Page 17 of Rope Me In

“There’s a big ranch down the road. They went through some hard times in the last year, and they found a way to turn it around by starting a dude ranch.”

“A dude ranch?”

She nods, her eyes lighting up. “Yes! It’s a great idea. The town thinks the tourism will bring in money for a lot of us, especially in the summer. But they’re looking to hire someoneto help around the place. The original person fell through this morning, so they’re in a pinch. It’s not operating yet, but they’re getting a bunch of new horses in, and Blake said they could use the help. The job comes with pay and a room.”

The name Blake rings a bell, and I remember Jake talking about a friend of his with that name. Then it hits me. She saidjoband a room. “Lyla, you want me to work on a ranch?”

She presses her lips together then speaks. “I don’t know if you want another job, but the pay is decent, and their property is beautiful. It’s ranch work like mucking stalls, painting, stuff like that. And like I said, it comes with a free place to live!”

I want to say the living quarters are technically not free if I’m working to pay it off, but I don’t. Lyla seems very excited about this solution, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful.

“And…” She leans in closer to me like she’s telling me a big secret. “I know we don’t know each other, but between you and me, there are lots of hot single guys over there. If anything, you’ll have a nice view when they’re shirtless and sweaty. Let me tell you, there’s nothing hotter than a cowboy while they’re working, especially if they’re wearing one of those white tank tops and a ball cap. Phew!” She giggles.

I blink at her, and after a second, I can’t help but crack a smile. I admit, she’s right about that. Not that I’ve seen a lot of barely clothed cowboys working on a ranch. None, actually. But I can’t help thinking of the image I saw of Kade on social media, the one that got me here in the first place.

Lyla laughs again and gets a dreamy look on her face, her infectious happy nature rubbing off on me a little bit. I like the way she’s not afraid to be herself and say whatever she’s thinking. It’s something I wish I could’ve done more, especially when I was her age. My early twenties would’ve been a lot easier if I wasn’t always trying to be what others—what Derek—wanted. Now look where I am…about to be aranch hand?

“What do you say?” she asks when I don’t say anything after another moment. “I know it’s not exactly ideal, but everyone there is awesome and will welcome you with open arms.”

I mull over the idea. Part of me wants to say no, but Idoneed a place to live. And another job will not only help me with my finances but will also fill my days with something other than reading Derek’s stupid messages or thinking about how my life has gone completely off the rails.

I twirl a lock of purple hair around my finger and meet Lyla’s gaze. “You really think I can work on a ranch? I’m kind of scared of riding horses, and I’ve never mucked a stall, whatever that means.”

She shrugs like that’s no big deal. “I think you can do anything you put your mind to, Presley.”

My eyes sting, and I swallow down the sadness that clogs my throat. There were so many times I wished my parents would say something like that to me. So many times I wished they’d encouraged me to go after my dreams, that they’d been a solid and supportive part of my life. But they never were. Once my dad moved to California, he hardly had any interest in my life. And my mom and her new husband were quick to brush me aside every chance they got, especially when my half-sister was born just as I turned fifteen.

Lyla cocks her head at me, a look in her eye that says,Come on Presley, do it.

And maybe I should. If anything, it’s something new. Different. Like when I dyed my hair purple and thought it would lead me to finding a new version of myself after Derek and I broke up. But this time, I’m in a new place surrounded by new people who have no influence over me. Isn’t that why I came to this town—to figure out how to start over and not be the same scared Presley I’ve been for so long now?

I inhale a deep breath and make a decision that might be considered rash, but I’m going to roll with it. What’s one more rash decision on top of the ones I’ve already made?

“Alright, if Blake is okay with a worker who has no experience.”

“Trust me, she will be. She’ll just be glad for the help on such short notice.”

“Then you can tell her I’m interested.”

Lyla claps and does a little happy dance. “I’ll text her now!” With a grin on her face, she takes out her cell from her back pocket and taps out a text message. She goes back and forth for a minute before looking back up at me.

“Okay! The job is yours.”

My eyes widen. “That’s it? Does she not want to meet me or anything?”

“I vouched for you, and so did Jake,” she says as if it’s nothing at all. But I’m glad to hear I made a good impression on them both despite what my inner thoughts made up. “I’ll give you Blake’s number, and you can chat with her more about the job. If you get there and decide it’s not for you, you can leave with no hard feelings, and we’ll help you figure something else out.”

“This town is really trusting,” I say, thinking about how Jake hired me just from a phone interview with limited experience. Now, I’m going to be a ranch hand with no experience. I feel as if I’m living in some weird fever dream. But nope, just a very small town.

“Something you learn in Randall is that we take care of our own. And you, Presley…” She throws her arms around me again. “You’re one of ours now.”

I gently squeeze her back, tears stinging my eyes at her words. “Thanks, Lyla.”

“It was nothing.” She pulls back. “Thanks for being so understanding and not getting angry, not that I thought you would. You’re too nice!”

She has no idea how true her words are. Even though people in my life have not been nice to me, I have been way too nice to them. It’s how I’ve gotten in trouble and become a doormat. It’show I let people like Derek walk all over me and take advantage of my kindness.

“You don’t have to move out right away,” Lyla continues. “My brother comes back in two days, but he can stay up at the house on the couch until you figure out everything with Blake.”

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