Count This Cowboy In

by Malone, Misty

"You're late."

  Glancing down at her watch to see that she was eight minutes late, she said, "Yes, I am and I apologize. There were some cattle out down here ––"

  "I'm not much interested in excuses. I want someone who can read a watch and be on time."

  "I'm sorry, sir, but there was a ––"

  "Again, not interested in excuses. If you think you can be on time when you're working here you can come on in." He moved out of the way and walked into the house, obviously expecting Sam to follow him.

  She watched his retreating back a few moments, turned around and looked back toward where she'd been talking with Joe and turned back toward the house. "Excuse me, Mr. Morton?"

  He stopped walking and turned around, looking at her. He sighed and said, "What?"

  In a calm, level, sweet voice that was extremely difficult for her to maintain, she said, "If I'm driving down a road again and see a wild boar about to attack an innocent calf, and cows so worked up they charge through a fence, I'm going to stop and do what I can to help the animals. If that makes me eight minutes late getting here or anywhere else, I will apologize, but there's not much else I can do. If that makes me not acceptable to you or up to your standards, I'm sorry, but that's not acceptable to me and I just don't think this job is up to my standards. Have a good day."

  She turned around to leave, but walked right into a solid mass of something. That solid mass had arms that came out to steady her and it appeared to be chuckling. She looked up and saw Joe, smiling down at her.

  "I see you've met Ralph," Joe said.

  Mr. Morton was back at the door now and asked his foreman, "Do you know her? Do you know what the devil she's talking about?"

  "I just met her, Ralph. I'll explain it all later, but in my opinion you should offer her a job as a ranch hand." Holding up his hand to stop the objection he knew was coming, he said, "But I know you won't. I don't think you two would ever get along with her as your housekeeper and I think it would be wasting her talents, so I think you two should part ways now, before either of you has time to get any more upset with the other."

  He turned to Sam. "I wish you luck finding a job around here. If you need a reference, tell them to talk to Joe at The Babbling Brook. Most ranchers around here know me."

  Sam smiled as she said, "Thank you, Joe. I appreciate it."

  "Thank you for your help. That hog and a few others have been causing a ruckus around here for a while now. That was the big one and I'm real glad it's gone."

  "You're welcome. Sorry I just let it lay there. I trust you'll take care of it?"

  "I will. I hope I see you around town."

  Sam smiled at him as she climbed back into her pickup and turned around. She waved at Mr. Morton, who was still scowling, now at both her and Joe and headed down the lane.

  She drove toward The Bar T, hoping to have better luck there. So far she'd pretty much struck out. She checked her phone, but was disappointed. Still no call from Trevor at The Circle N. That was the job that sounded best to her, but apparently he wasn't looking for anyone or he would have returned her call.

  An hour and a half later Sam was leaving The Bar T, job offer in hand. The problem was, she wasn't at all happy with the offer. They had an extra bedroom in their house she could stay in, but they expected an awful lot, in her opinion. She would be fixing breakfast and dinner all the time for the whole family and lunch for just him during the school year, all of them in the summer and on Saturday. She would also be doing all the cleaning in the house and laundry, as well as watching the kids at times when their mother was busy or out doing something. She had the impression that would be quite often in the summer and on Saturdays. She would have Sunday off, but would be expected to make meals on Saturday that just needed to be heated for Sunday.

  With four kids, that sounded like an awful lot to ask of one person, especially for the salary they offered. She'd told them she wanted to consider all her options and would let them know. Although she wasn't really considering the job offer at The Crooked Elm, she did have options. She could always move on down the road a ways and try looking for work again. But she liked this little town and she liked Sally and was hoping to find something here. She had a lot to think about tonight.

  As she was driving back toward town she saw a sign up ahead that said The Circle N. She pulled into the lane and looked toward the house and barns. The Circle N was a nice looking ranch. She really wished he would have returned her call. On a whim she went up to the house. Maybe he never got the message. What harm could it do to stop and ask?

