Page 32 of Wannabe in Wyoming
“Willow, this is your decision. Do whatever you think is best,” Nathan said, resting his hand on the small of her back. “It’s what you were thinking about, getting a couple of horses eventually, right? It’s just happening sooner than you’d planned.”
“Itisa lot of effort to run a successful ranch, no matter what type,” Dale chimed in. “But if I come work for you, taking care of all the equipment, the animals, and their tack and feed, will be my job—that’s what you’ll be paying me for. It’ll be the same amount of work I do now, just at a different location. I was Carl Faulkner’s foreman for the past six years, but I can get you some more references.”
Willow shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. The Brodericks already gave you a glowing recommendation. Also, the fact that Mr. Faulkner employed you for all that time, and the barn and the animals look well cared for, are testaments to how good you are at your job. If I go through with this, the foreman position is yours, if you want it.”
He nodded his assent before she glanced around the property. “An alpaca herd, three horses, and two goats. I’ll need to make some fast renovations on the smaller barn.” There was fencing that needed to be fixed as well, among other things, but one of the pastures was in good enough condition to start with.
“Yes, the alpacas and horses have to be housed separately from each other because the alpacas are more sensitive to parasites that horses aren’t bothered by. The goats can go in the same barn as the herd though.”
“Lucky for you, Willow-girl,” Jeremiah chimed in with a wink, “you know people who can help with the renovations, not to mention sell you hay at a reasonable price. But if you find that the horses are too much work and expense for you, I might be interested in buying them. They’re fine quarter horses—good for cutting cattle and ranch work. As for your labor concerns, I know Ethan’s cousin has been looking for a new job as a hand. He made the mistake of dating his boss’s daughter, and now that they’ve broken up, he’d rather cut all ties. He’s a good worker though, and if I had an opening for him at my place, I would’ve already offered him a job. If you want, I’ll hook you up with him during the week for an interview. Between a foreman, yourself, and one hand, you should be able to get plenty of work done. I can even loan you a few of my hands for those fast renovations, now that we’re done with cuttin’ hay.”
Willow nodded but didn’t reply. Her mind was whirring with the possibilities. Did she really want this? It wasn’t only the hard work that gave her pause—it was a lot of responsibility, both financially and to the animals.
“So, what do you think?” Dale asked, brushing loose hay from his hands.
“I don’t have the experience to handle all this on my own, and it wouldn’t be fair to the animals for me to try, but since you’re willing to stay on as my foreman, I can’t think of a reason to say no.” Over the course of the tour, Willow had warmed to the man and could see that his gruff exterior hid a caring nature. Any man who was as kind and considerate to animals as he seemed to be earned her approval. “I don’t have an apartment or bunkhouse available for you yet, but Jeremiah has offered the use of one of his empty bunks for anyone I hired until I could arrange for quarters at Skyview.”
Dale crossed his arms, as he seemed to do every time he eyed Jeremiah, and shook his head. “Not necessary. I have a fifth-wheel trailer and can live in that, provided you have a safe place to park it and hookups for power and such.”
“I think that can be arranged easily enough. Would you require an employment contract in writing or are you comfortable with a verbal agreement?”
“I’d like it in writing, if it’s all the same to you. No offense intended, but we’ve just met, and it’s a big commitment.” Dale leaned back against the wall of the barn, looking like the quintessential Marlboro man from their vintage advertising campaigns. Jeremiah couldn’t keep his eyes to himself, and Willow was afraid if he didn’t cool it, he’d end up with a split lip—or worse. It was clear to her that, although Dale had warmed up to her and Nathan, he had a different opinion about her neighbor.
Subtly stepping in front of Jeremiah, blocking his view of Dale, she offered her hand to the foreman. “I can respect that. As long as Mr. Faulkner and I can reach an agreement on the sale, I’d be happy to have you. I’ll contact my attorney as soon as the sale is underway and have the papers drawn up for you.”
He shook her hand, his grip firm and his large palm thickly calloused from years of labor-intensive ranch work. “That’ll be fine, Ms. Crawford.”
“Willow, please.”
“Willow it is.” He pulled a small piece of paper out of his shirt pocket. “Here’s my cell number and email address if you have any other questions or concerns. Carl’s nephew knows nothing about the animals or the operation, but I’ll be able to give you accurate information and straight answers.”
She took the paper. “I appreciate that, thank you.”
