Inspired By The Creative Cowboy (Sage Valley Ranch Book 5)

by Bree Livingston

  “Found it,” Dori announced as she walked to the counter. The sparkle in her eye let Summer know she’d taken her time on purpose, and it was a good possibility she’d overheard the entire conversation. “We’re slow right now if you want to use the family bathroom and clean his hand. Just don’t take too long,” she said with a wink.

  Summer rolled her eyes, spun on her heels, and waved for Julian to follow her. When they got to the bathroom, she stepped inside and held the door, letting him in. Setting the kit down on the counter, she opened it. “I could have sworn there were tweezers in this kit,” she said as she searched through it.

  “Really, I can get it.”

  Just as she looked up, he grimaced and yanked the splinter out with a grunt. “See? Out.”

  “And it hurt, too.”

  “Well, I can’t lie about that. It was in there pretty good.”

  After grabbing an alcohol wipe and tearing it open, she took his hand. “You don’t have to be macho around me.”

  Julian sucked in a sharp breath the second the wipe touched the wound.

  “I’m sorry,” she said and caught his gaze. “It needed to be cleaned, though.”

  “If you say so.”

  She looked back down at his hand, brushing her thumb across the palm. “You know, you don’t have the hands of a carpenter, but it’s obvious you do some hard work.” Lifting her head, she locked eyes with him. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.” What had gotten into her? It was like she was trying to shove both feet down her throat.

  Those blue eyes held hers for just a breath. “No, it’s okay. As my boss, you have a right to ask questions about my previous employment.”

  “Okay, so what were you doing before this?” She took the bottle of peroxide and poured some on his hand.

  He flinched as it bubbled. “Uh, well, little odd jobs here and there. Some painting, general contracting. That kind of thing.”

  Summer knew that wasn’t the whole story, but for now, she’d let it slide. It did make her awfully curious as to what he was hiding. “Steady work, then?”

  “You could say that.”

  She finished with his hand and bandaged it. “All right. All fixed up.”

  He smiled. Goodness, could he give a winning smile. “Thank you. You were probably right about it needing to be cleaned out. I guess you saved me some trouble down the road.”

  “I have to take care of my carpenter. Can’t get my barn done if you’re down.” She closed the kit. “I can give you a ride back to your cabin if you’d like.”

  “You know, I think I’ll walk. I’d like to look around the ranch a little if you don’t mind.”

  Inwardly, Summer felt bereft at missing out on more time spent with him, but she needed to keep their relationship professional, and she’d already had too many crazy thoughts. It was better that he strike out on his own so she could get on the phone with the roofers.

  “Sure,” she said, letting his hand go.

  “You can stop by the barn first thing tomorrow to check on me if you’d like. I promise I’ll be there bright and early.” He turned and paused as he touched the door handle. “Thanks for the job.”

  Summer limply waved and nodded.

  Without another word, he stepped out.

  If she were fire, she’d just been doused with water. Everything felt colder with him gone. A silly notion since she just met him, but there it was, and she didn’t know how to process it. Process it? She shook her head. “You’re losing your mind, Summer.” She caught a glimpse of her reflection and sighed. “You need to have a mind to lose in the first place, you dork.”

  Rolling her eyes, she mentally scolded herself. She had a job to do. If she failed, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to pick herself back up. And no amount of Nanna’s pep talks would be able to fix her. The last thing she needed to do was get involved with her employee, have the relationship end, and watch him leave her high and dry. Nope, that wasn’t going to happen, and she’d make sure of it.

  6

  Wiping his brow, Julian paused before wedging the claw of the hammer between two boards and pulling. He thought he’d be scraping paint, but once he got a closer look, there was no point worrying about paint when most of the boards needed to be replaced.

  So far…he’d barely made a dent on the south wall. The rusted nails and ratty boards were coming off in pieces. He was certainly glad for his gloves; otherwise, his hands would look like a porcupine.

