Ready for the Rancher

by Zuri Day

  Much of it, yes, thankfully. “Sorry, Mom.”

  Still holding her father’s hand, she sat cross-legged on the floor beside him and began inconspicuously doing energy work, as they talked.

  “How’s Vegas working out for you, Ryan?”

  “Things are going well. My business partner and I found a space for our practice and will open in two weeks.”

  Ryan hung on to her father’s “That’s great, baby,” while trying to ignore Ida’s “Practice? Please.”

  “We’ve been marketing for clients for well over a month now and already have an almost full first week on the schedule. The final push begins when I get back on Monday. It’s a lot of work but...fingers crossed!”

  “Had you gone into nursing, a sensible profession, you wouldn’t have to beat the pavement for clients. They’d come to you right through the hospital’s front door.”

  “When the Raiders get there in a year or so, you’ll have all kinds of injuries to heal,” Joe offered.

  “Absolutely, Dad! Don’t think I haven’t already put together a proposal. You know I’ve always been a Chargers fan but my favorite color is green so...”

  The two laughed as Ryan repeated a statement Joe often used in discussing one of their favorite subjects. Dennis preferred basketball. Ida didn’t do sports. Joe and Ryan had bonded on long-ago Sundays, watching football and eating popcorn sprinkled with hot sauce, another shared love.

  “Give me your other hand, Dad.”

  “What are you doing?” Ida asked. “And why is your luggage still in the entryway?”

  “I forgot all about that,” Ryan said, getting up off the floor. And to her dad, “Be right back.”

  She crossed where her mother sat on the couch, then stopped and turned around. “Maneuvering that bulky luggage inside I didn’t even get a hug,” she said, bending down to place her arms around her mom’s neck. “Are those new earrings? I like them.”

  “You won’t see me in much of anything new anymore,” Ida said, after a light pat on Ryan’s back. “With Joe on disability, money is tight.”

  “I’m so sorry for what you and Dad are going through, Mom. It must be a very difficult adjustment.”

  “Hmph.”

  Ryan grabbed the handle of her luggage and headed toward the stairs. She reached the second floor of the place she’d called home from the time she was nine until two weeks after turning eighteen. She tried the knob on her old bedroom door and was surprised to find it locked. Moving on to the smaller room, she opened the door. A daybed had replaced the double that Dennis used when he’d returned there after leaving the military. The bedding was cream-colored, giving the room a lighter feel. Dennis preferred black, so the change was stark. Ryan liked it. She pulled her luggage into the room, placed her computer bag on the bed and then in a reversion back to the curious child she’d always been, she grabbed a bobby pin from the hallway bathroom and opened the other room’s locked door.

  One step inside and Ryan stopped short. The place was a mess. Boxes were everywhere, along with clothes she assumed belonged to Dennis strewn all over the place. Had he moved back home? She walked into the room, trying to figure out the mystery as she looked around. She lifted the lids of a couple boxes. One contained files and other loose paper. With just the slightest twinge of little-sister guilt, she knelt and began flipping through files, all from Bakersfield Meat Packing. Further, intrigued, Ryan looked through the folders more closely and pulled out one labeled H&R. On top of the pile was a formal-looking letter dated three weeks ago.

  Dear Mr. Washington:

  This letter shall serve as official notice that you have been terminated from...effective immediately...

  Ryan sat back on her haunches. WTH? How was Dennis giving Adam a tour of a plant where he no longer worked? Hearing feet on the staircase, she hurriedly returned the folder to the box, slapped on the lid and exited the room, careful to lock the door behind her, just as Ida reached the top of the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Ryan had a question, too. “Has Dennis moved back home? That bedroom door is locked.”

  Ida walked to the door and tried unsuccessfully to open it. “As it happens, your brother will soon be joining you in Las Vegas. He’s been recruited for a high-level management job with CANN International, a billion-dollar company.”

  Is that what he told you?

  “You need to get yourself a real job, Ryan. When this project you’re working on fails to make money, your dad and I won’t be able to help you.”

