One half of the door to the barn sat closed, but he could hear the horses snorting and pacing in the stables inside. Nate checked the leaning door for the problem. A broken hinge that would be easily fixed with the right tools, something he could tackle after he fed the horses if he had time. He pushed open the other half of the door, letting sunlight flood into the barn to be met with friendly nickers from the three horses waiting impatiently for their breakfast.
“Morning, all.” He went from stall to stall, giving each animal a rub on the head and a moment of attention. The big bay in the first stall nibbled at his shirt, as though searching for a treat Nate didn’t have. “Slow down now. Patience. Gotta do this right.”
He took their food bins and filled each one from the mix of feed available before hanging them back over their doors. Three horses buried their noses in the bins and noisily munched away. “Got something right, at least.”
*
“I never thought this was a good idea to begin with, Joy.” Sadie St. Martin paused and cleared her throat. “But, if you’re determined to go ahead, know I’ll be right behind you.”
“I don’t think I have any choice, Sadie. My last ranch hand walked out last week when Bradley’s father offered him more money.” She shook her head. “I can’t win. Seriously, every time I think I’m getting things right, he steps in and ruins it. Then he has the audacity to call me up and offer help, play the concerned father-in-law, when all along I know he’s at the bottom of my problems.”
“And we both know how he wants that to go too. Look, if you’re determined to stick to your guns, Nate could be the guy for you. I don’t know him as well as some people do, but from what I’ve seen, he’s a good guy, doing his best to change people’s opinion. From what I’ve seen, I think it’s slowly working.”
“But can I trust him? That’s the thing I’m not sure of.” Joy bit her lip. He didn’t have to fall in love with her, but he did have to treat her right. There’d be no marrying her and taking over. This had to work as a partnership or it wouldn’t work. Period.
“Jethro would tell you he’s a good guy. And if my husband says that, he means it. I know the boys’ reputations aren’t stellar, but at the heart of it, they’re all good men. They want to do the right thing, and now that they’re on the right track, I think you can trust him.”
“Not like I have much option. You saw the applications of the other two who applied.”
“Yes. Not even in the running, in my opinion.”
“So what now?” Joy tried to ignore the dirty dishes from yesterday in the sink, the dusty cobweb stretched from kitchen curtain to curtain, the broken handle she’d been meaning to fix on her pantry door but never had the time. It’d been so long since she’d had a chance to do any decent housework, she wouldn’t be surprised if she scared Nate off.
Especially if he saw the state of the kitchen. Lucky she’d kept the lounge door shut. Toby had pulled down all of the old books in the lower part of the bookcase that had belonged to Bradley’s grandma. Joy hadn’t had a chance to put things straight in there for ages. Another thing to add to her list of jobs. If anyone looked inside this house, they’d think she did a terrible job at keeping the place clean, and they’d be right. The most important jobs got done first and everything else had to wait. The ranch wouldn’t fall apart if she failed to do the dishes.
“Make sure you’re happy with him being around, for starters. Get to know him and see how he works, too, then go with your gut. If you’re happy, I’ll write up a contract and you can move on.” A muffled sound came over the phone. “Sorry, my next client is here. Don’t let your father-in-law push you to do something you don’t want to do, Joy. Make sure this is what you want, because you can’t get out of it unscathed if it’s not. Understand?”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Sadie.” Joy hung up the phone. Toby sat at her feet, chewing on a cookie and getting crumbs all over the floor. “So, young man. Want to go down and collect the eggs?” See how the new prospect was shaping up.
He clapped his hands. “Eggs! Momma get eggs.”
Joy scooped him off the floor, ignored the mess he’d left behind, and tried to slow her wildly beating heart. She’d started this crazy idea, and now she had to go through with it. She had no choice if she wanted to keep the ranch for this little munchkin, and she didn’t trust her father-in-law. Certainly not after stealing her staff away, leaving her floundering on her own to make his point. Months of heartbreak and hard work had led her to this last-ditch attempt to keep her ranch going for Toby, just as Bradley had wanted.
