by Mandy Morgan
Ranch Hand Wanted
BBW Western Romance
(Curves and Cowboys #3)
Mandy Morgan
Copyright © 2019 by Mandy Morgan. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
This publication contains sexually explicit material. All characters are 18 years or older and all sex is consensual.
Table of Contents
Summary
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
MORE Books
About the Author
Summary
A sweet, and steamy “enemies to lovers” romance that’s packed with curves, cowboys, and Happily Ever After...
Layla
My parents died in a tragic car accident last year and I've been doing my best to run the family horse ranch on my own since then.
I've held on as long as I could, but now I'm at the point where I need to hire some help, even though I can't really afford it.
All I'm looking for is a reliable ranch hand that will work for room and board. Who I get is a talented but cocky cowboy named Travis Keene.
I dislike him from the very start. And it's going to take more than his smoldering good looks to change my mind.
Now, if only I can stop him from starring in my steamy daydreams, things will be just fine...
Travis
I used to be a big name in the trick riding world. But that was before I had some trouble with gambling.
Word has spread around the rodeo circuit and nobody wants to hire me, no matter how good I am with horses.
When I first saw the "Ranch Hand Wanted" ad online, it seemed like I'd finally caught a break and was back in business.
Until I met my new boss. Layla Larson might have curves that set me on fire, but she's also stubborn and uptight.
If I don't want to end up homeless, I've got to make things work, and I think I just might start by making the boss lady all mine...
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Chapter One
Layla
I closed my laptop and sat back with a heavy sigh. I’d been hoping my bank account wouldn’t have such a sad story to tell. But it was actually worse than I’d thought.
Suddenly, I wanted to scream and throw something. Or at least break down in sobs. Just let myself dissolve into some kind of dramatic release.
But I knew that wouldn’t do me any damn good. Plus, my parents wouldn’t have had hysterics at a horrible looking bottom line. They would have seen it as a reason to work harder.
Even though I knew crying wouldn’t help, I felt my eyes prickle with tears at the thought of Mama and Daddy. It had been almost a year since they’d been gone, but I missed them as if the accident had been yesterday.
I still remembered Sheriff Grady ringing the doorbell that evening and telling me my parents were gone. Run off the road by a drunk driver on their way to a horse auction in a neighboring state.
I’d been in shock for weeks, just going through the motions of life. Being on my own wasn’t something I was used to and adapting to life without anyone I cared about around me had been the hardest thing I’d ever done.
I was an only child and my folks had always considered me to be something of a miracle. They’d tried for years to have a family and had almost given up when I came along.
I’d been as close as could be with my parents. While most of the kids I went to school with left our small town, I’d stayed put and helped my folks.
Together, we’d turned Rocky Ridge Ranch into the most profitable horse sales business in three counties, and we’d been proud of what we’d built with our hard work.
But it seemed like that was all over now. There’d been no life insurance and I couldn’t run this place all by myself. It had seemed like a breeze with the three of us working together.
And now it seems like I can’t even take a deep breath…
I let myself wallow in my sadness for a few more minutes before I dragged myself out of my desk chair to head out and feed the horses I had left.
I’d had to sell a lot of the herd just to pay the bills. It was looking like Rocky Ridge would never be profitable again and my heart felt as if it might rip in two.
As I was walking down the front porch steps and making my way toward the red barn that needed painting, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket and I cringed.
Another collections call was not what I needed right now. I didn’t think I could take it, if I was being honest with myself, so I dug my phone out to send the caller to voicemail.
But then I noticed that the number started with a local area code, instead of being tollfree, the way most of the bill collector calls had been so far.
Curiosity got the better of me and I answered the phone after I flipped on the barn lights, keeping my fingers crossed that it wasn’t bad news.
“Rocky Ridge Ranch, this is Layla.”
“Well, howdy there, Layla,” said a deep drawl on the other end of the line. “This here is Travis, and I think I might be just what you need…”
Travis
I put on my last clean shirt and checked my reflection in the dingy mirror over the sink in my motel room. I knew this might be my only shot and I didn’t want to blow it by looking like a bum.
Satisfied that I looked presentable enough, I pulled on my boots and my hat, grabbed my wallet off the table by the bed, and headed out to my pickup truck.
It was another beautiful day and I took a deep breath of the clean mountain air before climbing behind the wheel.
I fired up the engine, said a silent prayer to whoever watched out for washed-up cowboys like me, and pointed my truck toward Rocky Ridge Ranch.
The last year had been a whirlwind of bad news and broken dreams. Turns out that folks don’t want to hire a rider or trainer with a gambling problem, no matter how good they were at what they did.
