by Claire Adams
I took Emma to the tack room next and watched from the corner of my eye as she took in the saddles, bridles, blankets, and gear for our horses, all neatly arranged and organized. Her expression didn’t change much, but I could see she appreciated the display, the whole room smelling of rich, worn leather.
We went to the feed room next. I showed off the bags of grain and the fresh hay kept free of mold and dust.
She nodded her head a single time at the sight of the room and turned to look at me, her appraising green eyes seeming to like what they saw. “Very nice.”
“We can go out to the paddock next.” I led her out to the small fenced-off corral just beyond the barn where Lacey liked to do the better part of her training with a new horse. But even older horses were exercised in here. It just depended on what she had planned for the day.
Emma listened to everything I had to say without saying much herself. I kept waiting for her to laugh at one of the many jokes I cracked, but her face never changed. I hadn’t even seen the woman smile once. I pointed out the far pasture at the western border of the land where we put the horses out to graze and the field beyond where we grew most of the hay for our horses, stacking the bales in another, smaller barn past the one with the horses.
At the end of the tour, we ended up back where we started, close to Emma’s blue sedan.
“You aren’t at all what I expected after seeing your ad in the paper,” she said, staring me right in the face, her brown hair blowing over her shoulders in a hot burst of wind.
I gave a smile that she didn’t return. She hadn’t really changed her expression since she arrived. “I get that a lot. Technology and me just don’t get along.”
She still didn’t smile. Damn. It was starting to feel like a challenge.
“I’d like the job, if you’re offering it.” She was blunt. Direct.
“Give me a day or two. I’ll call you by Friday to let you know what I decide once I talk to the trainer. But you seem like a great fit.”
Emma nodded, again just once. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Gains.” She shook my hand, leaving me so stunned by her confidence, that I just watched her get into her car and drive away without saying another word.
As she was pulling out, Lacey was pulling in, steering her big red truck to the left to avoid plowing right into Emma Flowers. Lacey jumped out of her truck and walked over to where I was standing in the middle of the driveway. She was dressed to work, in a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots with her hair braided and tucked under her hat.
“Who was that?” she asked, motioning to the blue car driving away from us in a traveling cloud of dust.
“You owe me five bucks for one,” I said, grinning and holding out my hand.
She slapped it away. “The hell I do.”
“That was Emma Flowers. She came about the job I posted in the Register.” I put my hand out again.
“Shit,” she spat. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a few crumpled bills. She separated out a wrinkled five and stuffed the rest of the money back into her pocket. She wouldn’t be caught dead carrying a purse. She wadded the bill up and threw it, so I had to catch it before it fell in the dirt.
“I told her I’d call on Friday to let her know if she got the job.” I whistled and shook my head. “She’s cute as a button. You should’ve seen her.” I didn’t know if I wanted that kind of distraction on the ranch. But Emma seemed so self-possessed and confident. The few questions she asked made it clear she knew her shit. I liked the idea of her being able to jump right in without needing any training.
Lacey rolled her brown eyes, a devilish grin spreading across her face. “I feel sorry for the poor girl if you decide to hire her.”
“Why?”
“She’ll have to deal with your dumb ass!”
I pushed Lacey, not hard, just enough to knock her off balance. “Oh, shut up.”
“You realize you’ll be outnumbered if you hire another girl?”
Now it was my turn to curse. “Shit,” I said, but I busted up laughing when Lacey did.
Chapter Six
Emma
Wednesday
I passed a big red truck as I was leaving my interview with Pete Gains — the decidedly not sixty-year-old rancher who put the ad in the paper that Daddy found. As I drove past the pickup, I saw a woman behind the wheel, though I couldn’t see much of her face past her hat. I clicked my tongue at that.
I hadn’t noticed a wedding ring on Mr. Gains’s finger. He seemed pretty young to be married already, but he could definitely have a girlfriend. He was a great looking guy — tall and muscled from so much time spent working hard in the sun, with steel-blue eyes, a few days’ worth of dark stubble coloring a strong jaw, and an easy smile that he flashed at every opportunity. A guy like that could even have two or three girlfriends if he played his cards right. Not that his dating life was really any of my business.
But I was impressed by the look of his property, especially after my interview at Myers. Mr. Gains had a several hundred well-maintained acres from what I’d glimpsed during my tour. Ten well fed, healthy horses kept in one of the tidiest barns — outside of the one on Daddy’s land — I’d ever seen. A fully stocked tack and feed room. The paddock and fenced off land for grazing. He even grew and baled his own hay. He couldn’t be older than thirty, if that. I didn’t know how he’d managed to be so successful at such a young age.
I drove over to Daddy’s, wanting to tell him about how well the interview had gone. If Mr. Gains called on Friday — and I was pretty sure he would, I just had that feeling — I was going to accept the job.
I found Daddy in the living room reading the Register. It reminded me of Mr. Gains, how he had been sitting on his porch reading the paper when I drove up. Only Daddy always read it at the end of a busy day, not at the beginning.
“Hi, Daddy,” I said, and sank into the couch across from him.
