Count This Cowboy In
Page 3
"That's your laundry room, in your house."
"The office is in my house, too, but I sure hope you're planning on using it. Besides, I don't use the laundry room, Consuela does and I'm sure she won't mind you using it, too. Besides, we don't know how much you're making yet. You may not be able to afford a laundromat."
She looked up at him and saw the devilish grin on his face and knew he was teasing her. Figuring turn about's fair play, she made a spectacle of looking around again and saying, "Boy, I sure hope you're not broke. I'd love to live here."
He laughed, as she'd hoped he would.
"And I'd love to have you live here," he said. "I really need a bookkeeper. You saw how good I am at it."
They talked about the guesthouse a few more minutes and made arrangements for her to come back the next morning as they walked toward her truck. He helped her in, closing the door for her and watched as she drove out the lane. What an interesting afternoon this had turned out to be!
Sam went into the diner that evening with a gigantic grin. It was after the evening rush, so Sally came over and said, "Today's special is lasagna, a salad and garlic bread. It's terrific. Want that?"
"Sure, sounds good."
"Good. I'll be right back and we gotta talk." She came back a few minutes later with Sam's meal and after making sure she had everything she needed, Sally slid into the booth across from her. "Okay, you're smiling. What happened? Who are you working for?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe Trevor."
"He called?"
"No. I stopped in when I drove by his ranch. I'm going back tomorrow. I might have a job there."
"So why are you smiling?"
"I so hope I get this job. It's perfect. He has a guesthouse I can stay in that's really cute. I'd be living on a ranch again and I really, really, really want that."
"It would be pretty neat to live out there. Carol and I went to school together and I stayed overnight there a few times. It is really a neat place."
"It is. I really like it. Oh and hey, why didn't you warn me about Trevor?"
"What about Trevor? He's a good guy. What was I supposed to warn you about?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe that he's drop-dead gorgeous!"
Sally grinned. "He is easy on the eyes, isn't he?"
"You could have warned me. I got all flustered and made a fool of myself, trying not to stare at him."
Sally laughed out loud. "Sorry. I've grown up with him and Carol, so I guess I see him as Carol's brother, not as the drop dead gorgeous guy who just happens to be single, my friend."
"Is he dating anyone? Wait, I don't want to know. It doesn't matter, especially if I get the job."
"Why?"
"Because if I get the job, he'd be my employer."
"Yeah, so?"
"Sally, don't get me started thinking like that. He is so out of my league."
Sally started to argue, but a couple from another table went to the cash register to check out. "I've got to go help them. Don't sell yourself short, Sam."
Sally got busy and they didn't get a chance to talk again until Sam was ready to leave. Sally made her promise to come in the next evening to let her know what happened.
* * * * *
The next day Trevor introduced her to Consuela, who seemed very nice.
"He sure better hire you, Miss Sam," the Hispanic woman offered. "He needs help with his office work and I need a friend. The men here are all nice, but they're all men! I need another girl to talk to sometimes."
Sam talked with her for a few minutes while Trevor stood by patiently. His welcome smile seemed pleased that she had connected with Consuela so quickly.
Eventually he took her to the office so they could get started. When Sam asked him questions about passwords to get into his bank account and computer–generated financial statements, it became obvious he wasn't exaggerating about his lack of computer knowledge. He did, however, suggest they call Carol, which he did. He put his sister on speaker so they could all three converse. Once Carol was convinced Sam had used the system before and was seriously planning on doing Trevor's books, she gave her all the passwords she'd need and told her to call her anytime with questions. She may or may not know the answer, but she'd try to help her.
"She seems nice," Sam said, after they got off the phone.
"She is. We get along good. I miss her already and she hasn't even been gone two months yet."
"She seems happy."
"Yeah, I think she is. Her husband's a good guy. I'm glad she found him."
"She doesn't miss the ranch, though?" Sam couldn't believe anyone willingly walking away from a place like this.
Trevor chuckled a bit. "No, I don't think so."
"Why's that funny?"
"Living on a ranch was never her dream."
"Really?"
Trevor studied her a bit. "You, on the other hand, really wanted to live on a ranch."
Sam nodded, turning to look out the window at the lush green pasture.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? I love it. I love every part of it. I love the fresh air, the animals, even being around cowboys again."
His eyebrows rose as he looked at her after that last statement.
She quickly assured him, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not planning on chasing any cowboys. I just meant that cowboys are part of a ranch. They work the ground and care for the animals that make up the ranch. I love the whole ranch experience."
"So you don't look down on cowboys then?"
"Look down on them? Hell, no."
"Language, Sam."
"Cowboys work hard. Read hard. They definitely make an honest living. I have a lot of respect for them."
He smiled, suddenly proud to be a cowboy.
"What did you mean by language? That's the second time you've said that."
"I mean watch your language. I don't like hearing people cuss, especially pretty young ladies who are better than that."
