Page 11 of A Cowboy Holiday
Another scowl. “Texas originally.”
“Oh, yeah? Where in Texas?”
The fuzzy caterpillar made an appearance across the bridge of his nose. “Merriweather.”
“Outside of Austin, right?”
“A few hundred miles outside of it. You know the area?”
“Not well,” I admitted. “Some of our early cattle were from a ranch in Texas. How long have you been in California?”
Axel opened his mouth and closed it, his brow furrowed at a maximum. “A couple of months. Does that matter?”
“Of course not. I’m just making small talk, trying to get a feel for a potential employee, if you will.”
“I don’t—small talk is…I don’t do that,” he grumbled, crossing his arms, gaze fixed on the grazing cattle.
My lips twitched in amusement.
“I’ll go first. I was born and raised in central California, went to college in San Luis Obispo, and settled in Santa Ynez about fifteen years ago with three cows and an overly ambitious business plan. I love it here. We have the best of all worlds—a beautiful valley, a short drive to the ocean, and the mountains are in our backyard. If I’m in the mood for the city, which doesn’t happen often, I can be in Los Angeles in a little over two hours and in San Francisco in under five.” I paused, giving Axel a chance to chime in. Nothing. I continued. “The nightlife is quiet. We have a movie theater in town and a few bars. None of them stay open late, but I’ve outgrown my club era so I don’t mind.”
Axel grunted. “Did you want to head into the field and?—”
“No, we’re only halfway through the small-talk portion of our impromptu interview.” I couldn’t quite swallow my laughter at his effort to hide a cantankerous pout. “When did you decide to become a vet?”
His shoulders visibly tensed. “I grew up on a ranch. My dad rode bulls and wild horses in the local rodeo. I tagged along with him and ended up befriending the vet. I like animals. They’re easy company. People…aren’t.”
That was practically a sonnet. Now I was more curious than ever, but this was a get-to-know-you chat with a potential employee—nothing more.
“Some aren’t so bad,” I commented, pushing away from the fence. “Let’s check on the herd and introduce you to Jax and Hudson and the others.”
We toured the pasture, the stable, and the barns. I didn’t have the luxury of time to give details. I received two urgent calls and had to leave Axel in the hands of whoever happened to be in the vicinity while I dealt with a local distributor interested in our pistachio harvest. I switched gears from livestock to nuts like a pro, watching Axel interact with the animals from a distance.
He was a natural.
Axel approached the horses with care and spoke in soothing tones to the cattle, always making eye contact. In some ways it was hard to believe that the guy cooing to the pregnant Holstein was the same one who’d growled at the notion of a little conversation.
“How’s she doing?” I asked, nodding a greeting at the farmhand spreading clean hay on the floor.
“Pretty well,” Axel replied, patting the cow’s neck.
“Glad to hear you think so.” My cell buzzed again. It was time to get back to work. “Look, I don’t deal with numbers or employee packages. That’s Jax’s territory. You can talk money and whatnot with him. Should you decide to come aboard, you’d be working directly for Hudson. He’s a great guy. Except he’ll tell you Nelly likes him more than she likes me, and that’s just not true.” I grinned and thrust a hand at Axel, unsurprised by his suspicious frown. “You’re supposed to shake it, man. It’s one of those pesky traditions that goes along with new alliances.”
Axel dropped his arm and stretched his fingers, then slowly clasped his bear-sized paw against mine. The warmth of his touch matched the heat in his eyes. Skin on skin, a firm, calloused grip…so warm.
I wouldn’t claim that I saw stars or felt butterflies in my stomach. It was nothing like that, and yet…it was something. Like a low-watt connection or a subconscious understanding.
Hey, I was the first to admit that I was drawn to complex people with fierce pride. Add broad shoulders, a sexy ass, and a gentle nature he couldn’t quite hide, and I was smitten.
Relax. It was nothing serious. Just a bout of harmless infatuation. It didn’t matter that Axel ticked all my boxes and that I was obviously attracted to him. If he was going to be a new employee, he was off-limits. Period. End of story. I’d learned my lesson.
“Thanks,” he said, his voice deep and husky. “I appreciate it.”
And yes, I was still pumping his hand and still staring into his baby blues and still wondering about the secrets he guarded. But I wasn’t an idiot.
“So…you can start tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Yes. Thank you. I should, uh…be honest and let you know I’m a single dad. I know animal welfare isn’t a nine-to-five gig, but anything that happens before or after day care may require me to bring my five-year-old daughter along. At least until I can find a babysitter I can trust. If that’s a problem, I?—”