Page 3 of Samuel

“Have you even been in the storage closet since the barn was rebuilt? All those records, not even in a computer system. She’s going to be a godsend!” Abby scoffed.

“We’ll see.” Sam resisted the urge to reach up and rub his chest. The tight feeling was settling back in. He knew his sister meant well, but all he heard was the constant reminder of how badly he was failing everyone. He stood, hating the way his hands grew clammy as everyone looked at him.

“I’m gonna head back to the ranch.”

“What? No.” Abby protested. “We have wedding stuff to go over.”

“Just stop over and fill me in after. I forgot I needed to pick up an order from the hardware store and they close in fifteen minutes. See you guys later.”

He walked away to a chorus of goodbyes, shoving open the doors and barely making it to his truck before his chest refused to let a breath in. Fuck! This wasn’t him. Sam slid into the driver’s seat, banging his head against the steering wheel.

Something needed to change in his life. Fast.

Two

“Oh, come on, Opal! We made it this far, you gotta stick with me just a little further.”

Evie knew it was a pretty big gamble trying to get her hunk-of-junk car to safely make the trip from Wisconsin down to Texas, but things had gone oddly smooth since she set out, and it lulled her into a false sense of security. She should have known it would bite her in the butt.

She was just five minutes away from the Red River Ranch, her bladder protesting the three hour drive that morning with no stops. But she didn’t want to chance being late. That was a good thing, in the end, because even if Opal died on the side of the road, she could make the walk with time to spare.

Every single prayer she’d ever learned as a kid flew through her mind as she inched closer and closer to the ranch. Finally, she made it. The sign over the driveway really added to the surreal feeling she had of moving to Texas. This was her fresh start, and she was going to work her butt off to make sure that the Coopers knew just how invaluable she was.

Evie stepped out of her car and smoothed her hands over her blouse. She had specifically selected that outfitbecause it was the only one she owned where her baby bump wasn’t quite as noticeable. She was past the halfway point of her pregnancy, and her belly had certainly popped. Of course, it wouldn’t be long before she’d need to tell her new employers about her condition, but she wanted her to wait until the ink on her employment contract was dry, at least.

“Evelyn Williams?” She turned around at the sound of someone saying her name.

“Yes. Hello, that’s me. But please, call me Evie.”

“Hi. I’m Sam Cooper. I run Red River Ranch.”

Holy Toledo. The man standing in front of her was not what she was expecting. To be honest, she had been picturing Samuel Cooper as a man in his late fifties. But the tall drink of ice cold whiskey standing in front of her had to be much closer to her own age. Maybe late twenties or early thirties? His broad shoulders and muscular arms were on full display as he reached out to shake her hand.

“Of course, Mr. Cooper. Thank you so much for this opportunity.” Thankfully her voice held steady. What were those damn pregnancy hormones doing to her?

“Sam is fine. We’re not all too formal around here.” He smiled, and she felt a spark in her chest. She really needed to pull herself together. “I have a busy day ahead of me Evie, so if you’d like, I’ll show you to the office space we’ll be sharing and we can go over your employment agreement.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Evie quickly fell into line behind Sam as he walked towards the barn. Stepping inside, her breath left her lungs in one wonder-filled exhale.

“This is incredible, Sam. Oh my goodness…you have horses.”

“This is a working ranch. So yes. We do.”

“Right. I just meant…They’re so beautiful.”

“Don’t let Jasper hear you say that. He’s already got enough of an attitude.”

“Oh, who’s that? Is one of these horses his?”

“No,” Sam laughed. “He IS the horse.”

“Well, I’ll make sure to keep the compliments away from him.”

“You’ll have to come out on horseback one day with us and see the ranch.”

Evie’s eyes dropped to the floor. She couldn’t ride while pregnant, and Sam couldn’t know why she was apprehensive. Not yet at least. “I’d like that. One day.”

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