by Laney Powell
“I have paid vacation, Gran,” I said, amused. “This is going to be extra cheddar on top.”
“I am all for the extra cheddar,” Gran said with a laugh. “Especially on a burger!”
“Gran, you’re silly,” I said. “I’m going to head up and get some work done, then go to bed. It’s all this physical labor. I’m not used to it.”
“You young people,” Gran said, and I could tell that she was teasing. “No staying power.”
Still laughing, I went into my room, a small room on the main floor and closed the door. Rather than firing up the laptop and getting to work, I went to the closet. I needed to figure out what to wear tomorrow.
I might not have any intentions of doing anything with Jensen Briggs, but I sure didn’t want to look bad while I was not doing anything. As I finally settled on what to wear, my phone pinged. I checked it, and there was a text message.
From Stephen. You just left? How could you leave? Where are you? I need you.
I ignored it.
He texted me four more times. Where are you, Carissa? I need your help!
And then, What the fuck, C? You just leave me like this?
You don’t know what you’re doing.
The last text came as I was trying to sleep. I heard the ping, and I rolled over in bed. But I could feel the text, sitting there.
“Fucker,” I muttered, grabbing up my phone.
Fucking bitch. You think you can hide from me?
The next morning, I dawdled, feeling nervous. I was wearing a nicer pair of jeans, but not too nice. A tee shirt, a light button-up shirt over it in purple, and sneakers. “Well, get moving,” I told myself in the mirror. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I was. I mean, outside the threatening texts from my loser ex. I shook my head, trying to put him away from me. Made myself think about my part time gig out at Broken Falls Ranch.
Looking in the mirror, I made a decision. One that had nothing to do with the mess hanging over my head. I left my hair down.
Why was I trying to impress this guy?
I wasn’t. I just didn’t want to look sloppy in front of someone I found very attractive. It would only make me more nervous.
Gran and I had breakfast together, and as I did the dishes, she gave me the address for the ranch. “Broken Falls Ranch is about thirty minutes outside of town. Take your time getting there and watch out for cows. All the land that way is ranch land.”
“OK,” I said.
“And don’t worry when you turn into the ranch. You have to drive a couple of miles in to get to the house.”
“This is really out in the middle of nowhere.”
“Bite your tongue, young lady. Ranches are supposed to be in the middle of nowhere.”
“All right, all right. Keep your hair on, Gran. I’m going.”
“Text me when you get there, please.”
“I will,” I said, giving her a kiss.
As I walked out to my car, I got the directions from my GPS, and headed out of town. It did take about half an hour before I came to the tall metal gate that rose up over a driveway.
I found that I was relieved to finally make it. The texts last night had made something click in me—and I recognized that something for what it was. Fear. That one word alone made me hate Stephen as nothing else so far had. I took a deep breath, and tried to clear my head. I would not let him defeat me.
Oh, shit. He knew about Gran. I shook my head. No. He didn’t really know much about her. He was just trying to scare me.
Focus on what you have to do right now, I told myself.
Turning in, I took my time driving down the dirt road. Eventually, when I thought I was going to drive forever, I saw the house, and the curving river and white cliffs beyond it. It was absolutely gorgeous.
When I parked, I could see someone open the door at the house. The house was two stories, with a steep roof, and there was a wraparound porch on the second story. As I watched, the person came to the porch railing, and waved.
It was Freeze.
“You made it,” he called down as I got out of the car. “Good to see you didn’t get lost.”
“I’m with you on that,” I said.
“Come on up.” Freeze walked along the porch, and I could see a stairway on the side of the house. I met him on the porch, and he shook my hand, placing his other hand over top it. “Thanks for coming out, Carissa. You’re helping an old man worry a little less.”
“That’s what I do,” I said. “Lead the way.”
We walked into the house. Axel was leaning over the sink, scrubbing a dish, and a striking, dark-skinned woman with her hair up in a bun stood next to him, leaning against the counter with arms crossed. They both looked up as we came in.
