Chapter 14 Office Space
office space
DUKE
I tried to play it cool when Rusty was showing Roxanne around, but I’m not thrilled about having her in the house.
This house, meant to be a massive guest house on the property, never stopped feeling like someone else’s dream until I started to make it my own.
The bones are still Hollywood: grand sweeping staircases, ridiculous chandeliers, balconies built for champagne toasts.
But I carved something of my own into it.
I gutted the theater room and built out a space for my own yoga studio.
I filled the solarium with native plants and a good sound system so I could play vinyls while working.
I even turned the wine cellar into another damn library.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a leather reading chair I picked up in Durango.
After the long days of running the ranch and helping the other vets, I need the solitude to recharge. This house is the only place where my thoughts don’t feel like they’re ricocheting around my skull.
Now, Roxanne is going to be here morning and night. It’s not just that she’s invading my space. It’s that she’s going to be poking around with those sharp eyes, and she’s going to stumble onto something I’m not ready for her to see.
Back in the support room at Emerald Lodge, Rusty and I defuse another tense moment with Garrett Miller—a vet who’s been hard to reach.
He tends to lose his temper in group, but we keep nudging him to show up anyway.
After a few quiet minutes, he cools down, and I get him to agree to another one-on-one session with his therapist this week.
Rusty eventually heads back to the house to finalize our weekly deposit, but I’m a little too keyed up from Garrett’s blow up.
I decide to listen to music and chop firewood.
I toss my shirt to the side, already sweating from the heat of the early morning.
Jameson’s paw dangles off the top step of the lodge’s side porch as he soaks up the sun.
With each crack of wood, there’s some relief as the tension flows out of my arms and into the block.
I set the ax down and take out my earbuds just as Topper, Allie, and Leo emerge from the lodge. Allie stops and sits on the porch to pet Jameson, and I’m not sure what’s more intense, the way Allie is looking at me or the way Leo is.
“Hey, Duke,” Topper says, grabbing my shoulder. “Thought we could interrupt you since you’re chopping firewood we don’t need.”
I resist the urge to flip Topper off and just smile instead. “What can I do for y’all?”
Allie glances at Leo and then back to me. “We were hoping to go rafting tomorrow.”
My eyes narrow. “I think it’s a bit too soon for that. Don’t you, Topper?”
“Uh—” Topper stammers.
Allie answers before Topper can get the words out. “It’s not really for us, it’s for Roxanne.”
“Why for Roxanne?”
Leo takes a step forward and rubs his hands together. “Part of our boss’s motivation for sending her here was to help Roxanne recover from the accident and deal with the PTSD she doesn’t want to admit she’s suffering from.”
I take a seat on my chopping stump. “What accident?”
Allie and Leo exchange glances. “She doesn’t like to talk about it, and we don’t feel right telling her story.”
“Roxanne was the most incredible travel journalist I’ve ever met,” Leo continues. “There was no assignment she wouldn’t take, nothing she wouldn’t explore.”
“They were even going to create a television show for her on Uncharted TV where she explored hidden gem travel destinations all over the world,” Allie adds. “Now she barely leaves her apartment in New York.”
“When did this accident happen?” I ask.
“Two summers ago.” Allie rubs the back of her neck.
“Did it happen in Colorado?” Topper asks.
“Yes, but I don’t want to say anymore,” Allie says. “She would absolutely end us if she knew we were telling you this much.”
“Like we said, what happened to Roxanne is only hers to tell,” Leo says. “But our concern is, if we don’t try some more adventurous activities, she’s going to sit behind her computer and avoid going outside as much as possible.”
“This doesn’t give me confidence that she’s going to be able represent the ranch well,” I say.
Allie stands and puts her palms up. “Oh no, she will, she will. But she’s shut-down. If we can get her out and get her to face some of the … well, we think rafting or camping or even a horseback ride will help.”
“Listen,” I say with a sigh. “If she had an accident here, she’s not going to be okay going rafting day four. I don’t feel right pushing her to do so.”
“She’ll be okay,” Allie says. “She’s more nervous when there’s a storm.”
“Clear, sunny, and seventy-five tomorrow,” Topper adds.
“How are you going to convince her to do this?” I ask.
“We’ll present it to her,” Allie says. “But I wanted to make sure you were okay with taking us out a little earlier than expected.”
I swat a fly away and rub my chin. Firebird Ranch has always been a safe place where people come to heal, but they’ve always been veterans who’ve seen combat, not a travel writer suffering from PTSD. This is definitely a new one for me.
I don’t feel right pushing her; then again, sometimes we need a push to start the healing process. I think for a moment, knowing what Rusty and Mom would say if they were standing in front of me. We’re never here to pass judgment, we’re just here to help.
I stand and wipe the sweat from my brow. “We can go tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, thank you!” Allie says, clapping her hands together.
I rub my T-shirt against the back of my neck and take a sip from my water bottle. “You’re welcome, ma’am, as long as you really think this is what’s best for Roxanne.”
“I do,” Allie says.
“Me too,” Leo adds.
“And since you and Topper are Delta medics, we’ll be in good hands,” Allie says.
“That’s right, ma’am. Well, enjoy the rest of your day on the ranch,” I say as I start to walk back to my house. “I’ve got some work to do this evening, so I’ll see y’all before rafting tomorrow.”
