Jared Walker

I made quick work of mucking out the stall, doing my best not to be affected by the soft sighs and slight grunts coming from Hope, who was working a few feet to my left.

Admittedly, it’d been a while since I’d put in this type of manual labor, but the truth was, I missed it. Not since I’d left El Paso two years ago, having worked on my parents’ cattle farm, had I felt like this. After I was fired from my job managing an equipment rental place—as a way to get additional experience while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do—I had gone back to work for my father while I waited for the divorce to be final. Until my uncle called, letting me know they needed me to come to Coyote Ridge and take over running his sons’ demolition business. I knew that Curtis had made the offer because my father had called him, but the opportunity to get away for a while had been too good to pass up.

And when I’d finally gotten my son back, I had opted to stay because, one, I enjoyed it, and two, it allowed me to get Derrick far away from Sable’s clutches.

It wasn’t that my job at Walker Demolition was easy, but it definitely didn’t require quite so many back muscles. Just being here brought back a million memories. I had loved the farm, sometimes thought about going back even. If it weren’t for the fact that Sable would be all over me if I did, that was. Because of that, I had forced myself to stay away. Truth was, if I had to choose a profession, it would be to do this every day. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t in my cards. At least for now.

I managed to block everything from my mind for a little while, focusing solely on the job. Before I knew it, I was finished. Propping my foot on the pitchfork, I pulled my hat from my head and wiped my brow with the sleeve of my T-shirt.

“Well, Jared Walker, looks like you do good work,” Hope said, that raspy voice drawing my attention toward her.

She had lost the gloves and the pitchfork and was now standing in the doorway to the stall—all five foot nothing of her—her turquoise gaze lazily perusing the ground, probably making sure I really had done a good job.

“I’ve got some practice,” I told her.

“Yeah? You worked on a ranch before?”

I found I liked looking at her. She wasn’t what I’d expected. The husky tone didn’t quite match the petite little thing standing before me. Hope Lambert looked sweet, almost innocent. But the way she carried herself told me she was no pushover. She was used to hard work and manual labor. If I was right, she probably spent most of her time bossing around a bunch of cowboys to boot.

“Yes, ma’am,” I confirmed, never looking away from her.

There was a slight blush on her cheeks that intrigued me.

When I’d been flirting with her earlier—something I hadn’t intended—I’d seen something in her pretty blue-green eyes. Something that told me to back off. Whether she’d intentionally sent me a warning or if it was involuntary, I didn’t yet know. But I was hoping to find out.

After returning the pitchfork to its original spot, I trailed her toward a large basin sink, following her lead and washing my hands, then splashing water on my face. She passed me some paper towels.

“So, how about that tour?” I suggested.

Hope peered up at me, a smile in place. She really was beautiful in a soft, rugged sort of way. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but she didn’t need any, either. I also noticed that she wasn’t wearing any jewelry at all. Her hair was tucked beneath a straw cowboy hat, blond strands peeking out from underneath, curling over her shoulders, cheeks pink from hard work and the heat, but I was captivated by her eyes. Not only the unusual sparkling color but what I saw in them. That same warning I’d seen earlier was reflected there. I wasn’t quite sure what it was all about, but I had an uncanny need to figure it out.

“Come on,” she said, her eyes still locked on my face for another second before she canted her head toward the door. “Your fifteen minutes starts now. Let’s go.”

I fell into step with her, slowing my longer stride to match her shorter one.

“So, who is Cheyenne to you?” she asked, glancing up at me as we walked.

“She’s my cousin’s … uh … fiancée.”

“So, Brendon’s your cousin?”

“One of ’em, sure.”

Hope grinned. “And you live close to them?”

“Moved to Coyote Ridge a couple years ago to take a job.” It wasn’t a complete lie. I had moved there for the job at Walker Demo. I just wasn’t going to tell Hope that I’d been running from my old life, too.

“Where’re you originally from?”

“El Paso,” I told her. “Born and raised. I take it you’ve grown up here all your life?”

“Yes, sir. Born and raised right here on this very ranch.” Hope’s smile was radiant.

“Born, huh?”

She nodded. “Daddy spread out the hay in the barn…”

I could see the mischievous smirk. “Liar.”

“I was born here, though,” she said, chuckling. “In the house, not the barn. Momma had a midwife and everything.”

“Well, you’ve got one up on me.” I grinned down at her. “I was born in a hospital.”

“Nobody’s perfect.” Her smile widened. “You have any brothers or sisters?”

“Four brothers, one sister.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “I thought I had a big family.”

“Well, at last count, I had somewhere around thirty first cousins on my dad’s side alone, if that tells you anything. Add in all their significant others, the kids…”

“Okay, so you definitely win,” Hope said, chuckling.

“Cheyenne mentioned you had sisters.”

“Four of them.”

“You’re the oldest?” I probed.

She continued to smile as we walked. “I am,” she confirmed. “Then there’s Grace, Trinity, Mercy, and Faith.”

Interesting choice in names, I noted.

“And you?” Hope asked. “Oldest?”

“Yes, ma’am. Then there’s the twins, Kaden and Keegan, Quinn’s next, then my sister, Eve, and the youngest, Wesley.”

“Twins, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am. They run in the family.”

“So I take it this family reunion could be rather large?”

“Could be,” I answered. “Depends on who can make it, I guess.”

“When were you lookin’ to do this?” she inquired as we stepped inside an outdoor arena. “Summer months are obviously the best, unless you have an aversion to the heat. Fall in Texas… Well, you know. Some years we have a fall, others we hop right to winter. I don’t suggest you get too far into the colder months. Being cooped up inside all the time can wear on the little ones.”

“And the big ones,” I added.

Her chuckle said she understood exactly what I meant. “True.”

“Travis seems to think a month is good for plannin’,” I said, watching her closely. “So I’d say October sometime.”

“It’s doable, I guess. A little rushed, maybe. Trail rides are good then, and so are hay rides. Provided the weather’s nice, great time to spend outdoors. All depends on what we’ve got booked and what you’re wantin’ to do.”

“Well … that depends on what you’re offerin’?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized how they might’ve sounded, or more accurately, what I found myself hoping for. What was worse, I didn’t feel the need to take them back, because although I’d been in Hope’s presence for a very short time, I realized that my no-woman rule was beginning to fade from the mental paper I’d jotted it on.

I watched her, noticing the way she studied my face briefly. For half a second, I thought she might play along.

She didn’t.

“Well, it’s a fully functioning ranch, Mr. Walker.” Her eyes cooled significantly. “We’ve got plenty of activities the whole family can enjoy. Horseback riding, archery, swimming—although that’s probably out in October. If they’re interested, we can even put ’em to work while they’re here.”

The fact that she called me Mr. Walker made me smile. “I imagine you do,” I countered, still maintaining eye contact. “And I’ve got a few cousins I’d like to put to work.” Namely, Travis and Kaleb.

Her soft laugh hit me square in the chest. There was something about this woman … something that made me want to yank her into my arms, slam my mouth over hers, and… Yeah.

And.

All the stuff I wasn’t looking for in a woman. I didn’t give a damn how pretty she was or how sweet her voice was or how fucking awesome her ass looked in those damn jeans.

I forced my gaze away to check out the arena. When I looked back, I managed to rein in my thoughts, nodding my head, signaling her that I was ready to see what else there was to see.

And I wasn’t referring to her … naked.

No, definitely not that.