by Sara Orwig
“Hi. You look as if you’ve had a hard day’s work,” she said, wondering what he had done because he was muddy and they hadn’t had any rain. His black hair was tousled. She couldn’t control the jump in her heartbeat at the sight of him and figured it was because she hadn’t seen any male except Henry for the past week as she’d been holed up in the house painting.
“Sorry, I didn’t stop to clean up first. We had a water leak and we’ll need to replace a waterline.” He glanced down at his muddy clothes and shrugged. “Didn’t want to be late for our appointment. I wanted to report in about my first week.”
“Want a cold drink—pop, tea, beer? Francie baked cookies, or I have some chips and salsa and we can sit on the patio.”
“Only if I can clean up a little first.”
“Of course you can. C’mon. I’ll show you. Henry is around some place, but he’s getting ready to go out tonight.” She led him through the entryway and pointed to an open door. “There’s a bathroom and I’ll be in the kitchen. When you come out, go straight ahead and turn left at the first door.”
She went to the kitchen where Francie was putting away the last of some clean dishes from the dishwasher. The tall red-haired cook smiled at Vivian. “I was finishing up before I leave. I put the last batch of cookies on that platter and the others are in the cookie jar. Your dinner is cooked and all you’ll have to do is reheat it in the microwave. There’s a roast that’s done and in the fridge for the weekend, plus other food.”
“Thank you. Mike Moretti is here. He’s the man who will replace Slade. I came to get him a beer and myself a glass of water. I don’t think he’ll want cookies with his beer, but I’ll take the platter to the patio, plus some chips and salsa.”
“I have a batch of homemade salsa I can take out and—” She stopped and smiled. Vivian glanced around as Mike entered the kitchen.
“Mike, meet Francie Ellison. Francie, this is Mike Moretti.”
“Call me Mike,” he said. “That’s easier.” They smiled at each other.
“Glad to meet you, Mike. I’m leaving, but I’ll take these chips and salsa to the patio.”
“I’ll carry them,” he said, taking them from her hands. “Now you can start your weekend off.”
“Thanks. Welcome to the Tumbling T. Do you need anything else before I go?” she asked Vivian, who shook her head as she opened a beer for Mike and then got a tray for everything they would take outside.
“No, thanks. You have a nice weekend and I’ll see you Monday.
She was aware of her old jeans, faded red T-shirt and bare feet. She resisted the urge to smooth down her hair, which was pulled back in a thick braid, and instead, led Mike outside.
“It’s been a busy week and a good one getting to know everyone,” he said once they were seated and he’d taken a draft of his beer. “I’ll miss Slade because he’s a nice guy, but I’m happy for him to get to retire and it sounds as if he needs to.”
“He definitely needs to. The last time he was home, Thane said Slade should have retired a couple of years ago. Thane thought it might have saved him so much back trouble.” She took a sip of her cold water. “I hope you like the job. I’m sure Slade hopes you do, too.”
Mike nodded. “It’s a good job. I can see Thane’s touch in things all around the ranch.” He put his beer on the table and sat back on the cushioned chair. “I told you when I came that I’m muddy because we had a water pipe spring a leak. A long stretch will have to be replaced.”
As they talked, she gazed into his green eyes and became so lost in them, she barely heard what he was saying. Why did she have this keen awareness of him? Was it purely the absence of a man in her life? She didn’t think so. She was surrounded by men on the ranch. Henry, the staff that worked in the house and in the yard, the cowboys that she saw when she went to the garage or one of the barns. It went beyond a keen awareness and no matter how much she wanted to ignore it, she had to admit it was there. She was attracted to Mike and she knew he felt something, too. She didn’t want that attraction to him and she suspected he didn’t want to feel it, either.
Right now, she was acutely aware of him. Looking into his thickly lashed green eyes made her heart race. He was tall, broad-shouldered, good-looking. Maybe too good-looking, an inner voice told her. How difficult was it going to be to go to a charity ball with him next weekend? The thought of stepping into his arms to dance made her tingle from head-to-toe.
