The guys were all nodding now and agreed in their manly ways, startling her that they would admit such a thing. Chase had set his burger down and was tapping his fingers on the table as if thinking. He stared down the table to where she and Maddie sat.
“That’s a perfect idea, Maddie. Amber, would you be willing to help out like that?”
Amber shrugged. “Sure,” she quipped telling herself that at least it sounded like it was going to be a busy day.
Turned out busy was an understatement. Amber was awake and in the kitchen by five a.m. as the entire household was up having breakfast and preparing for the day to come. She’d not slept well as she’d suspected and seeing Chase looking fresh and in control the moment she walked in to the room unsettled her all the more as every cell within her jumped for joy seeing him. The moment he shot her a smile over the brim of his coffee, she couldn’t think straight.
He wore starched jeans and a starched western cut shirt in a spotless white that was definitely not meant for working cattle. Today he would be the man behind the running of this sale not the man running the cattle.
It struck her in that moment how really important this day was for all of them at the New Horizon Ranch. They obviously had prepared for today prior to Sadie and Rafe’s wedding and had it planned out in a manner so they were able to relax in the few days during the wedding proceedings. But now, it was all about getting it done. And like Maddie had said the night before they wanted to make CC proud.
Amber realized she wanted to do everything she could to help them. Even spend time with Chase despite her personal need to stay as far away from him as possible.
Now, he was standing beside the coffee pot. Directly in the line of Amber’s morning sanity.
“You fellas look ready to tackle everything this day will bring,” she forced out through tight jaws. Ty and Dalton greeted her, though her attention was riveted to Chase. She was determined not to act as if she were thinking about that kiss—though she was. She absolutely was as she marched past him toward the coffee pot. Dear goodness the man smelled like morning kisses—not good she reprimanded as he shot her a sexy smile that had her all but stumbling into his arms. He reached for the carafe and she picked up one of the mugs from the mug tree and prayed her hand didn’t shake as he poured the dark brew into her cup.
“Mornin’,” he drawled, studying her as he poured. “Thank you for helping us out.”
“I’m glad to,” she said, taking her coffee and moving a few steps away from him so that she was out of the danger zone—of both his scent and the magnetic force around him that had her senses flipping out like a trapeze artist.
She didn’t know much in that moment but she knew this...it was going to be a very, very long day.
Chapter Nine
Trucks with trailers came in droves and Dalton and one of the ranch hands directed them where to park. One of the pastures beside the barn had been cleared of cattle and the gate opened so there was room for the slew of vehicles that were pulling in by seven that morning.
Amber sat at a table next to the barn where a registration sign, placed on the barn wall behind, them told buyers where to come. She and Maddie were busy and so were the guys. Chase had his computer notebook rather than a clipboard and she could only imagine the spreadsheets and facts he was using to run the sale program. They’d hired an outfit to handle much of it but he was still a very busy man.
The barn that sat directly across the wide rock parking area between the house and the barns and arenas was where the sale was being conducted. She hadn’t been in there until that morning. It was set up for sales like this with a show pen inside where the heifers and bulls would be while the auctioning was being conducted. Buyers bid from the bleachers that were set up across from the pen.
She was surprised when local folks from Mule Hollow started showing up. The posse ladies were some of the first to arrive.
Adela’s husband Sam was working at his diner and couldn’t get away so she’d come with Esther Mae and her husband Hank, a balding cowboy with a twinkle in his eyes. Norma Sue and her husband Roy Don came too. He was foreman at Clint and Lacy Matlock’s ranch and they arrived early also. Theirs was a huge outfit down the road from New Horizon and Lacy also owned the Heavenly Inspirations Salon in town. She was a primary cohort of the matchmakin’ posse. At the wedding Amber had met Lacy and many others, including Sheri, her co-owner of the salon. She’d also heard of them all through the newspaper articles so she had already begun to feel like she was meeting old friends each time a new connection was made. She wondered if they would be at the sale today.
Maddie nudged her elbow. “We’ll go sometime this week to have coffee with Lacy and the gang at the diner. Lacy and Sheri both had a baby last month and they had baby checkups this morning so aren’t coming to the sale,” she informed Amber as if she had read her mind.
“I’d love that,” Amber said.
“It's always a good time when the girls all get together and it’ll put you in the know about everything.”
Amber chuckled at the way Maddie drawled the words and arched a brow. “You’re going to love this group more and more as you really get to know them better. I promise.”
It sounded great to Amber since it meant an excuse not to be hanging around Chase, something she was realizing was only going to get harder to do with every moment that passed. It was like he was a potato chip and she wanted more.
Amber had had a long conversation with the Lord last night since it was a little disconcerting that she would suddenly be so infatuated with a cowboy when a cowboy was so wrong for the plans she had for her life.
After the men got registered they all went to inspect the cattle and decide what they planned to bid on.
The posse stayed beside the registration table.
“It’s nice to see you settled in and looking right at home here,” Esther Mae said, looking bright in her teal pants and bold pink blouse spouting a huge butterfly…it reminded Amber of the butterflies that were holed up in her chest ready to take flight each time Chase came near.
