Read Online The Cowboy's Girl Next Door: A BWWM Cowboy Romance by Monica Castle - Free Book Online
Authors: Monica Castle
Ads: Link
before lunch. She kept herself busy in the house, first calling the vet to schedule an ultrasound the next week for Calliope. That settled, she set about labeling the shelves in the laundry room, then turned her attention to folding the load of “scraggly towels” she washed the night before.
By the time she put them away, it was ten minutes until noon. She changed into boots and jeans, put her hair up into a ponytail, packed the basket, and headed to the stables.
Pauline was glad to see her, and thanked her profusely for the treat as she spread an old quilt on the grass near the stables and started to unpack the lunch. Claire went off in search of Jess.
She went first to the fence along the creek dividing their properties, and noted that it was perfectly repaired and freshly painted. The man was clearly no slouch, and she appreciated the care he’d taken to replace the broken boards altogether, instead of just mending them.
Next, she walked back over to the stable and she could see that he was nearly done there, too, having neatly replaced three of the four broken rails. The final one was propped up along the fence, ready to be put in as soon as he was done with lunch, she guessed. Good: the less time he spent there, the better.
She returned to the quilt to find him seated next to Pauline, the two of them eagerly tucking into the iced tea and Carmen’s famous chicken salad sandwiches. They were laughing over some story from Pauline’s time at Bar None, and Claire felt a bit like an outsider as she joined them. She quietly took a sandwich and poured herself some of the tea while she listened to the story.
“Remember that one berry picking when Jasper bet Big Hank he could out-eat him?” Pauline laughed as she told the story and directed her attention to Claire. “The whole town was there for the picking, so we set the two of them down with a couple of gallons of berries.
“Lacey gave them 20 minutes on the clock, and when the time was up, Jasper had nearly gone through both gallons, while Big Hank was struggling to finish one. Of course, his hands and mouth were purple for days afterward, and it took him a whole year to work up the nerve to eat one more berry, but the look on Big Hank’s face when he realized he’d been out eaten by skinny old Jasper was worth it!” She laughed again and tore into another sandwich.
Claire liked Pauline a great deal. She was excellent with the horses and had a sweet simple disposition that suited Claire’s work style well. Given the current circumstances, she felt odd having hired someone from Bar None, but she was too pleased with the girl’s work to give it much thought. Besides, Heart’s Home was going to grow, and Pauline seemed eager to prove herself every bit as capable as Jasper.
Deciding to venture into the conversation, Claire asked, “So, what’s the story behind this berry picking? This some special event?”
Pauline was opening the fruit salad. “Didn’t your mama start that tradition, Jess?”
Jess nodded and swallowed before speaking. “Yep. Every May, around Memorial Day, we open the orchards to the public for a berry picking. Folks come from miles around, and they usually don’t leave until every bush and vine has been plucked clean. Over the last few years, Lacey has insisted on making it an event.”
“Oooh, yes!” Pauline exclaimed. “We put out a dance floor near the orchard and get a band. Last year she even brought in some guy from Jackson to put on a fireworks display.”
Her face darkened a bit. “It was beautiful, but Jasper wasn’t real happy when it was done. The noises really spooked the horses. Lacey wants him to train them to get used to the sounds, but I don’t think we’ll be repeating that exercise this year, at least.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that with my girls,” Claire said. “I made sure they were trained to hear loud noises.” She
By the time she put them away, it was ten minutes until noon. She changed into boots and jeans, put her hair up into a ponytail, packed the basket, and headed to the stables.
Pauline was glad to see her, and thanked her profusely for the treat as she spread an old quilt on the grass near the stables and started to unpack the lunch. Claire went off in search of Jess.
She went first to the fence along the creek dividing their properties, and noted that it was perfectly repaired and freshly painted. The man was clearly no slouch, and she appreciated the care he’d taken to replace the broken boards altogether, instead of just mending them.
Next, she walked back over to the stable and she could see that he was nearly done there, too, having neatly replaced three of the four broken rails. The final one was propped up along the fence, ready to be put in as soon as he was done with lunch, she guessed. Good: the less time he spent there, the better.
She returned to the quilt to find him seated next to Pauline, the two of them eagerly tucking into the iced tea and Carmen’s famous chicken salad sandwiches. They were laughing over some story from Pauline’s time at Bar None, and Claire felt a bit like an outsider as she joined them. She quietly took a sandwich and poured herself some of the tea while she listened to the story.
“Remember that one berry picking when Jasper bet Big Hank he could out-eat him?” Pauline laughed as she told the story and directed her attention to Claire. “The whole town was there for the picking, so we set the two of them down with a couple of gallons of berries.
“Lacey gave them 20 minutes on the clock, and when the time was up, Jasper had nearly gone through both gallons, while Big Hank was struggling to finish one. Of course, his hands and mouth were purple for days afterward, and it took him a whole year to work up the nerve to eat one more berry, but the look on Big Hank’s face when he realized he’d been out eaten by skinny old Jasper was worth it!” She laughed again and tore into another sandwich.
Claire liked Pauline a great deal. She was excellent with the horses and had a sweet simple disposition that suited Claire’s work style well. Given the current circumstances, she felt odd having hired someone from Bar None, but she was too pleased with the girl’s work to give it much thought. Besides, Heart’s Home was going to grow, and Pauline seemed eager to prove herself every bit as capable as Jasper.
Deciding to venture into the conversation, Claire asked, “So, what’s the story behind this berry picking? This some special event?”
Pauline was opening the fruit salad. “Didn’t your mama start that tradition, Jess?”
Jess nodded and swallowed before speaking. “Yep. Every May, around Memorial Day, we open the orchards to the public for a berry picking. Folks come from miles around, and they usually don’t leave until every bush and vine has been plucked clean. Over the last few years, Lacey has insisted on making it an event.”
“Oooh, yes!” Pauline exclaimed. “We put out a dance floor near the orchard and get a band. Last year she even brought in some guy from Jackson to put on a fireworks display.”
Her face darkened a bit. “It was beautiful, but Jasper wasn’t real happy when it was done. The noises really spooked the horses. Lacey wants him to train them to get used to the sounds, but I don’t think we’ll be repeating that exercise this year, at least.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that with my girls,” Claire said. “I made sure they were trained to hear loud noises.” She
Similar Books
