Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“C an you try giving this cowboy the benefit of the doubt, Daddy?” Hallie looked over at her father who was standing outside the barn with her and Corbin, waiting for the foreman applicant she’d invited to the ranch.
“What do you mean?” Daddy said. “I’ve given all the foremen we’ve interviewed the benefit of the doubt.”
Corbin coughed and when Daddy shot him a look, he shrugged. “Gnat flew into my mouth.” He glanced at Hallie. “Although I wish you would’ve talked with me before you invited the man here.”
“Exactly,” Daddy said. “You’re gettin’ a little too big for your britches, Hallie Holiday.”
“I came by that naturally,” she said. “Feeling too big for your britches is a family trait.”
Corbin held up his hands. “Now let’s not start the day off with an argument. Reid Mitchell has already been invited so we might as well give him a fair chance.” He looked at Hallie. “That’s if you’re sure you want to.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to?”
Corbin shrugged. “I was just asking. You’ve been pretty picky about foremen too and I’m wondering why the sudden change.”
It was a good question. She had a good answer. “I’m ready to start my own brewery.” She wanted it to be true, but deep down she knew it wasn’t the real reason she was pushing so hard to hire a foreman so she could leave.
The real reason was Jace.
She hadn’t seen him for going on two weeks and he still held permanent residency in her mind. She went to bed thinking about him and she woke up thinking about him. Their last meeting had only added more memories to try and forget.
Like the way the sunset had painted his blond hair different shades of gold. And how his hot gaze had felt as he’d stared at her breasts. The feel of his strong hands on her legs when he’d kept her from falling. And the heat of his neck that had scorched straight through her panties and left her breathless and feeling like she was going to fall all over again.
It didn’t help that everyone, including her family, talked about him nonstop. Her family and the townsfolk were thoroughly disappointed the Wildcats had lost their last two football games by an embarrassing amount of points.
Which annoyed the hell out of Hallie.
No one seemed to realize that turning a football program around took time. Time that she hoped Jace would give the team. It was as plain as the twinkle in his eyes when he’d talked about the Wildcats that he loved coaching. Coaching his hometown team was the perfect occupation for him.
Which was why she needed to go. If she left town, maybe he’d be more willing to stay. But she couldn’t leave her family without someone to help run the ranch. Corbin spent too much time with his investment company and Belle. And Daddy had proven he couldn’t handle the full responsibility of the ranch. Hopefully, Reid would turn out to be as good a cowboy as he looked on paper.
The sound of tires hitting the gravel driveway pulled Hallie from her thoughts. A truck parked in front of the house with a trailer hitched to the back. Both were old, but clean and well cared for.
“Looks like he’s brought his house with him,” Daddy said. “He already must think he has the job.”
The driver’s door swung open and a tall, lanky cowboy got out. He started for the porch, but then changed directions when Daddy hollered at him. He moved with the gait of a man who had spent a lot of time in the saddle.
Not that the ability to ride a horse made for a good foreman.
As he got closer, Hallie was able to see his features beneath the shadow of his sweat-stained Resistol hat. If Noelle had been there, she’d be freaking out. The man was more than just good looking. He looked like one of those cowboy models that circulated the internet, except more authentic and less filtered. There was nothing filtered about this man’s chiseled jaw, high cheekbones, and intense whiskey-colored eyes.
Which was not a good sign. Good-looking, womanizing cowboys did not make good foremen. Although if he was a womanizer, he didn’t show it. His gaze didn’t sweep over her body once as he reached out a hand.
“Reid Mitchell. You must be Hallie Holiday.”
“I am.” She shook his hand and then made the introductions. “This is Corbin Whitlock, the owner of the ranch, and this is my daddy, Hank Holiday.”
Reid shook Daddy’s hand first and then Corbin’s. “Nice ranch you got here.”
“Thank you,” Corbin said. “But the Holidays are the ones who have made it what it is. I just came on the scene a few months back. Which is why I’m going to let Hallie and Hank answer any questions you might have.”
Reid nodded. “Yes, sir. And if y’all have any questions for me, ask away.”
“So why ranching?”
The question just popped out of Hallie’s mouth. It annoyed the hell out of her. Not so Corbin. He had a smirk on his face a mile wide. She glared at him before returning her attention to Reid. There was no hesitation when he answered.
“I don’t have a clue.”
