Page 28 of Orphan Girl's Mountain Men

Okay then. Time to take it up a notch.

"You'll have to stay here with us. You're going to have to get up at the ass crack of dawn each day and you'll be going to sleep late at night exhausted. You'll be eating what we eat, when we eat it. Not to mention, there'll be random errands that me, or Reed or Lennon send you on as your bosses, and whatever we ask of you, you'll have to do it with no questions asked. Once we say jump, you ask how high. Got it?"

Her eyebrows twitch a little at that, but she still doesn't back down. "That's fine too. I'm ready. When can we start?"

Shit. What have I gotten myself into?

I'm tempted to tell her that I was just joking, that I didn't mean it, and she should forget about the whole deal. She must sense the words that are already half forming on the tip of my tongue though, because her face falls, her eyes anticipating devastation. Her expression becomes that of a kicked puppy. She looks up at me, mournful. Expecting the worst.

God damn it!

"Fine, you can start Monday. Seven o’clock."

The smile on her face is bright enough to power a summer morning

"Thanks, Dean," she says, like I gave her the moon and not a job thatshe’spayingmefor. "You won't regret it."

"I already do."

"I’ll see you Monday, then." The conversation over, she gives me a smile and a nod, and heads down the steps and back to her cabin.

I sigh. I'll need to talk to Reed and Lennon about this. Reed will be delighted, of course, but God only knows how Lennon will take it. He's already awkward enough around her, and he'll probably blow a gasket knowing that she's going to not only be working with us but staying with us too. She can sleep in the guest cabin though, not the main house.

I press my fingers against the bridge of my nose, a dull throb is forming at the base of my skull. Why do I get myself into these messes in the first place? Why couldn't I have politely apologized, stuck to saying ‘no’ and closed the door on her?

This is going to be a disaster, I can already feel it.

I break the news at dinner, since there had been enough things to occupy the three of us throughout the day, and there'd been no good opportunity for us all to stop and chat.

We're together now, sitting at the kitchen table with plates of steak in front of us, except Grace who is in her booster seat, eating soft mashed potatoes and meatballs that her father brings up to her lips. She's very nearly five now and old enough to eat on her own, but she almost always insists that her daddy feeds her.

"So," I start as the mild clatter of forks against ceramic continues. "I our new neighbor may be staying with us for some time."

All the clatter ceases except mine as I continue eating my steak. I wait for them to collect their thoughts. It's Lennon who speaks first. Well… I say 'speaks'. It's more of a grunt than anything else.

"What?"

I meet his gaze and explain. "She came to me earlier today and said she wanted me to teach her how to run her farm. I told her that the only effective way for her to learn would be for her to come and work on the ranch with us, and she agreed. So now she's going to be living and working here. Kind of like an apprentice—except she's paying me for it."

There it is. A moment of silence punctuates their shock, after which two things happen simultaneously.

Reed whoops and pumps his fist in the air.

Lennon on the other hand, grips his fork and says, "Are you fucking insane?"

"Language, Daddy."

"Sorry, sweetheart." He throws her an apologetic look before facing me with an angry look once more. "Why on God's good Earth would you offer her that?"

I shrug. "Well, to be honest, I didn't think she would take me up on my offer when I first said it, but then I thought about the deal and it's too good to pass up. She says that if I teach her and she can't hack it then she's going to sell me the ranch at my offer price."

"How is that a good deal?"

"Have you seen her? There's no way she's going to last here."

Lennon nods his head like he agrees but Reed raises an eyebrow and smirks, like he knows something Lennon and I don't know.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," he says." Last I spoke to her, she was pretty determined to make this work."

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