She had talked to Slade about Mike and the old foreman was as enthused about him as Thane had been, which was a relief but not a surprise. Slade was ready to step down and let Mike take over. With Slade retiring in south Texas where his son and oldest daughter lived, her life was changing again. Slade and Thane had been a big part of her life for the past year and soon they would both be gone. But Mike Moretti would not be in her life as much as Slade had been.
She didn’t expect to see much of Mike when he took over. First of all, he was new to the job so she expected him to be at work most of the time when he was on the ranch. He would report during the week via emails and texts. Slade always had come by at least once a week to talk to her about the ranch and she expected him to tell Mike to do the same.
Why did the prospect of seeing him at least once a week excite her?
And why was Mike looking at her now as if he expected her to reply?
“I’m sorry,” she said, forcing her thoughts back to the conversation. “What were you saying?”
“I said you’re from Dallas, right? I mean, I really don’t know anything about you except that you were Thane’s wife and happily married.”
“Happily married and married too short of a time,” she said. “Sorry. I miss him. We used to sit out here and talk at night when he came in off the ranch.”
“He was a really good guy.”
“That’s high praise. He thought you were, too. He always said he could count on you to come through.”
Mike looked across the yard as if looking far away from the ranch. “I didn’t come through at the last. I tried, but I couldn’t save him.”
“Don’t take any blame there. Neither could the doctors at the hospital. A chaplain wrote to me that Thane was picked up by a helicopter and taken to a field hospital. He died when they were transferring him to the hospital.”
They were both silent a moment. “You came through, Mike. You tried to save him, but they wrote he was too badly injured. You got all his last messages and what he wanted you to take home. That gave him some peace, I’m sure.”
Mike turned to focus on her and another tingle tickled her. “I don’t know much about you except what I’ve seen in Dallas papers about your dad. I know more about him and his success in the hotel business. You have a brother-in-law who helps your dad run that business now, don’t you? And your brother runs the oil business.”
“Yes. My brother-in-law Sam is good at what he does. He’s married to my older sister, Natalie. They have two cute kids, Holly and Fletcher. Holly is eight and Fletcher is six. I miss them, but they’re in school and even if I were back in Dallas I wouldn’t see them much.”
“Where did you meet Thane?”
“He was good friends with Phil, my older brother. This was the Warner family ranch, but Thane’s folks had a home in Dallas, too. His dad never much liked the ranch, but when Thane graduated from college, he came here to take over from his grandfather. His dad never really came back to the ranch. The oil company in Dallas was his love.”
“So you knew Thane a long time,” he said, looking at her. Just a glance was like a physical contact and she couldn’t understand the volatile reaction she had to simply sitting with and talking to him. He was polite, even a little remote. While he was friendly, she had a feeling he had a lot bottled up inside that he didn’t talk about.
“That’s right. Phil and Thane were friends all through
school. Thane was six years older than I am. It made a difference when I was in school. It didn’t later.”
“Clint Woodson wasn’t around much until Thane left, right? I mean, Thane never even mentioned his neighbor.”
“That’s right. I barely knew who he was until Thane deployed. And like I said, I didn’t let Thane know what a pest Clint has been. I didn’t want to worry him when he was so far from home. He couldn’t do anything about Clint.”
“He could have asked some guys here to be a buffer to keep him from disturbing you.”
“I was afraid he would ask Slade and Slade has all he can handle.”
Mike nodded. As he sipped his beer and looked at the yard, her gaze ran over him. She guessed he was several inches over six feet. He had a narrow waist and long legs. He had one booted foot on his knee and he looked completely relaxed. With the physical awareness she had of him—she was certain it was mutual—was she asking for more trouble by going to the club with him next weekend?
He had been nothing but polite toward her, yet she knew he felt something, too. That made her doubly aware of him. At least, in Mike’s case, his reactions seemed unwanted. He seemed to have no personal interest in her and she was glad. She hurt over her loss of the man she loved and she didn’t want anyone else in her life yet.
