CHAPTER 38
JOHN
"Are ya Mr. Atwood?"
"In a manner of speakin'," I replied with a chuckle, making my way out of the barn towards an old red truck that'd seen better days. The owner was a guy in his early twenties about my height, with a white cowboy hat, a scruffy blond beard, worn boots and a firm handshake. "Travis Mann?" I asked.
"Yes sir," the guy replied.
"Don't call me sir," I said sternly, hiding a smirk.
"Sorry," he apologized, looking nervous.
I was fighting back laughter, forcing my face into a serious mask despite the immense enjoyment this was bringing me. I wondered if this was how Steven felt when he first hired me twelve years ago: the awkward, nervous teenager fresh out of high school.
"I'm John Kessler, Carly's fiancé. She's the boss lady 'round here... and by the way, you're also gonna wanna call her ma'am at all times," I added, gesturing back towards the barn, glad my back was to him for a moment as my serious expression faltered. I started walking and he followed like a lost puppy.
Carly was younger than he was by at least three or four years, so I knew for a fact that she wouldn't appreciate being called ma'am, not by him, not by anyone. Of course, he didn't know that now, did he?
"She'll be home in a bit to talk to ya... until then I can show you around. Have you got any experience workin' on a ranch?" I asked him, recalling the first conversation I'd ever had with Carly's father.
"I helped around my granddaddy's farm in Oklahoma most summers," he explained, gaining a bit of confidence as we stepped into the barn and I started showing him around. "I know my way around horses though... I run the rodeo circuit... bronc ridin'... You might've heard of me... I ranked second at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo last year," he shrugged, trying – and failing – to seem modest.
"Impressive," I said, which had him grinning like a pompous idiot. The look was wiped clean off his face when I went on: "Those eight seconds don't mean much here though; and you ain't gonna have a crowd screamin' you're name when you're fillin' up water troughs or shovelin' horse shit either," I told him pointedly.
He didn't like me very much, I could tell. I didn't give a damn though, I was having fun.
CARLY
I arrived huffing and puffing, my face probably tomato red as I rushed as fast as my belly would let me towards the barn.
I could feel the awkward tension between the two men the second I walked in. I stopped dead in my tracks, watching them for a split-second. I could've sworn John smirked at me.
Oh God, I thought. What did he do?
I took a breath.
"Hi, I'm Carly, you must be Travis Mann, we spoke on the phone," I said, holding out my hand. He gripped it, his eyes wandering to my pregnant belly. "It's nice to meet you," I said, pretending I hadn't noticed the weird look on his face, like he was surprised to see me.
"You too, uh... ma'am," he said with a curt nod.
John smirked behind Travis' back and excused himself, giving me a quick kiss hello before striding over to the house to start dinner.
Yeah, he definitely did something.
"Alright, well if you wanna follow me to my office, we can talk some more," I told Travis with a small smile, ushering him along. "John's probably given you a crash course already? He's been workin' here for years so he knows his stuff," I said conversationally.
Travis took off his hat and sat down in the chair on the opposite side of my desk before I had a chance to offer it to him, stretching his long legs out in front of him. He was a pretty good-looking guy with short blond hair and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen.
"When are you due?" he asked.
I half-walked, half-waddled to my side of the desk and slumped down, only then realizing how much my feet and lower back were aching.
"June 23rd," I answered.
"Nice, congratulations," Travis nodded.
"Thanks," I smiled, fiddling with some stray sheets of paper I'd neglected to put away earlier. "So tell me a bit about yourself and why you think I should give you the job here," I told him, getting right down to it so that I could spend some time with John while I had him home with me.
Travis Mann was a nice guy; sure, he was a little full of himself, but I could tell he had a good head on his shoulders. He told me about his grandfather's cattle ranch and how he spent summers there growing up, taking care of horses and herding cattle around. He knew what he was talking about when it came to the ranch life.
I was probably being an overprotective mama bear, but I still wasn't sure if I was willing to trust him with my ranch and my horses.
"We used to be a cattle ranch up until very recently," I explained to him a little later when I took him on a tour of the paddocks, showing him the horses that were grazing outside. "That was my father's thing more than it is mine though. We didn't make nearly as much last year as the years before... It was a lot of work too, considering our shortage of man-power, so I decided to sell the herd a few months ago... focus on the horses."
