Boots and Twisters (6 page)

You never knew when your number was going to be up. Lucky had a hard time believing it wasn’t all her fault. Her luck had changed that day, and every day since had been one unlucky event or situation after another.

Fifteen minutes passed and the inactivity made Lucky antsy. With all the talk of food, the acid in her belly churned, making her feel a little nauseous. She rose and paced the interior of the office, touching photo frames and reading certificates on the walls.

Lucky had her back to the door when it opened.

Footsteps sounded behind her.

She spun to face not Audrey but a man with dark hair and dark eyes. He was as nice looking as Trent, with a more open and friendly face.

“Hi, my name’s Isaac.”

She took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Lucky.”

“Some say I am. And I’m beginning to think I am now that I’ve met you.”

She laughed at his blatant flirting. “No, my name is Lucky Albright.”

“That’s your real name or a nickname?” Isaac asked with casual curiosity.

“My mother must have been feeling lucky that day. It’s on my birth certificate that way.”

“Well, then I’ll definitely consider this as my
lucky
day.” Isaac grinned. “Nice to meet you, Lucky. Audrey tells me you’re looking for a job on a ranch.”

“I am.”

“I have a ranch.”

“That’s nice.”

“And I’m in need of a ranch hand.”

“You are?” Her pulse hammered. Maybe her luck really had changed. “I’m available during the day.” She nodded toward the door. “Audrey offered me a job waiting tables at night. I need to pay her back for wrecking her truck and storeroom.”

“You wrecked her storeroom too?” Isaac’s grin widened. “That’s some lousy luck.”

Lucky held her breath, waiting for Isaac to pass on offering her a job.

Instead, he clapped his hands together. “So, what kind of ranch experience have you had?”

Lucky told him all she’d done working on the ranch where her father had been foreman—deeding animals, castrating steers, exercising thoroughbred and quarter horses. “I’m an excellent rider. I’m familiar with various riding styles that include English and western, reining and racing. I prefer western-style riding. I know how to use a come-along to stretch fence and I think I’ve built and repaired enough fencing to surround this county. I can also drive most tractors. I’ve cut, baled and hauled hay, cleared fields, planted and harvested crops and most of all, I’m good with all ranch animals.” She stopped to take a breath and gauge Isaac’s response.

“I believe I’ve found the perfect woman.” He pressed his hand to his chest and then held it out. “You’re hired.”

Lucky gripped his hand and could almost feel the weight lift from her shoulders. “I am?”

“If you can do all that stuff, you’re just what we need.”

“We?”

“My partner and I can’t do it all ourselves. An extra pair of hands will go a long way to helping out. Especially someone who knows his—er—her way around animals and hard work. When can you start?”

“Immediately.” She laughed. “At least bright and early in the morning.”

“You’re new to town, right?”

“I am.”

“Have you found a place to stay?”

“No.”

“Then you can stay at the ranch house.”

She grinned. Two jobs and a place to live. How much better could life get? Her happiness faded. “Only one thing.”

“What’s that?”

Her face burned. “I’ll need a ride out to the ranch.” She hurried to add, “Just until I can earn enough to put gas in my truck.”

Isaac pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and removed a couple of twenties. “Get that gas. Can’t have my new employee hitching rides.”

“I can’t accept what I haven’t earned.”

“Sweetheart, you’ll earn it. I promise you.” He gave her directions to the Triple J Ranch, tipped his cowboy hat and smiled. “You can have the guest bedroom.”

Clutching the bills in her fist, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you so very much.”

His smile widening, he set her away from him. “Can’t say I’ve ever been kissed by a ranch hand. You’re my first.” He rubbed his cheek. “I kinda liked it. Well, I better be going. My partner will be waiting impatiently. Speaking of which, expect a little resistance. Most likely he’ll be expecting a ranch hand of the opposite gender.”

“I’ll show him I can do anything a man can do, only better.”

“I’m sure you will, and more.” He left, chuckling.

Forty bucks in her hand, two jobs to get her by and a place to lay her head. Yup, her luck was changing.

Lucky was still grinning when Audrey returned with a Styrofoam tray filled with a fat, juicy hamburger, dripping with grease and a pile of fries enough for four people.

“Eat up and get your strength. That storeroom will likely take a couple hours to clean.” Audrey patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to do it all by yourself.”

“Oh, but I want to. Since I made the mess, I expect to clean it. Plus it’ll give me chance to inventory the damages, so I’ll know what I owe you.” Although she owed her more than the damages.

Audrey had given her a second chance. She intended to make good on that opportunity.

Now if only her luck would hold.

Chapter Four

Isaac sat in a rocking chair on the front porch of the ranch house, waiting for Lucky to arrive, hoping she wouldn’t until Trent was fast asleep in his bed with the overhead fan drowning out all the softer noises. He hadn’t told his brother he’d hired a woman ranch hand and he didn’t plan on telling him any sooner than he had to. He relished the look on his face when he discovered her gender.

And from what Lucky had told him, she’d be just as good if not better than any male ranch hand that didn’t have nearly the amount of experience she claimed to have.

If she didn’t work out, well, no harm, no foul. He’d let her go. She had her job at the Ugly Stick to fall back on. He’d liked her on the spot and really hoped this little experiment worked out.

Trent poked his head through the door and asked, “Aren’t you going to hit the rack?”

“In a bit. I’m enjoying the night air, peace and quiet after the noise of the Ugly Stick.”

Trent stepped out on the porch, walked to the edge and leaned against one of the support beams.

