Second Chance Ranch Chapter 3

Chapter THREE:

Kelly burst through the front door of her parent’s house, her heart tumbling up her throat. “I got the job!” She dropped her purse as her mom jumped up from the couch in the living room.

“You got the job?”

“I got the job!” She grabbed her mom in a hug, laughing and spinning her around. “I was the only applicant, but I got the job.”

The back door slammed and Finn raced through the mudroom and into Kelly’s arms. “Mom, guess what?”

“What, baby?”

“Grampa says I threw the ball fifteen yards.”

“That’s great, Finny.” She ruffled his hair, knowing a four-year-old couldn’t throw a ball that far. “Guess what? I got a job that will help us get a house of our own.” She beamed down at her son, basically a miniature of Taylor. His dark hair; his strong, square face; his unending energy.

Finn’s eyes weren’t quite as dark as her ex’s, but they hovered between green and brown in a beautiful hazel color. The only mark of herself she could see in him.

“I don’t want to get a house,” Finn said, squirming out of her hug. “Grampa says he’s gonna build a new chicken coop, and I can help.” He ran through the house to the backyard.

Kelly stood, a sigh escaping her lips. She couldn’t live with her parents forever, but having her dad in Finn’s life had brought her son’s smile back. He rarely left her father’s side, and as hammer blows came from the backyard, warmth radiated in Kelly’s core.

She moved to the back door and looked through the window. Twenty yards away, out by the shed, her dad bent over several pieces of cut wood, nails clenched in his hand. Finn stood in front of him, a hammer at the ready. She’d never seen Taylor do anything similar with Finn, and as she watched, her mind wandered to Squire. She could definitely see him working and playing with his kids.

“You can stay as long as you need to,” her mom said, and Kelly’s thoughts about her new boss scattered.

“I know, Mom. But we can’t live here forever, even if he wants to.” She kicked off her heels and left them by the back door before she moved into the kitchen. “I have a little bit more to go before I pay off the divorce lawyer. Taylor and I agreed to split everything regarding Finn right down the middle. I could probably save enough to put a down payment on a house and move out in a couple of months.”

Her mom nodded, tucking a stray strand of Kelly’s hair behind her ear. “Where will you go?”

“Somewhere in town.” She began to make lunch. Her shift at the grocery store began at two, and while she’d gotten the position at the ranch, she couldn’t blow off Vince. She’d give her two-week notice today and hope Vince would let her work on the weekends.

“Maybe over by Crystal,” her mom said, watching her set water to boil for the pasta. “There are newer houses on the west side of town.”

“Maybe,” Kelly said, content as she thought about Finn playing with Crystal’s boys. Kelly would like to be close to her cousin too. She thought about taking Finn out to the ranch. The idea of him running free—riding horses, feeding calves, playing in the dirt—made her heart expand by double. Finn would absolutely adore the ranch, the way she had as a child.

And there were a lot of men out there. But Finn just needed one man in his life, someone who loved him and wanted him around. Taylor wouldn’t be that man, and again Squire stole into Kelly’s mind. She shook him away, stirring her thoughts into the pasta pot until hot water sloshed over the sides.

“Once I have enough saved, I’ll look around.” Kelly put the wooden spoon down and flashed her mom a smile. Planning more than a day or two out brought a sense of accomplishment Kelly hadn’t experienced in months.

Her mom turned the conversation to the weather, a safer topic that gave Kelly some relief from the heavier matters weighing on her mind. It had been an exceptionally dry spring, and her mom worried about the possibility of not having the traditional fireworks show at the upcoming Fourth of July celebration. But Kelly’s mind wandered back to the ranch. Nerves crowded her stomach as she thought about going to work tomorrow, of seeing Squire. If only she had a few weeks to review everything she’d learned in five years of college so she could put together a proposal that would impress him.

Finn and her father banged into the house, asking about lunch. Kelly forced away her confusing thoughts about Squire and fearful worries about being inadequate at her new job, painted on a grin, and opened a can of spaghetti sauce.

* * *

Kelly stirred before the sun rose. Not because of nerves or bad dreams, but because a whimper came from Finn’s bedroom. Suddenly wide-awake, she pushed the folders off the edge of the bed where she’d discarded them last night and hurried out of her bedroom. Theirs were the only two bedrooms in the basement, situated right next door to each other, so she arrived at his bedside in seconds.