Sam's mouth dropped open. She didn't normally cuss much, but an occasional swear word had been known to pass her lips. But she'd never heard a man complain about it, especially a cowboy. She'd grown up hearing language like that from cowboys and ranch hands constantly.
"You said you lived on a ranch before," Trevor asked, changing the subject. "When?"
Sam squirmed on her seat a bit. She was not ready to go there. "You know, now that I have these passwords I should get busy and make sure they work. Why don't you let me pay all the bills so you have a current balance in your bank account? I should be able to print off the past several months for you so you can see a trend, give you something to work with. All this may take a few hours, though. When I have some information for you I will let you know. Will you be around here?"
Trevor scowled a bit, obviously wanting to know more about where she'd come from. Sam could only hope he'd drop it and respect her privacy.
"If it's going to be awhile, maybe I'll go out and actually get a little work done. You know, actually be a cowboy for a few hours," he added, grinning. "I'll stay close to the house, though, so call me and I'll come in and see what we have. In the meantime, if you have any questions about anything, go ahead and call." He picked up her phone as he said, "I'll program my number in for you."
He grabbed his hat and left. Sam watched him go, liking the way the cowboy looked in his hat. And his jeans. She shook her head, reminding herself not to go there; hopefully he was going to be her boss. With that in mind, she set to work. If she didn't find out if he had any money or not, she'd never convince him to hire her.
Two hours later the bills were all paid and she was happy to see that he had money in his account. More importantly, he'd had enough the last several months that he could probably afford to hire a bookkeeper. Something bothered her, though, about his books. Something just wasn't looking right, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She decided to look into it further if and when he hired her. If he didn't, it really wasn't any of her business.
She smiled, remembering how he smiled when she said she had a lot of respect for cowboys. Interesting. The little voice in the back of her mind was again reminding her, no, don't go there, but she couldn't avoid the picture of her boss cowboy in his tight jeans and cowboy hat that popped into her head. Thinking of him only as her boss could take some doing, but she was determined to do it. She took a deep breath and got her feelings under control before hitting the button to call him.
When his deep sexy voice answered, all control vanished, even though all he said was, "Trevor."
She froze and after a few moments of silence he repeated, "Trevor."
She tried to talk and started stumbling all over her words again, just like yesterday. "I – I–– it's all – I have the ––"
To her embarrassment she heard his deep sexy chuckle, then "I'll be in in a few minutes, Sam." Then with another chuckle he said, "Thanks for calling." He hung up and she wanted to disappear before he got there.
She squared her shoulders and went in search of a drink. Maybe she could pull herself together before he got there. She went to the kitchen, where Consuela was making lunch.
"Everything going okay, Miss Sam?"
"Yes, fine. Trevor's on his way in to look at it. I came out to see if I could get a drink of water."
"Water is good, but you look like you could use something stronger. How about some iced tea and tell me why you seem flustered."
Sam had to smile at her new friend, who was already pouring two glasses of tea. "It shows, huh?"
"Yes, it does. Why are you so flustered; something in his books?"
"No. No, his books are okay. I've done books for another ranch, so I feel confident doing them."
"So if not the job, what has you flustered? She looked at Sam carefully, then a big smile broke out across her face. You find the boss attractive," she said quietly.
Sam felt her face flush and knew it wouldn't do her any good to deny it. Maybe Consuela could help her. She admitted, "I do. But I have to stop thinking of him like that. I have to start seeing him only as my boss. That is, assuming he hires me."
"Oh, if he can afford it he'll hire you. He needs you."
"Do you think?"
"For right now he needs someone to do his office work so he can get back to ranching. He's good at that. He's not good at office work."
"You said for right now that's what he needs. Why just for right now?"
"No, he needs you to do that for a long time, but he needs it right away." She smiled at Sam as she added, "He also needs to find a good woman and I think you would do just fine." She winked at the astonished look on Sam's face. "But he can take his time on that."
Before Sam could catch her breath, let alone say anything, Trevor walked into the kitchen, taking his hat off and hanging it on a rack inside the door.
"Is there any more of that tea left?" he asked. "And who can take his time on what?"
Sam, who was instantly flustered again at his question and his deep sexy voice, was glad when Consuela got up and said, "I'll get you some tea and don't you worry about our girl talk. Girls are allowed to gossip once in awhile."
Trevor laughed at her words, shook his head. "Just don't let me catch you gossiping about someone I know. People get hurt that way and I won't have it in my house." He smiled at Consuela. "Thanks for the tea." He took a big drink and smiled again. "Boy, that's good. I guess I was thirstier than I thought."
Consuela asked him a few questions about supper, but Sam wasn't listening. She was wondering about his statement. What did he mean by he won't have gossiping in his house? She was still staring off into space wondering about that when Consuela came over and gently rubbed her shoulder. She glanced up and the older lady gave a tiny nod toward Trevor, who was talking. She quickly looked up at him. He looked at her like he was waiting for an answer, so she said, "I'm sorry, what?"
