Saddled and Spurred

by James, Lorelei

  “You trying to scare me off?”

  “No, I’m sharin’ the cold hard facts so you know what you’re up against.”

  “So you’re considering me for the job?”

  Say no. “Possibly. Can you work seven days a week?”

  Harper paled a little. “Ah. Sure.”

  “It’s only until we’re through the worst of calving. Then it’ll be more normal.”

  “Normal being … what?”

  “Six in the morning until four in the afternoon.”

  “What’s the pay?”

  Bran shrugged. “Negotiable.”

  “That isn’t a dollar amount. I need a solid number.”

  He tossed out a number, but he honestly wasn’t sure what Les made. “One hundred dollars a day.”

  Her eyes widened. “For how many hours a day?”

  Harper wasn’t the pushover he’d imagined. Not that he would take advantage of her, but it was encouraging that she paid attention to details. Maybe she’d be detail-oriented on the job too. “A ten-hour day. Obviously any hours you logged over forty in a seven-day period you’d get paid time and a half. Paychecks are cut every other week by my accountant.” He drained his coffee. “Is that more or less money than you expected?”

  “More.”

  Well, well. Miss Half A Dozen Beauty Titles didn’t hedge either. “I ain’t gonna lie. It’s damn hard work.”

  “I know.” Harper’s forehead crinkled and he was as fascinated by her coy demeanor as the long, sooty eyelashes that brushed her cheek. Those had to be fake, didn’t they?

  Bran’s cell phone rang, breaking his contemplation of other parts of Harper that might be fake. “Hello.”

  “Thought I’d catch ya nappin’.”

  He snorted. “I’m nappin’ just about as much as you are these days, Hank. What’s up?”

  “Same old, same old. Lainie wants to know if you’re free for supper tonight.”

  “Sure. I’ve always got time for supper with a pretty woman.”

  He felt Harper’s curious gaze.

  “You are aware I’ll be there too,” Hank said dryly.

  “A man can hope against that.” When Hank made a snarling noise, Bran laughed. “What time?”

  “Six-ish?”

  “I’ll be there. Tell her thanks.” He hung up and looked at Harper.

  She set her empty coffee cup on the table and met his gaze. “So, where do we stand on this? Are you gonna give me a shot?”

  Bran gave her a head-to-toe inspection, frowning at her attire. “Be here tomorrow. Six a.m. And for God’s sake, leave the pearls, beauty sash, silk shirt, fuck-me stiletto boots, and tiaras at home. Come dressed ready to get down and dirty with me.”

  Six hours later Bran shifted from boot to boot as he waited on the Lawsons’ front porch. He knocked again.

  The door swung open and Hank grinned at him. “Ah. Sorry we didn’t hear you knock. But you are early.”

  The top two buttons on Hank’s shirt were undone and his shirttail was untucked. Guilt kicked Bran in the ass at seeing his friend’s state of undress. Since Hank and Lainie lived with Hank’s brother, Abe, alone time was rare for them. Hank had been busting ass building a house a quarter mile away from this, the Lawson homeplace. Weather, work, and finances kept the sprawling ranch house from getting finished as fast as Hank and Lainie would’ve liked. But they weren’t willing to sacrifice any amenities, and that meant waiting.

  Hank said, “Wanna beer?”

  “Sure.” Bran followed Hank into the kitchen. The delicious scents of roasted meat and a chocolaty dessert filled his nostrils. His mouth watered—Lainie was a helluva cook. Hank handed over a bottle of Moose Drool.

  “You broke out the good beer. We celebrating something?”

  “It’s a step up from Bud Light, but it ain’t exactly high end.” Hank twisted the cap off his bottle. “The only thing we’re celebrating is bein’ at the ass end of calving season.”

  “How many you got left?”

  “Forty. As soon as we’re done, I’m hitting house construction hard. I’ve lined up a couple of guys to help out.”

  “Anything I can do to speed stuff up?”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  Lainie waltzed into the kitchen, and Bran couldn’t help but notice how Hank’s face lit up. She wrapped her arms around him and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. Hank chuckled and whispered back before planting a kiss square on her smirking mouth. She turned around. “Bran. I’m glad you could make it.”

