Page 21 of Seducing the Sheriff (Charming Butte #2)

Chapter Eleven

Greg

After Cash left in the morning, I lay in bed for a while, wallowing in the joy of the goodbye kiss. It had been quick—morning breath and all that—but the tender way he’d brushed back my hair when he did so, his fingertips tracing across my skin with a reverent touch, had been everything.

I plucked my phone off yet another storage tub masquerading as furniture and checked the time. Seven-thirty. I groaned as I scrubbed my face with both hands. I could daydream about dick sucking and next-times later. This old girl wasn’t going to renovate herself.

I pushed up off the air mattress and padded to the bathroom for a quick rinse.

While I dried off, I mused that in a weird way, I was looking forward to working in the closet today, even a bit excited.

Something about discovering a lead to the mystery made me want to get in there, almost as if I could vibe out what might’ve happened.

A half hour later, I was dressed and sipping on a bland cup of instant coffee while I went over my list of supplies.

I’d measure everything out again before I left, but now that I’d been to the history museum and seen a bit of what the old place looked like on the outside from the one photo, I had new ideas.

I knew a fair amount about architectural styles after years of working on old places.

After the unexpected events of my first week in Charming, I decided to go in a different direction.

I would remove the entire closet and surrounding cabinetry that had been built in at some point and restore the original staircase to its former glory.

It was no small project and would definitely add to the length of my estimated timeline of completion. But if this was my forever home, shouldn’t I give it all I had, no matter how long it took?

I tossed the rest of my coffee into the sink, then checked my phone.

An idea was brewing, and I figured there was plenty of room in my day to add another stop.

As long as I was headed to town for supplies and a decent cup of coffee, maybe I could start acquainting myself with what raising sheep might entail.

After all, I’d be the one building their shed, so it couldn’t hurt to start planning now.

I decided to give Jim a call, hoping he was around. “Hello, this is Jim.”

“Hi, Jim. It’s Greg from yesterday.”

Jim chuckled. “Hello, Greg-From-Yesterday. Did you want to stop by again to go through the files? I’ll be there this afternoon.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip. It was so tempting, but for whatever reason, I didn’t want to do it without Cash by my side. You know the reason. “That would be great, but I’m waiting until Cash is free to come with me.”

“Oh, I see.”

I caught the amused tone in his voice. “You know, since we’ve been looking into it together. It wouldn’t be fair.”

What the hell was I babbling on about?

Jim chuckled again. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. That’s between you boys.”

I almost asked what he meant but decided to keep my big mouth shut instead.

I cleared my throat. “Actually, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind giving me Dex’s number?

I thought I might be able to hook up with him today.

” I slapped my forehead and almost sent the phone flying out of my hand.

“What I mean is, if you had a chance to mention me to him at dinner.”

“Of course. He said he’d love to help. I don’t know much about what Dex has going on over there, but he comes from a ranching family and has been working that acreage his whole life. I’m sure he’d be a great resource. Even if he can’t help you directly, I'm sure he’d know who could.”

Jim provided me with his number, and while it might still be early for me, it was probably midday based on a rancher’s timeline. If Dex was going to be around, I might as well take advantage of stopping by since I was headed to town.

The phone call didn’t last very long because he was in the middle of something. I tried to assure him I could come by another day, but Dex insisted. Something about wanting to meet me anyway after Jim told everyone all about me over dinner the night before.

Now I’d done it. This was turning into a social thing.

I groaned in frustration at myself, tossing my phone into the truck’s console, then shoving the key into the ignition.

What had I expected would happen? The engine roared to life.

Why did being around Cash make me want to be a part of something more?

What that ‘more’ was, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure of yet.

But for the first time since beginning my journey as the lonely handyman of the Southwest, I wanted to know what it would feel like to truly belong somewhere.

As I got on the road, I took the turn toward Bobcat Stump. Dex had given me directions for a back road that would circle around to his ranch. Then after our visit, I could go straight into town. I smirked to myself. Yup. There was that word again.

Visit.

“Welp,” I muttered to myself. “Time to start being a real boy.” I snorted.

By the time I reached Dex’s rather impressive ranch, I regretted dumping my crappy cup of coffee.

