This Hick?

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

CASSIDY

I stepped into the lodge at a quarter to seven. The cold was still clinging to my bones despite the layers I’d piled on. It was quiet, like the calm before the storm. Any minute the place would be crawling with families all anxious to eat a big ranch breakfast before going for a ride on horseback or into town to see some of the sights.

But right then, it was still except for the crackling of the fire that one of the staff had gotten going in preparation for the guests getting up. The lodge always smelled like burning wood in the winter. It was something you got used to, something comforting even. I loved the scent of pine.

I made a beeline for the coffee in the lobby. Don always made sure there was a fresh pot brewing first thing, and I’d never say no to a cup of his strong, no-nonsense brew. As I poured myself a mug, I caught my reflection in the window. I was wearing the same old beat-up hat I wore every other day of the week and the hand-me-down Carhartt jacket that had seen better days. Ranch life wasn’t glamorous, but it was real, and that was all that mattered to me.

I wondered what Princess Karen saw when she looked at me. Hick. Redneck. Shitkicker.

I didn’t care. She wasn’t going to be here long and I couldn’t give a shit what she thought about me. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. If she and I were going out on a date, I might put on my good jeans and my nice coat. But we weren’t and I wasn’t going to get all gussied up for someone that looked right through me.

The fire was calling to me. I took my coffee and sat down in one of the well-worn leather chairs in front of the fire. The warmth seeped into my body, chasing away the last bit of the early-morning chill. I sighed and stretched out my legs. It wasn’t bad, sitting here in the quiet, knowing the day would soon explode with activity.

I glanced at the clock after I finished my first cup of coffee. Seven came and went. No sign of Karen.

I wasn’t exactly shocked. Early mornings didn’t seem like her strong suit, judging by her reaction the night before. By seven fifteen, I stood and prepared to leave. If she couldn’t be bothered, I wasn’t going to chase her down. I wasn’t her fucking keeper.

But then I thought about Don, his tired eyes always managing a smile when it came to Karen. He loved his niece. She was the apple of his eye. I didn’t know why, but that wasn’t up to me to figure out. He would be disappointed if I just let her starve out here. She’d probably whine about the food and end up eating nothing but mac and cheese. I had to get her ass to the grocery store to buy whatever it was she ate. I personally thought the meal last night was damn good. The woman didn’t know what she was missing out on.

Where did she get off acting like she was enduring some penance by being in a place like this? None of our guests ever complained. In fact, Bodie, our in-lodge cook, got rave reviews. But of course, the uptight city girl had a problem with comfort food.

Don’s niece was something else. How in the hell could they possibly be related?

With a sigh, I dragged myself upstairs. I wasn’t thrilled about knocking on her door, but Don had asked me to take care of her, and I wasn’t about to half-ass it. Just like all those years ago, I was in charge of babysitting the princess. I knocked on her door with the gentleness of a bull in a China shop.

The door creaked open a crack, and there stood Karen. Wild hair, half-opened eyes, and dressed in pajamas that were way too fancy for a place like this. I swore the fabric shimmered in the light. Silk? On a ranch? In winter? She had to be crazy. Had she never heard of flannel?

My eyes traveled over her body. Her pebbled nipples were exactly why silk in the winter was a bad idea. I looked lower, taking in the shapely legs and the perfect red toenails.

“Up here, Wyatt Earp,” she muttered, folding her arms over her chest.

I blinked, trying to keep the grin off my face. “Oh, I wasn’t?—”

“Sure you weren’t.” She cut in, her tone flat, looking at me like I was some kind of creep.

I blew off the comment. “We’re running into town for groceries, remember? This is your one and only chance to get your ass in my truck. You’re damn lucky I’m still here. I should have left you.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost seven thirty.”

“Shit. I must have slept through my alarm.”

I didn’t care for excuses. “Get ready then.”

“Ten minutes,” she said, pushing me backward and slamming the door in my face.

I stood there in the hall, shaking my head. City girls.

I checked my watch as I leaned against the wall, listening to her clatter around in there. By the time she emerged, it had been closer to twenty minutes, but at least she looked awake—jeans, ankle boots with a little heel on them, and a knit sweater that looked like it belonged in some boutique window.

