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She jumped and mentally slapped herself, kicking her libido to the backseat. With her life in danger, she needed to stay focused.
“I’m looking for Debbie. I called about the ad in the paper, and she told me to come out.” Sarah squared her shoulders and ignored the warmth rising to her cheeks.
He hitched an eyebrow. “You’re here to apply for the farmhand job?”
“Yes.” She nodded. Best to keep the conversation short. The doubt on his face only meant more questions and possible trouble. “Can you tell me where I might find Debbie?”
“She’s probably at the house for lunch.” He waved up the hill at a large rancher with a white wraparound porch. “And you are?”
“Sarah.” At least she’d kept her first name the same. Less chance of slipping up.
He held out his hand. “Bruce.”
When her palm pressed against his calloused one, a ripple of awareness passed through her.
Wheels crunched on the gravel behind them. She whipped her head around and froze, straining to make out the person behind the wheel. A woman emerged from the car, and Sarah heaved a big sigh.
A frown tugged at the corner of Bruce’s mouth. “That’s some grip you have.”
She jerked her hand away and bit her cheek. Not five minutes on the premises and she’d panicked. She couldn’t blow this chance. The small horse farm, located on the opposite coast from California, would make her hard to find. Sure, she’d have to learn about horses, but the job didn’t call for any experience.
“Should I wait here for Debbie to come back?”
He adjusted his cap. “I was just headed up. I’ll take you to find her.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Although, she’d rather not spend any more time with the man.
She turned to follow him and stepped into a rut. He whipped an arm out and steadied her before she fell. Damn. Another wave of heat burned a path to her face. She’d have to watch her footing and calm her nerves around this guy or he’d think her a total klutz. The furthest thing from the truth.
He drew his hand back and glanced at her mud-caked tennis shoes but said nothing. She’d need boots if she got the job, which might be a stretch given her rocky start.
“Why do you want to work here? You don’t look like a typical farmhand,” Bruce asked as they trekked across the field.
“I need a job, and this one includes room and board. My lease is up.” Only a half lie because she did need the work. She’d better change the subject. “Do you keep a horse here?”
He nodded. “Yes. But I also run a therapy program at the farm.”
Sweat trickled down the side of her neck. She glanced over her shoulder. Every step farther from her car tightened the knotin her stomach. At least she had her gun in her purse. Not that she’d learned to shoot it yet.
Bruce climbed the steps leading to the porch. A couple of wooden rockers and a wicker table with two chairs sat under the shade of the roof. An orange tabby cat, rolled into a lazy ball, slept in the far corner.
“Deb, you there?” Bruce called through the screen door.
“Come on in,” yelled a woman with a gruff, husky voice. “I got plenty of soup. You hungry?”
He shot a glance at Sarah and opened the door, holding it wide for her. “No, thanks.”
Sarah entered the house. The scent of biscuits wafted through the room, and her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten since last night. Her body ran on nothing but adrenaline now.
Sun streamed through a bay window in the airy, open kitchen. Hanging plants dangled over clay containers of fresh herbs on the ledge. A large pot simmered on the stove. Homey. She missed the feeling. Homey had ended for her at age fourteen when she’d left for the dance academy in New York.
Her gaze went to the windows. Neither the bay one nor the two over the sink had curtains. Anyone could see right in. She pressed a hand to her throat.
A woman with short brown hair, wearing jeans and a red flannel shirt, stood by the stove stirring soup. She glanced over her shoulder at them and placed a lid on the pot. Probably in her mid-fifties, though hard to tell with her deeply tanned skin, she had several inches and a good thirty pounds on Sarah.
“This is Sarah. She wants to apply for the job you listed,” Bruce said.
Sarah stood as tall as possible while Debbie looked her up and down.