“I’m helping out,” she said. “And learning all about ranch life.”
Norma Sue stuffed her hands on her hips and glanced toward the group of men gathered around Chase and his other partners. “That handsome Chase showing you around? Y’all sure seemed to hit it off at the wedding.”
“He took her riding yesterday,” Maddie offered and under the table she bumped Amber’s knee. Amber bumped her right back and caught the twitch of her lips as she obviously fought off a smile. Amber bumped her knee again—not finding the fact that the matchmakin’ posse was eyeing her with keen interest in the least bit funny.
“Riding!” Esther Mae said. “Oh that’s always a fun thing. Maddie, you sure are glowing this morning. I see Cliff over there helping out.”
Maddie smiled. “Esther Mae you glow pretty good yourself.”
The redhead winked. “Well, I do love my Hank. After all these years that man sets me to glowing…sparks are flying all the time.”
Norma Sue harrumphed. “Too much information, Esther Mae.”
“Don’t be looking at me like that, Norma Sue. You know you’re just as crazy about your Roy Don.”
“Ladies, let’s not get carried away,” Adela interjected drawing her friend’s attention then smiling at Amber. “Sorry they get excitable sometimes. So you went riding. Did you enjoy it? This is beautiful country.”
Amber could just feel the wheels turning in their minds as they all three smiled expectantly at her. “Um, yes. I did,” she said carefully certain that she didn’t want to share too much information. “I haven’t ridden much in my life and I enjoyed it. We rode to a stream and it was so peaceful.” There, that was enough information but not too much.
“Oh it sounds romantic,” Esther Mae cooed.
Amber almost groaned. Thankfully a new group of people walked up to register and she got busy while the ladies moved to the side and began talking among thems
elves.
“Don’t let them bother you,” Maddie said quietly as she and Amber waited for the cowboys they were helping to fill out their registration forms.
“They’re really focusing on me and Chase aren’t they?”
Maddie looked at her with a comical expression of disbelief. “I don’t think you realize that you watch him when he’s in a room. You may not want to be interested but you are and it’s apparent to everyone. But he does the same thing with you.”
The cowboy asked Maddie a question on the form and she shifted to answer him. Amber took the moment to let what Maddie said sink in. Did she really watch Chase so much that it was noticeable? As if in answer she suddenly realized that involuntarily her gaze had shifted and she was watching him speaking with a group. He was so handsome—his gaze shifted and suddenly connected with hers. It was just briefly, but they connected as if they were alone beside the stream once more. Then he shot her a quick smile before focusing back on the conversation he was engaged in.
Amber had to pull her gaze away and only then did she feel eyes on her. Glancing guiltily toward the matchmakers she found all three of them watching her. She smiled weakly and then went back to work. She had the feeling she was in trouble in more ways than just with the posse. She was in trouble with the feelings she was starting to have…and after only a couple of days around Chase.
What was she going to do after an entire month had passed?
“So what makes a good heifer?” Amber asked Chase a few hours after the sale had started and she was now acting as his assistant.
Chase had been wound pretty tight all morning. Between handling the sale and any problems that might arise he was also dealing with Amber’s nearness. And thoughts of wanting a repeat of the kiss the day before.
She was distracting on so many levels that he feared he would make mistakes on the paperwork if he wasn’t careful. He propped his elbows on the bars of the pen and studied the pair in the stall that she was staring at. “Basically a commercial heifer is bred to be a good mother and to be able to carry her babies well. So we look for good feet. He pointed to the heifer’s side and the area there in front of the back legs, she needs to be deep there, like from the backbone to the underbelly there needs to be depth because that’s where the babies will be carried and we like to give them room. So along with a few other things we’re looking for that’s what you want to look for. And uniformity. You want cattle that all have a similar look so your herd has a consistent look.”
“And here I thought a cow was a cow.”
He grinned and relaxed a bit. “Nope. Now you know—probably more than you wanted to know.”
“And I have a feeling you skimped on what you could have told me.”
“I didn’t want to see your eyes glaze completely over. By the way, thanks for doing this.”
Their shoulders were nearly touching and he had to fight the urge to stand closer to her and inhale—the soft scent of her. He held his ground though.
“You’re welcome. It’s giving me something to do and like I said, it’s an adventure.”
“It is that.” A rough one for him as he had to force himself to focus. “One I better get back to. Looks like the auctioneer is ready to start. Come sit with me.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, if that’s alright. I need to make a few phone calls first.”
“Sure. I’ll be over there near the auctioneer for easy access. Is everything alright?” He yanked his mind off of his own wants and searched her expression. She didn’t look tensed up or anything but he berated himself for not having thought more about everything going on in her life right now.
“I just need to check in. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
He watched her walk across the yard to the empty arena where Ty trained his horses. She was safe, he told himself. There was no one to bother her and he couldn’t smother her or she would resent it. Making himself move, he went to do his job.
But his mind remained on Amber.
