Falling For The Rancher

Vicki had rolled her eyes. “You really scare me, shorty.”

Was it wishful thinking on Jarrett’s part or had there almost been a smile in her voice? Even though parts of his sister’s encounter with Sierra had been contentious, it was still the most animated he’d seen her in weeks—not counting the infrequent times her doofus boyfriend bothered to phone.

Jarrett had no real reason to dislike Aaron, but seeing how much those short conversations meant to his sister, he resented that the guy couldn’t make time in his busy college schedule to call more often. Or maybe Aaron’s inattention makes you feel guilty because you know damn well there are women who probably expected a call from you that never came.

He balled up the dish towel and threw it on the counter. “You ready to try that rice thing?” Sierra had left instructions for Jarrett to fill a bucket with dry rice and for Vicki to place her hand inside and try to rotate it. The rice would provide resistance.

The physical therapist had arched an eyebrow at Vicki. “Resistance is right up your alley, yeah?”

Jarrett went into the walk-in pantry for a bag of rice without waiting for his sister’s answer—these days, he couldn’t always count on her to give him one. When he joined her at the table, she was still doing the first set of exercises, wincing in visible pain. He desperately wanted to say something helpful, but what? The closest he could come to empathizing with what she was going through were the many bruises and sore muscles that came with riding rodeo. He’d voluntarily endured those because he liked to win. There was nothing voluntary about her suffering.

As she slid her left hand into the bucket, he tried to sound encouraging. “Sierra is highly recommended. Follow her advice, and I’m sure all of this will get easier.” Eventually.

Beads of sweat dotted Vicki’s forehead as she attempted to turn her wrist. “She’s pretty, too. Like, obnoxiously pretty.” She pinned him with her gaze. “Don’t you think so?”

The question felt like a trap. Saying he hadn’t noticed Sierra’s appearance would be a ridiculous lie and an insult to his sister’s intelligence. But survival instincts warned that admitting Sierra was beautiful would only increase the household tension. “I’m not sure what ‘obnoxiously pretty’ means.”

“Well, she’s way more fun for a guy to look at than old Lucy Aldridge.”

The realization of what she was suggesting bit into him like barbwire through the skin. Shame bubbled to the surface instead of blood. His sister truly believed he was so selfish that he would hire the woman in charge of her well-being based on sex appeal? Of course she does. He had a track record of putting pleasure before loved ones or responsibility.

He clenched his hands into fists, and the reflexive action only heightened his guilt. He could move all ten of his fingers with no effort at all, while Vicki had gone pale in her wheelchair from trying to stir around grains of rice.

“Vic, I would have hired a wart-covered, hunchbacked troll if I thought she could get you better faster. Maybe some guys would find Sierra Bailey ‘fun to look at,’ but I won’t be looking at her. I’ll be working the ranch and staying out of her way so she can focus on you. Your recovery is all that matters to me.”

She cast him a brief, skeptical glance before ducking her gaze without comment. The little sister who’d once idolized him no longer trusted him.

Why should she? He’d given her reason to doubt. I know I let you down, Vic, but I swear it won’t happen again.

Chapter Five (#ulink_f036d800-5327-5422-a449-85a558c78c72)

Even though she’d packed up her car with luggage and turned off all her utilities, accepting the job with the Rosses didn’t feel real until Sierra drove past the Welcome to Cupid’s Bow sign on Saturday. Sure, the town welcomes you—then they hide all the other road signs so you can never find your way back out. Cupid’s Bow, Texas. Come for the home cooking, stay for...ever.

On the phone last night, Muriel had asked, “Are you sure about this, darling? Living in some backwater town for a month when you could be at home with your loving family?”

If Sierra hadn’t already been convinced that she should take the job, that would have done the trick.

Now, alone in the car, she reiterated what she’d said to her mother. “This is where I need to be right now.” So why the nervous butterflies in her stomach? Anxiety that Vicki Ross would be a difficult patient?

No way. I am Sierra Bailey, and I eat difficulty for breakfast. I pour it into my coffee to give it that extra kick.

And yet...tummy flutters. She refused to even consider that they might be a reaction to seeing Jarrett Ross again. Sure, the rancher was good-looking, but she’d spent many hands-on hours working with hot athletes. She was not jittery about moving in with a tall, gray-eyed cowboy. The more likely explanation for her apprehensive stomach was that breakfast hadn’t agreed with her.

There was a grocery store up ahead. She could stop for antacids and other essentials she’d want to have on hand for the next few weeks. Plus, Jarrett had mentioned that grocery shopping and meal preparation would be part of her job. Might as well investigate the supermarket’s selection and get her bearings.

