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1
Sarah
Dust swirled around Sarah’s legs as she bolted into the stable. Her face burned with the heat of embarrassment she hadn’t experienced since she was in middle school. The clamminess in her hands was just as irritating as the way her heart pounded in her chest.
What had she gotten herself into? She was trying to make up for what she’d done—and failing miserably at it.
Sarah strode about halfway down the aisle until she reached an empty stall. With both hands, she yanked the door open and shut it swiftly once she was inside. Her back dragged down the side of the stall as she lowered herself down and wrapped her arms around her legs. Unshed tears burned her eyes.
They were right. All of them.
Living here was harder than she’d expected. And doing it as penance for her wrongdoings seemed to only make it worse. She could feel it in the way Zeke, Adeline, and Brielle looked at her. Yes, Brielle had been more welcoming toward her, but the others seemed to be judging her with every move she made.
She rubbed her nose on her knees, grateful she hadn’t started crying. She was a lot of things, but she wasn’t about to show any of them her weaknesses. Her saving grace was that she’d only have to be here for the summer. And the requirement to visit with the sheriff every week didn’tseemso bad, but she couldn’t be sure.
Sarah heaved a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. It was only a matter of time before someone came looking for her to see where she was. That was all they cared about, it seemed—making sure she was doing her job and pulling her weight. She was allowed to take a break. But up until now, they had been breaks dictated by the owner. She might get written up with this one.
One week. She’d only been at Slate Rock Ranch forone weekand already it felt like months.
And why? Because some crazy rooster chased her out of the henhouse? The heat that had dissipated filled her face once more. The one cowboy who’d witnessed her frantic screaming as she ran from the murderous chicken probably saw her escape in here. And if he was the one who came to get her, things would only feel that much worse. He was handsome, strong, and emanated cowboy vibes with his worn jeans and cowboy hat and boots. How embarrassing that he saw her being so incompetent at something that should be easy.
“Hey.”
A startled yelp tore from her throat and Sarah scrambled toward the far side of the stall. Her head whipped up to findhim. Derek? Declan? His name started with a “D,” right? There were too many people to keep track of here. On top of the seven girls who were raised by their single father, one of them was married, and then there was the staff. This place was so big that she wasn’t sure she’d even met everyone who worked at the ranch.
She swallowed as she gazed up at the cowboy. His black hat made it hard for her to make out the color of his eyes. There was a dimple on his chin and his eyes danced. She glowered at him. “What do you want? To laugh at me?”
Her embarrassment often came out as anger, and here on the ranch she found it was no different. She was going to have to work on that if she expected to make it through the summer.
He arched a brow, then lifted and rested his arm on the top of the stall door. “Me? I don’t want anything. But Chip here wants her room back.” He nodded his head to the side where a large brown horse stood. The animal nickered and bobbed its head.
Her eyes widened and she immediately jumped up from her place in the straw and scrambled over to the door.
The cowboy moved out of the way, giving her a wide berth. His eyes watched her as she moved across the aisle and leaned against the stalls on the other side. His lips were quirked in that infuriating smile he’d worn when she’d met his gaze after the whole chicken fiasco. What she wouldn’t give to wipe that smile off his face.
He turned his attention to the reins in his hands. The bridle was unbuckled and hung on a nearby hook. He kept making eye contact with her. Boy, he wasn’t shy.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she muttered.
A warm chuckle bubbled from his perfect, full lips. “Just how am I looking at you?”
“Like you think I don’t belong here.” It didn’t matter if that was a true statement. She didn’t like it when anyone laughed at her. She worked her jaw, clenching her teeth tight enough that it ached.
“I’ve not suggested any such thing.” He continued working. “You’re Sarah, right?”
“Yes,” she ground out, then cleared her throat. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Just wondering what the sheriff’s niece is doingherewhen she could be staying with him and his new family at Cedar Hollow.”
She pressed her lips together. “People need to mind their own business.”
Instead of the smirk she expected, a deep rumble and a frown came from the cowboy.
Sarah glanced down toward the entrance where she should probably be headed. But the thought of going back into that chicken pen filled her with more trepidation than she wanted to admit. Her eyes darted toward the cowboy again as he exited the stall and closed the door with a click.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the door. Chip wandered up behind him and nudged his shoulder, pushing at him. He lifted a hand and rubbed her nose. “You’ve already had plenty of treats, Chip.”
The horse must not have liked his answer because it shoved him harder, making him stumble toward her. He looked over his shoulder at the animal and scoffed. “You’re not getting any treats tomorrow with that kind of attitude.” He turned and gave Sarah another smile. “So whyareyou here?”
