“I don’t know much about her. She was the stable manager for one of the land developers in Phoenix. He was losing money hand over fist, selling off his horses to make up for it. Then his planned community didn’t get approved by the city and he went berserk, taking it out on a new colt. She called animal welfare on him.”
“She called out her boss? That’s biting the hand that feeds you.”
“I don’t think she cares who feeds her as long as the horses are treated right, which made her perfect for Last Chance. I had a lot of help there for a while. Logan and Trace had both moved into my grandparents’ place, but they’ve since moved out again. Then Dillon stayed for a while.”
“Your little brother?” Last he’d seen of Dillon, he was dancing to the tune of his mother’s fiddle.
Cole nodded. “Yeah, he’d finally had it with my mother, but he missed breeding his horses, so as soon as he had something to hold over her head, he went home. Now Riley is the only dependable ranch hand I have. You wouldn’t want more work, would you?”
Work with Riley O’Hare? He had to wonder how that would go over. “Do you think Riley would be open to another hand? She seems…” He wasn’t sure how to word it without making her sound cantankerous.
“Short? Demanding? Impatient? Straight as an arrow?”
He chuckled. Cole obviously new Riley well enough. “All of the above.”
“She doesn’t make it a secret that she needs help, so she can’t exactly be picky. Besides, you know horses, so you two would get along well. Why? Did she piss you off?”
“No, just got irritated a couple times. She has a way about her.”
Cole took another swallow of beer. “You mean when she gives orders. That’s her military background. She’s a veteran.”
That had never occurred to him, but now that he had that piece of information, a lot of the other pieces of her personality fell into place. “Did she see action?”
“Yeah, but she hasn’t spoken about it. You know how it is. You can’t make someone talk about stuff like that if they don’t want to, right?” Cole’s gaze held more understanding than he was comfortable with.
He lifted his beer. “Right.”
Cole clinked his glass in agreement. “She wasn’t with the land developer very long. I think she moves around a lot.”
“When I asked her how long she’d worked at Last Chance, she said for her it was a long time.”
Cole gave another heartfelt sigh. “If she leaves, I’m screwed. Trace and Logan still help out, but with three more horses and who knows how many more we’ll be receiving this year, I can’t afford to lose her. I pulled Trace from picking up horses to taking the calls on cases. Logan has his daughter with him four days a week, so I need him for the bigger projects on the three other days. It would certainly help me sleep better at night if you’d think about taking on more.”
He wouldn’t admit it, but knowing Riley was there made him hesitate. With both of them being used to command, it might not work. “I’m still settling in. Let me think about it.”
“That’s all I can ask.”
“Hey, Cole! You ready to get your ass kicked?” Mason’s voice had everyone in the bar turning toward him.
Cole held his arm up then stood. “Cutter, give me four more drafts.” He dropped cash on the bar.
“Not running a tab?” Garrett wouldn’t be surprised if Cole didn’t drink another beer all night. He wasn’t the type to drink and drive.
“Don’t need to. I plan to win any drinks I need off of Mason.” He leaned down as if anyone could hear him. “He’s still a pissant lightweight. Three beers and I’m home free.”
Garrett grinned. Some things never changed.
Cole clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Think about my offer?”
“I will.”
Cole scooped up two drafts in each large hand and headed for the back.
He was glad Cole hadn’t invited him to play. He wasn’t up for the camaraderie just yet. Being around others meant having to answer questions, especially with men he knew. He planned to ease back into life in Canterbury and Wickenburg one day at a time.
One person at a time.
Riley closed the gate on the newly repaired south corral. Phoenix was running circles around his mom, his little head going up and down. So far, he seemed to only have external scars from the whipping he’d taken from her last employer.
