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  Jordan was dressed in nothing but a tight black camisole and sweats, her long hair pinned up in a bun. The tank top was thin and did little to hide her lightly tanned skin. Her slender arms and chest were exposed and he caught a glimpse of her impressive cleavage. That had done it; given him a boner so quickly it was almost painful. He’d even winced.

  She’d turned then and gave him a huge grin; once again, seemingly unaware of his misery.

  “Good morning!” She sang. Even in her tank and sweats, with her face scrubbed clean of makeup, she was every bit a walking wet dream.

  “Mornin’,” he replied as he hid behind the kitchen’s island. “How’d you sleep last night?” He watched her bend over to place a pan of biscuits in the oven… and wished he hadn’t. He cursed silently to himself as his groin throbbed.

  “I slept great! You didn’t waste a penny on that mattress. It’s perfect.”

  “Good, I’m glad you like it.”

  She looked at his face then and he could feel her analyzing him to see if he were being truthful. She must have been satisfied because she smiled again.

  “Fried or scrambled eggs?” she asked, pulling a large skillet to the stove.

  “Either one.” He hurried over to the counter while she was distracted to pour himself a cup of coffee. He craved that dark, hot liquid almost as much as he craved the satisfaction of his body’s demands. Almost…

  He noticed that she’d placed a large mug on the counter with a teaspoon next to it. The cream and sugar were there as well. Was she always so handy?

  “Here, I’ll get that for you!” She came to stand beside him and he stiffened.

  “No, that’s okay. I got it... but thank you,” he responded before she came any closer.

  She shrugged and moved to the fridge, pulling out the carton of eggs and tub of fresh butter. “I was trying to get breakfast finished by dawn. I knew that you would probably be getting to work by then.” Her timing, of course, was perfect. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. She set the carton down and cracked the first egg into a large mixing bowl. Then she gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” He flew to her side and looked down into the bowl she was staring wide eyed into.

  “This egg…it has…it’s got…two yolks.”

  Oh, that was it. He breathed a sigh of relief and moved back to the counter to pour his coffee.

  “They all do,” he replied nonchalantly. He was amused that she’d never seen double-yolk eggs before.

  “What?” She was dumbfounded as she turned to him. He fought at the smile that came then, but he lost this time. He turned to her and lifted his brow.

  “They’re double-yolk eggs, Jordan. It saves some money when you’re feeding six men who like eggs.”

  There was a beautiful stupor on her face then she blushed. “Oh,” was all she said as she turned back to her work.

  Jordan pulled a package of cheese slices from the fridge then and began tearing them up into the eggs, she then whipped them, added some seasonings and poured them into the sizzling buttered skillet. He watched her as she hummed a song he didn’t recognize and turned the stove eye to low. She propped her hips on the counter watching the eggs, then looked over at him. He picked the coffee up and sipped it, enjoying the heat as it coursed down his throat. She walked toward him then and he started to move, but forced himself to hold his ground as she reached up to get herself a coffee mug from the cabinet. He tried to ignore the rise of her breasts with her uplifted arms, but didn’t succeed. The camisole defined them so well.

  “I was planning on getting the laundry done today. There aren’t any bills due and I don’t need to go into town for anything. I figured that you could forward the phones up here to the house, so that I can still answer them while I’m working. I just thought the house needed some attention,” she said, looking over at the cluttered countertop as she poured some cream and sugar into the mug before adding her coffee.

  “That works for me,” he stated as he sipped at his mug again.

  She looked up at him then a seriousness came over her face. “Nate, I really thought you would make this harder on me than necessary.” Her brows drew as she spoke.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Well, because...” Jordan hesitated then moved to stir the eggs almost as if she’d forgotten they were on the stove. He followed her and came to stand beside her as her gaze met his.

