A Home with the Rancher

by April Arrington

  What on earth had possessed her to imagine she could pull this off? And heaven help her when Cal won. She only hoped he’d stick to his original request for a monetary bonus from Mac and didn’t resort to a more ridiculous demand. Especially, one that might put her at his mercy.

  She shuddered, the possibility too revolting to dwell on.

  “Don’t mind Cal,” Mac said. “He’s a good guy. Just doesn’t always show it.” He eased closer. “You sure you’re up for this?”

  Dani glanced up at Mac’s low words. Taking in his concerned expression, she conjured up a smile. “Yes.”

  Maybe if she put everything she had into it and impressed Mac, she might still have an opportunity to persuade him to give her an hour of his time. Even if she lost.

  She adjusted her gloves and slapped her hands together. A little bit of pain for the chance to seal the biggest deal Vaughn Real Estate had ever made, own this magnificent land and impress her father? It would definitely be worth it.

  “We got our work cut out for us.” Mac smiled. “But don’t worry. Effective teamwork’s as good as muscle. Would you rather toss or stack?”

  She hesitated, glancing at Cal’s smirking expression. “Stack.”

  Cal guffawed. Tim smiled and nodded encouragingly.

  “All right.” Mac positioned himself by the hay elevator. “Start at the corner pallet, stack the first layer of bales on edge then each one after that perpendicular to the layer below it.”

  “Got it.” Dani took her place by the pallet and rolled her shoulders, praying her muscles would hold out on her.

  “Everyone ready?” Mac asked. At their affirmations, he raised his voice above the squeak of the elevator shaft and called out, “Load ’em up.”

  Cheers erupted from the grounds below. Dani lifted to her toes and peeked out of the hayloft opening. A group of hands had gathered, leaning on the trailer and laughing. Mac’s children whooped and jumped in front of them.

  “Go, Ms. Dani!”

  Jaxon, Nadine and Maddie were eagerly waiting and watching. She smiled. All the more incentive to do well.

  Dani refocused on Mac, her eyes lingering over the attractive way his jeans clung to his backside right before he spun, tossing a hay bale onto the floor at her feet.

  “Heads-up.” Mac’s lips quirked as he jerked his chin toward the bale.

  Cheeks flaming, she grabbed the bale by the rough string then heaved it onto the corner pallet. Over the next half hour, bits of hay flew through the air, grunts echoed against the rafters and the rhythmic thud of bales filled the loft. Sweat slicked her back and gnats clung to her eyelashes, stinging her eyes. A thick film of dust coated her throat.

  “Tell me...again...wh—” Dani coughed, sucked in a lungful of musty air and tried again. “Tell me again why you don’t just stick with the big round bales that stay in the field?”

  Mac grinned as he flung another bale in her direction. “It’s tradition. The way my dad used to do it. Plus, we’ve always had to wring every penny we can out of this place. These square bales are good backup for spoilage.” He dragged an arm over his sweaty face. “A lot of customers prefer the small bales and are willing to pay more for them. Especially in a few months. They know we’ll have what they need.”

  “On time, every time,” Tim said, propping a bale against his thick thighs. “That’s Mac’s motto.”

  “Tim.” Cal slapped his hat against his knee then threw it aside. “Stop your girly gabbing and move your ass.”

  Dani laughed. The tinge of urgency in Cal’s frown put a spring in her exhausted step.

  “Feeling the pressure, Cal?” she asked, heaving another bale atop her growing pile. “Sweating a bit?” She forced her sore limbs to swagger closer and lowered her voice to a manly tone. “Want to measure the height of our stacks and compare so you’ll feel better?”

  Mac and Tim chuckled. Cal’s mouth twitched. Just a bit. Almost enough to make her think he had a genuine smile in him. But the moment passed and he scowled, instead.

  “Just y’all stick to your bales and we’ll stick to ours.” Cal shot Tim another dirty look. “Pick up the pace, kid.”

  Tim laughed but resumed tossing bales. Before long, the interior of the loft darkened and thunder rumbled overhead.

