“Yeah, I guess.”
“The men don’t bite unless you want them to. They’re really sweet, and you’ll get along just fine. You’ll also meet Brice.”
Since being back, working in the bakery, Raven had heard a lot of gossip about Brice, half of the ranch handlers, and of course Drew Reynolds. Nearly every collection of women who came into the bakery had some scandal to tell about the local bad boy.
Drew was five years older than she was, and just thinking his name reminded her of the many times she’d seen him in certain … positions.
That was just embarrassing. Raven used to visit the O’Donald ranch where he worked, and she’d also seen him around the back of the library. Many of the women who pretended to find him repulsive, were at his feet begging.
She’d seen Francine, the current damsel about to get married to a city-boy lawyer, on her knees outside the library giving the very same Drew Reynolds a nice suction job on his dick.
Raven opened the window, fanning herself as she recalled the ways she had seen Drew fucking a woman. Many times over the past seven years since she turned eighteen, she had found herself wondering about him.
Still, there was no way he’d look at her. He never had in the past, so he was never going to now.
Traveling out of town toward the O’Donald ranch, she recognized the route. Nothing had changed since she left seven years ago. Cathy talked about the latest gossip and stuff like that. Raven listened, not really caring about what had been going on in the small town, but pretending to seemed to be the thing these days.
It was past one when they finally arrived at the ranch, and Raven climbed out, seeing all the men waiting for their food. They had arrived late, and Raven knew she had to do better tomorrow.
“Hey, boys, I’m here, and I’ve got plenty. Let me just get set up.”
One of the men brought over a table, and Raven smiled at him. “Thanks.”
Helping Cathy, she loaded up the table, unwrapping everything, and then they started to serve the food and the cool drinks as well.
Cathy made the introductions, letting them know that Raven would be taking over.
“Raven Howard, it has been too long,” Seymor said, coming toward her, and placing his arm around her.
“Hey, Mr. O’Donald. I’m so sorry about your wife.”
“You know to call me Seymor. Julia would have loved to have seen you.” He cupped her cheeks, smiling at her. “I’d heard you’d come back. Any special man?”
“No, none of that.” Her cheeks heated as Seymor didn’t talk quietly. Several of the handlers were staring at her, which she didn’t like. Attention was not something she did well with.
“Well, it’s their loss, and our gain.”
She finished serving up, and she noticed that Cathy was standing on her tiptoes, trying to look out over the field.
“Are you okay?” Raven asked.
“Yeah, I was just hoping to catch sight of Brice. He should be here.”
“There’s plenty of food.”
“Ah, it’s okay. I see the truck. He’s heading this way.”
“Okay.”
Raven smiled and chatted with each of the men as they got the food, and passed along.
“This chili is amazing,” Seymor said.
“Thank Raven. She told me to add some chipotle into the chili, and some really bitter chocolate. I couldn’t believe how amazing it turned out.”
Raven’s cheeks heated again. She hated the extra attention, but she smiled. Most of the time she smiled and got left alone. It was how she’d learned to survive out on her own.
How did she survive seven years away from home?