Page 88 of Stockman's Sandstorm

‘You’re kidding, I get to be your boss today?’ He began tucking into his bacon-and-egg toasted sandwich.

‘You wish, jellyfish.’ Her evil laughter bounced off the stone walls. ‘But this is a good spot to start that toy of yours. I’d say the ones that are missing were stuck inside this corridor when the storm happened.’ She nodded at the labyrinth that stretched on either side.

‘Good point. We’ll start from here and push them back.’ He paused, to wolf down his brekkie in a few bites.

‘You are one of the bosses, you know.’

He frowned, as he swung off the horse and set up his drone on the flat rock bed while Bree held the reins of his horse. ‘Did you hear my brothers lecturing me last night?’

She shrugged, completely blasé, like normal.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

‘I said nothing.’

‘Do you agree with them?’

‘I don’t work for you guys, and Ryder made it perfectly clear I should keep out of your family’s business.’

‘But you have an opinion.’

‘Wait, do I need to reset my mood board for this conversation?’ Her eyes sparkled to match her wry grin. ‘You’re asking if I dwell on the little things so I can overthink everything? Because that’s what you’re doing. Don’t give me that look, snowflake, you asked. And I have nothing to gain by telling you the truth, or to tell you whatever BS you want to hear. I really don’t care.’

He looked at her with pleading eyes, as he gulped down some water to wash down his breakfast.

‘Aww, come on.’ She rolled her eyes, swung one leg up onto the saddle and crossed her arms over it. ‘Fine.’ She took a deep breath and asked calmly, ‘Tell me, what part upsets you the most?’

‘All of it. That I’m not doing my job—’

Her laugh cut through the air, to bounce off the walls as she leaned over her saddle. ‘Is this the part where I tell you I know Charlie’s been doing your trough duties this past week?’

He dropped his head. ‘Dammit.’

‘And there is wake-up call number one. Let’s aim for number two.’

‘They said I’m still playing the part of an employee and treating it like a game.’ Although, this felt like an awkward game show where he was the mug in the middle with no idea what the prize was if he won.

‘Are you?’

‘I’ve never been a boss before.’

‘It takes time to adjust. I know I freaked out, going from someone with a steady pay cheque to suddenly being my own boss. That stress load you feel across your shoulders—that if you didn’t get up in the morning, you don’t get paid—gets easier once you adapt.’ She rode her horse closer to point at him. ‘You haven’t got that yet, not like your brothers.’

‘I do feel it. I just … avoid it,’ he replied, admitting that more to himself.

‘Why? You’re a strong guy. I’ve seen you tackle a micky bull in the scrub. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Plus, you’ve got your brothers backing you up. Besides, if you fail, you can always go back to being a contractor.’

‘Do you think I can do it?’

‘All I’m saying is that it’ll take time to adjust. You guys haven’t even unpacked the boxes in the farmhouse yet. So cut yourself some slack.’

He wanted to hug the redhead wearing two stockwhips, carrying a shotgun and a rifle in her saddle, and she’d brought him breakfast.

But Bree made sense, which also gave him hope. ‘My brothers said they’ve been cutting me some slack, for Mason’s sake.’

‘And you only realised that now?’ She shook her head. ‘Listen, cucumber, Cap and Dex moved out of the farmhouse so Mason and Harper could each have a room, and Ryder is the one paying Harper’s wages. I’m sure you’ve heard that saying, it takes a village to raise a child, and you’ve got one already doing their bit to help you and that boy. You just haven’t realised how lucky you are.’

‘Lucky? How? I didn’t ask for a kid. He might be better off with someone else.’ There, he’d said it. ‘I didn’t ask to become a father. And what am I going to tell that kid about his mother, when I don’t even remember her?’

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