Page 12 of The Cowboy's Justice

“If you have any trouble one of the boys will step in, but you’ll be here to work. Any other questions?”

“I guess not,” she muttered with a frown.

“Hey, you don’t have to do this. You can always talk to the sheriff about—”

“No!” she exclaimed before he could finish. “Sorry, but between my lawyer telling me what I should and shouldn’t do, and the sheriff threatening me with jail, I can’t take any more.”

“Hey, I understand. You’re at fault, but I get that it’s been rough. Come on, I’ll show you the cabin.”

As they walked outside and headed towards the back of his house, he began to have second thoughts. She was short-tempered and he was concerned she might upset the calm atmosphere. But the horses had responded to her, and he was growing to like her--a lot--far more than he’d expected.

“That’s it,” he declared, pointing to a cabin set amongst some trees.

“Wow. It looks like a miniature Swiss Chalet. I thought it would be a shack.”

“That’s how it started out, but I lived there for over a year and I enjoyed fixin’ it up.”

Opening the door, he watched her face as she passed him, and grinned when she broke into a wide smile.

“It’s so nice,” she remarked, taking in the granite counter tops and the modern appliances. “I didn’t expect this. Sure, I can live here.”

“Good, but Portia, you have to do as I say, when I say. Do you think you can handle that?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good. Then come back to the barn with me and I’ll show you the tack room. That’s where you’ll start first thing in the morning.”

* * *

Back at Portia’s house William was pacing. Devlin was a good-looking, well-built cowboy, and it was obvious Portia found him attractive.

The situation wasn’t good.

It wasn’t good at all.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Standing in the tack room, Portia was feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the bridles, saddles and other equipment, but she also found it fascinating. When Devlin took her into the feed room and showed her various supplements and grains she shook her head.

“There’s so much to learn. How do you remember it all, and how do you know which horse gets what?”

“There’s a chart, and the buckets are all labeled with the horses’ names. It’s not complicated, but it’s important there are no mistakes. When you get involved in this, don’t rush. Do you have any questions?”

“I’ll probably have a million once I get started.”

“Jimmy and Mike will help you. They’re great guys and they’ve worked for me since I started. They’re like family.”

“What time should I be here in the morning? Shoot, I suppose I have to buy groceries.”

“Are you sure you’re up to this? There’s still time to change your mind.”

“Do I have another choice?”

“Not one you want. Anyway, I’m going to take Marge and Belle for a ride up Smoky Hill. I usually do that on my day off. It’s a good break for us.”

“I’d love to try something like that.”

“Maybe one day you will. By the way, I can see your house from the trail.”

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