  Ida continued on to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. It was just as well. Far be it from Ryan to correct whatever information Dennis had told her. Of more interest to Ryan was what Dennis had told Adam, and why he’d been terminated from his job. Ryan tried to tell herself it was none of her business. Then she remembered tonight and Adam coming for dinner, and knew that as much as she wanted to wash her hands of what felt like sneaky shenanigans, Dennis had her all up in the mix.

  Eight

  Adam felt it as soon as the door opened, an air of tension and discomfort despite the bright smile from the woman who opened the door.

  “Hello, son.” The woman gave Dennis an enthusiastic hug while eyeing Adam appreciatively. She released him and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Ida Washington, Dennis’s mom. You must be Adam.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Adam offered a firm grip and a smile as he shook her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  “Come on in, you two.”

  Dennis lifted his nose. “Something smells good.”

  They entered the living room. “It sure does. Mrs. Washington, I told Dennis that your cooking dinner was totally unnecessary, but I appreciate it.”

  “It was no bother and, please, call me Ida.”

  “Thank you.”

  Adam took in the stately woman who escorted them into the room. Ryan didn’t look like her mother at all. He looked for her features in the neatly dressed man sitting in a recliner. Both had smooth cocoa skin and high cheekbones. But the big doe-like eyes, pert nose, full lips and sweet curves seemed to be uniquely Ryan’s, one of a kind.

  “Hey, Dad.” Dennis gave his dad a pat on the shoulder. “You remember Adam, a friend from high school? His family owns CANN International.”

  Adam shook the older man’s hand. “Nice to see you again, Joe.”

  “He owns a cattle ranch, too. That’s why he’s in Bakersfield, to take a look at the plant that I run. He’s looking for a manager for the one he’s building. Looks like I might be joining Ryan back in Vegas.”

  Dennis looked around. “Is she here? I saw her car.”

  “She’ll be down momentarily,” Ida said. “Have a seat, you two. Dinner is almost ready.”

  As Adam walked over to sit on the couch, he felt her before he saw her. A subtle change in the atmosphere, like a ray of sun breaking through clouds, before Ryan walked into the room. He looked up as she entered wearing a colorful oversize sweater with bright red leggings, her bouncy curls wild and free, and felt comfortable for the first time since entering the home.

  “Ryan.” He quickly stood, an instinctive move, and given the reactions it elicited, one he instantly regretted. Dennis’s eyes traveling between them as his expression grew smug. Ida stopping midstride, a slight frown on her face before she realized it and took her look neutral. The only one who had a reaction he understood was Joe. He beamed, as though Ryan was the beat of his heart.

  He pushed his hands into his pockets, tried to look nonchalant. “Hey.”

  “Hey, Adam!” Her hug was brief, but he felt a shakiness to the hand that squeezed his arm after. She turned to Dennis, clapped him on the shoulder. “What’s up, brother?”

  “You, I guess, the way Adam jumped up to greet you.”

  “No, man, that’s just how I was raised, to get up when a w
oman enters the room.”

  “They’re called manners,” Ryan teased. “Those practiced by gentlemen, which is probably why you didn’t recognize them.”

  “Whatever,” Dennis replied, without further comeback to the rare and nicely placed barb.

  He looked unconvinced, but Ida, who hadn’t moved from where she’d stopped on her way to the kitchen, finally continued around the corner.

  “I’m going to help Mom set the table,” Ryan said.

  She left and Adam would swear that just a bit of his air left the room. He’d hoped that the intense feelings he’d experienced since their night together would have abated. It was one reason why he hadn’t called her until yesterday, and then only to offer the plane ticket. He’d been with women more beautiful, more successful, and with Ryan being a vegetarian while he butchered what most Americans ate for dinner, more evenly matched as well. After how his body had reacted just now Ryan clearly had him under a spell. Unfortunately it would have to be broken. She was too beautiful to be hidden, too special to be treated as a casual friend. But dalliances were all he had time for right now. He was focused on helping to run a family empire while building another successful business that was all his own.

