“I’m Cullen Byrne, the manager here. Most people call me Cull.”
She shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Mr. Byrne.”
“Cull is fine.” He smiled.
“Okay.” She smiled back.
“I’m to show you around.”
“You are? I thought Mr. Harrison was going to do that.”
“He asked me to do it. I hope that’s alright.”
“Oh, of course, it is. I was just expecting him.”Damn, she was disappointed, but this man… Cull, was heart stopping handsome and his blue eyes were striking. Add in that black hair and she was getting heart palpitations.
“He told me to apologize for him, and he’d get with you when he got back. It was a last-minute meeting.”
“I see,” she said, though she didn’t.
“Do you know how to ride, Ms. Carroll?”
“I don’t—”
“Never mind. You can’t ride in sneakers anyway. We can take the UTV.”
“UTV?”
“Ultra-terrain vehicle.”
“Oh, okay,” she said.
“You will have to ride some days.”
“Ride what?”
“A horse, ma’am.”
Ryan shook her head. “What? Oh, no. I am not getting on one of those animals.”
“You don’t have a choice. The men working the fence line and ranch maintenance use the UTVs. You’ll have to ride, or you won’t get your photos.”
“Mr. Byrne, I am not getting on a horse.”
He sighed. “You’ll have to take that up with Seth.”
“I will, but for now, tell me what all goes on around here.”
Cull smiled at her. “Along with growing Beckett Feed, Seth trains cutting horses.”
“Cutting? What is that?”
“Where a horse is trained to keep cattle in line. I’m sure you’ve seen—” Cull stopped when she shook her head. “You work for Western Living magazine. A magazine about living in the west.”
“I take photos for the magazine. I don’t write articles.”
“Yes, ma’am. Seth’s meeting with a client for breakfast, that’s why he can’t be here. Let me get the UTV then we can head to the east pasture. I’ll be right back, Ms. Carroll.”
“Alright, and please, call me Ryan.”
