To Court A Cowgirl

“So how did Jaromek take your retirement?” Jimmy asked as he took his beer. “You guys were a team for a long time.”

“He understood and Littleton was ready to step in and take my place, so I think it’ll all work out. Plus they have O’Donnell.”

“He’s over that foot injury?”

“Should be a hundred percent by minicamp.”

They continued to talk football, segueing from the pros to the local team and Jason started to relax, wondering if this whole work-for-Jimmy plan was something his father had cooked up for reasons of his own...reasons Jason couldn’t begin to guess at. They debated the merits of veteran coaches entrenched in their ways versus new coaches with little experience but lots of ideas, then Jason offered his uncle another beer. Jimmy waved it off.

“Actually, I came by to talk to you about going to work at the dealership.”

Jason’s stomach lurched. “I—”

Jimmy held up a hand, stopping him. “I heard you had reservations because you have no experience in sales.”

“I have reservations because sales aren’t my thing.”

“Your thing.” His uncle blinked at him. “Is money your thing? Because looking at statistics, a lot of retired pro players are broke after a couple of years.”

Jason’s expression went stony. “I don’t plan on being one of those guys.”

“So what are you going to do?” There was a touch of belligerence in his uncle’s voice. “I can give you a damned good job and you wouldn’t have to work that hard.”

“Why is it so important that I work for you?” Jason asked, thinking he may as well hear the reason spoken out loud.

“Because we can help one another,” Jimmy said earnestly. “A symbiotic relationship. Your name, my expertise in sales.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t?”

“Won’t,” Jason said coldly.

“I need your help. How can you turn down family?”

“I can loan you money.”

Jimmy’s lip curled. “I don’t want a frigging loan.”

“That’s all I can offer.”

“You won’t help me?”

Jason gave his head a slow shake. “Not in the way you want.”

“Look. Kid. Your career was already on the skids when you quit. If you think you’re going to get any major endorsements or anything, you’re wrong.”

“I don’t.”

“So, what? You’re going to live here with your father?” He sneered a little as he spoke.

“Until he feels better.” Jason got up out of his chair, towering over his uncle. “And I don’t want him to get upset.” He gestured toward the door with his head. “Finding the two of us here, going at it, won’t be good for his heart.”

“Neither will your being a selfish prick.”

The sound of the garage door going up caught both their attentions. Jimmy sent Jason a look he couldn’t read, then a moment later, Max came into the house.

“So did you talk?” his father asked.

And that was when Jason knew he’d been set up. “We talked. The answer is no.”

“It’s no, no, a thousand times no,” Jimmy said sarcastically. “He can crawl to me and I wouldn’t hire him now.”

Max looked from his son to his brother and back at his son again. “Maybe if the three of us sit down—”

“That’s it,” Jason said. “Is Kate here?”

“Feeding the dogs.”

“Cool. Dad, I’ll see you later. Jim...” His mouth tightened and then he walked through the garage door to where his sister was feeding the Dobermans. She took one look at him and shook her head grimly.

“Get out of here for a while,” she said. “I’ll call if anything happens.”

He started to say no, then thought better of it. “Thanks.”

* * *

THREE DAYS HAD passed since posting her advertisements in all the usual places, and Allie hadn’t received one phone call. If she had to hire a salvage company instead of a local guy, it was going to cost more than she was ready to pay, but short of tearing down the barn herself, she didn’t know what her other options might be. She’d give it another week, then call Dani and Jolie and explain that they were going to have to dip into the ranch fund to get rid of the thing.

Allie finished her coffee and headed outside to check the pregnant cows. They’d had only five cows when she and Kyle had left the ranch, down from almost a hundred. It seemed as if every few months they’d had to sell off animals to make ends meet or to fund one of Kyle’s harebrained projects that she’d been so supportive of...until she finally figured out that her husband was all show and no go. Her sisters had started building the herd again and they were now up to twenty registered Angus cows—eighteen of which were pregnant. If she had a one-hundred-percent calving rate, then they would have even more of a hedge against disaster. She felt bad that she was the reason the ranch had been in such poor shape to begin with...which was why she really hated making that call.