  Just as the sun rose, he’d dressed and headed to the barn to get an early start. Summer needed this thing done in three months, and he’d made a promise. One he intended to keep at all costs.

  The evening before, he’d pulled away after she’d fixed up his hand. He’d taken a walk around the ranch, watched a few of the ranch hands tend the horses, and gotten a feel for the layout of the place.

  Mostly, he wanted to clear his head. He’d never wanted to kiss someone so badly in his life, but doing that in a bathroom wasn’t his idea of romance. Plus, he didn’t need to be kissing her. He didn’t go around just kissing women he’d barely met. She was his boss, and she deserved his respect.

  Again, he set the claw between the boards, and this time he put his legs into it, pulling as hard as he could. With a pop, the board came free, and he fell back on his rear end.

  “Well, at least you’re wearing gloves.”

  Of course she’d show up the moment he hit his rear end. She probably thought he was an idiot by now. Getting the splinter yesterday and now falling? All he needed next was to run into something.

  “Yeah, good thing.” He pushed off the ground and looked up. It was still pretty early in the morning.

  Summer held up a brown bag. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  Now that she said it, he was ravenous. “Actually, I am.”

  “There’s a water bottle in there, and if you don’t mind, I brought enough if you want company.”

  If? After the good talking-to he’d given himself, he shouldn’t, but it didn’t stop the want. With her looking as good as she did in shorts, a plain t-shirt, and sneakers? The want overwhelmed the shouldn’t faster than his brain could keep up. “There’s shade on the other side of the barn and fewer splinters. The breeze tends to blow better over there, too. We can picnic on that side.”

  She chewed her bottom lip. “Sure.”

  They walked to the other side and took a seat in the shade of the roof. Digging in the bag, he pulled out a sandwich, a bag of chips, a cookie, and the promised bottle of water. He pulled the top off and downed half of it. “Thank you.” Not exactly what he’d expect for breakfast, but he wasn’t much on eggs of a morning anyway.

  “I should have thought to bring a cooler to keep water out here, and you are free to take breaks when you need to.” She opened her bag and pulled out the sandwich. “When did you get here? It’s only nine in the morning, and it looks like you’ve been out here a while.”

  Yeah, he probably did look rough and sweaty. “Since the sun came up.”

  “You didn’t have to get here that early. Eight is fine if you want to come early.”

  He shrugged and tore off a bite of his sandwich. “It’s cooler. Plus, I was up and couldn’t sleep.”

  She looked at him. “Was there something wrong with the cabin?”

  “No, I just had a lot on my mind.”

  Stretching her long legs out, she crossed them at the ankle. “I would have brought you a muffin or Danish or something, but I thought maybe the protein would be better.”

  “This is good. You even got my favorite potato chips.” He pulled the bag open and popped a plain chip in his mouth.

  She chuckled and pulled out a bag that matched his. “Lexi was out of fresh pastries this morning, so this was the only choice.”

  “Still, they’re good.”

  After that, they sat in companionable silence, eating as a soft breeze blew around them. He loved the hill country of Texas. It was green and lush, and the landscape was beaut
iful. Pretty enough to paint, for sure.

  “So, you said you did odd jobs, right?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “I kinda felt weird asking yesterday. I don’t know why. It is part of your employment history, and it’s not like I don’t need that information. In fact, I’ll have to get all your information to get you a form for taxes…” She rolled her lips in. “I’m sorry. I ramble when I’m nervous.”

  It was adorable too. “No, you’re right. I’m a painter. Musician. I guess you could call me an artist.”

  She straightened. “An artist?”

  “I try to be. The last gallery showing I had didn’t go over very well.”

  “You had your art in a gallery?”

  His second and maybe last time. Or it felt that way. “It was emotionless and shallow, according to one critic.”

  She bumped him with her arm. “I doubt it was that bad. If you had it in a gallery, you must have done something right.”

