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His demeanor softened at that point. The amount of stuff she would have gone through to get that sort of mentality tugged at him in ways he wasn’t prepared for. Whenever he looked at her, all he could think about was that he wanted to make sure she was going to be okay. It wasn’t anything romantic. He knew better than anyone that he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Perhaps this was just a way for him to give more of himself.
Sam’s closed-off demeanor didn’t change. Not when they stopped at the supply store. Not when he insisted she tell him what size of shoe she wore or she’d get something that didn’t fit. And not when he’d brought out a beautiful sheepskin coat. That one probably cost more than Wade would have approved of. Thankfully, Brielle would think the opposite.
The rest of the way home, Sam remained the ever-stoic person he’d come to expect. When they got back, he put everything neatly into the suitcase, then lugged it out of the back of his truck and placed it at her feet. “There,” he said triumphantly.
8
Athena
Athena stared at the suitcase with disdain. “What do you want me to do with that? It’s not exactly traveling light.”
“Whatever you don’t like or doesn’t fit, just give it back to me and I’ll return it.”
This guy seriously thought she’d want to try everything on like some kind of fashion show? What was he expecting? For her to traipse around wearing what he’d picked out for her? He didn’t know her style. What he was suggesting sounded utterly ridiculous. First, he went and spent good money on something she didn’t want. Now he was saying he’d spend more money to drive back to the store and return it. For someone who had grown up without parents, who had probably struggled financially, he was being far too careless with the money he currently had.
He motioned to the suitcase again. “It’s deceptively light. As long as you’re not trying to run away from someone who caught you sneaking into their barn, you should be able to get around with it just fine.”
Her cheeks flushed and her scowl deepened. Why did he have to go and point that out? It wasn’t like she’d broken into their house and taken something. That stall wasn’t being used.
Henry sighed. “Fine, if you’re not going to take it up to your room, I will. Dinner is going to be in about an hour. You can join us or hide away. It’s up to you.” He reached for the suitcase and stomped toward the house. The guy had to be crazy. That was the only thing that made sense.
Athena marched off toward the barn. At least there, she wasn’t going to be judged. She spun on her heel as she reached the doorway and darted into the shelter she’d claimed as her own the night before and nearly bumped into a pretty blond woman.
“Oh!” The woman let out a laugh and placed her hand over her heart. Her long lashes fluttered several times, and she craned her neck around to look past Athena. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.” She held out her hand. “I’m Brielle.”
Athena stared at the woman’s hand. She’d heard the name and had expected the woman to be some hoity-toity sort of person. She wasn’t wrong. The woman standing in front of her was trim with every hair in place. She wore a cowboy hat and fitted jeans. Her shirt wasn’t wrinkled or disheveled like most of the folks wore around here. And her smile was befitting that of a queen.
Slowly, Brielle withdrew her hand and shoved it along with the other in her back pockets. “I’d heard that the guys wanted to hire someone, but I wasn’t expecting a woman. It’ll be nice to have more female blood around here if you know what I mean.” She winked at Athena. “What did you say your name was?”
Athena took a step back, immediately regretting coming this way. She should have known better. Of course someone would be in the barn. This was a ranch. There were cowboys everywhere.
Brielle chuckled. “I guess you’re shy. Or maybe you’re mute?” She tilted her head. “I suppose you wouldn’t be able to tell me who did the hiring?”
Shaking her head, Athena took another step back.
“No, I didn’t suppose you would. There are a lot of guys around here. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep them all straight, you know what I mean?” Brielle thumbed over her shoulder. “Have they given you the grand tour yet? I can introduce you to the horses. We just got two new ones and they’re getting adjusted to the place, but the others would probably like to meet you.”
Athena glanced toward the rows of stalls. Horses poked their heads out of a few of them, bobbing and nickering as if they were telling her Brielle spoke the truth. Without realizing exactly why, Athena nodded.
“Great!” Without warning, Brielle looped her arm through Athena’s and practically dragged her through the barn. “I don’t know if they told you what happens here. We run one of the smaller cattle farms. But my husband is also working on edging into horse training. I guess we do a bit of everything. You can blame Wade for that. I think he was trying to figure things out when he was a teenager, and he couldn’t settle on just one thing.” She laughed. “Wade wasn’t the one who interviewed you, was he?”
Athena shook her head. She didn’t know what Brielle might do when she found out that Athena wasn’t here for a job. Depending on the kind of person she was, Brielle might even choose to give Athena the boot.
“This is the horse I ride most often. She’s sweet as sugar. Her name is Olive.” Brielle pulled them to a stop in front of a horse that stuck out its head with curiosity. She blew out a snort and then ducked back inside. “Over there are the horses that the guys like to ride. There’s Barley, Cookie, Otis…”
Athena’s eyes swept over to the other side, where a large black horse peeked out its head. That had been the stall Athena had slept in. Was it possible the horse had been delivered today while she was out with Henry?
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Brielle moved them closer to the black horse. “He’s about four years old. Comes from a really great bloodline, but he’s stubborn. The folks who had him said they couldn’t train him to save their lives. He’s nice enough when he’s in his stall, but he doesn’t like his saddle, and the second someone tries to mount him, they get tossed right back off.” Brielle reached out a hand to pet the horse’s nose, but he retreated. “I’m determined to make him into a star.”
Athena glanced at Brielle with a question in her eyes.
Brielle smiled. “Dressage, of course. He’s too pretty to be a standard workhorse. And he’s not fast enough to be a racehorse.” She shrugged. “So, he’s gonna compete—that’s if he’ll humble himself to accept that he’s not in charge.”
Athena stared at the soulful eyes of the beast in front of her. While he was large, he didn’t seem quite as stubborn as Brielle let on. Then again, he was locked up at the moment. There was no telling what might happen if he got let out of his stall to roam free.
“I’m guessing they’re going to start you on the grunt work. That means feeding the horses, brushing them down after they’ve been exercised, and making sure they get blankets during inclement weather—unless you have other skills. I’m sure whoever it was that hired you told you that two of the Keagan men have recently moved out. They’ve managed to run this place without needing any extra help, but you’d be surprised at how much more work there is when two of them are gone.”
She listened to this woman prattle on, until a figure loomed in the doorway. Together, they turned toward the intrusion and Athena frowned.
