Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
DARBY
“You know I don’t love the idea of you living out at that ranch,” Holden says as he pulls me in for a big, squishy hug.
I lean into him and soak up his strength.
Even though he’s only two years older than me, my big brother is more of a father to me than anything, and I couldn’t love him more.
He’s also incredibly protective, despite the fact that I’m in my mid-thirties.
Old habits die hard.
“Yes, you’ve said that many times in the week I’ve been home.
” I wrinkle my nose at him and pat his cheek, just because I know he hates that.
I may love him to death, but harassing him is still part of my job.
“I’ll be fine at the Hendrix Ranch. You, Brooks, hell even Remington Wild knows Tucker. You’ve all told me he’s a good guy.”
“He is a good guy, but he’s also a guy.” Holden kisses my forehead. “So, if he gets handsy—”
“I’ve got this,” I assure him and pat his chest before Millie comes out of their house with a smile on her face and a coffee just for me.
As a café owner, coffee is my sister-in-law’s specialty.
“For the road,” she says, passing it to me.
“You two do realize that I’ll only be about forty-five minutes away. I’m not going across the country. I’ll literally see you later tonight for dinner at Dani’s house.”
My sister is hosting family dinner tonight, and I’ll see the entire gigantic clan there. They’re acting like I’m about to embark on a six-day adventure to Florida or something.
“You’re such a pain in my ass,” Holden says, but his eyes are full of humor as he ruffles my hair. “Good luck, kiddo. You’ll kill it.”
“I will not be killing anything. That’s the point.
” I wink at them and then climb into my car.
After waving goodbye, I pull away from the big new farmhouse my brother built for his wife on our old family property and drive off.
I’m so glad that Holden had a new driveway built that crosses through what used to be the Wild family’s property to get to the highway and I don’t have to drive past where we grew up.
It’s hard enough to stay out here with them without having the worst days of my childhood staring me in the face.
I’m excited for this internship. This is the last step I have to take before I’m officially a licensed veterinarian.
One year of practical work under a licensed doctor.
Trent Fisher has been nothing but kind so far, and although I was accepted by several nearby ranches to work full time, Dr. Fisher recommended the Hendrix Ranch.
I pass through my hometown of Bitterroot Valley without stopping. Everyone else I know from here reveres this town. My family and friends are nothing but proud to call this home, while I finally had to leave.
There’s nothing but bad memories for me in this little spot on the map.
But I tried to live out of state for several years, and I missed my siblings.
I knew I needed to come back to be close to the people I love.
So, when Dr. Fisher recommended the Hendrix Ranch, and I discovered that it’s not in Bitterroot Valley but rather a half hour down the road outside Silver Springs, that was the icing on the cake for me.
Glancing at the time, I see that I’m too early. I always run early. Being late is a huge pet peeve of mine, but that doesn’t mean that I can show up at someone’s home thirty minutes ahead of schedule, so I stop in Silver Springs and decide to walk down their quaint little main street.
There’s an adorable ice cream shop called Sundae’s. My friend Juliet has talked about that place so many times before. It’s her favorite, so I’ll have to be sure to stop in and give it a try sometime soon.
I stride past shops and restaurants and start to feel my muscles relax a little.
I like the vibe here. It feels welcoming and relaxed, and I’m excited to get to know it better.
No one knows me in this town, no one knows who my father was or what he did to us, so I don’t have to endure people whispering about me as I walk by.
It’s a fresh start, and it already feels so damn good.
Once I make it back to my car, it’s time to drive to the ranch. I should pull in just two minutes early.
Okay, now I’m getting nervous. I know I can do this job, that’s not the issue. I have always been at the top of my class, I studied hard, and I love what I do.
But I’ll be living on this ranch with a strange man.
I don’t do well with strangers.
Or men.
Maybe I should have listened to my siblings and stayed with one of them for the next year, but there’s something exciting about stepping out of my comfort zone.
“You’ve been living your life on your terms and not letting what happened before rule your every thought, D. Everyone says that Tucker is nice. You’re friends with his sisters. It’s going to be fine.”
It definitely helps that I know the owner’s sisters well, and they’re awesome people. I highly doubt that their brother is a complete dick.
With a deep breath, I pull into the driveway and come to a stop in front of a beautiful two-level farmhouse.
