Page 8 of Samuel

“There’s nothing to tell.” He wiped the condensation from the glass sitting in front of him. “She’s not the right person to be on the ranch.”

“You know that after one day? She hasn’t even started working yet.”

“Yeah. I know. Trust me. She’s got no business being here. The ranch is going to chew her up and spit her out, and I’m just trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“But she’s not really on the ranch. She’s working in the office. It’s not like you’re expecting her to help move the cattle around or muck out stalls, right?”

“That’s beyond the point.”

“Why? Is she a city girl? Show up in high heels and a business suit?”

He scrubbed his hand down his face. It’d been a few days since he shaved and the stubble growing in was prickly. Exactly how he felt. Especially thinking about how he’d been instantly attracted to Evie when he first saw her. “No. She wasn’t like that. She’s pregnant.”

Abby’s mouth opened like a fish out of water. “I… I was not expecting that.”

“Yeah.”

“How pregnant?”

“I have no idea.”

“Please tell me this is not a situation where a woman has curves and you assumed she was pregnant.”

“No. There was no assumption.”

“Okay. So she told you? How far along is she?”

“I overheard her talking to Daisy about it. And I have no idea. It’s not any of my business.”

“Well, it kind of is, seeing as how she’s going to need sometime off in the near future once she has the baby. Is she living on the ranch? Where’s her partner?”

Sam just shrugged.

A timer rang out on the back of the stove and Abby groaned, turning towards the oven to pull out their dinner.

“She’s staying in the apartment above the office. I have no idea about her personal business. It’s not my place to know or care.”

Abby turned, her brows creased. “It’s not your place to care? Sam, what the hell? All you are ever doing is helping out. Why are you acting like this?”

“I don’t need another thing to worry over, Abby. I just… I’m at my limit.”

“Is this about the ranch? She’s here to help you with that. Wasn’t that the whole point of Sebastian investing?”

Sebastian Montgomery, who just happened to be the billionaire owner of Bell Ridge based Montgomery Equities, had grown to be one of Sam’s best friends in the last few years.

After his heart stopped, his friends were adamant that he figure out a way to lower his stress. Hiring Evie as an office manager had been their gift to him.

“Look, I’m glad Seb wanted to help, and I’m grateful for it, but he’s just one more person I have to worry about letting down now. Garrett, Mom, Sebastian, you and John… you all need me to make the ranch successful.”

Garrett Langdon was the only investor the ranch had taken on back when his father was still alive. They’d been best friends in college, and while Sam still paid him quarterly from the small margin of profits the ranch was able to turn, Garrett hadn’t been out to the ranch or in touch with Sam since his father’s funeral.

“You don’t need to worry about me and John.”

“And you don’t need to worry about me, either, sweetheart.” His mother walked in through the back door.

“Sorry, Mom. I didn’t think you could hear us.”

“They way you and your sister carry on conversations, I’d be surprised if Hank and Daisy couldn’t hear it.”

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