Page 115 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“You may get more life than either of you bargained for.”

“Nonsense. Children only bring the world joy,” Marie said as she made her way out of the room.

With Sienna latched onto her hip, Bella looked around the second floor of the house. Two adjoining bedrooms, both with queen-size beds, and a good-sized bathroom would be her new home. The rooms were lovely and in shades of light blues and lavenders with bleached white-oak contemporary furniture. She was pretty certain no one had ever stepped foot inside these immaculate guest quarters. Sienna would give the place a lived-in look within a matter of hours. Poor Jared Stone didn’t know what he was in for, inviting a toddler almost two years old into his home. And poor her, trying to keep Sienna’s antics down to a minimum. Jared didn’t know it yet, but his quiet existence would soon be replaced with chaos and noise.

Bella walked over to the window and peered directly down into a backyard full of thick green grass and a flowery garden. There was a pool with a rock slide and trickling waterfall. All of the pool chairs and tables were protected and covered, but she could just imagine how inviting the pool would be on a scorching-hot Texas day. Her gaze traveled farther out to a pasture. Those tiny specks across the vista had to be a herd of cattle.

She glanced around the room again and sighed. “Well, Sienna, time to unpack our stuff.”

Fifteen minutes later she’d organized the bathroom, complete with an Elmo toothbrush set, child-safe shampoo and body wash and Princess Jasmine towels. Sienna would sleep with her, until she got acclimated, and one way to do that was to put all of her toys in the second bedroom. All of their clothes combined didn’t take up one-tenth of the generous walk-in closet space.

It was weird coming to live here with a total stranger, though Amy had done a thorough Google search of Jared Stone and eagerly shared that he was a successful rancher, an astute businessman and a budding entrepreneur. Recently he and his brother Cooper had funded the building of a playground for the local community. And his charitable donations didn’t stop there.

He’s hardly an ax murderer.

Amy’s words sunk into her skull and she immediately felt better about coming to live here. “Okay, baby girl,” she said. “It’s time to say hello to the boss.”

Taking hold of Sienna, she climbed down the stairs and went in search of the study. The house wasn’t hard to figure out; it was as sprawling as a two-story ranch home could be, and after stepping into the beautiful gourmet kitchen, excitement stirred as she ogled her new “office.” Sienna babbled loudly in her own sweet language as she made her way past the kitchen to the hallway leading to the study. Sienna squirmed and fussed to be let down. She had yet to have her nap. “Here you go,” Bella said, setting the baby on her feet, “but please don’t touch anything.” She knocked on the partially shut door.

“Come in.” The pitch of Jared’s voice was deep and welcoming.

She opened the door and found Jared sitting behind his desk, closing down his laptop computer. Color had returned to his cheeks, his bandages were off and the scrapes on his face appeared to be healing. He wore a black snap-down shirt and jeans, looking much better than he had just three days ago.

He was handsome, there was no denying that. He now had a healthier glow about him; his eyes, less shadowed by pain, were deeper, bluer, mesmerizing.

Her heart raced. She would be living with him now, in this house, and all the awkwardness she’d felt the other day came back in full force. This would be her new normal.

He began to rise and she gestured for him not to. He did it anyway. He had to be six foot two if he was an inch. “Welcome to Stone Ridge.”

“Please sit down, Mr. Stone. If you get up every time I walk into a room, you’ll make yourself dizzy.”

He chuckled and then his face hardened and his hand automatically went to his broken ribs. Of all his injuries, that one must be the most painful. “I will, if you call me Jared from now on.”

“Okay...Jared.”

“Please, take a seat.”

She did, sitting opposite him. Sienna stood next to her chair, looking all around, taking in the big room with windows facing the groomed yard and books stacked on a wall of shelves. But her eyes found and stayed on two packages decorated with pastel balloon wrapping paper on the floor beside the desk.

“Hello, Sienna,” he said. “I hope you’ll like it here.”

Sienna took one look at Jared, forgot about the packages and climbed up on Bella’s lap, hanging on to her neck with a death grip. Bella pried her off her neck as gently as possible and her baby settled into a fetal position in her arms. “She’ll warm up. This is all so new for her.”

“I figured,” he said.

“You’re feeling better?” she asked.

He nodded. “Every day gets a bit easier. I should be one hundred percent in a few weeks or so.” He paused as if speaking of his injuries made him uncomfortable. “I hope you like your accommodations. If there’s anything you want changed, anything you need, just let me know.”

“Thank you. That’s very generous of you. The rooms are lovely and we’re going to manage just fine.”

“Good to hear. Marie will be here today to show you around the kitchen and the rest of the property. Feel free to use anything on the ranch, including the horses, if you like to ride. And if you need something—”

“I’ll be sure to ask,” she said.

Jared smiled, a much easier smile than the one he’d attempted a few days ago. He wrote something down on a piece of paper and slid it over to her. “Here’s your starting salary. I think it’s in line with the going rate.”

She glanced at the number and was relieved to see he wasn’t overpaying her. “Yes, it’s perfect.” It was a fair sum considering she was also getting room and board. If that number was even slightly higher, she’d feel less legitimate. The salary he offered allowed her a measure of pride. And Jared Stone seemed to be sensitive to that. “Thank you.”