  “Thanks for the invite.”

  “No, thank you. I’m afraid Hank’s gotten tired of my company.”

  “Never.” Hank kissed the top of her head. “You want a beer?”

  “No. I’d rather have a glass of wine.”

  Bran wondered if Harper drank wine. She didn’t seem like the beer-drinking type. Actually, she didn’t seem like the type who drank at all.

  What does it matter? Ain’t like you’re gonna be swilling beers with her after the workday ends.

  “Tell us what’s new in your world,” Hank said.

  “Well, I’m not as far along calving as you guys are. I’ve got another solid month before it’ll taper off. Oh, and I hired a new hand today.”

  Hank’s eyebrows lifted. “Really? Where’d you find one?” “Actually Celia’s the one who hooked me up.”

  Lainie and Hank exchanged a look.

  Oh, hell, no. They hadn’t been in on it too? “Did you know who Celia sent to my front door?”

  “No. It’s just … we haven’t heard from Celia since the new rodeo season started,” Lainie said.

  “Why’s that?”

  Hank shrugged. “Who knows with that girl? But me’n Lainie suspect it has something to do with Nancy, Abe’s girlfriend. They didn’t exactly hit it off over Christmas. She mention anything about it to you?”

  Even if Celia had complained, Bran wouldn’t have broken her confidence. Plus, he didn’t like Abe’s new girlfriend either. “Nope.”

  “So who’s your new hired hand?”

  Bran took a long swallow of his beer. “Harper Masterson.”

  Both Lainie’s and Bran’s mouths fell open in shock. “Harper? You’ve gotta be kiddin’.”

  “’Fraid not. Of course, Celia didn’t tell me Harper was the ‘perfect’ hired hand when she called. Nor did she tell Harper that I had no clue Celia had sent her my way.”

  “But Harper is so …”

  Beautiful? Built? Sexy?

  Annoyed at the direction of his thoughts, Bran said, “She’s so what?”

  “‘Inexperienced’ comes to mind,” Hank said cautiously.

  Lainie shook her head. “She’s probably that too, but the truth is Harper keeps to herself after that nasty business with her mother. She’s kind of shy—that’s probably why Celia stepped in. Why was Harper looking for work?”

  Bran didn’t feel comfortable blabbing Harper’s problems to his friends. “All I know is Harper showed up on Celia’s recommendation.” He knocked back another swig of beer. “I’ve decided to give her a chance.”

  Lainie and Hank exchanged another look.

  “Jesus. Would you guys stop doin’ that married couple silent communication crap? It’s fuckin’ annoying. Just come right out and ask me the goddamn question.”

  Hank flashed his teeth. “Fine. Did you hire Harper because of the way she looks?”

  Bran grinned back at his nosy friend. “No. Although I’ll admit that’s a plus. A big plus. But the real reason is Harper’s only gonna be around Muddy Gap about as long as Les is laid up, so it seemed like a sign.”

  “Then where’s she goin’?”

  “No clue. She told me as soon as her little sister graduates from high school they’re both outta here.”

  “Did you tell her that staying overnight at your place was part of the job?”

  Hank had known Bran long enough to understand that Harper was exactly the type of woman Bran was attracted to. But women th
at hot and gorgeous never reciprocated the attraction, so he’d always shied away from them.

  “Let it go, Hank,” Lainie warned.

  Surprisingly, Hank did. He passed out another round of beers.

  “Where’s Abe tonight?” Bran asked.

  “At Nancy’s.”

  “Thank God she ain’t here again,” Hank muttered. “I never thought my brother would find a woman I liked less than Janie, but I’ll be goddamned if he didn’t.”

  “I never understood your beef with Janie. If I’d had to put up with Abe’s ‘master of the house’ bullshit, I’da left him too.”

  Hank scowled at Bran.

  “Master of the house?” Lainie repeated, swirling the wine in her glass. “Do tell. All I’ve ever heard about the ex-wife is how she left poor Abe high and dry.”

