As I got closer, I noticed a couple men standing next to a tractor close to the building, a pair of muscular thighs on the ground under it. One of the men called a greeting, and I waved back. The man underneath the tractor scooted out and stood. Grayson. My heart stalled. He was shirtless. He came to his full height and waited for me to walk the short distance to them. I had already noticed he was powerfully built in perfect male proportions, but the sight of his wide shoulders, rippling chest muscles, and flat, ridged stomach made my breath catch and my cheeks flush. God, he was beautiful everywhere, broad but lean, his smooth, tanned skin glistening under the sun. He was a study in masculinity, and I couldn't help the way my body instinctively responded to him, the muscles in my stomach flipping and clenching. Damn dragon.
Grayson took off the baseball cap he was wearing, smoothed his hair back, and then replaced it that way men do. I made an effort to shake off his effect and smiled brightly. He introduced the two men with him, a Hispanic man with a small mustache who wasn't much taller than me named José, and a giant of a man with a shy smile named Virgil. I greeted them both and nodded to Grayson who nodded back.
"Tractor broken?" I asked.
"No," Grayson answered. "But it's one of the only things that isn't. I was just giving it a tune-up, ensuring it's ready for the harvest."
"Well, you do it all, don't you?" I smiled. "No wonder you work from sunup to sundown."
"Have to. As you can see, my staff is pretty limited." He nodded to José and Virgil.
The man named Virgil, who I suspected was mentally delayed, stepped forward. "I'm real happy to meet you, ma'am. Mr. Grayson says he might be marrying you, and I think that's real fine. He says he can't figure whether you're a spoiled princess or a little witch, but I think if you are a witch, it's the good kind ’cuz you sure are pretty." He blushed and looked down. At his words, I bristled, and smiled tightly at Grayson, who had the grace to look just a tad embarrassed. José coughed slightly, obviously trying to hold back a laugh.
"Is that so? What else does Mr. Grayson say, Virgil?"
Grayson laughed tightly. "Well, I think that's enough chatter," he said. "We should be—"
"He says the reason he likes you is ’cuz you have a whole bunch of money," Virgil continued cluelessly. "I'm gonna have a whole bunch of money someday so people like me, too." His brow wrinkled up in thought. "’Course, my mama says it's not what a person has, but how he treats others, so I don't know . . ." He scratched the back of his neck, looking confused.
José rocked back on his heels, a quiet smile of amusement on his face. He was enjoying this.
"Well, Virgil, if I were you, I'd listen more to your mama than to Mr. Grayson." I shot Grayson a dirty look. What was he thinking flapping his jaw in front of this innocent man? Plus, he'd let more people in on our business arrangement. Hadn't he heard a word I’d said about my father?
My consternation had nothing to do with what he'd said about me. None at all. It was information I knew already anyway. He didn't have to like me. And he could think I was a witch if he liked. What did I care about the regard of a dragon?
Grayson took the T-shirt that must have been hanging from his back pocket, removed his cap, and pulled the shirt over his head. I let out a silent sigh of relief. Naked reptiles disturbed me. "Gentlemen," Grayson said, nodding to José and Virgil. "See you in the morning."
He took me by my elbow and led me away as I smiled and waved to the two men watching us. Then I looked disinterestedly up at Grayson. I would not let on that I cared in the least about his assessment of my character. I needed him for one thing and one thing only.
Grayson chuckled. "Come on, I'll drive you back to the house. Then we'll go find out if we're getting hitched or not."
CHAPTER SIX
Grayson