Amber moved away feeling his gaze following her. She was checking in but also she needed some space. Moving through the crowd into the sunlight, she made her way to an area near the training arena where no one was around and then she called her co-worker Jill.
“He calls every day, Amber,” Jill informed her immediately. “He asks for you and wants to know when you’re coming back. He won’t say who he is and despite that his number shows up as unknown on the ID, we all know it’s him. It’s creepy, Amber.”
Amber’s temper spiked. She knew the information should have scared her but it made her mad. Who was this man to disrupt her life like this? “Don’t worry, Jill. They’re going to catch him soon. I have a feeling he’s going to do something very stupid. I’m safe so no worries. Okay? Promise me you won’t stress over this. You have that baby you’re carrying to worry about not me.”
Jill was seven months pregnant and had had a lot of trouble making it to this stage in the pregnancy. She didn’t need added worry and since she was a natural nurturer she worried a lot. “Promise me.”
“I’ll try but you stay low. I know you don’t worry like I do but, Amber, this is serious. This guy creeps me out.”
Amber’s anger intensified, pushing any fear into the background. Right now she was more concerned for Jill than for herself. “I’m fine. You should see these cowboys I’m holed up here with. They’d rival any of those cowboys in those romances you’re always reading about.” Jill loved to read and always had a paperback or an ebook beside her desk for the downtimes between calls. Jill chuckled and Amber instantly felt better.
“If I wasn’t happily married and expecting this beautiful sweet girl of mine I might be jealous. Instead, I’ll just be very happy for you and hope you take this time off to enjoy the scenery and maybe fall for a cowboy. That would be so romantic—”
“Whoa. Stop right there. You know where I’m at, right.” Amber knew that Jill knew where she was because they’d talked about Sadie’s wedding. But she was one of the few people who knew. She also knew that this town had a reputation as the town that had advertised for wives to marry their cowboys.
“Yes, I know exactly where you are. The town where love is in the air and the hair...that’s the thing that Lacy Brown was quoted as saying when Molly first started writing about that town. So go to her salon and get your hair done and see if you find some of that love floating around in the air. You’re due some of the good stuff.”
“What is it with everyone caught up in this matchmaking?” Amber was not about to let anyone know that she was actually feeling off-centered because of the overwhelming sense of attraction she kept feeling toward Chase. It was too fast, too not right, too far from her work. Meaning it would never work so why was she even letting herself be tempted by it?
Because “the kiss” had been too good.
“So have you met Lacy and the matchmakers? Have they found you?” Jill cooed.
Oh no, this was all she needed. “No. I mean, yes I’ve met Lacy briefly, she’s very nice.”
“I knew she would be. What about the matchmakers? Come on spill.”
“Yes, I’ve met them too. And they are just like the articles portray them...very intent on keeping this town thriving by marrying folks off as quick as they see a spark of attraction between anyone—”
“So they’ve spotted you crushing on someone? I am so excited!”
Amber groaned. She hadn’t meant to let that slip. “Look if you saw these single cowboys you’d understand. It’s nothing. My work is in Houston, remember?”
“There are other jobs. And even if you wanted this job you know there are ways to hook the hotline up so you could work from home. I had that option remember?”
Amber knew it was true. The owner of the privately owned abuse center had offered to do this for Jill when she was home with her baby girl but she’d opted to leave the hotline after the baby was born. With the way Jill worried about all the callers it was probably the best. She needed to focus he
rself on being a mother and not on worrying about so many others.
“I know that, but I love the city and I’m not sure I’d like feeling disconnected from the office. I’m feeling a bit like I’m swimming out here alone right now.” “
“Well you’re not. The police are working the case and you’ve got me here. You call more and let me know how you’re doing with the posse and the cowboys. I’m hooked now that you’ve let on that you’re in their sights.”
Amber chuckled. “Don’t get your hopes up is all I can say. Okay I’ll talk later. You take care of that little girl.”
After they finished their goodbyes and hung up Amber stared out across the pastures and let her thoughts roll over everything she’d learned. Ned Talbert was a loose cannon it seemed. The man was reckless though and she just wasn’t going to let him worry her. He was being reckless. They would catch him.
She only had to stay low and wait.
But, it was the staying low here with the matchmakers breathing down her neck and Chase getting under her skin that worried her.
If the good Lord wanted to totally shake up her world then he’d achieved success because she was royally shaken. And it had nothing to do with Ned Talbert stalking her.
Chapter Ten
“At thar is sure a good un,” Applegate Thornton, the hard of hearing retired rancher, boomed from behind Chase and Amber.
Chase had introduced Amber to App and his buddy Stanley Orr as soon as the two men had sat down behind them on the bleachers. They loved cattle auctions and had been busy pointing out the pros and cons of each animal. Thankfully they were impressed with the New Horizon stock and there was more pro than con.
“Yup,” Stanley agreed and spat a sunflower seed to the ground. “Yor right about that. If I was building up a new herd I’d buy that one.
Chase: (Contemporary Western Romance) (New Horizon Ranch Mule Hollow Book 3) Page 6