She had walked over from the offices to the restaurant alone, after Rob had to make a few phone calls. He said he’d join her at ten o’clock. Nerves got the better of her – the thought of going in to that restaurant and having to make small talk until everyone arrived was terrifying for her. She had ducked in to the bathroom and hidden in a stall until ten minutes past ten, then she’d emerged, hoping that everyone had arrived and she could just go in and sit down right away.
She had looked at herself in the mirror: God, she was pale. Quickly, she added some blush to her cheeks and put some more cover up under her eyes to mask the dark shadows there. She smoothed down the lapels of her lemon-yellow suit jacket and re-tucked her white blouse in to her crisp brown pants. She adjusted her necklace to show the large amber centrepiece to best advantage and fiddled with her amber earrings. She straightened her back and raised her chin. OK. Ready to go.
She had clicked across the wooden floor to the restaurant in her yellow high heels. She paused in the doorway and surveyed the staff all staring at her.
“There you are, hon!” Mattie said. “Come on over here and sit down. Carl will get you a coffee.”
“Thank you.” Her voice had come out flat and calm, thank God. Once she was sitting, she felt better and crossed her legs and coolly sipped her coffee. Her hand didn’t tremble much at all.
They’d all looked at her expectantly. Not quite trusting her voice yet, she had opened her personnel file and slowly looked through the pages again.
OK, stay calm. It’s all fine. Just say hello, introduce yourself. Ask who they are. OK, go on, now. You can do this.
“Good morning. I’m Julie Everett. Maybe you can all introduce yourselves? Tell me a bit about what you do here?”
And she’d thrown it over to them. For the next thirty minutes, she’d been able to sit and drink her coffee and nod, pretending to take notes as her heart rate slowed down, not meeting anyone’s eye, not even really looking at anyone at all. The faces were just a blur.
Mattie, Rob, Joe and Rosie she knew of course. Maria was still at the front desk, but she’d told Rob that there was no need for the receptionist to be there, anyway. What Maria did was clear.
So here she was, feeling very pleased, meeting her staff.
The chef was named Manuel Cruz, and he asked that she call him Manny. He told her that he loved spicy foods (Tammy would be pleased, and Julie made a mental note to tell her all about Manny, the Spicy Chef) and worked best with seasonal produce. He was big on meat and sauces at this time of year, and he wondered if she’d let him play with some new ideas for the autumn and winters menu. She nodded.
Next up was Phillip Dobson, the forty-six-year-old cowboy that she’d told Tammy about. Phil was actually a pretty handsome guy, sitting there in his jeans and t-shirt. He had the body of a much-younger man – strong, toned, sexy – but his face gave away his age. Weather-beaten and craggy, he looked tough, but in an appealing way. His eyes were kind when he looked at her, and she found a quiet steadiness in him when he sat and listened to the others.
There were a gaggle of women who worked at the hotel as cleaners, office people, and extra front desk staff. She didn’t really get any of their names, but a few stuck in her head: Andrea, Laura, Constance. She’d figure out who was who later.
And then there was that man sitting with his arms crossed and glaring at her. He looked to be in his mid- to late-thirties and was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt that pulled tightly against his muscled arms and torso. As she pretended to listen to Constance or Laura or Andrea prattle on about how many years she’d been scrubbing the toilets at Open Skies Ranch, Julie was mentally running through the staff list she’d received from Lyle Hawkins. She was sure that there were only three men around the age of this guy – Manny, Joe, and Rob. So, who was this, then?
Based on his physique and wardrobe, she’d guess that he worked with the horses. He was tall – easily more than six feet, she thought – and had broad shoulders. His body was wide and muscled, with large hands and ropey forearms. He looked relaxed in his body, but still. It was a strong body, a dangerous body. She could feel its strength and power from all the way across the room. She hadn’t heard him introduce himself. He must have been one of the first, and she had missed it as she sat staring at her papers and imagining herself in her blue room, surrounded by calm and safety.
