“It has been a long time.” I agree.
“Hmm,” he hums, looking me up and down thoughtfully as he tries to hide his disdain for me. As expected, he hasn’t forgiven me for breaking his friend’s heart.
Hunter, obviously picking up on his little brother’s animosity toward me, clears his throat and steps forward. “We can do the interview in the main house. I haven’t set up my own office yet, so I’m using my fathers for the time being.”
“Okay,” I squeak, relieved he quickly shifted the attention back to him, and follow him and Grayson as the pair turn on their heels and begin walking in the direction of the white farmhouse.
I flick a quick glance over my shoulder and notice that Noah hasn’t moved. He stands in the same spot, his arms crossed, and his glare trained on my back.
Frowning, I turn back to Hunter and Grayson. “Is he not coming?”
“Nah. One of us has to be out there with the other ranch hands,” Hunter explains, and I relax a little at the knowledge that Killian’s best friend likely won’t have a say in whether I get a job here or not.
The brothers’ lead me through a side door of the main house and down a small hallway before turning into a square room filled with dark mahogany furniture.
Hunter takes a seat behind the desk and shuffles some paperwork around while Grayson moves to stand beside him, assuming his roll of the intimidating brother.
Hunter holds out a hand, indicating the chair on the other side of the desk. “Please, take a seat.”
I give a quick nod and take a seat in the offered chair, wiping my sweaty palms over my legs. The pair are quiet for what feels like a long time but is probably only mere minutes and I fight the urge to squirm. It was foolish of me to think that I’d be welcome here on their ranch after what I did to their friend. It was downright bold of me to apply for a job here at all, but I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.
The Calloway Ranch is one of the best in the country. I wouldn’t say they’re the largest, but they welcome over three-hundred head in cattle yearly. And although I’m more interested in the grooming side of things, what they do here is impressive and I’ve dreamed of working here since I was a little girl tagging along with her parents when they came out to help during branding season.
Hunter clears his throat and my attention, that’s been focused on my lap, quickly snaps up to him. “Okay, Daisy. I went over your résumé, and I noticed there is quite a significant gap in employment between the years of twenty-one and twenty-two.”
His eyes meet mine and I hold firm as I nod. “A year, yes.”
“May I ask why?” Hunter asks, clasping his hands together on the desk in front of him, all business and nothing like the easy-going boy I grew up with.
A cold sweat breaks out on the back of my neck and I shift uncomfortably. “I… um, I was sick.”
In my periphery, I see Grayson cock his head, his eyes narrowing in curiosity behind Hunter, but I keep my face blank as I wait for his next words.
“Okay. And you worked on Blue Rhodes Ranch in Montana for two years as their groomer, correct?”
“Correct,” I answer, relieved that he didn’t pry further into my time off.
Hunter reads a few lines of what I now realise is my résumé before placing the paper down on his desk and leaning back in his chair. He releases a long breath, seemingly thinking over his next words.
Unfortunately, his brother beats him to the punch. “I’m just gonna come right out and ask, why do you want to workhere, Daisy?”
I flick my eyes over to Grayson, slightly taken aback by his question and the insinuation behind it. “I-”
Hunter interrupts before I get a chance to explain, “What my brother means is, you know there’s a very good chance you’re gonna run into Killian around here, right? He spends a lot of time here, with my family and helping out around the ranch when needed.”
I purse my lips, slightly aggravated that this is even being brought up and straighten my shoulders. “I’m aware.”
“We-” Hunter starts, but I cut him off.
“With all due respect, Hunter, Killian being here has nothing to do with my job. I have no intention of letting my personal life affect my professional life and I’m quite hurt – actually no, I’mpissed,that you’d think otherwise. I take pride in my job, and I love what I do. I’ve worked damned hard to get to where I’m at today and it would be an honour to work here but if you guys can’t see past what went down between Killian and me, then maybe this isn’t the place for me after all.”
I brush some invisible lint from my jean clad legs before standing with every intention of walking out of here with my head held high. I don’t have a backup plan, but I’ll be damned if I let them judge me on my past without even giving me a chance to show them what I’m capable of.
“Thank you for your time,” I say as I turn for the door.
I make it all of two steps before Hunters voice sounds behind me. “Daisy, wait.”
I look at him over my shoulder, his expression sheepish and full of embarrassment. “I’m sorry. That was unprofessional.”
