Page 3 of Caleb’s Cause (Broken Wheel Ranch #12)
The next day, Caleb left Gunny’s B&B with plenty of time to spare for his appointment with Erin Riceman. Before he left, he had handed over the background check information someone at his father’s work had done on him.
“Thank you,” Jake had said. “I’ll look this over and get with Manchester.”
“Who is that?”
“Duane Manchester, he is former FBI, and works as security for Erin. He’s only been there for a couple of months, but he’s good. We work on the checks together.”
“Oh, wow, her operation is that big.”
“You have no idea,” Jake laughed and shook his head as he placed his hand on Caleb’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I can’t describe it. No one can, it’s better to see it in person.”
Caleb nodded and left within the next five minutes.
He took note of his surroundings on the drive, and after about thirty minutes, he shook his head and sighed.
“What a boring ass ride,” he said to himself, and found a radio station with his favorite music.
He cranked up the volume and settled in for the rest of the trip.
When he went around the bend in the driveway, he slammed on his brakes and whistled at the sight before him.
“Holy hell,” he whispered, and slowly started forward. He didn’t know exactly where to park, so he took the last spot next to a line of vehicles, and with his head on a swivel, stepped out of his car.
“Help you?” came a voice from behind him, and he whipped around to see a man around his father’s age standing there, looking at him sternly.
“Yes, please. One, I have an appointment at nine with Erin Riceman. Two, I would also like to speak with Ryan Carter.”
“Who are you?” he asked, and that was when Caleb noticed for the first he held a clipboard, and nodded with a thought this must be Manchester, the security guy.
“Caleb Lassiter.”
“Yes, I have you on the list. I can take you to Erin now, seeing Carter might take longer, he’s out there.” Caleb turned to look where he had pointed to, and all he saw was hills, valleys, and wide-open spaces.
“Oh, I guess that’s okay, and I know you don’t know me, but when you contact Uncle Ry, could you not tell him I’m here? Just say something like he’s wanted over here.”
“I can, but not until you give me a good enough reason.”
“Oh, I’m his nephew, Caleb.”
“From Seattle?”
“Yes.” Caleb pulled out his wallet, then his license and showed it to the other man. “Are you Manchester?”
“I am, that’s my last name, my first is Duane. How did you know my name?”
“I was in Fool’s Gold last night at Gunny’s B&B. I had business with Jake Cogburn, oh, and he’s going to be contacting you later.”
“About?”
“Me.”
“Please elaborate.”
“I’m here to see Erin for a job interview.
If I get hired, I’ll be the new physical therapist. Uncle Ry had told both me and my Dad that Erin does a background check on all new hires.
Dad had someone in his office do one on me, I gave Jake the results this morning.
I mean no disrespect, but I didn’t know about you before I had the check done, or I would have had a copy for you. ”
“Where does your dad work?”
“He’s a homicide detective with the Seattle Police.”
“Ah, got it, so it wasn’t a private eye doing the check?”
“No, it was the police,” Caleb admitted, then frowned when Duane pulled out his phone and sent a text. As he waited for a response, he looked at Caleb sternly.
“Is Ryan expecting you?”
“Yes and no. Yes, because I was invited to his wedding. Dad’s coming too, but not for another two weeks, the week before the wedding.
I’m here now because I have an interview with Erin, and if she hires me, I want to be settled into my office before the wedding.
I don’t want to think that I’m shirking my duties, but I thought if I arrived before the wedding, I could get any paperwork out of the way, get set up the way I want it, then get familiar with the area and the people working here before I open my doors.
If everything in my head goes as planned, on the Monday after the wedding, I can be open for business. ”
“I like the way you think, so will Erin. Can I give you a word of advice?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Tell all your plans to Erin. She might be young, but she’s got a great head on her shoulders, and if you are open and honest with her, it will be better for you. Erin values honesty and hard-work above everything.”
“I understand.”
They both gave a little jerk when a bell sounded, and Duane looked at his phone with a grin. “Erin said to bring you in. I’ll contact Ryan and say he’s needed here, but I won’t tell him why. When he gets here, I’ll just send him into Erin’s office.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes, even though you’re going to be in an interview, she doesn’t allow anyone to wait for a response to why they are there.
Sometimes it’s just a matter of answering a question, while others, it’s working out a major problem.