Jake Weston was taking in Julie Everett just as closely as she was observing him. What he saw did not please him at all.
God, he thought, just look at this smug little bitch wandering in here ten minutes late when we all have work to do, taking notes on all of us, like some kind of goddamned teacher. And would it kill her to look at us once in a while? Maybe smile?
There was no doubt that Julie was a gorgeous woman. When she’d walked in to the restaurant, everyone had been stunned. She was, Jake decided in less than two seconds, the fucking hottest woman he’d ever seen in the flesh in the whole of his life. She was a bit short – far too short to take advantage of that amazing face and work as a model – and she was curvy – far too curvy to be a model. Some damn agency would probably force her to drop thirty pounds, starve off those breasts and thighs and ass and hips.
Her face was exquisite, though. It was funny: she had all the same things as everyone else in the room – eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth. But on Julie, they all just came together in some way that made it hard to stop looking at her. Jake just stared and stared, like everyone else did, and wondered at the beauty that was Dave’s spoiled, selfish daughter.
But after two minutes, it became easier for Jake to stop drooling over Julie. She was so cold, not even the perpetually-horny university student Mike was salivating over her anymore. Looking at her was like looking at a glorious flower encased in glass. Or ice. She was completely closed off, unapproachable, unfriendly. Jake crossed his arms and glared at her, unable to believe that Dave would have fathered such a grade-A bitch. If it weren’t for those eyes, he’d not believe that she was Dave’s at all.
This went a long way to explain the conversation that Jake had had with Rob Cathay just a few minutes before the meeting had started. In his six years of working with Rob, Jake had some to see him as one of the most genuinely kind men he’d ever met. Selfless and dedicated and hard-working, Rob had started on Reception, moved in to Sales, and now headed up the department. Under his leadership, Dave had done some great things. Rob had vision and smarts, he was laid-back and quiet, but he had amazing ideas.
Jake had never – not once, not ever – heard Rob say anything negative about anyone. But when he talked about Julie Everett, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Jake had run in to him as he was leaving the sales office behind Reception. Rob was pulling on his jacket and he looked wrecked.
“How you doing, man?” Jake had asked him.
Rob shrugged. “OK, I guess.”
“I heard you pulled an all-nighter.”
A flash of anger crossed Rob’s face. “Yeah.”
“You doing OK? Maybe you want to go home, get a few hours’ sleep? I’m sure Maria and Bonnie would cover you.”
Rob shook his head. “I’d better not. I don’t want to piss off the new boss on her first full day here.”
Jake paused. “What’s she like?”
Rob looked at Jake. “We finished our meeting and I lied to her that I had some calls to make.”
“Yeah. OK. I don’t get it…”
“I did that,” Rob said deliberately, “because I didn’t want to walk over to the restaurant with her. I couldn’t stand to look at her for one second longer.”
“Jesus Christ. That bad?”
“That bad,” Rob confirmed as they reached the restaurant. “She’s made of stone, Jake, I kid you not. I’ve never met anyone so stand-offish.”
Rob was bang-on, Jake saw now. There Julie sat, like a queen holding court with her subjects. Jake knew nothing at all about women’s clothing, but it was clear that Julie’s clothes were expensive
. They were tailored to fit her body perfectly, and her shoes and jewelry were both top-end. Her hair was smooth and shiny and pulled back in some kind of fancy bun. Her skin glowed. And it was all paid for by Daddy’s hard-earned money. She was a spoiled, rich little princess who had just inherited a multi-million dollar business that she was going to run in to the ground with her spending habits and immaturity.
There was a sudden burst of applause and Julie realized that Constance/Laura/Andrea had finished her little introduction. Her heart pounding painfully, her hands clammy and shaking, Julie got to her feet. She put her hands in her pockets and clenched them tight.
“I’m very happy to meet all of you. I know that this had been a sudden change for you – it’s been a shock, I imagine. We’ll get to know each other, I hope, and we’ll figure out together how to get along.” She smiled, stiffly. “For now, I have to get my feet under me a bit, and I’ll be looking to each of you to help me understand what you do here, and how the pieces all come together.” She paused. “So, thank you, and I’ll let you all get back to work.”