“Hey,” Axel said with a nod to me.
“This is Carissa,” Freeze said. “You know Axel, and that’s Pris.” He jerked his thumb toward the woman.
“Jeez, you are the grumpiest old man I’ve ever met,” Pris said, pushing herself away from the counter. “It’s nice to meet you, Clarissa.” She stuck out her hand, and I took it, stopping to do so.
“Nope, no dawdling,” Freeze said. “She’s on the clock, and you don’t get to waste her time. Not with my money.”
“Calm down,” Pris said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll give you a fiver so you don’t lose out. Carissa, would you like something to drink before you’re dragged off? I have coffee or iced tea.”
“Tea would be great,” I said.
“Okay, introductions done, now let’s get moving,” Freeze said. “This isn’t a coffee klatch.”
Pris glared at Freeze but turned to me with a smile. “I’ll bring your tea in, Carissa. It’s okay to tell him you’re not working for the next ten hours.”
“The study is this way,” Freeze said. I followed him down a hall into a room that had bookshelves lining the walls, and a wall of windows on the far side. “I pulled out all the books from the past five years. I don’t think you’ll need ‘em, but they’re all there if you do.”
I took a breath. “Okay, so what do you want to know exactly? Are you making money? Are you losing money?”
He nodded. “We started the business last year. We’re coming on a year of business, and my old accountant, Tom, retired right after Axel and I got the thing going. I’m not in the poorhouse, but I need to know if we’re on the right track.”
“Don’t you keep your own books?” I asked.
“I keep the records. My wife used to do the books, and then Tom would make sure the IRS wasn’t headed our way. Once she died, I started to keep them, but I wasn’t as good as she was. Tom took over some of that,” he waved a hand. “It’s not my strong point. I think Pris could manage them, but she and Axel and I put a lot of work in every day as it is. That’s why I brought Jensen in. We need another hand.” Freeze grinned. “I’m not so stupid as to think I can do it all. Not even a little bit. So have a look and tell me if you can make the determination today, and if not, tell me what needs to happen.”
“All right,” I said doubtfully. This was a bigger job than Freeze had originally let on.
He nodded at me and left the room. I sat down at the desk which was piled high with folders, and ledger books. I texted Gran to let her know I was here, and this might be an all-day thing.
She texted back that was fine, and to let her know if I’d be missing dinner. I noted that Gran didn’t seem surprised. She knew Freeze better than I did, so maybe she knew this would happen.
I started to look through the folders, glancing through them to see what they contained, and separating them into piles that made the most sense. House expenses. The horses. The building upkeep. The cattle. The sale of the cattle. The new cattle that had been purchased last year.
Oh, jeez. There was an entire file marked ‘Sales’ and it went back years. I put that in its own pile and turned to the ledgers. As promised, there were five years’ worth. I’d just opened up the oldest one when Pris came in.
“Here’s your tea. Goo
d for you,” she looked at my half-assed organization. “You’re not wasting any time. I apologize. I didn’t know that this wasn’t Freeze’s forte until Tom retired. And he’s been very…”She stopped, thinking, “Very protective of the books. To the point where I asked him if there was something wrong. There’s not,” she added quickly. “Outside of bad habits. Where would you like this?” She indicated the glass she held.
“I’ll take it, thanks,” I said, accepting the glass and taking a drink. “Is the tea in the fridge? I might be here for a while, and I can refill it myself.”
“Yes, and good call. We’re all heading out for animal checks and poop patrol,” she rolled her eyes. “So, you’ll be here on your own for a bit.”
“I’ll be fine. Once I get in the middle of this, I get stuck in.”
“Well, this is perfect for you, then,” Pris said. “I’ll make sure someone checks on you if I’m not here so you don’t die in a pile of paper.”
“Thank you,” I said, grinning.
