“Yes. I already spoke to your former manager there, Alina Katz,” Julie said. “She said wonderful things about you.”
Vicky blushed. “Well, that is nice to hear. She was a wonderful boss.”
“She said that she was very sorry when you left… she said you were effective and creative and professional and fun.”
“Alina is very kind.”
“So, if you don’t mind my asking, why did you leave a job you liked so much and were so good at?” Rob asked.
“Well, Carl and I had worked pretty hard and we had saved up quite a bit of money. The plan was for me to… to… um. To have a baby. So, we tried and Carl thought that if I were more relaxed and focused, we’d have better luck. So I quit my job.”
Huh. That seems a bit weird, Julie thought. But OK.
Aloud, she said, “And have you got any children?”
OK, Vicky. This is the part you need to get through now. Be convincing.
“No, unfortunately. And this is why our marriage ended – the stress of trying to conceive for six years and all the fertility treatments and doctor’s visits just took their toll.” Vicky looked them in the eye. “Carl left me six months ago, and so here I am, starting again.”
“Oh,” Julie said. “Oh, I am so sorry.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
There was a bit of a pause as Julie and Rob looked at each other.
“So, let’s talk a bit about Open Skies, OK?” Rob said. “One of our staff members, Andrea Chaplin, is moving to another state. Her husband’s office has moved him to another office, and she’s going with him, obviously.”
“I see.”
“She’s here for another four weeks, so she’d be training her replacement.” Rob paused. “Do you know anything about our hotel at the moment?”
On more comfortable ground now, Vicky relaxed a bit. “Yes. I did lots of research before coming here today.”
Julie and Rob looked interested in that. “What kind of research?”
“Well, online first, obviously. I read your whole website and all the guest comments. I also checked all the online hotel review websites and read every single word any guest had ever written about Open Skies – hotel amenities, customer service, your restaurant, the horseback riding lessons, the tennis courts. Then I called nine different travel agents in Denver and Colorado Springs who also book accommodation for their customers and asked what they had heard about the ranch and hotel, and if they had any feedback. Then I met with two of your regular guests for coffee and I asked them what they liked about Open Skies, and what they’d like to see more or less of in future.”
“You – I’m sorry. You what?” Rob said. “Which regular guests?”
“Mr. Gregory Peters and Ms. Annabeth Wheeler.”
“Really?” Julie leaned forward, fascinated. “How on earth did you find them?”
“On your website. They both left testimonials there, using their real names. It wasn’t hard to find them on LinkedIn, make contact, and ask if they would meet and help me prepare for the job interview. They were delighted to talk about you and your hotel.”
Julie and Rob both stared at Vicky. It was hard to believe that this woman in the uninspired outfit who had been shaking when she entered the room had had the creativity and motivation and guts to call up strangers out of the blue – all for a job she didn’t even have. Both Julie and Rob adjusted their initial impressions of Vicky Thompson pretty damn quick.
“That’s impressive,” Rob said. “I imagine you got some good information from them? Helpful feedback?”
“Oh, sure. They had overwhelmingly positive things to say, of course. I mean, they are regulars, and they both provide Open Skies with an incredible amount of word-of-mouth, from what I understand.”
Julie and Rob nodded.
“But they also had some suggestions – quite interesting ones, I thought – and I’d think that if you adopted some of the changes they want to see, you may see an increase in regular and returning guests. I mean, better than you do now, which is already astounding.”
“So,” Julie said, her clear mint-green eyes twinkling. “Are you going to tell us what Greg and Annabeth said?”
Vicky grinned back; the change it made to her face was incredible. Rob and Julie stared as her tired brown eyes just lit up and her straight, tight mouth curved in to a brilliant smile. “You want to know what they said? You need to hire me… I’ll tell you everything then.”
Rob and Julie laughed aloud.
Vicky fully relaxed. OK. That’s all; I’ve done my best. But I think I’ve got a shot.
**
Phil Dobson stood in the stable door, listening to the sound of an engine choking almost half to death. He looked up the hill to the main building and saw a blue Ford Focus parked just outside the front door. Maria was standing there with a red-haired woman. Not Julie, though. This woman was a bit taller than Julie.
“Hey, Jake?” he said.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to go up the hill, see what’s happening with that lady’s car. She may need a hand.”
Jake Weston emerged from Rocket’s stall and squinted at the main building. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, go on. If you need any tools, just holler.”
“Sure thing.”
Phil pulled his jacket collar up a bit tighter against his throat – the early September wind was starting up, and it already had a bit of a chill. He approached the women and smiled.
“Hello, ladies,” he said. “You having some trouble?”
“Oh, Phil.” Maria was relieved. “Yes. Yes, we are. It just won’t start, and I really don’t know the first thing about cars or engines or anything…”
Phil was looking at the other woman, and with some interest. She had almost the exact same color hair as Julie and it looked just as good on her; Julie’s hair was curly, though, and this woman’s was shiny and straight. She was also taller than the boss, and not quite as rounded. Slimmer, more straight up and down, with more delicate, subtle curves. Her eyes were amazing, though, a deep chocolate-brown, and her lips were naturally pink and generous. Those eyes were gazing at him now, panicked and teary.
