Page 43 of Ironwood Ranch Cowboys

Except the part that isn’t.

I turn toward the house.

Duke’s in the kitchen when I find him, leaning over the counter with a mug in one hand and a legal pad in the other, reading something he’s only half paying attention to.

He looks up when I come in, and in that first second I know two things.

One: He already knows why I’m here.

Two: He isn’t sorry.

He sets the pad down and lifts his mug in greeting. “Morning. You look like you’ve come to fire someone.”

I shut the door behind me. The latch clicks.

“You spent the night with Annie,” I declare.

No point dressing it up.

He exhales through his nose. I guess I’ve just confirmed the obvious.

“Well,” he says, rolling his shoulder a little, “not technically the night. But yeah. That did happen.”

“She’s an employee.”

“I know she is,” he says with a one-shouldered shrug. “Also a person, which feels relevant.”

“Are you serious?” I ask. “Because this looks a lot like you forgot you’re her boss.”

“Ouch. Alright, that one had some bite.” He sets his mug down. “But no, I didn’t forget. I just didn’t run it through your internal approval system first.”

“Don’t joke.”

“I’m not joking,” he says. “I’m just not panicking.”

I take a step further into the room. “You should be.”

“Should I?” he asks, tilting his head. “Because from where I’m standing, I had a good night with a woman I like. Nobody died, nothing caught fire, and the coffee’s still hot. Feels like a win.”

The flippancy grates.

“This isn’t a joke, Duke.”

“Hey,” he shoots back, “I know it’s not. I’m not treating it like one. I’m just not going to stand here and act like I committed a felony either.”

I hold his gaze. “She’s been here a week.”

“Yeah,” he says. “I can count.”

“She works for this family.”

“I know that,” he counters, one brow lifting. “It isn’t just you in charge, even if you sometimes think it is.”

I step closer, the space between us narrowing. “People are already talking.”

He sighs, dragging a hand through his hair. “I figured that might happen. House staff don’t exactly keep a lid on things. But Annie shouldn’t be judged for this.”

“You know that’s what will happen the second gossip spreads.”