“Nova is twenty damn years old. Nothing needs to be discussed with you,” Jordan said from behind Rhys.
The warmth of her body greeted his. He could almost feel the steam pouring off her. He reached behind him and connected with her side.
