Page 5 of The Boss

"Yes. Because we don't like outsiders near our property."

"But why are you so secretive?" she asks. "What do you guys do out here?" The lights come back on, and she smiles.

"For a start, we help damsels in distress when the roads wash out." I stand up, holding out my hand. “And whenever else they need us.”

3

ETTA

Itake the stranger’s hand, feeling like I’m in some sort of dream.

I've never thought about needing a man. I've always been completely independent. My family doesn't care about me other than as a source of cheap labor, so all they do is boss me around mercilessly.

But now here’s a man who is literally called Boss, who clearly detests my profession, caring for me as if I were his responsibility.

When he releases my hand, I miss the warmth of his skin against mine. Wow, he really is tall. His hulking frame almost takes up the entire hallway as he walks to the second door.

He opens it, turns on the light, and I peek in the doorway with him.

Oh.

It’s a good-sized room, but everything is filthy. Boss shakes his head. "Damn. Someone left the window open." He goes over to close it, then looks around at the bunk beds. All three are rumpled and covered in a layer of dust.

"I’ll be fine." I hope I sound more confident than I feel. "It's still better than my car."

"No way." He taps the top bunk, and a layer of dust rises up from the sheet. "This is officially a health hazard."

He leads me back out to the main room, then checks his phone. "Good. My texts are rolling in now. The main lights turning on were from our second generator kicking in. We'll have to conserve power for the next few hours, but we’ll be fine. Apparently they've rolled the tree away from the power line, but it will still take several hours to chop up the tree so it can be moved off the road. Then there’s the power line to repair, and they won't be able to fix the road itself until it stops raining and everything settles. That’ll probably be tomorrow afternoon or so."

He nods to the phone, then to me. "So. We've got a timeline."

"Really, if it’s just one night, I'll be fine anywhere."

"Good. I'm taking you to a much nicer place where you can stay the night." He heads for the door, picking up the umbrella on the way. "We’ll grab anything you need from your car, then take my truck there."

"I don't want to be a bother. Really."

He takes hold of my shoulders, giving me a little shake and making me laugh. "Etta, this is an emergency. You're not a bother, you're someone in need of help. Now, I'm not your boss, but I'm the boss of this ranch. And as the boss I'm going to take you somewhere clean and safe and dry, I'm going to feed you dinner, and I'm going to show you to the guest suite. Sound fair?"

"Very, yes. Thank you."

I grab my bags, glad that I checked out of the bed and breakfast this morning. I had planned to be on the road by this evening if all went well. If not, I figured I could just book another night. But now, as Boss carries my bags while holding the umbrella over us through the misty rain, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

He looks over and chuckles at my deep inhale as I climb into his truck. "Why does the air smell so much fresher out here?" I ask.

"Horse manure," he deadpans.

He drives slowly and the road rounds a corner, revealing a massive stable. "Is that the source of the manure?" I grin.

Boss snorts. "Nosy real estate people. Yes, it's our horse stable." He smiles, then flashes a grin. "If you promise to keep the secret…"

"I do."

"We take in rescue horses. Times are tough for some folks, and many can't afford to care for their animals anymore. So we take them off their hands."

"Wow." I shake my head as we pass the massive building and go around a curve that bends the other way.

"We also have some rescue goats, and my buddy Stone found an abandoned llama last year. We're doing our best with him. Plus, there's a small herd of cattle. Vegetable gardens, some small crops. We also have a big garage where Smoky is always fixing trucks and tractors, and anything else he can get his hands on."