To Court A Cowgirl. Jeannie Watt

out of here for a while,” she said. “I’ll call if anything happens.”

      He started to say no, then thought better of it. “Thanks.”

      * * *

      THREE DAYS HAD passed since posting her advertisements in all the usual places, and Allie hadn’t received one phone call. If she had to hire a salvage company instead of a local guy, it was going to cost more than she was ready to pay, but short of tearing down the barn herself, she didn’t know what her other options might be. She’d give it another week, then call Dani and Jolie and explain that they were going to have to dip into the ranch fund to get rid of the thing.

      Allie finished her coffee and headed outside to check the pregnant cows. They’d had only five cows when she and Kyle had left the ranch, down from almost a hundred. It seemed as if every few months they’d had to sell off animals to make ends meet or to fund one of Kyle’s harebrained projects that she’d been so supportive of...until she finally figured out that her husband was all show and no go. Her sisters had started building the herd again and they were now up to twenty registered Angus cows—eighteen of which were pregnant. If she had a one-hundred-percent calving rate, then they would have even more of a hedge against disaster. She felt bad that she was the reason the ranch had been in such poor shape to begin with...which was why she really hated making that call.

      After checking the cows, she turned the goats loose to eat weeds, then started back to the house, only to stop when she spotted the cloud of dust coming down the driveway.

      And a second later she recognized the fancy pickup making the cloud.

      Jason Hudson.

      Allie glanced down at her clothing, glad that she hadn’t succumbed to the urge to feed in her pajamas. Her oldest jeans, a ratty T-shirt and her hair pulled back in a rough ponytail weren’t much better, but at least she could maintain a semblance of dignity that flannel pants with polar bears on them didn’t allow.

      The truck rolled to a stop a few feet away from where Allie stood near the barn. She shifted her weight, her arms hanging loosely by her sides as Jason got out of the truck.

      “You’re back,” she said before he could speak.

      “I am.” In the late-afternoon sunlight, his eyes were the most amazing clear aqua blue. Caribbean Sea–blue. He gave a slight shrug and said, “I’m here about the job.”

      “Why?” The word burst out of her mouth.

      “Maybe I need to pay my dues,” he said without one hint of irony.

      “You aren’t paying your dues here.” She gave a soft snort. “Why would you want to pay your dues here?”

      “It seems as good a place as any.” A few seconds of charged silence ticked by as Allie waited for Jason to either expand on his answer or leave. He did neither. Finally she gave up and shook her head. “I don’t see this happening.”

      “Because you have so many applicants to choose from?”

      “Yes. Exactly.” Allie felt color start to rise in her face. She was an awful liar.

      “I stole your advertisement off the feed-store bulletin board.” Her jaw literally dropped. “Heat of the moment,” he continued. “And now I’m here to either tear down your barn or put up another advertisement.”

      She studied him, wondering if he’d been hit in the head too many times, although there was nothing foggy in the way he was studying her back. He looked like a guy on a mission. Why would he want to tear down a barn when he probably had a whole lot of money sitting in the bank, drawing interest?

      “You can’t tear down my barn, so I guess I’d better print out another advertisement.”

      “I think you should at least give me a shot.”

      Allie blinked at him. “At the risk of repeating myself, why?”

      “I need gainful employment.”

      “Jason, no offense, but can’t you catch pizzas or something more in line with your talents?”

      “I could catch pizzas if I were still playing ball,” he said. “But not many companies want an ex-player as a spokesperson unless they were truly great. I wasn’t.”

      There was something in the unflinching way he assessed his career that touched her. She quickly brushed the feeling aside. “Have you ever torn down a barn?” Or swung a hammer? His father had owned a construction company, but as far as she knew, Jason had never been involved in anything except for sports.

      “No. I figure it’s all a matter of logic. Start from the top and work down and from the outside in. One piece at a time.”

      Again there was something in his honesty that tugged at her. He didn’t know how to tear down a barn, and he didn’t pretend he did.

      “Do you have the equipment necessary to do that job? And to haul away the debris?”

      “I have contacts.”

      She bet he did.

      “Here’s the deal,” he said, tilting his head as he held her gaze. “My dad had a heart attack and almost died. I came home, but if we continue to live in close quarters, he’s very liable to have another because I won’t let him take over my life. I need to be close for the next couple of months in case of emergency, but I also need something to fill my time. Something where I can just...” He shrugged.

      Be alone with his thoughts, work through stress. Allie could have finished that sentence for him because she knew the feeling well.

      “...do something physical.”

      For a moment common sense battled with empathy. She needed the barn hauled away and Jason honestly looked like he needed the job, for reasons other than the money, but this was Jason Hudson. Did she want him on the property, putting her on edge? Because that was what the guy did. He put her fully on edge. On the other hand, the feed-store advertisement he’d taken was one of many, and not one of the ads had produced results.

      “One-day trial,” she finally said. “And you have to sign an agreement releasing me from indemnity if you happen to hurt yourself. And I only pay minimum wage.”

      His expression didn’t change. “I don’t know how much I can get done in a day.”

      “If I’m not unhappy, we’ll talk about another.” He raised an eyebrow and she said, “I don’t like commitment. Take it or leave it.”

      She expected him to leave it, but the half smile, which in turn triggered a slow warming sensation in her, told her he wasn’t going to leave it. “Don’t try to charm me,” she warned.

      “Into what?”

      Bed was the first word that popped into her head. He’d probably charmed a number of women into bed. “Anything,” she said with a snap.

      “You got it. No charm. When do I start?”

      “Tomorrow,” she said matter-of-factly.

      “Sure thing. I’ll go find some tools.”

      “And I’ll find those agreements.”

       CHAPTER FOUR

      JASON PULLED INTO the family driveway hoping Kate didn’t walk out in a frustrated huff as he walked in. He wanted a little backup when he told the old man about his new “job.” Max was getting stronger every day and had made it clear that he no longer required a sitter. As long as someone was with him when he took his walks—which Jason intended to keep doing—Max didn’t mind some time alone. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want Jason on call.

      After he broke the news to his dad, he needed to buy some work clothes and gloves. Boots. And a hard hat. It would be ironic to have spent years in a physical occupation and then