  * * * * *

  Trevor Nottingham was sitting in his office staring at his computer, wishing something on it made sense to him. He glanced outside at the sunshine and growled. He had work he should be doing out there. Heaven knew he'd rather be doing it. Even fixing fences beat this blasted office work. But somehow he had to figure out why he got 144 pairs of welding gloves instead of 12 and he had to pay some bills. He got a past due notice in the mail and he knew if he got one, there'd be more coming. If only he knew how to work this blasted thing.

  Just as he had convinced himself it was time to concentrate on the computer again he noticed a pickup coming up the lane. He looked at it closer, but didn't recognize it. Great. One more thing to slow him down. It was probably someone wanting paid for something. If he knew how to work that darn computer he'd be happy to pay him.

  He watched as a cute little strawberry blond pixie slid out of the old pickup and headed toward the house. She was cute as a button. She looked like a gal on a mission, but she sure didn't look like a bill collector. He stood and went to the door, opening it just as she was raising her hand to knock. He saw her jump and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I saw you pull in."

  He watched the pretty little lady, intrigued. She was even prettier up close, but now seemed nervous about something. "What can I help you with?"

  He watched as she nervously looked from him to her feet, then back up at him. "I'm looking for Trevor Nottingham."

  He smiled as he told her, "Congratulations, you've found him. What can I do for you, Miss ––"

  Sticking her hand out, she quickly said, "I'm sorry, I'm Sam."

  His eyebrows rose. "Sam?"

  Her face turned pink as she said, "Sorry again. I'm Samantha Simmerly, but please call me Sam."

  "I'll call you Sam if you call me Trevor."

  "Okay, Trevor. Thanks." She tried not to stare, but for some reason she'd been expecting to see an older guy. She wasn't ready for this younger, more her age or a couple years older, absolutely gorgeous, total hunk of a guy she found herself face to face with. He was tall and obviously strong, but the sexy kind of strong. It was the kind of strong that you can't buy in a gym, but that comes from honest, hard work. His dark hair had just the right amount of wave to it and his gorgeous brown eyes were full of confidence. She could lose herself in those eyes.

  Trevor was looking at Sam in much the same way. She was a little smaller than he normally preferred, but she was built like he believed a woman should be. She wasn't the stick figure normally seen these days, but had all those wonderful, womanly curves he loved. Her reddish blond hair caught his eye right away. He had to put his hands on his hips to keep from running his fingers through all those lovely curls. When he started to lose himself in those beautiful blue eyes, he quickly shook his head, forcing himself back to the issue at hand. He smiled at her. "Now that you've found me, why don't you come inside and tell me what I can do for you?"

  His question brought her back to reality as well. "Uh, yeah, thank you." She followed him into his office, where he motioned for her to sit down. Looking around, she blurted out, "Wow, I love this office. Perfect for a ranch."

  He smiled at her comment, wondering what was behind it. "Thank you. I'm glad you approve."

  She immediately felt her face blush and feeling foolish, she suggested, "Maybe I should just get to why I'm here."

  He loved seeing her face redd
en like that, but didn't want to embarrass her. "Yeah, I've been wondering what brings you out here."

  "Well, you see, I – I was talking – I was in at the – what I wondered is ––"

  When she paused again, he said, "Sam, I don't often bite and I'm terrible at guessing games, so why don't you just go ahead and say what's on your mind."

  His smile was so unnerving she blurted out, "I want a job."

  Trevor sat up straighter. "A job?"

  He watched as she sighed and her shoulders slumped. After taking a deep breath, she quietly said, "I've made a mess of everything. It's probably best if I just leave. I'm sorry I took up your time."

  She stood to leave, but he said, "No, wait a minute. Sit back down."

  She had turned away, but something in his voice made her stop. He repeated, "Sit back down."