After checking the cows, she turned the goats loose to eat weeds, then started back to the house, only to stop when she spotted the cloud of dust coming down the driveway.

And a second later she recognized the fancy pickup making the cloud.

Jason Hudson.

Allie glanced down at her clothing, glad that she hadn’t succumbed to the urge to feed in her pajamas. Her oldest jeans, a ratty T-shirt and her hair pulled back in a rough ponytail weren’t much better, but at least she could maintain a semblance of dignity that flannel pants with polar bears on them didn’t allow.

The truck rolled to a stop a few feet away from where Allie stood near the barn. She shifted her weight, her arms hanging loosely by her sides as Jason got out of the truck.

“You’re back,” she said before he could speak.

“I am.” In the late-afternoon sunlight, his eyes were the most amazing clear aqua blue. Caribbean Sea–blue. He gave a slight shrug and said, “I’m here about the job.”

“Why?” The word burst out of her mouth.

“Maybe I need to pay my dues,” he said without one hint of irony.

“You aren’t paying your dues here.” She gave a soft snort. “Why would you want to pay your dues here?”

“It seems as good a place as any.” A few seconds of charged silence ticked by as Allie waited for Jason to either expand on his answer or leave. He did neither. Finally she gave up and shook her head. “I don’t see this happening.”

“Because you have so many applicants to choose from?”

“Yes. Exactly.” Allie felt color start to rise in her face. She was an awful liar.

“I stole your advertisement off the feed-store bulletin board.” Her jaw literally dropped. “Heat of the moment,” he continued. “And now I’m here to either tear down your barn or put up another advertisement.”

She studied him, wondering if he’d been hit in the head too many times, although there was nothing foggy in the way he was studying her back. He looked like a guy on a mission. Why would he want to tear down a barn when he probably had a whole lot of money sitting in the bank, drawing interest?

“You can’t tear down my barn, so I guess I’d better print out another advertisement.”

“I think you should at least give me a shot.”

Allie blinked at him. “At the risk of repeating myself, why?”

“I need gainful employment.”

“Jason, no offense, but can’t you catch pizzas or something more in line with your talents?”

“I could catch pizzas if I were still playing ball,” he said. “But not many companies want an ex-player as a spokesperson unless they were truly great. I wasn’t.”

There was something in the unflinching way he assessed his career that touched her. She quickly brushed the feeling aside. “Have you ever torn down a barn?” Or swung a hammer? His father had owned a construction company, but as far as she knew, Jason had never been involved in anything except for sports.

“No. I figure it’s all a matter of logic. Start from the top and work down and from the outside in. One piece at a time.”

Again there was something in his honesty that tugged at her. He didn’t know how to tear down a barn, and he didn’t pretend he did.

“Do you have the equipment necessary to do that job? And to haul away the debris?”

“I have contacts.”

She bet he did.

“Here’s the deal,” he said, tilting his head as he held her gaze. “My dad had a heart attack and almost died. I came home, but if we continue to live in close quarters, he’s very liable to have another because I won’t let him take over my life. I need to be close for the next couple of months in case of emergency, but I also need something to fill my time. Something where I can just...” He shrugged.

Be alone with his thoughts, work through stress. Allie could have finished that sentence for him because she knew the feeling well.

“...do something physical.”

For a moment common sense battled with empathy. She needed the barn hauled away and Jason honestly looked like he needed the job, for reasons other than the money, but this was Jason Hudson. Did she want him on the property, putting her on edge? Because that was what the guy did. He put her fully on edge. On the other hand, the feed-store advertisement he’d taken was one of many, and not one of the ads had produced results.

“One-day trial,” she finally said. “And you have to sign an agreement releasing me from indemnity if you happen to hurt yourself. And I only pay minimum wage.”

His expression didn’t change. “I don’t know how much I can get done in a day.”

“If I’m not unhappy, we’ll talk about another.” He raised an eyebrow and she said, “I don’t like commitment. Take it or leave it.”

