My eyes went wide and it felt like my heart stopped.
“And the location is stunning. It’s surrounded by mountains, the place where I can live is out of my dreams, and I can go horseback riding anytime I want…I kind of have aninwith the owner. Plus, I think he kind of likes me.”
I released the breath I’d been holding and let out a soft chuckle. “Really? That sounds like a dream job. And he’d be an idiot if he didn’t like you.”
She nodded as she looked out over the mountain range. “I thought so, too. The downside is he’s really hot. My potential new boss, that is. He could be a distraction.”
“That does sound like a problem. This doesn’t sound like it’s in Illinois, though. Are you okay with not returning to where you grew up?”
Mallory stopped walking and faced me. “That’s the other thing. There’s nothing for me back home. No family, no job, and…well…can you keep a secret?”
I put on a fake wounded expression. “Of course I can.”
“I’ve kind of already slept with the potential new boss.”
Raising a brow, I asked, “Really? Was he good in bed?”
She giggled. “Oh yes. But that’s not all. He’s kind and caring. He was there for me like no other person has been in my entire life. I honestly don’t think I could live a day without him.”
Tugging her hand, I drew her body against mine. “He couldn’t live a day without you, either. In fact…I’ve heard from a very reliable source that he’s fallen in love with you.”
Her eyes teared up as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love him too.”
I bent down and captured her lips with mine. The kiss was slow and sweet. When it broke, I leaned my forehead against hers. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, Mallory, but it feels like you’ve been in my life forever. These feelings I have for you…I’ve never felt them before with anyone.”
Her hands moved to my chest, where she traced her finger on the pattern of my T-shirt. “I’ve only dated one other guy; Mitch was his name. He was a high school boyfriend, and he would tell me all these stories about how when he graduated and went to college, he was going to bring me with him, and we could start our life together. I thought I’d get a part-time job and maybe take one or two classes here and there until I graduated. I was so happy with the idea of getting out of Arcola, even though it meant leaving my grandmother. Mitch was the only other person besides my grandmother whom I thought loved me.”
Pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear, I asked, “What happened?”
She let out a humorless laugh as she slowly shook her head. “Turns out, Mitch didn’t love me after all. The night we graduated, he told me that he didn’t see his life with me in it. That I wasn’t going anywhere, and he needed someone who had goals…and he was tired of waiting for me to have sex with him.” She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. “Ididhave goals, he just didn’t like them. And he didn’t need sex from me.Apparently, he was getting plenty of it from other girls in school. I was so stupid, I didn’t see it.”
“I’m so sorry, Mallory.”
She shrugged. “It was a blessing in disguise. I would have been so unhappy with him. He’s some big marketing guy for a firm in Chicago. He’s been married and divorced twice.”
“Wow, sounds like you dodged a bullet.”
She grinned. “I think so.”
“Well, how would you like to shadow me today? Get a feel for how things are run here on the ranch.”
She let out a little squeal of excitement. “I’d love to! I’m so ready to start helping you.”
Taking her hand in mine again, I kissed her one more time, then we walked back to the horses and slowly made our way to the main barn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Mallory
I was fascinated by everything that happened on the ranch. There were so many moving parts, and everyone seemed to have their own role. I wanted to learn how everything worked so I could be knowledgeable when I worked for Liam. I was beyond excited to start this new journey of my life, even with the looming reality that whoever kidnapped me was still walking free. I trusted Randy and Jonathon, though, and I knew Liam would never allow anything to happen to me.
After my ride with Liam, I found myself in the stalls with Larson, learning how to muck them out and take care of the horses’ daily needs. I also got to meet Brandon and Kara, two of the stable hands who only worked with the horses. I loved the smell of the barn. The mixture of hay, leather, and horses was my new favorite scent.
While Larson taught me about horses and how to care for them, Liam and Billy reviewed the fall harvest plan. After that meeting, he and Larson planned to discuss the upcoming breeding schedule, which was set to start in a couple of weeks. The plan was to breed some of the mares with stallions they had here on the ranch, and with a few owned by other nearby ranchers.
Leaning on my rake to take a break, I asked Larson, “Why do you breed some of the horses with animals that aren’t from your own ranch?”
He stopped raking new hay into the stall and looked up with a wide smile on his face. Okay, I’d clearly found a subject Larson enjoyed.
