Catherine Mann - Safe In The Rancher's Arms - Stranded with the Rancher / Sheltered by the Millionaire / Pregnant by the Texan

“How bad is it?”

Audie shrugged. “I’ve had a few run-ins with the law. Nothing major. I had to clean up my act when the baby came along.”

“We run a tight ship at Willowbrook. You would be answering to my manager. I’m doing this for your sister, but I expect a lot from my men.”

“I hear what you’re saying.”

“In that case, do you want the job?”

Audie took off a stained baseball cap and scratched his head. “I don’t much like gettin’ up early.”

Drew winced inwardly. He was beginning to see why Beth had issues with Audie. “The job is 7:30 to 4:00 with half an hour for lunch and two fifteen minute breaks. No smoking anywhere on the property.”

“Okay. I guess I can live with that. I appreciate you taking a chance on me.”

“Let me be straight with you, Audie. I could have a dozen guys lining up for the chance to work at Willowbrook. My stable hands are the best in the business. You’ll learn a lot from them. The only reason I’m offering you this job is because I care about your sister.”

Audie nodded. “I bet you do.”

Drew inhaled sharply. With two hands, he took Audie by the collar and lifted him to his toes— wishing he could put his hands around his neck.

Audie went the color of skim milk when Drew got in his face and snarled, “You will not disrespect your sister. Are we clear?” When the man nodded, Drew released him, chest heaving.

Beth’s skinny sibling got to his feet, grabbed up his dust-covered ball cap, and had the audacity to ask for more. “I’ll need a way to get to work. Can’t leave the wife and kid without a car.”

This time Drew had to count to ten. “One of my guys passes here every morning. I’ll see if he’s willing to pick you up. Now do you want the job or not?”

“Yeah. I appreciate it. I really do. But Beth may get her feathers ruffled. She’s not big on taking help.”

“Are you the only family she has? I know your parents are gone. But no aunts and uncles? Cousins?”

“Wouldn’t know on my dad’s side. Mama was an only child. Me and Beth aren’t bosom buddies. She’s a little uppity. Thinks she’s better than me.”

“I warned you.”

Audie took two steps backward. “I gotta check on things.”

“You’ll be ready in the morning?”

“Yup.”

“Don’t waste this opportunity.”

“I won’t, Mr. Farrell. You won’t be sorry.”

Ten

Drew brooded about the unsettling encounter with Beth’s brother all the way into town. No wonder Beth had warned him off. Audie’s reinvention of himself might or might not be the real deal. Only time would tell. But Drew was determined to insert himself between Beth and the stress of looking after her brother. She didn’t need to worry about Audie and his family if Drew was around to help. It was the least Drew could do.

In Royal, reality hit once again. Sifting through the wreckage of Town Hall was a distraction, but not a welcome one. Knowing people had lost their lives on this very spot was sobering. A pall of tragedy lay over the site. Though at least two dozen volunteers worked side by side in an attempt to recover valuable records, there was no joking, no camaraderie. Faces were grim. Eyes were shadowed with grief.

Lord knew how anything would ever get back to normal.

In the midst of the backbreaking work, once again Drew realized how lucky he and Beth had been. Imagining her snatched from his side by a killer tornado made him queasy. And it could have happened. So easily....

Today, the skies above were innocent and blue, nothing at all like what he remembered from the day of the storm. He had a feeling that many in Royal would experience post-traumatic stress in the weeks and months to come. Thankfully, the calendar said they were on the tail end of tornado season, but next spring would be another story. Every thunderstorm promised to be nerve-wracking, especially for the children who didn’t really understand these things.

Pausing to take a swig of water, he noticed a piece of paper flapping in the breeze, anchored by a chunk of concrete block. He squatted to pick it up and saw that it was a fragment of a marriage license. Neither of the names was familiar to him. But for a moment, he was struck by how many people would be affected by this mess at Town Hall. Were any of the computer records recoverable?

After his long, difficult shift wrapped up, he acknowledged he wasn’t going to have any peace of mind until he had it out with Beth. He was hot and tired and second-guessing himself about getting involved with Audie. Sooner or later he would have to confess to Beth what he had done. His job offer had been motivated by a desire to help Beth, perhaps even to earn her gratitude. But he was coming to realize that she didn’t always see things the way Drew did. He would postpone that hurdle for as long as possible.

Cell service was pretty good now. He thought about calling or texting, but instead, he drove over to the shelter, arriving just as Beth walked out the front door. She didn’t notice him at first. Her head was bent as she talked softly to a little bundle of caramel-colored fur.

Drew closed the distance between them. “I remember that little fellow. What’s his name?”

Beth halted abruptly, seeming startled but pleased to see him. “I call him Stormy. It turns out his owners abandoned him the other day. I may adopt him as soon as my house is finished.”

“Lucky dog.” He toyed with the puppy’s ear. “We need to talk about last night.”

Beth’s cheeks turned pink. “Lower your voice, for Pete’s sake. And if you mean the sex—” She stopped abruptly.

He smoothed her hair behind her ear. She hadn’t worn it up this time. The long gold waves danced in the breeze. “What about the sex?”

Her head ducked as she focused all her interest on the dog. “It was good.”

“Good? That’s it? Not much of an affirmation.”

“What do you want from me, Drew?” She shot him a sideways glance that told him she wasn’t accustomed to discussing her sex life so matter-of-factly.

Come to think of it, neither was he. But he wanted to be sure that last night was not a one-time thing. “I’ve thought about you all day,” he murmured, thankful that Megan was not in earshot. “I was disappointed to wake up and find you gone.”

“I wasn’t thinking very clearly. I didn’t want to make a mistake.”

“And did you?”

At last she raised her chin. Squaring her shoulders, she met his gaze full on, her smile small but genuine. “I’ll let you know.”

He shook his head with a rueful grin, glancing at his watch. “You’re a hard woman, Beth Andrews.” Her stubbornness worried him on another count. Drew planned to tell her he had hired Audie. And to explain that his intention in doing so was to make life easier for Beth...because he cared about her.

But her pride and her aversion to taking help might be Drew’s downfall. This thing between the two of them was fragile. Before confessing, he had to be sure she wanted him enough to overlook the fact that he had gone behind her back.

“I came by with a proposition,” he said. “How would you feel about a quick trip to Dallas?”

“Don’t we have plenty to do here?”

“Of course we do. But Jed is supposed to be present at a meeting tomorrow morning at his headquarters. He doesn’t want to leave Kimberly right now, so I said I would take his place since I sit on his board. If you come along, we can spend the night, have a nice dinner, take a break from all of this.”

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

“I thought you might say that. Kimberly works at a clothing store in town.”

“A very high-end establishment,” Beth said wryly. “Not my price range at all.”