“You can thank Brownie for that.”
“Brownie?”
“He’s the cook. Thought Cookie was too common, so he decided to go by Brownie instead.” Chase gestured for me to enter the barn ahead of him. “Ladies first.”
I stepped in, expecting to get hit in the face with the smell of animals, dirt, and manure, but the barn was warm and cozy and smelled like fresh hay. A cat wound between my legs and a horse whinnied from one of the stalls at the other end of the building. Soft lights glowed from the beams overhead. It wasn’t anything like the almost-sterile, state-of-the-art facility where I’d taken riding lessons when I was a kid.
“We’ll feed the horses first, then the bulls. Feed’s in a bin in the back. Everyone gets one scoop except for Trigger. He’s still in recovery, so he only gets a half.” Chase eyed me while I tried to figure out how to look like I knew what I was doing when, in reality, I had no clue. All the horses I’d ever ridden had been cared for by grooms at the stables where my dad had paid for boarding.
“Do I just grab their bowl and go fill it, or…”
Chase took off toward the back of the barn. “Have you ever actually been around a horse?”
His condescending attitude rubbed me the wrong way. Though there probably wasn’t a right way to rub me when it came to the grumpy cowboy.
“Yes. I took riding lessons for years.” Two years. Then my parents decided we didn’t have time since they wanted me to get involved in the junior debutante society. I tried to argue against it, but the Silverstones had an image to maintain. One that didn’t involve spending hours at a barn, no matter how nice it was.
“There’s a lot more that goes into taking care of a horse besides sitting on its back and looking pretty.” Chase stepped into an empty stall and filled a wheelbarrow with small pellets from one of the giant plastic barrels. “Take the wheelbarrow and this scoop. Then you go around to each stall and add a full scoop into the feed bucket. Got it?”
“Except for Trigger, who only gets a half,” I said.
“That’s right. Good for you for paying attention.” A smug smirk flashed across his mouth.
I didn’t like the way his smile made heat simmer low in my belly. “When I’m done with the feed, what do you want me to do?”
“Let’s take it one step at a time.”
If that’s how he wanted to be, fine. I gripped the handles of the wheelbarrow and tried to lift the back end off the ground. I spent a fair amount of time at the gym, though I was more into cardio classes and yoga than weights.
“You need a hand with that?” Chase wiped his palm over the scruff on his chin.
“I’ve got it.” I gritted my teeth and hefted the handles up. There was no way I’d let him get the best of me, especially not on the first day. The wheelbarrow wobbled, but began to move forward. I kept my eye on the far end of the stalls, figuring it would be better to start there and work my way back.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said. I could feel his gaze following me like a laser beam boring into my back.
He expected me to fail. Maybe he even had a bet going with my dad on how long I would last. I’d prove them all wrong, though. Chase Hampton might think I was just a spoiled little rich girl who wanted to play rancher for a few days, but he had no idea what kind of fire burned inside me. I was tired of being underestimated.
5
CHASE
I hadto hand it to her, she wasn’t the fastest at filling the feed buckets, but she didn’t flinch as she worked her way down the stalls. Granted, it was only the first day, and I’d given her a task even a kid could perform. She’d taken off the fleece she had on earlier and rolled up the sleeves on the faded plaid shirt she wore underneath. The soft cotton molded to her curves and added to the library of images I’d already filed away in my head.
I’d just finished feeding the bulls and paused to see how she’d handle herself going into General’s stall. The horse was a cranky, old bucking bronc who would have rather lived out his days on the circuit than be retired to the barn. He reminded me of myself a little bit. Both of us were forced to quit a sport we loved because of injuries. Both of us hated our current lot in life.
The only time General perked up at all was when his feed bucket was about to be filled. He stomped his feet while Whitley opened the gate to his stall and stepped inside.
“Hey, boss. What’s on the docket today?” My best ranch hand, Jessie, walked into the barn. “Are we going to get a chance to do a little bucking today?”
I hadn’t had a chance to warn any of the guys about Whitley. She stepped out of General’s stall and made a move to lift the wheelbarrow again. One side tipped. She tried to set it right again, but over corrected. The entire load of feed dumped onto the dirty barn floor.
“Whoa.” Jessie immediately stepped in to help. “You need a hand with that, miss?”
She smiled at him. Not the fake sugary sweet grin she’d given me last night. This one spread across her full lips at the same time her eyes lit up. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so clumsy.”
Jessie sprang into action. He grabbed a giant dustpan and broom and started sweeping the spilled feed into a pile. “Don’t worry about it. We all make mistakes. Isn’t that right, boss?”
Whitley turned her attention toward me. The light in her eyes dimmed.