  “Because I’m nothing but a rude asshole?” Nate asked, rhetorically. She looked down at his question. Was that what she’d been thinking? Of course it was! Better to show her now than to let her think otherwise. “Well, I am a rude asshole. That’s true, but I needed you and you apparently wanted a change of scenery. You’ve scratched my back, so I’ll scratch yours. No need in being hostile, don’t you agree?” She only nodded. He continued, “So, while we’re on this topic, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you. A few house rules, per se.” She wasn’t going to like the next part... “I have a strict policy against overnight guests.” Her eyes flickered in what looked like embarrassment. Good, he’d embarrassed her. “And also, I would try to watch what you wear in front of the guys, no need to be distracting them from the jobs I pay them my hard-earned money for.” While he spoke, his eyes raked over her body in such a degrading way that he felt bad about it, but she’d gotten the point. Her mouth was hanging open and her face had paled and that’s how he left her as he strode through the kitchen door.

  So, he’d shamed her.

  Well, at least now she didn’t underestimate him.

  “Damn him!” Jordan was exasperated as she tossed another heaping load of clothes into the washing machine. She was on her third load, and it felt as if she hadn’t even made a dent in the bucket.

  God, he really was an asshole; a rude, arrogant, male-chauvinist asshole. How dare he make her feel so trashy! She should go through and cut huge holes in all of his boxers in retaliation.

  She should have anticipated this, known that it was his nature…but things had been going so well. He’d been unnaturally kind to her, and she’d started to believe that maybe he wasn’t as bad as everyone made out, that perhaps they’d been exaggerating... Yeah, like hell!

  She shouldn’t let his words anger her. That’s exactly what he wanted! He wanted to see the shock on her face, the embarrassment. He enjoyed it, got off on it.

  Oh, she’d show him. No one talked to her that way! So what if he was her boss? This was just his ploy at being cruel, like he was to everyone else. Well, she’d let him see that he didn’t intimidate her.

  She began to clean. First came the de-cluttering, throwing away trash and old bills and organizing the countertops then the dusting; dusting that was way overdue. Then she polished the furniture, vacuumed, did the dishes, wiped the table clean, folded the laundry and started another load… all the while, she organized a plan of attack.

  She moved to the master bedroom and stripped the sheets and remade Nate’s bed, cleaned his bathroom and stopped in time to make lunch. She made a large pot of vegetable soup and hot ham and cheese sandwiches and finished just in time to hear them coming in.

  She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face him yet. She still had murderous thoughts clouding her head, but she sucked it up and pulled the hot pot off the stove and took it to the kitchen table. She even managed to smile at the hands as they greeted her, ignoring Nate all together. By then, she’d changed into something that fit more into Nate’s “house rules” trying to keep the peace, for the moment being anyway. She went back into the kitchen then and separated the sandwiches, placing them on a large platter. The table was already set with the exact number of bowls and spoons and plates. She had glasses ready for them as well, full of their favorite beverage- sweet iced tea.

  She would be a perfectionist at this job, making no mistakes, going out of her way to do everything just right. Let him find one thing she didn’t do exactly as he’d asked. It would irritate the hell out of him…

  She plaste
red a fake smile on her face as she walked out to join them with the sandwiches. Again, she passed by Nate as if he weren’t there, wishing that the only seat available wasn’t right next to him. Damn!

  She put the platter down and took her seat, thanking Cass as he handed her a steaming bowl of soup. She took the sandwich that Mitch offered her, and gave him a, “Thank you.”

  The hands, at least, seemed to be thankful for her presence. It was odd though. They seemed to have a very good relationship with Nate. They didn’t seem unhappy with their jobs. She observed them, speaking only when spoken to, to try to see if she could learn more about Nathan. It appeared that he enjoyed his work, his life here on the ranch and the guys, and they, in turn, seemed to enjoy and respect him. It was obvious in the way that they all spoke to one another. So, his reputation as an asshole didn’t seem to apply here. Well, that was interesting….

  When they were all finished with their lunch, she began gathering the dishes up to take to the kitchen. She was surprised when one of the hands, Mitch, followed her with a handful of his own.

