Page 2 of Ashes of the Past
Okay, so Clay has never said that before, but it doesn’t matter. It sounds good.
Jack’s smile doesn’t falter. If anything, it grows. “Sure, you have. That’s why the fence is falling apart, and the cattle are halfway to the ocean.”
My face flushes hot with anger and… something else I refuse to name. “You’ve been here for five minutes, and you think you know everything?”
“Not everything,” he says, leaning in just enough to make my pulse jump. “But I know you’ve got a temper, and I know you’re stubborn as hell.”
“And you’re an arrogant, insufferable—”
His laugh cuts me off, low and rich and infuriatingly attractive. “You’re cute when you’re mad, you know that?”
Before I can respond, he turns and walks away, leaving me standing there, fuming and… okay, maybe a little flustered.
This is going to be a long day if I have to deal with him.
By the time I make it back to the house, I’m still seething. The man’s smug grin is burned into my brain, and I’m half tempted to march back out there and… what? Scream at him some more? Throw a bucket of water on him?
The thought is satisfying, but I push it aside. I’ve got bigger things to worry about, like convincing my dad that hiring him was a mistake. I head back to college in the morning, and I know my feelings have more to do with that rather than this man’s actual capabilities.
Cowboys like him are a dime a dozen around Hicks Creek. It’s a ranching community, and just about everyone is walking around in muddy boots and cowboy hats. Ranching is in our blood. He’ll blow through town and break some hearts while he tames the wild horses dad bought at auction, and then we’ll never see him again.
Steer clear of that nonsense.
Unfortunately, my brain goes spastic when it sees a man in boots and those tight Wrangler jeans.
“Brynn?” My mom’s voice carries from the kitchen as I kick off my muddy boots and step inside.
“Yeah, it’s me, Mama,” I call back, heading toward the sound.
Mom’s at the stove cooking dinner, her apron tied around her waist like always. Dad’s sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in one hand and the newspaper in the other. He looks up whenI enter, his face lighting up with a smile that makes me pause. I walk over and hug Mom before standing in front of Dad.
“How’s it going out there?” he asks.
“Fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “The guy you hired to fix the fence is…worthless.”
My dad chuckles. “He’s a good man. Give him a chance, Brynn. He’s got a lot of experience, and I think he’ll be a big help around here.”
I bite back the retort on the tip of my tongue and nod. “Sure.”
But as I head upstairs to shower off the day’s grime, I shake my irritation away. He’s hot, but he’s not my problem after today.
The next morning, I walk down to find a note on the kitchen table.
Something came up. Can’t stay. Good luck. JR
“What’s this?” I ask Mom as she’s making breakfast.
“The horse tamer your dad hired bailed,” she sighs. “Your father is devastated. He paid a lot of money to get him here.”
“He stole—”
Mom puts her hand up and smiles back at me. “We’ll figure this out.”
I let out a long, dramatic sigh and plop down in a chair as my mother works her magic on breakfast. I love watching her work; it’s almost as if she’s floating as she dances around and sings.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, baby. It’ll work out. It always does,” she coos as she kisses the top of my head. “Your dad is out with the horses now. You have school to worry about.”
“Now you’re shorthanded. If I wasn’t away at school, I could have tamed the horses for you. I wish Dad would have let me try.”
