Page 26 of Flippin' Cowboy
Even though Autumn lived less than two hours away, Winnie knew that her sister’s visits home had become shorter and less frequent over the past couple of years. Her husband, Phillip, hardly ever came with her to Snowberry Springs, and Autumn only seemed to visit when he was away on one of his frequent business trips.
Her eyes darted nervously at theReviving Snowberry Springscrew seated nearby. She lowered her voice. “Actually, I was meaning to ask you and Dad—do you mind if I moved back home?” She looked down, and Winnie saw her sister swallow hard. She continued in a whisper, “I’m leaving Phillip.”
Mom’s eyes widened, and Winnie could tell she was dying to ask Autumn the details.
Heck, Winnie wanted to hear all about it, too. But with Nick at her elbow, and the other end of the combined dining table crowded with people eager to capture every ounce of drama, this was neither time nor the place.
“Oh, thank God, Autumn!” she blurted.
She’d never liked Phillip. He was fifteen years older than Autumn, with a cold, sanctimonious personality. Worst of all,he was irritatingly dismissive of her sister’s many talents. After Jayden’s birth, he’d pressured Autumn into dissolving her up-and-coming marketing firm and becoming a stay-at-home parent.
Nick, who was sitting next to Winnie, stopped eating and shot her an inquiring look. She shook her head minutely at him.
He responded with a shrug and turned his attention back to the slab of prime rib on his plate.
“Oh, I see,” Mom said. “Well, your father and I would be happy to have you here as long as you want to stay.”
Dad nodded as he finished chewing. Then he said, “This will always be your home, sweetie.” His weathered features creased in a smile, and his brown eyes glowed with warmth and compassion.
Autumn’s tense shoulders relaxed, and her hazel eyes shone with unshed tears of gratitude. “Thank you. I—well, let’s just say this has been a long time coming.” She took a deep breath. “I promise I’ll start looking for a job first thing tomorrow. Someone in this area needs help with marketing and their social media, right?”
Winnie caught her producer’s eye. “I thinkReviving Snowberry Springscould use someone like you, Autumn,” she said loudly. “Right, Karla?”
Karla paused, fork halfway to her mouth. “Sure. What’s up?”
“My sister just announced she’s moving back to the ranch,” Winnie explained. “She has a lot of experience doing social media. In fact, she handled last summer’s relaunch of The Yummy Cowboy Diner. I’d like to bring her on board to document the Snowberry Spring Inn restoration.”
“I could create social media campaigns to tease the public and create excitement around your premiere date,” Autumn offered shyly.
Nick cleared his throat. Winnie remembered he did a great job on his own social media postings, and feared he was about to announce they didn’t need any help. She turned her head and glared a warning at him. She wouldnotlet him torpedo this chance for her sister to get back on her feet.
He responded with a quirk of his lips, then said, “I think hiring Autumn to handle this project’s social media is a great idea.”
Winnie felt her jaw drop. “Youdo?”
He grinned at her, his gray eyes glinting with mischief.
The effect was like sunshine breaking out from behind the dark, grumpy cloud normally hanging over his head.
Hot damn.She caught her breath as heat shot straight to the pit of her belly and spread in a pool of warmth.
“We’re on such a tight timeline with this restoration that you and I are going to be too busy to do a proper job of documenting our work on social media,” he said. “If Karla doesn’t have the budget to hire your sister, thenIwill. I’ve been thinking for a while now that I need to outsource my social media management. I just didn’t know of anyone who was both good and taking on new clients.”
“Thank you!” Autumn’s entire body glowed with sudden hope. “I can send you and Ms. Jones my resume and links to some of my work, if you like.”
“That would be great,” Karla said. She reached for her purse, extracted a business card, and passed it down the length of thetable. “That’s my personal email. But if Winnie and Nick both vouch for you, then our show definitely has the budget for it.”
“I’ll send you all of my info right after dinner,” Autumn promised as the card reached her.
“Awesome,” Winnie said. “There’s no one I’d rather work with than my big sister.”
It was so wonderful to see Autumn smiling—reallysmiling, not the tense curve of lips that never reached her eyes that she’d worn for the past few years.
Something else occurred to Winnie.Autumn handling our social media means I won’t have to worry about Nick trashing my work like he usually does, she thought.
Winnie nudged Nick’s arm, and her elbow encountered solid muscle. “Thanks,” she whispered.
He gave her an innocent look. “Guess you owe me one.”