On the way out the door, she grabbed the old tin pail Toby used to help her, and he wriggled in her arms. He was such a joy. She wished Bradley had lived long enough to see him growing up. At least he got to hold his son in his arms before he died. That was a memory she could hold onto when things got too tough.
Nate had been busy. The horses were already out in the pasture. She could see them running in the sun, kicking up their hooves as she walked down the driveway to the barn. Toby squirmed to be put down and she let him go. He hurried down the drive, his little legs going as fast as they would take him.
“Slow down, baby. You’ll trip and fall.” His grandfather had already made noises about a bruise Toby had on his head from a tumble. If he couldn’t get his hands on her ranch by stealing her staff, she wouldn’t put it past him to try to use Toby. Make noises about her being an unfit mother to break her that way.
Over her cold, dead body.
He ran into the barn and out of sight. Joy followed him inside and stopped short. Her little boy was hanging onto Nate Hansen’s leg. Heartbreaker and available.
Toby stared up at him. “Eggs. Get eggs.”
Nate looked over at her, a question in his eyes.
“I think Toby wants you to help him collect the eggs. It’s his favorite thing to do right now.” She smiled at her son. “The chickens lay wherever they want these days. Don’t have the time or energy to go locking them up. Egg hunting is a process Toby enjoys, so I just go with it.”
“Right. Well.” Nate grabbed Toby’s tiny hand in his. He looked born to handle a little boy. Another plus in his favor as far as she was concerned. The image of Toby gazing adoringly up at the rugged cowboy did nothing to still the stomach flip feeling he gave her. More than a year without sex or even a man’s soft touch would do that to a woman. What she wouldn’t give for a cuddle or a chance to lean into a strong chest and a soothing voice telling her it was all going to be okay. Someone to stroke her hair and tell her she was doing a great job but she had to slow down and let someone help her. She’d had enough of being the strong one. Just once, it would be nice to rely on someone else. Someone like Nate.
Love ’em and leave ’em Nate. Some choice that was.
His dark hair hung over his eyes a little bit, just enough to make her want to brush it aside.
“Let’s go then, pal. You lead the way and show me where these chickens hide.” He held out his hand for the bucket Joy had by her side.
“Sorry.” She passed it over and watched as her little man led Nate to the feed bins and pointed behind them.
“Watch that one. She gets a little bit pecky when you try to take her eggs.”
“Nice.” Nate stepped in front of Toby, and her heart swelled a little more. For some reason, she had a hard time putting this man in the same scenario as her sister’s no-strings-attached date. “Let me get her out and then I’ll pass you the eggs, okay, little buddy?”
Toby took the egg pail off him and nodded solemnly. “Chicken bites mine fingers. Eggs.” He held up his pudgy little hand for Nate’s inspection.
“You got it, pal.” Nate reached behind the feed bins, and a vicious squawk preceded a curse word and a flurry of feathers as the angry chicken flew out of her hiding spot, disgusted at being disturbed. “Stupid bird.” Nate pulled out a hand and sucked a finger. “What a rotten chicken.”
Joy laughed for the first time in ages.
; “Rotten chick’n.” Toby banged the pail against his legs, shaking his head in sympathy.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cuss in front of the little guy.”
“His name’s Toby, and it’s okay. Pretty sure it’s nothing I haven’t said before.” Joy moved closer. “Do you need rescuing or will you live?”
He gave her a bright smile before he went back in and started bringing out the bounty of eggs for Toby. She stood transfixed as the man she debated marrying filled her son’s pail and joked about his life-threatening wounds as if they already shared a bond.
But bonds weren’t what would get her out of trouble and save this ranch. She needed muscles for that, and Nate Hansen had them all in the right places to suit her purpose.
Chapter Three
“Why do you need a husband?” Nate leaned on the rake and watched the uncertainty in her gaze. She was pretty enough to find a man the normal way, in his opinion.