Fifteen minutes later, she’d discovered that the local produce prices were fantastic and that she didn’t own enough denim to fit in around Cupid’s Bow. The two pairs of jeans she did own were in a suitcase in her car; she felt conspicuous in her circle skirt, swirled with autumn colors, and green chenille V-neck sweater. The only people she’d seen who weren’t wearing jeans either wore denim shorts or overalls.

Rounding an endcap, she pushed the cart into the pharmaceutical section, gratified to spot a blonde woman, her hair pulled back in a loose French braid, wearing a sundress not made of denim. The bright geometric print and pattern of straps holding the bodice in place made the outfit fashionable without looking ostentatious.

“Love your dress,” she said impulsively.

Turning from the shelf of vitamins she’d been contemplating, the woman flashed her a bright smile. “Thank you. All that jazz.”

“I... Pardon?”

“The boutique just off of town square,” the woman clarified. “All That Jazz. Run by Jasmine Tucker?” She grinned at Sierra’s blank expression. “You must not be from around here.”

At that moment, a teenage boy with a little girl in tow barreled toward them. They weren’t running, exactly, just moving at the uninhibited speed of childhood. “Mom! They didn’t have the brand you normally get,” the boy announced, skidding to a stop by his mother’s cart. “Will one of these work?” He held up two different boxes of cake mix.

Before the woman could answer, the little girl in the unicorn T-shirt tossed a box of crayons into the cart. “I need these.”

“Doubtful,” the boy scoffed. “You own more crayons than anyone else in North America, Aly.”

“These are scented. I don’t have scented.” At Sierra’s chuckle, the girl looked up, registering her presence for the first time. “Hey, we don’t know you!”

Sierra shook her head. “Nope. Today’s my very first day in town.”

“Welcome to Cupid’s Bow,” the blonde said. “I’m Kate Sullivan. This is my son, Luke, and my future stepdaughter Alyssa.”

“She’s marrying my daddy!” From the huge smile on Alyssa’s face, she was obviously excited about the upcoming nuptials. “Me and my sister get to be flower girls, and we’re gonna wear poofy dresses that—”

“How about you go with Luke and return the cake mix we don’t need?” Kate interrupted, taking one of the boxes from her son’s hand. “And don’t run, okay?”

“Okay,” the kids chorused without looking back at her.

“And they’re off,” Kate said with an affectionate sigh. “I came to the vitamin section to get more gummies for the girls, but, honestly, maybe I should be looking for a supplement for me so I can keep up with all of them. Let’s try this again, with fewer interruptions. I’m Kate Sullivan.” She extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Sierra Bailey,” she said as they shook hands.

“I’m so delighted you’re moving here.” Kate grinned. “With you around, people will have to stop referring to me as ‘the new woman in Cupid’s Bow.’ It’s been months!”

“Happy to help,” Sierra said, “but I’m not moving here, exactly, just working for a few weeks at the Twisted R.” Assuming she could successfully locate the ranch again.

“Oh!” A female voice from the other side of the shelf cut into their conversation and an elderly lady peeked over the top, only her tightly rolled white curls and gold spectacles visible. “Are you working with that poor Victoria Ross? Such a tragedy what happened to her. Hello, Kate, dear.”

“Hello, Miss Alma. This is Sierra Bailey.”

“I heard. My new hearing aids are a miracle. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Cupid’s Bow, Sierra. You tell poor Vicki that the whole town’s pulling for her.” She clucked her tongue. “Absolute tragedy.” A minute later, she pushed her cart away and disappeared down the bread aisle.

Kate smiled after her. “Not everyone is as active an eavesdropper as Miss Alma—she’s almost ninety and says living here almost a century gives her a vested interest in local events—but this is a small town. We all heard about Vicki’s accident. The Ross family hasn’t been the same since.”

“I haven’t met her parents.” She only knew they were traveling for “health reasons.” “Just Vicki and her older brother.”

“Jarrett. A real charmer, that one.”

“He’s...attractive,” Sierra said neutrally. “But charming? For the first hour of my interview, he read questions verbatim off a legal pad and barely said anything else. I can count on one hand the number of times he even looked up at me.”

The corners of Kate’s mouth turned down, and sympathy filled her amber eyes. “After his dad’s heart attack, I took some meals to the family. Jarrett was so shell-shocked, not himself at all. I haven’t seen him recently, but I was hoping that with his father and Vicki both doing better... Well. I suppose we all cope in our own time, don’t we?”