  “Oh, thanks,” she replied with a smile, placing her pile of dishes in the sink and holding her hands out for the ones he had.

  “You’re welcome! That was great! A much-needed change of pace from Emeril’s cooking.” He laughed.

  “Well, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  Mitch shuffled his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Nate’s not so bad, you know? Once you get used to him…” If there was any getting used to Nate and his irritating mood swings. She just nodded in response. “Well, if it’s any consolation, we like having you here.” No need in asking who we was. She just smiled at him and turned to tackle the dishes.

  Once the hands went back to work, she put the leftover soup into the fridge and started back in Nathan’s room, dusting, wiping and vacuuming again. She folded more laundry and started another load. Jesus, has the man done any laundry in the last six months?

  She then moved to the kitchen, sweeping and mopping until she was sweaty and exhausted. She tackled the ceiling fans next, then the cobwebs in the corner. Before she had a chance to breathe, it was time to start dinner. While she fried the chicken, she folded clothes and towels. She never thought she’d grow to hate doing the laundry, but that was inevitable after today.

  She knew she was tackling too much in one day, but she wanted him to see how hard she worked. Let him see how dedicated to this job I really am! she thought.

  She started a pot of boiling water for corn and one for potatoes. She cut lettuce for a salad and chopped some fresh vegetables to add to it. She then made homemade ranch dressing and preheated the oven for cornbread.

  She had just finished creaming the potatoes when the phone rang. She sighed but picked it up off the receiver as she answered professionally, “Butler residence.”

  “Jor!”

  She immediately recognized Natalie’s voice and sighed in relief. “Nat!”

  “Hi! How’s it goin’?”

  “It’s goin’,” Jordan grumbled.

  Natalie immediately recognized the exasperation in her tone of voice. “Is my brother being nice to you?”

  Is your brother nice to anyone? Jordan thought but said, “He’s been a perfect gentleman.”

  “Oh no…” Natalie sighed. “What did he say?”

  Jordan thought better than to trouble her best friend with her own problems.

  “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I knew this wouldn’t be easy when I signed on!” Jordan laughed without humor.

  “Well, just don’t let him get to you. That’s what he’s aiming for.”

  “I know.” Why was it that Nathan fed off of other peoples’ pain? “You know me, Nat! I won’t take his shit for too long before I start throwin’ it back at him.” She heard her friend’s musical laughter and it lightened her mood a bit. “So, how are the Kinsens doing tonight?”

  “Oh, we’re great! Dallie aced her spelling test and Jack and I went to the doctor. I’m thirty-five weeks today!”

  She envied Natalie and Jack’s excitement over their baby, there was so much love when they spoke about it, especially now that she’d learned that she wouldn’t be having any of her own… “That’s wonderful! Wow, not too much longer.”

  “I know! I can’t believe it’s gone by so fast. Aw crap—” Nat fumbled with the phone. “Jordan, hang on! Dallie needs a band-aid. Oh, poor baby, let me see it…”

  Jordan smiled at Natalie’s patronizing motherly tone and heard Dallie’s cries in the background.

  “Mommy, it really hurts,” Dallie whimpered.

  “Oh, it’s not so bad.” She heard Natalie say.

  Jack responded with, “Baby, you oughta seen that splinter. It was huge!” She heard Jack’s tone soften even further as he spoke to Dallie then, “But Daddy got it out, didn’t I, Dallie? Look, it’s not even bleeding now.”

  Dallie’s cries only worsened, it seemed she was gonna milk it for all it was worth. Good for her! Jordan smiled again.

  Jack had definitely filled the fatherly role of “Daddy”. He was perfect timing for both Dallie and Natalie.

  Jordan stifled a laugh. At one time, she had imagined him filling his own role for her. As gorgeous as Jack was, it was awkward to think of him that way now that he was her best friend’s husband.

  “Oh my goodness,” Natalie said, exasperated. “Let me get this poor, pitiful, mangled child of mine taken care of.”

