Chapter 8
Athena stared at the suitcase with disdain. “What do you want me to do with that? It’s not exactly traveling light.”
“Whatever you don’t like or doesn’t fit, just give it back to me and I’ll return it.”
This guy seriously thought she’d want to try everything on like some kind of fashion show? What was he expecting? For her to traipse around wearing what he’d picked out for her? He didn’t know her style. What he was suggesting sounded utterly ridiculous. First, he went and spent good money on something she didn’t want. Now he was saying he’d spend more money to drive back to the store and return it. For someone who had grown up without parents, who had probably struggled financially, he was being far too careless with the money he currently had.
He motioned to the suitcase again. “It’s deceptively light. As long as you’re not trying to run away from someone who caught you sneaking into their barn, you should be able to get around with it just fine.”
Her cheeks flushed and her scowl deepened. Why did he have to go and point that out? It wasn’t like she’d broken into their house and taken something. That stall wasn’t being used.
Henry sighed. “Fine, if you’re not going to take it up to your room, I will. Dinner is going to be in about an hour. You can join us or hide away. It’s up to you.” He reached for the suitcase and stomped toward the house. The guy had to be crazy. That was the only thing that made sense.
Athena marched off toward the barn. At least there, she wasn’t going to be judged. She spun on her heel as she reached the doorway and darted into the shelter she’d claimed as her own the night before and nearly bumped into a pretty blond woman.
“Oh!” The woman let out a laugh and placed her hand over her heart. Her long lashes fluttered several times, and she craned her neck around to look past Athena. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.” She held out her hand. “I’m Brielle.”
Athena stared at the woman’s hand. She’d heard the name and had expected the woman to be some hoity-toity sort of person. She wasn’t wrong. The woman standing in front of her was trim with every hair in place. She wore a cowboy hat and fitted jeans. Her shirt wasn’t wrinkled or disheveled like most of the folks wore around here. And her smile was befitting that of a queen.
Slowly, Brielle withdrew her hand and shoved it along with the other in her back pockets. “I’d heard that the guys wanted to hire someone, but I wasn’t expecting a woman. It’ll be nice to have more female blood around here if you know what I mean.” She winked at Athena. “What did you say your name was?”
Athena took a step back, immediately regretting coming this way. She should have known better. Of course someone would be in the barn. This was a ranch. There were cowboys everywhere.
Brielle chuckled. “I guess you’re shy. Or maybe you’re mute?” She tilted her head. “I suppose you wouldn’t be able to tell me who did the hiring?”
Shaking her head, Athena took another step back.
“No, I didn’t suppose you would. There are a lot of guys around here. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep them all straight, you know what I mean?” Brielle thumbed over her shoulder. “Have they given you the grand tour yet? I can introduce you to the horses. We just got two new ones and they’re getting adjusted to the place, but the others would probably like to meet you.”
Athena glanced toward the rows of stalls. Horses poked their heads out of a few of them, bobbing and nickering as if they were telling her Brielle spoke the truth. Without realizing exactly why, Athena nodded.
“Great!” Without warning, Brielle looped her arm through Athena’s and practically dragged her through the barn. “I don’t know if they told you what happens here. We run one of the smaller cattle farms. But my husband is also working on edging into horse training. I guess we do a bit of everything. You can blame Wade for that. I think he was trying to figure things out when he was a teenager, and he couldn’t settle on just one thing.” She laughed. “Wade wasn’t the one who interviewed you, was he?”
Athena shook her head. She didn’t know what Brielle might do when she found out that Athena wasn’t here for a job. Depending on the kind of person she was, Brielle might even choose to give Athena the boot.
“This is the horse I ride most often. She’s sweet as sugar. Her name is Olive.” Brielle pulled them to a stop in front of a horse that stuck out its head with curiosity. She blew out a snort and then ducked back inside. “Over there are the horses that the guys like to ride. There’s Barley, Cookie, Otis…”
Athena’s eyes swept over to the other side, where a large black horse peeked out its head. That had been the stall Athena had slept in. Was it possible the horse had been delivered today while she was out with Henry?
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Brielle moved them closer to the black horse. “He’s about four years old. Comes from a really great bloodline, but he’s stubborn. The folks who had him said they couldn’t train him to save their lives. He’s nice enough when he’s in his stall, but he doesn’t like his saddle, and the second someone tries to mount him, they get tossed right back off.” Brielle reached out a hand to pet the horse’s nose, but he retreated. “I’m determined to make him into a star.”
Athena glanced at Brielle with a question in her eyes.