She stroked Finn’s hair off his forehead, and he calmed. “You’re feverish. Did Grandpa give you chocolate after dinner?”

Finn moaned, which Kelly took as a yes. She went into the small bathroom in the hall. She had a plethora of children’s medications, and she selected one that would bring down Finn’s fever quickly. She filled a cup with water and took it in with the pain reliever.

She woke him and made him drink the medicine and a sip of water. He settled right back to sleep, looking angelic in the soft light coming from the bathroom. She carefully lay down beside him on the double-wide bed and closed her eyes. She needed to be up in a couple of hours to get ready for work, but she could hope for a few minutes of rest.

She startled awake at the sound of her mother calling her name. “You’ll be late on your first day. Are you ready?”

Adrenaline swamped her, forcing her pulse to drum against her tongue. Kelly took a few seconds to gather her bearings. The spot next to her—in Finn’s bed—was empty.

She hustled into her bedroom, but her phone alarm had been silenced. “Finn!” she called as she realized she didn’t have time to shower.

“Yeah, Mom?” Finn came bounding into the room, already wearing an adult-sized tool belt held tight by the masterful use of a bungee cord.

“Did you turn off my alarm?” She wasn’t surprised at his miraculous recovery. He often ate too many sweets, experienced a low fever and stomach pain in the night, and woke up good as new.

“Yup. You were tired.”

“Finn, I have to go to work this morning. Remember Mommy got a new job?” She flung hangers around in her closet, searching for the right outfit to wear.

Finn watched her, and she finally sent him back upstairs. She couldn’t blame him for turning off her alarm. He’d done it many times since they’d moved here.

She sucked in a deep breath. She could only imagine what Squire would say if she showed up late.

She hurriedly stepped into a pair of purple corduroys, matching them with a flowery silk top. She slipped on a more ranch-practical pair of black boots and moved into the bathroom.

A groan escaped as she took in her appearance. She turned on the water and ran wet fingers through her hair to get it to lie down. With a hot cloth, she washed her face. After whipping out the hairdryer and doing a quick fluff, she did a half-decent job on her makeup, and practically sprinted upstairs.

“Breakfast?” her mom asked from the kitchen.

The clock read eight thirty-two. “No time,” Kelly panted. “I’ll be fine.” She kissed Finn, grabbed her purse, and ran out the front door.

She parked next to the ranch trucks at nine o’clock sharp, thanks to some pedal-to-the-metal driving. The shocks on her sedan might never recover, but Kelly would take car repairs over being late.

Squire’s dog was already snoozing in the shade as she climbed the stairs and banged her way into the administration building. She glanced around surreptitiously for him, but didn’t see Squire in the open area to her left. She handed her folder of paperwork to Clark just as a blond cowboy stood and whistled.

“Well, who is this sweet drink of water?” he asked, swaggering toward her.

Kelly almost laughed out loud, but managed to keep her face placid. Clark answered for her without looking up from her paperwork. “That there’s Ethan,” he told Kelly. “He’s good for almost nothin’.”

“I’m good for everything, sweetheart,” Ethan corrected as he moved closer. Too close. He smelled halfway between showered and mucking out the horse stalls.

Kelly straightened her shoulders and looked up at him. “Is that so?” She itched to take a step away but held her ground. “Got anyone to vouch for that?”

Ethan settled his arm across her shoulders. “You will be soon, little lady.”

“Ethan,” a man barked.

Kelly jumped, her hands automatically coming up to cover her spasming heart. Ethan dropped his arm like she’d spontaneously combusted. His second reaction took several seconds longer, but he eventually turned toward Squire.

“Boss.” He didn’t look ashamed, didn’t tip his hat.

Squire steamed like he was four seconds from going into Tasmanian devil mode. His eyes stormed; the muscle in his jaw twitched, and he folded those bulging arms across his chest.

Kelly pressed her lips together to keep her smile contained. She definitely wasn’t trying to make sure her lipstick was as fresh as possible.

“Did you get those bulls moved to yard three?” Squire asked.

“Didn’t know I was supposed to,” Ethan responded.

“I put it on the board for today.” Squire hooked his thumb toward a white board behind him in the open area of the trailer where the cowboys had been hanging out yesterday. Kelly only saw two or three there now and assumed the rest were out tending to their assignments.

