by Cindi Madsen
He met her eyes, just for a beat, and his throat worked a swallow. “Thanks.”
She wanted to ask more, dig deeper to see how he really was dealing with it, but he quickly turned away, making it clear she wouldn’t get more than that. It wasn’t just his dad, either—she could see the stress hanging on him, and she wanted to know what had him so worried. But she knew it wasn’t her place anymore. Would never be again.
Her heart gave a sharp squeeze as past sorrow rose to the surface. Doing her best to shove it back down, she followed Royce as he continued to the kitchen. Dark granite countertops met pale wood, and all the appliances were black. Royce filled two mugs of coffee. He poured cream in one, added two spoonfuls of sugar, and slid it across to her.
Warmth spread through her chest. He remembers how I like my coffee.
She sipped from her mug and he did the same. She kept wanting to say something, then second-guessing herself, and so they just drank in silence. The only time they’d had silence between them when they dated was when they were making out, only their labored breaths between them. Her gaze moved to his lips. Of all the guys she’d kissed, he blew everyone else out of the water. Other guys were sloppy or too ambitious with their tongues. He’d perfected the kiss.
Not to mention how perfect other things were, too. She used to wonder if she were weird, because while several of her girlfriends complained about their boyfriends wanting sex all the time, she’d craved the feel of Royce’s skin against hers. Used to count down the hours until they could sneak away alone. She’d never had that same intense connection with anyone else—not by a long shot.
He took the mug from her hands even though she wasn’t quite done and set it in the sink. “Let’s start with the horses.”
…
The woman needed to stop undressing him with her eyes. He’d almost crushed the mug in his hand when she’d licked her lips while staring at him.
His head got that the girl was dangerous, so why did his body respond in all the wrong ways? He took a deep breath to lower his heart rate and headed outside, not looking back to see if she was following.
When they got to the stables, he started the rundown. “About half of the horses are pasture fed right now, but we’re boarding ten extra, and I also like to keep the ones I’m currently training for roping inside so I don’t spend time I don’t have chasing them down to saddle them. They need fed every morning, and the stalls all need cleaned out on a regular basis. We let them out in the second pasture from time to time, but some of them don’t get along.” He went through which horses didn’t play well with others, and how the stallions obviously needed to be kept separate from the mares.
“This afternoon, we’re teaching the kids to ride,” he said, stopping in front of Chevy’s stall to double-check she had enough feed. “It’s supposed to be a break for them, but it means going over how to put on the saddle and bridle, and most of them don’t know anything about horses—like not standing behind them or how to steer—and there’s always someone who thinks they’ve got it down and goes too fast, so we’ve gotta keep an eye on them at all times.”
“Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.” Sadie climbed onto the fence in front of Chevy. Royce was about to warn her that ever since she’d gotten pregnant, she was picky about who got close to her—pretty much him and him alone.
But when Sadie ran her hand down Chevy’s neck, murmuring a hello, the horse nuzzled her like she was her long-lost best friend. Come to think of it, they were. Sadie had spent lots of time talking to Chevy before and after they loaded or unloaded for rodeos, and she’d ridden her a few times. And when Chevy had gotten a nasty cut on her leg after being caught up in a fence, Sadie was the one who’d kept her calm while he’d doctored the leg and administered the antibiotics.
She glanced at the horse’s stomach. “You got yourself knocked up, girl?”
“Actually, it takes two to tango, in case you haven’t heard.”
Sadie laughed, the happy noise filling the air. “Horse tango. Sounds like quite the show.”
The other day, he’d thought he wanted to hear her laugh again, but now that it was echoing in his chest, reminding him how much he used to crave the sound, he was thinking it was just as dangerous as her licking her lips. He switched his focus back to his horse. “Casanova’s the sire, actually—not that I watched the show. She was pasture bred.”
Sadie’s face brightened. “I’m glad you went with Casanova. I’m worried about him now that he’s getting older, and it makes me sad to think of not having any other horses like him.” She patted Chevy’s side, and the horse nickered. “It still cracks me up that you named her Chevy.”
