Quiet fell in the kitchen then Riley heard the closing of the back door. She wasn't sure who had walked out, but she didn't want to face any of the occupants of the kitchen after eavesdropping on that conversation.
She walked back to her bedroom. Known for being a sleepy head, she decided to take advantage of everyone's low expectations today. Not so she could get some extra sleep, but so she could think. So many questions frequently tumbled around inside her head concerning Daniel, but now there were even more.
When Riley walked into the stables forty minutes later and found Zane talking to two rough-looking, muscle-bound men covered in tattoos, the hairs on her neck stood up. Her heart rate kicked into overdrive, making her chest tight. She sucked in a deep breath, doing her best to keep herself from panicking.
She'd always admired her father for the program he started over thirty years ago with his brother, Dawson, who was in law-enforcement. They helped rehabilitate former inmates by providing them with a stable job and a place to live—for the summer anyway. Robert and Jake now continued the program. Even though most of the menthey'd hired over the years had been nice despite their gruff and intimidating appearances, a few of them made her skin crawl with the way they leered at her. That was why she was always assigned to work with Daniel.
The shorter and stockier of the two men with Zane let out a low wolf whistle. "Well, hello, gorgeous." He jabbed his buddy with his elbow. "This job just got a whole lot more interesting, eh Brody?"
"You got that right." Brody's eyes raked over her from head to toe. An appreciative grin filled his face, and nausea filled Riley's stomach.
Zane's hand flew out and smacked the back of the shorter man's head. "Keep your thoughts and hands to yourself, Crew. You'll show respect toeveryonewho works on this ranch regardless of their gender." Now Zane's finger was in the guy's face. "You got that?"
"Sure thing, Boss," Crew said, but his eyes roved over Riley again.
She repressed a shudder and resisted the urge to run from the stables. Instead, she forced herself to study first Brody, then Crew, before giving them a look of dismissal. "What happened, Zane? Couldn't Jake find any real men to hire this summer?"
Crew made a groaning sound as he pressed a hand to his chest. Brody hooted with laughter then made a sizzling sound.
Zane grinned as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That's my girl." He pressed a quick kiss to her temple that reminded her of her dad, then he released her and nudged her toward the door. "You're working with Daniel in the equipment shed today."
She'd barely stepped out the double doors when Crew started mouthing off again. "Whose backside do I need to kiss to be assigned to work with the dame?"
"Mine," Zane's voice came sharp and fast. "But save the wooing, Romeo, ‘cuz it ain't never gonna happen. The big boss would sooner shoot you than let you touch his sister. And with a ranch this size, there are plenty of places to bury a body."
Riley's lips turned up. She appreciated Zane's protectiveness. Once she'd distanced herself from the things she overheard in the kitchen, she realized Jake had only been trying to protect her. But poor Daniel. He kept getting saddled with her. And all she did was lash out at him.
Speaking of Daniel, she spotted him half bent over, reaching into the engine of one of the tractors. His worn denim shirt stretched across the taut muscles of his back, and again, Riley was struck by how much he'd filled out over the past few years. He'd lost his gangling, boyish looks in his early twenties, but even then, he'd been slender like his dad. But now...
He wasn’t as bulky as Crew and Brody because he was taller, but the definition of muscle on Daniel was sheer perfection. Like watching the muscles on a racehorse flex and ripple; Riley had a hard time looking away.
"We get mechanic duty today, huh?" She said in greeting, her voice dry and flat, showing how much she disliked this task.
Daniel straightened and grinned. "Anything to keep us away from the stables while my dad breaks in the new ranch hands. At least we don't have to muck out the stalls anymore."
"Yeah, I had the displeasure of meeting Crew and Brody." Riley wrinkled her nose.
Daniel looked down at the wrench in his hand, slapping it against his open palm. "Quite the pair, huh?"
Her thoughts turned to the things she'd overheard that morning. Did Daniel really say he had a record? What on earth could he have possibly done that would have gotten him arrested?
Daniel cleared his throat. "I'll work on gaskets and seals where needed, if you want to start with the oil changes. Then we can work together to sharpen the blades on the swather."
In a few weeks, they would cut the first crop of hay. Because the weather forecast often dictated when they cut the alfalfa, leaving the sharpening of the blades on the sickle bar of the swather until the last minute was never a good idea.
"Aye aye, captain." Riley saluted.
Daniel gave her a sharp look, then shook his head and rolled his eyes.
Riley laughed as she walked away. She liked keeping Daniel on his toes.
By the time they took a break for lunch, Riley's back ached, andshe was covered from head to toe in grease and grime. All she wanted was a hot shower and a nap.
She and Daniel had changed the oil, filters, gaskets, and seals on just about every motor and engine in the equipment shed. They'd prepared six tractors, two balers, half a dozen four-wheelers, a dirt bike, two side by sides, and a golf cart, plus a dump truck, a flat bed, and two old pickup trucks for the upcoming summer season. Riley had even gone the extra mile and cleaned inside the tractors and trucks, something she was certain hadn't been done in years.
The kitchen was empty when they arrived for lunch, but Lottie had left a note stating that there was chili and cornbread in the fridge and cookies in the pantry.
They were mostly quiet while they ate because Daniel looked as exhausted as she felt.
