Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
Arlo Flint had worked as a ranch hand since he was a young boy. He’d been planning to retire when he’d found the Ranch, and Derek had offered him a job, but now he really was ready to hang up his hat. His body hurt, and he didn’t need the money. He had a decent sized house on Rawhide Ridge that was paid for outright, and he had a healthy savings account. He didn’t need to work anymore.
Derek Hawkins, his boss and friend, sat across from him tapping away at the computer. “I’ve been thinking this day was on the horizon. I was just hoping to get one more year outta you,” he teased.
“You’ve been telling me that since I started here, Derek.”
“And it’s been true every year.”
Arlo laughed and shook his head. He’d promised Derek he would stay on so he could help make sure Travis was secure in his place as the new stable master when Jagger’s wife, Moira, had their twins and they’d moved to a ranch of their own.
“I know, but I’m really done this time. Travis has a good handle on things and Little Wren is an excellent worker. All of the other hands respect them and their authority. My services are no longer needed, and I’m tired.”
“I hear you.” Derek sighed. “I’ll put some feelers out to see if we can’t find a new hire to fill your spot. When are we talking last day?”
“You don’t need another hand right away, but if it makes you feel better I can wait until you hire.” He didn’t want to, but his ethics would never allow him to leave someone high and dry. Especially someone like Derek Hawkins, who was probably the most amazing human who ever walked the planet.
“I’ll talk to Trav?—”
The door to Derek’s office burst open and Wren barreled through it, her face white as a ghost and tears streaming from her eyes.
Derek and Arlo both jumped out of their seats.
“Master Derek! Someone is in trouble!” she cried.
“What? Who?” he asked as he moved toward her.
Travis was right behind her. “It’s Reese, Wren’s friend from when they were kids.” He was breathing heavily, like they’d run all the way from the barn. “She’s in a bad situation—a very bad situation, with nowhere to go, and she needs a safe haven.”
“Why are you here telling me this and not on your way to get her, then?”
“Because she’s not alone. We’re going to need probably three livestock trailers and at least one more driver.”
Derek’s brows hit his hairline, but he didn’t miss a beat. Pushing a button on his phone he called his assistant. “Erika, we need a room ready for a guest, and can you let the Dentens know we might need one of them? And have Moses meet me out front.”
“On it, Master Derek,” she responded.
Derek grabbed his hat and keys from the drawer. “Arlo, you coming? Sounds like we could use the extra help.”
“Right behind you, boss.” No way was he going to sit by and not help if he could. Travis and Wren had become like family to him, and seeing her sweet face so distraught broke his heart. And hearing a woman and animals were in trouble lit a fire in him.
They all left the office and Travis filled them in about her employer’s son threatening to euthanize all her animals as they made their way out to the trucks and trailers. As Derek paused to sign something to Moses—he assumed Derek was giving him a heads up about the extra company they were about to have—Arlo’s blood boiled in his veins. He hoped beyond hope this cold-hearted guy who was threatening this woman’s animals would be there when they arrived, because he would give him a piece of his mind for sure. Or maybe it was better if the guy wasn’t there. He might have a healthy savings account, but he didn’t want to have to use it as bail money for himself or any of the men at his side.
It was less than thirty minutes before they were pulling up to the farm where Wren had told them her friend Reese and all her animals were. The house seemed empty, with no cars in the driveway as they passed, and he and Derek followed Travis’s truck out to the barn.
They all parked and got out. Wren pulled out her cell phone and spoke into it, and the barn door opened. And standing in the doorway was a petite blonde with the biggest, sweetest blue eyes and curves in all the right places—and what the heck was wrong with him for even noticing at a time like this? But she was the prettiest, most adorable woman he’d ever seen.
Calm yourself .
This woman was in some kind of trouble, and they were here to help, not to admire the way her jeans fit those lusciously rounded hips.
He gave himself a shake as Wren ran to her friend and grabbed her in a tight hug. She started to cry, wiping at her tears with an impatient hand, which reminded him about his boiling blood. What had happened here? He didn’t think he could rest until they got her and the animals taken care of, then got to the bottom of this situation.
Wren led her over to the group.
“This is my friend Reese. Reese, this is Derek, who owns Rawhide Ranch. And this is my husband, Travis, and Arlo, who works at the Ranch.”
“Oh my gosh,” Reese said, her voice choked with tears. “Thank you all so much for coming. You have no idea what this means to me.”
“We’re all here for you, Reese,” Wren assured her, pulling a Kleenex from her pocket and handing it to her friend. “We have some empty barns at the Ranch since most of the horses were moved to Jagger’s property, so there’s lots of space for all the animals. And you can have a room in the lodge, or if you’d like a little more privacy, there’s an empty cabin really close to the barn. We are gonna take good care of you, okay?”
Reese nodded, and more tears welled in her blue eyes, and it was all Arlo could manage not to go sweep the little thing up in his arms and comfort her.
Get yourself under control, man.