He smiled as he said, "I don't know what you were thinking about, but you sure were thinking hard. Anything you want to share out loud?"
She tried to nonchalantly answer, "No," but she felt her own face flush.
He chuckled and said, "Now I really wish I knew what it was you were thinking about." But then he quickly brushed it off by saying, "I asked if you were ready to go look at my dire financial situation."
"Oh, sure, come on in. I printed off some things that should help you out."
"Will you decipher them for me, too?"
"I'll answer any questions that I can, sure."
They headed into his office and she rather liked how he led her in with a gentle hand on her back. As they were nearing the door he asked, "So can I afford you?"
She smiled up at him and said, "I think we can work something out."
"Good." They started looking over the financial statements for the last six months and Trevor was lost. Sam gave him credit, though; he studied them carefully, asking good questions and soon had a fairly good understanding of the statements.
"Trevor, can I ask you something?"
Still studying the latest statements, he said, "Sure."
"If this is none of my business just say so, but I know your sister always paid the bills and she left several weeks ago."
He mumbled, "Yeah."
"Even when she was here paying the bills, did you know how the ranch was doing? I mean, did you know if you were even running in the black?"
He stopped studying the documents and looked at her curiously. Finally, he said, "Sam, from what I'm seeing here I will be able to hire you as my bookkeeper. For us to work well together I think it would be very helpful if we knew a little bit about each other. If I tell you my story, how I got to where I am now, will you tell me a little bit about yourself?"
A stunned Sam looked at Trevor, who was looking very sincere. She'd never shared her whole story with anyone and wasn't ready to yet. She wasn't even sure that Millie, her best friend through high school and college, knew the whole story and she was there through most of it. Relating it would mean reliving it and she hadn't been able to do that yet, even with her.
Trevor seemed to understand the inner struggle she was having and suggested, "Speaking for myself, Sam, I have a couple things in my past that affect me now. If I come clean to you now, I can relax around you and not have to worry about keeping any secrets or saying the wrong thing. You may be able to understand why I do some of the dumb things I'll no doubt do over the next year while I'm doing a lot of learning."
His comment certainly had her wondering and he did have a point, to a degree. She looked up at him and said, "I guess if we're going to be working together it would be easier if we knew a little more about each other."
"It would. Let me start and maybe it'll be easier for you then." He led her over to the couch at the other end of his office. Once they were seated, he began. "I grew up here, in this very house, with Carol and Mom and Dad and Consuela. She's been our cook and housekeeper forever, but she's more than that. She's part of the family. Anyway, I always planned on taking over the ranch some day. It's all I've ever wanted to do. I just didn't plan on taking it over this soon."
"What happened?"
"My dad ran it. I've worked on the ranch since I was about five, but after I graduated from college Dad started concentrating more on training me on the administrative aspect of it. Mom always did the books for the ranch and he and Dad had just decided I was ready to learn that aspect of it when they were killed in a plane crash. That was eleven months ago."
He paused and Sam could see how difficult this was for him. She said, "Trevor, I'm so sorry. That had to
have been awful, to lose both parents at the same time."
He looked at her a moment, as if gathering strength, before saying, "Thank you. It was hard. It was so unexpected. Carol and I weren't at all ready for it. I guess we assumed things would be the same as they'd always been for a long time yet. Anyway, I inherited the ranch and she got the house in Connecticut. She stayed here," he paused as if thinking, "for several reasons. This was home for both of us and we needed each other. But then she went out to check on the house and ran into a guy she'd known in college. Long story short, they're married now and she moved there."
"And you're out a bookkeeper."
He smiled as he said, "I'm out a bill payer. Like I said, Dad was just ready to teach me about keeping the books and how to read these statements. He hadn't started yet and unfortunately, Carol didn't have any training in anything like that, either. She knew more about computers than I did and our accountant showed her how to pay the bills, but that's about all either of us has done."
"So you didn't know if you were making money or losing money?"
It was his turn to blush now as he said, "Not for sure. I knew the ranch always ran in the black and I've been doing everything the same way we always have before. Carol always said there was still money in the bank after we paid our bills every month. I talked to our accountant that does our taxes and he assured me he'd come out and look at everything in a month or two to make sure we have everything we'll need to do our taxes. He and the attorney that handled the estates took care of last year's taxes."
"Wow."
Trevor sighed as he said, "Yeah. I wanted to tell you that so you'd know why I know so little about the ranch I run. You don't know how glad I am to find out I can afford to hire you because I know my ranch right now is a bookkeeping nightmare. I appreciate your patience in teaching me how to make some sense of these things you printed off for me. If you have enough patience I'm hoping to get a better handle on this end of running the ranch this year. Since Dad died I've been busy enough trying to step into his shoes and earning the respect of the hands so we can keep this place going."
"That's really important. I'm glad you did that. I'm sure they respected you as you were working with them and knew you could do the ranch work, but proving to them you can run the ranch is altogether different. They had to see that for themselves before you could count on them totally."