Page 16 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

He’d also said he wasn’t sure what the job entailed, but he hoped it involved wrangling since it was the only thing he was good at.

The amateur detective in me went rampant with every new piece of information I stuck in the mental file I’d created for Cord Wheaton.

First of all, who took a job without knowing what it was? That in itself was fishy. Obviously, he did know; he just didn’t want to say. And, I supposed, people did take contract jobs for certain periods of time, but still, already knowing he’d only be here for a year seemed odd too.

Another point of information worthy of me sitting up and taking notice was that the only contact he’d mentioned in regard to the job was Hoss Schultz. Rumors were that Miss Cena’s great-nephew, Jimmy Rooker, was the one who’d signed the contract with Schultz Winery Management to take over the grape-growing and wine-production operation at the Lilacs. Not that anyone could confirm it, but I doubted Miss Cena would’ve ever given someone like Jimmy the power to negotiate business agreements on behalf of the estate.

The man had a lengthy arrest record and, according to Mrs. Miller, the head housekeeper, had been banned from setting foot on the property. Not that Miss Cena had any means to enforce that once JD, who was Jimmy’s father, passed away.

Finally, the photo Cord had been sent via text message could only be described as pornographic. While he seemed flustered by it, he hadn’t been mortified, which, to me, meant receiving something like that wasn’t uncommon.

Given all that, I should’ve thanked him for breakfast, wished him luck in his new job, and left him onhis own in the five-and-dime. But I couldn’t. In fact, I found myself watching him as he discovered all the gems the store offered. He seemed truly delighted as he added yet another item to his already overflowing basket. That alone made me swoon.

“Wanna trade?” I asked, offering to swap it for an empty one so he could keep shopping.

“Juni?” Someone said my name before Cord had the chance to answer.

“Mr. Reynolds? It’s so nice to see you.”

“I thought I’d stop in today and check on how my grandson was managing the holiday rush. Running into you is certainly an added bonus.”

When Cord glanced over, I motioned for him to join us. “Mr. Reynolds, this is Cord Wheaton. He’s in town from Colorado.”

“Pleasure to meet you, son.”

As the two shook hands, I explained that the Reynolds family had owned the store since it opened in 1929.

“That job offer is still open, Juni,” Mr. Reynolds said.

“Job offer?” Cord asked.

“I’m a Syracuse grad myself, and we could sure use someone with this young lady’s education and background to step in as GM of the place.” He patted my shoulder. “I know your mom and dad need your help as much as we do, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop pestering you about working for us instead.”

“I appreciate it so much, Mr. Reynolds.”

He looked between Cord and me. “And yet, she still won’t accept. Doesn’t matter how much I up the salary.” He winked.

“You know it isn’t about the money,” I said.

“You’re right. I do.” Mr. Reynolds glanced at Cord’s basket. “Let me take that for you.”

“I’ll get it, Pops,” I heard his grandson say before reaching out to set it on the counter near one of the registers.

“Hey, Juni,” he said to me.

“Hi, Ross.”

He stepped closer. “How’ve you been?”

Ross and I had dated for a few months once we both returned home after college graduation. I was the one who broke it off, and it was the reason I couldn’t accept a job at the five-and-dime.

“I’m good. You?”

“I miss you,” he said, leaning into me so our arms brushed.

My eyes met Cord’s unintentionally, and he raised a brow. While it would be polite for me to introduce the two, I didn’t want to.

Maybe picking up on my general discomfort, Mr. Reynolds struck up a conversation with him, and the two walked to another part of the store.

---