Page 69 of A Baby for the Texas Cowboy
“We probably should,” August shocked her by saying.
“I definitely need to,” Anders said.
Tinsley faced them, hands on hips, not sure exactly what to say. They were serious. They also were stringing the lights and teasing each other, and Tinsley felt a sense of…what was it? Friendship? Family? She’d never felt it before.
“That reminds me, Tinsley,” Axel said as he and Anders made quick work of the light strands and were already tying up the final strand of bulbs. “My horse trainer, Hunter Youngblood has a younger brother who was a marine for four years. He just got honorably discharged and needs a job. Hunter’s hoping his brother will settle close. I’m happy to have him on the ranch, but he has no experience and won’t accept anything he sees as charity. I thought if he helped out at the winery and tasting room, maybe even on the vineyard crew when needed, we can help him find something he likes well enough, learn some skills and help his transition back to civilian life.”
“I’d love to have him for some of the heavy equipment work at the winery at least two days a week,” Catalina called out. “If you think he’s up for it, Axel.”
“We’ll find out. He had a combat injury that took some time to recover from, and he didn’t want to re-enlist for a desk job away from his unit.”
Tinsley was touched. It looked like the Wolfs looked out for their own. What would that be like, to be accepted no matter what?
Maybe that was what she was experiencing now.
“When will he be in town? I have five interviews scheduled for tomorrow,” she said.
“You move fast.” August whistled.
“Need speed,” she flipped an answer.
“That’s my line,” Anders objected.
“Hunter’s picking him up in San Antonio tomorrow. He’ll bring him by to meet you and then take him out to the ranch,” Axel said. “You can interview him. See where you can use him best and what days you’ll want him.”
“Sounds good.”
“We’re fully staffed at the ranch. Any chance the apartment’s going to be available soon?” Axel asked.
“There’s an apartment for rent? Here? Is it upstairs?” Isla asked, pausing folding up the blankets she and Tinsley had brought out and looking up toward the second floor of the building.
“I’m…I thought…August said…” Tinsley paused, feeling the color drain out of her face. She felt like she and Anders were taking baby steps. Moving in with him at the ranch was definitely too far too fast.
Axel folded the stepladder and hooked it through his arm. “Never mind,” he said easily. “My bad. Hunter probably wants his brother to bunk in with him while he gets settled and back on his feet.”
“The apartment is yours for as long as you want it,” August said. “It’s part of your salary package as tasting room manager.” He glared at both of his brothers.
She nodded, relief coursing through her. But Isla’s eyes had flared with hope.
“Just curious.” Isla shrugged casually, but her shoulders slumped, and her smile didn’t cut it. “See you tomorrow at ten, Tinsley. Nice to meet everyone.”
She hugged the blankets to her chest and hurried back into the tasting room to drape them over the old wooden ladder they’d propped against the wall.
Tinsley watched Isla leave, her heart heavy. Isla must have a place to live. Maybe she just wanted to live closer to her new job. She’d listed a PO Box for her address, but her mom lived in San Antonio.
Tinsley signed. She was already worrying about her employees—Isla and now the soldier coming home. She’d done the same thing with the four women and two men sales team she’d hired for the Four Wolfs distillery.
“The lights look great. The patio came together so fast. I think you’ll never get people to go home and Slater Highwater will start a petition to get the city council to shut us down earlier.”
Us. For the first time in a long time, that word didn’t make her cringe. She was part of something.
“Tinsley even got Slater to agree to offer four of our varietals in the bar,” August bragged.
“Just the beginning,” Anders said, slinging his arm around her slim shoulders and pulling her in close. “I was hoping I could take you to dinner.”
“That sounds like a date,” she said, her heart speeding up. They weren’t dating, although why that stressed her out more than letting him back into her bed probably only a psychologist could answer.
“It does,” he said.
