*
Shit. Did Ireally just say that?
After staring at her in surprise for a moment Chase laughed.
“I’m sorry. I just meant it’s kind of full of crap.” She winced. “I mean—” Oh, hell, she should quit while she was behind.
“That’s all right. It’s a good description. Like I said, we’ve been without a manager for a while now. At the moment, everything you’d need is in the library. But we’ll get this cleaned out for you. Assuming you take the job.”
“That assumes you offer it to me.”
“Obviously, Damaris and Marshall have to weigh in but as far as I’m concerned you’ve got it if you want it.”
Assuming the salary was decent it sounded like exactly the sort of job she was looking for. Except for one tiny detail. “What about our history?”
“Didn’t we already address that? It was one night, Ella. We’ll put it behind us.” He held out his hand. “Pretend it never happened. Deal?”
Friend-zone him in other words.Right, Ella thought sourly. No trouble at all to keep that hunk of pure sexy cowboy in the friend zone. Was she crazy to think she could? But she wanted the job. She really, really wanted the job. So she could either suck it up and put Chase firmly in the friend zone or not take the job.
“Deal. Subject to what your brother and sister say, of course.” She shook his hand, studiously ignoring the little zing of attraction. Surely that would go away with time?
“Look who’s back,” Chase said.
A tall, lanky cowboy who was clearly kin to Chase and a woman around her own age with long, brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail walked toward the barn. “Marshall, Damaris, this is Ella Slade.”
They exchanged greetings and shook hands. Damaris said, “What have you shown her, Chase?”
“Everything up here. We didn’t get to the other pastures to see the rest of the horses.”
“All right.” She turned to Ella. “Why don’t we take a ride, Ella? You can see more of the place.”
“I’d love to.”
“We’ll be back,” Damaris said. “Marshall can tell you about the mare, Chase.”
“Not good news, I take it?”
“Jerk sold the mare we wanted out from under us. And tried to sell us another he said was just as good. She wasn’t. But talk to Marshall. He’ll tell you all about it.”
Damaris looked like a female version of her brothers. Except her hair was light brown, shot through with red highlights, rather than dark. Her eyes were brown and she was a little shorter than Ella. She was clearly a very fit working horsewoman, who could heft a heavy saddle like it was nothing. Something she demonstrated when they saddled their horses. Damaris Walker struck Ella as a woman who was comfortable in what she did, who was direct, and who took no bullshit from anyone.
Damaris had chosen a sorrel and white paint mare named Sloe Gin for Ella. Damaris called her Ginny. Her hopefully-soon-to-be boss’s horse was a chestnut paint with wide swatches of white. They each saddled their own horse. Ella noticed Damaris watched her with a frankly assessing look.
Apparently satisfied that Ella knew what she was doing, Damaris mounted; as did Ella. Ella followed her out of the barn and onto a trail that Damaris said led to another pasture. “Your résumé looks really good. Which I’m sure you know. How long have you worked on a ranch?”
“I grew up on a farm. We had horses, but didn’t raise them. My family is more into growing things. Grass, alfalfa, maize.” She shrugged. “I spent all the time they’d let me with the horses. I went to work on a horse ranch when I was fifteen. Part-time. Kept that job through high school, then found another part-time job during college, learning about horses and managing a ranch. I have a degree in ranch management from Vernon College,” she said, naming a Texas college about two and a half hours out of Amarillo. “But I learned the most by OJT. After college I took a job at the Double K, which is where I’ve been ever since.”
“Were you the manager?”
“No. Assistant manager,” Ella said. “I did of course take care of things when the manager wasn’t around.”
“Makes sense. We don’t have an assistant manager here. We’re not a big enough operation to justify it. But you’ll have my help, and my brothers’. Why did you leave your previous job?”
“I knew I’d never go any higher if I stayed. I’m qualified and it’s time.”
“Is that the only reason you left?”
She hesitated. “No. But I don’t think it’s pertinent. If I did, I’d tell you.”