“Ma’am,” Phil said to her. “Can I maybe offer you a hand?”
“Please,” she said. Her voice was low and sweet, and he heard a tremor. “It’s a rental car, you see, and if I have to call them to come and collect it –”
“They’ll charge you an arm and a leg and the earth for the privilege,” Phil finished for her.
A ghost of a smile appeared around her beautiful mouth. “Yes.”
“Well, let’s just see if we can avoid that now, shall we?”
Maria sighed. “Oh, great. Thanks, Phil… I need to get back inside. Is that OK?”
Phil waved his hand. “Get on back to work. I’ve got this.”
Vicky stood back and watched as the large man with the strong arms studied the engine for a few seconds. He reached under the hood and lifted a few things and moved some wires around. He looked at her and smiled.
“No problem, ma’am. I just need a torque wrench, and you’ll be on your way in no time.”
“Really?”
“Yep. A piece just fell loose – I can see it down there – and I’ll remove a couple of parts to get to it, screw it back in to place, and put everything back.”
“And will it take very long?”
“Nah. Twenty minutes, tops.”
“Thank you, so much. I really appreciate the help.”
“You are very welcome, ma’am.”
Phil reached in to his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Vicky watched as he punched in a number and then stood and gazed down at the stables below.
“Hey, Jake? Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine. Can you just bring me the torque wrench?” He listened for a second. “Yeah, that’s all I need. Thanks.”<
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He disconnected and turned to Vicky. “So, if you want to go inside, maybe have a coffee, I’ll come and get you when it’s done.”
“Oh, that’s OK. I don’t mind waiting out here.” She looked around. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” Phil agreed.
“And since you’re helping me, maybe you can stop calling me ‘ma’am’,” she said. “I’m Vicky.”
“Phil.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“And you.” He looked her up and down, took in her flats and skirt and blouse and guessed that she must have been there interviewing as Andrea’s replacement. He noticed that the bottom button on her blouse was hanging loose and was just about to fall off. Phil reached out. “Hey, your button is –”
Vicky gasped and jumped back from his touch, a look of fear on her face. At the sudden movement, the button fell on the ground and rolled away.
Phil paused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to grab that button before it fell off your blouse.”
Vicky looked down at the button and felt incredibly stupid. She reached down with trembling fingers and put the button in her purse. Jesus, girl. Come on, now. He’s not going to hurt you. She glanced at Phil. His face was very still and his dark green eyes looked at her steadily. He was standing with his arms to the side, loosely dangling. He didn’t move any closer.
“No,” she said flustered. “I know you didn’t mean to startle me. I just – I wasn’t expecting for you to –”
“You’re quite right,” Phil said in a gentle voice. “I shouldn’t go around touching ladies I don’t know. I apologize.”
Despite herself, Vicky smiled. He smiled back.
She heard a sound behind her and she turned to see another man approaching. A bit taller than Phil, but just as wide through the shoulders and chest, he had dark hair that fell over his forehead. He smiled at her too, and she responded.
“Afternoon, ma’am,” he said. “I’m Jake.”
“Hello. I’m Vicky.”
Jake handed the wrench to Phil. “You need a hand?”
“Nope, I got it. Thanks, man.” He walked around to the front of the car and disappeared under the hood.
Jake looked at Vicky again. Something about this woman reminded him of a skittish horse – she looked edgy and like she wanted to turn and bolt. His gray eyes took in the simple outfit and the cheap purse and shoes and something tugged at his heart. She reminded him of his own mother going for her first job interviews, way back after she left Jake’s father. His Mom had had the same look of determination and fear on her face, and it got more pronounced with every rejection. But she kept getting up in the morning and putting on her same good dress and cheap shoes, she kept going out the door to try again. This woman looked like she was buckling down for the long-haul too, like she knew she had no choice but to stick it out.
“You here for a job interview?” Jake asked.
Vicky fiddled with the fake gold clasp on her purse. “Yes. I finished a few minutes ago, but then my car wouldn’t start.”
“How’d it go, do you think?”
“Oh. I have no idea.” She lowered her eyes, but he saw the emotion flash through them.
She really, really wants this job. Needs this job?
Like Maria, Jake found himself warming to Vicky, rooting for her to get this job. He kept his voice low and gentle, trying not to spook her.
“So, if you do get it, would you want to move in to the main building?”
Vicky looked up at him, saw the kindness in his eyes. “Yes. That’s – that’s one of the reasons I applied in the first place, you see.” She swallowed hard. “The option to live on-site… to have my accommodation taken care of.”
“You’d want to live where you work?” Phil’s head popped up behind the hood. “You wouldn’t want to live away? You sure you’d want to be surrounded by these people all the time? They are a handful, some of ‘em.” He winked.