  “Alright.” Jordan smiled, envisioning the chaos at the Kinsen household.

  “If you need me, please call me.”

  “I will.” Jordan said a goodbye to her friend, hung up the phone and went to set the table for dinner.

  In many ways, Jordan was glad for her single life. She had no one but herself to worry about. She enjoyed her free time to read and practice Yoga, listen to her music and just be content in her own company. She was grateful she didn’t have a child or two to run after, especially with the days when her pain took over. She couldn’t imagine having to deal with both her illness and having someone else to take care of too. She didn’t have quite the energy Natalie had. And she really loved the quiet.

  But there was something to be said for the times when nothing but Dallie’s darling little giggle healed all; frozen- still in the air- and all was right with the world. Nothing could top the innocence and sweetness of a child. And Natalie and Jack seemed so happy… it was downright preposterous.

  Probably preposterous to her because she’d never imagined her life that way. She’d always just assumed that she would be single forever, which was probably how she would end up now that she was infertile. She’d always just enjoyed her freedom and not wanted a “life sentence” being stuck with only one man forever anyway. She really couldn’t imagine herself in a white wedding dress or big bellied and pregnant or…in labor. She cringed at that thought, considering all the pain she’d already been through!

  It wasn’t that a child wasn’t worth all the changes that her body would have had to go through. She just wasn’t sure she could have handled any more of that, plus, she’d already received her fair share of spider veins and stretch marks for one lifetime.

  After supper, she quietly went back to work. She wasn’t in the most amicable mood because she was so close to exhaustion by then. Once she finished the dishes and wiped the dining room table down, she decided to tackle the main floor bathroom between the kitchen and the living room. She heard the background noise from the television as she began spraying the toilet and sink. She was scrubbing hard and didn’t notice that Nate was in the doorway until he spoke.

  “Why don’t you call it a night?” He glowered at her, arms crossed over his chest.

  She jumped then caught a glimpse of herself in the vanity mirror. Man, she looked rough... drained. She glanced up into his expectant face.

  She gulped at the intensity coming from his blue eyes. Her witty comment died on her lips, and she nodded her head. She was too ti
red to argue with him.

  He then moved back toward the living room, and she dropped her cleaning rag and spray on the countertop and followed. He swiftly lowered himself into the recliner and threw his arm back behind his head, looking a little too comfortable in his own skin. She rolled her eyes as she came to sit on the sofa closest to him.

  “Do you wanna watch the news?” he asked as he flipped through the channel guide. She then watched his tight mouth grow smug as it relaxed into a grin. “Or is this more your style?”

  She looked toward the television in confusion then her mouth dropped as she understood what he meant. The guide was displaying the adult programming choices. Anger shot through her like a knife. She tried to hold onto her composure. “Don’t let him get to you,” Natalie had said. She gave him a level glare as her eyes came back to rest on him.

  “If you have something you’d like to say, Nate, then maybe you should say it…”

  His eyes met hers, seeming more bedeviled than before. He raised one eyebrow condescendingly. “I think I just did.”

  Chapter 3

  “Oh, who cares what he thinks about you?” Jordan said to herself as she sat in the bath tub later that night.

  Instead of allowing him to infuriate her any more, she’d up and left the room after his smart remark, throwing a mumbled good night over her shoulder.

  She shouldn’t be angry at his words; she knew that’s exactly what he’d wanted. That was why he’d said what he did. Besides, why did she care if he thought she was a slut? If she was a slut then so was he.

  She hadn’t slept with everyone she’d dated, contrary to what all the men in Abundance believed, contrary to what Nathan Butler believed. And upon that, where did he get off judging her? She was sure he’d probably been with a decent number of women himself, in his bull-riding days especially… And he probably still brought some home on occasion. After all, he was a single, red-blooded male.

  Again, she fought to control her anger. That was what he wanted! He loved making other people as miserable as he was himself. This fact shouldn’t surprise her in any way. This was why she was here.