you finished in there, Ben?” Kaiden shouted. “I just got back and I need a shower.”
“Yup.” Ben opened the door, allowing a cloud of steam to escape. “Sorry.”
“No problem.” Kaiden went past him, smelling like a pine forest. “That renovation in town is taking way longer than I anticipated, but it’s going to make a whole group of people a great home.”
Ben was the only brother apart from Adam who worked full-time on the ranch. Everyone else, including their sister, Daisy, had other jobs. Kaiden was a master carpenter and always busy.
Ben got dressed and wandered into the kitchen where Adam had already started cooking dinner. “Need a hand?”
“You can set the table.”
Ben completed the task and then took a moment to check his cell phone. Not that he ever got many messages, but he liked to keep on top of things.
Can you come over tonight?
Ben squinted at the text, wondering who the hell was talking to him, and scrolled back up to see he’d missed a few vital bits of information.
“I’ve got to go out,” Ben replied to the last message, and shoved his cell in the pocket of his Wranglers.
“I’m cooking dinner here,” Adam complained. “Can’t you just eat fast, and go after?”
“Nope, sorry, I’ve got to go right now. I’ll eat when I come back.”
Ben ignored Adam’s next shouted question and went into the mudroom to grab his heavy coat, boots, and his second-best Stetson that had been drying out on the heater from yesterday’s rain. It was still pouring so he took the keys to his Jeep, and ran to where he’d parked it.
It didn’t take long to drive back onto the county road and then along to the much bigger Morgan Ranch where BB, Blue Boy Morgan, lived with his wife, Jenna, and his daughter, Maria, in a newly constructed house on the family land.
Ben pulled up in the driveway behind Jenna’s truck, and got out to a cacophony of barking. Between Jenna’s veterinary business and Maria’s love of taking care of creatures, their place was like a zoo.
By the time he reached the door, it was already open, and Blue “BB” Morgan, retired Marine and all around badass, was waiting for him. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would let anyone creep up on him unawares.
“Hey, thanks for coming over.” BB patted Ben’s shoulder. “Have you eaten? Jenna made some vegetarian patties if you like that kind of thing. Me and Maria are going with the beef.”
“I’m good, thanks.” Ben ignored the low growl of his stomach. Working outside meant that he had quite an appetite and burned through a ton of calories without putting on weight.
“Well, sit down and keep me company, anyway,” BB said as they came into the open-plan kitchen and dining area. “Jenna’s got a thing about us all eating dinner together.”
“Hey again, Jenna,” Ben called out as he spotted the veterinarian. “Sorry to barge in on your dinner.”
“It’s all good.” Jenna patted the seat next to hers. “Come and sit by me. How are the calves?”
“All doing okay the last I saw of them.” Ben took the seat and nodded at Maria who was sitting opposite him. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She blushed and hid behind her long dark hair.
“How’s school?” Ben asked.
“Good.”
“Any idea what you plan to do when you graduate?”
“Not yet.”
Jenna winked at him. “She’s thinking about ranch management.”
“Awesome.” Ben’s stomach growled again.
“Here.” BB pushed the plate over. “Help yourself.”
“If you’re sure...” Ben looked longingly at the big, juicy burger. He should’ve listened to Adam and eaten at home before he came out.
“Plenty more where that came from,” BB joked. “Benefit of living on a cattle ranch.”
“Dad, that’s so lame.” Maria rolled her eyes.
“Apparently, nothing I say is funny anymore,” BB commented as he reached for the ketchup. “Teens, eh?”
Maria looked over at Jenna. “Can I leave the table, please? I’ve got a math test tomorrow, and I need to study.”
“Sure.” Jenna waved her away.
“Bye, Maria,” Ben called out to her retreating figure. “Nice to see you again.”
She stomped up the stairs and slammed her door so hard that everyone at the table winced.
“Was it something I said?” Ben asked cautiously. “She used to get along great with me.”
BB grinned at his wife. “Well, Jenna’s got a theory about that. She thinks Maria’s got a bit of a crush on you.”
Ben almost choked on his burger.
“It’s okay,” Jenna hastened to reassure him. “And it’s all good. I can’t think of a better man for her to have a crush on than you. You’re a great role model.”
Ben wasn’t so sure about that, so he concentrated on his burger. Jenna excused herself to go and finish some paperwork, leaving him and BB with the coffeepot between them and time to talk.
“I got this kind of weird request for a trail ride experience,” BB said. “At first I ignored it because I thought it was some kind of windup, but the guy kept calling and eventually I sat down and listened to what he had to say. I told him I had just the right man for the job, but that I’d have to square it with you first.”
“What kind of job?” Ben sipped his coffee.
“He wants someone to take his daughter out on an all-singing, all-dancing, trail riding experience as close to nature as we can manage.”
“Like on foot?”
BB grinned. “Not quite that bad. Just horses and no motorized support. Apparently, she needs to experience what it would be like for a film role.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Ben stared at his friend.
“Nope.” BB shrugged. “It’s not unheard of for actors to want to immerse themselves completely in a role, and that’s apparently what she wants to do.”
“Okay, for how long?”
“At least a week, maybe ten days.”
“With just the two of us and a couple of horses?”
“That’s
