I was impressed. Jada was clearly a knowledgeable and competent doctor.
“That’s right!” I explained. “Have clover in the pasture is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s great for the quality of your pasture, but on the other, it could make the cattle seriously sick.”
“Wow,” Jada murmured. “I’m going to be permanently on my toes until I learn most of this, huh?”
Laughing, I said, “Probably. But don’t worry, I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.”
I turned my head and saw her wide smile before looking back at the road.
The conversation turned toward the people Jada would soon be working with on the ranch.
“I’ve already met Hank, but it was hard to get a vibe from him.”
“Hank can be like that,” I said. “Animals are his first love. If he even thinks you’re being cruel to them, he’ll write you off in a nanosecond.”
“As a vet, I think that’s more than fair,” Jada said, laughing.
“I definitely agree. He can be a little intense sometimes, but he’s a really good guy. Especially once you get to know him.”
“Who else works on the farm?”
“Well, there’s Ace Holsum,” I began. “He’s the farm manager.”
“Is his name really Ace?” Jada asked, her eyebrows raised.
“You’ll have to ask him that,” I replied with a chuckle. “Anyway, he studied agriculture and biology in school and worked at another ranch before Break-Ridge. He can be pretty quiet much of the time, and we like to joke that he was a philosopher in a past life.”
“Your very own Socretes?” she asked.
Thinking about Ace, I said, “Nah, I think he’s more of a Nietzsche.”
“Ah,” she said, though it was difficult to know what she was thinking.
“There’s another guy at the ranch too, Ben Ares.”
When Jada, who’d been so animated only moments ago, didn’t respond, I glanced her way. She was stoic, her eyes wide as she stared down at her hands.
“Where is he from?” she asked, her voice soft. Clearly something wasn’t right, something about Ben.
I wracked my brain trying to come up with a reason someone would have a problem with Ben, but I couldn’t think of any. Ben sometimes got himself into a bit of trouble for being too blunt or his propensity for being an adrenaline junkie, but he’d been a great friend to me ever since Hank hired him.
Clearly, mentioning Ben was causing Jada pain. I wondered why.
Then I realized where Ben was from. “Las Vegas,” I replied, my mind churning. They probably knew each other. Ares wasn’t exactly a common last name in the United States.
I looked over at Jada again and saw that she had her eyes squeezed shut. “Thought so.”
“So you two knew each other.” I didn’t phrase it as a question because I could tell it was true.
“Yeah, we used to know each other.” She let out a mirthless laugh. “I guess he had to run hard and far to make it all the way up to Montana.”
At first, I didn’t know how to respond, but then said, “Look, I can tell something happened between you and Ben. You don’t have to tell me what it was if you don’t want to. I’d never pressure you to tell me. But, if you want my two cents, I think it’s probably better that you know now so it isn’t a surprise.”
“You’re definitely right about that,” she replied.
We remained quiet for a few minutes before Jada said, “You haven’t told me about yourself yet, Seki.”
“Hm,” I said, thinking about it. Why was it always so difficult to tell someone about yourself? “Well, I guess I’m something of a non-conformist, though I can be a bit traditional in other ways.”
Jada looked surprised when my eyes veered her way. “I guess I’m going to just have to wait and see what you mean by that, huh?”
“I guess so,” I said, laughing.
My eyes glanced down to her lips. They were a lovely shade of pink and so full and kissable. A beauty like her, I knew it wouldn’t be long before one of the guys hit on her. I just wondered who would first.
Hank
The pile of paperwork before me seemed to grow each time I looked up at it. It seemed as if, with each thing I got done, two more folders or invoices or forms to fill out took its place. It was maddening.
But, when I bought the ranch, I knew it was going to be a lot of work. Still, nothing can quite prepare you for just how much work it would be. No matter how many long days I worked in a row, I loved the hell out of each minute of it.
The stars must have been in alignment that day I realized I was going to be able to buy my own ranch in my twenties. I always saw myself working at someone else’s ranch while I scrimped and saved for a couple decades. Even now, a few years later, I was still awed by my luck and more grateful than I could ever express.
My luck had come at a cost, though. A tragic one.
I’d inherited a bit of money from my mom when she passed away when I was just twenty-one and used my own savings I’d earned while going to school and working full time, along with bank loans to cover the rest. Thankfully, it was all enough to cover the cattle I had to buy, equipment, to pay for labor, and everything else a startup ranch needed until it started turning a profit.
I didn’t even know my mom had any substantial savings put away. My aunt was the one who’d told me mom began putting a little bit of money away for me from each paycheck she earned. Growing up, money had always been tight though Mom was good at making it stretch as far as possible so I’d never wanted for anything.
My other lucky break occurred when I discovered I’d inherited the land that had been in my family for generations when my grandparents passed away. The land used to be a ranch until hard times hit and my grandparents had been forced to sell all the cattle when my mom was young. I was proud to be able to restore the land to its former glory.
I snapped myself out of my musings and looked back down at the forms in front of me. They’d never get done if I kept spacing out. But then my mind wandered to Jada, the newest addition to our little family.
