by Caroline Lee
“Wow. It sounds like y’all are pretty devoted to this place.”
He shrugged, and ran his hand through his hair again, smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, we all love it. I’m the only one who can’t seem to manage—”
She saw him actually snap his mouth closed on whatever he’d been about to say, straighten, and close her door. As he called to his dog to jump back up into the truck bed, she watched the play of emotions on his face. Guilt, maybe, and a touch of shame? She wondered what he’d been about to say.
But when he climbed into the driver’s seat and backed them out of the small parking lot, his face was curiously impassive. And Ellie knew it, because she spent a while studying him from behind the curtain of her hair. She’d already decided that she was going to have to learn to dress down a bit, but she was grateful for having done her hair this morning before boarding the plane at LAX; it let her watch him without him seeing.
Will’s profile was everything that she liked in a man; a strong jaw, just enough stubble to look rugged, and a pitted cheek that dimpled when he smiled. She was even beginning to like the way his dark-blonde hair fell over his brows. It was too bad that she was here as his employee; if it was one thing that years in the hospitality business had taught her, it was that intra-office relationships never worked, and always ended up complicating the bottom line.
The bottom line in this case being the results she was expected to achieve in the next four weeks. In light of those, her attraction to the man who’d hired her—and the tingle she’d felt every time they’d touched—really didn’t matter. She was going to need all of her concentration on the task at hand, because as gorgeous as Will Weston was, he was certainly no manager.
With that thought in her head, she tried to focus on the task she’d been hired to do. “Why don’t you take me to the office, and show me some of your rosters. We can discuss issues you’ve been having.”
“Rosters?” He didn’t take his eyes off the road, even though they were driving between a fairly open golf course on one side and a wooded RV campground on the other.
“I mean, however you schedule your employees. I think that’s the first place to start, judging from your emails about staffing concerns and empty shifts. Do you have a staffing program that you use?”
He chuckled slightly. “Ellie, I don’t even have a computer.”
She was so distracted by the way his lips moved when they shaped around her name that it took her a moment to understand what he’d said after. “You…what? How do you keep track of…well, everything?”
The grin he sent her way was probably meant to be charming, but she could see bitterness behind the wry twist of his lips. “I don’t. That’s why you’re here, remember? Usually I get Wade to print me up a calendar, and I fill it in.” He fumbled under the seat, and pulled out a manila envelope bulging with paper. “That’s the last year’s records, I think. Most of ‘em, anyhow. Sometimes Zack doesn’t always hand in the reimbursement receipts when he goes into Spokane for supplies.”
“But you pay him back anyhow?” Ellie couldn’t help her incredulous tone. No wonder he needed help.
“Well, sure. He’s buying stuff for the boats or the pool or whatever.”
“And you close down, I guess, when he’s off shopping?”
Maybe her tone had been a little too acerbic, because she watched his lips pull down slightly. “Yeah. It’s not ideal, I guess, huh?”
“No,” she snorted.
“Well, that’s why I had to hire you. Mom and Dad say that…Well, it doesn’t matter.” She didn’t have time to ask what he meant, before he hurried on. “Point is, that Wade’s been bugging me for a while to get this place ship-shape, and it just gives me a headache, so I hired you.”
Ellie sighed. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was get into a pair of yoga pants, pour herself a big root beer—they had root beer in Idaho, didn’t they?—and plug in her own laptop. She had the exact program to take care of this already installed, and it probably wouldn’t take too much effort to input all of the employees’ information. “Well, alright then. Let’s go to the office and you can give me access to everything I need. I think that, with a few days’ work, I can get the schedule worked out at least.” She could already tell that they’d need to hire some more seasonal employees, though…
“Sorry.” Will actually winced. “No office.”
“No office?”
“This is a ranch, you know.” He turned right into a parking lot beside a gorgeous old house. “There’s an empty room at the pool house that the Kates and Joey use as a break room. I guess I could set you up in there if you really wanted to, but it always smells like chlorine.”
