He’d quit college after the farming accident that had taken his leg and eye and two fingers, along with his handsome looks. But his self-confidence hadn’t disappeared until Shauna had broken up with him. In the hospital. Two days after the accident.
She hadn’t wanted to be shackled to someone she was “going to have to play nursemaid” to. Her words.
Bill Gates didn’t have a college degree.
Ford snorted. He wasn’t quite as successful as Bill Gates.
Yet.
“Fine. Leave.”
Georgia put her hand on her hip. “You’re not giving me a guilt trip about finally going to Europe like I’ve always dreamed about.”
“No.” He was, but technicalities.
“Morgan Nelson will be here later today. I wanted to have a few days to train my replacement, but you nixed every applicant I had until her.”
He hadn’t wanted anyone young or good-looking. He didn’t even want middle-aged and good-looking. Basically, he wanted someone the rest of the world would not consider good-looking. Someone like him.
Georgia hadn’t shown him Morgan’s picture, but he remembered the Nelson’s niece from school. She’d been a lot younger than him, but their schools were small, the Nelson’s were fellow ranchers, and it was hard to forget Morgan. She’d been quiet. Shy. Although she seemed like a nice girl. His friends had described her as moldy dumpling with legs and glasses. They had never teased her personally, and he hadn’t joined in the discussion, but thinking back, he knew her looks would not intimidate him.
“She’s a North Dakota girl.” He finally spoke since Georgia seemed to be waiting for him to say something. Normally he didn’t appease her, but since she was leaving for four weeks, he made an exception. Mostly because there was a twinge in his chest that threatened to become loneliness after she walked out.
“She is. She’s also quite smart and willing to learn and work hard. I’ve left detailed instructions, but Ford...”
She waited until Ford met her gaze.
“You’re going to have to help her some. I can’t explain to her in a note how to do everything that I do.” She gave a humorless laugh. “I never know what you’re going to have me doing when I get up in the morning.”
That was true. Most of the time, he didn’t know what the day was going to bring, either. The tech industry moved fast. Staying one step ahead could mean success. Staying well-ahead almost guaranteed success. He aimed to outpace it every day.
Too bad he couldn’t get the one billion dollars he’d been willed from Mr. Edwards at Sweet Water Ranch. But he had to be married. No chance of that happening. Which was fine. He was already a self-made multi-millionaire. If he had the money, in the next year, he could be a multi-billionaire. Without the money, it would happen eventually. Just not as fast.
“Ford. Promise me you’ll go easy on her. Be nice. Give her a chance.”
He didn’t say anything. But he would. He’d been voted best-looking and most likely to succeed in his small senior class. One of those were still true. Now, it was hard to be around beautiful, or even pretty, women. It made him too conscious of his own lack.
It wouldn’t be hard to deal with dumpling girl. He wouldn’t feel inferior. Maybe they’d understand each other. At the very least, she shouldn’t be too put off by his face, since she’d dealt with the same issues as him, although she’d never had an accident.
He hated the bitterness in his thoughts. But that was a by-product of the accident too. Or maybe just a by-product of Shauna.
Whatever. Right now it didn’t matter. Since his most loyal friend and companion, Georgia, was leaving him for four weeks.
“Ford.” Georgia leveled her eyes at him. Her face got the stern, serious expression on it that he’d only seen a time or two. “If she quits, I’m not coming back.”
He couldn’t stop his reaction as his eye snapped to hers. Eye. He had an ugly, puckered scar where his right eye should have been. He used to wear an eye patch, but it was itchy and Georgia didn’t care. Their housekeeper, Mrs. Torgerson, was in her early sixties. She, along with her husband, kept the house and grounds. Georgia was basically his personal assistant, face of his company and general all-around whatever he needed person. There was no way she could hire any one person to do what she did, but he’d resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to deal for four weeks. But if Georgia didn’t come back...
He searched her face. She was joking.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Try me.” She tapped her toe on the ground. That was Georgia. Never still. “If you hadn’t dragged your feet and only given me permission to hire her last night, I could have trained her properly.”
She lowered her eyes at him. “So of course she can’t just rush over, but needs a little extra time to pack for four weeks.”
Georgia wasn’t going to make him feel guilty. He wanted someone he could depend on. Not someone who was out ramming around. Like there was anything to do in rural North Dakota, anyway, but still, he wanted her available to him if he needed her, just like Georgia was.
Georgia sighed and walked into the room. “You’re a good man, Ford.” She knew his work went beyond the things that would make him money. “But you’re being consumed with bitterness.”
That wasn’t anything he didn’t know. He just didn’t know what to do about it. He stood to meet her, his prothesis making it slightly difficult, even after more than a decade of practice. If he’d have been able to keep his knee joint, it would have been easier.
Georgia put her arms around his waist. Georgia was a huge pile of energy wrapped up in a tiny, almost-five-foot-tall bundle. He was almost a foot and a half taller than her. His height was about the only thing the accident hadn’t stripped from him.
“I love you, Ford. You and Palmer were about the best big brothers a girl could have. But I can’t save you from yourself.”
He bent over, hugging her back. He knew she was right. He needed saved from himself. But he didn’t know how or what he needed to do to even start. How did a man accept the fact that he would be ugly and alone for the rest of his life, and that all the money in the world would be cold comfort when he’d driven everyone who cared about him away?
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Recipe!
Acapulco Chicken submitted by Linda Dreher
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 cans cream of chicken soup
small container sour cream
1 1/2 cups jack cheese
2 T flour
2 T butter or margarine
1 small onion diced about 1/2 a cup
1 small can diced green chilis or 1 medium jalapeño diced (from can)
Directions:
Cook and chop up chicken, set aside
In medium skillet, melt butter and add onions, sauté till transparent about 3 minutes.
Add flour, cook and stir about 2 minutes.
Add cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green chilis or jalapeños and 3/4 cup of the cheese, stir till all blended. Add chicken and stir together.
Spray a 9x9 baking dish with oil and add the mixture. Spread remaining cheese on top.
Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or till top gets slightly brown. Put under broiler for a few minutes if you want a deeper brown top. Serve over rice of your choice.
My sister gave me the recipe many years ago, don't know where it came from before that.
The recipe is one of our families very favorite. This recipe is my youngest son's favorite recipe since he was very young. He is now 27 and also his birthday dinner request. We have it at least once a month.
You need to try it, it is so delicious and cheap to make for a lot of people.
Enjoy! Linda
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