Page 22 of Orphan Girl's Mountain Men

"Because," she says. "I don't want to mix business with pleasure. You're going to be my neighbor for the foreseeablefuture, and we might have to work together sometimes. Hooking up with you could make things messy."

I cock my head to one side. That's interesting. Out of all the things she says my mind hyper-focuses on one part. "Do you really plan to stay here and farm your property?"

"Yeah?" Her voice is instantly defensive. "And what about it?"

"Well, it's not easy for one thing."

"Here we go… you as well. Why do people keep telling me that? I never said I thought it would be easy, and I never said I only want to do easy things either."

"Yeah, but I mean, look at me. I didn't grow up on a farm. I'm from Chicago and I worked in a garage before going into the military. When I came out… well, I had nothing to do. No prospects. Dean took me in and trained me, and that's the only reason I know any of the stuff I know now. The work is physically very hard—backbreaking sometimes—and the hours are long. And that's coming from a physically fit SEAL. Dean says that you can't be eased into farm life. He says you have to be thrown into the deep end and get your hands dirty. That's what I did and that's how I learned so fast." My gaze flickers down to her fingers on my chest. "That and the fact that although I'd no farming experience, I was very fit and used to working outside all day. Forgive me saying so, but you don't look like you have dirty hands, sweetheart. You look like you have soft, sweet hands. Hands that are used to gentle, indoor work, not harsh, outdoor stuff like fencing, planting, and machinery maintenance."

She presses her lips together. "Before you started working here did you know that you wanted to work on a farm?"

I shake my head. "Heck no. At the time, I wanted to be a race car driver. Then an air force pilot. And then a rodeo star." I never could make up my mind on exactly what I wanted to do. OnceI got the hang of the farming thing, I honestly couldn't imagine doing anything else.

"Exactly. I didn't think about being a farmer either but when I got here, it felt right. I can’t say exactly why, but I feel like this is what I'm supposed to do and where I'm meant to be. I'm not looking to own or run a ten-thousand-acre, commercial farm. I just want to be self-sustainable, that's all. A little family homestead with a few hens for eggs, and plant potatoes, tomatoes, zucchinis, and pumpkins for food. Have a few plum trees or apple trees for fruit in the autumn. Is that such a big deal? Everyone keeps turning it into something huge and then telling me that I can't do it without even giving me a chance, and without knowing anything about me. I gotta say, it pisses me off."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. First my aunt's best friend Tara wants me to sell up and move back to Aurora. Then your friend Dean—he's already given me the rundown on how I won't be able to survive out here. He tried to buy my land off me, and he told me that I won't last. Then comes this Victor Sinclair guy, and he's even more adamant about it than Dean. Now you."

"Oh, I see. Well, if you're going to sell, it might as well be to Dean. He'll offer you a fair deal. Sinclair is a low-down rotten snake. He'll stitch you up as soon as look at you. Sooner."

"Are you not listening to what I'm saying? I'm not selling it, not to anyone!"

"Okay, okay, I heard you," I grin, my hands held up in a placatory gesture, an attempt to soothe the angry bearess. "I get it, I really do. You want the chance to prove yourself and I'm an asshole for not giving it to you. Well okay, I apologize. You're right, I guess you do deserve that chance. You have my full support." I offer my hand.

She shakes my hand cautiously, eyeing me like I'm some kind of dangerous animal as she does so. What she says is "Thank you," but she makes it sound like "I don't believe you."

Again, in the general run of things, that's a pretty sensible attitude, but actually, I'm genuinely impressed. Seems there's more to this little lady than any of us gave her credit for. More grit. More heart. More determination.

Which, if anything, only adds to her intrigue. Adds to my desire.

Before I can say more, there's a quick rap on the door, and Ouray, who must have seen me heading in this direction, calls out from the doorway, "Hey boss, if you're in there, we got a problem."

"What kind of a problem?"

"Code black."

Shit. That means the death of one of our animals. I glance at Hailey, and a lightbulb goes off in my head. Here's a test of her resolve. Pass this and well… maybe she will stand a chance out here. We shall see. "You really want to learn about farm life?"

She nods.

"Then follow me."

For a moment, she hesitates, but then nods again.

Ouray is surprised to see Hailey behind me when I open the door.

"Let's go," I say, and his eyes flare open, but he doesn't say anything. He leads us quickly back across the fence into our land and then along a track into the forest, Ouray throwing curious looks at me and at Hailey along the way. When I catch his eye with my own though, the looks stop cold. Good. He doesn't need to be looking at her, not when she's mine. Or at least when she's going to be mine after I convince her of what a good idea it is and how much fun we can have together.

I don't know how long she'll last on this farm. Dean is giving her a few weeks to a couple of months. Lennon fears it might be at least a few months. It's not my business whether she plans to stay or not, but for whatever the duration that she's here for, I want her in my bed.

We find a gruesome scene over to the south side of our land. I can smell blood in the air as we approach, and even though it was my idea to bring her, I still pause and ask, "Are you sure you want to see this?"

She swallows and nods in the affirmative, her eyes wide, her breathing a little faster than before. I'll give her props for not backing down now, even after I've given her another chance to do so.

Then we see it, and it's gnarly. I hear her gag behind me, but she contains it and doesn't throw up. Good girl.

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