Page 4 of Samuel

She’d been so distracted by the horses, she hadn’t properly taken the building in until they started walking through it. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful barn.”

“Thank you. Our original barn actually had a devastating fire a while ago, and this is what we rebuilt. Figured it should have some modern amenities in it.”

And from what Evie could see, it certainly did. Beautiful cobblestone floors were accentuated by large murals on the walls. There were gorgeous ceiling fans running which helped circulate the air and large doors in several areas that pulled in fresh air. When she’d thought of working on a cattle ranch, she certainly hadn’t been picturing this.

“Here past the horse stalls is the office. Let’s go in and get started.”

Once inside, Evie assessed the space. Piles of paper crammed on the desks in disarray with no clear system in place. Boxes were stacked, half open, spilling their contents out in the corner. She certainly had her work cut out for her.

Something whimpered and pressed against her leg. She looked down into the sweetest pair of puppy dog eyes she’d ever seen. Her hand swept down and petted the furry little head.

“And who might you be?”

“That’s Shep. Don’t baby him, he’s already a terror.”

“Shep. Very original name for a German Shepard puppy,” she teased.

“Yeah, well, he’s my sister’s puppy. Or maybe my niece’s? Abby, my sister, insists we keep him here at the ranch, so he’s lucky I call him Shep and not Germ, Leech, or Pita.”

“Pita?”

“Pain in the…uh, rear.”

“Ah, got it. Well, he seems like a sweetheart. I love animals, so I can look after him if he likes to hang out here.”

“He’ll be a working ranch dog, eventually, but for now, yeah, that would work just fine.”

She watched as Sam pulled off his cowboy hat and placed it over a hook on the wall.

“Sorry it’s a bit of a mess. But I guess that’s what you’re here for, right?”

“Exactly. I see this and I get excited.”

Evie gave Shep one more pat for good measure and made her way over to Sam.

“Well, that’s good. Now, I know I’ve got the folder here with your employment conditions somewhere… Ah, yes! Thank goodness for Daisy. I’d lose my head without her.”

“Oh, is that Mrs. Cooper?” Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she tried to hide the flush she felt rising in her cheeks as he looked at her.

Sam laughed.

“No, and the sheriff wouldn’t like me claiming her as such.”

“The sheriff?”

“Daisy is his wife. We’ve been good friends for years though. She actually helped me pick candidates for the position you applied for. You were at the top of her list.”

“Oh, that’s really nice. I’ll have to thank her if I ever bump into her.”

“You will probably see her a lot over here. She used to bring me batches of her famous brownies every couple of days.”

“Used to?”

Something changed, and Sam’s face dropped.

“Yeah, I uh… I know she’s busy with her daughter now.”

“How old is she?”

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