Ethan (Men of Clifton, Montana #59)

Chapter One

Wednesday morning, Ethan entered the barn to find three of his men lined up at the fence rail, arms folded on top, watching a woman run a horse around the barrels.

“Hey, boss.”

“Kurt, how’s it going?”

“She’s damn good.” Kurt nodded toward the woman. “She sure sits a saddle well.”

“Let’s hope she can train as well as she can ride.” Ethan knew she had to be Naomi Austin, the new trainer he’d talked to on the phone. They had never met before, but he was hoping to hire her. He'd checked her references and she was qualified.

Just then the horse clipped a barrel and the woman slid from the saddle, landing on her ass in the sawdust. All four men jumped the fence and ran to her.

By the time they reached her, she was already up and dusting off her jeans.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” Kurt asked, hat in hand. Ethan shot him a look, which Kurt ignored, and Ethan shook his head. He knew what that meant. Soon Kurt would be swearing he was in love.

Looking at her, Ethan could see why. Long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, blue eyes, sun-kissed freckles across the bridge of her nose. She glanced around for her hat and the men scrambled for it. Ethan rolled his eyes.

He got to it first and held it out to her. She snatched it from his hand.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve tumbled from a saddle.” She walked to the horse, rubbed its nose, and mounted again, nudging it into a trot before opening it up around the barrels.

Ethan watched her run the pattern, then checked his watch.

“You men need to get to work. It’s getting late and that hay needs turned.”

“Yes, sir,” they muttered, drifting off slowly. Ethan chuckled. He couldn’t blame them. He’d rather watch the blonde on the horse too, but he had work of his own.

He was still watching when the horse clipped another barrel. “You’re coming in too close,” he called out.

“I know how to ride,” she shouted back.

“Do you? The horse needs to be as close as possible to the barrel but not knock it over. You should be rounding the next barrels around four feet.”

He headed toward the door of the building but stopped when she called out to him.

“Hey!”

He faced her with a raised eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Do you happen to know where I can find Ethan Harrison, the owner? I’m supposed to meet with him this morning but haven’t seen him yet. Is he always this late when he has an interview scheduled?”

Ethan tilted his head down, then looked at her. “Why were you riding if you hadn’t talked to the owner yet?”

“I was a little early and wanted to get to know the horse.” She patted the horse’s neck. “This beauty knows what she’s doing.”

“She should. She’s a five-time champion.”

“Then why am I riding her?”

Ethan walked back to where she sat on the horse. “That’s a good question. You shouldn’t be. Who picked her for you?”

“No one. I got her myself–”

“So, you just walk into someone else’s barn, take a horse and decide to ride it?”

“What was I supposed to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Wait for the owner?”

“He’s running late.”

“And that gives you the right to ride one of his horses? How would you know which horse to take? Just close your eyes and pick one?”

Ethan watched as she dismounted and walked toward him.

“Are you his manager or something?”

“Or something.” He turned from her to walk from the barn. “Make sure you put the horse up. You ride; you put the horse up.” He glanced over his shoulder at her.

“Yes, sir,” she said with a salute, making him bite his lip to hold back a grin, then headed for the door again. “Hey, what is your name? In case I need to make some kind of complaint about you in the future. I have a feeling we’re going to butt heads because you obviously are never wrong.”

“I can’t afford to be wrong.” He shook his head. “Get that horse cooled down, put her back into her stall and give her fresh oats.”

“Jerk,” she muttered but he heard her and faced her again.

“If you want a job here, you’d better learn to get along with everyone.”

“Including you?” She placed her hands on her hips.

“Especially me.”

“Why especially you?”

He touched the brim of his hat and nodded. “I’m Ethan Harrison, Ms. Austin.”

Then he walked out the door.

****

Naomi watched him leave, jaw tight. She waited until the door swung shut before she let herself react.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” She stamped her foot. “Naomi Lee Austin, you’re an absolute idiot.”

But even as she said it, she was already thinking how to make it right. She wanted this job too badly to let one argument derail it. Ethan Harrison was going to see exactly what she was capable of, whether he liked it or not.

Naomi huffed out a breath, entered the corral, and led the mare into the barn to cool it down. Once she had her settled in her stall and the gate latched, the horse immediately stretched her head over the door. Naomi rubbed her velvety nose.

