Theo didn’t laugh as I had expected, and just shrugged.
“I need to move the herd west, you up for the task?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m up for it,” I grinned, a little excited to be back on a ranch and riding a horse again.
The Australian Shepherd that came out with us barked, alerting us before we heard the horse. We turned around and a man on a horse was trotting toward us. Another gorgeous man in less than forty-eight hours. What was Sterling Ridge pumping out, Stepford husbands? This was unreal. Theo was good looking, and this man must have been related to him with the uncanny similarities and this man was breathtaking.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he said a little out of breath, looking at me a little warily.
“Perfect timing,” Theo said. “Jude, this is Forest, he might be our ranch hand.”
I nodded at him, tearing my eyes away from him because I could stare at him all day.
“Damn, are you actually hiring someone?” Jude asked. “Seems like Nova’s been good for you.”
I glanced at Theo, who was blushing. Wait, I thought he said he had a boyfriend?
“Come on, let's get these cows moved,” Theo said dismissively.
I clicked my tongue, getting my horse moving, risking a glance at Jude who was also looking at me. My cheeks grew hot as I nodded at him. I trotted again to him wondering what the hell was going on. Two men in two days that made me feel tongue-tied…maybe staying here was a bad idea, except after we moved the herd and we got back to the barn, he asked if I wanted the job. I was supposed to say no and continue on with my plan on going to Montana but I stupidly said yes.
Let’s hope staying in Sterling Ridge wasn’t a mistake.
1
jude
4 months later
The alarm at the fire station blared through the speakers. There were four of us today. We all kicked into gear as we headed towards the fire truck and figured out what kind of call we were dealing with.
“Ten bucks Mrs. Shultz left her burner on again,” Casey said, as we hopped into the fire truck.
“Medical call,” I said.
“Fire alarm!" Weston shouted.
“Dammit, Malone was right!” Bailey shouted, it was a medical emergency.
I grinned as we drove out of the station, putting my headphones on and watching Weston bring the ambulance behind us. We were the only fire department within a thirty-mile radius and most of the surrounding rural areas depended on us to keep them safe. I hated how thinly we were spread out, but volunteer firefighters could only do so much.
The call was just outside of Sterling Ridge and when we pulled up to the house I laughed. “Weston is going to be pissed.”
“I can’t wait to see how this plays out,” Bailey chuckled as she got out of the fire truck.I followed.
“I love this job,” Casey mumbled as we rounded the corner and Weston was still in the ambulance.
I chuckled, feeling sorry for Weston, but we had a job to do and that job sometimes was a pain in the ass especially if you were young and unmarried. We walked up to the front door, Casey announcing who we were and pounded on it.
“Oh, thank god!” Mrs. Robbins yanked the door open. “Lulu is in the backyard and she fell off a horse and?—”
I didn’t stick around and listen. It seemed this time it wasn’t some elaborate plan to get Weston out here. Mrs. Robbins was dead-set on getting him and her eldest daughter Lulu together.
We rushed out back to the stable and nearby pen. The sisters were all huddled on the floor as we rushed to them. Lulu, the sister who was hurt, was sitting up, her hand close to her chest, the horse was still loose.
“Hey Lu,” Bailey said, setting the bag next to her.
Checking to see that they had her, I decided to bring the horse back to the stable before he got spooked and trampled us.
