Page 4 of My Billionaire Cowboy Protector

“I think so,” Taylor said. “I was surprised that he didn’t recognize me. He knows my last name is Williams and that Carl and I had a ranch.”

“That is surprising. The Johnsons have been strong-arming the Williams for years to sell the ranch to them,” Alice said. “I figured that he would have known who you were right off the bat.”

“To be honest, I think he was reeling from the surprise he got when he was expecting a man to show up for the interview and got me instead,” Taylor laughed. “He didn’t connect the dots.”

“How do you like working for the enemy?”

Taylor sighed. “He’s not what I expected. He’s a nice man. He worked me hard, but not any harder than he worked himself. The biggest issue is going to be Anthony Gentry who doesn’t have a high regard for women, especially those who do ‘man’s work.’”

“I know his family. I’ve always felt sorry for Anthony’s mother. She worked hard and Anthony Sr. wasn’t known to be a kind man.”

“Like father like son, huh?” Taylor asked.

“Pretty much,” Alice said. “You know you could have come to work here. You would make as much here, especially with tips, as you would on the ranch.”

“I know, but Mom, you’ve seen me walk. I’ve been known to trip over air. Can you really see me with a tray of hot food?”

“You’ve got a point,” Alice laughed.

They talked for a few more minutes and then Taylor ended the call. She thought about her day with Lane. He was the definition of tall dark and handsome. Lane had the prettiest chocolate eyes she had ever seen. Taylor sighed and pictured the man standing in the field with his perfectly fitting jeans and t-shirt that did nothing to hide his well-muscled body.

She bit her bottom lip and then shook her head. “Get over yourself, Woman. He’s your boss and you have no business thinking his about eyes or any other feature.”

Carl had been dead for more than a year. Even though he told her that had better not mourn for him and that she needed to find someone else to love, she hadn’t even looked twice at another man – until today.

“He’s your boss,” she reminded herself again. Then, she grinned, because, in her mind, she could hear her best friend, Melissa say, “Even though you can’t afford to buy the dish, there’s no harm in looking at the menu.”

The shower was incredible and she was surprised that the little hot water heater lasted as long as it did. Then, she slid in between the sheets. It had felt good to work hard today, but it was exhausting.

Taylor spent the following day fixing more fences and then helping unload the semi-load of salt and protein blocks.She drove the feed truck for the feedlot cattle. It was unnerving knowing that Lane was constantly watching her, but she took pride in the fact that she was doing a good job.

Dinner was an informal affair. There was a comradery between everyone. Taylor liked the fact that Willow, Lane, and Colton treated everyone else as equals. There was none of the “We are the billionaire bosses and you shall bow down to us” type attitude.

Taylor had been fully prepared to dislike Lane and his family because they were Johnsons. They had tried to take over the Williams’ ranch several times. She had hated begging the enemy for a job, but it was her only option. They had all surprised her.

She wasn’t ready to go back to her cabin after dinner so she headed over to the horse corral. A solid black horse stood majestically in the center. His head was held high and it almost looked as though he was posing.

“You’d better stay away from him, Little Miss. That’s Diablo and no one has been able to get near him. He’d kill a little girl like you. That horse is only good for dog food,” Anthony said in an irritating, condescending voice.

Hot fury raged through her body. She clenched her jaw and growled in the back of her throat. Without even thinking about what she was doing, she climbed over the fence and slowly walked toward the horse.

Taylor spoke in low tones. “You’re such a beautiful man, aren’t you. Look at you, Pretty Boy. I bet you’re just the sweetest guy ever, aren’t you?”

Her heart was racing and she could barely catch her breath, but she didn’t stop. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that it was as much pride as it was the fact that this magnificent creature called to her.

Diablo’s nostrils flared and his eyes were wide open, but he didn’t run from her nor did he charge.

“Who’s a good boy?” she asked as she got close to him.

He stomped the ground with his front foot but still didn’t move.

“I’m just going to give you a pet, okay?” she said.

Ever so slowly, so she didn’t spook him, she lifted her hand and petted the side of his face.

“You’re such a good boy. Such a pretty good boy,” she cooed.

Taylor wasn’t sure which of them was breathing heavier, although she tried to hide her nervousness. Horses were incredibly intuitive and could readily feel a person’s emotions. This was why they made such amazing therapy animals.

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