Everyone got to their feet, nodded at Julie, and walked out. She sat back down, her knees shaking and stared at the little red half-moons that her nails had cut in to her palms. Thank God that was over and done with.
**
Mattie stood outside the restaurant waiting for Julie to finish gathering her papers. She also strongly suspected that Julie needed some time to collect herself – she had shaken like a leaf through that whole staff meeting.
Julie was getting to her feet now. Mattie readied her smile; she was determined to be the one person at Open Skies still willing to give the new boss a chance. No matter how hard Julie was going to make it to get to know her or even like her, Mattie was going to keep trying.
Julie emerged from the restaurant looking as cool and bored as ever. She spotted Mattie. “Ready to give me that tour now?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mattie said. “Hazel’s just finished cleaning number two, and so we’ll start there.”
“Fine.”
The women walked across the parking area and Mattie glanced down at Julie’s feet. The gorgeous yellow high heels were getting covered in a pretty solid layer of dust.
“Hey, you know, I can loan you a pair of boots, if you want.”
Julie was just cursing her damn lack of appropriate footwear for hauling ass around a ranch and she turned to Mattie hopefully. “Really?”
“Sure,” Mattie said. “You want to go get them now?”
Julie looked at her shoes. That was three hundred bucks down the drain. Damn it. “Yes, please. I’d really appreciate that. I didn’t come as prepared as I had to be, I guess.”
“Well, it was short notice, hon.”
You got that right, lady.
Julie followed Mattie around the Reception building to a private entrance marked ‘Private. Staff Only’. She paused. “I’ll wait here.”
Mattie looked around at her in surprise. “Why?”
“Well, these are your private quarters. I don’t want to intrude.”
“I’m inviting you in, for heaven’s sake. There’s no intrusion. And may I remind you – you own all this now.” She swung the door wide, beckoned Julie in. “Come on in.”
Julie stepped in to an open space. It was incredibly warm and welcoming, and she looked around, interested. There was a fireplace, sofas and armchairs scattered around, a TV and kitchen space. “Is this all yours?”
“Oh, no. This is the common area that we all share.” She gestured to a hallway. “The rooms are down there.”
Julie followed Mattie down the hall and in to Mattie’s room. Well, ‘room’ was actually not the right word, at all. Mattie had a cute little apartment, with a sitting room, a kitchen, and huge windows with a view of the mountains. She even had a tiny patio outside, with a table and wooden deckchairs. Julie could just see Mattie out there in the mornings, drinking coffee and watching the sunrise.
“In here,” Mattie said. “This is my bedroom.”
Julie stood in the doorway, watching Mattie rummage through the massive wardrobe. She saw an attached bathroom in bright colors, a large shower and deep bath. No wonder Mattie loved living here: it was an amazing little home.
Mattie straightened up. “OK, try these.”
Julie took a tentative step in to the bedroom. She was big on boundaries – both hers and others’ – and Mattie’s casual, cavalier attitude toward Julie seeing her most intimate, private space was jarring. But she did as she was told.
“Sit on the bed hon. Try them on.”
“OK.” Julie slipped off her dusty shoes and took the boots. They were brown leather, flat, a bit of a point to the toe. They had some stitching along the ankle, but not too much. They were, actually, surprisingly lovely. And when she put them on, they were amazingly comfortable.
“Wow,” she said. “Not bad at all.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” Mattie said. “Try ‘em out, go for a walk.”
Julie strolled around the bedroom. “Perfect.”
“Good.”
“Thanks, Mattie. I’ll return them to you as soon as I can.”
Mattie waved her hand. “No rush. I got plenty.” She cocked her head at Julie. “You got any clothes? More practical clothes for running around a ranch? We will be going to the stables, you know.”
“Well, I have some jeans back in my cabin. Cardigans, too.”
“Cardigans? Nice ones?”