“Because when my husband died, my father-in-law decided he wanted to make this ranch all part and parcel of his big operation.”
Didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Widowed with a baby—why wouldn’t she jump at the chance for help? Especially from family. “What’s wrong with that? Surely, it would be helpful to have the place running well. And it would still be in the family, so to speak.”
Joy dug her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and looked through the door, over the ranch, a sigh escaping her lips. “Sounds good in theory, I guess, but that’s not what Bradley wanted.”
Nate dropped the rake, ambled over, and stood beside her, gazing out at the cattle grazing, his arms folded. He’d be a fool to turn down a job on such an obviously busy but neglected ranch, but still he needed to hear more before he could make a decision he wouldn’t regret. Losing his freedom for a job wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he decided to tone down his catting about town. Being someone’s husband went against everything he wanted. The woman had to be slightly crazy to even think he’d agree.
“What exactly did he want then?”
Joy turned her face to him and smiled, the ghost of a failed dream haunting her eyes. “He wanted to run a business that cared about the animals’ welfare. He believed that happy cattle meant better breeding, better meat, and therefore better prices and happier customers. I happen to agree with him. His father did not. Profit is the bottom line for him. Not always the best for the animals, I’m afraid.”
“I don’t get it. What’s so different about what you want to do compared to him?”
“His dad doesn’t believe in organic growing. Claims it’s all horseshit, that Bradley was wasting his time and money on a new-fangled idea that isn’t going to catch on.”
“Was he?”
“Nope. We’re doing okay. We passed accreditation just before he died. All I have to do is make sure I stick to the plan he laid out and things should be hunky-dory.”
“And you really think this is going to pay off financially?” Nate knew a little bit about the organic movement but not enough to talk himself into this job. There had to be something he could do to convince her to employ him without putting a ring on his finger.
“It should do. More and more people are looking at where their food comes from. They like to know they’re getting the best they can buy, and they aren’t scared to spend an extra dollar or two to get it either.” She reached down and picked up her son. “I promised Bradley that I’d do it for Toby’s sake. I don’t go back on my word—ever.”
Still not enough reason for him to tie himself to her with a wedding ring. He’d have to pile on the charm and get past it.
“I’ve been working to build a relationship with restaurants in Marietta and Poulson. They’re looking for grass-fed, certified beef, and I have it. We have a butcher lined up to dress the meat for us, direct from the ranch. My contacts are almost ready to sign on the dotted line.” Her mouth turned down at the corners. “That was, until Ryan Mitchell, father-in-law from hell, stepped in and stole my ranch hand again. That’s five men in just under two years.”
Now he could see why she was so annoyed. “How’s that going to stop you from signing a deal to supply your beef?” Surely, it would be easier on everyone involved if she let her husband’s family step in and take control. Be less worry for her and then she wouldn’t be on the hunt for a husband. Still, doubt over his part in this scenario niggled in the back of his mind. The Mitchell boys wouldn’t have sent him here if they didn’t have a plan for him unless they thought it was all a huge joke. He tucked that thought away for now and listened to Joy speaking.
“Because I can’t manage any more, that’s why.” She sniffed. “The house is a mess, Toby gets hardly any time with me because I have to run the ranch, and I’m falling apart quicker than I can fix it.”
“In an ideal world, how do you see your life?” It was hard to keep his hands to himself when all he wanted to do was put an arm around her shoulders and make her feel better. He might not be husband material, but he wasn’t heartless. But if he did, she’d probably get the wrong idea.
Joy wiped her hand over her face. “Seriously? What a question.”
“I guess, but bear with me here. I’m chasing a job and you’re chasing a husband. Kind of makes sense to me to know exactly why you can’t just hire me like a normal ranch hand.”
Toby wandered around the yard, just chattering to himself, but Nate had an eye on him anyway.
