Taming the Outback by Ann B Harrison

and you do to a certain degree, but that is where the similarity ends. She was one in a million, and nothing was too much trouble. You, on the other hand, are too much trouble.”
    “Stop right there, pal.” Libby placed one hand on her hip as she pointed her finger at him. “You know nothing about me, so don’t you dare presume to put me into the troubled, little woman slot. This is my farm, left to me by my family, and I’ll keep it regardless of what you say.”
    “How, pray tell?” he mocked her.
    “There’s such a thing as the Internet these days, you know. Surely you’ve heard of it. It’s not like you’re living in the dark ages out here.”
    “Oh, so you’re telling me you just Google everything you need to know, and hey, presto, everything is taken care of. Now that’s interesting.” He scoffed, slapping his hand down on the bench. “It takes more than a damned computer to run a farm. It takes backbreaking work, day in, day out. Something I doubt you’re capable of. You should just take your money and call it quits before you make a proper balls-up of everything. Then whoever takes over won’t have so much of a mess to clean up when you leave.”
    “I’m not leaving, Nathan. Get used to it.” She stood her ground as he railed against her.
    “I wish you would reconsider. Surely a couple of hundred thousand in cold, hard cash will be enough to make you feel better about walking away. Think of what you could give your kids with that.”
    “My kids don’t need money. They need a stable home and people who care about them. We have that here, thank you very much.” Her voice rose with her ire. “I might be new at this, but I am learning, and I will get all this up and running with Tom’s help.”
    “And that’s another thing.” Nathan was warming to the argument. “Tom has been on this farm since he was a young man. Don’t you think it is time you cut him a break? The poor guy should be looking at retiring, and you have him working harder than ever. Do you really want to put him into an early grave?”
    Libby raised her hand to slap Nathan, but he saw it coming and grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the kitchen bench.
    “I’ve never hit a woman yet, but you can only push a guy so far.”
    Libby saw the moment his eyes darkened with wanting and closed her own, willing herself to take it easy and not devour him like she wanted. She nibbled at his bottom lip, and he groaned while leaning into her. He slid his hands around her butt, pulling her closer with the movement. Libby rolled her hips over his, and feeling his erection pressing against his jeans, her self-esteem rocketed. She parted her lips, allowing their tongues to explore.
    Libby slid her hands down to the front of Nathan’s jeans but with a groan, he stepped back from her and cursed. She leaned back against the bench, her breathing ragged and her fingers pushed against her mouth.
    Nathan grabbed his hat and jammed it hard on his head. Nodding to her, he made to leave. Stopping on the bottom step, he turned back.
    “Save a dance for me, sweetheart.” He winked at her and walked away.
    Libby walked over and leaned against the doorjamb until he drove off. Her heart was thudding, and that familiar heat was rushing through her body as last night’s dream hit her hard. She’d had to restrain herself from running her fingers through his hair and dragging the shirt from his back as he’d held her tight against him. The thought of undoing the button on his jeans and slipping her fingers under the elastic band of the jocks she imagined him wearing had her weak at the knees and hyperventilating. She cursed him for allowing her to get warmed up for sex and letting her down without a word of apology. How was she going to cope with this? She craved him like the air she breathed. Every day brought her wanting him more. Why? The guy was a typical asshole, and what he’d just done proved it to her even more. He’d made no advances