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The one thing that did surprise him about the space was the three sets of bunk beds shoved into one corner. He’d never been great at keeping certain things off his face—something he was definitely still working on, because Brand chuckled. “This used to be the ranch bunkhouse, back when we were a much larger operation and had more hands. We dusted it off last year, so I could have office space that wasn’t in the family home.”
“Got it.” Wyatt was curious about the guy hanging around outside the office. Maybe the other room was a fancy break area for the hands? That would be cool. “So the hands don’t live on the ranch?”
“Only one, not including myself and my father.” Something in Brand’s eye twitched, and Wyatt wasn’t sure what to make of it. “It’s a specific arrangement.”
“Cool. I mean, I’m sure I can figure out a place to stay. If you hire me, of course.” He had no idea where, because the neighboring town of Weston didn’t have any kind of apartment complex—he’d checked that out in advance—but before he worried too hard about that he needed to land the job. That was the whole point of coming here.
“Well, then let’s get this interview started.” Brand gestured at one of the two chairs opposite his desk, then sat in his desk chair. Tapped a key on his laptop. “According to your résumé, you’ve never worked on a ranch, but you have experience with horses. Can you tell me more about that?”
Wyatt was insanely proud of himself for not blushing, which was something he did a lot when caught in a subterfuge (another reason he might not make the best spy), but he’d practiced this. “My stepfather is a large-animal vet, so I grew up around horses, cattle, hogs, you name it.”
“He took you with him to see his patients?”
“Not very often, unless the animal’s owner was okay with it, but he also took in animals at the clinic, so I have a lot of experience with barn stuff. Mucking stalls and feeding and stuff.” Constantly saying “stuff” was probably not impressing his potential boss, but coming here at all had been an impulsive decision, and he’d had less than twenty-four hours to learn everything he could on his phone.
He had to nail this and find out what he’d come here to find out, or he’d never get his stepfather’s sneering “I told you so” out of his head. Never be able to face his maternal grandparents, who’d told him to forget the paternal side of his family.
“I see.” Brand’s expression was kind of passive, giving nothing away. “How about riding experience?”
“No formal training, sir.”
“Have you ridden a horse before?”
“Yes, sir, twice.”
“On a ranch? At your stepfather’s clinic?”
Wyatt straightened his shoulders. No sense in lying about this, because he’d be found out the first time Brand asked him to mount a horse. “Once at the county fair, and another time when a traveling rodeo show came to town.”
Brand’s eyebrow twitched. “Can I assume this was in a corral and not open country?”
“Yes, sir, you can.”
“Have you ever tacked a horse?”
“No, but I’m a fast learner. I can learn anything. I graduated high school at the top of my class, and I completed my associate’s degree in three semesters instead of four because I had the credits.”
He glanced at the computer. “An associate’s in applied science. And you want to work on a cattle ranch? You could do a lot more with that degree in a bigger city.”
“I could.”
“But you came out here, all the way from Glasbury, with hardly any practical experience necessary for this work. Now, it is something we can teach you, if you’re really interested in the life, and if this isn’t some sort of postcollege freak-out where you’re trying to find your place in life. I respect it if this is a rebellion of some kind, but I need someone serious about the job. This ranch is my life.”
“It’s not a freak-out, sir, I promise. My stepfather insisted all his kids get a degree of some kind, and then we could choose our own paths.” That part was true. Here came the big lie, and Wyatt silently prayed he sold it. “I’ve been interested in the ranching and cowboy way of life for a long time, but my parents didn’t like the idea. I didn’t have any way of gaining the practical experience I’d need while I still lived at home, so I admit I’m coming to this pretty green.”
“Wyatt, you’re so green you’re practically a leprechaun.”
Wyatt still wasn’t sure what to make of Brand. The cowboy wasn’t dismissing Wyatt’s lack of real experience outright, which kind of surprised him based on his stepfather’s insistence that the entire Woods family had been a bunch of insulated, narcissistic rednecks who only thought about what was best for themselves. The fact that Brand was possibly considering hiring someone as green as Wyatt butted up against those insinuations.
“I know I don’t have a lot of experience, sir,” Wyatt said, “but I am a fast learner. And I’m willing to put in the work. If you’ve got textbooks, I’ll read those. Videos you recommend that I can watch online. I just really want a chance to do this.”I really want a chance to see who you are and find out why you left me and my mother before I was even born.
Brand held his gaze steadily for long enough that Wyatt wanted to squirm, but he managed to keep still and not blink, just as he’d done last night with Jackson. Something familiar seemed to lurk in Brand’s eyes—eyes that started appearing similar to Wyatt’s the more he looked at them, and in a way he kind of resented. Eyes that watched and calculated. Eyes that should be cold and wary but weren’t.
Eyes that could also be warm and welcoming but weren’t that, either.
“Tell you what, Wyatt,” Brand finally said. “One of my men broke his hand last night, so he’s off the roster for at least eight weeks. That leaves me in a small bind in terms of scheduling, because my father is supposed to be semiretired. How about I offer you an eight-week trial run? I’ll pair you with one of my other ranch hands so they can show you the ropes and teach you the skills you lack. At the end of those eight weeks, if you’ve proven yourself, I’ll offer you a job. If not, then we’ll part ways, and you’ll have some experience under your belt for your next step down the road.”
Wyatt’s heart thumped against his ribs, and he fought to keep his smile even and professional, when he wanted to pump his fist into the air in triumph. “I think that sounds fair, Mr. Woods.”
