Page 88 of Roping Her In

“You don’t need to pay for me,” he whispered.

“But you pay for me,” she said. “And this is my date.”

He smiled and nodded for her to go on.

“Anyway, I asked Elaine for some off-the-beaten-path places, and she told me about this speakeasy that she and Colt went to, but I called and they were all booked.”

“It is Friday night,” Jake said.

“So she asked around, and apparently, there’s this underground place that does a pop-up steak shop on the weekends, and I thought a steak sounded good.”

“An underground pop-up sounds like they won’t have many tables,” Jake said.

“Right, I know.” Hailey followed him onto the elevator, and he tapped the L-button to get back to the lobby. “And apparently, they don’t take reservations, but Elaine being Elaine managed to get a number, and they said they’d hold a place for us if we got there early enough.”

“How early is early enough?” Jake asked, as he pulled his phone out and checked the time.

“She said any time before six-thirty.”

“Well, it’s only five after,” Jake said.

“Yeah, good thing you didn’t kiss me too long.” Hailey giggled, and then tipped up onto her toes to kiss him right there in the elevator. He didn’t mind that one bit, but he pulled back when the bell dinged and the doors opened.

He held her hand on the way to his truck and got her door for her. But by the time he dropped into the driver’s seat, his nerves felt like they’d been chewed on by ravenous rats.

“I’m dying here, sweetheart,” he said. “Just tell me how the interview went.”

“The interview went really great,” she said. “Conrad wants me to be a glorified ranch hand, though he’s labeling the job a ranch manager.”

“Really?” Jake asked, and he couldn’t imagine someone as driven and talented as Hailey doing that.

“He wants to be able to meander out onto the farm with his toddlers and throw chicken feed if he feels like it. So yeah, I’d be managing the farm, the land, the animals. I can grow crops if I want to, and I’ll tend to the animals, including their health needs. And he sent me a contract that includes a thirty percent contract with Seven Sons for their veterinary needs.”

Jake frowned, and he felt the dark cloud he’d prayed to stay away settling inside him. “But you’re not a veterinarian.”

“I told them that,” Hailey said. “Multiple times via text and right to his face.”

“I suppose JJ doesn’t have a full-time vet.”

Hailey reached over and took Jake’s hand in hers. “I get to live in the house for free, and it’s nice, Jake. I can do whatever I want with the lawn and garden. I can have dogs and cats, or even my own horses, or cows, or goats.”

“Sheep?” he asked.

She grinned at him. “Even sheep, though they don’t have any sheep right now.”

Jake smiled at her. “You do like being in charge of things.”

“Hey,” she said.

He chuckled. “I meant that in a good way.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I did,” he insisted.

She sighed, and he couldn’t tell if she wanted the job or not. “The offer is enormous,” she said. “It’s more money than the average vet tech makes in Three Rivers in three years. In only one year of salary.”

Jake pulled in a breath. “Are you kidding?”