“I never thought about whether I like him or not. He’s my boss, and as a leader, his skills come up short. That’s probably why you thought that. Leaders need to take charge and delegate. Cole has liked things his way too long, and right now that doesn’t work. He was promoted to Captain and married all in six months while trying to run Last Chance. He can’t do it, but he won’t let go of the reins.”
Ah, so that’s why Cole wanted him to work at Last Chance. “What about you?”
“What about me, what?”
“Why don’t you take over as foreman and hire another hand.”
“Not a chance in hell.”
He grinned. She definitely didn’t mince words. He liked that about her. “Why not?”
In the silence that followed, he wasn’t sure if she was suddenly deliberating how to couch her sentiments or if she wasn’t sure if she would answer. He continued digging. If she didn’t speak again soon, he’d have to get her talking again.
Finally, she let out a soft sigh. “Been there. Done that. Not doing it again.”
He adjusted his pull back. “Done what?”
“Had men under my command. It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable you are or how well trained. Simply because I’m a woman, every decision I make is questioned. And then when the situation is critical and you could use some opinions, you get no input at all.”
Her voice trailed off, bitterness and regret heavy in her tone.
He looked back from habit; the blackness was complete. He’d never had the experience, but he understood it. He’d seen female captains in the fire service struggle with the same issues. He’d even caught himself questioning an order, though silently. He was too well trained to vocalize any doubts. “When did it matter?”
She gave the odd laugh she had. It seemed to issue from some silent self-loathing. “When it didn’t. A simple errand into a local town. Supplies. Nothing more than supplies. Not worth three lives.”
The monotony of her words reminded him of her tone just before the cave-in. She was slipping back. He needed to ground her. Kicking himself for asking a stupid question, he pushed the gravel extra hard.
“Hey, I thought you were trying to get us out of here, not bury me alive.”
He took a deep breath. He hadn’t meant to hit her, but if it kept her from retreating into the past, he’d do it again. “Sorry. Lost my direction. So, what do I need to know for this orientation of Cole’s?”
As Riley explained what he should know about Last Chance, he could tell when she found a topic boring or when it was something she strongly believed in. It was also obvious that she respected Annette, Whisper, and Jenna. She didn’t seem sure about Lacey and Cole’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, Hailey.
But when it came to the men at the ranch, she had very particular ideas. She thought Trace smiled too much, Logan was too focused on his family to be much help and Dillon had antiquated ideas about women. As for Annette’s husband, she gave him a pass because he was old. It made him wonder what she’d think of his family.
“Okay, off.” The dog shook himself before the scrape of her boots told Garrett she’d risen. “Time’s up. My turn.” She switched the light on, again facing it away from the mound he sat on.
As his eyes adjusted, he swore. “This is pathetic.” Despite all the gravel he’d moved, it didn’t look like he’d made any forward progress, though there was a bit of a dip in the depth. He stabbed one spike into the dirt and pulled it back and away. More dirt filled the space from above. “We may need another plan.”
Riley looked up at the dent Garrett had made in the mound of dirt. For an hour’s worth of work, it wasn’t much, but she’d seen worse. “Let me have my sixty minutes then we can reassess.”
He looked doubtful, but clambered down anyway, bringing more dirt with him. “It feels like the whole mountain is in that one spot.”
“We may just need to wait for it to settle down and pack itself in. You know, in about three years?”
Garrett stopped brushing off his jeans and gave her a grin. “Was that a joke?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course, it was.”
He shook his head. “I think that’s the first funny thing you’ve said to me since we met.”
What? Was that true? She’d never considered herself the life of the party, but she did have a sense of humor. Had she lost it back in that cave three years ago? Uncomfortable with the thought, she lowered her brows. “Let’s see, I had Cyclone wanting to break every board in sight last time I saw you and now we are trapped in a cave, I mean, mine. I guess there hasn’t been much reason to joke.”
He shrugged his shoulders, but his grin remained.
She was thankful he didn’t remark on the fact that she decided to joke while trapped underground. Turning, she took a step toward the mound.
“Wait. Let me have the phone.”
