Conquering Love

by Willow Summers

  Jake’s silence rang through the barn.

  Greg dropped the last of the feedbags and moved to the hay in the middle of the barn, feeling like he was moving through molasses.

  “It’s gotta be harder.” Jake appeared between the empty stalls and leaned a hand on the wood, staring vaguely in Greg’s direction. “She needs a reason. Needs a bigger mountain.”

  Greg grunted as he picked up a bale of hay. “Don’t know what that means, bro.”

  Jake’s eyes homed in on him. “Wait.” His body disappeared again.

  Greg stared after him, struck dumb. “What am I waiting for?”

  “Life.”

  Greg grabbed another bale of hay. Sarcastically, he said, “Thanks for the pep talk. The way is clear, grasshopper.”

  He had waited, a long time, and still Christie wasn’t biting. No matter what Jake said, who was single, Greg didn’t see Christie coming around. She had always been interested in somebody, including the young, pudgy guy that used to work the summer season, but it had never been Greg. There were many things it could be, but probably only one that it actually was.

  “Ready?” Christie bobbed in the doorway to her and Paige’s shared bedroom. Paige emerged from the bathroom with makeup adorning her perfect face, and her hair straightened and curled just so.

  “We’ll be outside,” Christie said, holding a gray hoodie.

  “I know.” Paige picked up a designer sweatshirt from her bed and checked the front of her white blouse where it tucked into her wide, brown belt. She then wiped the toe of her matching boots, clearing off an unseen speck.

  “You’re not worried you’ll get dirty?” Christie asked, clutching her hoodie a little tighter. She felt horribly underdressed.

  Paige smiled in that condescending way cool girls always did. “I don’t plan to roll around in the dirt.” She gave a small laugh and tucked her arm through Christie’s. “Anyway, tell me all about yourself. Where are you from?”

  “I’ve lived in town here for the past year. I decided to stay after last season.”

  “So…you’re not even in college?”

  Christie flicked her ponytail and played up an unaffected tone. “No. I wanted to experience the world a little before I went back.”

  “Oh, totally. That’s smart. I thought about doing that, too. I was going to go to Europe, but daddy threatened to stop my allowance if I didn’t stay in school, so…”

  “So you came here instead of going to Europe?” Christie did everything in her power to erase the longing in her voice. She’d always wanted to go to Europe.

  “Daddy said I should learn a little about ranch life. We own a lot of land.” She stopped in front of the door leading out of the house. Christie stopped with her, not sure what was happening. Paige let out a little huff of annoyance before sauntering forward and opening the door before walking through. “I won’t ever have to run it, of course.” Paige carefully stepped around a rock. “Daddy has help for that. And Ronson, my brother. But it’s good to know the family business.”

  “Right. So you’re waitressing instead of working the land?”

  “That’s the only position they had open.”

  “Why didn’t you just try another ranch?” Christie ducked a swinging branch that Paige let go.

  “I’ve seen the survival expert on TV. I want to meet him…” The way she said it, suggestive and assured, made anger boil up through Christie so fast and hot she wavered.

  “He’s married with a baby on the way,” Christie said, trying to control her tone,

  “I heard. Pity.” She laughed. “But anyway, this was as good a place as any, and I’m inclined to think better than most.”

  “It is great.” Christie thapped a branch as she passed, calming down. She didn’t have much humor where Mike and Sara were concerned. She would cut a bitch if she had to.

  “Anyway,” Christie said, hopping over a log. “There are lots of nice looking cowboys around here. You won’t be disappointed.”

  “Hmm.”

  They stepped through the threshold of the barn where other employees gathered, waiting for the start of the year meeting. Leather and metal climbed the walls and littered the shelves. Saddles were organized away to the side and in the middle of the lines of empty stalls sat a stack of hay bails that the owner, Dan, would stand on to make his announcements.

  “And here come the triangle boys. Eye candy,” Christie said as she nudged Paige.

  A line of straight-faced men entered the barn with purposeful strides. Lean and chiseled, their bodies bespoke a tough living in a wild environment. Shoulders bunched and muscles flexed as they moved, all incredibly in shape and very well defined.