  Bran shrugged. “In my opinion, Abe married Janie wanting her to be just like his mom. A happy homemaker whose only purpose was to service this ranch and the Lawson family’s needs. When Janie turned out not to be that type … Abe tried to force her into becoming that type. Janie’s biggest issue was the living situation. She didn’t want to live with Hank and Celia indefinitely. She wanted them to have their own place. Instead of keeping his wife’s confidence, Abe told you and Celia and you both hated her. Abe chose his family over his wife. That’s why Janie left. And who could blame her? Not me.”

  Hank wore a look of shock, as if he’d never considered that Janie needed alone time with her husband. A feeling Bran knew Lainie understood, and now Hank did too—hence they were building their own house.

  Lainie ran her hand up Hank’s arm. “There was no way you could’ve known. And it wasn’t your problem to solve. It was Abe’s.”

  “How is it that you know so much about my brother’s ex-wife?” Hank asked suspiciously.

  “She adored my grandma and she missed her after she passed on, so she kept coming around since I was the closest neighbor. Besides, wasn’t like she had anyone else to talk to after you and Celia shut her out.”

  “Why didn’t Abe know any of this?”

  “Because he didn’t ask her. It wasn’t my place to tell him—you know how he gets.”

  Lainie nodded in total understanding.

  “But I’m really goddamned happy you two ain’t makin’ the same mistake. No one said because you run the ranch together that you had to live together forever like the fuckin’ Waltons. And why would you want to?”

  Silence.

  Then Lainie laughed.

  Hank clapped Bran on the shoulder. “Remind me again why you’re still single?”

  “Fuck off.”

  During the meal, they caught up on their friends’ lives. Gauging Kyle Gilchrist’s chances of winning the CRA world championship bull riding title. Talking about Devin McClain’s newest CD and world tour. Speculating if Eli Whirling Cloud’s plans to rehabilitate injured horses—racing and rodeo—with the help of their pal, veterinarian August Fletcher, would be a successful venture. Discussing Celia’s minuscule chances of beating out Lainie’s buddy, world championship barrel racer Tanna Barker, for the title this year.

  As Hank cleared the plates, Lainie brooded into her half-empty wineglass.

  “Something goin’ on in that pretty head of yours, Missus Lawson?”

  She smiled. “Flatterer. Talking about life on the road and such … I’m just worried about Celia.”

  “That makes two of us,” Hank said. “How often does my little sister call you, Bran?”

  “Occasionally.”

  “And how was she? I mean, did she act different?”

  “No. She seemed fine when I talked to her. Why?”

  “Probably nothin’. We’re pretty sure Celia is seein’ a guy on the circuit, but she won’t fess up to who it is. Makes us wonder if she’s embarrassed or something.”

  Bran drained his beer. “You want me to point out the obvious? She’s an adult, entitled to a life that don’t got nothin’ to do with you guys.”

  Hank glowered at him.

  So Bran decided to poke him, just for fun. “You know, I wish I could see Celia as the gorgeous, sexy woman she is and not as the pesky little tomboy sister that she was. It’d make all our lives easier if we got hitched. She’s aware of what it takes to run a ranch, we could have tons of babies and horses, and she’d live close enough to annoy the hell out of you and Abe forever.”

  Instead of snarling, Hank shot Bran a sly look. “Tell you what. If you propose to her and she accepts? As a dowry I’ll give you those fifty acres down by the creek that you love.”

  “Hank! That is not even funny,” Lainie said, swatting at him.

  Bran grinned. “If I thought I had a snowball’s chance in hell that Celia would go for it, I’d suggest it. But I’ve seen that girl castrate calves. I shudder to think what she’d do to me if I offered to marry her on her brother’s behalf.”

  The front door opened. Voices echoed from the entryway and Hank threaded his fingers through Lainie’s when she tensed.

  Abe and Nancy came into the kitchen. Abe clapped Bran on the back. “Hey. How’s calving been so far?”

  “Slow. Not quite to where you guys are, as I’ve barely started.”

  “There’s a lesson for you,” Nancy said. “Maybe you should get Abe’s advice before you turn the bulls out with the herd so your calving doesn’t lag so far behind everyone else’s.”

  Bran froze. Had this woman actually just told him how to better manage his cattle operation? What the hell did she know? She worked as a secretary in an auto repair shop.

