Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zacky walked ahead while Dolores tried to keep up, barefoot and holding her broken shoes. He opened the door to one of the rooms in the main house and stepped aside, allowing her to enter.

The air inside was cool, naturally refreshed by the wind coming through the open windows. No artificial air conditioning. The room was spacious, bright, and inviting. A soft rug covered part of the floor and, at the center, there was a bed so large it could easily fit three people.

She stopped at the doorway, stunned.

The view from the window faced the mountains, painted pink by the late afternoon sun. It was breathtaking.

Zacky crossed his arms as he watched her reaction.

“You can stay here while your little fancy boy comes to pick you up,” he said, his deep voice always carrying a hint of provocation.

Dolores twisted her mouth.

“He has a name.”

“I don’t care.” Zacky pointed to the corner of the room. “There’s an attached bathroom. Bathtub, shower, towels. Use whatever you need.”

She walked a few steps inside, running her hand over the rustic wood of the dresser. Everything in the room felt natural, comfortable… different from any place she had stayed before.

“It’s… beautiful,” she admitted, almost unwillingly.

Zacky let out a short laugh.

“It’s functional.” He checked the watch on his wrist. “It’s five o’clock. We have dinner at seven, in the outdoor gourmet area.”

She looked up at him, hesitant.

“Am I… welcome at dinner?”

He shrugged.

“You can do whatever you want while you’re on my property. Just don’t expect a red carpet.”

Dolores narrowed her eyes.

“You do that on purpose.”

“Do what?”

“Irritate me.”

A slow, insolent smile appeared on his lips.

“Me? No. I’m just being honest.”

Zacky turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway.

“If you want to rest, great. If you want to take a bath, even better. You look like you’re about to faint.”

“Thanks for the kindness,” she replied sarcastically.

“That wasn’t kindness. It was observation.”

He added, teasing, “See you at dinner… if you don’t run away first.”

Then he walked out, leaving her torn between the beauty of the place and her growing irritation with that impossibly attractive cowboy.

The room was so large and cozy that she suddenly felt small inside it. She removed her blouse and skirt, folding them neatly over the armchair. She needed that bath. She needed to pull herself together.

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Meanwhile, outside, Zacky walked to her car. He opened the trunk, grabbed her suitcase, and set it in front of her bedroom door without knocking. He didn’t want to scare her or make any stupid joke. He was just trying to be polite — or as polite as someone like him could manage.

When he stepped onto the porch, he heard footsteps coming from the corral. Maurício appeared, wiping his hands on his jeans, wearing a mischievous grin.

“There’s a beautiful lady in the house, boss,” he said, barely containing his excitement.

Zacky snorted lightly, adjusting his hat.

“Temporary guest,” he replied dryly. “And guaranteed trouble.”

Maurício laughed, shaking his head.

“If all trouble looked like that… Lord save me from the solutions.”

Zacky shot him a sideways look, but the corner of his mouth almost lifted.

For a few seconds, he glanced toward the balcony of the room where he had left the suitcase and wondered why on earth a woman like Dolores messed with his head so much when he didn’t even want her there.

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Dolores spent a long moment in front of the mirror, unsure. She hadn’t packed any fancy dresses — not that she needed them. She chose the simplest one in her suitcase: a light, neutral dress that slid over her body without clinging too much… but without hiding her natural curves either.

She tied her hair in a soft, delicate way and applied just a touch of her usual perfume. She wasn’t trying to draw attention.

When she came down the stairs of the main house, she heard the sound of Zacky’s boots against the wooden floor. He walked out from the gourmet area, adjusting the work gloves on his belt.

The moment he lifted his gaze and saw her…

He stopped.

Literally stopped, as if hit by something invisible.

The simple dress fit her perfectly. Nothing flashy, nothing short, nothing provocative. But the gentle way the fabric shaped her waist and hips, the subtle sway when she walked — that was enough to make something inside him stumble.

And then her perfume.

When the breeze carried the scent toward him, Zacky inhaled sharply without meaning to. His chest filled, his body tensed completely, and for a split second he almost lost his balance. He had to rest his hand on the back of the nearest chair.

Dolores only noticed when she saw him swallow hard.

“I… hope I’m not late,” she said softly, shyly.

He blinked twice.

“No…” He cleared his throat. “You’re right on time.”

She smiled. And that smile hit him like a punch straight to the stomach.

He turned his face away, dragging in a breath as if he had suddenly run out of air.

“Come on,” he muttered, stepping aside for her to pass. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

But when Dolores walked past him, the perfume filled his senses once again.

Zacky clenched his jaw.

It was instinctive, a reaction he couldn’t control. His gaze slid down the subtle lines of her dress and then back up to her face, and for a moment he completely forgot that, hours earlier, all he wanted was for her to leave.

If that woman didn’t leave the ranch soon…

She would be trouble. Big trouble in his life — and in the self-control he thought he had.

Dolores sensed the tension but didn’t know why.

“Are you okay?”

Zacky blinked slowly, took a breath, and stepped back, making room for her.

“I’m fine.” His voice came out deeper than he intended. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

She walked into the gourmet area. Everything was completely different from her life in the city.

He followed close behind. Too close.

Dolores felt his presence even before hearing him pull her chair out.

“You can sit.”

She gave him a sincere smile.

“Thank you… for letting me stay. Even if you didn’t want to.”

He looked at her.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.” He crossed his arms, leaning his shoulder against the doorway. “I just said I don’t need trouble.”

She laughed softly.

“Do I look like trouble to you?”

“You do. A lot.”

Dolores parted her lips, surprised, but before she could reply, the smell of food reached them.

Zacky turned away, regaining control.

“Let’s eat,” he said firmly. “Before I start thinking too much.”

He wouldn’t admit it, but he was already thinking too much.