  She turned and sat, but couldn't look up at him. She'd made a fool of herself. To her surprise, he got up and came over and sat in the chair beside her. He gently took one finger and slowly lifted her chin so she was looking at him. She expected to see him laughing at her, but he wasn't. He looked concerned. "Sam, talk to me. Your face is red and you won't look at me, but I don't know why. You don't have anything to be embarrassed about, so what's wrong? Have I done something; did I scare you?"

  Looking into his caring eyes, she said, "No, I just ––"

  Trevor thought she looked adorable as she looked at him with a helpless look on her face. "You just what, Sam?"

  "I just ––"

  "A bit shy? Let's see if I can help you. You said you're looking for a job?"

  Sam nodded.

  "Okay," he said. "We'll start there. What kind of job are you looking for and what made you stop here?" Thinking a bit, he added, "And how did you know my name?"

  She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Sally at the diner in town gave me your name. She said your sister used to keep your books and do office type stuff for you, but she moved. She thought you might be looking for someone. I called you yesterday and left a message, but you didn't call me back. I was driving back into town today and saw the Circle N sign. I thought I'd stop and ask you, but I got all tongue tied and made a fool of myself."

  He smiled, but it wasn't a ridiculing smile, it was a comforting smile. "You didn't make a fool of yourself at all, Sam and I'm glad you stopped."

  "You are?"

  "Yes. I didn't get your message, probably because I've been so busy trying to figure this darn computer out that I haven't had time to do anything else."

  She smiled, trying to hide a chuckle.

  "Oh, go ahead, laugh all you want. Horses and I get along fine, but computers hate me and I return the sentiment."

  She did laugh then. "They're not that bad once you make friends with them, like you do the horses."

  "I'll take your word for it. Getting back to the books, do you know anything about keeping books, especially for a ranch?"

  "Yes. I've kept the books for a ranch before."

  His eyebrows rose. "You have?" When she nodded he asked, "Where?"

  "In Texas."

  "So would you be able to figure out why I got 144 pairs of welding gloves when I ordered 12 pairs and whether or not they've been paid for yet?"

  "What program are you using?"

  "I'm not using any. I have no idea what Carol used." He scratched his jaw a bit and said, almost to himself, "A program. Maybe that's why I can't find anything."

  Sam giggled. "May I look at the computer?"

  "Sure. Have at it, but I'll warn you now, it's not friendly."

  She was still smiling as she got up and went to sit at his desk. She hit a few keys, then relaxed. "Oh, good. You're on the same program I used. It's really the best one out there. A bit pricey, but it's good. Now, welding gloves, you said?" Before he could answer, she said, "Oh, here's the problem. When you ordered 12, it was 12 cases, not 12 gloves."

  "And let me guess; there's 12 pairs per case?"

  "Bingo." She was smiling, until she looked a little further and said, "Uh–oh."

  "What?"

  "They haven't been paid and they're not happy about it."

  "Could you pay them?"

  "I can, as long as you're okay with me going into your accounts payable so I can see if she has it set up or if I need to set it up. I take it you buy things from them on a regular basis, if they let you buy them on account?"

  "Yes. And please, go wherever you need to go to pay them."

  Two minutes later she said, "Okay, that's paid."

  "That's it?" When she nodded he said, "I'm sure there's other bills that are past due, but I have no idea who they are. Will that thing tell you that?"

  "Some of them. I'd have to check the payables against any orders you've placed since your sister left, but I should be able to find that. Do you have a stack of bills anyplace? It'd be good to check them as well and make sure everything's taken care of."

  "You know, I guess maybe we should talk about that job," he said sheepishly. "Are you still interested?"

  "Maybe."

  Looking dismayed, he asked, "Just maybe?"

  "Okay, yes, but I've always heard you shouldn't act too interested, or they'll take advantage of you."

  The look on his face became very serious. "Sam, I would never take advantage of you." His expression lightened a bit as he added, "Though something tells me not too many people would get away with that."

  "Damn straight."

  "Watch your language. So, let's trade chairs and have a talk about a job."

