Page 17 of The Unbuttoned Ranger
He tucked his thumbs into his front pockets.“I guess it depends on the break you’re wanting.”
She lifted her gaze, meeting his in a probing hold. She sniffed loudly.“You wouldn’t understand. I should have known this was just another mistake on a long list of screw ups.”
He groped with the right thing to say. He certainly didn’t want to make things worse.“What exactly is the mistake?”
“Coming here. Texas.” She threw up her hands again.“What was I thinking. I’ve always believed I should never make a permanent decision on temporary emotions.”
“Do you know where you are? Are you lost?” Maybe that was a good place to start.
“I’m here for a job.” She heaved a disgruntled sigh.
“Wait here.” He hurried back to his truck, grabbed three bottles of water from the cooler in the back, and brought them to her.“One for each of you.”
She stared for a long moment as if he was offering her a two-headed snake. She finally took them. While she popped the lid to one, he finally got the chance to look at her. Shoulder-length dark hair framed her expressive green eyes. She was a bit too thin, possibly enhanced by the baggy T-shirt and jeans she wore. She wore no rings—and the only jewelry was a nose ring. Inside one wrist she had ink, and bruises, but he’d be rude to glare too long.
She took the water to her son, poured the dog some in a paper cup, then she drank thirstily. She recapped the bottle then read off an address.“According to my GPS when it was working a few miles ago, Piper Loveland’s farm is on this road.”
“She hired you?”
“Yes. No. It’s a long story. I’m a friend of her nephew’s. Albert. He got me the job.” Shoving her phone into her back pocket, she looked up at him and the rays of the sun caught the wetness remaining on the tips of her thick lashes.“I’m going to help out on the farm.”
He should have watched his reaction, but he couldn’t help himself. His chuckle made her frown.“You serious? You’re helping with the livestock?”
“Yes.”
“Milking goats?”
“Yes,” she said less confidently.
He readjusted his Stetson and shifted in his dusty boots.“Good news is, you’re not too far from the farm. A couple of miles will land you right on her doorstep.”
She craned her neck as if she could see that far away. Her bottom lip trembled slightly.
Please don’t cry again. Please don’t cry,he repeated the mantra in his head.
“A couple of miles as in two?”
“Probably three to be more accurate.”
He saw the last bit of confidence wring out of her.“I-I guess we can walk.”
“Lady, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but in this heat that wouldn’t be safe for any of you.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked from the road to the car and back as if mentally estimating the risks involved.“Right.”
“I’ll give you a lift,” he offered.
“But you were heading in the opposite direction?”
“The time for my meeting has passed.” He cleared his throat.“It just so happens that I planned on stopping over at Piper’s today and there’s no time like the present.”
“What about the car? Will it be safe here?”
He had a hankering to laugh again, but he managed to control himself. What she didn’t understand was that no one traveled along the long lane unless they lived on it.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll call Skeeter and have him come and get it.” He saw several worried expressions fly across her face. Then he realized after a trip coming from Chicago, she probably didn’t have a lot of extra money.“He’s fair and won’t doing anything until you give him the approval.”
Concern etched lines around her eyes.“I don’t even know your name.”