After saying their goodbyes, the trio turned toward the house where a man in his fifties stood on the back porch, watching them approach—Jeffery Faulkner. City-slicker was the immediate description that popped into Willow’s head at the sight of him, with his designer clothes, greased-back hair, and a Bluetooth earbud in place. She smiled to herself,city-slickerwas definitely not something she ever thought she’d be calling someone else, yet here she was.
“Ms. Crawford, I presume? I’m Jeffery Faulkner.” The oh-too-confidant-looking man descended the porch steps, with his hand extended. His self-important tone was the same one he’d used when Willow had spoken to him on the phone while making the appointment to see the animals. If she hadn’t already told him she was the one interested in purchasing the animals, he probably would’ve written her off as the “little woman” and opted to do business with one of the two men with her.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Faulkner,” she fudged while subtly wiping her palm on her jeans after shaking his sweaty hand. She hadn’t realized Dale had followed them, but he now stood off to the side, his arms crossed as he wore his disapproval of Faulkner plain as day. Another thing in favor of Dale––he didn’t pull any punches.
“I assume you’re still interested in purchasing the alpacas and all the stuff that goes with them. I’m sure a lovely lady such as yourself and I can come to an agreeable arrangement.” His smile made her skin crawl as he ignored the others. The man was a slug and that was an insult to the species.
Willow’s eyes narrowed, and her bullshit meter was pinging at a ten. The guy was a real piece of work. “I’m sure two business owners, such as ourselves, can come to an equitable sale agreement, yes.” She may be a girl from Philly, but she was no idiot. This guy was going to try and fleece her. Best to nip that in the bud right now. “Allow me to introduce you to Nathan Casey and Jeremiah Urban. Jeremiah is the owner of JP Ranch and is here as my friend and advisor. Nathan is my partner.” She was deliberately vague––let the jerk think she had a financial backer.
He shook both men’s hands and gestured to the house. “Please, won’t you come in, and we’ll discuss this like civilized people. Dale, I’m sure there’s something else you could be doing.” His icy tone and glare directed at the foreman told Willow all she needed to know. This man didn’t respect the people who worked for him or the jobs they performed that lined his pockets. She decided then and there that she was going to low-ball the negotiations. She didn’t see any reason to give this asshole any more money than absolutely necessary.
Nathan and Jeremiah both let her lead the conversation, only interjecting something when she asked them for their opinion. Jeremiah had a talent for reading the room that would’ve been welcome in any boardroom. A dumb cowboy, he was not. By the sweat on Mr. Faulkner’s brow, it was obvious he realized too late that he’d underestimated her and her companions and was in way over his head.
Yup, she’d come a long way in the months since moving to Antelope Rock, and it was definitely for the better.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Before leaving her bedroom,Willow checked her reflection one more time in the mirror. After dropping off Jeremiah and arriving home, Nathan had told her to go get dressed, because he was taking her out on the date he’d promised her. Dinner and a movie, with the man she was growing to deeply care about, sounded just about perfect after the long but successful day.
Following the tour Dale had given them, they’d spent the next two hours in negotiations with Jeffery Faulkner. If he’d thought she was going to be an easy mark, she’d shut that shit down from the get-go. Even Nathan and Jeremiah had commented during the drive home they’d been impressed with her shark-like negotiation skills. She’d gotten the alpacas, equipment, and remaining feed for a reasonable price and well below her budget. She owed some thanks for that to the Brodericks who’d given her a list of what things should cost new, versus used and the value of the animals. They’d known Carl Faulkner well enough to know the quality of his herd and had given her a maximum price per head to stay under. She’d even managed to get the three horses and their tack, the two goats, and the two ATVs thrown into the final agreement. Once the lawyers for both sides did their thing and the sale was final, Dale had said he would organize the transportation of the animals and everything else to Skyview. But Jeremiah had jumped in at that point and said, with his livestock trailer and the one she was purchasing with the herd, there was no need to pay a company to do it. Her new foreman hadn’t looked thrilled with the prospect of working with the other man, but he’d still agreed with him.
On the way home, Willow had contacted Howard Smith to give him the information he needed to get started on all the paperwork, including the employment contract for Dale.
Speaking of Dale, Jeremiah seemed to have developed an infatuation/hatred of the man. He’d bitched about him for the first twenty minutes of the trip home, until Nathan had reached over and cranked up the radio when AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” had come on. Willow hoped there wouldn’t be a problem between her friend and her new employee once the latter moved onto her property. She’d have enough on her plate without also dealing with the two men sniping at each other.