“Yeah. Pretty nice.”
Mattie shook her head. “OK, how about this. You go on back to your place and get in to a pair of jeans, and take these shirts for now.” She took a small folded pile of long-sleeved sweaters, t-shirts, and button-down shirts from her wardrobe. “That enough?”
“Oh, no, Mattie,” Julie protested. “I can’t take your clothes.”
“You can until you head in to town and do some shopping. OK?”
Julie looked down at the clothes in her arms. They did look more suitable. “Well – OK. But just until I go shopping. Deal?”
“Deal. So, how about I meet you at number two in ten minutes?”
“OK.”
**
Julie looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, a bit stunned at her appearance. She was wearing her tight jeans, Mattie’s white t-shirt, a long-sleeved blue pullover with a v-neck, and the boots. The clothes were a bit tight around the chest and hips, but loose enough around the waist and shoulders. She tugged at them, trying to make them a bit less clingy, but it was no good. She shrugged and took off her jewelry, then pulled her hair back in to a casual ponytail. She looked young, and fresh. Even pretty.
She headed back outside and looked around for Mattie. She spotted her over by one of the cabins and walked over.
“Well, that’s much better!” Mattie exclaimed.
“Yeah, it is. Thanks again.”
“Don’t mention it. Let’s go in now.”
The second cabin was quite similar to hers, except that in the bathroom it had a jacuzzi. The other three cabins were also slightly different. One had a sprawling raised balcony out back; one had a massive fireplace in the centre of the room instead of built in to the wall, like the others; the last one had a skylight over the bed. Each one was beautifully laid-out and decorated, but they all had small, individual touches. These were not cookie-cutter cabins, at all.
After they had looked at all the cabins, they walked down the long road to the stables and Julie braced herself for the stench.
“You like horses, Julie?” Mattie asked her.
“Um. Well, honestly, not really.”
“You ever ridden one?”
“No.”
“You want to try?”
“I don’t think so… I’m a bit afraid of them, actually.”
Mattie nodded. “Yeah. Lots of people are.”
“Really?”
“Sure. They’re big, they’re strong. They can rear up and kick. Lots to be afraid of.”
“So, why do you
like them so much, then?”
“‘Cause there’s also lots to love. Horses can be gentle and protective, they can love you, if they know you, and be amazingly loyal. They can use their amazing strength to race, and plough fields and pull a sleigh-full of children. They can bring joy.”
Julie was just contemplating that when they got to the stable doors. They walked in, and there was that man, the one who had glared at her from across the restaurant.
He was crouching down and filling up a pail with water. His thigh muscles bulged in his well-worn jeans and his back rippled as he stood up again, in one strong movement.
Jake stared at Julie. God Almighty, she looked like a different woman in those clothes – still gorgeous as hell, but sexier, somehow. She was wearing about half the makeup that she had been just a few hours earlier, and it made her face younger and sweeter. Those jeans cupped that glorious ass and that blue sweater hugged her breasts. Every generous curve was clearly visible. Despite his deep dislike of her and everything she stood for, there was no denying her physical assets.
A vivid image flashed through his mind: Julie writhing under him, her head thrown back, eyes closed, moaning his name. With one massive hand, he held her wrists and trapped her arms above her head, forcing her to arch her back, offering those luscious breasts to his mouth. With his other hand, he stroked the hard knot between her legs as his cock rammed inside of her, driving her to the edge and beyond. He had a sneaking suspicion that she’d be hot in bed, if he could just get her to unbend and thaw. And if he could overlook the fact that she was a spoiled brat.
To his horror, Jake felt himself getting hard right in front of her. He turned away, abruptly, and headed to Healey’s stall to give him some water.
Julie watched Jake walk off, without a word to her. What the hell is this guy’s damage?
She turned to Mattie. “Can you tell me who that is?”
“Oh, that’s Jake, honey. Jake Weston.”
Julie blinked. She thought about Tammy joking about cowboy names. “Really?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Open Skies Page 7
