Chapter 11

While Olivia talked with Nakos outside the barn, Nate leaned against an ATV a few feet away and crossed his arms. Several sections of pre-cut pine were lying in a trailer attached to the vehicle, and he was supposed to be heading out to the southern pasture to replace fence posts with Olivia.

Except, just like she'd been doing a lot lately, she was hedging on working with him. For the past two weeks, while he followed her around doing this and that, getting familiar with the ranch, she'd barely spoken to him, never mind looked him in the eye. If learning a new skill required a hands-on approach, she'd delegated it to her foreman to teach Nate. It was starting to piss him off, but he'd mucked this up all on his own.

Put them alone together, and she high-tailed her perfect ass from the vicinity. Accidentally bump one another? She jumped like she'd been electrocuted and created more distance than the Grand Canyon. Try to start a conversation, and he swore she bit her tongue to force o