Chapter 3
B randon rolled his head from side to side, feeling the pull in the back of his neck. And still, the words wouldn’t leave his mind.
“Lord,” he said with plenty of disgust in his voice. “This place needs to be burnt to the ground. It would be better if it did.”
And he wasn’t wrong.
She needs help. You can help her.
“She needs a reality check,” Brandon grumbled. He turned and looked out his window, his eyes catching on the faint, partial reflection there.
I see her. I know her. I sent you to her.
A heavy sigh built in his stomach and rose through his chest and sputtered out of his mouth. “Fine,” he said to the Good Lord Above. “But I want Your Hand in everything I do here.”
He looked up and raised his eyebrows, almost feeling ridiculous talking to himself.
He’d had a rocky relationship with God these past several months, but he couldn’t deny he knew the Lord was there.
He didn’t always answer Brandon’s prayers and pleadings the way he’d like, but Brandon couldn’t deny His existence.
“You can’t drop this in my lap and abandon me, okay?”
God went silent again, but Brandon’s pulsing heartbeat wouldn’t allow him to ease his foot off the brake. He’d mutter to himself the whole way home if he did that. So, with another sigh, he jammed the truck into park and reached to open his door.
His boots hitting the ground sounded like the end of the world as he knew it, and he took an extra moment to let his gaze linger on the corner of the weathered tarp—color unknown, because it was so faded—that flapped in the breeze.
It covered a heap of something Brandon didn’t even want to speculate about.
He then faced Lenore, once again struck with her beauty. As he started toward her, God suddenly found His voice again and started shouting sentences in Brandon’s head.
She’s strong and capable. She just needs a little bit of help and someone to show her and teach her how to do a few things. There’s a reason no one else could find this homestead but you could, Brandon.
Lenore didn’t move toward him at all, and in fact, she folded her arms and her jaw jumped as he stalked toward her.
And finally, as he came to a stop an arm’s length away, God said, I will be there for both of you.
He opened his mouth, not sure what to say. “Are you married?” came out of his mouth.
Lenore blinked rapidly and actually fell back a step. “Am I married?”
“I—” Brandon wasn’t sure where that question had come from, because the thought hadn’t even been in his head.
“Am I the only one here to help?” He glanced toward the cabin.
“No boyfriend who’ll come on the weekends who knows how to use a hammer?
No fiancé hiding in the barn who is an expert at fencing? No husband who can lend a hand?”
He folded his arms too, because two could play her game.
“No,” she bit out. “No boyfriend, no fiancé, no husband.”
“So it’s really just the two of us.”
“Yes.”
“For three months.”
“Yes.”
Another sigh flapped past his lips. “I gotta be real honest, Lenore.” He liked saying her name, and so many things were making him hot right now. “I don’t think the two of us can get this place up to speed in only three months.”
“It’s all I can pay you,” she said, finally releasing her clenched arms. “If you can teach me, and we can get the most critical things done, I can take it from there.” She wore such hope in her face, and for a moment, Brandon had the distinct feeling he could see her the way the Lord did.
She did need help, and Brandon could offer it. He’d like a job off the family ranch too, and he looked past her to the cabin one more time. That could be his cabin. All his.
“I can do this job,” he said. “Do you have a contract for me to sign?”
Lenore did the fast blinking again. “Yes,” she said, though Brandon smelled a little white lie. “I can get you one.”
“It’s for the best,” Brandon said. “It would be nice to have Sunday morning off, so I can go to church.”
More blinking. “Okay,” she said.
“I don’t mind working six days a week, but we always did the bare essentials on Sundays, and I’m not an early riser. I’d prefer to work say, nine-thirty to whenever I’m done than have to get up early. If things are talked out first, then you’re not mad, and I’m not mad, and nobody is disappointed.”
A wonderful, terrifying thought entered his mind. “Perhaps I could take you to breakfast one day for us to get to know each other better, so we can then hammer out how we’ll work together.”
“Breakfast? You just said you’re not an early riser.”
“Lunch, then,” he said. “Or dinner. Or just for cheesecake. They have that new cheesecake place in town, and my sister-in-law can’t stop talking about it.” He gave her half a smile, hoping she’d soften up a little.
Especially because now he knew she didn’t have a boyfriend or anyone else in her life.
But you’re not dating right now.
He pushed that reminder out of his head as Lenore pulled out her phone and started swiping. “What about on Sunday after church? What time is that?”
“Ten,” he said. “We could do lunch after church, sure. That should give you some time to fix up your contract.” Or get one together at all. “I can send you my personal information, so you’ll have it for that.”
“So eleven-thirty?”
“Sure,” he said. “I can be out here by eleven-thirty.”
She typed something into her phone and then raised her eyes to his. “Why would you come out here?”
“To pick you up?” he guessed.
“I can just meet you in town somewhere,” she said.
Brandon took a step toward her, because he knew how to flirt with women. Sudden anxiety flooded him, and he stalled. “Do you go to church, Lenore?”
“I haven’t for a while, no,” she said. “I’m assuming you go to church somewhere on the south side of town.”
“Yeah,” he said. “That pretty red brick building across from the Riverwalk Park? The sermons aren’t bad.” Even though Brandon sometimes felt nothing during the sermon, he always felt better about himself just for going to church.
“I’ll look it up,” Lenore said. “And pick something close to it.”
