Met his match (editing)

" what do you mean it isn't here yet?, I ordered the damned thing two weeks ago. dammit Ed go check again".

Katie looked up as she walked through the door of Eds supply store, immediately regretting her actions as Her eyes locked with a six foot three thoroughly annoyed male.

"G..good morning Mr Travis".

Katie cursed herself for her lack of confidence, at the Age of twenty four holding a conversation with anything decidedly male was hard, especially when the man was Leo Travis.

He was a six foot three tanned god, with hair as black as night that curled at his nape, a nape she itched to touch. His dark eyes spoke of his Spanish ancestry and they always seemed to look into your very being.

Leo was no stranger to manual labour as the owner Double T ranch, beneath his clothes he hid a well toned six pack that was clearly defined by the black clinging shirt. His tight mouthwatering thigh muscles were as usual lovingly encased by denim jeans.

Leo Travis was a man that just

brimmed with testosterone from his head to the tip of his expensive leather cowboy boots, was it any wonder that when women looked at him they thought of red satin sheets and late nights?.

Katie brought herself out of her musings realising that the man in question hadn't given her a second glance.

That, Katie decided with a sigh as she walked round the store, was both her gift and curse.

Katie liked the comfort she got with not standing out, unfortunately that comfort didn't sell herself as a potential girlfriend to the many single men in Jackson Cove, Texas.

Most men in Katie's life including her best friend Jake Travis, who of course was Leo's younger brother, saw her as a friend. She had always been someone to cry to when a women broke their hearts.

But she had given up hope of them seeing her as more than little Katie Woodward, a nice girl but totally harmless to their manhood.

Embarrassingly an unladylike snort emerged from Katie, one day she will show the boys of this town, that Although she was quiet and shy she was all woman.

With that epic thought ingrained in her mind she carried on with the task at hand.

Leo on the other hand was having a bad day. Firstly, one of his ranch hands had quit, the cowboy was searching for his dream of owning his own ranch. Not that he cared that Leo was a man down when he was right in the middle of rotation.

Secondly he needed some new damn fencing posts, posts he ordered two weeks ago and they hadn't arrived. God damn it! It was not his day.

A unladylike snort caused Leo to stop his internal fuming and look in the direction of the sound, And at the woman that had entered the store a short while ago.

What was her name? She looked vaguely familiar. Leo looked at the womans brown hair that was hanging to her waist at the back, it's brown shining under the lights of the supply store. Her blue eyes were hidden by lashes so long Leo wondered how she could see through them. His eyes moved to her figure, it was...hell if he could tell.

The woman was wearing a loose shirt that looked three sizes too big and Ill fitting jeans that hung off her body. Leo thought to himself it was the most unsexiest thing he'd ever seen a woman wear and he'd seen plenty.

Something familiar registered about the woman, her name was Katie.. that was it!. Katie Woodward was his brother Jakes best friend.

Leo recalled Katie was the shy and quiet type utterly dependable according to Jake. To Leo dependable reminded him of his grandmothers rocking chair, sturdy his grandmother had said as she would rock him and his brother. Leo got the impression that Miss Woodward had no more personality than his grandmothers cherished rocking chair.

The presence of Ed emerging from the back room holding fence posts had him spinning back to the counter, "here's you go Leo, little Tommy Green has bin giving me a hand on evenins and weekends thins must've got muddled, I'm sorry again Leo".

Leo smiled mistakes were made, his brooding temper soon forgotten," no worries Ed, we all make mistakes, I'll start gettin these loaded in the truck".

Katie wondered at the change in Leo, his bad temper disappeared like it hadn't even happened. Katie shook her head, men she concluded were harder to understand than The algorithms she had studied at college.

Walking to the counter Katie placed her items on the counter for Ed to ring them up.

" howdy miss Katie, lovely mornin?"

Katie smiled she had always liked coming into Eds supply store since she was a child, Eds witty banter made him a favourite among the locals.

" good morning Ed, it sure is a fine day. hows Laura keeping? I keep meaning to stop by, just time runs away with me "

Ed chuckled in response " you and them books, Katie you should join the real world, enjoy some o that stuff your always readin about. Laura is the same fine woman she always is, you should stop by she'd be mighty glad of your company that'll be thirty six fifty"

Katie recognised and liked the banter it was always the same, as she was the assistant at the local library Ed had been trying to convince her that books didnt hold a patch on the real thing.

" tell her I'll be calling this week, and you know how I love my books Ed, they can't hurt you like people do. I have never heard a book call me a nerd yet, and here you go keep the change, I'll be seeing you and don't forget to tell Laura".

Katie too preoccupied on the friendly argument walked straight into what felt like a human wall, the force knocked the breath from her lungs.

warm rough hands grabbed her arm sending shock waves from where they touched up the nerves into her stomach.

Katie looked up to see dark eyes that held anger, anger directed at her!. Katie stepped back in shock at seeing the dark anger visible in his eyes, just as Leo broke the silence,

"god damn it can't you watch where your going, try looking up from the floor once in a while do us all a favour".

Katie felt tears sting her eyes, never had anyone spoken to her quite like that. The misplaced anger at the innocent mistake catching her unguarded, leaving her speechless in the face of his wrath.

She refused to let him see the tears she could feel building, so with as much dignity as she could muster Katie walked around Leo and out of the shop.

Loud violent cursing reached her ears as she walked away from the store, A small smiled played at the edges of Katie's mouth at the sound of her small victory.