Chapter 2
My llama can beat your drama, any day.
Scout slid a mug of steaming coffee across the center island to the very big, very sexy Hudson.
His dark hair was tousled and his biceps…
Let’s just say she’d be having dreams about them later.
Everything about the man seemed contained, a little dangerous.
But not…toward her. Maybe she was losing her mind because she wasn’t even sure what she was thinking, inviting this man into her house.
“I really am sorry about your clothes. Lucy can get a little…”
“Deranged? Possessed?” His tone was dry, making her laugh.
“That’s one way of putting it.” She poured herself a mug, feeling as if she could breathe a little better after this stranger had scared off her new, very intimidating neighbors.
Maybe she should feel weird having him in her home, but he’d showed her who he was in a few, tense moments.
He hadn’t hurt her when he definitely could have.
And she trusted her instinct when it came to men.
This man might be dangerous, but not to her.
“So,” he said before she could tell him about the job she was hiring for. “What’s going on with your neighbors? Why were they hassling you? And why didn’t you call the cops or whoever when you found me on your property?”
“Well… My neighbors are jerks. A bunch of rich assholes who started a horse farm—Willman Ranch—about six months ago. They want to buy part of my land, which I might have been open to. But…” She shook her head.
Her grandfather had recently died and she was trying to keep things running on her own.
She didn’t have time to deal with her neighbors’ nonsense.
“Anyway, the sheriff of Candy Cane is friends with Zack Willman, the owner. Sheriff Boyd. I’m not saying he’s dirty or anything, but I’ve had a bunch of vandalism out here and he’s not doing a damn thing about it. ”
“You think your neighbors are behind it?”
“I mean, I can’t prove it. But I’ve never had any problems before they moved in.
And for the last few months my fences have been damaged, a couple shelters for the animals torn down…
Normally I can keep up with things around here, but it’s becoming too much.
I need someone to help me get back on track, to fix everything and…
” She sighed again, realizing he probably didn’t want to get tangled up with her now anyway.
She’d just described a bunch of drama, and that was after Lucy had knocked him out and eaten his clothes. Then spat at him. Twice.
Lucy really was an asshole sometimes, though in this case she’d thought she was being protective. And Scout might have given Lucy the order to attack Hudson—who she’d thought had been about to vandalize her place. She decided not to tell him that. Yet. She would later.
Probably.
Maybe.
“I can do that.” His deep, rumbly voice was a balm to her soul.
“Wait, really? I didn’t scare you off?”
He snorted softly. “Hardly.”
“Do you have any ranch hand or any handyman experience? Also, this is temporary. And the pay is crap,” she added.
“I’m not sure you know how this hiring thing works.” Again with the dry tone, and sweet fuzzy llamas, she loved the sound of his voice.
“I just want to make sure I’m up front with you.
You’ll get room, board and meals, but it’s hard work and…
My llamas can be assholes. Mostly Lucy, until she knows you.
And again, this is only temporary. I’m trying to get through the rest of December and then through February, so I can’t promise long-term work. ”
“That’s perfect for me. I don’t like to stay in one place for long, and two to three months is a good time frame.”
She wasn’t sure why she felt a twinge of disappointment that he didn’t stay in one place for long.
And she chose to ignore it, because she had more important things to worry about.
Like getting ready for the big Christmas festival coming up.
Normally she had everything ready to go at the end of November, but since her grandfather had died… She shelved that thought.
Now wasn’t the time to get emotional. She’d been drowning for months and now she had to get herself together.
“Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot,” he continued. “But I’ve got a solid résumé. Why don’t I give it to you along with a list of references so you can check up on me? And then if that checks out to your standards, you can show me around and we’ll make a plan of what needs to be done.”
She’d been planning to ask for his résumé and references and was glad he’d offered. “Ah, yeah, that sounds great. Oh, and I’ll get you some clothes. I think I’ve got some old stuff of my grandpa’s that’ll fit.”
He nodded. “I’m parked a few miles down the road. I’ve got some stuff of my own too.”
“Okay, then why don’t I drive you to your vehicle and you give me your résumé? I’ll start making calls.”