“I hope we’re doing the right thing by going to the club Friday night.”
He misinterpreted her meaning, and she let him. “It won’t hurt to let him think there’s a man in your life now. Besides, it’s an evening out,” he said, smiling at her.
Maybe, she thought, but it wasn’t an ordinary evening out. Not when her skin sizzled at his smile.
“I hope Clint is there Friday night. The tickets were bought in my name, so he can find out if I plan to attend.”
“If I had to bet, from what you’ve told me, I’d put money on your neighbor being there Friday night.” He finished off his beer then stood. “I should get going now, Vivian.” When he simply said her name, she felt another ripple of attraction.
He began to pick up the dishes but she stopped him. “Leave everything, Mike,” she said. “I can carry that stuff to the kitchen.”
“So can I,” he said and left with everything on the tray except her glass of water. She waited until he returned.
“Thanks for coming to work at the Tumbling T Ranch.”
“I promised Thane I would. I’m keeping that promise. If it’s a quiet weekend, I won’t even come by Monday morning. I can send you a text.”
“Thanks. Be sure to make a list of what you want done to Slade’s house and when he leaves, we can be ready to get a crew started making changes.”
“Sure. I travel lightly, as I said before, and all I need is a bed at night, so I don’t think I’ll have many changes. Thanks for the beer and I’ll see you next week,” he said and turned to walk away in long purposeful strides.
She watched him get in his pickup and drive away without looking back.
He said he traveled light and there was no woman in his life to mind if he took her out Friday night. Thane and Slade thought he was a great guy. Other than that, she knew nothing about him. She had a feeling she would have to depend on him for a lot of things concerning the ranch. She had with Slade, but that had been different, she admitted.
She pulled the diamond pendant Thane had sent home from under her red T-shirt and rolled the diamond between her fingers while she thought about Mike. She added one more item to the list of what she knew about the man: She had an electrifying reaction to him.
“Thane, sweetie, why did you hire Mike and send him here?” she sighed. “I have a feeling he’s going to complicate my life.”
* * *
Mike stepped back and watched the foal stand on its wobbly legs. “She’s a little beauty,” he said.
“She is,” Slade agreed. “Her mama’s one of our best mares. The foal is perfect and you did a good, efficient delivery job here, Mike, but I knew you would. Thane really had faith in you.”
Mike smiled. “I’m beginning to think Thane laid it on a little thick when he told all of you about me. And I think the mama gets credit for her baby coming easily into the world.”
Slade shook his head. “Nope. Thane wouldn’t exaggerate. I don’t worry about leaving here now.” He regarded the newborn foal more closely then turned to Mike. “You know, I worked for Thane’s grandfather actually, so I’ve been here a long time and I can tell you, you’ll like it here. This is a good place and you’ll get to run it like it’s your own ranch, at least until she marries again or sells the place. The hermit life she leads isn’t going to get her married, though. She’s had a rough time over losing Thane.”
“That part about running this place the way I want sounds good,” Mike said. “But in my experience, there’s always something you didn’t count on happening and it throws you.”
“That’s life, but I’m relieved you’re here to handle it so I can get out of here a little sooner. I’ve worked hard all my life. Mike, I’m seventy-eight and I’m ready to retire and I’ve got a back problem that driving a pickup over rough ground or sitting in a saddle or a thousand other things around here aggravates. I want to sit under the shade of a tree with a cold beer and enjoy my grandkids.”
Mike clapped the man on his shoulder. “I hope you get to do that for a long time, Slade. This is a good ranch and I’m glad to have a job here.” He bent down to pick up his delivery instruments from the hay-covered floor. “Mrs. Warner doesn’t seem to take much interest in it, though.”
