Chapter 3
Rafe
The Drive
Rory had worked out better than I had expected. It had been a little over a week and already she had most of my office organized.
I had a detailed list of things I needed to fix in all the buildings around the ranch. The downside? She had a menagerie of animals following her around the ranch. And she didn’t seem to mind.
It started on day one, when she left the chicken coop open by accident and my chickens followed her to one of the barns.
By day four, she had the chickens, the two goats I rescued earlier in the year and the barn cats following behind her as she went and inspected the buildings.
If Snow White and the Pied Piper had a baby, she’d be the sexy-as-fuck woman walking around my ranch.
She had them hold vigil while she fixed the things she could, and made one hell of a noise as she pushed and shoved her way through spaces that had not been used in years.
Then there was her fucking pen. The one she took everywhere with her. It was either between her teeth or behind her ear. My favorite, though, was when she’d been working hard and all that curly hair got in her way, and she used the pen to hold it up. Sexiest thing I had ever seen.
She hadn’t been on a horse since she arrived, and I imagined she would look good on one. But there was one part of living on the Cliffs she needed to get a handle on first.
Every morning since she had arrived, as promised, someone had always been available to fetch her, and then drop her back at the cabin in the evening. No one minded, and we would all continue to do it. But it would be irresponsible not to make sure she was able to drive on the Cliffs.
I carried on working on the broken tractor while she worked on her chores. At the noise of the chickens moving closer, I slipped my flannel back on and closed the hood.
For once, the day promised to be warm. In fact, the next few days promised to be scorchers, which was why Calvin and his men were in a panic. The early morning fog had lifted. The conditions were perfect for what I needed to do.
Not even ten minutes later, she walked toward the main house with the biggest smile on her face. She spotted me and her eyes widened. “Lola, is trying to fly. And I am almost sure I taught Moody how to sit on command.”
Lola was a chicken, she’d been named on day one. I had no idea who Moody was though. “Who?”
“I told you Lola’s a chicken. Moody is the black and white cat. He sits when I tell him to.”
I let out a big sigh. Of course, she had named the animals. “Are you giving the barn cats treats?”
“Only bits of bread and stuff.” She rested her hands on her hips, where her thick sweater was knotted. “They’re being really good, Grouchy. Are you keeping the goats to milk them someday? Because you have a whole herd of cows for that.”
I shook my head, not able to ignore her. “Not how a cattle farm works, City.”
Even though I knew she was raised on a breeding farm and she had more than shown me she could hold her own on my ranch, the nickname had stuck. Much the same way she called me Grouchy. Though, I probably deserved the name.
“I’m just going to clean up real quick, then I’ll be in the office for the rest of the day.” She headed toward the door, but I stepped in front of her. The flowery smell of her shampoo or shower gel hit me and I took a step back.
I took a moment to get my bearings. “Not today, City.” I cocked my head toward my truck. “Today you’re coming with me to run some errands. Get feed for your chickens and so on. Get your purse, you may want to grab a few things too.”
“Cool.” She said and headed inside. Less than two minutes later she jogged back outside and headed straight for the passenger door.
It was locked, and I wasn’t there to help her get in, which was usually the case. “Na-ah. This side, Rory.”
“What?” Her eyes widened but she made no attempt to move around the vehicle. “You cannot be serious.”
My brows lifted as I stared at her. “As a heart attack, in fact. Come, keys are already in the ignition waiting for you. You do know how to drive, right?”
“Yes.” She nodded with exaggeration. “And before you ask, yes, I know how to drive a stick shift.”
“Good. Then there’s no problem.”
Slowly, like a kitten testing whether he can test out the predators around him, she walked to the driver’s side.
I opened the door and once again my hands found her waist as I boosted her inside.
She was tiny behind the wheel and I needed to resist the very strong urge to change my mind. “Are you sure about this?”
“If you want to live on the High Road, then you need to drive on the High Road.” I made my way around to the passenger’s side. “Start her up, and don’t grind the gears. She’s older than you are.”
She turned the key and my truck started up. Was I nervous I handed my truck over to a virtual stranger who I had never driven with before? Of course. The only other person who had driven my truck was Calvin. But the man could handle the truck better than me.
As we drove down the path and onto the road that led off the ranch, Rory’s nerves kicked in. At least, I thought it was her nerves. She rambled on about the animals and the buildings around the ranch.
“Mimi, the small black female barn cat is pregnant, I think. I’ll keep an eye on her.” She carried on as if everything was one long thought. “And the roof of the bunk house needs fixing. I think if you leave it for too much longer the rain will be its undoing.”
It took me a moment to understand what she had said. “City, when the fuck were you on the roof?”
“This morning.” She kept her focus on the road, not moving her gaze for even a moment.
“There’s an extra-length ladder in the barn.
I checked the barn that houses the coop and the goats.
And then the bunk house too. I’ll check the rest tomorrow.
It was getting hot. Does it usually get this hot this late in the year? ”
I took a deep breath not wanting to think of her up on the roof.
Not the bunk house or any of the fucking barns.
My hands gripped the seat, my nails digging into the upholstery as the thought of her climbing up there with no harness hit me.
“Firstly, there will be no more roof hopping. We have safety equipment. You could’ve been killed. ”
“Relax, Grouchy. Jeez. Dramatic much.”
Oh, she could mock me all she wanted, but I would keep her safe. Even if she scared me to death in the process.
