Page 7 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

Her lips parted on a gasp of astonishment. “Are you actually offering me the job?”

“I am.” A chuckle rumbled out of him. “After months of slogging through resumes, yours quickly swam to the top of the pile. Today’s interview was more of a formality than anything else.”

“A formality?” Her voice rose in disbelief. What game was he playing? Was this some kind of test? Another gotcha question?

“Yep.” While watching her frantic efforts to keep it together, Rock Hefner pushed his manilla folder in her direction. “Our offer is already printed and ready for your signature. As stated in the original job description, it’s a newly created position. Full-time. Salaried with benefits. You’ll also have access to our fleet of company vehicles, though it appears you’re already driving one.”

Mila wasn’t sure how he knew that, but she didn’t ask.Her heart pounded with a heady mix of excitement, anticipation, and dread as she opened the folder. The salary listed on the top page of the job offer made her feel like hyperventilating all over again. It was more money than she’d ever made in her life, more than she’d even hoped for. She resisted the urge to dig out a pen and sign it before he could change his mind. Or maybe she should do exactly that before her stepbrother swept into the room and changed his mind for him.

She carefully laid her sketchpad beside the open folder. Now that she had a job offer in hand, there was no point in continuing to ignore the elephant in the room. “If you know about my vehicle, then you also must know…” She left the rest of the sentence dangling, silently inviting Rock to complete it for her.

“That you’re related to my boss? Yep.” His tone was matter-of-fact. “Since you’re the top candidate for this position, your resume naturally received the most scrutiny.”

The wordscrutinymade her inwardly cringe.

“Any information about you that’s public knowledge,” he continued in a bland voice, “just assume I already know it.”

“I have nothing to hide.” Though if it were possible to hide anything during the Internet age, she surely would have. The most embarrassing moment of her life was forever cemented in digital history — the afternoon she’d become a runaway bride. After the snapshots and video clips of the event had gone viral, she’d shut down most of her social media accounts. It was the least she could do to minimize the blowback on her family.

Rock raised one dark eyebrow at her. “I wouldn’t mindhearing more about your Cowboys for Kingston group. Off the record, of course.”

She gaped at him for a few beats before exploding into laughter. “That wasn’t exactly public knowledge.” She’d all but forgotten about the anonymous group she’d started online in support of her stepbrother’s campaign for town council.

Rock’s gaze took on a sly glint. “Like I said, my scrutiny of your resume was very thorough.”

“Correction.” Her voice was sheepish. “I havealmostnothing to hide. I was just doing my part to get Deck elected.” She’d discreetly rallied her stepbrother’s old friends and contacts from the rodeo circuit to flood the Internet with pictures and stories about his championship bull riding days. She’d ultimately failed to erase the runaway bride stories. They were simply too juicy. However, she’d managed to bury them decently far beneath her Cowboys for Kingston posts.

Rock produced a pen, flipped it into the air, and caught it. Then he held it out to her. “If you agree to come work for Lonestar Security, I promise to share some of my own harrowing exploits while serving in the Special Forces.”

That certainly would explain his wounded leg. Her gaze flicked briefly to the cane propped against his chair before returning to his tanned features.

There was a rigid set to his jaw that hadn’t been there before.

She wordlessly accepted the pen he was holding out and signed the job offer with a flourish. The empty signature line beneath hers took some of the joy out of the moment. Her stepbrother’s name was typed there. Disappointment seeped into her mouth.

It was just her luck that he was the guy who would have to approve Rock’s hiring decision. Or not approve it, which was more likely the case. Why couldn’t the person signing off on it be his business partner, Josh Hawling? Or Gil Remington, whom they’d recently brought on board as a third partner? Wasn’t forensic art more down a retired sheriff’s alley than that of a retired bull rider? Or what about the fourth partner they’d brought on board around the same time as Gil? Though Mila had yet to meet the man, she’d read somewhere that he was an attorney. More importantly, he wasnother stepbrother — a man filled to the brim with too many biases against her to recognize her true value.

She set the pen down on top of the job offer, trying to breathe normally through the tang of bitterness on her tongue. Summoning what she hoped was a casual voice, she inquired, “What comes next?” She was afraid she already knew the answer, but it wasn’t in her nature to give up. She was like a mountain climber who’d lost her footing, digging her fingernails into the last ledge of hope.

“Final approvals.” Rock closed the folder with the pen still inside it. “The top dogs at Lonestar Security carefully vet every prospective new employee, which is why I took so long doing my part. If I’d left a single stone unturned, I’d hear about it from them.” He double tapped his forefinger against the folder. “I’ll make sure you get copies of all the final paperwork.”

Mila tried to take heart in the way he was making it sound like getting Decker Kingston’s hallowed signature was routine —just another box to check. However, she was afraid it was anything but.

He pointed at her sketchpad. “Mind if I see that again?”

It took her an extra second or two to absorb his latest question. “Um, sure.” Inwardly shaking off her misgivings, she slid it back in his direction.

He opened it, flipped to a blank page, and turned the pad around to her. “Any chance you’d be willing to draw something while I watch?”

“Of course.” She’d never before felt so defeated. Or less inspired. If, by some miracle, she made it through the final phase of Lonestar Security’s hiring process, working for Rock Hefner certainly wouldn’t be boring. He seemed to enjoy saying and doing the unexpected. He was particularly skilled at nudging her out of her comfort zone and keeping her there.

She bit her lower lip, trying to scrape together any drop of remaining inspiration that her anxiety level had failed to decimate. “What would you like me to draw?”

He shrugged. “Whatever inspires you.”

Hoh, boy!She hid her answering wince by straightening in her chair. Being put on the spot was more unnerving than inspiring, but it was a fair request during a job interview. This was her chance to prove that the sketches she’d included with her job application weren’t thousand-hour labors of love. She was highly capable of sketching on the fly, something that would undoubtedly be required of a forensic artist on staff at her brother’s firm.

She glanced toward the pen still closed inside the manila folder. “Would you like me to use a pencil or pen?”

---