Page 2 of Wrangle Me

But Peachy doesn’t respond to me. In fact, she isn’t even looking at me. Instead, to my absolute horror, Not-So-Hot-Man steps toward her and offers his hand. “Ready, babe?”

Babe?

CHAPTER 2

MAISIE

“I am.That was so exhausting. I’m ready for the spa.” Peachy pauses, tilts her head ever so slightly, and looks from me to Mr. Smolder and back again. She tries to raise an eyebrow, but the Botox holds its ground. “What are we chatting about over here?”

“Oh. I… um…” I make an awkward fumble for words.

My face floods with heat.Oh, you know, I was just telling your boyfriend here what an absolute nightmare of a person you are. No big deal.My heart races at a thousand miles per minute. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, so I press it back into a smile and swallow hard. Before I can fully melt into the dirt and become one with the gravel, Mr. Smolder steps forward. He’s cool and collected.

“Maisie is our new employee here at the ranch. She was just telling us how much she enjoyed working with you today. Isn’t that right, Cade?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Not-so-hot-man Cade apparently responds. His voice is cool and even, but it’s laced with just a hint of amusement.

I put a hand to my mouth because my jaw is literally falling open as the train wreck unfolds around me.

Mr. Smolder turns to me. “Maisie, I’m Callum Kingridge, the stable manager. We haven’t had a chance to meet. And this is Cade McAllister, our VIP guest. You may have heard of him. He plays on the Southern Knights professional football team. They’re based in South Carolina, but the last time I checked, the games are usually streamed all over the country.” He bites back a smile at my expense.

“We were in the Super Bowl,” Peachy says too loudly. She leans forward with jazz hands like she’s delivering breaking news and waits for a reaction from me.

“Right.” I let out an awkward chuckle.How the fuck am I going to get out of this one?

“We?” Callum raises an eyebrow and turns the attention back to Peachy. “Peachy, how many touchdown passes have you thrown in your life? How many yards have you rushed? Come on…”

There’s a teasing lilt in his voice that, somehow, works.

“Oh, stop. I see how you are…” Peachy’s face lights up like he just handed her an engagement ring. She grins and bats her mile-long eyelashes up at him.

Meanwhile, Cade looks like the only thing on his mind is leaving this situation… and that makes two of us. His gaze drifts off to the horizon like he's trying to manifest a portal out of here. And if it works, I’ll have to join him at this point.

But since we’re in the real world, I’m still here. Frozen in place and wondering if it’s possible to evaporate from sheer embarrassment.Okay, so I might have to resign on my first day. Cool. No big deal.

Then, just as Peachy is wrapping up her conversation with Callum, she does it. The Duchess of Dry Shampoo steps toward me with arms wide open. I don’t see the hug coming. And for some reason… maybe out of panic, or guilt, or maybe out ofresidual manners trained into me in my childhood, I don’t move toward her.

Instead, my heart jumps into my throat. I freeze, and then I flinch. But she keeps coming in hot, and I’m not sure her bony arms would even wrap around my curves. Instinctively, I take a step back, only to catch the heel of my boot on a rut in the dirt. The combination of my stutter-step combined with nerves, and sheer panic flusters me.

My arms flail wildly. My balance vanishes. And then I go down. Backside first into a rose bush.

Thorns are everywhere.

“Woah, you okay?” Callum’s voice booms.

“Yep, I’ve got it.” The last thing I want is an audience as I try to climb out of this nightmare.

Callum turns back to the VIPS and sends them off. For a moment, I don’t even try to get up. At this point, lying in the dirt feels like the right call. Maybe if I stay still long enough, the ground will just swallow me whole, and I can forget all about today. I’ve been in Sagebrush Creek for approximately one minute, and I’ve already created a disaster.

“Thanks again,” I catch Cade’s voice through the noise in my head.

Then, Peachy’s nasally tone floats back over her shoulder as she and Cade stroll toward the VIP suites. “Look at her… she’s so funny.”

Yeah.Hilarious.That’s me.

This was a quick adventure,I think to myself.No big deal. I’ll call my sister Rosalie, tell her life on the ranch isn’t for me, and we’ll pack up and find some new corner of the world to discover before she even has a chance to arrive. No harm done.

I’m still navigating my way to my feet when they finally disappear from view. Callum turns to me, and I brace myself. I fully expect to be fired, mocked, or maybe both. But instead, hesteps forward. His eyes are soft and he doesn’t say a word. He just reaches down and extends a strong, callused hand toward me.

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