he was strapped for cash and in desperate need of extra help, he’d had no problem overlooking the applicant’s lack of experience when he’d read the email. If this Dani was willing to accept the next-to-nothing pay balanced out with free lodging and meals, Mac was more than eager to hire him.
Her. Mac shifted from one boot to the other and cleared his throat. He’d be more than eager to...
She faced him, adjusted the strap on her shoulder then put her hands on her hips. The action pulled her thin T-shirt tight across her ample breasts and the firm tap of her sneaker on the hardwood floor drew his eyes to the shapely length of her jean-clad legs.
“Well?” she asked, the soft curves of her mouth tightening into a hard line. “What did you mean?”
Ah, hell. He tore his gaze away from the appealing curves of her hips, refocused on her face and ignored the latent heat stirring in his blood. Add ogling to employment discrimination.
Figured the first woman in four years that sucker-punched him with lust would be a potential employee. He didn’t have time for women and kept his distance from them for a reason. He grimaced. Three reasons, actually. But it looked like fate was hell-bent on making his life difficult.
“I just meant that I was expecting someone different.”
Her eyes narrowed, her thick lashes obscuring those beautiful blues. “A man, I suppose?”
Mac glanced down at his girls, each hugging one of his legs. They stared up at him. Innocent curiosity lifted Maddie’s expression. Nadine’s judgmental scowl—which she flashed him often lately—deepened.
Cringing, he looked up. “You have to admit, your name can be misleading.”
She flushed and the redness stamping her face spread down the graceful curve of her neck.
“You are Dani Jones, aren’t you?” He placed a hand on the girls’ shoulders and hugged them closer.
She’d never actually confirmed it and the heat in his blood cooled, slowing it in his veins and leading him to scrutinize her more closely. Her clothing had seen better days and the ragged shoes she sported wouldn’t last more than a week on the ranch. But her nails, which still pressed into her hips, were manicured to perfection. The soft shade of pink nail polish matched the lipstick accentuating her lush mouth and the stud gemstones in her delicate earlobes.
Every bit of which screamed the exact opposite of a hard-living, nomadic ranch hand who’d applied for the position.
“Look,” Mac scoffed. “If you’re not Dani Jones and some developer sent you out here to sweet-talk me into selling my land, you might as well sashay back to where you came from. I’ve had at least seven agents here this week already and I’m not in the mood for another debate. I’m not interested in selling my land. I’m interested in hiring help.”
“But she is Dani Jones,” Nadine said, frowning up at him. “That’s what she said. And a girl can be a ranch hand if she wants to.” She released his leg, walked over to the woman and grabbed her hand. “Tell him. A girl can be a ranch hand, can’t she?”
The redness marring the woman’s fair skin deepened as she looked down at Nadine. Hesitating, she licked her lips then smiled, saying softly, “Yes. A girl can do anything she sets her mind to.” She faced him head-on. “I’m not here to sweet-talk you and I’m not prone to sashaying anywhere. I’m here to work. And yes, I’m... Dani.”
Mac sighed. Well. That eased one of his worries but it sure didn’t do much for the others.
He reached out, tugged Nadine back to his side then nodded at Dani. “You might not like what I’ve got to say but I’m gonna be honest with you because that’s the only way I operate.” The wary look on her face caused his skin to prickle with unease. “I’d hire you as easily as I would any man so long as I knew you could get the job done.” He reassessed her slight build and slender arms. “The pay isn’t much and the hours are long. The work is also physically demanding. Anyone I hire would have to be able to lift at least fifty pounds without breaking a sweat.”
She straightened. “I’m aware of all that. And I’m tougher than I look.”
“Do you have any horseback-riding experience?”
“A little.”
“A little?” He frowned. “What’s that mean?”
She looked away. “I’ve ridden once or twice.” A sheepish look crossed her face. “A few years ago.”
Mac rubbed the tight knot at the back of his neck. “What about watering and feeding horses? Cleaning stalls?”
She shook her head.
“I suppose you have no experience haying or fencing, either?”
More headshaking. Lord, help him. Forget inexperienced. She was the epitome of green.
Nadine jerked on his jeans pocket and whispered, “I can teach her the scooping poop part, Dad.”
Maddie pulled on his shirt, her pink hair ribbon falling over her cheek. “And I can show her the watering part.”
Mac forced a smile, tugged the twins off his legs and nudged them toward the hallway. “Girls, I need to show Ms. Dani around. You’ll have to wait here.” Nadine grumbled under her breath and Maddie made a soft sound of disappointment. “Why don’t y’all stay with Ms. Ann...”
A look of trepidation crossed Ann’s face. She eyed the girls then backed further behind the desk, her hands clutching papers and a stapler to her chest.
“Well...” Hell. How was he supposed to watch his girls, school a new employee and finish the twelve hours of work already lined up for the day? Mac scraped a hand through his hair. “I guess you can come with us.”
“Yes!” Nadine pumped a small fist in the air.
Maddie smiled. “Okay, Daddy.”
He shook his head as the girls pushed past him and ran to Dani’s side. “Now, look. There’ll be no misbehaving.” He pointed a finger at the girls and frowned. Man, he sounded just like an uptight, run-down dad. Which, he had to admit, was exactly how he felt. “No disobeying me. And no wandering off.”
“Yes, sir.” Nadine’s angelic grin twitched devilishly at the corners.
Warmth flooded Mac’s chest and he stifled a laugh. These pint-sized blondes had wrapped him around their little fingers the day they were born. And he didn’t mind it a bit. Though he didn’t spend a fraction of the amount of time he should with them nowadays.
He frowned and studied the scuff marks on the hardwood floor. Or his son, for that matter. It’d been ages since he’d been able to spend a day with any of his three children. What kind of father did that make him?
Mac tensed. A bad one. But this past week, he’d actually managed to get ahead of chores. And hiring an extra hand would ease some of his load, giving him a chance to be a decent father for a change.
Clearing his throat, he reached around Dani and opened the door. “After you.”
A