“I had a feeling you were doing way too well to be a beginner,” she murmured, glancing toward the house across the yard. “I suppose I should find Mr. Harrison and hope I still have a job. I’ll see you later, girl.”

She strode out of the barn into the sunlight and crossed the yard.

At the side door she knocked, then stepped back and let herself actually look at the place for the first time.

It was beautiful, a sprawling log house with a wraparound porch, white swings hanging from the ceiling on iron hooks, and azaleas crowding the steps in full bloom.

The door opened and she turned. All thought left her head.

She hadn’t been able to see him clearly in the dim barn, but out here in the sunlight there was nowhere to hide from it; the man was devastating. Handsome didn’t come close. She couldn’t decide if she liked him better with or without his hat.

“Ms. Austin.” The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “What can I do for you?” He folded his arms across his broad chest and leaned against the doorjamb like he had all the time in the world.

“You could let me have this job.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You haven’t proved anything to me other than showing you could ride an already trained horse.”

She stared at him. He was baiting her. She cleared her throat.

“Look, Mr. Harrison, I’m good at what I do, and we got off on the wrong foot.”

“I haven’t seen how good you are yet.”

Naomi clenched her fists. He wanted her to say it out loud. She exhaled.

“I’m sorry I took a horse out without permission. I got here early and wanted something to do while I waited. No one was around.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “And that is your fault.”

His eyes dropped to her finger, then back to her face. “My fault. How do you figure?”

“You were late. We were supposed to meet at eight.”

“I apologize.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I said, I apologize. You’re right, I was late.

” He straightened away from the door jamb.

“But that doesn’t give you the right to take a horse out without asking anyone.

You just assumed it was fine. The horses that need training aren’t even kept in the barn you were in; you would have known that if you’d waited.

My manager Kurt was here. You could have asked him. ”

“No one—”

“I know. No one was around.” His voice wasn’t unkind, but it was firm.

“You knew we had an appointment, so you knew I’d show up.

This is my property after all. I had a client meeting run long; it happens.

But if you’re going to work here, you need to understand what you can and can’t do on my ranch. ”

Naomi took a deep breath. “Alright.”

“Alright? Just like that? No argument?”

“I want this job.”

Ethan chuckled, and she had trouble keeping her eyes off his face.

“You must if you caved that fast. Okay, Ms. Austin, we’ll see how this goes, but it depends on when I see what you can do.”

Naomi smiled. “Alright. You won’t regret it.”

“I’d better not.” He reached inside the door and settled a cowboy hat onto his head. “Let me show you the apartment. Follow me.”

“Yeah,” she murmured, her eyes dropping to his Wranglers and noticing how well they fit. “No problem there.”

Without saying much, Ethan led her around the side of another barn and up the exterior staircase. He unlocked the door, pushed it open, and stepped aside.

Naomi entered slowly.

It was nice, nicer than she’d expected. An open living area, a kitchen that had actually been updated, windows on two sides with a clear view of the arena and the pastures beyond. Her horse could be down there. She could wake up every morning and see all of it.

“Bathroom is through there,” Ethan said from behind her. “Washer and dryer in the closet. Utilities included.”

She kept her eyes on the window. “It’s nice.”

“It comes with the position.” He let a beat pass. “If you get it.”

She turned then. He was watching her the same way he’d watched her in the arena, measuring, giving nothing away.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I still need to see what you can do. On a green horse, not one that already knows the job.” He glanced around the apartment once, as if reminding them both what was on the line. “Impress me and we’ll talk. Don’t, and there’s no point in any of this.”

Naomi looked back at the window. The pastures. The arena.

“When?” she said.

“Now. Meet me in the next barn.”

He left without waiting for an answer.

She stood there a moment longer than she needed to, then followed him down.

He was already crossing the yard by the time she hit the bottom step. She had to move to keep up.

She followed him into the barn and through to the corral. The barrels were already set up. She was glad to see the floor was covered in sawdust; she knew how hard that ground could get.

Ethan disappeared into the barn without a word. She stood alone in the corral and looked at the pattern. Three barrels, cloverleaf formation, same as always. She’d run this pattern hundreds of times. Thousands, maybe.

She rolled her shoulders and waited.

****