“She doesn’t know anything about ranching and I don’t think she cares. I doubt she’ll stay. She liked it out here fine enough when her husband was alive but now... Well, I think she stays because it’s peaceful for her and she can paint and she goes to Santa Fe and Houston and other places with her art. She won’t interfere with you. As far as daily living, this ranch might as well belong to me and it might as well belong to you when I leave. You’ll have free rein to run it the way you want. There are good weeks like this past one and then there are times when you think everything has gone to hell. Fires, bad weather, drought, but you’ve been in worse situations where men around you died, so this probably looks pretty good.”
Mike stood up. “It looks damn good.”
Slade nodded. “I figured since you were buddies with Thane and he thought you were such a great rancher that you might be more likely to want your own spread.”
“Nope. I don’t come from money,” Mike said. “Far from it. This job is better than what I expected to begin with when I got home. If Mrs. Warner sells the place and I don’t like the new boss, I can move on to another job.”
“Frankly, I was glad to hear you weren’t getting your own place. I was surprised, though, because I wondered how long you’d work for someone else. I thought maybe you were doing this to get some experience.”
Mike shook his head. “I’m doing it because I get paid to do it.” He didn’t tell Slade about his promise to Thane.
“I can relate to that,” Slade said, pushing off from the stall gate. “Best be going now, son. Mrs. Warner told me she asked you to take her out because of that damn Woodson. I think that will run him off fast. You go get cleaned up. This little baby looks fine and dandy.” They both looked at the foal, its spindly long legs already steadier.
“She’s beautiful,” Mike said. “So is her mama.” He finished gathering up his things and placed them in the box in the back of his pickup.
Mike climbed into the truck, waved and drove away, heading back to the guesthouse to get ready for his first date with Vivian Warner.
He only wished he was looking forward to it as much as Slade seemed to be. Mike hoped one date would be enough to divert Clint Woodson’s attention from the beautiful widow.
Not to mention his own.
* * *
&nb
sp; An hour later, Mike left the guesthouse and drove his pickup down the road to the main house. A white limo was parked in the carport at the side of the house.
He was with Slade every day and Slade sent reports to Vivian, but other than a text Monday morning and their chat last Friday afternoon, Mike hadn’t talked to her since he was hired on. She seemed to have an even smaller part in the ranch than Thane had led him to believe. Slade hadn’t said yet when he would hand in his resignation and Mike didn’t ask questions. He liked it here, liked the work, the feel of the dirt under his boots, the people. If Thane had been able to come home, the job would have been perfect.
Mike wondered what the evening ahead would be like. Whether it’d be as awkward as he predicted, his being in a fancy club among rich folk. Mike never forgot his status in life and Vivian’s: a cowboy and a billionaire heiress.
He wondered if Clint Woodson would accept that Vivian was going out with her future foreman. Mike hoped he did so this charade would end quickly.
Vivian didn’t seem bothered by the monetary difference in their lives, but she knew full well that he worked for her and she was worth billions more than he was. Heck, she was buying his dinner tonight and it bothered him slightly. Even though they were a low income family, his dad had instilled a strong sense that a man should pay. He had always said to Mike and his brothers, “Never take money from a woman. It’s a man’s place to pay, not the woman. It doesn’t work out well if a man marries a woman with way more money than he has. Look at your uncle.” Mike’s uncle had had a messy divorce from a wealthy woman with lots of ill feelings between the families afterward.
Growing up, Mike had heard plenty about the man paying the woman’s way and it was ingrained into him to the point it didn’t matter what Vivian thought. He had always agreed with his dad on the topic. It seemed right for the man to pay. He had known some low-life guys in college who let the woman always pay and that hadn’t impressed him, Even when his dad died and times got really tough, he still grew up following his dad’s teachings. In high school there were times he went hungry before he’d let a woman pay. There was an older teacher who knew his circumstances at home the year his dad died, and she would try to buy his lunch occasionally, He always turned her down even if it meant going hungry. When he rang the bell at the mansion, Henry opened the door. The butler/bodyguard was in a white shirt, a tan sports jacket and dark brown slacks. His collar was unbuttoned.