He was thinking of her as a Little who needed to be coddled, and he had no idea if she had any kinky proclivities, never mind being a Little. Except… there was something about her that had his radar up. But maybe it was that she was in distress.
He could think about all that later—they were here for a reason.
“Darlin’, I’m assuming we should try to hurry and get the animals loaded up?” Derek prompted Reese.
“Oh! Yes. I don’t know how long until Ernie gets back. Or what to do if he comes when we’re still here. Oh, dear…”
She began to cry again, and Arlo caught himself taking a step toward her before he could stop himself. But as Wren pulled her back in for a big hug, he made himself stop. It wasn’t his job to comfort her. Even if every nerve in his body was itching to do just that.
“Okay, Reese. Show us the animals, then we’ll figure out how best to load them. Wren told us you don’t have too much in the way of larger animals?”
“No, sir. Mostly Stella, Sherlock, Wilbur and Babe. Uh… one cow, one llama, and two large pigs. The rest are all pretty small. Except for Michelangelo.”
“Michelangelo?” Derek asked.
“He’s a tortoise. He’s about forty years old, so he’s pretty big… just low to the ground.”
“Okay. Show us the way, and we’ll get them all in, I promise,” Derek assured her.
She led them into the barn and a big African Grey parrot flapped its wings as it landed on her shoulder, squawking, “Go to the barn!”
Reese smoothed her hands over his feathers. “It’s okay, Bossy P. We’re getting out of here and going to a safe place.” She turned to Derek. “I got everyone inside and locked the barn, so they’re all here.”
“Good job,” Derek praised her, and Arlo noticed the blush on her cheeks.
They got to work right away, Wren leading Stella the cow out to a trailer, and getting her in as Travis herded the two enormous pigs into another trailer. Arlo got the pair of goats—who Reese informed him were named Clancy and Clara—loaded into a third. Next were two cages holding five rabbits, and another with a white duck.
“Oh, um, Arlo?” Reese tapped gently on his arm. “Please don’t put Howard the duck in the same trailer with the goats. Birds make Clancy faint.”
“He actually faints?” he asked, wanting to laugh if the situation weren’t so dire. “You’ll have to tell me more about that once we get you settled at the Ranch.”
“Oh, I… I will,” she responded, her cheeks going pink. “Um, this is Michelangelo, and he can go with the goats.
He looked to where she gestured and saw an enormous tortoise sitting on the hay-strewn barn floor.
“Oh, yeah, he’s a big one. Don’t worry; I’ll load him in next.”
“Thank you, Arlo,” she said, looking like she was going to cry again.
“Hey, honey,” he said, keeping his tone as gentle as possible. “We’re gonna get you and these animals out of here and into a safe place. When Derek says something, he means it. We all do. You’re not alone anymore, Reese.”
Her cheeks burned bright pink and she sniffed hard, then she burst out crying and launched herself at him. He immediately wrapped her in his arms, making soft, soothing sounds. He let her cry for a good minute or two, then he gently disengaged himself, trying to ignore how good she felt pressed tight against him.
He cleared his throat. “Reese? I really want to make sure you’re okay, but since we don’t know how much time we have, we’d better get everyone loaded into the trailers. But you’re welcome to ride with me and you can cry on me all you want in the truck.”
She took a step back and wiped at her eyes. “I’m okay. Thanks. Um… I’m sorry I cried on you, I really am. Oh, gosh.” She looked down at the ground, and he could tell she was embarrassed.
“Don’t worry your head about it. From what little I heard, you have good reason to cry. Now, you want to help me with these bunnies? What are their names?”
She gave another big sniff, and he offered her the handkerchief he kept in his back pocket to wipe her eyes with.
“Thank you. This is Peter and Roger and Jessica. And the big guys are Bugs and Thumper.”
“Great names. Okay, here we go. Let’s put them in with the goats and Sherlock, then Howard can ride with the pigs—and the goose, too. You said his name was Ryan Goosling? I think we can get Michelangelo in the back of one of the trucks. Does that sound okay to you?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, making his blood run hot.
“Okay, wait right here one sec while I go talk with Derek.”
It wasn’t long before they had every creature in the barn loaded up and they got back into the trucks. Reese agreed to ride with him so Wren could ride with her husband, and he would have helped her get in, but she had Bossy P on her shoulder, and he discovered real quick exactly how bossy the parrot could be.
“I’m the boss!” the parrot squawked, flapping his wings.
“I don’t think he likes me,” Arlo said as he started the engine.
“He’s just shaken up from… everything that’s happened,” Reese responded. “And he doesn’t always like being outside.”
“Maybe he and I will get to know each other later,” he said as she crooned to the bird and smoothed her hands over his back.
This sure was an interesting little menagerie. And she sure was an interesting woman. Interesting and adorable, and he sure as hell would do anything he could to protect her. It didn’t matter that they’d just met; he’d do the same for any woman in trouble. But he knew instantly she was special.
Which he was going to put firmly out of his mind. There was still a lot to do once they got back to the Ranch, and he didn’t want to do anything that would make her nervous. Heck, they’d just met, and he really didn’t know anything about her.