He nodded and stood, and she hid a wince at the way the pajama pants, which were oversized on her, squished his business in a way that left very little to the imagination.
And her imagination was running wild.
***
Scout had called five of Hudson’s references and they’d all said the same thing. He showed up on time, did the work asked of him, kept to himself, and gave notice before he quit. A quiet, hard worker.
He sounded like the perfect person for this temporary job, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t have time to interview a bunch of people.
And something told her she wasn’t going to find someone like him again.
She wasn’t sure if she believed in signs or fate or whatever, but this felt right.
So she was going to hire him and hope for the best.
By the time he pulled down her long driveway, she’d already made her decision.
He parked his motor home next to where she was waiting, then got out wearing a pair of what her grandpa would have called “work pants.” Basically cargo pants but without a billion pockets. She was only a little disappointed not to be able to see the outline of his very impressive cock.
Okay, more than a little.
But that wasn’t professional, and she had to get it together. She needed help and he was offering it. She’d be a fool to turn down this opportunity.
Dating wasn’t on her list of things to do anyway. Not dating. Not hooking up. Nothing. She hadn’t been with anyone since her last relationship imploded and wasn’t looking to get hurt again. Though the thought of getting naked with Hudson was over-the-top appealing.
Patricia, her calmest llama, trotted over toward them. “This is Patricia,” she said to Hudson, who paused at the llama’s name, but then he simply nodded.
Patricia trotted right up to him and sniffed him for a bit before basically nodding in approval. He was a little stiff, but didn’t move away, just stood there for Patricia’s inspection.
“She likes you,” Scout murmured.
“How can you tell?” He looked at Patricia, who was already headed back to her little herd to keep the sheep in line.
Lucy was the leader, then Patricia and Clover were her backup. They were the hardest-working llamas and the best herders. She’d had them for eight years and was hoping for many, many more with her girls.
“Well, she didn’t spit at you, that’s a bonus…
” She cleared her throat. “Look, I called a handful of your references on the drive here and they all have the same thing to say about you. So if you’re okay with the job description—and don’t decide until I show you around because it’s a lot of work—I’d like to hire you. ”
“Seriously, you’re great at this hiring thing.” His mouth kicked up slightly and she wished he didn’t have sunglasses on because she wanted to see his eyes.
She laughed lightly. “I just don’t want to oversell it because I’ve got at least ten fence lines that need fixing, a couple shelters out in some of my eastern fields that need to be repaired and…
it’s a lot.” That was on top of the day-to-day stuff she already had to handle.
She knew she should have hired someone months ago, but she’d been too depressed after her grandpa died.
Things had gotten out of hand since. At this point she either needed to sell or get her shit together and she wasn’t throwing in the towel because of her grief. She knew she would regret it later.
“It’s fine. I’m ready to work.”
She nodded and motioned to the ATV. Once they were on their way, she said, “I’m also behind on getting up the Christmas decorations for the winter festival.
The farm does a big festival for the town starting the week before Christmas that goes through the New Year.
Normally I’ve got the stalls and decorations done by now but…
” She sighed as she slowed down and put the vehicle in park.
“My grandpa died a few months ago and I always did it with him,” she said as she got out to unlock the gate.
“You just tell me what’s the priority and we’ll get it done,” Hudson said when she slid back onto the driver’s seat. “And I’m sorry about your grandpa. It’s hard to lose someone, and it feels worse around the holidays.”
“Yeah, it does feel worse,” she murmured, shooting him a quick glance.
Even his profile was gorgeous, all hard and stoic.
She cleared her throat. “I’ve got a guest cabin that’s all set up for you if you’d like to sleep there instead of your motor home.
It’s got streaming, hot water, everything you need. ”
“I’d definitely prefer that.”
His mouth curved up in a way she was coming to find ridiculously sexy. Though at this point, she was certain everything about the man was a turn-on.
But she couldn’t get involved with someone she’d just hired. A stranger. And it wasn’t like he was putting off any flirty vibes anyway. Please. This man could get anyone. He did not want the hot mess in purple overalls who smelled like sheep, chickens, llamas and a whole mess of other things.
So she had to stop whatever this weird fascination with him was.
Stop, stop, stop.