She nodded and left. I turned back to the books. Despite my initial dismay at the amount of information, I felt the thrill I always did with a new client, or a new case. I enjoyed finding the answers that numbers gave. I bent my head to the work, letting myself get lost in the comfort of ledgers.
And I was proud of myself. Not once had I thought about, or looked for, Jensen Briggs. That was something I could count as progress.
Chapter Seven
Jensen
I’d seen Carissa drive in from my cabin. I didn’t go out until she’d walked in the house. I did watch her walk in, and her ass looked as good as it did the other day, even from a distance. Once she was inside, I headed out to the barn. It was time to start getting lunch ready for the horses. They had a pasture that they were out in most of the day, but they were on a three-meals a day schedule, and you couldn’t miss it. If you did, it made it tough to plan riding for the day. They did better if they had time to digest.
The poop patrol detail was a running joke with the Buckleys, but I found I really liked taking care of the horses. I brushed them—at least the ones that weren’t ridden regularly by the family. Pris had an ongoing love affair with Barton, one of the geldings. Freeze preferred Nan. Axel switched up which horse he rode. I did the same. I figured it would help me get used to riding faster. I could be wrong, but so far, I’d enjoyed it. They all had distinct personalities, something I hadn’t suspected.
Kingston, one of the stallions, came into the paddock attached to the barn to see what I was doing. There was always a bag of apples hanging outside the stalls, and I went to get him one. “Hey, there, boy, how are you?”
He took the apple, crunching it in a few bites.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked. “You should be out today, enjoying the weather.” We’d had rain in the afternoons the last few days, and most of the horses didn’t really care for it. I didn’t blame them. Today was the first day with no rain on the forecast this week.
He nickered, tossing his head and trotting back outside. He was definitely king of this castle. The other stallion, Nedley, deferred to him. Nedley was his son, so it made sense.
Axel came out. “Thanks for getting started, man. The schedule’s all thrown off with Freeze bringing Carissa in.”
I shrugged, ignoring how I felt my body zing at the mere mention of her name. “I get it. He needs to get the numbers working.”
“Yeah,” Axel came over, taking a feed bag and helping me with the prep. “I wish he’d said something before. But he’s too stubborn.”
I laughed. “Look who’s talking!” I’d figured out in the short time I’d been here that Freeze and Axel were pretty similar.
Axel smiled. “I know.”
We finished getting the food ready and set it aside. Then we headed out to take a look at one of the sheds. It was looking a little rough, and with all the rain, dirt had washed away, and there was rot at the base of the shed. We’d been working for about an hour when Pris joined us.
“That’s worse than we thought,” she said, looking at the shed.
“Yeah, we need to replace all these.” Axel stood up, stretching.
“Why don’t you go, and I’ll go with Freeze to see the herd?” Pris asked, putting her arm around his waist.
“I’ve got lunch duty,” I said.
“When I get back, we’ll get this replaced,” Axel decided. “All right. Let Granddad know where I went.”
“Jensen, lunch for you is in the fridge,” Pris said, turning back to the house.
“Thanks,” I smiled at her. Axel was a lucky guy.
We all split up to take care of our various tasks. One of the things I liked about being here was that no one bothered me about my health. Freeze had told me that he had a doctor that came out every month, and he’d be happy to have the doc take a look at me, but no one was on my ass. I’d spent most of my adult life being super involved in physical health, and it had irritated me when my health became a focus of attention for so many of the people around me. I did my PT exercises every night. If I could get back to almost where I was when I got hurt, I’d be all right with that. For the most part. My arm got tired faster than it had before. No one was on my ass about it, though.
On the ranch, I had things I was expected to do, and a schedule, and the other people here let me be, allowing me to manage all my shit on my own. Which was how I preferred it. Although I had a sneaking suspicion, after being here a while, that everyone was aware of me, as they were with Axel and his leg, and Freeze and his health. Unless you fell on your ass, however, no one was going to bother you.
After I fed the horses, I went to the house. There was a note on the fridge.