  Sam was a bit confused by his comment about her language, but he didn't dwell on it and moved on, so he must have been playing around. She put it out of her mind and went back to the chair she was in earlier.

  Trevor waited until she was seated again and then sat down. "So, I understand you're interested in a job as my bookkeeper?"

  "Yes, I am."

  "Okay, good, because as it turns out I do have an opening." He laughed a bit, shaking his head. "I just hadn't realized it yet." Getting serious again, he continued. "But I'm really not sure how much I can afford to pay. Carol wasn't really into keeping the books. She mostly just kept the bills paid and deposited checks for me. How much would you need to work here? Maybe I can call the bank and see how much I have in there and see if I could swing it."

  "Seriously, you don't know how much you have in your account?"

  He frowned a bit at her as he said, "Well, I have an idea, sure, but not exactly."

  She thought a few moments and said, "I have a suggestion. Let me tell you what I'm looking for, all except the money. If everything sounds okay, why don't I come back tomorrow and I'll make sure your unpaid bills are taken care of and then I'll show you how to see how much is in your account. You can follow it for the last six months or whatever and once you see what you're working with we can talk more. Would that work?"

  "What if I can't afford to hire you?"

  "Then at least you'll have your bills caught up to date."

  "But that wouldn't be fair to you. If you work tomorrow I'll pay you something, regardless."

  Sam glanced outside at the horses in a pasture and said, "I've got it. I love to ride, but I haven't had an opportunity to for months. If you want to pay me for tomorrow, let me borrow a horse and saddle for a couple hours."

  He looked at her a few moments and could tell she was serious. "Deal. So, what do you need other than pay?"

  "We may as well start off with the big one and get right to it. I want to live here."

  Chapter 2

  "You want to what?"

  "I want to live here," Sam said.

  His steady gaze was unnerving.

  "I don't need my own house or anything fancy," Sam explained. "I just want to live on a ranch again."

  "You have in the past?"

  "Yes and I miss it. A lot more than I thought I would."

  "Okay, I think I can arrange that. What else?"

  "Really? That's not a deal breaker?"

  S
miling again, he said, "There's a guesthouse in back. It's nothing fancy and it's pretty small, just one bedroom, but I'll show it to you. If it's okay for you, I'll get it cleaned up and it's yours. What else do you need?"

  "Nothing, just that. Oh and being able to borrow a horse and saddle once in awhile would be wonderful, since you seem to be in a generous mood."

  He outright laughed at that. "I can handle that, as well, as long as you can follow the rules for riding my horses."

  "Rules?"

  "Yes, of course. Nothing special, just rules that anyone who rides any of my horses follow. Come on, let's go look at the guesthouse and see if it's suitable. If it is I'll see if I can spare a couple of the hands tomorrow and we'll get it cleaned up some. I'm sorry there aren't any ladies around to clean it good, but the guys can get the worst of it, I'm sure. No one's used that for close to a year, but the boys can take care of any mice that have taken up homesteading and they can scrub stuff down pretty good."

  "I'm sure it'll be fine for me and I can clean it. You don't have to go to any trouble."

  "Darlin', you better look at it before you say that. Come on, let's go see how bad it is."

  He led her through the main house and out the back door, gently guiding her with a hand on her back. She found that comforting, for some odd reason. They walked down a cobblestone path to a cute little cottage. He took out his keys and opened the door, but held up his hand to stop her from going in. He went in and glanced around quickly, then led her inside. "Just wanted to be sure there weren't any uninvited guests inside."

  Again, for some reason that felt comforting. Trying not to think about it too much, she went inside and looked around. It was just as cute inside as it was outside. It was small, just a kitchen and dining area, a living room area and a bedroom and bath off of it, probably no more than five or six hundred square feet total. But it was furnished nicely and was more than she'd ever need. "Trevor, this is really nice. I love it. I'll take the bedspread and towels and curtains into town to the laundromat and clean the place up and it'll be perfect."

  "Now, why would you take them into a laundromat when there's a perfectly good laundry room in the house?"