  “These are the permanent employees,” Christie explained as Mike walked in with Sara in tow. Sara looked around before seeing Christie. She threw up a wave and smiled. “They run the ranch and operations. That’s Mike, and his wife Sara.” Christie pointed.

  “She’s pretty.” Paige tossed her hair. “Oh, hel-lo. Who’s that?”

  Christie followed the quickly pointed finger. “That’s Noah. With the red shirt, you mean?”

  “No, he’s a boy. No, the guy behind him.”

  As if hearing that he was the subject of scrutiny, Greg’s eyes turned their way. His gaze stuck to Christie for a moment before he flashed his lopsided grin. He pinched the brim of his cowboy hat before assuming his position in a line with the others.

  “That’s Greg. He manages the horses,” Christie said, smiling at her friend.

  “Hmm.”

  It was clear from her tone that Paige liked what she saw.

  Somewhat confused, because Christie had always thought Mike was the hottest one in town, she looked more closely at Greg. High cheekbones and a strong jaw accented a chiseled face. His nose was narrow and straight leading to full lips that smiled often. His full brows and long, black lashes gave his eyes a dramatic look while that unique, dusty green could certainly induce a swoon.

  Christie shrugged and noticed Dan walking toward the hay bales with May, his wife, right behind him. “Greg’s sweet. I’ve never thought of him as a sex pot.”

  “He looks rugged.” Paige brushed a curl so it hung over her shoulder. “Which means sweet is good. Sweet means he spends a lot of time on the girl in bed.”

  “Phew. How long will Dan go on?” Christie said, shaking out her arms as Dan got into his spiel about the origins of the ranch. He made the same speech every year.

  “Have you heard?” Paige asked in a whisper.

  “What?” Christie asked, looking over the new faces for the season. Most seemed very young, barely older than eighteen. Or maybe that just seemed young a she was getting older.

  “Have you heard how he is in bed?”

  Christie scoffed as Dan made a joke about May. “I don’t pay attention. He’s a friend.”

  Paige turned her attention to Christie. “You’re friends with him?”

  Christie ignored the strategizing in the other woman’s tone. “Yes. Listen—they’re about to go over the jobs up for grabs.”

  “Hey everyone,” Sara started, holding onto her clipboard and giving a shy sort of smile. This was the first time she was speaking to seasonal help in a professional setting. “I have a list of tasks that we need help with around the ranch. If you volunteer for any of these tasks, it will allow you to get points toward extracurricular activities, like horse back riding or survival classes. Any questions?”

  “Does this include us?” A scrawny guy standing with all the cowboys along the far wall inched forward. He wore black-rimmed glasses pushed high on his nose. One of the guys behind him snickered and nudged him. He bumped into another cowboy, who jostled him. “What? I was just asking!”

  “No, Richard, this doesn’t include you.” Sara’s mouth twisted as though she was trying to hold back a smile. And totally failing. “You have plenty to be getting on with.”

  “Yeah, Dick,” Noah said with a grin. “You have plenty.”

&nbs
p; “It’s Richard,” the guy with the glasses said.

  Christie groaned. “He’s just asking to get picked on.”

  “Who?”

  “The nerdy guy with the glasses.” Christie pointed him out. “These guys are all macho men. They razz each other on a normal basis. If someone sticks out, they’ll attack. It’s all in good fun, but that guy Richard doesn’t look like he can take a joke. Which means these guys will make a lot of them. At Richard’s expense. I think it’s a form of hazing, but it’s still a little rough.”

  Paige barely glanced in Richard’s direction.

  Christie shrugged as Sara read out some of Jake’s jobs. She didn’t specify that they were for Jake, but Christie knew the drill by now. And she intended to steer clear. She did not intend to work that hard.

  “Cleaning the horse stalls…” Sara read off the clipboard. She glanced up as Christie raised her hand, along with all the rest of the girls. “Christie, great.” Sara gave her a small smile before writing the name down.

  “Our Christie loves cleaning the stalls,” Dan joked.