She white-knuckled the steering wheel and it became obvious all the chatter was meant to be a distraction. “Now, breathe. This road is still fine and the sun has taken away all the slipperiness. Just relax.”
Her shoulders eased a fraction but her knuckles remained nearly translucent as she gripped the steering wheel.
We drove away from the ranch and passed her cabin.
The longer we drove, the more her pleasant disposition disappeared.
I should’ve been happy her cheerfulness had dampened.
But I hated being the person who took the smile off her face.
I kept my voice even as we drove off the property and headed for the highway.
“I want you to slow down a little. We’re coming to a sharp turn.
Keep your eyes on the road, do not look at the ocean. ”
She nodded, not saying a word. Her foot had eased off the accelerator quite a bit and she drove slow enough for me to start getting impatient, but I wouldn’t let it show.
If she needed to do this slowly, then we’d move at a snail’s pace, it wasn’t like either of us were in a rush.
The section we were approaching was not just a road.
It was like a shelf carved into the rock.
No guard rails, and no signs. All we had was history and experience.
Rory started to take the corner, she turned her head and the car swerved a little too wide. Immediately, I pulled on the steering wheel, tugging it back to where she needed it. Gravel kicked up, and if I bothered to check, I would see it falling down into the abyss.
“Don’t look at the water. The ocean pulls everyone.” My hand was still on the wheel. “Look at me.”
She turned to me, her warm brown eyes wide, lips berry-red from biting it. “Rafe, there’s no edge. Everything just drops.”
Yeah, I could tell the moment the ocean grabbed her. I held her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Breathe, City. You got this. Stop strangling the wheel. Feel the dirt beneath you. It will guide you. And trust I am here no matter what.”
That last line just popped out. I knew I could grab the wheel if needed. I knew we were safe. But I wanted her to turn the corner without my assistance. As much as I needed her to trust me, I also needed her to trust herself.
Rory took a deep breath, put the car back in gear and hit the gas.
She moved forward and slowly made her way around the sharp corner.
There was no lingering, no more overthinking.
She checked the mirrors, once. Likely to make sure we were not holding up anyone behind us.
And then made the turn. It was a good thing we were not relying on her momentum, because there was none.
It was a slow crawl as we moved around the bend known as Devil’s Elbow.
Once we hit the straight section and onto the bridge where there were guardrails, she let out a long deep breath.
“Fuck, that was scary.” She let out a giggle I guessed was from nerves as she continued along the bridge.
I nodded over at her. “Well done.” I was so proud of her. She’d be driving these roads by herself in no time. Which reminded me. “We’ll do the errands together until you are confident. You don’t do that turn with anyone but me or Calvin in the car with you until then.”
“Sure.”
The rest of the drive was less eventful.
Rory could talk about anything and everything.
It was like a thought popped into her head and she needed to share it immediately.
At least, that was the impression she gave.
I knew she had secrets. The details of what she was hiding from was still a mystery but I knew her family was the reason she was here.
I stopped at the post office first and collected my mail. It wasn’t like I received a lot of personal shit, but some of my suppliers still sent their invoices in the mail. When I climbed back into the truck, I handed the entire bundle over to Rory.
“These are mostly bills and other ranch stuff.” Our fingers brushed against each other, and heat spread up my arm. I swallowed hard at the pull of her. “Sort what needs to be paid and what can be tossed.”
She pulled her hand away first, gripping tight onto the bundle of mail. “What’s next?”
“I need to get to the Feed and Seed. Then I need to get the vineyard and help Calvin set up. I’ll drop you off at the Ranch or the cabin first. Whichever you prefer.”
Confusion marred her pretty face as her brows knitted together. “What’s happening at the vineyard?”
“Midnight Harvest.” The event was a lot more glamorous than the name suggested. “Cal and his men will pick grapes all night. There are not enough men so I’ll head over tonight with my men and hope there are enough hands for what needs to be done.”
I gave her directions to Miller’s Feed and Seed, and stepped out before she even switched it off. I was at her door and helped her out. “Come, let’s get these treats for your menagerie.”
Before we reached the door, someone called my name. “Rafe.”
Both Rory and I turned, my shoulders relaxed when I spotted Alicia, Calvin’s fiancée. “Allie. Good to see you.”
“Nice to see you. And the person who stripped me of my newest resident in town status. I’m Alicia Powers. But you can call me Allie. I’m Cal’s fiancée.”
Rory took the other woman’s hand and smiled. “I’m Rory. Rafe’s new employee.”
Again, she didn’t give a last name. She had asked to leave it off the paperwork she had filled out as well.
Allie darted her gaze between Rory and me. “Can I borrow her for a little while?”
“Why.” I narrowed my eyes on her. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her. Allie was Abe’s sister, she understood the situation. Probably understood it better than me.
She smiled. “She needs girl time. And clothes that don’t scream ‘out of towner.’ We’ll get what you need from inside, too.”
I turned to Rory, ready to put my foot down if she was not comfortable with Allie. “It’s up to you.”
Rory darted her eyes around before giving Allie a once over. “You know what? I can do with some girl time.”
“If anything happens to her, your brother and his friends will come after me. Be careful.” I nodded and then looked over to Rory. “I’ll meet you both at the vineyard. Drive carefully.”
As I stepped into my truck I watched as she laughed with Allie. Fuck, I was an idiot. Of course, someone as out-going as her needed more friends.
Disappointment flowed through me as the realization hit. She was laughter and light, even with everything she was going through. I was a man drowning in debt, holding onto a sinking ranch. I would only pull her under with me.