  “The last bale’s on the way up. How many you got, Ms. Dani?”

  Dani glanced up after grabbing another bale. Jaxon stood on the top rung of the ladder, arms slung around his sisters who squeezed in at his sides. He’d placed several cans of soda on the floor in front of him.

  “You got enough to beat him?” Nadine asked, smile wide.

  “Don’t know yet,” Dani said.

  Muscles screaming, she heaved the bale into place then spun around for another one. The floor at her feet was empty and the rhythmic squeak of the hay elevator groaned to a halt.

  “What’s the verdict?” Mac called, craning his ear for the response from below.

  A response was given—too faint to hear—then a burst of laughter erupted from the hands gathered outside.

  Mac straightened and smiled. “Dani won. By two bales.”

  The kids cheered.

  Tim walked over and shook her hand. “Congratulations.”

  Dani’s arms were so heavy she was surprised they hadn’t fallen off, but Tim’s firm handshake and expression of respect took the edge off her pain. “Thanks.”

  Cal jerked his gloves off and stalked over to the edge of the loft. “You sure you counted right, Jim?”

  A deep voice cut through a clap of thunder and wave of male laughter. “Hell, yeah, I counted right.”

  “Ease up, Cal,” Tim said, clapping him on the back. “She and Mac won fair and square.”

  “So, what’s it gonna be?” Mac asked.

  Dani stilled, studying him. Sweat trickled down his lean cheeks and his broad chest moved on heavy breaths.

  “Your reward?” Mac prompted, his grin slipping. “What will it be?”

  “I...” She glanced around as a heavy curtain of rain drummed the roof.

  Tim smiled, grabbed a soda and ruffled Jaxon’s hair. His clothes were saturated with sweat and his movements slow. Cal rubbed his forearm over his brow then shoved on his hat, trudging toward the ladder. He looked just as exhausted.

  A heavy weight settled in Dani’s stomach. She’d approached this task as a competition. But it was more than that for these men. It was part of a routine day of grueling work. It was tradition—just as Mac had said. Competition aside, they’d worked just as hard as she had. And after all his sweat and heavy lifting, could she really ask Mac to sit meekly down for a sales pitch?

  Legs trembling, she squeezed her eyes shut and cringed. “That overtime pay you offered earlier. Is it still on the table?”

  Mac nodded. “Of course.”

  “Then I’ll take that, please.” She paused to catch her breath then gestured toward him, Tim and Cal. “Split evenly, four ways.”

  Tim froze, his can of soda pausing halfway toward his mouth. Cal spun to face her.

  “And the rest of the afternoon off for us all,” she added.

  Shoulders sagging, she sat down and slumped against the stack of bales close to the edge of the loft. Rain bounced off the wood planks and a fine mist soothed the heated skin of her right arm.

  “Well, I won’t argue with that.” Tim smiled and glanced at Mac. “Storm’s settling in. Want me and Jim to give the kids a ride back to the lodge? Then come back for you two?”

  “That’d be great,” Mac said. “Thanks.”

  “You’re staying for lunch, aren’t you, Ms. Dani?” Jaxon lifted onto his toes and peered at her expectantly.

  She grinned. “Lunch would be great.”

  Excitement lighting their faces, Jaxon and Nadine bounced back down the ladder. Maddie, oddly subdued, followed at a slower pa
ce.

  Dani watched as Cal stepped onto the ladder then hesitated. His eyes met hers, the deep grooves fanning from the corners drawing up as they narrowed.

  “We make a pretty good team when we’re moving in the same direction,” Dani said softly. “Don’t you agree?”

  He stared at her then tapped his hat more firmly on his head as he descended the ladder. “Ma’am.”

  Dani sighed and closed her eyes, the sound of Cal and Tim’s steps fading as they left. Moments later, something cold nudged the back of her hand.

  “Here,” Mac said, pressing a can of soda in her palm. “You’ve earned it.”

  She smiled. “What? No beer?”