She expected him to leave it, but the half smile, which in turn triggered a slow warming sensation in her, told her he wasn’t going to leave it. “Don’t try to charm me,” she warned.

“Into what?”

Bed was the first word that popped into her head. He’d probably charmed a number of women into bed. “Anything,” she said with a snap.

“You got it. No charm. When do I start?”

“Tomorrow,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Sure thing. I’ll go find some tools.”

“And I’ll find those agreements.”

CHAPTER FOUR

JASON PULLED INTO the family driveway hoping Kate didn’t walk out in a frustrated huff as he walked in. He wanted a little backup when he told the old man about his new “job.” Max was getting stronger every day and had made it clear that he no longer required a sitter. As long as someone was with him when he took his walks—which Jason intended to keep doing—Max didn’t mind some time alone. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want Jason on call.

After he broke the news to his dad, he needed to buy some work clothes and gloves. Boots. And a hard hat. It would be ironic to have spent years in a physical occupation and then get taken out by a falling board or beam.

Except he was pretty certain Allie would laugh her ass off.

Let her. Safety first and all that.

Jason pocketed his keys as he walked into the house. “Hey, Dad. Ready for the walk?”

The dogs jumped to their feet. “Yeah.” Max pushed himself out of his chair. “You’ve been gone awhile.”

“I, uh, took a temporary job.”

“Doing what?”

“I’m tearing down a barn for Allie Brody.”

“I’m not even going to ask how this came about,” he said, grabbing his Vandals cap off the sideboard. He sounded so disgusted that Jason had to fight the urge to laugh. Yes, he was turning out to be quite a disappointment now that he was no longer ripping up the gridiron “Have you ever torn down a barn?”

“No.”

Max simply shook his head and headed for the door, the dogs on his heels. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “Are you still living here?”

“Until I buy a place...if that’s okay with you.”

Max nodded and pulled the door open, but Jason had the distinct feeling that the wheels were turning in his head.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING when Jason showed up at the ranch wearing his new boots, with his new gloves stuffed in his back pocket and the tools he’d borrowed from his dad riding in the back of the truck, Allie was sitting on the porch with a mug of coffee cupped in both hands. As he walked up the path, her gaze traveled over his squeaky clean new work clothes, making him glad he’d left his hard hat in the truck. “You look well outfitted,” she commented.

“I’m hoping to be here for more than one day.”

“We’ll see,” she said, picking up a folder of papers sitting beside her. “I just need some signatures.”

Jason signed and then she gestured at the collapsed barn. “Have at it. I’ll be back from work by four. Do you need anything?”

“I don’t think so.”

Allie drove away not long after, leaving Jason to analyze the structure he was about to disassemble. It’d fallen into a heap after the roof had blown off, and the easiest thing to do would be to dismantle the roof, which lay several yards away in a crumpled mound. His dad had offered to send equipment and operators to dispose of the barn in a day or two, but Jason thanked him and said no. The purpose of his temporary job was to have something to do with his hands as he thought. Watching a guy bash the building with a front-end loader wasn’t going to be the same.

Jason went back to the truck, put on the hard hat, grabbed a crowbar and hammer and set off across the field to where the roof had landed. After circling the thing, he chose a place to start prying wood away from wood and began the dismantling process. Within a few hours, his shirt was soaked from the unseasonably hot May weather and he was getting hungry. He had a nice pile of salvageable two-by-fours, a pile of scrap, a bucket full of old nails...and a whole lot of work ahead of him. He ate while sitting on the tailgate of his truck, studying the ranch. All the buildings had been reroofed recently and most of the buildings had been freshly painted, with the exception of the big barn. There was a large building next to the big barn, canvas stretched over ribs, which had been damaged by debris from the building he was working on. Curious about what was inside, he opened the man door on his way back to the demolition site. There was sand inside. A lot of it. And judging from the barrels stowed in one corner and the tack hanging from the wall, the thing was some kind of a horse arena.

Did Allie ride?