By taking the back road, I’d put off getting my caffeine fix for a lot longer than I preferred.

I pulled up the long dirt driveway and parked next to a pick-up that was the same model as mine, but much newer.

I dropped out of the cab, taking a moment to acclimate myself to the surroundings.

To my left was a large ranch-style home.

Further up was a large barn, and to my right was a horse paddock.

Beyond that was nothing but open land for as far as I could see.

I didn’t bother checking for cows. I now realized that the herd I’d passed behind the low fence on the back road must belong to Dex.

“Hiya, you must be Greg.”

I turned around and was met with the gaze of a tall, lanky blond man. He had the easy gait of someone comfortable in his skin, and a lopsided smile that gave me the impression he had a good sense of humor.

I smiled back. “Yes, I’m here to see Dex. I guess he must’ve told you I was stopping by.”

His eyebrows shot up, and he tugged on the brim of his cowboy hat. “Actually, I’m Dex.”

“Oh! Sorry, I assumed…” This guy owned and ran this ginormous ranch? He looked barely twenty. Damn, I could be his dad. “I mean, I figured you must be the foreman or…”

So much for being a real boy.

He extended his hand, smile still in place. “That’s all right. I tend to get that reaction a lot. I inherited the ranch from my folks when I was barely out of high school.” He shrugged. “But I was born and raised here, so I know the drill.”

We finished shaking hands, and he gestured to the house. “I have to ride out in a bit to check on the herd, but why don’t I take you up to the stable. There’s an old shed back there that I dump firewood in now, but it was once briefly used for my mom’s goats.”

I didn’t know Dex’s circumstances, but I got the impression his parents had passed. We chatted about his mom’s experience with the goats as we made our way through the barn.

“Yeah,” Dex said when we reached the shed.

The remains of a wood fence edged it on two sides.

“She eventually decided that making soap wasn’t for her, so she sold the goats to a woman in town who started up a boutique that carries that kind of thing.

” He adjusted his hat. “Not really my thing, so I don’t know much about that.

Dex waved his hand at the wooden structure. “Originally, they would sleep or have shelter in there and hang out here during the day. My sister used to take them to the paddock when the horses weren’t in there and run around with them.” He laughed. “Drove my mom crazy.”

I nodded, rubbing my chin. “I’d likely have to have a larger fenced-off area for sheep, though, right? Where the barn used to be is maybe thirty feet off my back deck. I think there’s enough open space to fence off.”

“Yup. And Jim said you have the Jenkins property, right?”

“Yeah. I have a lot of work ahead of me.”

Dex nodded, his brow furrowing. “You’re even further out in the desert than I am. If you’re going to keep sheep out there, you’ll need a dog.”

I’d thought about getting a dog anyway, but hadn’t considered the sheep aspect. “So, like an Australian Shepherd?”

“No.” Dex shook his head. “A Great Pyrenees or other livestock guardian dog is what you want. They don’t herd, they protect.

Coyotes and mountain lions will love that free sheep buffet.

” He placed his hands on his hips. “You’ll also have lambs, I assume.

They’ll be particularly enticing to predators. ”

“Lambs. Right.” I dragged my fingers through my hair. “I have a feeling this is a next year project.” I sighed. “Or perhaps the year after that.”

Dex grinned. “It’s a lot. Even a few head of livestock, no matter what kind, are a big commitment. And I’ve never been out there, but I hear the Jenkins place is in need of a lot of renovating.”

I grunted. “You heard right. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I used to flip houses, but now I’m parking myself in one spot. I think I need to focus on whipping the house into shape first.”

“That’s right. Jim mentioned you plan on being a permanent part of Charming.”

“I do,” I said. “So, I’m not in a huge hurry to become a sheep farmer. I need to get settled in my new life first.”

“Wise move,” Dex responded. “Hey, you and Cash should come by some night for dinner.” He let out a light laugh. “Of course, getting the fire chief and sheriff on the same schedule could be a challenge.” He patted me on the shoulder. “But I’m sure we can work it out.”

“That would be great.”

I smiled, doing my best not to come across too nervous or awkward. The fact that he’d included Cash in the invitation caught me off guard. It seemed as if he was assuming we were a couple. Had Jim said something?