He looked up from his paper and gave me a small smile. His glasses were perched near the bridge of his nose. He only wore them when he was reading. He’d had perfect vision until he was fifty. Then, as he was fond of saying, it all went straight to hell.
“How was your interview?”
“It went well. I really like the ranch. They have nearly a dozen horses with more coming in the future and lots of open land. It’s one of the bigger ranches in the area.”
“Is he farming it?”
“Just enough to feed his horses. I glimpsed the field from far off. He might bale extra hay to sell. I’d have to walk out there to see.” I sat back in my chair, watching Daddy staring thoughtfully down at the paper resting on his lap. He was a small, compact man, not standing taller than five foot seven, but with solid, muscled limbs from spending the last sixty years of his life roping cattle and riding horses. His skin was worn and chapped like old leather, which made his blue eyes striking in comparison. He was a real looker, or so the ladies around town said, but Daddy’d never been interested in dating after Mama died.
“He said he’d call me by Friday to let me know.” I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling like some fool, but Daddy would know how pleased I was just by looking me in the face. “I’m pretty sure I’ll get the job.”
He nodded once. “I’m glad to hear you found a place you like, Em.” He shook his paper straight and picked up where he left off before I strolled in.
“Kasey in her room?” I asked.
He nodded.
I headed that way, walking down the hall to her closed door. I knocked and walked in a second later without waiting for her to tell me to come in. She was lying back on a stack of pillows on her bed, tapping away at something or other on her cell phone. She never left the damned thing alone, even bringing it with her into the bathroom.
“Hey, Kase,” I said.
“Hey, Em.” She thumped the mattress next to her, and I went to sit down. She grinned over at me. “So? Did you get the job?”
“I think so. The property’s much nicer than anyth
ing I’ve seen so far. And the guy who owns it, Pete Gains, is about thirty years younger than I expected. He has ten fine-looking horses on the-”
Kasey held up her hands, the nails painted bubblegum pink, to stop my rambling. Around Daddy, I didn’t say more than was necessary, but she would draw the chattiness out of a damned mute.
“Wait. Go back to talking about this Pete guy. About how young is he?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know. Thirty maybe?”
Her green eyes got wide, the sparkle in them telling me she’d just heard something she liked. “What does he look like? Is he cute?”
I couldn’t help the smile that sprang to my lips. “He’s cute enough. I couldn’t see his hair under his cowboy hat, but he had dark stubble on his chin and bright blue eyes. He smiled a lot, too, and kept telling these jokes that weren’t even a little bit funny.” I giggled now to think about it, though I hadn’t even smiled at the time. “He seems nice, though. Like he’d be a fair boss.”
She looked even more interested now. She sat up from her nest of pillows, shiny hair bouncing over her shoulders when she it flipped back and out of the way. “Is he single?”
I scrunched my face. “I don’t see how any of that’s my concern. I was paying more attention to his ranch. He has hundreds of acres of land, Kase. And, it’s well maintained, unlike some of the other ranches I’ve seen around here. It’s just on the other side of Round Rock.”
Kasey’s face had fallen a little more with every sentence I’d said that wasn’t about Pete Gains and his tan, muscled arms, and heart-stopping smile. “I don’t give a shit about his farm. I mean, I’m happy for you if you’re excited to work there with his horses and all his land. But none of that is interesting. I want to hear more about Pete!” She clasped her hands together over her chest as she said his name and batted long eyelashes that were black and sticky with mascara.
“I told you all I know,” I said.
“You left out the most important thing!” she said, her eyebrows pressing together, her disappointment in me abundantly clear.
I lifted my own eyebrows in response.
“Is he single?” She gave me a long look, her eyes narrowing into green slits. “Don’t act like you didn’t notice whether or not he was wearing a wedding ring.”
That didn’t always tell you what you wanted to know. Daddy still wore his ring. Although, it did what he meant it to do — keep interested middle-aged women from sniffing around or getting their hopes up.
“He wasn’t wearing a ring,” I admitted.
She whooped triumphantly, a smile breaking over her face and hair flying around as she lifted her arms in a mini celebration. It had been a while since I’d dated anyone, but damn, it hadn’t been that long. She made it sound like I’d been trapped in a convent.
“Don’t get too excited. I think he has a girlfriend. She was pulling up as I was pulling out. The way he looks, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had three girlfriends — one in Round Rock and two in Austin.”
Kasey didn’t let this news deter her for a second. If anything, she looked more determined. “Girlfriends don’t mean shit. No ring means he ain’t married. Which means he’s fair game.”
I pressed my lips together to give her a withering look that didn’t do a thing to wipe the grin off her face. “That’s terrible, Kasey. Is that how you’re living your life in Austin? Chasing after other girls’ boyfriends?”
She laughed her high, sweet laugh. “I don’t have to chase after anyone. And, neither do you.” She leaned back onto her pillows again. “But, I’m just saying, having a girlfriend isn’t the same thing as having a wife. That’s just a fact.”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t help smiling at my little sister’s logic.
“The first thing you need to find out is if he’s actually single,” she said.