“She’s my ride. It fit.” Since she obviously had no problem with Sadie, he saw an opportunity to give the pregnant mare the extra attention he wanted to give but simply didn’t have time for. “She hasn’t been brushed down well in a while, and I feel like I’m neglecting her, so if you find a few extra minutes to do that, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure. I’ll take good care of her. Along with the rest of them.” She jumped to the ground and looked up and down the line of stalls. Royce waited for her to complain about how dirty they were. She didn’t, though, just headed to the wall with the tools and grabbed a pitchfork. He had to admit it was nice she knew so much about the ranch already—well, he’d admit it in his head, anyway.
“I’ll send in help. Mom’s divvying up assignments now. She’s got all these rules she can go over more with you later, but the one you’ll probably enforce most is the swear jar. It’s a dollar every time they swear. Other than that, just keep them working. You’ve got to be firm, so they don’t walk over you, but not so harsh they never want to talk to you again.” He doubted she could be strict enough. He’d have Cory work nearby to keep an eye on her while she was getting the hang of everything.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sadie scooped up a big pile of crap and placed it in the wheelbarrow. Royce turned to leave, but then she said, “You know, when I quit my last job, I told my boss I’d rather shovel horseshit than work for him.”
He slowly twisted back to her. “You did not.”
“I was about to sign a recording contract, and the guy was a huge jerk, so I thought I’d leave with one of those screw-you speeches everyone dreams of giving but usually keeps in. So once the contract fell though, I knew I wasn’t going back to that job. I wasn’t lying, though.” She scooped up another clump. “As crappy as this is—pun intended—I’d still choose it over those damn phone surveys.”
She propped the pitchfork on the ground and looked across the barn at him. Pieces of her hair were slipping out of her ponytail, framing her face. Something deep inside of him twisted. “Thanks for the job, Royce. Seriously. I know I don’t deserve you to be nice to me, and I know you didn’t give me the job because you think I won’t make it. I appreciate it.”
Damn, damn, damn. He wanted to stay mad at her—to hold on to how badly the girl had hurt him when she’d left him the way she had. But years had passed, and here she was, thanking him for the opportunity to shovel shit. They were different people now, and maybe he really should give her a chance. Their romantic relationship was over, but maybe they could pull off being sort of friends. After all, she used to be the person he told all his secrets, hopes, and dreams to.
“You’re welcome. But you might not be thanking me by the end of the day. Or when you see your wimpy paycheck.” He shot her a quick smile and headed outside.
By the time he got over to the cabins, Mom already had everyone gathered and was doling out assignments.
“Actually,” Royce cut in, “I want Eli, Addison, and Mark to go muck the stalls.”
Addison’s parents had caught her smoking weed and sent her here. She was a little spoiled but easygoing, and he had a bit of a soft spot for her, mostly because she was also funny. Not soft enough to keep her from the crappy chores, though—her parents wanted her “scared straight.”
She wrinkled
her nose. “Does muck mean—”
“Cleaning up horse crap. Yep.”
“Great,” Eli muttered, shaking his head.
Mom glanced at Royce, probably wondering if he was picking on Eli. For once, he wasn’t using mucking the stalls as a punishment. He thought working with Sadie would be good for Eli, regardless of the job. “Just get going. Cory, can you make sure they get there straightaway? Ask Sadie to teach ’em more about the horses as they clean.”
“Sadie?” Eli said, glancing toward the barn. It was tiny, but there was a hint of a smile. “She works here?”
“Just started today. Now go get to work, and don’t give her any trouble. I’ve got an endless supply of hard jobs I can find for you if I need to.”
The eye roll was back, but the kid picked up his step and headed toward the barn, ahead of the other two in his group instead of dragging behind. Everyone dispersed, leaving him and Mom.
“So…Sadie’s working here now?” Mom asked.