  It wasn’t long before the men were called to dinner. As they sat and Ida and Ryan brought in the rest of the dishes, the doorbell rang.

  “Who’s that?” Ryan asked, taking the seat across from Adam.

  Ida entered with the last covered dish and placed it on the remaining trivet. “Probably Luke.” She took a seat at the head of the table. “He has a sixth sense when it comes to my cooking and showing up just in time to eat.”

  Dennis returned to the table with Luke, whom Adam had met while at the plant. Dennis had introduced him as a friend and colleague he’d known practically all of his life. Luke was a nice-looking guy who cleaned up well. The dirty jeans and stained T-shirt from earlier had been replaced with a casual tan-colored suit and a black V-neck pullover. Adam could tell that the clothing he wore was of a high quality and didn’t miss the diamond stud that winked from his ear.

  “Miss Ida! Papa Joe!” Luke walked over and shook hands with Joe, then moved on to give Ida a hug. Joe’s greeting to Luke was enthusiastic but Adam noted Ida’s was fairly cool, but then again given her personality, maybe not.

  He looked at Ryan, stopped and took a step back. “Ryan, wow,” he said, slowly shaking his head as he ogled her in a way that to Adam skirted precariously close to disrespect, although Adam knew his observation might be biased. He had no claim to Ryan but in the moment could imagine how Tarzan felt if someone hit on Jane.

  “It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes, it has.”

  Über observant by nature, Adam didn’t miss how before Luke got anywhere close, Ryan held out a stiff arm for a handshake instead of a hug. Her lips smiled. Her eyes didn’t. She looked most uncomfortable. Adam made a note to find out why.

  “I didn’t think you could get any prettier,” Luke said, “but I was wrong. Don’t you have a birthday coming up soon?”

  “In a week,” Dennis responded, with a frown that was only partially mocking. “And no, you can’t buy her a present, or be her present.”

  Luke laughed. To Adam, it sounded forced. He didn’t think Luke found the comment funny. It was the first time he’d heard Dennis actually defend his sister. He had no way of knowing it, but that boded well for Dennis potentially being hired to work at Breedlove Beef.

  Luke took the seat beside Adam. Dinner service began. Ida lifted the lid from the main dish, smothered chicken and gravy. “It’s not the fancy food you’re used to, Adam,” she said, spinning the utensils on the rotating serving dish toward him. “But I hope you enjoy it.”

  “Oh, I like good food, Mrs. Washington, Ida, fancy or not.” He placed a hearty serving on his plate. “And this smells super good.”

  “Mom can burn,” Dennis said, taking the ladle Adam offered.

  “She is an excellent cook,” Ryan said.

  “How do you know?” Ida asked. “You don’t eat my cooking.”

  “I don’t eat the dishes you fix that contain meat,” Ryan replied. “But my mouth watered as I brought those candied yams to the table, and your mac and cheese will probably keep me eating dairy for life!”

  “You always did like that dish,” Ida said with a smile that suggested Ryan’s compliment pleased her. “Dennis will eat anything I put in front of him, including the plate I imagine, if he were hungry enough. I can say there’s less fried foods and fat in our diet. We are trying to eat healthier now.”

  Luke and Dennis led the bulk of conversation as other lids were lifted and plates filled. Adam noticed that other than the chicken, which was some of the best he’d ever put in his mouth, the other dishes seemed to be ones that Ryan could eat.

  “Is this your first time in Bakersfield?” Joe asked as he reached for a glass of sweet tea.

  “On the way up that’s something I was trying to remember,” Adam said. “As a young kid I traveled all over California with my dad, so it’s highly likely that I was here, but a long time ago.”

  “Bakersfield isn’t the most memorable city in the Golden State,” Joe continued. “But it’s an agricultural hub. So you’re raising cattle now?”

  “I thought your family owned a hotel.” Ida looked from Adam to Dennis, clearly confused.

  “They do, Mom,” Dennis said. “In fact, they own several, all over the world. But Adam has other interests, ones that will complement the hotel business. He’s an entrepreneur. Right, Adam?”

