Page 11 of The Cowboy and His Beauty
"I have space in the garage if you want to store any furniture, so you don’t have to pay for a storage unit," I offer.
I like having her here even though I don't think I should. I need to keep my distance and enjoy her being around.
Neither of us talks as we unload her boxes into the apartment. Several times, I catch Sky watching me, but she doesn’t say anything until we’ve finished unloading all the boxes.
"Thank you for your help. It made things much easier," she says.
I nod, and she follows me back outside. I catch her looking at me again, and it reminds me of the times I caught her gazing at me from across a classroom or down the hall when she was talking to her friends. She’s studying me like she did all those years ago. I loved the feeling of her eyes on me back then, and I love it now.
"Have we met before? I swear you look familiar, but I can't place you," she says thoughtfully.
I shrug and turn to head into the house without a word.
"I'm sorry. I'm going to grab my stuff from my parents. I’ll be back in a bit."
I nod again, and head for the porch. I watch her leave before going inside to start dinner. Day one, and already, things aren’t going to plan. I need to keep my distance, which I know will be easier said than done.
Keeping my distance was something I could never do with Sky. She pulled me to her, no matter where I was. I was always calmer and happier when I was near her. That still seems to be the case.
I'm making dinner when there’s a knock on the back door. No one knocks here—the ranch hands just walk in if they need anything.
I open the door hesitantly to find Sky there. "No one knocks on that door. You live here, so just come on in," I tell her as I return to cooking dinner.
"That will take some getting used to," she says as she looks around.
What memories is she recalling as she looks around the kitchen? Is it the many afternoons she spent cooking with my mom? Or maybe it’s the times we sat in the living room watching a movie or reading on the couch when we were on break from school.
The furniture may be new, but it’s still in the same place, so it's easy to recall my favorite memories, all of which contain Sky.
"What happened to the Michaels who owned this place before?" she asks, shattering the memories.
Her question reminds me that she still doesn't know who I am. "I run it now,” I answer abruptly before changing the subject. “We will need a menu plan so I can get you what you need. I’ll send a guy into Amarillo to do a bulk stock up. We converted part of the garage into a room for food storage. There are several freezers in there, along with a huge pantry and extra stove and fridge, if needed."
I can feel her eyes on me as I stir the sauce on the stove. I don't want to lie to her, and if she hasn't figured it out by now, it's not my problem. Right?
"This will take half an hour in the oven. How about I give you a better tour and explain your duties while we wait?" I finally turn to face her.
She studies me for a moment before nodding and standing.
"I’ve been using the pantry, fridge, and freezer to store meals for the next few days, along with snacks and such. There’s a menu plan printed on the fridge for the guys, but I keep a list on the computer too. It’s easier for whoever runs into town next. I’ll get you set up on the computer tomorrow. Let me show you the garage and where I keep the keys.
The garage is locked to keep out animals that may smell the food.
"We keep lesser-used things in here too. Depending on how you cook, you can move them inside and move other things out of here. This will be your domain." I look at the things my mom had that I had no idea how to use but didn't have the heart to get rid of.
"Oh, good. The big slow cooker is out here. That will be great to use, especially on hot days."
I nod because I knew Sky would know more about all this stuff than I do. Mom taught me to cook, but it was never my job to cook for everyone on the ranch until now. I'm more than happy to hand that job over to Sky. I'd rather feed the animals in the barn than the humans on this ranch.
"It will be your job to keep everyone on the ranch fed. Breakfast, lunch, and supper. Breakfast should be grab-and-go. You’ll need to plan something easy for lunch that you can bring out to the field and also have here at the house. Everyone comes in to grab their food at dinner and takes it wherever they choose to eat."
"I can handle that. Are there any food allergies or things to avoid?"
"We don't do fancy city food here. We’re meat and potato eaters. No allergies, no vegetarians. Meals should be filling and taste good. The classics are best."
"I can do that," Sky says with a smile and a nod.
"You’re also in charge of cleaning the main living areas, the bathroom, and your apartment. The men take care of their spaces. I’ll handle my bedroom, bathroom, and office. Let's head out to the barn, and I’ll introduce you to a few of the men."