Royce kicked at a rock jabbing out of the ground, breaking it free so he could scoot it off to the side with his boot before it became a tripping hazard. “You saw how good she was with Eli yesterday. And she’s good with the animals—hell, she knows most of the horses, not to mention the land, and she can even drive a tractor if need be.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t start psychoanalyzing me, Mom. She’s qualified and desperate for a job I’m desperate to fill. That’s it.”
“Well, that’s a very mature decision. I’m proud of you.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then headed after the group that was going to be learning to milk the cows.
Now he was the one rolling his eyes. His mom probably already had him and Sadie back together in her mind. He hated to break it to her, but that was about as unlikely as his becoming the bronc-riding world champion.
…
“This is disgusting,” Addison said, pulling up her shirt so that it covered her nose and mouth. “In fact, this is torture. I can deal with the other podunk stuff—it’s even kind of fun, actually—but this? This is total bullshit!”
Sadie stuck her pitchfork in the ground and used it to prop herself up. “Okay, now you owe money to the swear jar.” She didn’t mind enforcing rules with the princess—the girl had done nothing but complain.
“It’s not swearing if it’s a noun instead of an expletive, and I’m referring to the stuff we have to pick up.”
“It’s actually horse crap, not bull crap, so that’s not going to fly. I’m marking it down.”
“Fine.” Addison turned around, and Sadie was pretty sure she just got called a female dog, and not in the noun sense.
How did everyone here deal with the diva attitude? Eli put on a front, but the kid was funny, and he’d done twice as much as everyone else, including herself. She couldn’t keep up. Her arms burned and, okay, it smelled awful, that sweet scent of hay mixing with the not so sweet. But at least they were almost done. She needed a break and about a gallon of water.
“As I was saying,” Sadie said, taking up her spiel on the horses, “Chevy’s a bay quarter horse. She’s good for roping because of her muscular build that’s great for quick bursts of energy, and she’s gotta be strong when the cowboy ropes a calf or steer. Bay refers to her color, which is the reddish-brown coat and dark mane and tail. Since her baby daddy is a black quarter horse, it’ll be interesting to see what her foal looks like.”
“Baby daddy,” Eli said with a chuckle.
“I know the baby daddy, too. He’s my grandpa’s horse.” Sadie couldn’t help adding a pun, since Eli had liked baby daddy so well. “Total stud.”
Addison leaned against the handle of her pitchfork, scowl firmly in place. “Isn’t the baby called a colt?”
“Only if it’s a boy. I should’ve asked Royce if he knew girl or boy.” Now that she thought about it, she doubted he’d spend money on finding out. “If it’s a girl, it’s a filly.”
“How do you know Royce anyway?” Addison asked. “Yesterday you guys looked like you could barely stand each other, and now you’re working here.”
Okay, this chick was getting on Sadie’s last nerve. “We went to high school together. Now, help Mark take the wheelbarrow out of the barn.”
Mark had hardly said a word, just worked now and then and looked from person to person, like he was soaking it all in but choosing not to comment. He took hold of the wheelbarrow, and Addison took a handle, more for show, because she clearly wasn’t helping much.
“That girl is—” Sadie cut herself off, realizing she shouldn’t bad-mouth her, especially not to Eli.
The hint of a dimple showed up in Eli’s cheek when a smile crossed his lips. “She thinks she’s pretty tough, but she’s mostly talk. I thought she was hot at first.”
“Not anymore?”
“Well, yeah, she’s still hot, but she’s…” He shook his head. “Complicated. I think her last boyfriend messed her up, because she’s like, anti-guy, and everyone’s an assho— Jerk.”
A tiny bit of sympathy for the girl crept in. Sadie had dated a couple of jerks—enough to understand how they could make it seem not worth trying again. Even though it was one of the hardest decisions she’d ever made, she’d turned down Royce’s proposal because she’d wanted to follow her singing dream, and she was trying to keep her priorities straight, the way she’d always promised herself she would. But admittedly, she hadn’t realized what she’d had when she dated him. She’d had no idea how many guys out there only called when they wanted sex, never thought of anyone but themselves, and cheated on girls because they could—luckily she’d learned that lesson secondhand, through one of her roommates in Nashville.