  “That used to be one of Mike’s tasks,” Christie told Paige. “I had a crush on him so I wanted to work with him. All the girls did. Except Sara. Fitting, that.”

  Monitoring the petting zoo came up. Christie flung up her hand, and once again got the position. It was good to be best friends with the lady in charge.

  “Aren’t you going to help out?” Christie asked Paige.

  Paige huffed and checked her watch. “No. If I wanted to handle horse poop, I could do it on my family’s ranch.”

  “They have some pretty good classes and activities here, though.”

  “I’ve already signed up for the ones I want. They do accept money, you know.” Paige laughed and lightly nudged Christie.

  Sara, having read all the classes and gotten the volunteers, stepped down from the hay bail. Dan got up, wished everyone a great season, and informed them that dinner would be served in the fire pit area.

  “That’s our cue,” Christie said, heading away.

  “Wait, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Paige grabbed Christie’s arm and pulled.

  Christie half-staggered after Paige. “We can meet up with them later. We really need to—”

  Greg walked toward them with his eyes gleaming in good humor. “New cook?” he asked, looking at Paige in a friendly way.

  “Yup.” Christie bobbed her head. “She’s going to help me take on the jerk sisters. This is Paige. Paige, this is Greg.”

  “Pleasure.” Greg reached out his hand to shake.

  Paige gave a sultry smile and cupped the top of his hand. Did she expect him to kiss it, or something?

  “Anyway, we gotta go.” Christie stepped away. “Florence and Ethel get pissed when we’re late. You know the drill.”

  “Glad I’m not working for them.” Greg’s eyes stayed rooted to Christie for a second. In the harsh light of the barn, she thought she saw a sadness there. A spark of distance. He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a step back.

  “You alright?” Christie asked, almost stepping forward and patting his shoulder. “Everything cool?”

  “Of course.” He looked at Paige briefly before tipping his hat. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’ll see you again.” Paige peered through her eyelashes at him.

  With a last glance at Christie, Greg turned toward the inner barn where Mike and Sara were talking with Dan and May.

  “That was weird,” Christie said to herself as she turned toward the main house.

  “He barely looked at me. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, does he?” Paige asked.

  “No, he doesn’t. But yeah, he was weirdly distant tonight.” Christie tapped her chest, remembering his look of defeat when she’d basically sprinted out of his hug. He’d just been playing around, but her small freak out might’ve made him think she had taken it wrong.

  She made a sound like blech. “It’s probably my fault. I suck.”

  “Do they post schedules for the permanent employees?” Paige asked.

  Christie showed her the way to the kitchens, realizing they were in two completely different head-spaces. “No. You’ll just have to stalk him the old fashioned way.”

  “So good of you to show up,” Ethel yelled in a snotty tone as Christie ducked into the large, industrial kitchen and snatched an apron off the hook.

  “I am good, I know. I love that you noticed.” Christie gave the middle-aged woman with a rat’s nest of hair a mischievous grin.

  “If you could cook half as good as you think you can, you might not be useless.” Florence scowled at her.

  “Jesus Florence, way to make a simple statement as confusing as possible. That put-down almost didn’t work.” Christie chose her knife. She jerked her head in Paige’s direction. “That’s Paige.”

  “What the hell is Paige wearing? This is a kitchen, not a disco.” Florence’s lip lifted into a silent snarl. She looked like a rabid animal.

  “A disco? Florence, you’re showing your age again.” Christie smiled at Paige. “They’re harmless and humorless. You’ll get used to them.”

  Ethel huffed. “Get working. You’re wasting time.”

  “Yes, sir!” Christie pulled the vegetables over. She let her surroundings dim as she started her task. Her brain focused in and blocked everything out. Everything but that look of Greg’s. His step away. Something about it gave her uncomfortable jitters.

  Chapter 4

  “Did you see the new girl?” Pete, a guy in his late twenties who started on the ranch a few years ago and had absolutely no drive to better himself or his position, picked up a bale of hay and moved it back with the others. “She was so damn hot.”

