“Let’s get you started.” He extends a hand. “Jake and Hunter are waiting for you.”
“Lead the way.”
I follow Jenkins.
“All right, you can take it from here,” he says when we arrive in front of a tiny house that seems to double as an office. “I have to go back to work. I’ll catch you later.”
“I owe you a lot.”
“Shut up. You’re like a brother to me. Of course, I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks. I’ll catch you later.”
With that, he’s gone.
When I walk inside the office, two tall guys I’ve met before greet me with a warm smile.
“It’s great to see you again, Hunter,” I say, extending my hand.
“It’s great to have you on board, Rhett,” he says, reaching for my outstretched hand and giving it a sturdy shake.
The man is not only tall, but he’s incredibly strong.
I turn to the guy with blue eyes standing next to Hunter. “Thanks again for the opportunity, Jake.”
“Welcome aboard, Rhett,” he says. “I’m sure you’ll do a better job than all of us breaking in the colts and fillies. We’re growing too fast. Hunter and I need to pull back.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I have no doubt.” Jake offers a warm smile.
His confidence in me means a lot.
“Honestly, I’m not sure this’ll feel like work,” I say. “I get to be around horses and ride them every day. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Well, we have a lot of land and without obedient horses, we can’t herd and control our Angus,” Jake says.
“Yeah, we just hit a thousand heads,” Hunter says.
Jenkins didn’t fill me in on that part. “Very impressive.”
“That’s why we hired you,” Hunter says. “You’re the guy in charge now. We’re excited you’ll head the team that’ll take care of all our horses.”
Jake holds my gaze. “You’re ready?”
“I’m ready.” I nod.
“Good. Let’s go meet Dirk and the rest of the guys,” Jake says. “Dirk Edwards is the foreman and he manages all the ranch hands.”
“Got it.” I nod.
“We have a broodmare who’s ready to foal anytime now, so a few guys are looking after the mom,” Jake says.
“I see.”
“And we also have another full-term mare being examined by the vet as we speak.”
I swing my attention to Hunter.