Brielle smiled. “Dressage, of course. He’s too pretty to be a standard workhorse. And he’s not fast enough to be a racehorse.” She shrugged. “So, he’s gonna compete—that’s if he’ll humble himself to accept that he’s not in charge.”
Athena stared at the soulful eyes of the beast in front of her. While he was large, he didn’t seem quite as stubborn as Brielle let on. Then again, he was locked up at the moment. There was no telling what might happen if he got let out of his stall to roam free.
“I’m guessing they’re going to start you on the grunt work. That means feeding the horses, brushing them down after they’ve been exercised, and making sure they get blankets during inclement weather—unless you have other skills. I’m sure whoever it was that hired you told you that two of the Keagan men have recently moved out. They’ve managed to run this place without needing any extra help, but you’d be surprised at how much more work there is when two of them are gone.”
She listened to this woman prattle on, until a figure loomed in the doorway. Together, they turned toward the intrusion and Athena frowned.
“Oh, hey, Hudson. What are you up to today?”
Hudson’s eyes met Athena’s and his frown matched hers. “I guess you’ve met Henry’s new project.”
Inside, Athena seethed.
Brielle glanced toward Athena, then back to Hudson. “You know her?”
“We met. Briefly,” Hudson muttered. “She’s gonna stay in Mason’s old room.”
Once again, Brielle turned her attention to Athena. “So, she’s not working here?”
“I don’t know. You’re gonna have to ask Henry that. It wasn’t exactly clear how long she’s staying.” Hudson brushed past them and headed toward the tools that hung on a wall. “Have you seen the socket wrench? I’m trying to fix something, and I can’t quite get to it with what I have.”
Brielle laughed. “Do I look like the kind of person who would bother messing with your tools? I’m not gonna touch anything you guys use. I learned the hard way with my dad.” She turned to Athena, tilting her head thoughtfully. “So, tell me, Henry’s friend. Did he hire you?”
Athena lowered her gaze and then shook her head.
“Interesting. Based on the fact that you haven’t said a single word to me, am I correct in assuming that you’d rather not speak?”
The heat returned to Athena’s face. This woman probably thought she was being childish. Adults didn’t act this way. Perhaps if they were alone… she might have been persuaded to speak to her. But with Hudson here, she’d rather not say anything at all.
“It’s okay if you don’t. I’m not gonna judge you for it.”
That got Athena’s attention.
Brielle shrugged, her smile returning. “I guess there’s only one thing to say. I hope you like fried chicken. That’s what Charlie wanted to make today.”
“Fried chicken?” Hudson called out, making it clear he was eavesdropping and giving Athena more reason to keep her mouth shut.
“Yeah, and if you’re not there on time, you’re not getting a drumstick.” Brielle grinned at Athena. “See you at dinner.” With that, she hurried off.
Athena took one look at Hudson, then followed Brielle out. The last thing she wanted to do was be stuck in a room with Hudson again. The guy clearly didn’t like her.
At dinner, Athena picked at her plate, feeling the eyes of everyone who’d come to dinner glued to her. Henry had already told them her name was Sam. No one asked about her last name. No one asked where she’d come from or how long she’d be staying. The man seated beside Brielle had to be her husband, and he was the only one who seemed to be interested in her. At least a half a dozen times Athena had caught him studying her.
With his attention weighing her down, she wasn’t surprised that, for the first time in a long time, she’d lost her appetite.
“Is there something wrong with your food?” Henry leaned closer to her and whispered.
She shook her head.
“You’re not eating.”
Athena shot one final look at him and rose from her seat. Without uttering a word, she hurried from the room. It didn’t take much effort to find the front door. Once outside, she gulped in a few deep breaths as she clung to the porch column that framed the railing.
She didn’t belong here. It was time to leave and move on.
Unfortunately, something was holding her back. She couldn’t bring herself to take off like she’d planned. Athena had only been here for twenty-four hours and already she’d let herself get so comfortable that she was speaking to someone and staying in their house.
Turning around to face the offensive building, she scowled. This wasn’t like her. Never before had she felt a desire to stick around—not anywhere. What was it about this place that was so alluring?
The door opened and Henry emerged with two plates of food. He lifted both of them slightly. “Thought you might try eating out here—away from the whole crew.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Her stomach gurgled, drawing a smile to Henry’s lips. Athena rolled her eyes and snatched the outstretched plate. She moved to the edge of the porch and sat down on the top step.
Henry took a seat beside her. His shoulder bumped against hers and he flashed her a smile before picking up a piece of chicken. Her eyes delved into him, trying to dissect what it was about him that made it so easy to speak to him.
“Athena,” she murmured.