Her Lifeline: (A Romantic Suspense) (5 page)

BOOK: Her Lifeline: (A Romantic Suspense)
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“Yes ma’am,” Nick replied. Anything to get his mind on something else.

Chapter Five

 

Amelia watched as Nick walked through the barn. He hadn’t said a lot during the tour of the ranch and she hoped that maybe it was him taking it all in that kept him quiet. Hopefully he wasn’t overwhelmed by it all. They stopped in front of a horse stall where she kept a horse that they had been working to train. He was still very wild and with limited time and resources, the attention spent on him had become few and far between.

Reaching out, Nick tried to pet his mane. The horse backed up and kicked his leg, neighing at his attempt to make contact. “What’s his name?” Nick asked, trying again.

“We haven’t named him. Dad bought him at auction and I’m still not sure why. My husband… excuse me, my ex-husband was going to break him, but you see how that worked out.”

Nick bent over and grabbed a hand full of hay, offering some to him. The horse hesitated at first, but stuck his head out and took some from his palm. “He’s a beautiful animal, Amelia.”

“Yes he is. He just hasn’t gotten the attention he’s needed.” She was surprised to see the horse calm down enough to eat from his hand. Once the hay was gone, the horse riled up again, and Nick grabbed another hand full, calming him. “You’re good with him. That doesn’t usually happen.”

Nick nodded and backed away from the stall, a smile on his lips as he stared at the horse. “One of the foster family’s I lived with when I was a kid had horses. Used to spend all day outside with them.”

Foster family? Amelia wanted more details, but didn’t want to press him, so she let it slide. “Maybe you’re just the person he needs to tame him.” Amelia had always learned a lot about a person with how they treated animals. Seeing Nick in the stable made most of the worries she felt about making a hasty hiring decision diminish. This was a good man, though she still would like to know more about him. The mystery made it more intriguing and her curiosity ran wild, but the man had barely sat foot on the ranch – she didn’t need to interrogate him.

“Y’all got a lot of land out here. I see where you need some help. Thanks for showing me around.”

“Oh, we’re not done yet, Nick. You haven’t met my father yet. I’m about to go in and start dinner. You can go get unpacked and situate yourself. I can send Noah or come get you when it’s ready.” She enjoyed being around him. He was easy to talk to, not to mention, easy on the eyes. Again with the thoughts – she was so thankful he couldn’t read her mind or he’d run away like the place was on fire.

“Lookin’ forward to it, Amelia.” He turned to walk away and stopped, a small hint of a grin on his lips. “Should I be worried about your father?”

His inquisitive expression made her giggle and she shook her head. “You’re gonna love him.”

 

***

 

Nick unpacked his duffel bag and lay back on the bed. With the few belongings that he had, it didn’t take him long, and he was left alone to process what had transpired throughout the day. The bed was soft and the sheets smelled fresh. He could easily doze off right at that moment, but his stomach growling reminded him that he’d soon be at Amelia’s house eating whatever she was cooking. The thought of a home cooked meal made him smile and he stretched his legs out, staring up at the ceiling.

She certainly had her hands full on the ranch. From what she had shown him, he would be working long days to try to get things back in order for her. Broken barbed wire fences and barn repairs were just a few things to list, not to mention the horse he couldn’t wait to try and break. He was no expert when it came to them, but the wild animal had pulled him in for some reason, and he was going to set a goal to make him ride able during his time on the ranch.

Standing up, Nick walked through the house, exploring it a little more. The wooden floor creaked beneath his boots and he paused in the kitchen, taking a quick glance inside the refrigerator. It was empty and he was certain he’d probably keep it that way, aside from a few snacks and beer. Closing it, he jumped when he saw Noah standing in the doorway.

“Hey Noah, you scared me.”

“Supper’s almost ready. Mom made fried chicken.”

Nick’s stomach growled even more at the mention of the food. “Did she?” He sat down on the arm of the couch, still uneasy when it came to talking to kids. He had been tossed around from home to home as a child and was around other foster kids, but he was never able to make a connection with many of them.

“It’s the best. She told me not to bug you too much.” The child grasped a toy airplane in his left hand and had his cowboy hat in the other.

“You’re not bugging me, Noah. I like your cowboy hat.” Nick pointed to it. “I used to have one like that.”

Noah’s blue eyes shot down to it. The same blue that his mother’s were. It made Nick think about her gaze on him and how it sent chills down his spine.

“What happened to it?” Noah asked.

“I’m not sure. I guess it got misplaced when I joined the army.”

Noah’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “You were in the army?”

Nick nodded, unable to read if Noah was impressed or scared. With all the various reactions he got from people once they found out he was in the military, he never was sure of people’s opinions.

“I was.”

“That’s so cool!”

Nick started to say something, but Annie walked through the door, the hinges creaking as she poked her head inside. “What is so cool?” She tousled the boy’s hair. “I told you to let Nick get settled in! He just got here. He needs to unpack.”

“He’s a soldier, mom! I was talking to a soldier!” He scurried out the door, leaving Nick and Amelia alone.

“He’s not bugging me at all, Amelia.” Nick wondered why she was so concerned about him coming around. Maybe she was nervous with him. After all, they truly didn’t know each other that well. He could be a murderer for all she knew. “I didn’t have much to unpack. Just a couple of shirts and some jeans.”