  “A component of Breedlove Ranch is complementary to the hotel enterprise. The cattle I raise will be used in many of our restaurants.”

  “Oh,” Ida said. “That’s nice.”

  “More than nice, Mom,” Dennis said. “He’s raising the highest-quality beef one can get in this country. Have you heard of Kobe beef?”

  “Of course.”

  “His will be high quality like that.”

  “And Dennis will be working with you?” Ida asked.

  “I hope so,” Dennis interjected. “Both me and Luke.”

  Adam set down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “We’re in the final phases of constructing a plant on the ranch and are looking for the right person to manage it. Running into Dennis and finding out that’s his niche definitely put him in the running, and after touring the plant he manages here, I’m even more impressed. But the decision isn’t solely up to me. The choice will be made by the team.”

  “You own the company,” Dennis said. “The buck is supposed to stop with you!”

  “The buck does,” Adam replied, smiling. “But not this decision. Whoever takes this job will have a ton of responsibility on their shoulders, and will work closely with the ranch manager and department supervisors. Running a ranch is complex, definitely a group effort. Experience, education, skill, that all counts. But so does making sure the fit of one is right for the whole.”

  Dennis made a show of puffing his chest and bulging his arms like Superman. “I can handle it.”

  Everyone laughed except Ryan, but Adam did see the glimpse of a smile.

  “I told him that Ryan was looking for a job. She wasn’t interested, though, being that she doesn’t eat meat and all.”

  “Is that true?” Ida asked. Her voice was pleasant, but Adam noticed a slight change in her demeanor, a difference between her interactions with her daughter compared to how she treated her son. “I would think that working for someone affiliated with a corporation as large as the CANN hotels would be a huge opportunity.”

  “I’m more impressed with what Ryan is doing,” Adam said, “using her education and training to help people heal. I never paid much attention to the connection between what we eat and how we feel, but it makes total sense.”

  Luke cleaned a chicken bone and unashamedly licked h
is fingers. “Then I must be 100 percent healthy because this chicken is making me feel good!”

  “You seem to know quite a bit about Ryan,” Joe said to Adam. “The two of you know each other from high school, too?”

  “No, sir. I didn’t even know Dennis had a sister.”

  “She tagged along the day I met Adam for lunch,” Dennis said. “Some things never change,” he said, shaking his head. “The next day he called and asked for her home number, so...”

  “It was business,” Ryan quickly interjected. “Adam wants to offer healthy alternatives on his menu, a conversation that came up at the lunch Dennis mentioned. Remember, Denny?”

  “Yep, I remember.”

  “That’s why he wanted to contact me.”

  Adam felt something soft, tickly, slowly moving up his leg. He was seconds away from slapping away what he could only think was an insect when the “bug” tapped him, and he realized it was Ryan’s big toe.

  “We’ve talked, a couple times at length, about ways we can prepare food that is nourishing and still completely delicious,” she said.

  The little minx! Had she any idea how long it had taken for him to get a handle on his hormones after she’d walked into the room? And here now, with every word from that sweet little mouth, the testosterone was buzzing again. Still, he enjoyed the subtle flirting. It reminded him of the wonderful time they’d had Tuesday night. The trip to Bakersfield had been interesting, to say the least. There would be a lot to process when he went home. But when it came to Ryan there was nothing to think about. His feelings were clear. He needed to see her again, to wrap his arms around her softness, feel her breath in his ear and hear her breathy whimpers as he gave her pleasure. One more time. One more night into the morning. After that she’d be Dennis’s sister, a platonic friend, maybe a consultant to his restaurant...nothing more.

  Nine

  Ryan got the first text on Friday night, less than an hour after the guys had left her parents’ home—Adam headed to the airport, Dennis and Luke no doubt went to the nearest bar for the most accommodating women. For Ryan, Luke couldn’t leave her sight soon enough, but she missed Adam already. She’d volunteered to do dinner cleanup to keep herself busy and her mind distracted, and was loading the dishwasher when her phone vibrated.