During her interview, she’d seemed like a warm, kind person, but it was hard to say who she was in real life. We had a lot of personalities on the ranch and you could never tell until people were actually thrust together and forced to work in close proximity with one another.
It wasn’t long before I heard a car drive down the ranch’s long driveway. Seki and Jada were here.
Though I wanted to race out there and meet her, I’d told Seki to bring her to the office when she got here because we had contracts to sign and needed to get her direct deposit set up so she could get paid.
So I kept my butt planted and stared at the papers I’d been working on. My eyes began to blur and closed them, rubbing at them with the palms of my hands.
I heard a knock on my office door a moment later. “It’s open,” I called, snapping to attention.
Seki walked inside, followed Jada, who was easily the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Sure, I’d seen her face during her Skype interview, but even with my maximum resolution laptop, I still wasn’t prepared for seeing Jada in person.
I was embarrassed by the way my jaw dropped, hoping she didn’t see it as she walked a little further into the office and looked around. I forced my jaw to close and, trying to keep my voice from cracking, said, “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person, Miss Hartville.”
Her eyes moved and looked at mine. They were such a deep brown that I could easily get lost in them.
Jada walked forward and took my outstretched hand, shaking it. I felt a tingle up my arm when she touched me and gulped.
“Please,” she said, “call me Jada. It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Brekker.”
Even her voice was perfect, a little bluesy. I wondered if she was a singer at all with that slight rasp in her voice.
I smiled at her. “You can call me Hank.”
She returned my smile, and I felt it right do
wn to my cock.
I heard Seki shuffle and saw him raise his eyebrows at me as if to say oh yeah, she’s a real gem. Briefly, it made me think back to just last week when Seki, Ace, Ben, and I picked a woman up from a bar and took turns fucking her all night. I couldn’t help but wonder if Jada was into that sort of thing before I drove the thought from my mind.
She was my employee, the ranch’s new veterinarian. There wasn’t going to be anything like that happening.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, boss,” Seki said. Seki turned to Jada and lightly touched her arm. “I’ll see you later. We can go to the ranch’s clinic soon and get you settled in your new headquarters.”
Jada smiled at him, patting Seki’s hand on her arm. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Seki left the office, closing the door behind him.
I felt weirdly apprehensive to be alone with Jada, scared I’d somehow muck it all up.
Jada was hired as our long-term vet. She was to be a crucial asset to the ranch. I needed to get it together as soon as possible.
Taking a breath, I gestured to the chair in front of my desk. “Please,” I said, “have a seat.” Jada walked over and sat. “Would you like anything to eat or drink before we start the meeting? I made some coffee not too long ago and have some snacks.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine thank you. I loaded up on coffee on the plane.”
“I know the feeling,” I replied. “I have trouble staying awake without it.”
She chuckled. “Right? I’m a doctor and know I should probably cut back, but the transition period that it takes before your body stops needing so much caffeine just isn’t worth it!”
“Ugh, the headaches,” I joked.
“Somehow, they’re so much worse than regular headaches,” she said. “I just don’t understand it.”
“Neither do I.”
I pull out the paperwork each new employee had to fill out, quickly going over what everything was. “I can’t remember if I told you on the phone, but everyone gets paid every two weeks on Fridays. You just missed the most recent the most recent paycheck, so you’ll get your first check the Friday after next.”
“Sounds good,” she said, looking the form over before she began to fill it out.
We’d just reached the end of her stack of paperwork when the office door burst open, bouncing off the door stop spring.
In tromped Ace, his dark brown hair windblown like always.
Ace was the quietest guy at the ranch, as in he spoke the least, but you could often hear him coming from a mile away. He was a little shorter than me and muscular. I’d wager his shoulders were broader than mine, his muscular chest the envy of a lot of men. It was his light blue eyes that had made many a woman swoon over the years, and even a few guys.
“Hey, Hank, I have a need to--”
He stopped abruptly when he saw Jada, who’d turned around in her chair to see the commotion. I could relate to the stunned expression on his face.
Jada stood up and walked over to him. “Hi, I’m Jada Hartville,” she said, her hand extended to shake his hand.
Ace looked a little dazed as he took her hand in his and shook it. “Hi,” he managed, his voice a bit choked. “I’m Ace, Ace Holsum.”
I watched as Ace regained his composure. He looked between Jada and me, and said, “I apologize for interrupting you guys. I had no idea it was so late in the afternoon and you’d be here already.”
“That’s okay,” Jada replied. “I’m happy to meet you.”
Ace gave her a winsome smile. “I am too. You! I’m happy to meet you.”
I held my hand in front of my mouth so he wouldn’t see the smirk or the way I was trying to hold back my laughter. For a guy who had bed a few women in his time, Ace could be a real dork when he met a pretty girl. And there was no one prettier than Jada.
Looking at me, Ace said, “Come find me later, Hank. I need to show you something with the fence.”
“Of course. I’m going to give Jada tour of the farm and then show her to her room, and then I’ll join you.”