She shot a smug look at Corbin, but her smugness evaporated as Reid continued.
“The work is grueling. The hours long. And the monetary rewards won’t get you a mansion on the hill, that’s for sure.” He hesitated and his gaze shifted to the pasture behind the barn. When he spoke, his voice was soft and reverent like he was speaking in church. “But I’ve never wanted a mansion. As far as hills are concerned, I like my land flat enough so that when I’m sitting in a saddle I can see for miles and miles with not one thing to interrupt my view except for what God created.”
Out of nowhere, tears sprang to Hallie’s eyes. She had never been a crier, but Reid’s words touched something inside her. Probably because they mimicked her own thoughts. Her own desires. Desires she’d thought she’d given up a long time ago. But there they were, flooding through her, and it took a strong will to keep from crying like a baby.
Still, Corbin noticed and he reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze that caught Daddy’s attention.
“What’s goin’ on?”
Corbin released her hand. “Nothing. Come on, Reid. I’ll show you around.”
Reid did a good job of answering every question Daddy fired at him as they showed him around—Hallie was still feeling a little too emotional to talk. He seemed to know a lot about horses and just as much about cattle. He even knew about gardening. When they ran into Mimi working in her garden, he spotted a green-horned worm on one of her tomato plants. After plucking the fat bug off and smashing it beneath his bootheel, he gave her a homemade pesticide recipe that had worked for his grandma.
When they finished the tour, Corbin glanced at his watch. “Sorry to have to cut this short, Reid, but I promised my wife I’d take her to Tito’s Tacos before the high school football game.” He glanced at Hallie. “You’re coming this time, right?”
The last two times, she’d made up excuses for why she couldn’t attend the game. This time, she had one.
“Reid didn’t come all this way so his interview could be cut short because of some silly football game. Y’all go on and I’ll finish showing Reid around and then meet up with you later . . . if I can.”
Daddy stared at her. “Silly football game? Living in the big city has sure changed your priorities, Hallie.” Before he and Corbin left, he leaned in closer and whispered so only she could hear. “I think we got us a winner here.”
Her father’s praise for Reid did not sit well. After he and Corbin left, she found herself trying to find a chink in Reid’s cowboy armor. She asked him question after question, and when he answered them all better than she could have, she got even more annoyed.
Wanting to see his work ethic, she took him to the barn and asked him to help her muck out the stalls. He didn’t hesitate to grab a shovel and get to work. He cleaned his stall in half the time it took Hallie to clean hers. When they went to saddle the horses so she could see how he rode and show him more of the ranch, it became a bit of a contest to get her horse saddled first. She won, but only because Reid took extra time talking with Homer and getting the horse used to him.
Once they were mounted, they headed out to a pasture where the small herd of longhorns was grazing. She had to admit Reid sat a saddle like he had been born in it. His grip on the reins was light, and yet he had no trouble communicating his wishes to Homer. When they reached the cattle, she had him demonstrate his roping skills. They were good. Damn good. Once again, she found herself pulling out her own rope and wanting to compete with him.
The same thing happened when she asked him to cut a few cows out of the herd. After he did it, she had to prove she could too. On the way back to the ranch, she urged Sadie into a gallop. When Reid grew abreast, she urged her horse to go even faster. He was a man of few words, but when he caught up to her the second time, he didn’t hesitate to voice his thoughts.
“I don’t know what you’re wanting me to prove, Ms. Holiday, but I’m done pushing an animal in this kind of heat.” His chastisement made her realize what a jealous idiot she was being. Reining in, she patted Sadie and praised her before glancing at Reid.
“You’re right. I guess I still have that immature little girl inside me who doesn’t want to be outdone by a boy.”
He shrugged. “You don’t need to compete with me, Ms. Holiday. I’m the one who will be working for you.”
“Not me. My daddy and Corbin. I’m only here helping out until we hire a new foreman.” That was the cusp of her jealousy. Daddy might have needed her help the last few months, but he would never look at her as being good enough to run the ranch. She needed to accept that and move on. She might not love brewing beer as much as she loved this ranch, but she liked it and she was good at it. “I’m moving to Austin to start my own brewery.”
“Brewery?” He tipped his head, looking confused. “I wouldn’t have guessed that in a million years.”
Her spine stiffened. “Why? Because I’m a woman?”
He shook his head. “No. Because you’re such a damn fine cowgirl.”