It wasn’t exactly appealing. “The Kates?”
“The guards are named Caitlin, Kaitlyn, and Katherine. I can tell them apart, but it’s impossible to remember which one is which.”
While she could see the confusion, it just proved that he wasn’t very good at managing personnel. She’d spent the last four years of her life juggling employees with odd names and unusual spellings, and knew that being able to correctly identify them by first name was key to gaining their respect.
…Says the woman named ‘Elliot’.
Will parked the truck and climbed out. Ellie took the time to strap her shoes back on before following him. He had her bag out and the handle up, and was scratching his dog.
“Alright, no office.” She sighed. “I’ll set up something in my room, then.” She assumed this was the main house, where she’d be staying.
“Well, I’ve got an almost-empty office in my house, if you’d like to use it.”
She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice when she asked, “You’ve got a house?” and then winced. Of course he had a house. “I just meant, you seemed to be more the type who camped out.”
When Will laughed, he was even more handsome. “I’m not saying that we don’t prefer to sleep out in the hammock in the backyard, right, girl?” He scratched behind the dog’s ears and the animal let out an “owwwwww-woooo-owww” that sounded like she was trying to answer her owner. “But it gets mighty cold around here come autumn, so yeah.” He jerked his chin toward the backside of the main house. “All of the Weston boys have houses across the main road.” His grin turned…well, maybe sensual wasn’t the right word, but it sure made her knees weak. “Indy and I would be happy to give you the tour sometime.”
It was probably a horrible idea to even consider taking him up on the offer, but Ellie couldn’t make her lips form the denial. Instead, she concentrated on tamping down on her blush, and said weakly, “Indy?”
The dog didn’t exactly howl again, but both Ellie and Will grinned at her “woooo-oow”, as if she knew they were talking to her. “This is Indy.” Will’s fingers moved from behind her ears to under her chin, and the pretty Border Collie leaned to one side to give him access. “And she’s probably the only Weston who really understands me, don’t you, girl?”
He thought of his dog as part of his family, and Ellie—who’d never really been a dog person before—felt something go all warm and gooey inside her chest. Stop it, girl! He’s talking to the dog, not you!
To distract herself, she tried her best Sean Connery accent. “’We named the dog Indiana.’”
His head whipped around so quickly that his hair fell in front of his brows, and then he blinked at her. She mentally crossed her fingers that he’d get The Last Crusade reference, and when he threw his head back on a deep belly laugh, she breathed a little sigh of relief…right up until the moment the sun caught the bronze skin of his throat, and she was suddenly full of all sorts of improper thoughts about her employer. That’s when she stopped breathing altogether.
Lord help her, Will Weston was magnificent. She really was in trouble.
CHAPTER THREE
The paperwork was just as bad as she’d suspected. It took Ellie most of the week to dig through Will’s hand-written notes, previous staff schedules, and receipts, and then to i
nput all of that information into her various programs on her laptop. She spent hours hunched over the desk in her room, her fingers cramped around the wireless mouse as she manipulated cells in the spreadsheets and wished her screen was bigger.
She’d been given a lovely room in the Ranch House, tucked away from the public areas, with gorgeous views of the property from her balcony. Everything was decorated in what her sister Dink called “chic-western” when she saw the texted photos, and which she assured Ellie was very popular these days. All Ellie knew was that her room felt cozy and homey, from the lovely carved-wood furniture to the unique quilt picked out in bright colors that covered the bed.
But she could only stand to be in the room for so long. She settled into a routine; breakfast was coffee and a pastry on the balcony, and then she’d hunch over her computer until early lunchtime, when she’d escape to the café for a break. Afterward, she’d wander around the grounds of the ranch, telling herself it was her chance to stretch her legs, while in reality it was as much a mental break as a physical. A person could go blind staring at a laptop for so long!
