been wearing them. When a girl was blessed with a height of only five foot three, she needed all the advantages she could get — and they came by wearing the highest heels possible.
Though heels, especially high heels, could cause some major pain after a few hours, it was about the look, the feel of having on a pair of shoes that made you feel taller, prettier, and certainly sexier. She might be in the backwoods of a ranching state, but that didn’t mean she needed to throw fashion to the wind. She would never change so much that she didn’t care about her appearance. Yes, she could admit that maybe she spent a little too much time on it, but in the world she’d grown up in, looks really did matter.
How sad was that…
Wait. Why was it sad? A woman who could highlight her assets wasn’t a rich bimbo; she was just smart. This dang place was sure to ruin her!
Throwing her hair back into a ponytail — wasn’t that practical of her? — she decided she’d spent enough time upstairs. If she took too long, she had no doubt, Colt wouldn’t wait around for her down at the horse barn. Fighting to get used to the boots as she came down the stairs, Brielle held tight to the railing, keeping her eye on it to make sure no spiders were going to pop out. This would be a much longer drop than the tumble she’d taken off the front porch.
She didn’t bother locking her front door after she shut it behind her. It seemed no one here locked doors. As there was very little crime in Sterling, she actually felt safe. It was a weird feeling to go from a world in which the door stayed locked 24/7, to a place where an open door was expected, part of the mind-set.
When she entered the horse barn, she ran smack into Tony, and a little of her excitement vanished. Why did her foreman have to be so grouchy all the time? What was his problem with her? Sure, she didn’t want to be in charge of this place, but she did own it, and it would really help if the guy just gave her a chance.
Okay, okay, how much of a chance had she really given him? None, honestly, and she wasn’t proud of that. She didn’t know anything about him or anything about this ranch. But she was trying to change that, wasn’t she? Didn’t she get credit for trying? It would sure as heck be nice.
“Colt’s over by the arena,” Tony grumbled before turning to walk away. Brielle stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked at her with disapproval but didn’t say a word.
“Look, Tony, you know and I know that I don’t know anything about running a ranch, and I really need your help. Do you think we can come to a truce and maybe work together?”
Brielle was almost surprised by the words coming out of her mouth. It wasn’t like her to actually try to compromise. She’d been here only two weeks, and already she was speaking differently, acting differently — as if she’d received the gift of tongues in a foreign land. If this was the big change her father wanted to see, she was going to be ticked, because she didn’t want him to be right.
She didn’t want to admit that she needed to change. Still, she told herself, she needed her foreman if she were to do what she had to do so she could get out of Montana ASAP. That didn’t count as changing; it was doing whatever it took to get back to her real life.
Tony looked at her for several moments. Was he trying to see inside her head? His look made her squirm a little — she was surely coming up short in the man’s mind. It shouldn’t matter to her, but for some reason it really did.
He spit another stream of tobacco. “I will give you a chance when I think you honestly give a damn about this place.”
“I do care about it here,” she lied.
“That’s a joke. Don’t for one minute think you can fool an old man. This has been my home since I was in my early teens. I love the land, love the people, love the animals even more. Some little city girl doesn’t get to come in with all her daddy’s money and
Though heels, especially high heels, could cause some major pain after a few hours, it was about the look, the feel of having on a pair of shoes that made you feel taller, prettier, and certainly sexier. She might be in the backwoods of a ranching state, but that didn’t mean she needed to throw fashion to the wind. She would never change so much that she didn’t care about her appearance. Yes, she could admit that maybe she spent a little too much time on it, but in the world she’d grown up in, looks really did matter.
How sad was that…
Wait. Why was it sad? A woman who could highlight her assets wasn’t a rich bimbo; she was just smart. This dang place was sure to ruin her!
Throwing her hair back into a ponytail — wasn’t that practical of her? — she decided she’d spent enough time upstairs. If she took too long, she had no doubt, Colt wouldn’t wait around for her down at the horse barn. Fighting to get used to the boots as she came down the stairs, Brielle held tight to the railing, keeping her eye on it to make sure no spiders were going to pop out. This would be a much longer drop than the tumble she’d taken off the front porch.
She didn’t bother locking her front door after she shut it behind her. It seemed no one here locked doors. As there was very little crime in Sterling, she actually felt safe. It was a weird feeling to go from a world in which the door stayed locked 24/7, to a place where an open door was expected, part of the mind-set.
When she entered the horse barn, she ran smack into Tony, and a little of her excitement vanished. Why did her foreman have to be so grouchy all the time? What was his problem with her? Sure, she didn’t want to be in charge of this place, but she did own it, and it would really help if the guy just gave her a chance.
Okay, okay, how much of a chance had she really given him? None, honestly, and she wasn’t proud of that. She didn’t know anything about him or anything about this ranch. But she was trying to change that, wasn’t she? Didn’t she get credit for trying? It would sure as heck be nice.
“Colt’s over by the arena,” Tony grumbled before turning to walk away. Brielle stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked at her with disapproval but didn’t say a word.
“Look, Tony, you know and I know that I don’t know anything about running a ranch, and I really need your help. Do you think we can come to a truce and maybe work together?”
Brielle was almost surprised by the words coming out of her mouth. It wasn’t like her to actually try to compromise. She’d been here only two weeks, and already she was speaking differently, acting differently — as if she’d received the gift of tongues in a foreign land. If this was the big change her father wanted to see, she was going to be ticked, because she didn’t want him to be right.
She didn’t want to admit that she needed to change. Still, she told herself, she needed her foreman if she were to do what she had to do so she could get out of Montana ASAP. That didn’t count as changing; it was doing whatever it took to get back to her real life.
Tony looked at her for several moments. Was he trying to see inside her head? His look made her squirm a little — she was surely coming up short in the man’s mind. It shouldn’t matter to her, but for some reason it really did.
He spit another stream of tobacco. “I will give you a chance when I think you honestly give a damn about this place.”
“I do care about it here,” she lied.
“That’s a joke. Don’t for one minute think you can fool an old man. This has been my home since I was in my early teens. I love the land, love the people, love the animals even more. Some little city girl doesn’t get to come in with all her daddy’s money and
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