Page 53 of Christmas with the Cowboy
What about Reed? He’d said no expectations, but how could he not have any? What had happened between them the previous evening had been mind blowing, to say the least, and the possibility of not doing it again seemed slim. But what was it leading to?
There was still a part of Reed that was utterly closed off, whether he realized it or not. A self-protective part that wasn’t about to open up at any time soon. Did they have a chance to work past that?
Truthfully, it was too early to ask the question. So she wouldn’t. Instead, she was going to suck it up and do something she really didn’t want to do. She was going to visit her dad and find out what the deal was with firing Jay.
*
Reed went towork the next morning determined not to mention the colt knocking his dad down. It happened, and his dad didn’t need a keeper, no more than Reed needed one. But he hated the idea of his dad climbing on board the gelding. It was a clear-cut case of his dad having a hard time accepting reality, but the truth of the matter was that Daniel Keller couldn’t do what he’d been able to do five years ago. Old injuries, some from rodeo, some from wild living, some from the wear and tear of ranch work, were coming back to haunt him and he was fighting the inevitable.
Just as Reed planned to do.
“Lex ratted me out,” his dad said the moment that Reed walked into the barn. He spoke from beneath the hood of Old Yeller, which now had a front snow blade attached to its sturdy frame.
Reed didn’t bite. “Do you know of anyone who would give Jay McClain a job?”
Daniel straightened, letting the hand with the wrench drop loosely to his side. “I thought he worked for Hunt.”
“He got fired. He…asked me if I had any leads.”
“He’s kind of a brick, isn’t he?”
“Physically or mentally?”
“Both?”
Reed propped his hands on his hips. “That’s a fair assessment, but all those muscles must be good for something. Only thing is, by his own admission, he has a temper. But”—Reed gave a shrug—“he’s working on it.”
“Why are you interested in helping Jay McClain find a job?”
“He blamed Trenna for his getting fired and made a scene in a bar. Then he asked me about apologizing to her yesterday. I headed him off, and heard his sad story.”
“Did Trenna have him fired?”
“I don’t know if she has that kind of sway with her dad.” Things had changed radically in that arena.
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t want him on this place. Hell, for all we know, this is a ruse and Hunt’s trying to get him hired here to spy on us.”
“I can’t think of a less likely spy.” Reed shifted his weight. “If you think of anything, let me know. I figure the sooner he’s employed, the sooner he’s on a ranch in some distant part of the country and not around Trenna.”
“Do you think he’s a cause of concern for her?”
“I think he’s a freaking loose cannon, and I don’t want to take the chance.” His dad was giving him a thoughtful once-over, and he shifted his weight again before he realized how uneasy that made him appear—and then to top things off, he folded his arms over his chest in another body language tell.
“Trenna and I are friends. I’m not pining for her, so wipe that worried expression off your face.”
“Who’s worried?”
“If you weren’t worried, you wouldn’t have butted in and told her I wasn’t over her.”
“Looks like you worked that out, then, if you’re dealing with Jay.” It was a leading statement, which Reed ignored.
“We decided to be friends.”
Reed would have liked to be able to interpret his father’s expression as something other than disbelieving, but that would be a stretch. Part of him wanted to ask why he and Trenna couldn’t be friends, while another part whispered that he knew the answer, and he didn’t need his dad to articulate.
“Good.” Daniel tapped the wrench against his palm. “Good.” He started to lean into the truck engine, then straightened and said, “Maybe Iron Mike has a job for Jay.”
“How old is Mike?”