“Because I have to have some kind of control, that’s why. Every ranch hand I’ve had since Bradley got sick has left me high and dry, and my father-in-law has been responsible for most of them leaving.”
But he wasn’t a weak-willed man. Nobody was going to tempt him away once he had his hands on a permanent job. “Ah, we can be employee and boss.” He wiped a hand across the back of his neck. “I’ll sign a contract to work for you for twelve months.” It was the most obvious option.
“A work contract ain’t worth much these days. I tried it before and they used any weak excuse to leave anyway.”
Seriously? His sister-in-law could make it ironclad. Surely, Sadie could convince Joy that he’d stick to his word without laying his bachelor status on the line.
“Look, I’m desperate for a job. I’m not going to up and leave you, I promise. Certainly not now that I know the story. I’ll stay here and work for you and Toby. Make things right for you. You could keep trying for a decent man to marry, and I could help you out in the meantime. That’s if you want to.”
Joy turned her gaze to him. The paleness of her skin tore at him as well as her big, soulful eyes. All the world’s problems lay in their depth. “No, that won’t work. We need someone who has a reason to stay.”
He had a reason, and it was called self-respect. How on earth could he convince her that meant more to him than anything after the way he’d treated his grandfather? “I don’t have the best reputation in town. Your sister and me, what happened—that might make things awkward. I wasn’t ready for more. Just in case you were wondering.”
“I know. You dumped my sister last year after three dates. She was devastated that you never returned her calls.”
This wasn’t working out at all. He wiped a hand across the back of his neck. How the heck was he going to convince her he meant what he said? Her sister was proof he wasn’t a good stayer. “I’m sorry about your sister. I didn’t mean to hurt her, but I wasn’t ready for a relationship. Least not for more than a week or so.”
She shook her head. “Which is why if you want the job, you’ll marry me, Nate.”
*
Joy held her breath. He was her last hope. With all the delays Ryan had caused by stealing her workers, she needed to convince this one to stay. She couldn’t get the cattle ready for market by herself, and too many delays would cost her the contracts.
Please say yes. Please.
“I don’t know.”
Her heart sank. Just when she thought she might have found an option she could live with, despite his repu
tation. There was something about the way Nate conducted himself around Toby, the enthusiasm he had for ranch work that could make him the right guy.
“Have you ever wanted anything so bad, you’ll do anything to get it?” She had to get through to him how much this all meant. “Something you couldn’t let go of even if you wanted to? Even if it meant upsetting everyone around you?”
His eyes flickered. Flashes of emotion passed like pages of a book, his pupils changing with the thoughts in his mind.
“Something you wish you’d never let go of, even if it wasn’t your fault. Someone you wanted back so bad, you’d do anything you could to keep a hold of their memory?” She knew she’d hit a soft spot when he turned away from her. “I’m at that point now, Nate. I loved my husband, and it kills me to think about replacing him. I’ve tried to find another way, but I’m fast running out of options. I have a child to raise and a ranch to run. You need a permanent job. Sadie said I can trust you, so I’m going along with her advice.”
Toby came running toward them and cannoned into Nate’s legs, arms flying to right himself. Before Joy could reach for him, Nate caught him and lifted him up into his arms. “All right, little guy?”
“Hurt. Look.” Toby held out a dirty hand and Nate ran his big fingers over the small palm, looking for the injury.
“Looks good to me. You’re a tough cowboy.” He brushed off the speck of dust.
Her little boy chortled with laughter and reached for Nate’s hat. “Hat. Mine.”
Nate took it off and popped it onto Toby’s head. “I think your momma should buy you one that fits.” He pushed the battered hat back so he could see Toby’s face.
“I think Nate’s right. It’s time Toby had his own cowboy hat.” She took a breath. “So, it looks to me like your decision has been made for you. All you gotta do is say yes.”
Luckily, he didn’t quibble with her, but that didn’t mean she’d won the argument.
The Convenient Cowboy Page 2
