Page 3 of Ranch Rules

“Nat—”

“You need me here. I can fix this. Please, Mr. Dawson, let me fix this. I—”

“Please, you’re not listen—”

“I have worked so hard for this firm. I deserve this chance. I—”

“Natalie!” he boomed across the desk from her, effectively shutting her up. He paused for a moment, then seeing that he had succeeded in getting the silence he needed, he cleared his throat. “I understand your desire to make this right, I truly do. It’s part of what makes you so good at your job. You’re a valuable part of this firm, and each of us recognizes that. This is not a punishment—”

“Hard not to see it that way from this side.”

Those bushy brows drew together again as he scowled at her. “Listen, Nat, it’s already been decided. The partners and I have seen you overworking yourself these last few months, and I am not the only one who’s talked to you about it. You’re heaping too much onto an already overflowing plate, and if you don’t stop, there’s bound to be more mistakes like this one.”

She swallowed hard. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a point.

“We truly appreciate everything you’ve done for us, and we want to give you a chance to take the rest you need.”

Natalie let out a shaky exhale. It was a done deal then. There was nothing she could do about it. “Okay. I mean, thank you.”

But Mr. Dawson wasn’t finished. “We have even gone to the liberty of scheduling you a four-day retreat at the Discipline Ranch.”

“The... what? Discipline Ranch? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well, me either, to be honest but Roger Neilson has a nephew who swears by it.”

“I see.” She forced a smile. She would rather stay home and catch up on all the studies she had earmarked to read when she finally had a chance, but she knew she couldn’t say so. They had gone to the trouble of making these plans for her, and she wasn’t about to be labeled ungrateful. She didn’t need a vacation, but if they had scheduled one, she would go. She would get some sun, maybe a massage or two, and come back singing their praises and ready to get back to work.

“And one more thing—I’ve heard that cell reception can be a bit spotty.”

Her mouth dropped open. “But then how can I—”

“So don’t worry about checking in on us. We’ll be fine, and your cases will be handled until you get back.”

She wanted to object further, but Mr. Dawson had risen from the chair and she knew what that meant. Conversation over.

* * *

She knew she was supposedto feel grateful. After all, after working seventy-five-hour weeks, often pulling all-nighters to get her work done on time, a vacation was long overdue. Not only was Briggs & Spric paying for her to have the time off, they were paying for the vacation itself.

But what choice did they have? They had practically ordered her to go. She supposed that was what rankled the worst. Had she made a mistake? Sure. But which of them could say they were immune from that? No one who had been working for a decade, she knew that much. So why was she being punished?

She had lost them an account. A very important, lucrative one. The reminder made her wince. Natalie prided herself on perfection, but it seemed that she’d fallen short this time. Now they were sending her away like a naughty child that needed a timeout.

She supposed she should feel relieved that was all they were doing. They had fired other lawyers for lesser mistakes, after all.

Still, she was less than thrilled as she tossed clothes into a suitcase. She wished she’d been brave enough to argue the point further with her boss, but as good a lawyer as she was she had seen clearly that he was going to turn deaf ears to any argument she could make.

Which was why she found herself in her car, driving to some obscure vacation spot that didn’t even have a website. Honestly, how did they stay in business?

Probably have a deal with all the major law firms to bully their employees into visiting, she thought bitterly.

When Natalie was twenty-seven minutes away according to her GPS, she noticed that she only had one bar on her cell. Fantastic. This day just kept getting better and better.

Relax. They’ll have Wi-Fi.After all, what kind of barbaric place didn’t? She had to be kept up to date on her cases, vacation or no. What Mr. Dawson didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“This will be good,” she said aloud to her empty car. “I’ll fall in line, get through the next week, and go back to work as normal. I’ll thank them for the ‘opportunity’ and life can go back to normal.” Natalie’s lips drew into a firm line and her hands tightened on the wheel. She was having a hard time convincing herself.

At least if she had to go, she was traveling in style. She lived a modest life—she had been hired by Briggs & Spric right out of law school with a whopping two hundred grand in student loan debt. Natalie loved setting goals and following a plan, which was why she lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment and only ate out during the company’s annual Christmas party. Otherwise, she lived off cartons of yogurt and pre-packaged salad, paying down her loans as quickly as she could with her generous salary. There would be time to live in the lap of luxury later, when she’d earned it.

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