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FOUR
Six weeks later
Laura made the last turn into the driveway through the early morning mist. This was definitely the place. The wrought-iron sign arching over the dirt drive saidRanger Valley Ranch.Harper dozed in the passenger seat. They drove all day yesterday and through the night to get here first thing this morning rather than stay at a motel. She’d been out of work for six weeks and their financial situation was precarious.
She was cautiously optimistic that maybe things were turning around, though. Last week she’d done a phone and then a virtual interview with the owner of this ranch, Elijah Tremains, and his wife, Sadie. Two days later, Sadie had called to tell her they wanted to offer her a job. And not just a job, but the job of herd and barn manager, two positions in one since they were just getting started. The money was a bit lower than she’d hoped for, but they made up for it by offering a cabin of her very own on the property.
Laura had been honest, telling them about Harper and that she couldn’t come without her, but that hadn’t phased the couple at all.
So here she was, finally ready to take on her dream job. Her stomach rolled a little with nerves, bile rising in her throat as she drove the car down the long drive, but when she finally pulled up between a tiny cabin and a barn, she willed herself to settle down. There was no reason to be nervous. She already had the job.
Still, she wanted to make a good impression on her first day, so she was early. They’d stopped before sunrise this morning at a truck stop so Laura could change into clean clothes and dust off her boots.
Laura stepped out of the car, leaving Harper to sleep. The door of the cabin opened, and a man stepped out. Elijah, the owner. She heard the cry of a child behind him and shushing noises.
“Good morning,” Elijah said with a wave, coming down the stairs.
“Good morning, sir,” she said, holding out her hand.
He took it with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you in person, Ms. Collins. Welcome to Ranger Valley.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tremain.”
“Please, call me Eli or Eagle.”
“Only if you’ll call me Laura,” she said with a smile back. This was promising already.
“That I can do. Have you eaten yet? Nettie’s got breakfast for the whole crew cooking. Why don’t you and your roommate come on in and join us? After breakfast, I’ll give you a tour and then show you where your cabin is.”
“Did someone say breakfast?” Harper piped up behind her.
Eli looked around her to smile at her. “Definitely. Come on in. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
Laura and Harper followed him inside, the tantalizing smell of food leading the way.
As the door shut behind them, a shout rang out from the kitchen. “Quinn, you little fiend, get down from there.”
Eli bolted for the kitchen and both women followed him. They found a toddler sitting on top of the refrigerator, surrounded by another man and two more women. The little girl was holding a wooden spoon and brandishing it like a sword.
“No,” the tot screeched and whacked at the hands reaching for her. This went on for several seconds before Harper started humming a tune next to her. The little girl must have heard it from across the room because she squawked with delight and started banging the spoon on the appliance in time with the toon. She was so distracted by it that the man standing by the appliance finally managed to reach up and get his hands on her, pulling her down before she threw a fit again.
Harper stopped humming, and big tears welled in the little girl’s eyes.
“Uh-uh. No tears,” Harper said in a singsong voice.
The toddler dropped the spoon, bringing her two chubby fists together with the sound “Ma.”
Everyone in the kitchen froze except Harper.
“You want more music?”
The little girl repeated the sound and the gesture.
“Ok,” Harper said, and started humming again. The little girl clapped and laughed while everyone else stared.
After another moment, apparently bored, the little girl wriggled until the man holding her set her on her feet. Toddling over, she wrapped herself around Harper’s leg and started babbling. Harper reached down and picked the child up. The girl laid her head on Harper’s shoulder and beamed.
There was a collective sigh of relief, and the man who’d lifted the girl down stepped forward. “My name’s Devlin, but everyone calls me Tech or Dev. And you are?”