"So y'all train and sell 'em I assume?" Travis asked, glancing at Spirit in the nearby stall. The Arabian horse took a step back and gave a disgruntled snort when he reached out to pet him.
"Watch out with him, he's a fiery one. Doesn't get along with most people," I warned.
"Honey, I can handle myself," Travis smirked.
"Oh can you?" I chuckled, raising my brow at him.
I liked this guy. There was just something about him that made him easy to be around.
"We rescue and rehome mostly," I went on, answering his question. "We've got a lot of boarders too, and I offer ridin' lessons a couple times a week. I'm lookin' into gettin' involved in the breedin' business... once things settle down a little," I added, patting my belly.
"Mm," he said, acknowledging my words.
"Actually, one of our rescues had a filly last fall so my fiancé–" I hesitated for a moment, smiling slightly as the words left my lips: my fiancé. "–and I have been workin' on her... We've been gettin' her desensitized... gettin' her used to workin' with a harness or a lead rope... that sort of thing... She's a bit skittish still though."
"Only two things horses are scared of," Travis pursed his lips, burying his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. "Things that move and–"
"–and things that don't," I finished for him, laughing.
We talked for a little while longer and I introduced him to most of the horses, including some of the boarders and then, finally, we stopped at Calamity's stall.
"She sure is a little beauty," Travis drawled.
"That's her mama over there," I explained, pointing across the corridor two stalls over. I watched him interact with the spunky filly. He reminded me strangely of John in the way he interacted with her. Like John, Travis was a little rough around the edges, but put a horse in front of him and he turned into a big ol' teddy bear.
We walked back to his truck afterward and I let him know I'd be in touch, that I had one more interview tomorrow before making my final decision.
"Alrighty, thank you ma'am," Travis said, tipping his hat towards me.
"You really don't have to call me ma'am," I laughed softly, accepting his handshake. "Just Carly's fine," I added.
A look of understanding crossed Travis' face as his eyes wandered towards the main house. I understood too: John.
JOHN
"Babe?" Carly called.
"Yeah, over here," I called back.
She walked into the kitchen and dropped onto one of the stools at the island counter, watching me pour a box of noodles into boiling water. After stirring briefly, I put the spoon down and spun on my heels, propping my elbows down on the counter in front of her, watching her too. She looked like she'd been pushing herself all day when she should have been taking it easy.
"What did you tell him?" Carly broke the silence first.
"Tell who?" I asked.
"The guy that just came 'round for a job interview... Travis Mann! You told him to call me ma'am?!" she giggled, reaching to wrap her left hand over mine, the diamond on her engagement ring glistening in the light.
"He looked like a douche," I shrugged.
"He's a nice guy, reminds me of you," she smiled.
"He's a rodeo clown," I argued.
"Bronc rider," she corrected me.
"Same thing," I shrugged. "He probably got knocked around the head too many times in the ring. I wouldn't trust him if I were you," I added with a smirk.
"Oh God, don't tell me that!" Carly whined, shoving me playfully. "I was thinkin' he was good, now I'll worry if I end up hirin' him," she added.
"Are you thinkin' about it?" I asked.
"Yeah," she replied, watching me carefully. "Why are you makin' that face? What's so wrong with him?" she added.
"He's good-lookin'," I grumbled.
Carly burst out laughing.
"You got somethin' you wanna tell me, John Kessler?" she asked, wriggling her brows.
"I meant he's better lookin' than I am... and younger," I shrugged.
Looking a little confused, Carly opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it again. I could see her brain working, and then she understood.
"Ah... I get it, you're jealous," she said with a coy smile.
"So what if I am?" I asked.
"You're so cute," she giggled, squeezing my hand. She walked around the counter and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her chin again my chest, those beautiful eyes of hers looking up to meet mine. "I love you. I'm marryin' you. Some cowboy ain't gonna change that, regardless of how good-lookin' he is," she smirked. "Which he is, yeah... but honey, despite what you might think, he ain't got nothin' on you."
I grinned at her, leaning down to meet her lips with mine.
"I love you, and I can't wait for us to get all hitched up," I chuckled.
"I can't wait either," she giggled against my lips. "Speakin' of... I called you my fiancé today... for the first time, and it felt kind of awesome!"
"Has a nice ring to it," I smirked.
"Sounds almost as good as my husband," she grinned.
A/N: John's POVs in this chapter were so fun to write! Don't forget to vote and comment if you've enjoyed! It means so much! ♥