Read Online The Rancher and the Runaway Bride Part 1 by Susan Mallery - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susan Mallery
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cook sulking, now, can we?”
She laughed. “I promise I’ll go speak to him.” She leaned forward and placed her hands on his desk. “I like my job, Brady. I’m enjoying the ranch. If you want to keep me around, I’d like to stay.”
Pleasure heated his belly. He ignored the sensation, just as he ignored the impulse to lean forward as well and capture her hands in his. “Great. I’m going to raise your salary thirty dollars a week. Can you give me any kind of time commitment as to how long you’ll be staying?”
He always asked that question of new employees, but this time his interest in her reply was personal. Shadows moved across her face. She withdrew her hands to her lap and shook her head.
“Not really. A couple of months. Maybe.”
“I see. Well, we’re happy to have you here as long as you want to stay.”
The disappointment was sharper than the pleasure had been. He’d wanted more. Trust, maybe? It was too soon to expect that. She might never trust him. Could be life had taught her it was too dangerous. After all, he’d had his own lessons. He’d learned it was safer not to give away his heart.
“If anything changes and I find I can stay, I’ll let you know,” she said. “But I can’t promise more. Not without knowing if I can keep my word. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“I understand.”
There was an awkward pause as the room filled with unasked questions. Questions about her past and his, about a future that was never going to be.
“That’s all I had to say,” he said, dismissing her. “Your raise will be in your next paycheck.”
“Thanks.” She rose to her feet and gave him a quick smile, then moved to the door.
He watched her go, telling himself the emptiness inside had nothing to do with her, or with feeling lonely. He wished it could have been different. He wished he could have fallen in love with someone who wanted what he wanted. But he hadn’t. Instead he’d learned a hard lesson.
Love was a rare and elusive gift. Once given, there was no guarantee it was going to be enough to make the relationship work. He had the scarred heart to prove it.
Chapter Five
Randi leaned against the window frame and inhaled the soft smells of the night. It was getting late, and she should think about going to bed. After all, 4:00 a.m. came pretty early. But she couldn’t seem to settle down. Her body was pleasantly exhausted from a hard day’s work, but her mind was restless.
Thoughts flitted around like butterflies in a meadow. She was pleased that Brady wanted her to stay, proud that he thought she was doing a good job. She wondered about Grand Springs, then questioned what it meant that she no longer thought of that place as home. She missed Noah, if not her mother. She tried to imagine her future and couldn’t picture herself in any one place. Or with any one man.
She stared through the trees. Brady had wanted to talk about her past. She’d read it in his eyes. He had questions and she couldn’t blame him. What must it be like to hire someone with no references, no experience? Why had he given her a chance?
It would be so easy to confess everything to him, to tell him about the wedding and her near escape, to explain about those two men with guns. She sighed, knowing he would despise her for the former and disbelieve the latter. She couldn’t even make it sound better by saying she ran because of the men with guns. The truth was she’d been on her way out when she’d seen them. As much as she would like it to be otherwise, they had nothing to do with why she’d left Hal at the altar. So she wasn’t going to let on even a single whisper about her past.
If the last week had taught her only one thing it was that Brady Jones was an honorable man. Her first assessment of him had been right on the mark. If this was a 1950s western, his part would be played by John Wayne. Brady was an all-American hero. She was just a woman who’d run out on her own wedding and didn’t know
She laughed. “I promise I’ll go speak to him.” She leaned forward and placed her hands on his desk. “I like my job, Brady. I’m enjoying the ranch. If you want to keep me around, I’d like to stay.”
Pleasure heated his belly. He ignored the sensation, just as he ignored the impulse to lean forward as well and capture her hands in his. “Great. I’m going to raise your salary thirty dollars a week. Can you give me any kind of time commitment as to how long you’ll be staying?”
He always asked that question of new employees, but this time his interest in her reply was personal. Shadows moved across her face. She withdrew her hands to her lap and shook her head.
“Not really. A couple of months. Maybe.”
“I see. Well, we’re happy to have you here as long as you want to stay.”
The disappointment was sharper than the pleasure had been. He’d wanted more. Trust, maybe? It was too soon to expect that. She might never trust him. Could be life had taught her it was too dangerous. After all, he’d had his own lessons. He’d learned it was safer not to give away his heart.
“If anything changes and I find I can stay, I’ll let you know,” she said. “But I can’t promise more. Not without knowing if I can keep my word. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“I understand.”
There was an awkward pause as the room filled with unasked questions. Questions about her past and his, about a future that was never going to be.
“That’s all I had to say,” he said, dismissing her. “Your raise will be in your next paycheck.”
“Thanks.” She rose to her feet and gave him a quick smile, then moved to the door.
He watched her go, telling himself the emptiness inside had nothing to do with her, or with feeling lonely. He wished it could have been different. He wished he could have fallen in love with someone who wanted what he wanted. But he hadn’t. Instead he’d learned a hard lesson.
Love was a rare and elusive gift. Once given, there was no guarantee it was going to be enough to make the relationship work. He had the scarred heart to prove it.
Chapter Five
Randi leaned against the window frame and inhaled the soft smells of the night. It was getting late, and she should think about going to bed. After all, 4:00 a.m. came pretty early. But she couldn’t seem to settle down. Her body was pleasantly exhausted from a hard day’s work, but her mind was restless.
Thoughts flitted around like butterflies in a meadow. She was pleased that Brady wanted her to stay, proud that he thought she was doing a good job. She wondered about Grand Springs, then questioned what it meant that she no longer thought of that place as home. She missed Noah, if not her mother. She tried to imagine her future and couldn’t picture herself in any one place. Or with any one man.
She stared through the trees. Brady had wanted to talk about her past. She’d read it in his eyes. He had questions and she couldn’t blame him. What must it be like to hire someone with no references, no experience? Why had he given her a chance?
It would be so easy to confess everything to him, to tell him about the wedding and her near escape, to explain about those two men with guns. She sighed, knowing he would despise her for the former and disbelieve the latter. She couldn’t even make it sound better by saying she ran because of the men with guns. The truth was she’d been on her way out when she’d seen them. As much as she would like it to be otherwise, they had nothing to do with why she’d left Hal at the altar. So she wasn’t going to let on even a single whisper about her past.
If the last week had taught her only one thing it was that Brady Jones was an honorable man. Her first assessment of him had been right on the mark. If this was a 1950s western, his part would be played by John Wayne. Brady was an all-American hero. She was just a woman who’d run out on her own wedding and didn’t know
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