“I can drive wherever,” he said. “Especially by eleven-thirty.”
A hint of what had to be impatience crossed her face. “Okay, I’ll text you,” she said, and Brandon had the very real feeling he should get out of there while he one, still had the job, and two, still had a date on the calendar.
It’s not a date , he told himself. He was not dating right now. It’s a meeting to sign an employment contract.
He reached up and tipped his cowboy hat, though Lenore had refocused on her phone again. “All right, then, Lenore,” he said. “I’ll see you Sunday.” He turned and started back toward his still-running truck.
He’d taken five or six steps before Lenore called, “Thank you, Brandon. See you Sunday,” in the most chipper voice he’d heard her use yet.
He groaned and sighed as he got behind the wheel and rebuckled his seat belt. He wanted to have a real discussion with God on the way back to Hidden Hills, but he ended up making the drive with the radio off and only his thoughts for company.
And they weren’t vitriolic or hissing threats to the Lord about helping him. Brandon just…sat with himself, and it wasn’t a bad place to be. The moment he turned onto the road that led up the hill to the epicenter of the ranch, the unease returned.
He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he knew he had a full day of work ahead of him, and that he’d gotten up hours earlier than normal. He drove past Duke and Zona’s place, then past the road that led to Dawson and Caroline’s.
The two-story farmhouse stood on the left, and Brandon went past it and then in front of his cabin too. He finally arrived at the barn, and he killed the engine with a semi-smile on his face.
“But hey,” he said softly to himself. “You got the job.”
He got out of the truck and faced the barn. Now he had to go tell Duke and Dawson that he got the job.
Brandon ignored his phone as it chimed for the sixth time in as many seconds. He fiddled with his tie—the third one he’d picked out. He’d gotten this particular one from Good Will, and it boasted pastel dinosaurs against a forest green background.
“Pastel dinosaurs?” He loosened the tie and lifted it over his head. “You’re not in fifth grade.” He tossed the now-offensive garment on his bed, wondering why he cared so much about what his tie looked like. He’d have worn the dinosaur tie without an issue any other Sunday. He had, in fact.
Today, though, he wore a dark green pair of pants with his white shirt and black cowboy boots, and he felt like the only way to stand out was the slip of silk around his neck. It had to be perfect, though he wasn’t even sure Lenore would see it.
Men really had limited fashion choices for church, and he reminded himself Lenore didn’t go to church. “So maybe I should take a polo to change into.”
He still hadn’t chosen a tie when his brother said, “What are you doing? Are you riding with us today or what?”
Brandon turned toward Dawson, who wore his grumpy older brother face. In that moment, he remembered that his phone had gone off several times. “No, sorry,” he said. “I’m meeting that woman after church today to go over the contract.”
Dawson’s frown deepened. “I can’t believe you’re going to go live on that homestead for three months.”
Brandon turned his back on his brother, because Dawson had a way of seeing things on Brandon’s face he wanted to keep hidden. “I can’t find a tie.”
“You can’t find a tie?” Dawson entered the bedroom and picked up all three discarded ties. He looked at them for a moment while Brandon pulled a bright blue polo from his closet and folded it against his chest.
“What’s that woman’s name again?”
Brandon cut his brother a glare. “It has nothing to do with her.”
“Oh, I think it has everything to do with her.” Dawson’s frown had disappeared, and he nudged Brandon out from in front of the closet and reached for a tie. “Try this one. It’s vintage and modern at the same time.”
“That’s not even possible.”
“You got it from Rory, right?” He shook the tie, and Brandon took it.
Yes, he’d gotten it for his birthday last year from Aurora Walker, Oliver’s wife.
She did have a way with a sewing machine and old clothing, and he looked down at the classic paisley pattern with wide stitches—a testament of yesteryear—that had been sewn into a skinny tie that mirrored today’s fashions.
He looped it around his neck and faced the mirror. The tie looked great, and he let his hands drop to his side as Dawson joined him. Their eyes met in the mirror, and Brandon knew he’d tell his brother everything whether he wanted to or not.
“Fine, Lenore is really pretty.”
Dawson grinned at him. “I’m sure she is.”
“She’s the woman I met in the hardware store a few months ago.” He turned away from his reflection and moved to pick up the polo. “But I’m still not dating right now.”
“No, you’re going to work for her.”
“Yeah,” Brandon said. “That’s all this is. I work with pretty people all the time.” He grinned at his brother. “I mean, you and Duke are practically models.”
Dawson burst out laughing, and Brandon led the way out of his bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen. He grabbed his wallet and grinned at his brother. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Ain’t no thing,” Dawson said. “Now we can sit in the back.” He smiled at Brandon and headed for the front door.
All Brandon needed now was his keys, and he swiped them from the hook beside the fridge, ready to go. But he didn’t go. He stood there in his quiet cabin and took a deep breath. Today felt important somehow, and Brandon didn’t want to miss something crucial.
“Well, you will standin’ here,” he told himself, and that got him over to the couch, where he kept Dumpling’s bed. “Hey, buddy, I’ve got to go.” He leaned down and stroked his big cowboy hand down the orange tabby cat’s back.
The cat purred and rolled so Brandon would rub his belly, which he did. “I’ll be back later.” And with that, he faced the front door and took the first step toward what he hoped was going to be a great Sabbath Day, from the sermon to the meal afterward.