“You have to admit this is one of the only places you’ve ever been where you can hear yourself think,” Isaac said softly. He’d tried to bring Trent over to his way of thinking. He knew how hard their father had been on him and that he’d treated him badly, always demanding more than he had to give and punishing him harshly when he didn’t live up to John Jameson’s expectations. Which was practically always.

The times Isaac had stepped in and disagreed with his father, he’d gotten the same treatment and Trent got twice the severity. He’d learned early on to stay out of it. It saved Trent additional grief.

He understood why Trent hated the ranch, but he wanted Trent to see that it wasn’t the place that was bad, but their father’s mistreatment. The Triple J Ranch was perfect now that John Jameson no long ran roughshod over his sons. The old man was probably rolling over in his grave at how they were running the operation since he’d been gone, but Isaac didn’t care.

They needed help but hadn’t pursued it yet, probably more out of cussed determination to prove to their dead father they could get along just fine without him.

Up until Dusty had knee replacement, they had managed fine. Granted it took a lot of their free time and their regular jobs had suffered for it, but they’d proven, if not to their dead father then to themselves, that they could manage the ranch.

Now they needed help.

“It is peaceful here.” Trent’s comment was low, almost lost in the faint breeze.

“It’s ours now. We can do whatever we want with it.”

“Like sell?”

Isaac didn’t comment. He’d said all he was going to say, even telling Trent he refused to sell. If his brother still felt the same in a year, he would relent. But he had to at least give it a year. If Trent couldn’t let go of the old hurt and anger a year after their father’s death, he never would and it would be time to let go of a place that only held bad memories.

“Do you really like living in Houston?”

“It’s closer to my work.”

“You can design structures from anywhere and get your work delivered on time. It’s the beauty of satellite Internet and express shipping. And I go when and where I need to.”

“As long as we have an able-bodied foreman to leave the ranch with. Which we don’t have.”

“He’ll be back.” Isaac wasn’t ready to break the news to Trent about the new hire. Not right before Trent would hopefully go to bed.

“Not soon enough.”

“Getting itchy feet?” Isaac asked.

Trent hesitated. “I don’t have the connection to this place you seem to have.”

“Have you given it a fair shake?” Isaac stood. “I mean, really given it a chance since Dad died?”

Trent continued to stare out at the Texas landscape bathed in indigo-blue moonlight. “I’m going to bed. There’s a fence down on the northeast corner. I want to get out there early and get it up before the cattle discover it and wander off.”

“I’m right behind you in a little bit. I’m still unwinding from the fun at the Ugly Stick. We should play poker every Ladies Night.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t bring one of the ladies home. Or better yet, go home with one.”

Isaac hid a grin in the dark. “I can be picky too.”

Trent snorted. “You’ve dated just about every woman in the tri-county area and you’ve yet to settle down. I’m not the only one who doesn’t like to commit.”

“I know. I have to admit, I’m just as picky when considering a lifelong promise to love, honor and cherish.”

“You could always go for Kylie Sandell.” Trent left that jab hanging.

“Not in a million years. She and her mother are toxic.”

“Speaking of toxic, we promised a load of fertilizer to be delivered to Mrs. Sandell’s house. She asked for horse dung for her rose garden.”

“Only the best for her prize roses.” Isaac’s eyes narrowed. “Why did you promise to deliver it to her? You know she’ll pick it apart.”

“She’s an older woman. I was taught to respect my elders, especially women.”

“You could have said no.”

“I know, but it’s done. I made a promise and I’ll deliver on that promise.”

Isaac sighed. “I’ll help. Someone needs to watch your back. That Kylie is as sly and conniving as her mother. The rotten apple didn’t fall far from the poison apple tree.”

Trent chuckled. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Isaac breathed a sigh of relief when Trent finally went inside.

He listened for the sounds of his brother entering and exiting the bathroom and finally the house fell silent.

Checking his watch, he noted it was thirty minutes past midnight. The Ugly Stick closed at midnight on Thursdays, even when it was Ladies Night. Before he’d left the saloon, he’d askedAudrey if he could use the five-gallon jug of gasoline she kept on hand for the bar’s lawn-care equipment. Thankfully, she’d filled it the day before. He’d poured all five gallons into Lucky’s truck. That should have been enough to get her to the truck stop in Temptation where she could use the forty dollars he’d given her to fill her tank. If all went well and she didn’t have trouble following his directions, she’d be driving up the driveway in the next five minutes.

Headlights shined through the trees heading up the road to the ranch.

Isaac stepped off the porch and waved Lucky to park on the side of the house Trent rarely visited, hoping the lights wouldn’t alert Trent to a visitor at this late hour.

When Lucky turned off her lights and climbed down from the old pickup, she smiled. “You didn’t have to stay up and wait for me to come. But thanks.”

“I didn’t want you tripping in the dark, trying to find your way around.” Isaac turned toward the house. “If you’ll follow me.”

When he didn’t hear her behind him, he turned to see her standing with her back to him, staring up at the night sky. “Wow. I didn’t know how much I missed this.”

“Missed what?”

“The night sky.”

“Have you been living in a city?”

“Not a city, but I’ve been living in a small town outside of San Antonio. Even the small towns have a lot of lights that shine all night.”

“I can wait to show you to your room if you want to sit out on the porch for a while.”

“Do you mind?” She gave him a tentative smile. “After the noise of the saloon, this is heaven.”

“Sure. Let me get your gear, then you can come sit on the steps with me.”

“The boxes can stay in the backseat. I just need my clothes.” She grabbed a duffle bag from behind the seat and slung the strap over her shoulder.

“I’ll get that.” Isaac took the bag from her.

“I’m a ranch hand. I don’t expect special treatment just because I’m a girl.”