  Mac chuckled and eased down beside her. “Not this time of day. It’s tra—”

  “—dition?” Dani popped the top on the can and breathed in the sugary mist appreciatively before taking a deep swallow. “Another one of your father’s rules?”

  “Yep. Never let any hay go to waste, work until the sun hits the horizon and no liquor ’til the moon shines.”

  Dani rolled another swig of soda around her mouth and stared at his big boots resting beside her scuffed sneakers. His muscular arm, warm and solid, brushed against hers as he lifted his can, spreading pleasurable tingles over her skin.

  “But you’re giving us the afternoon off.” She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “Isn’t that breaking one of the rules?”

  “Depends on how you look at it.” He waved his tanned hand toward the steady fall of rain outside the loft. “I don’t see any sun out there right now. Do you?”

  She shook her head, her eyes straying to the strong curve of his stubble-lined jaw. “But...could you ever see yourself breaking tradition if there was a good enough reason? Like if...”

  She hesitated, carefully weighing phrases. If it eased your workload? If it brought in more money than you’d ever imagined? Enabled you to spend all the time you wanted with your son?

  “Say there was an opportunity for growth here at the ranch,” she said. “One that required you to do things differently than how your father pictured them. Would you do it?”

  He stayed silent, watching the rain ricochet off the wood planks at her side. His eyes moved to the droplets collecting on her arm then drifted up to her face. “I don’t know.” His scrutiny warmed her cheeks. “I guess it’d depend.”

  “On what?”

  He frowned. “The circumstances. How much the changes would conflict with my father’s vision for the place. This is my family home. My childhood memories, the life I want for my kids—my way of life—is embedded in this land. I’d never do anything to jeopardize that.”

  “But what if the changes brought new traditions? And new opportunities?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Why are you asking?”

  Oh, no. She was doing it anyway. She was sitting Mac down and grilling him just like a Vaughn Real Estate agent. Just like she’d decided not to.

  Dani shrank back then stuck her flaming face out the loft’s opening. The soft rumble of thunder and sharp lick of rain against her cheeks drowned out the whisper of guilt lurking in the back of her mind. And the cool trickle of water over her neck, soaking into her collar, stilled her nerves.

  “I shouldn’t have pried.” She settled back against the hay bales, licking the tangy taste of rainwater from her lips. “I’m sorry.”

  Mac’s expression softened and he grinned. His big hand lifted and his callused thumb brushed a drop of water from the corner of her mouth, sending a streak of heat through her chest. “You’re apologizing? Again?”

  She leaned into his light touch, laughing softly. “Yes. I’m sorry. Again.”

  “Sorry enough to stay and help me out?” His face flushed as the soft words escaped him and he seemed to visibly shake himself. “I mean...” He lowered his hand abruptly and cleared his throat. “My original offer still stands. It’d be strictly business. I’ve been itching to get some new blood on my team. Someone with energy and drive. And if you took the job, what goes on here would become your business, too. You could ask all the questions you want.”

  She stilled, her mind whirling.

  ...what goes on here would become your business.

  ...you could ask all the questions you want.

  All of it at Mac’s request.

  What harm would it do, really? If she stayed just for a few days? She could help lighten Mac’s workload, get the information needed to draw up a successful plan for improvements and maybe even change Mac’s mind about selling his land.

  It was a stretch, sure. But it eased her conscience a bit to know that Mac was the one inviting her into his business. It would save her from returning to the boardroom empty-handed and from becoming a complete disappointment in her father’s eyes.

  As long as she kept her focus on the deal and not... Mac.

  “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll stay for a few days. See how things go.”

  “Thank you.” Mac smiled, looked past her to the field below then shoved to his feet. “Tim made it back with the truck.” He eyed her sprawled frame. “Need a hand getting up?”

  “No, thanks.” She forced a smile, ignoring the painful burn on her skin and deep within her muscles. “I can manage.”

  “You sure?” Mac smirked. “You gotta be as sore as all get-out by now.”

  “Nope. I’m fine.”

