Page 8 of Mister Cowboy
“Out with it. What aren’t you saying?”
“I’m trying to understand what changed? Last week you were dragging your feet and putting off the realtor. Now you’ve hired someone to organize it and pulled me out here in our busiest month ever.”
He ran a hand through his hair and searched for words to explain it. The problem was he didn’t know what had changed exactly. When he left home eighteen years ago he had no intention of ever coming back. He loved this land and house as fiercely as he’d hated the man who had ruined his happy childhood memories here.
“Weren’t you the one who kept bringing up the realtor, saying it was worth a killing? I thought that meant you wanted me to get on with it.”
“I did say that. I just didn’t think it would be right this second. Plus, I’ve worked with you long enough to know that you don’t do anything you don’t want to, so cut the crap. What changed?”
Fine. She wasn’t going to let it go. “Honestly? I don’t know exactly. Maybe it’s my tie to this place screwing with my judgment, but I think it’s time to get this place ready to sell.” He waved his hands around the room. “There’s three generations of stuff packed away in this house. Plus, we have all the data we need from the ranching software we implemented. We’re ready to move forward, tie up loose ends.”
“You’re talking about the merger with D&R Software?” Tina asked.
“I haven’t made any decisions on that. It’s just a meeting.”
“Okay. Let’s pretend selling this place now is a good idea. Who’s the girl? How does she play into this? Is she someone the realtor recommended?”
He shifted in his seat. “Not exactly.”
Tina clasped her hands in her lap and waited.
“I met her last week,” he confessed. “She needed a job, and I have a good feeling about her, about this whole project.” He sat forward in his chair and tried his best to look optimistic and excited. He was risking a lot of time and money on this project for reasons he wasn’t entirely convinced of himself. And worse, being back here was making his skin crawl. Every second here had him questioning his sanity. When his parents had dropped a bombshell on him at eighteen, telling him that his best friend Henry was actually his half-brother, he’d spiraled out in a teenage rage. Resentment and stubbornness had kept him away.
Sitting in the room that had once been his mother’s sewing room, he couldn’t bear to focus on any of the details of his childhood home. Instead, he focused on Tina and not the framed needlepoint he knew hung above her head. His mother had worked on that for an entire winter. The first and last, she’d said proudly when she brought it home from the frame store.
“Some girl you just met? This doesn’t sound like you. Is everything okay? I know we don’t talk about our personal lives much, but with your dad passing away only a month ago and you inheriting this place, maybe you should take a step back before you make any big decisions.”
“I appreciate your concern, but it isn’t necessary. I’m fine.”
Tina nodded. “All right. So you want me to do what, hang out here for the next eight weeks and babysit her? Why amIhere? This sounds like the perfect project for Nadia, yourassistant.” Tina’s tone and the disgruntled look on her face made him feel a little guilty for dragging his best employee into this mess, but there was no way he was letting Nadia within fifty feet of January.
“Not for eight weeks. Help her get set up today and drop in a few times to make sure it’s progressing. I know it’s a lot to ask, but you’re the only one I trust.”
Tina smiled and shook her head. “All right, whatever you need.”
5
January
January fishedout the business card from her purse and handed it to the driver. With any luck, she’d have enough time to get downtown and hit a coffee stand before starting her new job.
“This is too far, lady. I stay in the city.” He handed the card back, keeping his eyes forward.
“Blackstone Software is downtown, 4th and Clayton I think. It can’t be more than five miles.” She snatched the card back, reading the scribbled address. “County Road...” Her voice trailed off as she read the address.
Shit.
She punched in the address into her phone, heaved a heavy sigh, and slid out of the taxi.
Two defeated minutes later, she stood across from Michael at the counter of their apartment as he held a mug in one hand and flipped through the paper with the other. “Why wouldn’t he mention that the job is in the middle of nowhere? I mean, he can’t seriously expect me to drive all the way out to the boonies without knowing anything about the job or him. He could be a complete psycho who kidnaps unsuspecting women with his nice suit and good looks.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a nice guy. He isn’t going to kidnap you or chop you into pieces.” Michael pulled his lips tight, holding back a smile.
“I’m pretty sure that’s what they said about Ted Bundy.”
Michael scoffed and tossed the paper aside. “Come on, I’ll take you.”
“How do you know he’s a nice guy? You’ve met him once.”