The café was a wonderful little place, and Ellie immediately took to Kelsi, the Weston sister who ran the place. She was petite and cheerful and had Will’s smile, although Ellie was trying her darnedest not to think of Will’s smile, or she’d go all gooey inside. Every day at lunch, Kelsi would welcome her like a long-lost sister, and pamper her.
“Hi there, lovely!” It was only the third day after Ellie arrived at the ranch, but Kelsi was already treating her like family. The bubbly hostess grabbed a root beer, linked her arm through Ellie’s and escorted her to what was becoming her usual booth. “I told Bob how much you liked his gumbo yesterday, so he said to tell you to try the special today too.”
Ellie grinned, infected by the youngest Weston’s energy. “I’m actually in the mood for a burger.” She winked. “I heard you’re known for your french fries.”
“Who is? We are? The café? Or the ranch?”
“All of Idaho, silly!”
Kelsi giggled, and slid into the spot across from Ellie, propping her chin up in her palms. Her expression suddenly turned pensive. “I like you.”
“Uh…thanks.” Ellie’s long hair was pulled back in her now-habitual ponytail, but that didn’t stop her from trying to tuck a strand behind her ear. “I like you too.”
“No, I mean, I really like you. I feel like we have some sort of connection, you know?” Kelsi sighed dramatically. “And I’m used to gals coming in and out of this place, let me tell you. It’s hard keeping waitresses and kitchen staff! Becca and Meghan just started this week. But you’re… different.”
“Thank you?” Ellie fumbled for her root beer and sipped, glad to have something to occupy her hands.
“I like the way you walk around the ranch and just watch people, and how you read while you eat your lunch, and your sense of humor.”
Ellie wasn’t sure if she was supposed to return the compliments, or what. Kelsi wasn’t like anyone she knew, and Oh gosh, now the young woman was getting teary-eyed. “Hey, hey.” She awkwardly tried to pat Kelsi’s hand. “It’s okay. I like you too.”
“I’m sorry,” Kelsi sniffed. “I’m not usually this emotional. It’s just that I think we’ve got a connection. I know that you were hired for just the month, but I really just have this feeling that you’re going to fall in love here and stay.”
Fall in love? “What do you mean?” Ellie’s pulse sped up slightly. She’d managed to go three days without running into her handsome employer—thank goodness—but surely…
“I mean, have you looked around? This place is gorgeous. How could anyone not fall in love with River’s End Ranch?”
Ellie sank back into her booth, both relieved and disappointed. “Oh, yes. Idaho is a lot prettier than I imagined.”
“There, I knew it.” Kelsi suddenly nodded firmly and leaned across the table. “I knew you were falling in love, and I knew that we’d be friends. Can I ask you a question?”
Anything to change the subject from falling in love. “Sure.”
“Have you named your breasts?”
Ellie couldn’t help it; she burst into laughter. She’s only met Will and Wade, but if any of the other Westons were anything like Kelsi, then lookout, world! “I’m sorry,” she managed to get out between giggles. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Ahh.” Kelsi nodded solemnly. “That wasn’t a ‘no’, I notice. Which means that you have named them. I’ve always thought that showed fine moral upbringing.” Her comment made Ellie laugh even harder, thinking of her parents back in South Carolina, and how they’d have conniptions to hear this conversation. “You don’t have to tell me their names, you know. But it just proves that we’re going to be friends, like I predicted.”
She slipped out of the booth, and smiled down at the still-giggling Ellie. “I’ll get you the juiciest burger Bobby can whip up, along with special Idaho fries… and you think about what I said, about falling in love.”
The problem was that Ellie was falling in love with River’s End Ranch. The place was stunning, and without Will Weston driving beside her to distract her with his own gorgeousness, she was able to appreciate the fresh air, the mountain views, and the friendly people. In some ways it reminded her of her native Lowcountry, and the hours she spent roaming outside as a girl. But the crisp air and sharp pine scents were so different from Los Angeles. She’d made her home in the big city, and loved the soaring skyscrapers and busy bustle of humanity…
Didn’t she?
