Chapter One #3
“I hope so. I worked for Mr. Jones for a long time. I’ll miss him.”
“I was sorry to hear about his passing. He was a damn good trainer. If you learned from him, I have no doubt you know what you’re doing. I spoke to Helen before I called you about the position.”
“Oh, Helen is wonderful. I’d still be there if she hadn’t decided to sell the ranch and move in with her daughter.”
“Helen used to barrel race, back in the day. I remember watching her when I was a boy. She was something else.”
“Mr. Jones showed me videos of her. No wonder she was a champion.”
Ethan opened his bag, pulled out his burger, and unwrapped it.
“This better be good,” she said.
“It’s better than good.”
Naomi took a breath and lifted the burger. She bit into it, chewed slowly, then closed her eyes and moaned.
“This is fantastic.”
“Told you.” He grinned.
She stared at him. He had a beautiful smile, perfect white teeth, and all. Did the man have any flaws? None she could see.
“So how did you end up in Clifton? I’m sure there were training jobs in Kalispell.”
“There were. None that appealed to me.”
“I hope you plan on staying. I don’t want to be looking for another trainer anytime soon.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“What about family? Nothing that might pull you back?”
Naomi clenched her jaw. “I don’t have any.”
“None?”
“None I’m interested in,” she said quietly.
“Okay. I won’t push.” He held her gaze. “I just want to know you’re not going to disappear on me.”
“No worries there.”
For a moment neither of them spoke. Then his eyes dropped to her lips and came back up to meet hers, and she felt it all the way to her toes.
She looked away. If she didn’t, she’d lean forward and kiss those sexy lips of his. It seemed awfully warm in here suddenly.
“It’s hot today, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am. Summer’s in full swing. I’d rather have fall weather myself.”
“I love winter.” She smiled.
Ethan shook his head. “Are you sure about that? You’ve experienced a Montana winter.”
“Yes, and I love it.”
He chuckled and she was just in awe of how handsome he was.
“It’ll change your mind. We get snow in September, and it doesn’t quit until mid-May or June some years.”
“Kalispell can get snow then too, but rarely. I’d say since Clifton is so close to those gorgeous Glacier Mountains, it probably does get a lot of snow early.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Naomi.”
“Alright. Naomi.” He took a bite of his burger, then picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. “So, what made you leave Kalispell?”
“Nothing was keeping me there anymore. Not after Mr. Jones passed and Helen decided to sell.” She picked up her burger. “I needed a fresh start.”
“And Clifton felt like the place for that?”
“Your ad felt like the place for that.” She smiled. “The town is a bonus.”
He nodded. “There are plenty of trails on the property too, when you want to ride for pleasure.”
“I’d love that.”
“How are you finding it so far? The town, I mean.”
“I drove down Main Street on my way back from the motel. I want to check out every single shop.” She laughed softly. “I haven’t had a chance yet.”
“You’ll like it. It’s a good town. Anything back in Kalispell worth going back for?”
“No,” she said. “Only child. Well, I have a half-sister, but we’ve never met.”
“Really?”
“My mother left me with my grandmother when I was an infant, ran off, married a man and had a baby she actually stayed for.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Are your parents still living?”
“They are. What about your father?”
“I don’t know who he is. My maternal grandmother raised me. She’s gone now.” She moved on before he could respond. “Do you have siblings?”
“Yes, two older brothers. Seth grows barley and trains cutting horses. Cole grows oats and corn for feed and trains reining horses. Our father used to grow barley, but a drought wiped out his fields and cost him his contract. He split the acreage between us and Cole took over the original ranch. His property runs north, Seth’s is south, and our parents’ stretches east.”
“You don’t grow feed?”
“No.” He tilted his head. “Ever heard of Beckett Feed?”
“Yes. It’s all the Joneses would buy.”
“Ash Beckett is a good friend of ours. That’s who Cole and Seth grow feed for. He’s out of Hartland, just at the edge of Clifton. Spring City sits on the other side. Three small towns, tight communities. You’ll like it here.”
“It sounds nice. I do want to stop and explore every shop I saw.”
“You have four days before you start. Plenty of time.” He crumpled his wrapper and stood. “I’ll check my schedule and we’ll figure out when we can head to Kalispell for your mare.”
“I appreciate that.” She stood.
“I’ll be in touch. Have a good day.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a business card. “Both my numbers are on there. Call anytime.”
Naomi took the card. “Thank you, Ethan.”
He nodded, walked to the door, and paused with his hand on the knob. He looked back at her over his shoulder for just a moment, then walked out and pulled the door closed behind him.
She stood there staring at the door long after his footsteps had faded down the stairs.