I thought about the woman I saw driving onto the ranch as I was driving off. She could’ve been a friend or another person applying for the job minding the horses. He could be single, after all.
Not that it mattered. Once I started working, I wouldn’t have a spare minute to date. And, anyway, if I got the position on Pete Gains’s ranch, he’d be my boss, which would make him off limits, single or not.
Chapter Seven
Pete
Friday
I put halters on all the horses and led them one at a time out to the paddock for their morning feeding. I was breaking up hay bales for them when Lacey appeared around the other side of the barn. She leaned onto the wooden fence around the corral with both arms, watching me spread out the hay for our animals. Technically, everything on the farm belonged to me, but these horses were as much Lacey’s as they were mine. They probably liked her more, too.
As soon as I filled up the trough with cool, fresh water, I strode over to where she was resting her elbows on the fence. I tipped my hat back and wiped my sweaty forehead with my handkerchief. It was early, but getting hot fast. I had to make sure to keep the horses watered today, and both doors open on the barn to keep it ventilated.
“I think I’m going to hire that girl who came out a few days ago. Emma Flowers.” I liked saying her name for some reason. I mentioned her at the Texan this morning at breakfast, and the old timers all knew her father, John, said he was from a long line of ranchers going way back. He’d worked on farms his whole life and owned his own small chunk of land that he worked with his daughters.
Lacey dipped her head into a nod, her smile sharp, so I knew I was about to get a lecture. “Sounds good. Just make sure you keep it in your pants, cowboy. We need the help with the horses. You can’t be trying to date her.”
“She’s more than qualified, Lace,” I said, frowning.
“I know she is. But she’s cute as a button, too. You said so yourself. If you chase her off, I’m not picking up the slack. You’ll be the one taking on her duties.” She was still smiling, but her dark eyes were serious.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I grumbled. “Like I have time to date. The rodeo’ll be here in a few weeks. We have serious shit to do before then.”
“Alright, then,” she agreed, but she didn’t sound convinced.
I hopped over the fence and walked up to the house. I’d actually wanted to call Emma this morning after breakfast, but it’d only been seven o’clock. My mama taught me a decent person didn’t call anybody before nine. It was just past that right now.
I leaned against the wall next to the phone in my sunny kitchen and dialed her number.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Emma Flowers?” I recognized her voice but asked anyway, just to be sure. She did have a sister, after all.
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“Hi, Emma, it’s Pete from the ranch. Pete Gains.”
“Hi, Mr. Gains.”
My cheeks tingled red for no good reason. “Call me Pete. I’m too young to be Mr. Gains!” I laughed, but she didn’t. I cleared my throat, suddenly nervous. “I was calling to offer you the job with my horses, if you still want it.”
She didn’t answer right away. I half expected her to tell me she’d accepted a position someplace else, though I could tell she’d liked what the ranch had to offer.
“That would be great,” she said, not really sounding excited about it. She was harder to read over the phone than she’d been in person, and she’d been pretty damned hard to read in person.
“You can come out to the barn on Monday morning,” I said. “I’m usually up before the sun is.” I tittered a little at that. There was nothing but silence on her end. I wondered if she had a sense of humor. It wasn’t a requirement for doing the job, but it sure did help the day go by. I’d have to see if I could get her to come around. We worked hard on the ranch, but we liked to have fun, too.
“I’ll see you then. Thanks, Mr. Ga…Pete.”
I hung up the phone and wandered back outside again and got back to working. There was always so much to do on the ranch and only two people to do it. It wo
uld be nice to have someone else on the property full time.
At the end of a long day, once all the horses were fed and put away for the night and Lacey had left for her place, I sank onto my favorite spot on the porch to watch the sun set over the ranch while I picked through what I knew about Emma Flowers. She was a locked safe. But that only made me more interested about what might be hidden inside. Hopefully, a sense of humor. Or at least a smile. Damn.
I looked over at Riley, who was lying flat in front of the steps down to the yard, his skinny legs sticking out.
“We got a new girl starting on Monday, Riley,” I said to him.
He took a deep breath and let it out again, his side rising and falling, but he didn’t lift his head.
“Lacey’s right, I can’t get involved with her. No matter how pretty she is. Not that she seems the least bit interested. But that’s a good thing, too. She really knows what she’s doing. It would be bad for the farm if something happened between us. You know?”
Now he lifted his head, staring over at me with his black eyes, his mouth opening and pink tongue lolling out. He wagged his tail once, thumping it on the porch.
I nodded and he put his head down again. “Glad we agree, old boy.” I sat back in my seat, content to watch the sunset paint the sky pink, purple, and blue.
Chapter Eight
Emma
Monday
I’d set my alarm for four thirty in the morning, not wanting to be late to my first day on the Gains Ranch, though I hadn’t actually been given an exact time to turn up. I was showered, dressed, and out in the car by five thirty, with a full belly and plenty of nerves running through me about the new position.
Not the job itself. I knew I was capable of taking care of anything on the farm, having done it for years on Daddy’s property. It was everything else that got me jittery as a new foal.