Page 89 of Roping Her In

“You know the Walkers are billionaires, right?”

“Yes.”

“But yeah, it’s a lot of money, and it’s a free house, and I don’t know. It felt so calm and peaceful there.” She gazed out the window as Jake reached the road in front of the condo.

“I don’t know where I’m going, Hay.”

“Oh, right.” She dove into her phone and found the address. She got it working on her navigation app, which she then attached to his holder extending down from the windshield. “Only twelve minutes. We should be plenty early to get in.”

Jake nodded. “It sounds like you want this job.” He spoke with resignation in his voice that he hoped she hadn’t heard too loudly.

“I do,” she said. “It feels like the right thing to do.”

“I talked to Libby earlier this week,” he said. “Because I didn’t know you had an interview with Conrad, and I was hoping to offer you a job at Three Rivers.”

“I know, baby.” She squeezed his hand. “And I don’t know why it doesn’t feel like the right thing, and it’s not like I want to break up with you or anything.”

“You’re going to be way down on the southern highway,” he said. “And I’m going to still be at Three Rivers. It’s over an hour away.”

“I know,” she said again. “But as the farm manager, I can pretty much do whatever I want as long as the job gets done, and I can drive out to the ranch and have lunch with you, or help with your vaccinations, or…whatever.”

It wouldn’t be the same, and they both knew it, so Jake didn’t need to say it out loud. “I thought you wanted a job at Three Rivers.”

“I thought so too,” Hailey said with another sigh that held plenty of weight. “It has nothing to do with you, Jake.” She turned all the way toward him in the seat, her face filled with earnestness. “Honest, it doesn’t. I’ve learned so much from you. More than any other veterinarian or vet tech or instructor I’ve had in my whole program. You’re amazing.”

He smiled, but he shook his head. “I don’t need the praise, Hailey.”

“I know, but I just want you to know, so that you’ll keep taking interns. They need an experience like what I’ve had.”

Jake nodded, though he didn’t see how he could keep taking vet techs. None of them would ever be as good as Hailey. “I got approval to hire two more vet techs, or Libby said she’d hire another full-time veterinarian. Three Rivers is a really big place, and I’m kind of drowning there.”

“I know you are.” She faced forward again, and the genuine way she’d spoken about how good he was filtered through his system as he completed the drive to the underground steak shop in silence.

He pulled up to what looked like an office building and peered at it. “I don’t think this is right.”

Hailey pulled her phone off the holder and looked at the address. A tiny frown appeared between her eyes. “I actually think it is,” she said. “It’s literally underground.” She looked across the cab and out his window. “I think it’s around the corner, on the other side of the building. Because the directions Elaine got said it would be down a set of stairs, literally under the building.”

“And we’re going to go in there willingly?”

Hailey laughed and said, “Come on, we need to live a little.”

Jake grumbled, but he pulled around the corner, and sure enough, more cars had been parked over here. He swung around and took the last space on the road, and then he went around and got Hailey from her side.

He took her into his arms on the sidewalk, though they needed to get inside to make sure they were early enough to get a table. “I’m happy you want this job,” he said. “Even if it’s not at Three Rivers.” He smiled and leaned down and touched his mouth to hers. “Now I won’t have to write you that letter of recommendation you’ve been hounding me about.”

She giggled, but she sobered quickly. “Let’s go in,” she said. “Before we talk about the next thing on my list.”

“You have a list?” He practically stumbled after her down the sidewalk.

She simply gave him a look and held his hand as they went in the door. The hallway in front of them had been blocked off, and a bright yellow sign with a black arrow pointing to the left directed them which way to go.

“It’s this way, I guess,” Hailey said, and she turned left and opened a door that led to the stairwell. Again, going up had been blocked off, and they went down side-by-side. Music reached Jake’s ears when they reached the bottom of the steps, and only got louder when he opened the door.

Hailey entered first, and Jake followed, and it sure seemed like they’d arrived in a restaurant. Jake wondered what this space had held before this night, and he honestly had no idea, as he’d never been to this office building before.

“Hi,” the woman there said. She wore black from head to toe, although it was a leather mini skirt and a tank top with wide straps. “Two tonight?”

“Yes, I’m Hailey Winters,” Hailey said. “My friend called and said if we got here early enough, we wouldn’t need a reservation.”