Jameson heads into the house in front of me, happy to feel the air conditioning.
As of now, all I want is a cold water and an even colder shower.
I call to Rusty, but see that our office door is closed, and his voice is muffled like he’s on a phone call.
I wipe the sweat off my forehead and hear another muffled voice coming from the library.
I peer through the open door and freeze. Roxanne Denning is under my desk on all fours and for a second, I forget my name. I had just started to cool down, but the sight of her perfect ass in skintight yoga pants causes my dick to twitch.
Now this is another view of her I don’t mind.
“Damn it. Should’ve known,” she says, scooting out from under the desk and pushing herself up to her feet. She turns and gasps, clasping her now heaving chest. “Mr. Faraday, you startled me.”
Of course, Jameson waddles around me and over to her. He whimpers at her until she coos at him and scratches behind his ear. She laughs when he rolls on the floor exposing his belly for a rub.
I take a step toward her. “Is there something I can assist you with?”
She swallows after her eyes take a walk up and down my body. “I … I can’t get my charger to work.”
“Oh, apologies, that outlet in the floor runs to this switch.” Her eyes never leave me as I back away and flip the light switch by the doorway. “Try plugging it in again?”
Her expression shifts and she turns back to the desk. “I’ll try in a moment. Thank you.”
“I’ll get it then.” I slowly lower myself down to all fours, my eyes never leaving hers until I’m under the desk. Once the charger clicks into place, I crawl out and push myself up. “How’s it working now?”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Mr. Faraday. Thank you.”
“Please, I insist you call me Duke.”
She turns to the desk, flips through some papers, and tries to hand me a clipboard. “Oh, since you’re here.”
“What is that?” I ask.
“Your interview consent form.”
“Not signing it,” I say, shaking my head.
She tilts her head. “Why not?”
“I can tell you anything you want to know about the ranch, just leave my story out of it.”
“How can I leave you out of it? You’re the owner. Your story, the story of why you wanted to build this place … it’s everything.”
“This place isn’t about me, it’s about the vets it was designed to help.”
“I can’t tell the story of Firebird without you.”
This makes me smile as does the glint of fire in her eyes. Stand down, Faraday, you’ve sworn to be professional, remember?
“I appreciate that, but I’m not signing.”
She purses her lips and sets the clipboard down on the desk. “Fine. Hopefully, you’ll change your mind by the end of summer.” She sits down and opens her laptop. “Is there something else I can help you with, Mr. Faraday?”
My eyes narrow. I find myself wanting to test her and to see if Allie and Leo were right about the fact that she would rather sit here than venture out into the wilderness. “I was thinking about organizing a sunset hike to the lake, if you’re interested.”
She doesn’t meet my gaze and begins to type. “I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on tonight.”
“Well then, I’ll see you at sunrise yoga before breakfast?”
“Might have to skip that. Going to prep my interview questions.”
“So I guess a midday rafting trip tomorrow is out of the question?”
She glances over her laptop. “No. I don’t think I’m up for that so soon.”
“That’s what I thought. You know, I agree. It’s probably better if you sit this one out.”
When I say this, it finally gets her full attention.
“I want to get a jump on my story. There’s a lot of prep.”
“Sure. Like I said. It’s better if you stay here.”
“Why?”
“The more I think about it, I don’t think you can handle a rafting trip.”
Her lovely lips twist into a frown. “Please don’t tell me what I can and cannot handle.”
“Shouldn’t head out onto the water unless you’re feeling more confident.”
“Thank you for your concern, but I would be fine.”
“It’s okay if you’re not up for it and besides you have a lot of work to do.”
She rises from her chair, slowly, like she’s trying to keep her temper on a leash. “For the record, I’ve rafted the Zambezi during monsoon season. I’ve been flipped, tossed, and dragged through class five rapids in a country where the rescue boat was a teenager in a canoe.”
I blink. “Might do you some good to be reminded of that woman. The woman who could do anything, from what I’ve heard.”
“Do not speak to me like you know me or what I need.” She steps into my space, shoulders squared like she’s ready for a fight.
It’s a fight I almost want to lose.
“That’s my specialty around here, Trouble. I’m pretty good at figuring out what people need. Putting yourself out there more will do you some good, but like I said, only when you’re ready.”
Her cheeks flush and it’s all I can do not to reach out and touch her. And God help me, that mouth. Full and soft, like it was made to put a man in his place or kiss the hell out of him.
This just in: I want to be that man.
She’s yelling at me now, and I should back up, should say something cutting or clever, but hell if I can only stand there grinning like a damn idiot.
“So if you’re trying to scare me off, you’ll need to do more than tell me a little water is too much while you’re flashing that condescending smirk of yours.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “So, is that a yes to rafting tomorrow?”
“It is a yes,” she snaps. “And when I outlast you on the raft, Cowboy Ken, I want a formal apology for you underestimating me.”
I nod slowly, trying like hell to squash my smile. “Deal. But when you fall in, and you will, I’m not jumping in after you.”
She lifts a brow. “That’s fine. I’ll rescue myself. Wouldn’t want to owe you anything.”
“’Til tomorrow then,” I say, heading to the door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Faraday,” she says before sitting her perfect ass back behind the desk.