J—
Make sure Carissa gets something to eat, please. She hasn’t come out all morning.
P
Oh, shit. After my imaginative session with my right hand the other night, I was not exactly comfy being around her. I was used to the objects of such attention being further removed from me. That, and I wasn’t sure I could resist her.
Well, shit. I didn’t have a choice, though. When I looked in the fridge, Pris had left sandwiches and cut fruit for two. The message was plain. I didn’t have an exit plan. Lunch was on me today. I took a breath and walked down to the study.
“Hey,” I stuck my head in. There was no answer. I could see the desk further down in the room, and Carissa was sitting at it. “Hey,” I said again.
She didn’t move.
I walked in, and as I got closer, I saw that she had headphones in. I tapped her shoulder.
She jumped and screamed as she turned around. Her hand came out, and had I not ducked, she would have gotten me in the throat.
“Whoa!” I said. “It’s all right, Carissa. I’m sorry,” I stepped back and held up my hands, my left a little lower than my right.
She pulled out her headphones. “No, I’m sorry. I am…” she looked away. “I’m a little jumpy.”
“Are you all right?” I asked. The way she jumped was not a normal reaction. I could see her heartbeat in her neck, and I forced myself to look at her eyes, and her eyes only.
Carissa sighed, and I could see that she was still a little shaky. “Yes, but no. It doesn’t matter, it’s just some things I’m dealing with. I’m sorry to nearly hit you. Was there something you needed?”
“I… uh, Pris left lunch for both of us. I wanted to see if you’d like a break?” I smiled, tying to look non threatening. Knowing that something was bothering her made me feel all protective—gotta calm that down, son. She’s not yours. Her problems are not yours.
She smiled suddenly. “That would be great.”
“It’s ready now,” I said, taking a step toward the door. “If you like.” I felt awkward and protective all at once.
Carissa nodded, her eyes haunted. That reinforced it for me. Something was seriously wrong. People didn’t jump like that, didn’t react like that, without a reason. It wasn’t average behavior. I’d been in war z
ones long enough to know. You didn’t have to go halfway across the world to find a war zone, either.
Carissa got up, pushing the ledger she was reading aside. As she came to the door, she smiled at me. It was a tired smile, but she looked beautiful.
“Freeze is getting his money’s worth,” I said as she passed by me and turned to go to the kitchen and main room.
She nodded again even though I was a little behind her. “At least I’m not looking for criminal behavior,” she said, looking at me as we entered the kitchen. “Do we serve ourselves?”
“I’ll get it,” I hastened to get to the fridge. I was worried that I might be staring. When I turned back around, Carissa had seated herself at the island. “You want some more tea?”
“Yes, please. Oh, shoot. I left my glass. I’ll just grab it.” She was on her feet and down the hall before I could say anything.
She moved gracefully, but she moved with worry. It was hard to explain, but I’d seen it before. There was something weighing on her, something that was causing her distress. A protective urge rose up in me again, wanting to ask her what it was, and take care of it.
While I was trying to keep my urges under control, Carissa came back in carrying her glass. She smiled and then stopped. “Are you all right?”
“What?” I shook my head to clear it. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Can I help you with lunch?”
“No, no, I got it,” I said, feeling flustered. I wasn’t usually so clumsy and uncoordinated around a woman. But Carissa… the feeling that I’d when I met her that she was special was even stronger today.
She sat back down and waited. I pulled out the sandwiches and fruit, poured her some tea, and, consigning my soul to Hell, sat down next to her. She smelled delicious, like cake. I wanted to eat her up, every little bite.
But instead, we talked. She told me about working for a law firm and doing forensic accounting for them, and I told her about being a SEAL. It was mostly general conversation, but Carissa’s personality shone through.
What I couldn’t figure out was why someone with a seemingly normal job, and career, and life, would jump three feet in the air when you touched her shoulder. “You ever get any disgruntled clients?” I asked.