  “No, he was right. My brothers think of me as a free spirit, but lately…” He finished his sandwich, wiped his hands, and gathered his trash. He didn’t need to lay his issues on her. “I better get back to work.” He stood and smiled. “Thank you for the food.”

  She quickly got up. He thought she was going to press the issue, but then she nodded. “Right. Well, I’m going to get some water and bring it back. I think I’ll bring gloves too. I may as well pitch in. That is, if you don’t mind.”

  He chuckled. “You are the boss, right? I think that means you get to set the rules.”

  She pulled her shoulders back and tipped her head up. “That’s right. I set the rules. I’ll be back in a little bit. No splinters while I’m gone.” She held out her hand. “Let me put my number in your phone. If anything happens, you can call me.”

  Julian pulled out his phone and handed it to her. “Sure.”

  With a tiny glance at him, she entered her number in his phone and then gave it back. “There. Now you have it.”

  Looking down at the number, he smiled. “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be all right, though.”

  “Of course you will, but accidents happen. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She spun on her heels and trotted off, and Lord help him if he didn’t watch her go. Man, that woman was something. Soft, curvy, and sassy, with the perfect swing as she walked. Loving her would be like breathing. He wouldn’t even have to think about it.

  Would it be so bad to at least try? Hadn’t he decided to just coast and see where things went? He hadn’t even asked her out, and there was a good possibility she’d tell him no.

  He shook his head. Instead of clearing his thoughts, he was making things muddier. With a groan, he went back to pulling boards off. Maybe by the time Summer got back, his head would be on straight.

  7

  After getting a cooler and filling it with drinks, Summer stopped by the Knack ’n Snack to grab some goodies for Julian. It was already getting hot when she’d eaten breakfast with him, and she’d given him a weird breakfast. Who eats a roast beef sandwich at nine in the morning? But she’d been running late and grabbed what she could.

  Seeing him already at the barn had made her heart flutter. He’d delivered on his promise, at least for the first day, and she was taking one day at a time. Although, if she were honest, it was less about making sure he kept his word and more to do with wanting to see him.

  Lexi grinned as Summer stepped inside. “Hey.”

  “Hey, I need to get some of your homemade cookies.” She sauntered up to the counter. “I’m taking some to Julian.”

  “He was out there, huh?” Lexi asked, a knowing grin on her face.

  “Yes, he was out there. He’d been there since the sun came up.”

  Lexi’s mouth parted. “Wow. When he promises, he means it.”

  Summer nodded, an uncontrollable smile spreading on her lips. “Yeah, he does.”

  “And you like him.”

  “You know my rule. He’s my employee. I do not date employees.” Summer wasn’t buying her own junk, and she knew her cousin wouldn’t either.

  Laughing, Lexi leaned her hip against the counter. “I didn’t say anything about dating him.”

  Summer blinked. “That was a realistic jump. If you like someone, you date them.”

  “He seemed like a nice guy. And clearly, he knows what a promise means.” Lexi straightened. “Don’t let your list of do’s and don’ts keep you from getting to know him. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with James, but I did. Love happens when it happens. It’s what you do with it after you fall in love that really matters.”

  “Says the wise older cousin.”

  Lexi picked up a napkin and threw it at her. “Wiser, yes. Older, okay. But…still very, very young.”

  Summer snorted. “Do you have cookies or not?”

  “Yes, I have cookies, and I have some scones. Would you like a couple?”

  Summer bounced on her toes. “Are they blueberry?”

  Lexi nodded. “Of course.”

  “I’ll take four…maybe six. I do want to share, but…scones…” Summer laughed.

  “I’ll bag some up, and another sandwich for your man.”

  Summer went to swipe at Lexi as she danced away into the back of the diner. “I’m going to hurt you!”

  “Hurt her? For what?” asked Bucky, her grandfather, as he stopped next to Summer.

  She turned and hugged him. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  Shrugging, he hooked his thumbs in the straps of his jean overalls. “Aw, I thought I’d stick my nose in places it doesn’t belong.”

