Page 3 of Ironwood Ranch Cowboys

I sit back, letting the peace settle around me, my stomach twisting in anticipation. This isn’t just a job. It’s a whole ecosystem.

And somehow, I have to figure out how to fit in without getting trampled.

“…I just don’t know what he was thinking…”

The sound of a voice makes me jump. My spine bolts straighter as I spin to see a tall, broad, dark-haired man, dressed in a crisp button-down and jeans, with his sleeves rolled up just enough to look purposeful.

He’s holding a clipboard in one hand and rifling through papers in the other, clearly distracted.

My heart leaps into my throat as he enters my office. “Erm… hello?”

He frowns for just a second. “Annie Wright? Sherry told me she’d seen you in.”

There’s an iciness to his words that sends a shiver down my spine. “Right… yes.”

“Silas Harlan. One of your bosses.” He offers me his firm handshake. “I know you’ll be good at this job. I saw your resume.”

I swallow hard. “Yes… right, thank you.”

I have no idea what the right response is so I just smile.

Luckily, the radio on his belt hisses, turning the attention away from me.

“Cody, what?” Silas hisses so quietly I can barely pick out the words. “I know, I’m grabbing the paperwork now. I’m just meeting the new accountant…”

Barely a moment passes before my office door swings open once more.

“The new accountant?”

This man must be another Harlan, but he looks very different from Silas.

He has blond hair perfectly combed, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose just slightly. He’s tall, lean, and every inch the kind of man who could probably calculate the trajectory of a falling pencil before it hits the floor.

“Cody.” Immediately, he holds his hand out to me. “I do a lot of the books, so I did actually tell Sherry to come and get me the moment you arrived, but I guess she forgot.”

I blink, trying to process everything at once, my brain stammering like a dial-up connection. I feel like I’ve missed a few steps.

This place is definitely going to take some getting used to.

“Uh… nice to meet you,” I say, shaking his hand a little too quickly.

Cody’s green eyes study me curiously. “So. You know your way around ledgers?”

“Yes. I… double-check everything. Always,” I say, hoping the words land somewhere between competent and not pathetic.

He doesn’t respond right away, just tilts his head, scanning the office, the desk, me, like a human audit.

My stomach twists. Okay. Definitely feels like I’m under review.

“I’m going to call Duke,” Silas interjects. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to show you around, and to your new room as well.”

Am I ready for this? A third Harlan? Can he be any worse?

“Come with me,” Silas continues. “Let’s go and find him. I’ll show you around on the way.”

“See ya,” Cody calls after me. “I’m sure we’ll be spending more time together working soon!”

I don’t know if that’s supposed to be welcoming or a threat.