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That was until her daddy turned up in an alley behind a casino. He’d been shot. But he’d been a no-good drunk and gambling addict. Lucy had known the truth—he’d owed money to the wrong people. She hadn’t told her mom what had really happened. There’d been no point in saying anything other than Dave Ennis was dead.
And Lucy was still trying to shake off the taint he’d left on her.
She headed out of her room and to the kitchen. She needed some coffee and some food if she was thinking so much about the past—that was always a sign she was tired and hungry.
Stepping into the kitchen, she stopped. A man sat at the kitchen table, his back to the door. But she recognized those broad shoulders—and what was he doing here?
Charlie’s kitchen wasn’t much—an old stove, a scarred wooden table, a sink, a blue and white tile counter that needed new grouting and tiles. But it was always warm and smelled of spices and fresh bread—Charlie baked every day. Lucy had been looking forward to this—she could smell the coffee brewing. But now her stomach knotted. She grabbed the handle to the kitchen door tight. It couldn’t be...
“You!” The word burst out sharper than she’d intended.
The cowboy from the bar stood. His battered Stetson hung on the back of his chair. He had coffee and a plate of eggs and fresh biscuits in front of him. He gave Lucy a cool nod, his blue eyes even cooler, and he tucked his thumbs into his jeans pockets. “Well, well, and a good morning to you. Hope you don’t plan to come at me with that right hook of yours. I haven’t finished my coffee yet.”
Lucy pressed her lips tight. She shut the kitchen door behind her, closing out the cool morning air. “So you ‘might’ actually say something now and then. Too bad it’s nothing all that interesting.”
Charlie settled another plate of eggs and biscuits on the table. She wiped her hands together and glanced from Lucy to the stranger. “You two know each other?”
Arms folded, Lucy nodded. “Yeah, we do. It’s this guy’s fault I got fired!”
He held up his hands, palms out. “Hey, I didn’t tell you to punch that fellow.”
“No, you just—” Lucy bit off the words. Just did nothing. There never was any sense in locking barn doors too late. She’d learned that from her daddy.
Charlie gave a laugh. “Wow. This is going to be fun. Lucy Ennis meet Zach Collins. He’s the fellow I was telling you about. He’s leasing my farm—and you’re working for him now.”
Lucy had known that from the second she’s seen him. She kept her lips pressed tight and her hands fisted. She needed the work—needed the paycheck. She wasn’t going to blow this by letting her temper go. She was not—not even if he pushed her.
Chapter Three
A slow, careful smile edged up Zach’s mouth. “So you must be my little helper?”
He saw her face darken.
He couldn’t help but tease the woman. A gold digger was she? At least that’s what her friend had called her. With her looks, she could manage that.
Today she had her long, dark-brown hair pulled into a pony tail. Sparkling green eyes shot sparks at him. She stood with one hip cocked to the side, a little pocket rocket, he’d guess. She wasn’t that tall, but with jeans that hugged curvy hips and a T-shirt that offered glimpses of high, pert breasts, she looked good enough that he wouldn’t mind having her for breakfast. Yeah, she could dig money from a man’s pocket if she put her mind—and that body—to the task.
He imagined what her hips would feel like pressed against his and her little hands wrapped around his neck. He mentally shook himself. He was here to get away, not have an affair with some spitfire gold digger. That was the last thing he needed. But at least that meant she wouldn’t be all that interested in him. Or at least not in a guy who didn’t look as if he had twenty dollars in his pocket.
She plopped down into a chair and took up a fork. “So what’s on the schedule today? Boss?” She dragged out the last word, making it more of a question about his ability than anything else. Well, he was used to people underestimating him. He liked it that way.
He sat and turned back to his own plate. “Finish up eating. I want to clean out the stalls in the barn first and do some repairs.”
She slicked up her plate, threw back a cup of coffee that had to scald her mouth and stood. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get going.”
Coming over to the table, Charlie grinned. “You two have fun now.”
“Oh, we will,” he muttered. Standing, he put on his Stetson. “Fine breakfast, Ms. Charlie.” He headed out and found Lucy on the porch, tapping one booted foot as if he was dragging his tail. He smiled at her and the frown on her face darkened. “Well, come on then.” He started walking down the road, noticed she wasn’t following, so he glanced back. “You coming or not?”
She waved a hand at a white pickup parked in the yard. “We’re going to walk? The barn’s two miles from here.”
“You got something against walkin’?”
With a nod, she set out, her stride long.
They walked in silence until they reached the huge red barn that sat at the beginning of the hay fields. Around it, the grass grew ragged and tall. Charlie hadn’t put in a crop this year, but the alfalfa had re-seeded itself. The barn needed new paint and the fields needed ploughing. Leaning back, Zach glanced at the barn. You could see light through one of shingles that had come off. By rights, he should bring in a full crew for this, but then he’d end up not getting a chance to do any of the work. He pulled out a pair of work gloves from his hip pocket. “Come on. There’s a hole up top I want fixed. You can hand me the materials from the bottom of the ladder.”
She followed him into the barn and helped him carry out a wooden ladder that sagged in the middle. Glancing at it propped against the side of the building, she told him, “That doesn’t look too stable.”