  “Here Greg.” Sara handed him a sheet of paper. She looked at Pete. “The blond one?”

  Pete pushed up the bill of his cap. “Yeah the blond one. Who else?”

  “She was too manufactured,” Noah said as he looked over his own list. “Aw man, I have to do the petting zoo?” He dropped the page and gave Sara a pleading look. “I’m not good with kids, Sara. That’ll be a disaster.”

  “You need to get good.” Sara gave Mike a page. “This is a family getaway. You have to be able to work with children.”

  “That’s not a great spot for him to learn, though,” Mike said, scanning his list. “There are a lot of accidents, stumbles, cut knees—”

  Sara bit her lip in indecision.

  “I’ll take it,” Greg said, holding out his hand for Sara’s pencil. “I can handle the brats.” He gave Sara a joking grin.

  “That’s because you are a brat.” Sara made a note on her page before handing the pencil over. “Okay. What are you going to trade him?”

  “I’ll take your horse stall mucking,” Noah said quickly.

  Greg was about to concede when he saw who his helper was. “Nah. How about the Tuesday hike?”

  “You want to hold onto that horse gig because you’ve got Christie in it, you dick.” Noah held his hand out for the pencil. “Fine. Hiking.”

  “Why do you guys keeping calling me Dick?” Richard yelled from the back of the barn.

  Sara glanced behind her before shaking her head with a smile. She grabbed the pencil back from Noah.

  “Hey! I wasn’t done.”

  “Why does no one bring pencils?” Sara asked, exasperated.

  “Because we’re not nerds,” Greg said.

  “Yes, you are.” Sara passed back the pencil and looked in Pete’s direction. “What was the new girl doing wearing that outfit, though? It’s going to get ruined.”

  “I doubt she’s the type of girl to get dirty,” Mike said, slipping a hand around Sara’s middle.

  “How could she not get dirty? It’s a ranch. With large animals. Get—” Sara pushed Mike’s chest with her elbow. “—outta here. I’m working.”

  “Yes, ma’am. How’s this?” He moved around behind her and encircled her upper body with his arms, trapping her to him.
/>   “Would you—” she wriggled, her words interrupted with giggles, “—quit? Seriously, I’m working.”

  “I doubt that new girl is the kind to do much work,” Noah said. “She didn’t sign up for anything.”

  “What do you got against gorgeous girls?” Pete asked, passing by with rope and tackle.

  “Nothing. I like gorgeous girls. But she wasn’t gorgeous, she was purchased. Those lips were filled, that nose was just a little too chiseled on the end, and no way were those boobs real. I’d bet on it.”

  “I’ll motorboat them and let you know.” Pete grinned.

  “How do you know so much about plastic surgery?” Sara asked suspiciously.

  “My older sister is in Hollywood.” Noah tucked his list into his back pocket. “She’s had a bunch of work done. Ruined her face, in my opinion, but she fits in down there. No originality.”

  “Then who do you think is hot?” Pete asked, leaning against the wall.

  A desiring grin spread across Noah’s face. “Christie’s a looker…”

  Pete thought for a moment, scratching his chin. “Yeah. I’d do her in a heartbeat.”

  Greg stiffened, turning toward Pete.

  Pete noticed and flung up his hands. “Very respectfully, of course. I’d take her out first.”

  Noah started laughing. “You’re going to get a fat lip, bro. Greg doesn’t have a sense of humor as far as that one is concerned.”

  “Neither do I,” Sara said with warning in her voice.

  “What’s up with that, Gibson? Can’t close the deal?” one of the other ranch hands asked, ignoring Sara.

  Greg folded up his paper. “Guess not. She’s untouchable.”

  He walked out of the barn with Noah at his side and the others following behind.

  “She is hot,” Pete said thoughtfully. “Too smart, though. She’s always making jokes and half the time I have no idea what to say back.”

  “Listen,” Noah said to Greg in a low tone. He glanced behind him as they made their way to the fire pit. Everyone else had fallen back a little. “I know you’re kinda jonesing after her, but it’s been a while. Is it cool if I ask her out?”