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“You were amazing out there today.”
Millie caught Chuck’s eye across the dinner table. There was a flash of pride and happiness in her expression that never failed to make him smile.
“It felt so good,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. She dug her fork into the mound of chili and rice that Carlos, the head chef at the ranch, had cooked up this evening. His recipe had been improving by the day, and this meal was something special.
Apparently, it was the blend of dried chiles that made the difference. Anchos, serranos, and cascabel had all gone into this delicious, comforting stew, as well as a generous portion of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It wasn’t too spicy, but it had a definite kick to it.
“I could see that you’re an expert rider,” Trent said from Millie’s side. He’d already finished his bowl of chili and was leaning back in his chair with his arms folded. “Wish I could have seen you in your prime.”
“I was neverthatgood,“ Millie said.
“Come on, Mill,” Chuck interjected. “You know what happens if you’re down on yourself.”
“Fine,” Millie sighed, a little embarrassed. “Well, if Ihaveto tell the truth, I suppose I would say that I had the chance to be one of the best dressage riders in the world.”
Anita, who was sitting with them, let out a snort of amusement.
“Don’t believe her, ‘Nita?” Duke piped up.
“I believe her,” Anita said, suddenly embarrassed. “I just thought it was cute the way she said that.”
Chuck had been watching the way his brother Duke spoke to Anita for a while. He knew his brother. He’d always been a womanizer and a ladies’ man. Anita was such a sweetheart and seemed so innocent. Maybe it was just the Little in her. Hopefully, she would be wary of his brother’s tricks.
It really felt as though Takis was building a family at the ranch. The closer they got to the opening of the place, the more staff members joined.
Pedro was a genuine treasure. His cooking was amazing, and he had great people skills: an essential trait in a head chef. Jean, the new head of the waiting staff, was the exact same. He was a smooth-talking southern gent who had never been seen without a Stetson on his head, and he just so happened to be an organizational genius. They had the perfect set of skills and knowledge in those two, and they were a great team.
And then there was Benjamin, the new foreman, who had come to join them a couple of weeks ago. He was a tall, thin gentleman, who’d worked at several stables before. He was definitely experienced, and he knew how to run a ranch. He’d made some good recommendations too. The ranch was looking good. They were ready to start the season.
Marianne, the new accountant, was going over all the figures, making sure that they were still on track. She was a serious-looking person — and there were rumors that she was a Mommy Domme — but she had a wicked sense of humor. Chuck had only had cause to chat with her a couple of times, but her dry wit had surprised him each time.
Over the past week or so, when he hadn’t been working with Millie, he’d been patrolling, watching out for coyotes. There had been more attacks, and Chuck was concerned about how often they were losing livestock.
Takis shared his concern. “We’re meant to be providing a sanctuary for these animals, not leading them to slaughter.” He’d considered this for a moment. “No. It’s worse than slaughter. At a slaughterhouse, at least death is quick. This is barbarism.”
Takis was right of course. That’s why Chuck had organized a patrol schedule, to make sure that each part of the ranch was checked at least once per day. It wasn’t enough, of course, but it was as good as he could do for the time being.
Today had been a big milestone. Getting Millie back in the saddle had been something they’d been working toward for a while. Aside from the fact that she’d be confident instructing Littles now, she was also an extra pair of eyes who could go out patrolling.
When she’d first appeared at the ranch, there was no way that he’d have trusted her to go out on her own. Now, he was confident that she could handle it.
“Do you ever think about going back into competition?” Anita asked Millie.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “It’s weird. When I was a kid, I wanted to be the best at everything. Now… I just want to be happy.”
Duke snorted. “How you meant to be happy if you ain’t the best?”
“Bad news for you,” Trent said, smiling, “sounds as if you’re never gonna be happy.”
Every laughed.
“You folks are gonna be laughing on the other side of your faces soon. Just wait and see.”
Anita said, “I wouldn’t mind seeing you ride in a rodeo, Duke.”
“Might be dangerous for you,” Duke said. “You’re wound tight as an elastic band. If you were to see what I can do at a rodeo, you might just snap.”