“Sounds great,” Ace said, giving Jada one last, lingering look before he left.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
Jada waved her hand as she sat back in her chair. “It’s no problem at all. Like I told Ace, I’m happy to meet everyone I’ll be working with.” I thought I saw a dark look on her face, but in a blink, it was gone and her soft, smiling face had returned.
“Well, we’re done in here,” I said. “Why don’t I give you the tour now? I hope you’re wearing tennis shoes.”
* * *
I’d be lying if I said I wished the tour ended sooner. No, I liked being in Jada’s presence too much and wanted it to go on. I knew I’d get my chance though, during working hours or at meals.
She seemed genuinely fascinated by everything, asking questions about ranch operations and how different things worked.
“I honestly didn’t think you were going to hire me,” she admitted while we were in the barn. She was petting one of the small handful of horses we kept and smiling at the animal.
Surprised, I asked, “Why’s that?”
She turned her head to me. “Well, I guess because I don’t have any experience working on a ranch.”
“You not having experience with cattle wasn’t my biggest concern,” I replied, reaching over to pet Charlie the horse too.
Somehow, I knew when I interviewed her that she’d be the vet who would fit in here at Break-Ridge Ranch. There had been a few other promising candidates, but none of them held a candle to the compassion for animals and the passion for her job I’d felt radiate from Jada.
“Oh?”
“Honestly, I was looking for someone who was passionate about animals and would do whatever it took to care for them. To me, that’s the most important thing. Besides, we have Seki who knows about cattle. He’ll be here to help you while you learn.”
The expression on Jada’s face was pleased. I hoped she would soon feel at home.
Jada
Hank finished up the tour of the ranch, ending with where I’d stay while I worked at Break-Ridge. He opened the door for me and said, “You can change up the room however you’d like, paint it, whatever.”
I looked around. My suitcases were already waiting for me. Seki must have brought them up for me. I’d have to thank him later.
The walls of the room were a pretty blue, the color of the Louisiana phlox I used to pick as a child. A dark wooden dresser sat next to a matching vanity. I saw that the headboard of the bed matched too and was covered in a navy and white floral bedspread. A small nightstand was placed next to the bed and a bookshelf was near the closet door.
Because it was a corner bedroom, there were windows on two sides of the room, letting in a lot of light. I liked that. Dim rooms reminded me too much of my self-imposed isolation living in Las Vegas. I’d hid from the sun there, but here in Montana, I planned to embrace it.
“I like the room,” I told Hank. “It’s really cute.”
“I’m glad,” Hank said. He headed for the door. “Well, I’ll let you get settled. We’ll probably eat dinner around seven.”
“Thanks,” I said, “I’ll be there.”
The door closed, and I looked around again, smiling to myself. I could actually see myself living here, living here and being happy. It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The ranch was wonderful, so open and free. Sure, there’d been a few places where the smell of cow poop was noticeable, but for the most part, it was fresh country air, a far cry from the stifling air back in Las Vegas. Seki, Hank, and Ace were all friendly, and they seemed like really nice guys. They were also really easy on the eyes, making me wonder if I’d end up developing a crush on one of them. The thought of having a crush again, even one I wouldn’t act on, was exciting because it meant that I was feeling things again.
The only thing I could see potentially putting a damper on my new home was Ben.
&n
bsp; I pulled my phone from my pocket, put on some music, and started to unpack. Opening the closet door, I saw that it was bigger than the tiny country house closet I was used to in Louisiana. Between the closet and dresser, I’d have more than enough room for all my clothes.
It didn’t take me long to put all my clothes away. Because there was almost never cool weather in Las Vegas, I’d had to order warmer clothes from the internet. I’d bought a coat that would be appropriate for working on a ranch, along with a nicer one I could wear if I went somewhere. I also got a pair of winter boots and a nice pair of boots I could run around the ranch in. I’d traded nearly all of my tank tops in for sweaters and my skirts in for jeans. Sure, I’d be able to buy clothes here, but I didn’t want anyone to have to drive me to a store to get stuff before I could even start working.
I was happy for the adorable vanity in my new room, self-conscious that the hair products I needed to tame my curls would clog up the bathroom. This way, I’d have somewhere to keep all my hair products and the little bit of makeup I’d packed.
When I’d finished putting everything away, I sat on the edge of my bed and wondered what to do next. I was tired enough to take a nap but, looking at the time, saw that it was already a quarter until six. Hank said dinner would be at seven and I really didn’t want to sleep through that. I doubt anyone at the ranch would be very impressed if I slept through dinner on my first night here.
I wondered if the best course of action would be to just rip the bandage off and get my little reunion with Ben out of the way. It seemed better than awkwardly looking at him over dinner.
That settled it. As I descended the stairs, I realized I didn’t have a clue where Ben would be. Luckily, I heard some noise somewhere on the first floor and decided to follow it. It led me to the kitchen where I saw Seki chopping potatoes on a cutting board.
I waited until he paused the knife to say anything, not wanting the knife to slip. Making him cut himself would so not leave a very good impression.
Seki looked over his shoulder at me, a smile spreading across his face.
Three Bosses’ Assistant: Love by Numbers Book 2 Page 12