Roaming around River’s End Ranch was making her question things she thought she knew about herself after four years in L.A., and she wasn’t sure if she liked it, no matter what Kelsi had to say. Four weeks; Ellie had four weeks here in Idaho to complete her job, and then she’d be back to the city and moving into her job at the Hyatt. She had to keep reminding herself of that; the ranch was a beautiful summer paid vacation, and that was that.
Those first few days, she took her notes over to the pool, and met with each of the lifeguards during their breaks. She asked them about their schedules and how they handled shift changes and whatnot. All four were students at the University of Idaho who stayed either in Riston or at the ranch itself during the summers, and were pleased with the seasonal work. Ellie dutifully marked down their preferences, and appointments to schedule around, while getting their contact info.
It didn’t take long to figure out that the pool was probably okay; there seemed to be few dropped shifts because the four guards were all close enough friends to find one of them to cover. Kaitlin—who asked to be called by her full name, Ellie noted with some amusement—even had her Certified Pool Operator license, a move which had netted her a higher hourly pay and made her the go-to person if there were physical issues with the pool itself. Ellie, who’d had her share of pool trouble at the hotel, was pleased to know that was one less worry.
In fact, all the pool staff needed was a reliable, electronic method of scheduling, so that they could all input their time-off requests and access their upcoming schedules. That way no shifts would be dropped, and they’d have the program in place by the time she left.
The pool was easy, and Ellie had it all arranged by the beginning of the second week. No, it was the white-water rafting aspect of River’s End Ranch’s aquatics program that was going to cause her to pull her hair out.
The whole thing was just convoluted! No wonder they had to close down the boathouse rentals all the time, or scramble to fill tours! There weren’t nearly enough staff members, and none of them seemed interested in rectifying that. They’d bus all the boats up to the put-in location in the morning, rather than doing it with each tour, and then drive the bus back to the boathouse for the guests. But then two people would have to go fetch the bus before the next tour, meaning only one guy was on duty to handle rentals, all of the paperwork tourists had to fill out before going out onto the water, and the million other small tasks. It was seriously
backwards, and quite obvious that they needed extra staff.
Ellie had been at River’s End Ranch for over a week when she decided to go and actually observe the boathouse. She’d already set up advertisements on all the local job-hunting sites, targeting the university students, but she needed to record duties before she actually pressed “post” on them. So, she took herself down to the lake.
In the time she’d been at the ranch, she’d gotten used to wearing flip-flops and cut-off jean shorts. Today she dressed with extra care, though, because it would be the first time she’d spend time with Will since those glorious hours she’d been with him last Monday. And wasn’t that just irritating? She was supposed to be a professional; what did she care what he thought about how she looked? Still, that didn’t stop her from pulling out a cute red-and-white sundress and pink lip gloss. But in deference to the fact that she was definitely not falling in love with River’s End Ranch, and that she had been hired for her skills and not her appearance, she kept her sandals and simple ponytail.
No matter how much she cheered herself on in her room, though, her feelings quickly changed as she made her way towards the lake. It was a beautiful day—again—and she didn’t mind the walk, but her steps slowed. In the last week, she’d only seen Will in passing; as he went by in his truck with Indy in the back, or when she saw the two of them loping across the wide park-like spaces around the ranch. She’d returned his wave each time, but knew her smile had looked a little weak. She couldn’t help it; his smile made her weak. Weak-kneed, weak-limbed and probably weak-hearted.
Buck up, Ellie. You’ve got a job to do, and the only way to do it is to spend some time with him. And nothing she could say would convince herself that spending time with Will was a bad thing.
He wasn’t at the boathouse when she arrived, but his Border Collie was. Indy was stretched out on the dock in the shade of the building, her furry chin resting on her crossed legs. Ellie thought she looked quite ladylike, and a little lonely, so she scratched the dog’s head and received a friendly little “owww-ooooo” in response. Indy must’ve remembered her.