He sorted through what he knew about her and came up with very little other than tying for valedictorian and both belonging to chess club. Not that she ever spoke to him there—not even when they played. They’d pretty much coexisted at Eagle Valley High without a lot of interaction. But he’d known who she was. Thought she was attractive in a cool and distant sort of way. She still was attractive, but he saw now that cool and distant hid a rather prickly personality.

What made Allie Brody so prickly?

Did he care to find out?

Better question—did he dare to find out? Allie was kind of scary.

Jason went back to work, putting in his hours without a break until Allie’s little white car turned into the ranch driveway. Then he grabbed the only tools he’d used that day—the crowbar and hammer—and headed back to his truck as Allie got out of the car. She shaded her eyes as he approached, a smile tugging at her lips. An amused smile. And then he realized he was wearing the hard hat.

“Once you get used to wearing a helmet, it’s hard to go without,” he said as he approached.

“I think legally you’re supposed to wear a hard hat.”

“There’s that, too.”

She started walking toward the rubble and he fell into step beside her as she passed the collapsed main building and walked to the roof, where she stopped to silently study his progress.

“This will take a while.” She nudged a truss with the toe of her shoe.

“I can haul in the big equipment. Just say the word.” Inwardly he was fairly certain she wouldn’t say that word. She was doing this to save money.

“No. It looks like you got a good start.” She brushed her hand over her cheek as if to push her hair back from her face, even though there’d been no hair in her face, and tilted her chin up to look him in the eye. “We’ll give it another day.”

He let out a soft snort. “Another day.”

She nodded as if working day-to-day on approval was a normal business practice.

“I assume then that you’ll be paying me daily?”

Her eyebrows lifted as if she hadn’t considered that. “That does make sense,” she said slowly. “Will you take a check?”

He exhaled. “Yes...you can pay me for two days tomorrow. Unless, of course, you wanted to go wild and hire me for an entire week.”

“Do you think it will take that long?”

He was about to explain to her exactly how long he thought it would take when he realized that she was kidding. “Why the day-to-day bit, Allie?”

“So I don’t overspend.”

“You’re just going to shut down demolition when you hit the end of your budget?”

“Something like that. I can’t afford to go into debt. Not when I have student loans.”

“You’re paying for this yourself?”

Her expression started to frost over. He was edging too close to personal. “Never mind. If you want to work day-to-day, fine by me. You can pay me at the end of the time.”

“I made up a time sheet.”

“Of course you did.”

She shot him a look, which he met with an innocent look of his own.

This was kind of fun.

* * *

ALLIE WAITED UNTIL Jason had driven away before checking on her stubborn calfless cows and found to her surprise that calf number one had been born. The adorable little black heifer peeked at Allie from the safe side of her mother, who was placidly grazing near the edge of the herd, so Allie assumed that all was well.

“See that?” she called to the other cows. “That’s what I want to see—healthy calves on the ground when I get home from work.”

Talking to the cows. No sign of insanity there.

Allie grimaced as she headed back to the car to get her purse. After the wild day in the library, staying home and talking to cows didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Be grateful that you have a job.

Allie was grateful, which made it all the more difficult to deal with the growing doubts she had about whether she’d trained for the right career. One week in and, while she enjoyed parts of her temporary job, she was becoming painfully aware of her shortcomings as a future elementary-level teacher. She liked little kids, found them entertaining and charming, but she had no experience managing them and no natural talent in that arena. High school kids...they were different. After completing a double major in elementary education and secondary art, she’d done her practicum teaching in high school, where she’d had no problem with discipline. Smaller children... Dani and Jolie would laugh their asses off if they knew that she was being taken advantage of by six-year-olds. Oh, they’d started off sweet and shy, like new puppies, then, the next thing she knew, they were practically chewing on her shoes.

Allie pulled her purse out of the car and shut the door again. She’d get better at managing the kids as time went on. If her friend Liz could do it, so could she. She just needed practice holding the hard line and ignoring the cuteness factor. Or pray that the impossible happened and the high school art teacher quit, something Liz assured her wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

The next morning Jason showed up early, just as she’d stepped out of the shower. Jolie had taken her dog with her, so Allie had no warning system, and she might have to rectify that. She’d only known that Jason had arrived because she’d happened to glance out the window and noticed his truck was parked near the arena, at least an hour earlier than he’d arrived the day before.

