April Arrington - A Home With The Rancher

He raised his head, finding her closer than he’d expected. The once-creamy skin of her cheeks and forehead was sunburned a cherry red and freckles were scattered across the bridge of her nose, giving her an earthy, attractive air. Her wide eyes blinked up at him, patient and kind, then focused on his mouth and darkened.

She stepped back and shook her head. “Anyway, it’s my turn to apologize. It’s none of my business and I didn’t mean to offend you. I like Jaxon and just thought I’d give you my two cents before I left.”

She moved farther away and resumed splitting wood, her movements slow and unsteady.

Mac hesitated then went into the stable and fumbled through a couple shelves in the storage room until he found a pair of small gloves. He returned to Dani and held them out.

“Here. You’ll wake up with more blisters than you can count if you don’t put these on. They’ll be too big but will help at least. And breakfast is at six if you’d like to have a decent meal before you leave tomorrow.”

She paused between swings, breathing heavily, and took the gloves. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He hovered, waiting as she tugged on the gloves then returned to the task at hand. He headed back to the lodge, walking carefully along the moonlit stone path, and listened as the strokes of the ax echoed across the fields.

There was no need to mull over whether or not to hire Dani. She’d decided to leave on her own accord. That thought alone should ease his worries. She’d been a risky hire from the start and she was still far too guarded for his peace of mind. But in just one day, she’d made Jaxon smile more than he’d managed to in months.

So...what if he asked her to stay?

His steps slowed. With a new hand, he’d be freed from chores more often and would actually be able to follow through with some of his promises to Jaxon. But he’d have to invest a great deal of time in training her for the job first. And judging from today, he’d bet it wouldn’t be a smooth transition with the rest of the hands.

Mac stopped and looked back. Either way, Dani had a point. If he didn’t try something different soon, he could lose a lot more than his land. He could lose the respect of his son.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.