“So, Reese. How do you and Wren know each other?” he asked.
“We were both foster kids. And Wren spent a summer at a ranch learning about horses, and my foster family sent me there on the weekends, and that’s where we met. She was only eleven and I was almost fifteen, but we just liked each other right away, and we’ve been friends ever since. I kinda felt like she was my little sister. But right now it feels more like she’s the big sister. I can’t believe with just one phone call she got all of you together with your trailers and everything to come rescue me. I mean, rescue the animals.”
“We’re like one big family at Rawhide Ranch,” he told her. “We’d do anything for each other. And since you’re Wren’s friend, when she told us you’d called needing help, of course we hopped to it.”
“Well, I really, really appreciate it. So, um, what do you do at the Ranch?”
“I’ve been a ranch hand there for years, but I’m retiring soon. I’m only forty-eight, so it’s an early retirement, but I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s next.”
“I can’t imagine doing anything other than working with the animals.”
“Yeah, I’ll miss that for sure.”
“But do you live at the Ranch, like Wren does?” she asked.
“Yep, well, on the Ridge which is adjacent to the Ranch. I have a house of my own. I used to be in the bunkhouse with some of the other hands on the Ranch, and while I like all of my co-workers, I was due for a little privacy. When Derek offered me the option of purchasing a house up on Rawhide Ridge, I jumped at the chance. Wren mentioned you needed a place to stay, too, so it looks like you’ll be living at the Ranch?”
“Just until I get things figured out. I’ll need to find a place for all my animals, and get a job somewhere, and…”
She paused and shook her head, and when he glanced over he saw a tear slip down her cheek.
“Look, I know I’m not Derek, but I know him. And I’m pretty sure he’ll let you stay as long as you need to.”
“I just… I don’t want to be a freeloader or anything. Do you think he’d have a job for me there? Just something temporary.”
“Yeah, there’s always plenty to be done. And you’re obviously great with animals, and we have plenty of those. If you like, I can talk to him when we get back.”
“Oh, I… you don’t have to do that. I’m a big girl,” she said, but she looked awfully uncertain.
And the fact was, he wanted to help her, in any way he could. Especially if that meant she’d stick around the Ranch a little longer.
Buddy, what in the world are you thinking?
He shook the thought away and focused on the road instead of the pretty girl next to him.
“Go to the barn!” Bossy P squawked.
“Yeah, we’re on our way, Mr. P. Keep your pants on,” he said to the parrot, making Reese giggle.
The relief he felt hearing her laughter was like a warm wave washing over him.
He was going to have to get over this crush, or whatever it was, real fast. This was a woman in trouble—a much younger woman—and she needed help, not some old dude lusting over her. And she would be at the Ranch temporarily, according to her, so getting caught up with her was a bad idea, even if there wasn’t anything else to factor in.
The thing was, though, it wasn’t really lust he was feeling. It was the intense, driving need to protect her, to take care of her. To keep her safe. And that, at least, he could do to some degree as long as she was at Rawhide Ranch.
Meanwhile, he needed to keep his head on straight where Reese was concerned. But it was gonna be a heck of a challenge.
By the time they got back to the Ranch, Reese had dozed off on the seat next to him, the parrot snoozing with his head tucked into her neck. It was the sweetest damn sight, and he didn’t want to wake her up, but as they pulled up in front of the barn and he shut the engine off, she stirred.
“Hey,” he said gently. We’re here.”
“Oh! I fell asleep. I’m sorry,” she said, letting out a sweet little yawn.
“No reason to be. C’mon, let’s get everybody into the barn and fed and settled down.”
It took a little while, but they’d gotten everyone stabled, all of the animals in stalls right next to each other. Wren had gone around and filled water troughs and made sure each animal had been fed, and by the time that was done, Reese looked like she was about to drop.
“Come with me, Reese. I’ll take you to your room at the lodge,” Wren said.
“Oh I… I really don’t want to leave them,” she said, gesturing toward the stalls. “Is it okay if I just stay here?”
Wren took a breath and looked at Travis, then Derek, who both gave her a nod. “Fine. But I’m staying with you. There’s a small bedroom in the barn loft. It’s just a double bed and a nightstand, and the bed hasn’t been made in a while and probably needs a good airing out, but there’s a bathroom downstairs. We’ll have someone bring down some dinner for us, and a pair of sleeping bags.”
“I can bring everything to you,” Arlo volunteered.
He kept his face passive as Wren looked at him with her eyes narrowed. “Okayyyyy,” she said before turning back to Reese and lacing her arm through her friend’s. “Let’s go pet the bunnies. And you can tell me if your llama spits.”
Arlo looked at Derek, who gave him a wide grin. He didn’t even want to see Travis’ face.
“I’m just gonna go put the truck away,” Arlo told them.
“Uh-huh,” Travis said, one corner of his mouth lifting in what he recognized as a suppressed grin. “I’ll join you.”
“Me too,” Derek said.
As they walked back outside, he knew he was about to get grilled but good. And he knew he deserved it.