And nobody seemed to care that I’d licked the problem with the help of Gamblers Anonymous. I was on the right path now and had faith in myself, even though I couldn’t find a chance to prove it.
I was a has-been at thirty-five and I’d been down to my last hundred bucks when I stumbled upon Layla’s ad on Craigslist. She was looking for a ranch hand and warned all she could offer in return was room and board.
Given the fact that I was about to be sleeping in my truck if I didn’t find work soon, that sounded just fine to me, so I’d called her up and told her I was her man.
She’d sounded tired and hesitant on the phone, but I convinced her to at least meet me and go from there. I was headed out to her place to do everything I could to show her that she couldn’t live without me.
I’d heard good things about Rocky Ridge Ranch. Now, all I could do was hope that was all Layla had heard about me, too, even though rumors spread like wildfire in small towns like this one.
Before much longer, I was pulling through the ranch’s front gate and admiring the large sign hanging overhead with “R.R.” burnt into the wood.
My truck bumped up the gravel driveway and I saw a peeling red barn looming over the barny
ard. There was a beat-up looking horse trailer to one side and not much else.
I was just beginning to think nobody was there when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw something that made me slam on the brakes.
A beautiful brunette was leading a small Appaloosa mare out of a side paddock and toward the barn. The sight of her deliciously curvy form in faded jeans and a flannel shirt made my breath catch in my throat.
“Holy shit,” I muttered under my breath. “Who is that fine looking woman?”
If I got to work with her every day, I would almost feel as if I should be the one paying for the privilege. But first things first – I still had to win over the ranch owner.
Not wanting her to catch me staring at her with my mouth open, I turned off my truck, hopped out and headed her way with my most charming smile locked in place.
“Howdy there, miss. Could you tell me where to find Layla? She’s expecting me.”
The curvy brunette stopped in her tracks and looked me up and down. “You found her. What can I do for you?”
Chapter Two
Layla
I’d completely forgotten about the ad I’d put out on Craigslist a couple of weeks earlier. If I recalled correctly, there’d been a quiet sense of desperation and quite a bit of wine involved.
I didn’t date much or have any guy friends, so I’d been taken aback at first when I’d answered the phone and heard a deep male voice on the other line.
Sure, I’d had boyfriends during my twenty-three years, but most of the men around here weren’t serious enough for me. They were all about partying and adding another notch to their bedpost.
I was too busy for that kind of thing. And that was exactly what I was going to tell the man on the other end of the phone when he refreshed my memory about the help wanted request I’d placed online.
“Says here that you’re looking to exchange some hard work for room and board. My name’s Travis Keene and I’m just the man for the job.”
I had to admit his voice was sexy as hell and it had been awhile since I’d had any male attention. But he also oozed cockiness right through the phone line.
He went on and on about how great he was with horses and how he used to be a big-time trick rider on the rodeo circuit.
“Sorry to say, but I’ve never heard of you, Mr. Keene. And I’d completely forgotten about this whole thing. I think that ad was a mistake, to be honest, and I have a lot of work to do, so if you’ll excuse me…”
But he didn’t give me a chance to hang up. He jumped right in with more talk about how amazing he was and how much he could help me.
“Bringing me on at your ranch will be the smartest thing you’ve ever done, little lady, I can promise you that much.”
I could feel my jaw tighten at being called “little lady” and I was about to call the arrogant prick a few choice names and hang up in his ear when I walked into the feed room and found utter chaos.
I’d forgotten to latch the metal cans that held the horse grain and critters must have taken full advantage. The cans were knocked over and feed was spilled all over the floor.
I was exhausted and the thought of having to clean up the mess on top of everything else I had to do almost broke me. I put my hand over my eyes and took a deep breath, doing my best to fight off sobbing my eyes out.
As much as I wanted to be able to do things on my own, I had to admit I needed help. I was just too tired to keep up the battle any longer.
I heaved a sigh. “Alright. Come on out here in the morning. We can talk more about things then, okay?”
“I’ll be there with bells on, little lady. You have sweet dreams now, you hear?”
And with that, he was gone. I was left with a big mess, horses that needed feeding, and a growing sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.
Travis
“It’s nice to put a face to the name,” I said as I held out my hand to shake the boss lady’s. “Especially when it’s such a pretty one.”
I’d always been able to charm women when I was riding rodeo by laying the compliments on thick and I was hoping to do the same here.
But it was starting to look like my luck with the ladies had run out – along with every other kind of luck I’d ever had over the years.
“Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. My name’s Layla, not ‘little lady’ or ‘pretty lady’ or anything else. You got it?”