“You should dress warmer,” I said, taking in the fashionable but impractical outfit. She wouldn’t be nearly as cute once her lips turned blue and her teeth were chattering.

She lifted her chin, defiant. “I’m fine.”

I shrugged. “Okay then.”

No point arguing with someone who was determined to freeze.

We walked downstairs through the lobby that had come to life in the twenty minutes since I’d gone up to get her. Families were starting to stir, kids yawning as they shuffled into the dining area for breakfast, parents clutching cups of coffee like lifelines. Karen glanced around as if the sight of normal people living normal lives was alien to her.

“If you would have gotten up earlier, you would have had time to get some coffee,” I said.

“I’ll just get something in town,” she said in a haughty voice.

I chuckled. “Yeah, we’ll stop by Starbucks.”

She looked at me. “I can never tell when you’re being sarcastic.”

“I’ve never been sarcastic in my life.”

“Okay, that time I could tell,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I led her out to my truck, which was an old, beat-up beast that had been around since before I could drive.

I started the engine after pumping the gas pedal a few times. Cold air blasted out of the vents. I quickly turned off the fan.

“Is the heat broken?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes. “It takes a minute. Truck’s been sitting in negative temps all night. I can turn the fan back on and blow freezing cold air on you if you’d like. Since you’re dressed so warmly.”

She huffed, rubbing her hands together. “I was just asking. Sheesh.”

The heat would kick in soon enough. We drove in silence for a few miles, the frost slowly melting off the windshield. By the time the truck started to warm up, we were almost to town. The snow I knew was coming started to fall, dusting the world in white.

Karen stayed quiet as we pulled into the grocery store parking lot. I followed her inside, feeling like a kid following their mom around the store. I didn’t grocery shop. This was not my thing. I was just the nanny.

She quickly started to fill the cart with organic this and gluten-free that. I just watched, wondering why in the hell she would eat that crap versus the good shit Bodie cooked. She even grabbed almond milk. I bit my tongue and let her do her thing. I wasn’t about to get into an argument about the difference between an organic carrot and a regular one.

I helped unload the cart, embarrassed when the cashier looked at me as she ran each item across the scanner. I wanted to say it wasn’t mine, but that would just piss off the princess. When the eye-watering total appeared on the monitor, I swiped the company credit card. Don had insisted.

“I could have paid,” she said as I grabbed the bags and started hauling them out to the truck.

“Don told me to. That was probably before he realized that little bit of food cost four times the regular stuff.”

She huffed again but didn’t argue. We loaded up the truck. She was still shivering as I opened her door for her. That was when I heard it—a voice that grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

“Scott!”

I turned, groaning inwardly. Of course Earl had to show up. He was dressed to the nines, as always, in a suit and an expensive peacoat that looked absurd. His teeth practically gleamed as he sauntered over. He reminded me of a rooster. No, a peacock.

“Who’s that?” Karen asked when she spotted him.

“Trouble,” I muttered under my breath.

Earl stopped in front of me, all smiles. “I hear you’ve got a lame horse up at Rocking Horse,” he said smoothly. “Don ready to wake up and smell the roses yet?”

“Kick rocks, Earl,” I said, not in the mood for his bull shit. I took off my hat, shook the snowflakes from the brim, and put it back on.

Earl’s grin widened. He glanced over at Karen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looking more than a little cold and uncomfortable. “And who’s this angel?”

I slammed the truck door shut, cutting off whatever flirtatious nonsense was about to come next. “Don’s niece.”

Earl waved at her through the window, flashing his perfect white teeth. “Pretty young thing, ain’t she?”

I stepped in front of him, blocking his view of Karen. “Mind your business, Earl,” I said with a glare. “She’s not to be toyed with.”

He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to get testy. Just being friendly.”

I wasn’t in the mood for his fake politeness. Earl was trouble through and through, always sniffing around for a weakness. “See you around, Scott,” he said, strolling off like he owned the place.

I climbed into the driver’s seat, closing the door with a little more force than necessary.

“What was that about?” Karen asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” I said, starting the truck and pulling out of the parking lot. Earl had been after Rocking Horse for years, trying to buy up what wasn’t for sale. And that lame horse of ours, Rouge, was just another angle for him to try and weasel his way in. He never missed the chance to exploit a weakness.