Sadie’s best relationship—probably the best she’d ever have—was definitely all those years ago, and she’d taken it for granted. She wasn’t sure if it was incredibly unfair, or if she was incredibly lucky that she got to experience love like that at least once in her life.
Royce was obviously working to keep up a crabby exterior, but she knew the truth about the good guy underneath it. She thought about the brief moments when the softer Royce crept through, wondering if she could coax it out full-time if she tried.
“Plus we’re only here for the first half of the summer,” Eli said, pulling her out of her thoughts and effectively reminding her that it was only a matter time before she’d go back to Nashville. Getting close to Royce only to leave again wouldn’t be fair to him or to her still-cracked heart.
She smiled at Eli, though, happy he’d put it that way, instead of implying he could just use Addison for that long. “You never know. If you like her, I say go for it. But only if you’re going to prove to her that not all guys are jerks.”
“That’s another problem. I might prove the opposite.”
Sadie studied him for a moment and then shook her head. “Not buying it. Secret’s out—you’re a nice guy.”
“Yeah. That’s how I ended up here.”
It was almost like he wanted to tell her why he was there, but then Addison and Mark came in, and the moment was ruined.
Royce came in and inspected the stalls. They’d done the best they could, but Sadie held her breath, knowing it wasn’t perfect and wondering if he’d tell her she didn’t do a good enough job.
“Looks good.” He finally turned to her. “Any problems?”
She glanced at Addison—not that she was such a problem, but Royce had said she needed to be strict. Was this when she brought up the swear jar? Addison’s eyes widened.
Sadie slowly peeled off her gloves, letting the girl stew for a moment. “Nope. No problems.”
“Then time for lunch.”
As Addison walked by, Sadie whispered, “I’ll let the swearing slide this once. It won’t happen again.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed—apparently, warning or not, the girl wasn’t letting go of her bitterness—and then she followed after Eli and Mark.
Sadie picked up the horse brush.
“What are you doing?” Royce asked.
“We barely got done with the stalls, so I haven’t had a chance to brush down Chevy yet.”
“It can be done later. Come eat.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just skip lunch.” Sadie reached up with the brush, but then Royce was right by her, gently gripping her elbow. As minor as it was, the contact was still enough to make it hard for her to keep air moving in and out of her lungs. She could feel each one of his callused fingertips on her bare skin, radiating little spots of heat.
“You can’t skip meals. Is that what you normally do? You’re so scrawny I’m surprised you can even lift a pitchfork.”
Her jaw dropped. She thought they had a truce—that they were going to stop baiting each other and be nice. Only his face made it seem like he didn’t realize he was insulting her. There was almost… Was that concern in his eyes?
He let go of her arm and stepped back. “Just eat a cheeseburger or five, will you? Consider it part of the job.” With that, he turned and left the barn, muttering to himself.
Sadie set the brush down and stared after him, her breaths coming out shakier than they had earlier, when she’d been doing manual labor.
Chapter Six
Sadie was getting used to her new life one day at a time, until two weeks of working at the ranch had passed. Her job included a lot of physical labor, but she loved working with the animals, and whenever she could, she’d ride a horse to the river so she could soak in the beauty of the rushing water and pine trees. Being there made her homesick almost, which was strange because she was home. Somehow she’d forgotten how many great things there were about Hope Springs, and lately she was seeing the place in a new light. Yes, it was small and there wasn’t a mall for miles, but there were also long stretches of untamed land and a peace she’d never felt in the city.
Royce didn’t talk to her much, only to give instructions here and there, and more often than not he sent Cory to tell her what needed to be done next. So she focused on the work, how nice it was to do something different every day and not be confined to an office, and the fact that she was employed and blessedly tired by the time she made it back home—at least then her lack of a social life didn’t seem so depressing.