  She grabbed the edge of a bale and pulled but her thighs locked up, threatening to give out.

  Mac laughed then thrust out a hand. “You’re a bad liar.”

  Dani’s chest tightened as she slowly put her hand in his. That was exactly what she used to think, too. But the shameful fact was, she was a lot better at lying than she’d thought.

  Chapter Four

  “What do you mean you haven’t made the sale? You’ve been in Elk Valley for two weeks now.”

  Dani squinted her eyes against the afternoon sun and clutched her cell phone tighter to her ear. Even though Scott was her younger brother, he was no less demanding as her boss. And the few days she’d promised to work for Mac had lengthened into a much longer stay.

  “I’ve been...”

  Falling off horses. Backing tractors into fences. Consistently running Mac’s patience into the ground. That was in addition to the times she’d been distracted by Mac’s smile or the sexy rumble of his voice. And it didn’t include all the times her fumbling on the job had frustrated Cal or disappointed Tim. Her inept actions had squandered just about every bit of respect she’d earned winning that hay bet.

  She shoved her fist in her pocket and leaned back against the stable wall. “Working. I’ve been surveying the property, adding up renovation costs, sketching plans—”

  “Wait a minute. Mac Tenley, the most hard-headed throwback in existence, actually granted you access to his land?”

  “He’s not a throwback.”

  Dani bit her lip, halting her sharp response, and peeked around the side of the stable.

  Mac stood across the field, talking to Nadine and Maddie while Jaxon pounded his baseball in his glove. The grounds were still quiet save for a few guests gathering in a neighboring field for an afternoon hike and another group preparing for a trail ride in one of the paddocks.

  Thank goodness. She’d practically swallowed her lunch whole then slipped off for the rest of her break in order to speak with Scott privately.

  Dani ducked back behind the stable. “Mac’s just big on tradition,” she continued. “And yes. I’m staying in one of the cabins.”

  “You’re staying there? And Tenley’s okay with that?”

  Her throat tightened as her next words slipped right past her lips. “He invited me.”

  Scott whistled low and slow. “Damn. That’s more than anyone else has managed. Something you said must’ve turned his head.”

  Dani cl
amped her mouth shut. She studied a sole cloud drifting across the blue sky just above the mountain peak. Listened to the rustling movements of a small animal in a nearby tree.

  “What did you say?” Scott asked.

  She looked down. Picked at the mud caked under a chipped fingernail. “I just said that I was here to help.” Good. That was partially true. “That I needed to be here.”

  Another bit of truth.

  “And that you were dead-set on becoming the new owner of his prized possession?” Scott pressed.

  “Of course.” Dani winced. Another big. Fat. Lie. This had become a horrible habit. “Just not in so many words. And maybe, not exactly...like that.”

  “Uh-huh.” Scott’s tone tightened. “What are you doing, Dani?”

  She straightened, the rough wood of the stable walls digging into her back, voice hardening. “My job.”

  A swift pull of breath and the squeak of a door crossed the line. Muffled voices and sporadic honking filled the background then another deep drag of air rattled through the receiver.

  “Are you out back smoking again?” Dani asked.

  “Maybe.”

  A smile tugged at her mouth. “That’s not good for you.”

  Scott laughed. “Neither is stress but I’m still in the Vaughn high-rise.” He sighed. “Look. Whatever plans you’re drawing up can be made here. I know we’ve taken advantage of a few loopholes in the past but we’ve always operated aboveboard—in an honest way. You’re great at what you do but you’re in over your head with this one. I know you feel pressure to make this deal and I know how difficult things have been for you recently—”

  “Difficult?” Dani shoved off the stable, flinching as a splinter lodged in her palm. “I worked my fingers to the bone for almost a decade, interning at ungodly hours, squeezing in two college degrees and doing more time in an entry-level position than anyone else at the company, just so my boss could banish me to a corner and toss everything I earned to my little broth—”

  She stopped, remorse swamping her.

  “I didn’t ask for the promotion,” Scott said softly. “I would never do that to you, Dani. Not ever.”