“but you’ve gotta take the prize. I would’ve sworn you begged me on bended knee to take this job not much more than twenty-four hours ago.”
“I never begged you for anything on bended knee and I never will,” she said passionately.
He shrugged, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Came pretty close, in my estimation.”
“Your estimation
and
your judgment are not the ones that run this drive,” she said. “Mine are. So quit trying to buddy up with my hands so you’ll have their support if you should start trying to do my job instead of your own.”
He raised his eyebrows in the most infuriating, sardonic way imaginable.
“That’s one of your pronouncements, like that one on the street in Pueblo City, that I’m gonna have to take under consideration,” he drawled, “ ‘til I get it figured out.”
He held her gaze with his while he ate another bite of bacon.
“Sounds like you’re mighty distrustful, though, just on first impression, you understand. You’re the same woman called me a man of honor, though—am I right?”
“You’re a man,” she said. “That means you
think
you’re always right and you
think
you always have to control everything. I’ve never known one who didn’t.”
He raised his dark brows again.
“You must think all men are alike.”
“In many ways—in
most
ways—they are. And I’ll never be under the thumb of another one, so don’t be trying to take control of this drive.”
A flash of anger showed in his eyes. Good. It was about time he took her seriously.
But he stayed very cool, and that made her want to slap his face for sure.
“Aurora, Aurora,” he said, shaking his head in mock sorrow, “I don’t know how you can trust me with your life and still be so suspicious of my motives.”
“All men want to run everything, no matter what,” she said, through gritted teeth. “If Papa had listened to me about his investments, hemight’ve kept his ranch and his life.”
“You’re a smart woman,” Cole said, to her surprise. “Think. If you want to be anything more than Pretty Little Miss Flying B Ranch on this drive, you’ll have to be accepted as the boss, which is what you were trying to tell them when they tipped their hats to the lady. Cowboys don’t follow bosses who don’t know what they’re doing, it’s just that simple, no matter what gender you are. A trail boss works his … or her … way up from riding drag, whether or not his daddy owns the cows.”
She stared at him.
“
I
own them,” she cried, furious, “not my daddy.
I
saved them and the horses when he was putting mortgages on everything in sight. And I know what I’m doing. I can figure out for myself how to trail them!”
“Good for you.”
He began eating in earnest, as if there were nothing more to say.
She took a long, deep breath to cool down. If he could stay unruffled, so could she. If she didn’t, he would always have the advantage over her.
Forcing some food down, she thought about it.
“So you’re saying you weren’t trying to take away my authority, that you were only hoo-rawing me to make me one of the boys?” she said, and drank some of her coffee.
He smiled beatifically.
“You did very well once you caught on,” hesaid. “It didn’t assure your men that you know what you’re doing but it did prove you could hold your head and your temper.”
That remark made it flare again.
“Well, I’m just happy as a hog in acorns that you approve of at least one thing about me,” she snapped.
“Oh, I approve of many, many things about you,” he drawled, capturing her again with his dark chocolate eyes. “Want me to list them?”
His hot gaze roamed her whole person.
Desire flared in the core of her, made her lips tingle and her breasts go hard at his leisurely perusal.
“No! I don’t!”
“Why not?”
She lifted her plate and stood up, stretching to her full height, squaring her shoulders.
“Because we both have jobs to do! Will you just
“I never begged you for anything on bended knee and I never will,” she said passionately.
He shrugged, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Came pretty close, in my estimation.”
“Your estimation
and
your judgment are not the ones that run this drive,” she said. “Mine are. So quit trying to buddy up with my hands so you’ll have their support if you should start trying to do my job instead of your own.”
He raised his eyebrows in the most infuriating, sardonic way imaginable.
“That’s one of your pronouncements, like that one on the street in Pueblo City, that I’m gonna have to take under consideration,” he drawled, “ ‘til I get it figured out.”
He held her gaze with his while he ate another bite of bacon.
“Sounds like you’re mighty distrustful, though, just on first impression, you understand. You’re the same woman called me a man of honor, though—am I right?”
“You’re a man,” she said. “That means you
think
you’re always right and you
think
you always have to control everything. I’ve never known one who didn’t.”
He raised his dark brows again.
“You must think all men are alike.”
“In many ways—in
most
ways—they are. And I’ll never be under the thumb of another one, so don’t be trying to take control of this drive.”
A flash of anger showed in his eyes. Good. It was about time he took her seriously.
But he stayed very cool, and that made her want to slap his face for sure.
“Aurora, Aurora,” he said, shaking his head in mock sorrow, “I don’t know how you can trust me with your life and still be so suspicious of my motives.”
“All men want to run everything, no matter what,” she said, through gritted teeth. “If Papa had listened to me about his investments, hemight’ve kept his ranch and his life.”
“You’re a smart woman,” Cole said, to her surprise. “Think. If you want to be anything more than Pretty Little Miss Flying B Ranch on this drive, you’ll have to be accepted as the boss, which is what you were trying to tell them when they tipped their hats to the lady. Cowboys don’t follow bosses who don’t know what they’re doing, it’s just that simple, no matter what gender you are. A trail boss works his … or her … way up from riding drag, whether or not his daddy owns the cows.”
She stared at him.
“
I
own them,” she cried, furious, “not my daddy.
I
saved them and the horses when he was putting mortgages on everything in sight. And I know what I’m doing. I can figure out for myself how to trail them!”
“Good for you.”
He began eating in earnest, as if there were nothing more to say.
She took a long, deep breath to cool down. If he could stay unruffled, so could she. If she didn’t, he would always have the advantage over her.
Forcing some food down, she thought about it.
“So you’re saying you weren’t trying to take away my authority, that you were only hoo-rawing me to make me one of the boys?” she said, and drank some of her coffee.
He smiled beatifically.
“You did very well once you caught on,” hesaid. “It didn’t assure your men that you know what you’re doing but it did prove you could hold your head and your temper.”
That remark made it flare again.
“Well, I’m just happy as a hog in acorns that you approve of at least one thing about me,” she snapped.
“Oh, I approve of many, many things about you,” he drawled, capturing her again with his dark chocolate eyes. “Want me to list them?”
His hot gaze roamed her whole person.
Desire flared in the core of her, made her lips tingle and her breasts go hard at his leisurely perusal.
“No! I don’t!”
“Why not?”
She lifted her plate and stood up, stretching to her full height, squaring her shoulders.
“Because we both have jobs to do! Will you just
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