The compliment made her feel like even more of an idiot. It was time to release her ego and her screwed-up relationship with her daddy and do the right thing. “And you’re a damn fine cowboy who I think will make a fine foreman. While I can’t offer you the job, I can put in a good word for you.”
“I’d sure appreciate that, Ms. Holiday.”
“Hallie.”
He smiled. It was the first smile she’d seen out of him. “Short for Harriet? That was my grandma’s name.”
She sighed. “I wish it was short for Harriet. But let’s not go into that. Hallie is just fine.”
When they got back to the ranch, it was getting dark. Reid helped her cool down the horses and get them bedded down for the night.
“I’m sorry I made you miss the football game,” he said as they headed out of the barn. “Although if you hurry, you might be able to make it by halftime.”
“I’ll probably just eat some leftovers and call it a night.” She glanced at his truck and trailer. “You can park your trailer for the night anywhere on the ranch. I’d recommend Cooper Springs. You’ll see the sign to it on your way out.”
He nodded. “I appreciate that. Any recommendations for dinner?”
“Tito’s Tacos is good. But I prefer the brisket at the Hellhole. Thick bark and fall-apart tender.”
“That sounds perfect.” He hesitated. “You want to join me?” He held up a hand. “I’m not trying to come onto you. I’d just like to hear more about the ranch.”
Hallie hesitated for only a second before she nodded. “Sure. I’ll meet you there in around an hour.”
When she got in the house, she turned on the radio to the local station. She might not go to the games, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t listened to all of them. Once again, the Wildcats were losing. By the time she got out of the shower, the second half had started and they were down by seven. While she was getting dressed, they scored a touchdown that had her almost ripping her panties with excitement. Her excitement fled when they went for the extra point and missed it wide.
She was on pins and needles the entire drive into town, listening to the game and hoping they’d score another touchdown. By the time she reached the Hellhole, the third quarter was over with the Wildcats still down by one. She wanted to stay in the truck and finish listening to the game, but when she saw Reid’s truck in the parking lot, she realized she was already late.
Due to the fact that most of the townsfolk were at the football game, the Hellhole was almost empty. Even Bobby Jay, the owner and head barbecue master, was absent from the kitchen when Hallie walked past on her way to the table Reid sat at.
Like her, it looked like he’d showered and changed clothes. Damn, he was good looking. He wore a light blue western shirt and a black Stetson that matched his hair. The waitress who was taking his order was flirting up a storm and looked thoroughly disappointed when Hallie took a seat.
“I’ll take a Lone Star in the bottle not a glass,” she said. “And your brisket dinner with baked beans and potato salad.”
“Same for me,” Reid said as he handed the waitress the menu. If Hallie had any doubts about why he had invited her to dinner, they evaporated as soon as the waitress walked away and he started firing off questions. “So how long has your family owned the ranch? How many acres? Why longhorns and not Angus? Why don’t you have a website? Do you grow your own feed?”
They talked all through dinner about the ranch. She shared some of her ideas for making the business more profitable. Like Jace, Reid seemed to be impressed and wanted to hear more about them. By the time their peach cobbler skillet dessert showed up with the huge scoops of cinnamon ice cream on top, Hallie had already decided she was going to move heaven and earth to get Corbin to hire Reid.
“Holy smokes.” He stared at the dessert. “I’m not sure there’s room in my stomach for this.”
“Well, there’s room in mine.” Hallie picked up a spoon and dug in. She had just swallowed her first bite of peach heaven when the door opened and a group of cheering, hollering townsfolk entered the bar. She didn’t need to ask to know why they were so happy.
A big smile spread over her face and she pumped a fist in the air. “Go, Wildcats!”
Reid laughed. “So that’s what the commotion is about. And here I thought you didn’t care about silly football.”
She shrugged and dipped her spoon into the ice cream and cobbler. “I wouldn’t be a Texan if I didn’t love football.” She took the big bite and then almost choked on it when Jace walked through the door as a loud cheer rang out.
It was strange to see him in the team polo shirt. And even stranger to see him so happy. His smile was huge as the townsfolk surrounded him, handing him beers and thumping him on the back.
“I guess that’s the coach?” Reid asked.
Hallie didn’t take her eyes off Jace. She couldn’t. Jace happy was a sight for sore eyes.
“Yes. That’s a coach.”