Falling For The Cowgirl

“Saw that one coming all by myself.”

“Great. By the way, this is the new assistant foreman.” He nodded in AJ’s direction. “AJ Rowe, meet Tripp Walker.”

Tripp slowly unfolded his lanky frame and got to his feet. The man stood at least six-five and carried a scar down the left side of his face.

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Tripp said.

“I, uh, thank you,” AJ murmured.

“She’ll need a horse,” Travis said.

A slight nod was the only indication that the stable manager had heard the request. He looked to AJ. “Ace okay?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

He nodded again.

“Thank you.”

“We’re going to head over to the girls’ ranch. Can you find someone to untack our horses?” Travis asked.

“Yep.”

“Thanks,” Travis said. He cocked his head and AJ followed him out of the stables.

“Quiet, isn’t he?”

“They call him the horse whisperer.”

“What happened to his...? The scar?”

“Doesn’t talk about that, or much of anything.”

As they headed back to the Ute, Lucy appeared from around the corner. He recognized the fire in his sister’s eyes and the determination in her stride.

This couldn’t be good.

“Good morning, AJ,” Lucy said with a smile that didn’t include him. “Great to have you with us.”

“Thanks, Lucy.”

“What are you doing here on a Saturday?” Travis asked.

“My kids have riding lessons.” Again she directed her conversation to AJ. Finally she turned to him. “We need to talk.”

“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my right-hand man—er, woman.”

“Fine. I just received a phone call from the esteemed police chief of Timber.”

“Aw, that’s nothing. In fact, it’s my fault. Sorry. I should have told you. I promised him a discount for renting the retreat center for the law enforcement ball this year.”

Lucy crossed her arms. “No, Travis. He was not calling about the ball. It was a courtesy call to inform me that one of our employees is sitting in his jail.”

“What?” Travis was all ears as he pulled the Ute keys from his pocket. “What did he do?”

“You know who I’m referring to?”

“I can make an educated guess since I can’t find Rusty. What’s the charge?”

“Disorderly conduct. Disturbing the peace.”

“I’ve known Rusty for years. Never saw him take a drink, ever.”

“Oh, he wasn’t drinking. He was, however, dumped by the love of his life. While I feel for the man, this is not the example of leadership and problem-solving skills we want our children to emulate. Plus, we have donors who will hear about his behavior. Rusty is putting everything we’ve worked hard for these last five years at risk.”

Travis took a deep breath at the I-told-you-so that laced his sister’s voice.

“Chief Daniels says he’s been singing mournful country-western songs since 5:00 a.m. The man is tone deaf and it’s driving everyone crazy. He’d like us to bail Rusty out immediately.”

“We’ve got this covered,” he assured Lucy. “As I have turned over fire extinguishing, along with the management of the ranch hands, to her, AJ will be letting Rusty go.”

He looked to his assistant foreman for confirmation.

AJ pasted a smile on her face and offered a firm nod of confirmation.

Lucy’s eyes rounded. “You’re good with that, AJ?”

“Absolutely. My job is to make Travis’s life easier.”

His sister’s expression remained doubtful as she looked from AJ to Travis.

“Lucy, we’ve got this. Trust me,” Travis interjected. He put his hands on his sister’s shoulders and turned her around. “Go.”

“All right, then.” Lucy hesitated. “I guess I’ll go watch my children ride horses.”

“You do that. We have everything under control.”

AJ fell into step with him as he moved in the direction of the Ute. “I’m firing Rusty?” she asked.

“Yep. Come on. We’ll take my truck.”

“Uh, Travis. What exactly did you mean by ‘management’? What will I be managing?”

“Everything that concerns the wranglers.”

“You’re okay with me hiring, too?”

He looked at her. “All part of the job, right?”