Page 1 of My Billionaire Cowboy Protector

Chapter 1: Lane

“Tell me about your experience working on ranches,” Lane Johnson said, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.

“I haven’t actually worked on a ranch, but I’ve watched a lot of episodes ofYellowstone, and I’ve read all of the Louis L’Amour books,” the man eagerly announced. “I saw the ad for the job and thought that it would be a lot of fun.”

“Have you ever been up close and personal with cattle or horses?”

“Not really, unless you count zoos. But I’m a quick learner.”

Oh boy,Lane thought.This one is actually worse than the last guy who thought we used a hot iron with a small point and actually drew brands on animals.

Lane did his best to plaster a pleasant look on his face. “We are a self-sustaining ranch. Do you know what that means?”

“I’m guessing that means that you grow your own food for the cattle.”

“You guessed right. Can you run any agricultural equipment, like a swather, combine, or hay baler?”

“No, but I can learn. I’ve used a riding lawnmower my entire life,” he said.

Lane bit his tongue to keep from laughing. “Thank you, John. I’ll make my decision by the end of the day and let you know.”

The man stood up and shook hands with Lane. Lane noticed that they were velvety smooth.

I doubt this guy has ever done a day’s work of hard physical labor in his life.

His next interview had already arrived.

I hope this fella is more capable than the last.

It was almost calving season and he was short a couple of hands. He had interviewed four people already and none of them were qualified. One was a drunk and another didn’t know one end of the cow from the other.

His heart sank when a five-foot-two woman walked into his office.

“Taylor Williams?” he asked.

“That’s me,” she said.

He noticed that she had a firm handshake and that her hands were a little rough.Probably from gardening. There is no way this tiny woman has ever done heavy ranch work.

However, he didn’t want to be completely rude and kick her out without talking to her. It might even prove to be entertaining.

He gestured to a chair and sat down behind his desk. “Tell me why you applied for this job.”

“I need a job. My husband died a year ago. We owned a large ranch, so I have a lot of experience. I can’t see myself sitting behind a desk or waitressing. I love the hard work and fresh air.”

“What happened to your ranch?”

“His father had got into a lot of debt, which we inherited when y husband inherited the ranch. Then, my husband was killed by someone who was drinking and texting. I couldn’t dothe work by myself, although the Good Lord knows that I tried. Eventually, it got foreclosed on. I’m hoping to earn enough money to buy it back when it goes on sale.”

“What types of jobs would you be able to do?” he asked, expecting to hear things like milking cows, collecting eggs, and bottle-feeding the calves.

“I can brand, fix fences, throw hay bales, and whatever else needs to be done. I’m familiar with the different diseases that affect cattle and can spot them early on. I can run the machinery. If it needs to be done on the ranch, I can do it.” She looked at him dead in the eyes and said, “I can keep up with any man.”

He hesitated for a minute. She was a tiny woman and hardly looked capable of doing the extremely hard work that ranching required, but she was confident in her ability. Taylor needed a job and he needed a ranch hand.

“I’ll give you a week’s trial. If you’re as good as you say, you have a job with us,” he said. “You obviously can’t stay in the bunkhouse with the men, but I do have a very small cabin you can live in. It’s not much.”

“I don’t need much. All I have is a duffle bag of clothes since I’ve been living in a motel. Everything else is in storage.”

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