It’s white with black shutters and flower boxes that don’t have any flowers in them yet, but it’s still early spring.
I can picture colorful petunias in those boxes.
There’s an orange cat sleeping on the deep wraparound porch.
Tulips are just poking up in the flower beds along the front of the house, not quite in full bloom yet.
It looks like a home that’s been well loved and taken care of.
I can picture kids playing in the yard and a couple making out in that porch swing.
All the normal things that I never experienced firsthand in my own childhood.
I give myself a moment to get a feel for the place and decide that it’s . . . calm. Peaceful. Gorgeous with the stunning view of the mountains that rise up into the sky behind the house. The mountains never fail to take my breath away.
This will not be a bad place to work for a year.
I climb out of the car and stretch my legs, shake my hair out, and then turn when I hear footsteps in the gravel behind me.
And when I see who it is, all of the blood leaves my face.
No way.
No fucking way.
My hotshot from the diner is here? Jesus, I haven’t seen him in more than five years, but somehow, he’s gotten more handsome. More rugged. More . . . everything.
And he’s walking right for me.
“Well, hey there, Hotshot. Long time no see. I’m looking for the owner.”
He stops just a few feet away, and his deep-green eyes move over my face, as if he’s soaking me in. This could be exciting. I always enjoyed seeing this guy come into the diner, and if he works here, well . . . who knows what might happen?
“And you’ve found him,” he says, taking me by surprise, and with those four words, he tosses cold water on all my hot fantasies.
My hotshot is my boss. Which means there will be nothing happening.
“Tucker,” he says, offering me his hand.
“Uh.” I eye his tanned, strong hand and feel myself take a step back.
I don’t trust men. Ever. And it takes me a minute to warm up enough to let one touch me.
Only Holden gets that privilege. I’d grown comfortable with Tucker and our flirty interactions at the diner, but that was a while ago now, and a there’s a lot of water under the bridge I’ve traveled since then. “Hi. Sorry, I’m not a toucher.”
He lifts an eyebrow and nods. “No problem. So, your name’s Darby.”
I smile and shove my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “Yeah, it’s Darby. You can call me D, though.”
“I’ll call you Duchess,” he replies, and for some reason, that makes the tension leave my shoulders and sends a little thrill down my spine that I refuse to acknowledge. “Come on, I’ll show you around, and then we’ll get your stuff out of your car.”
“I don’t have much,” I tell him as I fall into step beside him.
I’m tall, and I have a long stride, so keeping up with men isn’t hard for me, but Tucker doesn’t walk like he’s in a hurry.
In fact, he moseys. It’s kind of cute. “Are you sure it’s okay if I bunk here?
I can stay with my sister in Bitterroot Valley and commute. ”
“That’s a long commute,” he says, shaking his head. “And if there’s a medical emergency out here, it would take you too long to get here.”
“Do you have many of those?”
“No. And I’d like to keep it that way. But they happen from time to time. You’ll be staying out here in the cabin.”
I’m surprised when he shows me to the little cabin a few yards away from the main house. I thought I’d be staying in a bunkhouse, or in a guest room inside, but this is way better.
I prefer to be alone.
“It’s small,” he says as we step inside, right into the kitchen, and I smile as I take it in.
He’s right, there’s not much square footage to speak of, but what’s here is so freaking beautiful, it almost brings tears to my eyes.
The kitchen has white cabinets with a black countertop, making it feel larger than it is.
There’s a peninsula that faces the living room, with two stools where I can sit and eat at the counter.
The living room boasts a tan double sofa with a matching chair that both look comfortable, and the window that gazes out at the pasture where at least fifty black angus cows graze makes me sigh happily. The mountain view is stellar.
I get to live here?
“The bedroom and bath are through there,” he says.
There’s a freshly made queen-size bed and a brown dresser. The bathroom has a pretty white pedestal sink and a step-in tub and shower combo, and it’s all just . . . perfect.
“This is way more than I was expecting,” I admit as I join him in the kitchen.
“My foreman usually lives out here, but he got married and moved to town, so it’s just been sitting empty. This way, you have your privacy.”
“You don’t have a bunkhouse?”
“No. I have several guys who work for me seasonally, but they all live in town.”
I nod and shuffle my feet.