Page 17 of Forbidden Cowboy
“Do you remember how to do this?” I asked.
“I think so, it may have been a while,” she chuckled, but her eyes were bright with the challenge.
Between the two of us, we managed to empty several great bags of feed into the troughs before the cows started filtering in, and once they were all in place, with a sunburned Greg coming up behind them, we set to work applying the iodine dip before hooking them up to the great machines. Seeing how tired Sierra was from just emptying the bags of feed, I gave her the teat dip to work with while Greg and I hooked up the cows.
Greg was silent the whole way through, although he did eye Sierra with something close to suspicion. He was never much of a talker, so when he took his leave as soon as the job was finished, I wasn’t surprised.
I leaned back against the edge of the dairy building and looked at the two hundred cows we’d managed to hook up. Sierra was too busy frowning at her yellowed hands to take in the sight.
“I forgot how it stained.”
“A little soap and water, and you’ll be fine. It’s been a while since you’ve done labor like this, huh?”
“You could say that,” she said, “My job was physically demanding, but I don’t think I ever walked out with yellow hands. I’m a trainer with the WNBA at my day job… or… I was.”
“Was?”
“Yeah, they decided to replace me with a company-recommended trainer. Same day I got the call about Beau, actually.” She laughed wryly. “Guess I’ll be looking for a job when I head back.”
“God, so it’s really been a shitty couple of weeks for you,” I stated, and she nodded. “Well,” I continued, “I wish there were more people looking for jobs out here.”
“Trying to get more workers for the ranch?”
“Nah, I’ve got a few great people, it’s for Anna.”
“Your daughter.”
“Right,” I sighed. “She’s only seven, so obviously I can’t leave her alone, but she terrorizes every nanny I hire, and now no agency will return my calls. I think her behavior has something to do with her mother, but I can’t stay home all the time because she feels abandoned. I need to work, to keep the ranch running, you know?”
“I get it. It sounds like there’s only one woman for the job.”
“Who?” I asked, looking at her eagerly. “Do you have her number?”
“I’m pretty sure Nanny McPhee doesn’t have a cellphone, Wyatt,” she sniggered.
I shoved her lightly, and she laughed loudly as she bounced back. I hadn’t heard that laugh in years before this week, and the sound of it ricocheted off the emptiness that had spent so long building inside of me.
I took a moment, collected my breath, and reminded myself that I had no right feeling anything for this woman.
Chapter Seven
Sierra
My bank account was looking bleaker by the day, and I knew I was going to have to return to Denver soon.
Beau hadn’t made any improvements, though, and my hopes were all resting with the doctors trying to reverse his coma. I didn’t want to leave him while he was unconscious, if I could help it.
I had also been interviewing for different jobs, my pay expectations from the salary I had been enjoying stepping down with every phone interview.
“I’m sorry, we’ve found someone who can start sooner,” the tinny female voice filtered through the phone.
“I understand,” I said, even though understanding made me want to throw my phone at a wall, “thank you for your time.”
“Good luck with your search,” the woman said, and the line went dead.
I groaned as soon as I was off the phone, and collapsed into the vinyl chair that had been my home for the last couple weeks.
“What am I going to do, Beau?” I asked, laying my head in my hands. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get a job until I’m back in Denver, but I don’t want to leave you. Plus, God knows I’m not going to be able to get time off to come see you as soon as I start a new gig.”