Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“I did.” I exhaled hard. If a few visitors were the price of saving the ranch, so be it.
“Then give Adler a chance when he comes back?” Maverick gave me the sort of soft eyes that undoubtedly worked on Colt but did nothing for me. The last thing I wanted to do was give Adler Kelly any sort of chance to screw up the ranch operations or an opening to renew his bid for more fooling around with me. However, Maverick was determined, adding a pleading head tilt. “Please?”
“Okay.” I said the only thing I could in the face of Maverick’s request. Wasn’t like I could tell him why Adler was all kinds of under my skin and us working together would be bad news, even if Adler were experienced in ranch work, which he wasn’t.
Damn it. He wasn’t supposed to stick around. I never would have given in at the pond if I’d known this turn of events was coming. And now, he’d be back in a matter of mere days. Hell, I wasn’t sure years would be enough time to prepare to see Adler again.
Accordingly, I was in something of a foul mood a few hours later at the horse barn when I was going over supplies with Kat and also venting about Maverick’s big ideas to my longtime friend.
“And then you said okay?” Kat blinked her brown eyes at me. She was a tall, sturdy woman with an unparalleled way with horses and an uncanny ability to see through human bullshit as well.
“What else was I supposed to say?” I held up my hands. My work gloves were dusty from loading hay in the early autumn chill earlier. “Maverick’s the boss now.”
“And you’ve got how much more ranching experience?” Kat narrowed those perceptive eyes at me.
“A bit.” I pursed my mouth. Maverick had grown up around ranching, same as me, but there was also a twenty-year gap where he’d been off in California, living the reality-TV lifestyle while flipping hotels, and I’d been right here, working the dirt. Further, even when he’d been a teen on the ranch, Maverick had done every damn thing to get out of chores. Understandable, too, given the way his old man had rode him hard.
And Kat, damn her, knew that too. Her expression softened as she put a hand on my shoulder. “Gray, I say this as a friend, you have to let your guilt over how Maverick’s dad treated him go.”
“I don’t have guilt—”
“Okay, an unreasonable sense of obligation. Does that sound better?” She shook her head at me. “The whole town knew Melvin Lovelorn was a shitty parent and a miserable person despite being a world-class judge of horse flesh and a decent rancher. You’re not the only one who wanted to save Maverick.”
“I know.” However, I also knew that not everyone had had a front row seat to the arguing. More than once, I’d walked away from the two of them getting into it in the barn, Melvin lighting into Maverick over this or that minor infraction. I carried that private shame with me. At the time, I hadn’t had much choice as I couldn’t risk my own dad’s job, not when this was his last chance, but that didn’t mean I’d done the right thing by walking away.
“Do you?” She lightly poked me in the chest of my thick flannel work jacket. “If you don’t want to work with Adler, just tell Maverick he’s too green for you to train.”
“You think I can’t train him?” I stepped back to stare at her. I didn’t want Adler around, true, but I’d brought any number of lollygaggers up from lazy hands to valued workers, likely to be poached by other operations.
“That’s not what I said.” Kat waved a hand, but I kept right on frowning at her. “If you don’t want the job, tell Maverick that Adler’s a liability. Guy’s too curious for his own good.”
“He’s not that bad.” I wasn’t about to tell her Adler’s better qualities included an impressive ability to follow directions with his mouth, but for some strange reason, Kat backing me up on not wanting Adler around made me all protective of him. Maybe I was being a bit hasty and letting my awkwardness over a single encounter make me biased.
“Nah. Eager puppies have their place.” Kat chuckled fondly. And it wasn’t an inaccurate description for Adler—he was bouncy and happy, like a big lab puppy with no idea what to do with its energy or big feet. Nevertheless, my back tightened as Kat continued, “Not sure my barn is one of them, but he’s friendly enough. Kept bringing me cookies when he’d come by to see Magnolia or the other horses.”
“Cookies?” I blinked. Adler was so skinny. I’d assumed he was on some Hollywood diet craze that banished butter and carbs.