Briar flattened herself against the fence as goats continued to stream by her, and she laughed as a couple of the smaller kids ran and kicked up their back legs.
The sky shone a clear, crystal blue today, which only meant the air caused a cold sear deep in her lungs with every breath. Briar didn’t mind it so much, though she did need to get her sunglasses or goggles if she was going to work outside for any length of time, what with so much sunshine glinting off so much snow.
In reality, this snow wouldn’t last, and it would probably melt by the weekend, as they didn’t truly have snow that stayed on the ground for longer than a few days until January—and usually only when they got back-to-back storms in close succession.
Despite the cold, Briar took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back, letting her entire vision fill with white light. She’d rather be here doing this than anywhere else.
“Thank you, Dear Lord, for leading me to this farm and giving me a place of sanctuary,” she whispered.
“Morning, Briar.”
She opened her eyes and turned toward the sound of Tucker’s voice. He stood just outside the Goatel, and he lifted a manila folder in one hand. Briar’s heart rate crashed through her body, and she quickly lunged at the outside gate.
“I just have to secure this,” she called.
She did that for both gates, so the goats could come and go from their enclosure. By the time she started back toward the Goatel, Bobbie Jo had joined Tucker, and the three of them ducked back inside—“So I can breathe,” Tucker said.
In the Goatel, he handed her the envelope, and Bobbie Jo extended a pen, her smile radiant and glorious. “Now, I gave you a raise,” Tucker said. “It’s not much—only about a thousand dollars a month, but….” He looked at Bobbie Jo, and she looked at him. Then they both swung their attention back to Briar. “You do a real good job here, Briar, and we don’t want to lose you.”
Briar flipped open the folder, her emotions balling up in her throat and cutting off her voice. She saw the salary sitting there at the top after her name and address, and she looked up.
“Tuck, it’s too much. I already get to live in the cabin for free.”
“There’s a lot of expenses that come with living in a cabin like that,” he said. “Firewood, gas for the generator, your utilities. It’s not like that thing’s airtight, and it needs a new roof.”
Briar swallowed and nodded. “It does need a new roof.”
“I know a certain cowboy who could probably help you with that,” Tucker said. “Seeing as how Tarr’s building his own place and all that. He probably knows how to fix a few cracks and repair a roof.”
“I’m sure he does,” Bobbie Jo said.
Briar looked up. “I don’t need Tarr to fix my roof for free.”
Tucker nodded to the packet of papers in her hand. “You’re welcome to look over that and have your lawyer look at it. I used a lawyer to help me draft it. Bobbie Jo went over it, and we think it’s pretty sound, but I’m happy to hear your thoughts on it.”
“I don’t have a lawyer.” Briar took the pen from Bobbie Jo. “I still think the salary’s too much, but I’m not going to say no to it.”
After all, she knew Tucker was a billionaire and that he and Tarr weren’t running their rodeo-animal training business for free. They sold those animals, and he trained Rosie Young for a fee. He’d just signed on another client as well, a man named Stretch Maughan, who’d be coming to the farm after the NPR finals next week.
Briar looked up every person who came to the farm, as meeting new people made her nervous and somehow posed a threat to this quiet, small-town haven she’d built for herself. Yes, things had definitely changed when Clive sold the farm to Tuck, but so far, none of them had been too damaging.
She signed the contract and handed it back to Tucker. “Thank you.” She glanced over to Bobbie Jo. “Both of you. I really appreciate it. I love this farm.”
“And we love having you here.” Bobbie Jo stepped forward and hugged Briar. “Good. I’m glad that’s done.”
She looked at Tuck, and Tucker quickly stepped forward and hugged Briar as well. “How’s Tarr doing?” he asked.
“Haven’t you seen him already today?” Briar asked, because she didn’t want to talk about Tarr with his best friend.
“Yeah, but he won’t tell me anything,” Tucker said.
Briar stepped back and grinned at him. “Well, if he’s not going to tell you, I’m certainly not.”
Tucker sighed and rolled his head, stretching his neck left and right. “You two are made for each other with your stubbornness.”
Briar grinned even wider as a frown appeared between Tucker’s eyes. “I just heard from Rosie. She’ll be here tomorrow afternoon, and I want you to check her horses when she gets here.”
“Yeah, of course,” Briar said, though having to come face-to-face with someone active in the rodeo made her pulse skip and bounce through her body in an uncomfortable way.