I nodded my head but kept on giving her my most charming smile. I liked the feisty ones. I knew I should go easy here. I needed the job, after all, but I couldn’t stop drinking in Layla’s curves.
“Good. Next, you need to know this isn’t going to be a walk in the park. My herd’s smaller than it used to be but the workload is still heavy.”
“I ain’t afraid of hard work. No worries there, Layla.”
I watched her give a short roll of her eyes at the emphasis I put on her name. I was liking this spirited woman more and more.
Of course, I’d always liked a challenge, whether it was from bucking broncos or the “buckle bunnies” I’d talked into climbing into my bed.
“You look like trouble, Travis Keene, and that’s the opposite of what I need. But I can’t keep on the way I am, so it seems like you’re going to get a shot at being my new ranch hand.”
I gave a whoop of delight and spooked the little Appaloosa mare that was standing next to Layla. I knew better than that and cursed myself silently for pulling such a rookie move.
Layla got the horse calmed down and turned to look at me with doubt in her eyes. I was just starting to think I’d blown it when she heaved a sigh and passed me the mare’s lead rope.
“Let’s start with a trial run and go from there. I need some horses let out and a few paddocks mucked out. Is that something you think you can handle without scaring my whole herd to death?”
Even though it stung, I let the jab go and kept on smiling. It was looking like this woman was gonna be more than feisty. But I needed a place to stay and I was still hoping to have a chance with the boss lady.
“Oh, I can handle it fine. Just point me in the right direction and watch me whip this place into shape.”
Layla looked me up and down again. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?” And with a flip of her dark hair, she was off toward the barn, expecting me to follow along like a good boy, no doubt.
It was time for me to give a sigh of my own. I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy job, but I was more than qualified. I just had to keep from doing anything else stupid.
But as I watched Layla’s rounded ass moving in her blue jeans as she walked away, I had a feeling that was gonna be harder than it seemed.
Chapter Three
Layla
I showed Travis the ropes and explained how I expected my horses and property to be handled. It was hard walking away and leaving him alone in the barn, but I managed to do it.
Of course, I had every intention of keeping a close eye on him. Which is why I grabbed my laptop out of the office and worked on figuring out how to pay this month’s bills at the kitchen table.
I had the perfect view of the barnyard from there and I watched as my trial ranch hand went to work. I took in everything he did with a critical eye, waiting for him to mess up again.
But he didn’t. The horses took right to him and he moved with confident speed as he led them out to the nearby pasture.
He was just as quick and self-assured as he mucked out the paddocks I’d told him to clean. Maybe he’d just made a stupid mistake when he’d spooked Gracie.
After watching him like a hawk for a while, I grew comfortable enough to turn my focus to the ranch’s finances. But soon, my curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled up Google and typed in his name.
The search results made my jaw drop. Travis Keene had been just as big of a deal as he’d said he’d been. I was amazed as I scrolled through article after article about his horseback riding talents.
And then I saw it. “Local
Rodeo Star Gambles and Loses!” I clicked on the link and poured over the news story. Turns out Travis had managed to burn every bridge he’d ever crossed, all in the name of poker.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. Did I really want to take a chance on a gambling addict? No matter how talented and skilled he might be?
My eyes drifted back up to the kitchen window and what I saw made my breath catch in my throat. Travis had taken off his shirt and was slinging manure into a wheelbarrow.
I watched his muscled arms glisten with sweat as they bunched. His chiseled chest was dusted with hair and his shoulders looked as broad as the barn.
My heart began beating faster and I couldn’t take my eyes off Travis as he worked. I had to squash the lustful thoughts that were forming in my mind as his body moved in the bright sunlight.
It didn’t matter how sexy he was. Or how long it had been since I’d known a man’s touch. I’d just found out that Travis might not be trustworthy.
Was I willing to put my faith in a man that couldn’t turn down a poker game? If he decided to screw me over somehow, I could lose everything my family had worked so hard to build.
I nibbled my lower lip as I watched Travis. I’d always believed in second chances. And there was no denying the heat that was building inside me from just watching him work.
But what if I made the same mistake he had? What if I gambled on the cocky cowboy and lost?
Travis
I was just finishing up the last paddock Layla had wanted me to clean out when I saw her coming toward me across the barnyard.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and leaned on the pitchfork handle. The smile I gave her was a confident one. I’d done a good job on my trial run and I knew it.
But as she got closer, I saw that Layla’s eyes were dark, and I felt a knot in my stomach. My smile slipped a bit and I stood up straighter, trying to steel myself for the blow I had a feeling was coming.
