The metallic clang of my hammer striking a nail rang through the air. Sun beat down on my shoulders as I nailed the final board into place on the little picket fence out front of the Turner Ranch house. It was one of the last pieces we were installing before doing maintenance on the barns. And even though I was the ranch manager, my other hands were far too busy with running the ranch to worry about a fence. I could handle that.
Lucas wanted the place to look nice before he and Beau got married in the spring, and it was my job to get the never-ending list of chores done. They had several hands working on the ranch now just to keep it running. Guest cabins had been built, a parking lot installed, landscaping manicured, all while the ranch continued to operate as normal. I had people teaching riding lessons, guiding hikes, fixing fences, and driving cattle all at the same time. Mending a fence by myself felt like a vacation compared to keeping all that in line.
I dropped my hammer into the toolbox beside me and slipped my hat off and onto the nearest fencepost. Reaching down, I pulledmy white t-shirt up, wiping the sweat from my face. It might’ve been December, but it was a warm one.
“Lord have mercy…” I heard off to my left.
I pulled my shirt down to see Lucas standing there, a small cooler in his hand. I couldn’t help but grin. That city boy stared at me every chance he got. It made Beau jealous. Sometimes I wondered if Lucas did it on purpose just to goad Beau into taking it out on him in the bedroom. I’d known lots of people who liked to play that little game.
“Hey Lucas,” I said, dropping my shirt back into place. “How’s it goin’?”
“Better now,” he replied without missing a beat. “Don’t call HR on me, but…damn. Whoever you end up with is gonna be a lucky man.”
“I’d say you’re the lucky one,” I nodded, soaking up the compliment. “Beau is a pretty handsome fella.”
Lucas beamed. “Yes, he is.” He stepped forward, holding out the small cooler. “Here. I saw you working out here and figured you could use some lunch.”
“Thanks,” I smiled, taking the cooler.
“Wasn’t there anyone else who could do this fence for you?”
“Nah, I wanted to do it,” I nodded, pulling out a beer and twisting the cap off. “Gives me a break. I miss doin’ things with my hands.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow, his green eyes sparkling with mischief. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
I nearly choked on my beer, feeling heat creep up my neck. “Get your mind out of the gutter, city boy. I meant actual work. Carpentry. Building things.”
“Uh-huh.” He leaned against the fence post, clearly not buying it. “And here I thought you were being all philosophical about the satisfaction of manual labor.”
“Well, that too,” I admitted, taking another swig. The beer was ice cold and hit the spot perfectly. “But mostly I just like the quiet.Don’t have to worry about guest complaints or scheduling conflicts or whether the new guy knows which end of a horse bites.”
Lucas laughed, that rich sound that always made something flutter in my chest. Damn him for being so easy to talk to. And damn me for noticing how his dark hair was getting a little long around the edges, curling slightly in the Texas heat.
“Speaking of the new guy,” Lucas said. “He seems nice. Is he your type?”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Lucas had been trying to set me up with every guy in town since I’d started working for him. He had a good heart, bless him, but his gaydar was the worst I’d ever seen.
“He’s straight,” I replied with a shrug. “Got a girlfriend back home waitin’ for him.”
“He’s straightat home,” Lucas teased. “Sometimes that’s different when you’re out on a cattle drive.”
“Yeah, not this one.” I took another swig of my beer. “I’m not lookin’ anyway. Settlin’ down just isn’t my style.”
“Oh, come on,” Lucas said, not letting it drop. “What about that guy who comes into town sometimes? The one who works at the feed store?”
“Married,” I said flatly. “Wife and three kids.”
“The bartender at the Spoke?”
“Straight as an arrow and twice as boring.” I pulled a sandwich out of the cooler and unwrapped it. Turkey and swiss on what looked like homemade bread. My stomach growled appreciatively. “Lucas, I appreciate what you’re tryin’ to do, but Sagebrush ain’t exactly crawling with eligible bachelors.”
“There’s got to be someone,” he insisted, that stubborn set to his jaw that I’d seen him use in business meetings. “What about dating apps? You could expand your search radius.”
I nearly laughed at that. “You want me to drive two hours to Austin for a hookup? Some of us got work to do.”
“Not a hookup,” Lucas said, looking genuinely offended. “A relationship. Love. The real deal.”
That made me pause mid-bite. The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. Here was a guy who’d found his person, who was planning a wedding and building a life, and he genuinely wanted the same for me. It was sweet, even if it was misguided.
