Kyra was close to tears listening to her mother’s advice. It felt as though she’d been given wings and permission to fly. “Do you… really mean that?”
“Of course I do, Kyra.” Jasmine reached across the table to squeeze her daughter’s hand. “I want to watch you become the person you’re meant to be.Youare my legacy, not this bakery. Although I do adore it, you know.” She grinned and let go of Kyra’s hand. “It doesn’t compare to you.”
The only thing Kyra could think to say was, “Thank you, Mom.” But it didn’t seem like enough. In a way, her mother had set her free. Her future seemed unlimited now. She could go anywhere,do anything without guilt or shame. The only thing she lacked now was direction.
“Why don’t you get the dining room ready for guests?” Jasmine said. “I’ll finish up in the kitchen.”
Kyra nodded and began bringing the chairs down from every table while her mother left to finish baking. Though it was a quiet morning, Kyra’s mind was in chaos. There had never been a time in her life when she didn’t know exactly where she was headed and what she was going to do next. Suddenly, every possibility was open to her, and she felt lost.
After all the chairs were sitting around the tables, Kyra began adding fresh flowers in vases to each one. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the bulletin board her mother kept by the front door. The notices on the board rarely changed, so it came as a surprise to see a new one posted. It wasn’t a fancy sign — in fact, it looked pretty amateurish to her — but Kyra felt drawn to it anyway.
The message was simple. It said:Wanted. Ranch hand. Immediately. Room and board included. Besides that, there was only clipart of a pitchfork and contact information. Kyra tore it down from the bulletin board. The word ‘immediately’seemed to stand out from the rest. She got the impression this was an emergency situation. So, maybe whoever had created this job posting would be willing to hire someone with little to no experience, as long as they could start right away. An opportunity like this did not come around every day.
Kyra blinked down at the paper in her hand while one thought paraded around her mind and wouldn’t let her go. This felt meaningful. This felt like destiny. She tucked the job postinginto the pocket of her apron and finished up with the dining room. Then she went back into the kitchen to show her mother.
“Look at this!” she said, waving the piece of paper in her mother’s face. “I found it on your bulletin board. It’s crazy, right? I mean, we were just talking…” She stopped because her mother looked confused, and Kyra realized the poor woman probably couldn’t read the paper she’d been so shakily showing off. Kyra tried to hold her hand still so Jasmine could actually read the advertisement.
“Oh, yes, I recognize that,” Jasmine said. “It got put up recently. I had a brief chat with the man who posted it. He seemed like a nice guy.”
“Do you think I could be a ranch hand?” Kyra asked with a massive grin on her face. “I know I don’t have experience, but he seems to need someone right away. It could be a good place to start… when it comes to changing my life, I mean. It’s not something I would’ve thought to do. So, it’s perfect, right?”
Jasmine nodded her head and smiled. “I see no reason why you shouldn’t apply. What’s the worst that could happen? Even if the job isn’t for you, you can help him until he finds a replacement. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”
Kyra nodded enthusiastically. “That’s what I thought,” she said. “I’ll be super honest with him about my experience. And then he can make a decision about whether it would be worth it to take a chance on me. The worst he could do is say no.”
Jasmine sighed and said, “Well, you better pack a bag. It seems to be a live-in position. What if he asks if you can start right away? You should be ready for anything. I’ll call someone into finish your shift for you. Then you can head home and get ready.”
If Kyra had one thing in common with her mother, it was her optimistic impulsivity. She hadn’t predicted that Jasmine would be so enthusiastic about her choice to leave the bakery, but she should have. Jasmine was rarely anything other than enthusiastic when it came to her daughter’s crazy plans and ideas.
And so, that afternoon, Kyra packed her bags and hid them in her trunk, just in case she looked a little too eager. Then, she headed up the mountain road that led to the ranch, which she had decided was somehow tied to a brand-new destiny.
CHAPTER 4
ADAM
Adam stood in his barn, knee-deep in irritation, with a résumé half crumpled in his right hand. The résumé belonged to someone named Brandon Smith, who happened to be standing before him now, advising him on how best to keep his horses. This Brandon person seemed to think he knew all there was to know about ranching, husbandry, pretty much everything.
“If you house them with the biggest horses closest to the barn entrances, the others won’t be afraid at night,” Brandon was saying. “It’s less stress for the horses. I read about it in a book I bought online a month ago. Maybe you should try it.”
Adam clutched Brandon’s résumé even tighter, crumpling it further in his hand. It was all he could do to keep from punching the kid in the face. Was this really the best Alder Creek had to offer? Surely there was someone with a good work ethic who didn’t think they already knew everything.
“Well,” Adam said through his teeth, “thanks for the interview. I’ll give you a call when I’ve made a decision. Have a good day.”
Apparently, Brandon was not terribly observant because he completely failed to notice the fact that Adam could barely stand to look at him anymore, let alone hire him. “Give it a try,” Brandon said. “I bet you notice a big difference, and then you’ll know who the right man for the job is. Until then.” He waved and sauntered out of the barn with the kind of confidence only an idiot can have.
Adam couldn’t help rolling his eyes before seeing the guy out. The fact that he was going to have to feed his horses one-handed again broke his heart a little. The stables badly needed cleaning out as well, but Adam was certain doing that one-armed would only increase the likelihood that he would injure the other arm. Then what would he do? Losing the use of one of his arms made every task significantly harder, and they all took three times as long as they used to. Likely, he’d be staying up past midnight again, just to get everything done.
As Brandon Smith climbed into his truck and drove away, another car pulled up and parked in the spot he’d just left. Adam was certain he hadn’t scheduled another interview today, so he had no idea who this was or what to expect of them. He was even more surprised when a young woman stepped out of the driver’s seat.
She was tall with her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She wore tight jeans, a white T-shirt, and a flannel over it. Around her waist was a thick leather belt. On her feet, she wore a pair of cowboy boots. And before she closed the car door, she grabbed a cowboy hat from the passenger seat and set it on top of her head.
Adam slapped his right palm to his forehead and groaned. He supposed rejecting one more idiot today wouldn’t make that biga difference. Before she even reached him, he called out, “The position has been filled.”
She cocked her head at him. “Really? Did that guy ahead of me get the job?”
“Nope.” Adam shook his head. “It was someone before him.”
“Then how come you let him do an interview?”
