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“Do you like horses? We could take a ride this afternoon.”
“I’ve never ridden before,” Nicole admitted.
“Then I’ll have to teach you.” He would enjoy the lessons.
She turned in her seat, a serious expression on her face.“You know I have to leave soon. Is this even worth it? I want to spend timewith you and Grim, but I have to be honest. I have to leave as soon as my caris fixed.”
“Okay, if you’re being honest, tell me why and where youhave to go,” he replied.
“I told you. I have a job waiting for me.”
“A job that will wait for you while your car is being fixedbut won’t, say, send a car to pick you up? Or make arrangements to accommodateyou?” The way Josh saw it, this story of hers made no sense. If it was animportant job with a big company and they wanted her there, they would makeaccommodations. If it was a regular job, they likely wouldn’t wait for a coupleof weeks. They would fill the position and move on.
She turned, staring out the window. “It’s with a friend ofmine. I’ll be working with her. I wasn’t scheduled to start until next month. Iwanted to get down there early so I can find a place to live.”
She did not like him asking questions. He was pushing, andhe could lose her. He needed to go about this a different way. He might have tofigure out her problem on his own.
He gave her a breezy smile. “Well, I’ll take any time youcan give me, darlin’. I know Grim feels the same way. If we don’t have a lot oftime, we should make the most of it, shouldn’t we?”
She seemed to study him for a moment. “I guess so. Iwouldn’t mind seeing the two of you while I’m here. When I’m not working, ofcourse. I usually take extra shifts if someone wants to go home. It’s not likeI have anything better to do, but I have all of today off. I don’t have to bein until lunch tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure you get back in plenty of time. But maybeyou can spend the night with us.”
She turned his way, a little grin on her face. “Is yourplace cleaner than the motel?”
That got him smiling because it had been bad. He’d taken ahot shower after lying on that floor. “You’ll find Grim and I are very orderlymen.”
They also had a housekeeper who thoroughly cleaned twice aweek, but he didn’t have to mention that. He just had to get her into theirplace and show her how nice it could be.
“How far do you live from your parents?”
“Not far at all.” Sometimes it was too close for comfort.His dates had often gotten a wave from his family as they started for home. Hisparents liked to have breakfast on the patio by the pool on those days. Nosy.“Did I mention my parents can be a lot?”
“I think they sound charming.” Nicole’s tone had gone soft.“And they’ve been married for a long time. I think it says something aboutthem. They worked hard and stayed together. It’s nice you get to see themoften.”
Every time he opened the door or looked out the window.
“Do you live in one of those dorm things?” Nicole asked. “Iread about them in a book once. The workers on the ranch all lived in a bighouse together. The single ones. On a big ranch there can be multiple housesfor the workers. I imagine your parents live in one of those.”
Did she think he was a hand? “Sweetheart, you do know myparents own the ranch, right? When I say they work on the ranch, they’re theowners. I work for my dad both in the field, and my sister and I handle a lotof the day-to-day operations of the business.”
A wary look had come over her face. “I thought most rancheswere corporate owned these days.”
“Yes, my parents own the corporation. See. That’s our nameright there.” He pointed out the big sign over the gates leading to the mainhouse. Barnes-Fleetwood Ranch. It was done in a beautiful wrought iron andadorned with roses weaving in and out of the letters. The gates were open atthis time of day but the security system would close them after dark, and thenwhoever wanted in would either need a code or to call through the intercom.
Nicole sat up straighter, her eyes widening in a way thatdid not seem like wonder. “Corporation?”
This was usually the time when a woman got super interestedin what he did. He didn’t get that feeling from her. She seemed almost wary.“Yes. We are the largest independent organic ranching collective in thecountry. We have partner ranches all over the States, and we collectivelybargain with vendors. It’s how we compete with the big guys.”
She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, so you’re asmall ranch but you work together with other small ranches.”
“I wouldn’t say small.” He moved the SUV down the long roadthat led to what he liked to call the commune. His parents might have startedout either poor or solidly middle class, but they’d made up for lost time. Heand Olivia hadn’t known a home that didn’t have a host of beautifully donebuildings to service the vast amounts of land making up the Barnes-FleetwoodRanch. “My dads bought this land a long time ago.They were smart enough to keep their mineral rights.”
“Mineral rights?”
In the distance he could see the main house. It was asprawling two-story home. “Yes, they bought the land with pretty mucheverything they had. From what I understand, they had just enough cash to buysome cattle to start. They grew from there.”
“That’s nice. I bet it was hard work.”