“Well, then I’ll get right on it,” Ethan said. “And I’ll get back to you later, pretty lady.” He tipped his hat to her and with a final glance in Squire’s direction, left the trailer.

Kelly noticed Squire’s grimace as the door slammed. His teeth clenched and his eyes pressed closed against something only he could see.

“You’re all set,” Clark said as if he hadn’t been present for the showdown that had just taken place. “Here’s the password for the computer.”

Kelly took the slip of paper and stepped with confidence toward her office. When she reached Squire, she had the strangest urge to reach up and smooth the tension from his shoulders.

“Good morning,” she said, focusing on stepping past him without touching him. He smelled like wood smoke and musk, and she silently took the deepest breath she could manage.

“Morning.” He followed her through the trailer to her office and sat in the chair across from her desk.

She suppressed her sigh, sat down, and pulled the files from her purse like they could shield her from his presence. “These were pretty messed up.” She glanced at him. “What do you know about them?”

“About what you just said. They’re messed up.” He stared back at her, and again she noticed that he didn’t wear normal ranch attire. Today he was wearing jeans, but it was obvious they hadn’t spent any time outside in the sun. No belt. Clean, new hiking boots. He wore a short-sleeved button-up shirt in lilac. She didn’t think an Army man would be caught dead in purple, but on Squire, the light color served to enhance his muscles.

His cowboy hat sat in place, covering his dark hair, and his striking eyes reminded her that he was dangerous to her health. Everything about him seemed vibrant, while she felt pieced together in yesterday’s clothing.

When she realized she was staring, she pulled her attention back to the file. “Why’d you say you didn’t recognize me yesterday?” She kept her eyes down. “I mean, you obviously did.”

“From what I remember, you like doing things by yourself.” His mouth seemed painted in a level line. His arms couldn’t clench any tighter across his chest. His tension bled into her, which made her stomach squirm in a wobbly dance.

She flipped open the file, unsure of what he meant by such a comment. She knew she didn’t need him in her office, all up in her business, as she studied their financial records. “I’ll let you know when I find something, or when I have a plan for what we should do.”

“Great.” He stood, reached into his pocket, and extracted his phone. He leaned over her desk to see what papers she had. “I wouldn’t start there.”

“It was the one on the top,” she said, a vein of annoyance working its way into her voice.

“Doesn’t mean that’s where you should start.”

Her stomach chose that moment to emit the loudest growl that had been heard this side of the Mississippi.

He chuckled. “My mother usually serves breakfast at seven,” he said. “She might have something leftover. You want me to go get it for you?”

“No,” she said quickly. She certainly didn’t need Squire bringing her food. She ran her fingers through her limp hair, cringing at the somewhat greasy texture. “I’m fine. I just skipped breakfast this morning. Wasn’t feeling well.”

He lifted his eyebrows, but not in surprise. More like a challenge.

“Not feeling well?” he repeated. “Nervous?”

“About this job?” She forced a laugh. “No. I’ve got this. It was something I ate at work last night.”

“You have another job?” The eyebrows went down, but she didn’t like the compassionate tone in his voice either.

“No,” she said. “Well, I do for a couple more weeks. But just on weekends.”

“What do you do?”

She really wanted him to leave. Maybe then she could crawl under her desk and bask in the shame of her situation. “I, uh, work at Vince’s.”

“The grocery store?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about them, too.” She gave him a look that could melt steel and returned her attention to the files. “Maybe you need to see a specialist about your memory loss.” As soon as she said the words, she regretted them. Maybe he’d been injured on one of his deployments. She knew better than anyone that not all wounds were visible.

His low chuckle prompted her to look up, but she refused to give in to the grin tugging against her lips. Her sweet tooth would have to be satisfied with cookies, not Squire’s tasty laugh. At the thought of food, her stomach rumbled again.

He flipped through the stack of files and plucked a thick one from the middle. “Start here.” He plunked the folder on top of the one she’d been reading, turned, and left her office. She watched him go, noticing that he favored his right leg. Only a slight hiccup in his stride, but present nonetheless.

So he had been hurt overseas. Even as she wondered what had happened, relief that he’d left her office flowed through her strong enough to anchor her to why she was there. And it most definitely wasn’t to find a cowboy.