“I guess you don’t live here?” she asked him, a slight teasing note in her voice.
“Nope. I have a place just outside Clarity. But Jake lives here.”
She turned her attention back to him. “You do? How do you find it?”
“Great.” He pointed down the hill. “You see that cabin just behind the stables there? That’s my place.”
Vicky looked at it, feeling envy rise in her chest. It was small, to be sure, but it had big windows and a chimney. “You have a fireplace?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jake smiled. “It’s cozy and warm and just fine for me.”
“You’re lucky. I imagine the view you wake up to is something else, huh?”
“Oh, yes. No bad views from any window around these parts.”
Vicky nodded and felt the want creep up in her chest again. Oh, please, oh, please. Let me get this job.
She looked around Open Skies Ranch, taking it all in. If this was the last time she was here, if she didn’t get the job, she wanted something beautiful to carry in her memory for when times got hard. Well, harder than they already were.
She looked up at the mountains, admiring their ruggedness and bright patches of wild flowers, and then down the hill to the sweeping green and gold prairies and peacefully grazing horses. Suddenly, something caught her eye. “Umm. I think that woman is trying to get your attention.”
Both men shifted their eyes from her wistful face down to the stables. A woman in jeans and a black sweater and flowing silver hair was waving at them.
“Oh, yeah,” Jake said. “That’s Mattie. I guess the kids will be here soon.”
“Kids?” Vicky asked.
“Yeah. We work with a local community center for troubled kids. They come here and tend to the horses, do some riding. It teaches them discipline and they pick up some hard skills with the horses. Plus they relax and have some fun, you know. Today Julie’s planned a campfire for them, for after the riding. She’s got sausages and marshmallows and potatoes to cook over the fire. It should be fun.”
God, Sonia would love to be here for this. If I get this job, maybe she can ride a horse and go to a campfire, for the first time. She’d be safe here.
Aloud, Vicky said, “It sounds wonderful.”
“It is. So, I best get back down there, get everything ready.” Jake slowly extended his work-roughened hand to Vicky, careful not to make any sudden movements. “It was very nice to meet you, Vicky. I really hope that we’ll see you again. Soon.”
She took his hand and smiled at him, and it was a real smile: open and warm and natural. Her tired, lined face looked so beautiful all of a sudden, and Jake saw how she must have looked before whatever trouble she had now had entered her life. “Thank you, Jake. I hope so, too.”
He strolled down the hill, his shoulders massive in his jean jacket, his body strong and confident. She watched him go, admiring his easy grace.
“OK, Vicky,” Phil said. “You’re about ready, I think.” He stood up. “Can you try to start the car now?”
“Sure.” She slid in to the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine hummed to life, no problem at all. She climbed out again. “Oh, thank you. Thank you.”
He slammed the hood down. “You make sure to tell them about this at the rental place, you hear? They need to check the engine over before sending someone else out in this car. It could have broken down on some back road somewhere. We got plenty of those around here.”
“Yes. I will. Thank you.”
They stood, looking at each other. Now that her worry about the car had been relieved, Vicky realized for the first time that Phil was actually breathtakingly sexy. His body was muscular and huge, with real power in it. It was the kind of body that should frighten her, and when all that brute strength had belonged to someone else, it had scared her about to death. But in Phil’s case, that physica
l size and strength were balanced out with a kindness, a solidity. His face had signs of hard-living, she noticed: it was lined deeply, his green eyes had crinkles around them, he had shocks of gray in his brown hair. His body was one of a thirty-five year old, but really, he had to be at least forty-five.
She was gazing up at him, taking in his calm and quiet power, when a wave of heat washed through her stomach. It had been a long time since she had felt attraction to a man – years and years – and it caught her by surprise. She blinked and wondered what it would be like to be held tenderly by this man, to have those huge hands stroke her hair and pull her soft body against his hardness. She didn’t think it would frighten her.
From his side, Phil was taking Vicky in, wondering what had happened to her to give her the look of a puppy that has been kicked far too many times. She had a toughness beneath that bewildered hurt, though, a spark of grit that he recognized. He was torn between wanting to keep his distance and get closer to her, as close as possible. His natural instinct was to protect people, and he felt strongly that Vicky was having a hard time of it right now. He’d just met her, but he’d still help her, if she asked.
Vicky looked away first, flustered. “OK. Well. I better get this car back. I need to return it by four o’clock.”
“Sure thing.” Phil forced the image from his mind of her smiling up at him from his bed, her eyes warm and lovely and sated. “So, you drive safe now. And maybe we’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Vicky got in to the car and Phil closed the door for her. She rolled down the window a bit. “Thank you, Phil. It was nice to meet you.”
“You too, Vicky.”
She put the car in to gear and drove down the hill, away from him, away to whatever her life was.
Phil wondered if he’d ever see her again.
**
Julie smiled her thanks as Rob set a cup of green tea in front of her. After two hours of discussion, there were now two CV’s on the table: Vicky Thompson’s and Grant Riley’s.
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