Page 22 of Secret Baby for the Triplets

She’s nervous, but keeping it together well, given the circumstances. I know the three of us can intimidate the most seasoned of men, let alone a petite, unassuming woman in a job interview. I’m already impressed with how she’s handling herself.

She sits up straighter, maintaining eye contact with Brock directly across from her while Toby and I sit in chairs slightly behind her.

“And you have a place there?” Brock asks.

She shifts uncomfortably in her chair and looks at me, her emerald stare captivating me for a moment. Another twinge of familiarity overtakes me, but it’s gone again as she turns away.

“My lease ends in two weeks,” she answers slowly. “I’m planning to relocate within commuting distance of my new position, wherever that might be.”

“You do understand the job is a live-in position, don’t you? That means you wouldn’t be going home every night. Although you will have days off, of course,” Brock tells her. “So, if you have another house, you won’t be there full-time.”

Her shoulders straighten, and she smiles. “I do understand that.”

“We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?” I interject.

I feel like Brock is ready to hand her the job without interviewing her at all.

Emerson turns back to me, her face falling slightly, but she maintains her polite expression. “Yes, of course,” she agrees. “But I want you to know I am fully committed to the demands of the job, whatever they are.”

“You can’t know that.” I arch a brow. “You don’t know what the demands of the job are. You have no experience on a ranch. The demands are insane.”

Toby jumps in. “Fuck, Owen, relax. Let’s take her on a tour.”

I catch my younger brother’s gray glare.

Fuck… Toby isn’t just intrigued by her; he’s attracted to her. Stifling a groan, I look at Brock, hoping he nixes this before my horny brother lets this go too far, but to my amazement, he stands and nods.

“That’s a good idea. Let’s walk and talk.”

Dumbfounded, I let Brock lead as always, watching the sway of Emerson’s hips in her tailored pants.

Woah. Down boy,I snap to myself, raising my eyes upward.

I instantly lock eyes with Toby again, who grins mischievously. He saw me checking her out, and he’s never going to let me live it down. For all the times we’ve given him shit for chasing women, he now has something to throw back on me.

We exit the cabin that functions as our ranch’s main office. Strategically positioned between the storage building and the main barn, it’s the first stop for visitors after they pass through the entrance gates.

Emerson comments on the design as soon as we exit.

“This is very welcoming,” she tells us. “No one has to go searching for help or drive around looking for signage. Everything is clearly identified. Whoever designed this was clever.”

Brock’s face brightens at her observation.

“Yes!” he agrees. “It’s easy to get lost here. We want new guests to be oriented, and we need to keep an eye on our people, too. In addition to the main barn and storage building, we have an indoor riding arena, paddock areas, turnout areas, a foaling barn, and a rehabilitation area. The ranch is almost three hundred and fifty acres.”

“Three hundred and fifty acres!” she breathes. “Does that mean you have one hundred and fifty horses?”

Her knowledge of horses seems more extensive than I expected. “Why would you guess that?”

“Oh, well, I read up on ranching a bit, of course.” Her cheeks pinken under our collective scrutiny. “And it said that each horse needs an acre or two of land? I assumed, given your reputation, that you allotted for more acreage per horse, rather than less…”

She trails off as if she can tell she’s babbling and bites on her lower lip. I don’t blame her. It’s a very bitable lip. I dart my eyes away and force myself not to think about that.

“Our reputation?” I drawl. “What reputation?”

“It’s good from what I read online,” Emerson replies. “Of course, I didn’t delve into the dark web.”

I whip my head toward her, and she grins wickedly.Ah, she’s joking.

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