  Truer words had never come from him. Bucky and Nanna had a knack for meddling. “Did that nose of yours find anything good?”

  “Well, I don’t know. Did Lexi say something about you having a man?”

  Summer shook her head. “No, just a carpenter I hired to work on the barn.”

  Bucky eyed her for a moment and sucked his teeth. “I see. How about you bring that carpenter fella to the house on Saturday and have dinner with me and Nanna.”

  “That sounds like an awesome idea,” Lexi chimed in as she returned with two bags, one marked cookies and the other scones. “I bet Nanna would love to meet Julian.”

  “Julian, huh? What’s his last name?”

  “Wolf,” Lexi offered.

  Summer shot Lexi a glare over her shoulder. The traitor. “I’m sure he’ll be busy. Nanna gave me that barn project, and I plan to finish it by the end of summer.”

  Bucky put his arm around Summer. “No one is too busy for your Nanna’s chicken and dumplings.”

  Nanna’s dumplings? He’d said the magic words. Nothing hit the spot like that stuff. They were downright mouth-watering good. “I can be there.”

  “We’ll have a place set for him as well.”

  Translation: bring Julian, or if she showed up alone, they’d make her go get him…and Bucky would drive.

  “All right. I’ll see if he can come.” She took the two sacks from Lexi. “Okay, I better run. Julian’s waiting for me. I told him I’d be back with some water.”

  “See you Saturday, young lady.”

  “Yes, sir,” she called as she shouldered her way out the door.

  As soon as she got in her car, she groaned. Bucky and Nanna meeting Julian? And so soon? Saturday was only three days away. They hadn’t spent any time together, and now she was supposed to drag him to her grandparents’ house?

  Summer leaned her forehead on the steering wheel. Well, at least he wouldn’t think it was meeting family or something, as if they were dating and he was being inspected. Bucky and Nanna owned the ranch. Of course they’d want to meet an employee.

  But Summer knew her Nanna. The second she laid eyes on Julian, it would be over. No, that wasn’t true. The second she laid eyes on Summer and saw how moony-eyed Summer was for him…then it would be over. The fat lady would sing, and wedding bells would rin
g. The sad part? Summer kind of liked the idea. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Nanna could play the bad guy, and Summer could just be along for the ride. Would it really hurt to see if things could go somewhere with Julian? Well, it could hurt—a whole lot—but what was life without a little risk? Right? Her heart was on a seesaw, and the big kid on the other end was in charge.

  8

  Julian rolled his shoulders and neck. It had been a while since he’d worked this hard, but he wouldn’t complain because of the company. “Thank you for the water, Summer,” he said, grabbing another bottle, twisting it open, and pouring it over his head. Heat was the biggest threat, and the season wasn’t in full swing yet.

  “Can’t have you passing out on me.” She laughed.

  Around noon, she’d returned, and since then, they’d worked nearly nonstop, except for a short break to eat a scone.

  He picked up another bottle and took it to her. “You’ve worked hard today too. If you want, I can get it from here.”

  She took the bottle from him, opened it, and took a drink. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  Hardly. What he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her, but seeing that he’d known her all of a day, that might make his work situation a little awkward, especially if she didn’t particularly care for his type of kissing. “No, I like you being around.”

  “Then I’m staying.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Um…I kinda need to ask you something—well, have needed to ask you something…”

  “What’s that?”

  She lifted her gaze to his. “Uh, you’ve kinda been summoned to my grandparents’ house on Saturday. Bucky and Nanna aren’t ones to take no for an answer, and if I show up without you, it could get ugly.”

  Chuckling, Julian put his hands on his hips. “Oh really?”

  Summer chewed her bottom lip. “Yeah. I mean, they are the ones employing you, so of course they’d want to meet you. But on the positive side, you’ll get to eat the best chicken and dumplings you’ve ever had.”