Daisy
ten
Charlie finds me hiding in the barn house around lunchtime the next day.
She lets herself in and glances at the boxes stacked along one wall.
I moved the rest of my belongings down from the main house last night, but I haven’t had a chance to unpack anything, unless you count the way my T-shirts spill out of one suitcase and my boots have tumbled out of a shabby cardboard box.
“You need help with those?” she asks.
I look up from my laptop. “Huh?”
She tips her head toward the mess. “Do you want help unpacking?”
“Oh. Thanks, but no. I’ll get to it.”
“Okay, but the offer stands if you change your mind.”
I hide my grin as Charlie surveys the room, her fingers twitching with the impulse to tidy up, before she drops into the second camping chair I borrowed from the main house garage.
“We missed you at the business meeting this morning,” she says.
“You had coffee with Dylan,” I say distractedly, “which you do every day. You’ve never missed me before.”
“True, but I was hoping you’d be there to update us on the situation with hiring.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Is that CEO speak for ‘what’s the situation with your ex and his kid?’”
Charlie tilts her head like she expects better from me. “We need to talk about it. If not as sisters, then because yes. I’m CEO.”
“You’re right.” I push away my laptop and scrub the grit from my eyes. I haven’t slept a full night since Beau arrived. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there this morning, but I’m handling it. You don’t need to worry.”
Charlie laughs dryly. “Telling me not to worry is like asking me not to breathe.”
I smile despite myself, and her expression turns thoughtful. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“When you came home last summer, I thought it was because after ten years away, you were finally ready to return to Silver Leaf, but that wasn’t it, was it?”
My stomach tightens, and it must show on my face because Charlie’s expression softens.
“I’m not going to pry, but I have to ask one thing. If Beau meant that much to you, why did you never tell us about him? Or bring him home so we could meet him?”
I shrug and curl in on myself. “I don’t know. We traveled a lot, and we worked all the time. I guess I was waiting for the right moment.”
“How long were you together?”
I look at my hands in my lap, then pick at a broken nail. “Sixteen months.”
Charlie’s brows shoot up. “Wow. So it was serious?”
My heart clenches at how serious it almost was. “You could say that.”
“And if things hadn’t ended,” she says carefully, “would you be here now instead of somewhere else with him?”
“I don’t know.” I force myself to meet her eyes. “Probably not.”
She nods like she’s not surprised by my answer but would have preferred another. I wish the truth was different too.
“But that’s irrelevant now,” I say. “Beau’s looking for another job, and I’m making inquiries too.” I spin my laptop to show her the emails I’ve sent. “I’m not hiding anything, and I’m not dodging my responsibilities. I’m trying to make this right.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” she says. “But—”
My phone rings, cutting off whatever Charlie was about to say, and my screen lights up with an unknown number. I’d normally ignore it, but I’ll do anything to change the subject, even talk to a telemarketer.
I hit Accept and put the handset to my ear. “Hello?”
A deep voice answers me. “Hello. Is this Daisy?”
“Yes?”
“Oh, good,” he says warmly. “I’m glad I caught you. I’m sorry to call so late, but I just saw your email and didn’t want to wait.”
“My email?” I glance at my computer. I’ve sent dozens of emails in the last few days, and there’s nothing in my inbox to hint at who this guy might be. “I’m sorry—who is this?”
He chuckles, and the sound is so friendly, I find myself smiling back. Charlie tosses me a what’s going on? look, and I shrug.
“It’s Duke Montgomery. From Emberfield up at Kismet Creek?”
“Duke? Oh, my gosh. Hello! How are you? How’s Joy? And the kids?”
Duke and his wife were old friends of my parents.
They run a small estate in Napa, and with five kids of their own, same as my parents, our families spent a fair bit of time together over the years.
I haven’t seen, let alone spoken to Duke since I was in high school, but now that I know he’s the one on the other end of the line, his voice is suddenly familiar.
Charlie pokes my shoulder, demanding more context, so I switch to speakerphone.
“I’m glad to hear you remember me,” Duke says. “And I’m well. Joy too. And the kids?” He chuckles wistfully. “They’re your age! And all doing fine. Thanks for asking. But that’s not why I’m calling. I want to offer your man a job.”
Charlie’s brows shoot up hopefully at the same time my stomach drops.
“That’s great to hear, Duke.” I hate the way my voice wobbles, and I go on with more control. “But I didn’t send you an email about work. How did you find out we were looking?”
“Hope you don’t mind. I’m in touch with Fitz over at First Reins Ranch in North County. He shared your information as soon as he got your note.”
“Oh. I see.”
Charlie leans in, and I shut my eyes as the pieces come together.
I worked for Fitz at First Reins my second summer away from Silver Leaf.
Now that I think about it, Duke was the reason I got that job.
Reaching out to Fitz after all these years was supposed to be a long shot at finding work for Beau.
But First Reins is on the other end of the state, which would have put Beau Covington firmly out of my mind and out of my reach, so it was worth a try.
Kismet Creek is about an hour north of here, and that’s an hour too close.
“So, here’s the thing, Daisy,” Duke says. “We’re losing our best stable hand in the fall, and we need someone solid to replace him. You think your man fits the description?”
I hesitate. The thought of Beau building a life so close to Silver Leaf makes my chest heavy, but I know how it’ll look if I knock this back, and Charlie already looks relieved.
“I do,” I say slowly. “He’s raising a little boy and needs something permanent. Does the job come with lodgings suitable for a child? Plus benefits?”
“Sure does.”
Charlie gives me an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and my throat tightens.
“Well, Duke, that does sound promising,” I manage to say. “I’ll talk to Beau, but I’m sure he’ll agree. Good news is that he can be there by the weekend and ready to start on Monday.”
“Oh, no,” Duke says. “No, no, no. Job’s not available until the fall. Didn’t I say that? If you’ve got something to keep your friend busy for the summer, we’ll be glad to have him here the first week of September.”
“September?” I don’t know why my muscles clench and release almost instantly. Relief? Resistance? Both? “But it’s only July.”
I glance at Charlie and catch a flicker of her grimace before she gives me a noncommittal shrug, effectively handing me the power to decline or accept.
“That’s right,” Duke confirms. “September. So what do you say?”
Can I survive eight weeks of torment if it earns my sister’s respect?
Can I work beside Beau and pretend I’m fine if it means he moves on to a great job at the end of it—one that’s not only a good opportunity for him but best for Ollie too?
Maybe eight weeks will give me the answers I need to finally unravel the ropes Beau tied around my heart.
Eight weeks to get over him, once and for all.
Charlie waits, eyes on me, so I do the only thing I can do.
“Sounds perfect,” I say steadily. “He’ll take it.”