He was at the back, unloading a bucket of tools, and Allie leaned forward to get a better view. The guy was something, she’d give him that. She wondered how long he’d continue on her job before he’d had enough thinking time and moved on to pizza catching.

Allie’s mouth quirked as she turned away from the window. That hadn’t been a nice thing to say, but he hadn’t taken offense. In fact, Jason Hudson seemed like a patient guy in general. She’d never sensed that about him before.

Yeah, in all the many minutes they spent together.

Even their chess games had been relatively quick. And, if she recalled correctly, they’d tied there, too. Not the games themselves, but the number of wins.

Allie put on a summery dress and cardigan, pulled her damp hair into a loose knot, slipped into flats and headed out to feed her cows.

“Remember,” she said to the ladies, “healthy calves on the ground when I get home.”

Then she looked over her shoulder to make certain that Jason was indeed where he was supposed to be and not witnessing her cow conversation. Another reason she needed to get a dog. Talking to dogs was socially acceptable.

* * *

ALLIE LEFT A little earlier than she had the day before, stopping just long enough to say a cool hello before heading off to her job at the school. Jason watched her car until it turned onto the road, then tossed a two-by-four in a pile a little harder than necessary. If he hadn’t been working today he would have been running—straight up the mountain. His dad was driving him crazy and his former teammate Pat wasn’t helping matters.

Jason had gotten home yesterday to find his sister one step away from throttling their old man. Jason had stepped in to referee and the fight had shifted to him. It was so hard to hold his tongue as Max outlined all of his usual gripes, but he managed. Barely.

Once Max had stomped off to his bedroom, Jason and Kate had had a summit. They decided that Max was still working on facing his own mortality and that they should give him a little more time to come to terms with his current life situation. In other words, they gave him a pass. But the passes weren’t going to last long if he continued the controlling, demanding behavior.

In the morning his father was back at it, trying to pick a fight about Jason not being available for his walks. Jason hadn’t reacted, but his jaw had been clenched tightly by the time he got to his truck. Then to top things off, he’d received a text from Pat, whom he hadn’t heard from in weeks. It’d been short and to the point—was Jason applying to Brandt?

The “for the job I didn’t get” went unsaid.

Jason texted back, saying that if he had an opportunity to apply, he would, but that the job hadn’t officially opened yet.

Pat never responded, which concerned Jason on one level and irritated him on another. Not once had Pat confided in him during his downward spiral. He’d never reached out for any kind of help and when Jason had tried to express his concern, offer support, Pat had turned away. Now he resented Jason for having legs.

Another two-by-four hit the pile with a clatter and Jason realized that he had the perfect job in which to take out his frustrations. Easier than running up a mountain, and almost as satisfying.

* * *

ALLIE HAD JUST unlocked the library and snapped on the lights when the door behind her opened.

“Sorry to be here so early,” Liz said without fully meeting Allie’s eyes. “I need to find a couple of books on butterflies for my science lesson today.”

“What’s wrong?” Allie asked before her friend could brush by her. Something was definitely wrong. Liz’s usually perfect hair wasn’t so perfect and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Liz hesitated, then let out a shaky sigh. “It’s Zach.” She sank down into one of the tiny chairs next to the kindergarten table as if no longer able to support herself. “He rolled in at four o’clock this morning. I was worried sick about him, so now that he’s home safely, I’m furious.”

“Of course you are.”

“And I blame Derek as much as I blame Zach.”

Allie sat in the small chair on the other side of the table. She reached out and touched Liz’s hand. Liz and her husband had broken up less than a year ago and their high-school-age son, Zach, had been coping fairly well until his dad moved his new girlfriend onto the family ranch a few weeks ago and told Liz that he didn’t think that Zach should work for him as planned that spring.