AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I can dig.”
“It’s hard work, Sis. Work that will blister your manicured hands.”
“That’s why I brought leather work gloves.” She waved a pair in our faces.
“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” Joe said.
“Nope.” She turned to me. “And neither can you, so don’t even try.”
I sighed in defeat. “Just stay where I can see you.”
“I’m not a child. You don’t have to tell me not to wander off.” She covered her pretty hands with the work gloves and then grabbed an extra shovel lying on the ground. “Let’s party.” She shoved the blade into the dirt.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“I did as much work around the ranch as any of my brothers.”
“She did,” Joe said. “She was a major pain in the ass, too. She was my apprentice on the beef ranch when she was a teen.”
I well remembered. Marjorie Steel as a teen had been something I hadn’t allowed myself to think about. I cleared my mind of the image. Marjorie Steel as a young woman I did think about, and she was so much more beautiful than she’d been as a teen.
“How much digging did you do on a cattle ranch?” I asked, knowing well my tone was a bit smartass.
“Don’t get smart with me,” she said. “I helped plant seedlings in the orchard.”
“We’ll be digging a lot deeper than you would to plant a young tree,” I said. “You sure you’re up for it?”
“I can do anything a man can do,” she said tartly, one hand holding the shovel, the other whipped to her hip indignantly.
“Why don’t the two of you stop this ridiculous banter and start digging?” Joe said.
I let out a breath slowly. I was already turned on by her very presence. Her brother’s presence should have been an antidote, but God, she drove me insane. I shoved the blade into the ground.
Two hours later, we’d uncovered a lot of nothing. So much for this idea. I was sore, and even wearing leather gloves, my hands were aching and starting to blister.
Joe sighed. “Let’s call it a night. We’ll start again tomorrow.”
“What about work?” I said. “You guys are paying me an awful lot to not be there on my second and third days.”
“Work will still be there,” Joe said. “Talon and Ry are with us on this. We have to figure it all out.”
“Who’s going to mind the finances, then?”
“Well, your staff of ten people, probably,” Joe said. “We trust them.”
I scoffed. “Then what do you need me for?”
Marjorie moved toward me and touched my forearm. “We need you,” she said softly.
“Of course we need you,” Joe said. “But this trumps everything right now. My brothers and I took a ton of time off dealing with this shit last year, and things rolled smoothly. We have good people working for us. That doesn’t mean we don’t need your leadership. The company is in good shape, Bryce. If you’re not there every hour, it will still run.”
I sighed. “If you say so. I just feel—”
“Stop it,” Joe said. “We’ve been through this. You’re not a charity case. Not by a long shot.”
Marjorie squeezed my forearm but didn’t say anything.
I leaned my shovel against the cabin. “All right. I need a shower anyway.” I kissed Marjorie’s cheek, got into my car, and drove back to the guesthouse.
