Page 7 of Thaw My Heart

A spark shifts in his brown eyes. “You’re a hell of a lot prettier than I thought you’d be, which is probably somethin’ I shouldn’t say if I’m going to be one of your superiors.”

Blush rushes to my cheeks. “I can take a compliment.”

“Good. That’ll be important if you’re going to work here surrounded by more men than you can imagine.”

Working on a ranch and getting paid? Check. Being surrounded by attractive cowboys daily? Check, check.

“Sounds like a good time,” I grin.

He chuckles, glancing at the mansion behind him. “You ready to meet the boss?”

Ready as I’ll ever be.

My literal fate rests in this interview. There are no backup plans, no other options. It’s this ranch or keep on running, and I’m sick of hotel rooms. Sick of living in fear of staying in one place for too long. And I’ve been dreaming about this place for as long as I can remember.

“Do you have any last-minute advice?” I ask, nervously swirling a ring around my finger.

“Just be yourself. You’ll be fine,” he smiles.

Be… myself? But the real me is hidden deep, behind layers and layers of deception. Sadie Lane is a creation that I spent the last year building. A name I could hide behind. A name I had to hide behind.

No one can ever know the real me.

“Lead the way,” I offer, swallowing down my anxiety.

Blake leads me into the mansion, the coziest and grandest home I’ve ever been in, with antler horns woven into the design. There’s a grand staircase and Western-themed rugs splattered on the wooden floors. He stops in front of the double doors, gently knocking three times.

“Good luck,” he tips his cowboy hat to me, striding away down the hall.

I open the door at the sound of his voice, laying eyes on Cole Harlow for the first time. Taking in the man who holds my future in his hands. He sits behind a dark antique desk, stacked full of papers, with a cast-iron cow paperweight sitting on top.

“Come on in, Sadie. Take a seat,” he smiles, gesturing to a leather chair in front of his desk.

His office is different from the rest of the house. While the mansion has rustic charm appeal, his office feels edgy. The walls are dark-colored, and a brown and white cowhide rug sits in front of an old stone fireplace, ablaze with warmth. Behind his desk is a massive bookshelf that takes up the entire wall, leading to tall windows that let in hazy afternoon light, looking like something out of a modern farmhouse magazine.

But the thing that pulls me in the most is the first picture of Lone Pine Ranch, hanging proudly above the fireplace.

Cole notices my gaze, pointing to the old photo. “That’s the first picture of⁠—”

“Lone Pine Ranch, founded in 1901.” I’m practically frothing at the mouth.

He smiles, nodding his head. “That’s right.”

“You have to put me in touch with your designer.”

He chuckles, reaching for a pair of reading glasses. “Sadly, he’s done with that kind of work.”

He glances at the papers in front of him. One of them is a resume I emailed two months ago.

“Sadie Lane,” he warmly smiles at me underneath his dark brown cowboy hat. “29-years-old, applying for the position of Ranch Hand. Originally from Valentine, Nebraska,” he nods at me with interest.

I flinch at the mention of Valentine.

“It says you grew up on a farm, raising horses, chickens, and sheep,” he continues reading. “Your last job was as a waitress at a diner, and you did that for almost two years. And… well then, there’s a gap for the past year.”

“Yes,” I fiddle with my hands. My life is too complicated to explain in a single interview, but this job, this place, is my dream. A secret dream I’ve wanted for so long, and I wanted it more than anything. “Look, I know there aren’t a lot of qualifications for me on that piece of paper. I’ve never been given many chances in life, but I’m a fast learner. I’ll work twice as hard as anyone here.”

He sets the papers down and clasps his arms in front of him, eyeing me carefully. “Why do you want to work here?”