Chapter 7 Jovie
Four hours and a detailed tour of the property later, I found myself secluded in my grandfather’s office nestled off the living room of his rancher, sorting through stacks of paperwork to attempt to comprehend how he managed everything.
Rig had mentioned that grandpa left me a meticulously crafted binder containing all accounts payable and receivable for the ranch, along with a list of weekly meetings he'd attended and duties that needed completed.
Fortunately, his organizational skills, a trait I inherited from him, proved beneficial. While the binder covered everything needed for ranch operations, I still lacked a comprehensive understanding of how all the elements interconnected, the answers to which I hoped were somewhere in his office or would be revealed to me during my training with Wylie this week.
I stood up to pour myself a glass of liquor and rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. Luckily, Gloria had prepared a few extra meals for my arrival this weekend. She had also left a sweet note expressing her excitement to meet me. I heated up a dish of penne and poured myself a glass of scotch from my grandpa’s personal stash.
Though not usually a scotch drinker, tonight, sitting at my grandpa’s big wooden desk, in his empty home, it felt like I was closer to him while I sipped it.
As I delved into the binder, focusing on a section detailing the rotational grazing plan, a noise from outside in the living room made me jump. Slowly, I stood up from my desk, walking towards my grandfather’s door and cracked it open. It was quieter now as I strained to listen.
“Hello?” I called out into the darkness, wishing I had a weapon in my hand. I knew living alone was going to be a problem, but I hadn’t anticipated an intruder on my first night here.
Suddenly, one of the back guest bedroom doors flew open, revealing a tall figure.
“Who the hell are you!?” I shouted, “There are security cameras in here!” I had no idea if my grandfather had security cameras in the home.
The man looked me up and down as a slow grin spread across his face.
“Oh, calm your tits, little Jovie. I know there aren’t cameras in here and I’m here to help you.”
“Help me?” I stammered.
“Yes, scaredy pants, you’re just as jumpy as you were when you were five years old, and I threw that snakeskin on you.” He stated as he crossed the space and brushed past me into my grandfather’s office, plopping down in one of the seats.
What the hell?
“I’m guessing you’re one of Rig’s sons?” I sighed.
“Sure am, and the most handsome one out of the bunch. I’m Wylie,” he said, reaching his hand across the desk from where I now sat.
I placed my hand in his, assessing the oldest brother of the Cameron family. Wylie had deep brown, almost black hair, and bright green eyes with the slightest scruff on his cheeks. He was certainly handsome just like Nash, but there was something devilish behind the smile he wore and twinkle in his eyes.
“Um… hi. Rig mentioned you would be helping me this week, but I hadn’t expected to see you so soon. It’s still Sunday night.”
He grinned. “Our ranch is over 30 miles away, and even going 100 miles per hour in my truck, it still takes 15 minutes to get here, and frankly, I’m not waking up any earlier than I already have to wake up to help you. I’ll be sleeping here during the weeks we work together. I figured you have a couple spare bedrooms and wouldn’t mind.”
I guess that makes sense, and it will be nice not to stay here alone.
“Sure, I suppose that makes sense.” I responded.
“Whatcha drinking?” He pointed to my glass.
“Johnnie Walker, you want a glass?”
He stood, grabbed a glass from the kitchen, and sunk back down into the chair as I reached across the desk and poured him some.
“So, what time do we start tomorrow?” I asked.
He took a long sip and then kicked his feet up on my grandfather’s desk. I instantly became annoyed at the blatant disrespect as I stared at the soles of his cowboy boots a few inches from my face.
“Can you not do that, please?”
He rolled his eyes but removed his boots from the wood.
“5:30. Have to get up before the sun does.”
Shoot, that is early.
“Ok, and Rig mentioned you’re taking me through herd management tomorrow?”
“I am, should be a good way to break you in, though I don’t see you lasting long.”
I gritted my teeth at his comment but willed myself not to react and feed into what he wanted. I could tell that Wylie would enjoy getting a reaction out of me; however, he wasn’t ready to let things go that easily.
“You may have been the more adventurous of the Ashwood sisters, but I still know your type. City, proud, afraid to get your hair dirty. I give it a week until you’ve packed your bags back to Houston, and this becomes my new home. I’ll be kicking my boots up on this desk all day thinking about you in that low cut tank top, though,” he said, giving me a wink as I clenched my jaw again.
“You don’t know me, and secondly, I’m not sure how you remember me since I don’t remember you.”
He set his glass down again, his fingers traced the rim.
“You were only 5, but I was 8 so I suppose that makes sense. My dad brought us down to Clarence’s ranch once when you came to visit during a crazy heat wave. The whole state of Texas was under a drought, but his pool was still running. I pushed you under, and you got mad and told on me. Got a good lickin’ from my dad later that night.”
I rolled my eyes. I didn’t remember Wylie, or any of his brothers for that matter, but that sounded in alignment with the little I knew of the man sitting in front of me.
“So, you’ve been nursing this grudge for 22 years? It sounds like you deserved it.”
He grinned, “What happened to your sister? The pretty blonde one?”
“I only have one sister and she’s still living in Houston. She works as a manager for a major cleaning service that caters to hotels and businesses in the city.”
He chuckled. “She didn’t like dirty things even back then. Welp,” he stood up, draining the rest of his drink and tossing it on my grandfather’s messy desk, “I’m going to go rub one out in the shower and then turn in for the night. See you early in the morning. Try not to think of that image as you sleep. It gets lonely out here, so if you want some company, I’ll leave my bedroom door cracked open,” he said with a wink.
My mouth dropped open at his crassness as he left the room. I shook my head and laughed.
Wylie may be conceited, but at least I'd always know where I stood with him.