” He rubbed the back of his neck, and gave Caleb a gigantic grin.
“She likes to take input from others, but her word is final.”
Caleb only nodded and followed Duane to what he considered, and would later learn as the truth, then he was being led into the back door of the main ranch house. On the way through the kitchen, Duane paused when he heard someone yell, and turned to Caleb.
“Coffee?”
“No thank you, but I’d love a water.”
“You got it,” he said as he went to the refrigerator and withdrew a bottle, then picked up the coffee carafe and had Caleb follow him.
“Once you get to know Erin, you’ll realize she doesn’t stand on ceremony.
” He stopped, then turned to him with a grin as he leaned in to whisper.
“Word of advice, if and when you ever come here, yell down the hall to see if she wants coffee. I’ve learned the hard way. ”
“What’s that?”
“I had to go back out and bring the pot in to fill her cup before I could tell her why I was there.” They exchanged grins as they continued toward the office, and Duane told him that was where he should yell down in the future.
Caleb only nodded and concentrated on the center of Duane’s back as he walked down the hall. He didn’t think he’d be so nervous, but the closer to where he heard people talking, the more nervous he became.
“Coffee,” Duane announced as he entered, and immediately went to a desk and started filling cups. He looked up and nodded. “Caleb Lassiter, your nine o’clock.”
“Oh good,” the woman behind the desk said, and quickly stood. “Thanks, Duane.”
“Anything else?”
“No, could you make another pot on your way out?”
“Yep.” Duane started to leave, and when he was close to Caleb, he paused to whisper. “Breathe, she won’t bite.” He laughed and left.
“Welcome,” Erin said as she held out her left hand to shake his, and that’s when Caleb saw she was missing her right hand.
As he shook, he wondered what happened to make her lose it, and if she had a prosthetic one, but didn’t like to use it.
His mind was going in all different directions on how he could design one for her.
They shook, and he gave his head a good shake to clear it, and pay attention to what she was saying.
“I’m sorry, I had a thought and didn’t hear what you said.”
“Tell me about that later, I love thoughts.” She laughed and pointed to the man sitting in one of the chairs before her desk, then the woman at a card table in the corner. “That’s Julie Truman, she’s my assistant.” Caleb walked over and shook her hand, and noted she wore a prosthetic leg.
“This is my brother, Clark Riceman. If you don’t mind, they will both be sitting in on the interview.”
Caleb shook Clark’s hand, and took the offered seat. “I don’t mind.”
“One thing you’ll learn, if you get hired here, is that we are all like one big family.
The only blood relatives living on Riceman property are Clark and myself.
Then across the street on the Old Atherton property, are Lois, Laurie, and Lorissa Gibson.
They are mother, daughter, and granddaughter.
They came to me when I hired Lorissa to be my farrier. ”
“What’s that?” Caleb asked and shook his head. “I’ll be honest, I know nothing about horses or ranching. Hell, I’ve lived in Seattle my entire life, and don’t even know about living out in the country, but I am willing to learn.”
“Why are you being interviewed for here then?” Clark asked with a confused look on his face as he looked between his sister and Caleb.
“If this interview goes well, and he passes the background check, Caleb should be our new physical therapist.”
“Over at Broken Two?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, got it.” He settled back in his chair and nodded to Erin. “Go ahead.”
Erin took her coffee, settled back in her chair, and began to tell Caleb how the Riceman property became what it was today, and what else they were working on to improve on it. When she was done, Caleb shook his head.
“I would never, not in a million years think about things like that. How many people do you have working for you?”
“Roughly fifty at this time. However, we are in desperate need of hands over at New Double, then at the new ranch that should be up and running in about two years. If I hire you, there will be one condition, and I already have that written into the employment contract.”
“What’s that?”
“That if any of the Riceman employees need your services, you take them on as a patient. They have excellent health care, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
I don’t expect you to kick a current patient out of your office, but I will expect you to work with my employees.
I can’t run my business without people. Also, you don’t want to piss me off. ”
“What happens if I piss you off?”
“The last people that pissed me off, I mean really, really pissed me off are currently sitting in jail, and if all goes as planned, they won’t be getting out for decades to come. We still have their trial to go through.”
“I understand. I just have one question for now.”
“What’s that?”