  Abe looked embarrassed. “Nancy, Bran runs one of the most successful cattle businesses in the county. Me’n Hank should be takin’ his advice, not the other way around.”

  But Nancy had tuned Abe out. She frowned at the dishes piled by the sink and the food scattered across the countertop. “Why in the world didn’t you clean up after you finished eating? I hate coming home to a dirty kitchen.” With a dramatic sigh, she headed to the sink.

  Lainie said, “Leave them. I planned to do them after our company left.”

  Nancy ignored Lainie. How the woman could be oblivious to the tension in the room—tension she’d caused—boggled Bran’s mind.

  Water ran. Dishes clanked. Hank glared at Abe. Abe merely shrugged.

  Lainie pushed to her feet. “I said I’d do them, Nancy.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not fine.” Lainie reached over and shut off the water. “I don’t do things on your timetable. And I’m not going to let you run roughshod over me in my own damn kitchen and continue to embarrass me in front of our friend. Now please leave.”

  Nancy’s head whipped around and she gave Abe a hangdog look, as if she expected him to intervene on her behalf.

  Abe didn’t.

  She snagged a towel, dried her hands, and stomped away. Abe trailed behind her. Ten seconds later Abe’s bedroom door slammed shut with enough force that the dishes in the china hutch rattled.

  This Nancy woman was trouble. She’d already driven a wedge between Abe and his siblings. Sadly, Bran had seen it happen many times with families whose working lives were tied to the family ranch. Hatred and resentment ripped families clean apart simply because of a sibling’s unfortunate marital choice. It’d kill Bran to see the Lawsons so divided, but it would happen if Abe didn’t pull his head out of his ass and rid himself of Nasty Nancy.

  Bran donned his coat and hat and said his good-byes. For the first time ever, he was damn glad to be an only child.

  Chapter Three

  The following morning, Bran said, “Let’s take a ride in the truck and I’ll show you around the ranch. That’ll give you a better breakdown of what I need in a worker. Sound fair?”

  “I suppose so.”

  They dressed in winter gear—hers appropriate today except for the bright purple zebra-striped scarf and matching gloves. Bran led her to his Dodge Diesel quad cab. When Harper started to put her seat belt on, Bran shook his head. “Not t
hat I ain’t about safety first, but you’re gonna be hopping in and out of the truck, opening gates. Top speed in this rig as we’re checkin’ stuff out is never more than twenty miles per hour.”

  “I remember the gate thing from helping Celia.”

  “So you ain’t completely green?”

  Harper smiled brazenly. “Oh, I’m completely green.”

  At the first barbed wire gate, he gave her the rundown. “This one is the old loop kind. Lift the loop off the fence post and pull the gate inward. I’ll drive through and you close it behind us.”

  She hopped out and followed his directions to the letter. For some perverted reason, that caused him to wonder whether she would follow directions in the bedroom that easily too.

  Her voice startled him out of his mental porn starring the former Miss Sweet Grass. “You work all by yourself? No other family members?”

  When phrased that way, it sounded awful damn lonely.

  It is, isn’t it?

  “I’ve been doin’ everything since my grandparents died. But truthfully, they were getting on in years as I was growing up, so I’ve been running this place by myself since I was seventeen. I’m an only child of an only child, so it ain’t like I’ve got a lot of choice.” Don’t give her your life story, dumb ass, especially when it’s so damn boring. He paused at the next gate. “This one’s got a hook on the top.”

  She slid from the cab. It took two tries, but she managed to open the gate. After she climbed back inside, she said, “This gate opening and shutting thing takes twice as long when you’re by yourself?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Bran focused on the cattle huddled by the windbreak. One was lying down, away from the herd. “You ever seen a live birth?”

  Harper faced him, her eyes wary. “Umm, no. Not human or dog or cat or cow.”

  “Well, that’s about to change.” He pointed to the prone cow. “Stick close and watch.” Bran threw the truck in park, facing away from the laboring animal. “Let’s go.”

  The snow crust was hard enough that he didn’t break through as he started downhill. Harper stayed plenty close; he practically felt her breath on the back of his neck. He kept himself in the mother cow’s direct line of vision so she wouldn’t bolt.