She ran her hands over her hair. “Well, he’ll be coming around even more now that he knows you were in the army. He’s obsessed with all of that stuff. I’m almost certain he’ll enlist the second he turns eighteen.”

“I remember feeling exactly like that.” A quick flash of a battle scene flashed in Nick’s memory and he backed away into the kitchen to avoid Amelia witnessing it.

“Nick, you okay?” Her voice followed, and he pushed through the backdoor and onto the porch. “Nick?” She opened the screen door.

“I just…” He searched for a quick excuse for his quick exit. “I just remembered I haven’t really been back here in the back of the house.” It was lame, but the only thing he could think up. Was she staring at him? He was scared to make eye contact, but when he felt her hand brush against his arm, he calmed down. Her palm was like velvet against his leathery skin.

“You sure you’re okay?” she asked, still touching him.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Finally looking at her, Nick forced a smile. Her expression spoke louder than words, and he was certain that she knew more than she was letting on. “What’s for dinner?”

Amelia led him to the house, still wanting to know more about him. He was so mysterious, so intriguing, and it was in her nature to comfort him and be there for him, even though she really didn’t know him that well. The walk back to the house was quiet, but already she didn’t feel like they had to speak every second to be comfortable. Just his presence with her made her comfortable.

Before opening the door leading into the kitchen, she turned and looked over her shoulder. “Just a word of warning. You’ll probably get the third degree. If you think Noah talks a lot, my father is even chattier. If you feel they are prying too much, just say something.”

His thick eyebrows danced and Amelia was already learning that he spoke so much with just his face. It was a trait about Nick she already loved. “Thanks for the warning. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I might fire some right back at them to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. It was funny – she had been so stressed about the ranch’s financial situation that she had forgotten how great it felt to smile and laugh. Maybe Nick would be their saving grace in more ways than one. Opening the door, she let him walk in first, surprised to see the table had been set and the food was ready to be served.

“Wow, who do I owe the thanks to?”

“Noah helped me. Said he wanted to make it really special for our new friend,” her dad replied.

Amelia looked at Nick who was smiling. At least that was good. She couldn’t count how many times her ex husband just shoveled the food in and made his exit. He wasn’t one for family and she quickly had to shove the thought of the asshole out of her mind. He wasn’t here and he wasn’t near as great as Nick had been even though it had only been one day. Hopefully this wasn’t an act. Hopefully he truly was the gentleman she was getting the good vibes off of. With a face like that, how could he be anything less?”

“Are you gonna introduce us?” her father said, pulling her from her daydream. She felt her cheeks heat up. Had she been standing there grinning like an idiot?

“Sure. Nick, this is my father, Russell Tucker. Dad, this is Nick Miller, our new ranch hand. And of course, you’ve met Noah.”

Nick extended his hand for her dad to shake. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Tucker. Thanks for this opportunity.”

Her dad returned the gesture. “Call me Russell, Mr. Miller. It’s nice to have you here. Lots of work to be done, but don’t let my age fool you. I’ll be able to help out where I can.”

“You can call me Nick, sir.”

He called him sir? Amelia found that so cute. “Okay, lets eat before it gets cold. I hope you like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans.” She sat across from Nick and tried hard not to stare. He dug into his food like he hadn’t eaten in days, but maybe he hadn’t. He mentioned how he was running out of money and didn’t have much to pay for things.

“So, Amelia tells me that you were in the army.” Here it went. All the questions she had warned him about. She slid her foot under the table to nudge Nick and grabbed his attention, flashing him an ‘I told you so’ smirk.

“Yes sir, I was.”

“That’s great. I served as well, but was in the navy. On behalf of us here in the Tucker family, we thank you for your service. Where all did you go?”

Nick looked back at Amelia and she could tell he was fighting the urge to smile back at her. The edges of his eyes squinted and his lips pursed. “All over. Served in Germany, served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Did several tours there.”

Her dad nodded and picked at some skin on his chicken leg. “God bless you, son. I won’t get into a political debate, but that’s some hard work you’re all having to do over there.”

“Yes sir.”

“Daddy, I took him to the barn where that stallion is. You know how he rarely lets us reach in and pet him? He let Nick do it. Was a little unsteady, but allowed more contact than I’ve ever seen.”

Russell arched his eyebrow. “Yeah? You work with horses?”

“No sir, not officially. Just was around some for a little while as a kid. One of the… A family I was around had them and I used to do some riding and things.”

Amelia sat back and observed the conversation. She caught on to how he mentioned living with a foster family, but how he omitted that information to her dad. She watched as his green eyes lit up at the mention of possibly working with the horse as one of the job duties. And his smile? Forget about it. She couldn’t even finish her food. One thing was for certain – she was glad that he was getting along so well with her father. He didn’t just answer his millions of questions, he elaborated. Her ex never would’ve done that.

Standing up, she began to clear some of the empty plates and platters, stopping at the kitchen to look out the window over the sink. She had to stop comparing Nick to him. It was two separate types of relationships. Nick was a ranch hand. Her ex was on a romantic level with her at one point. They had a child together. It was apples and oranges.

“Need any help with the dishes?”

His velvety voice pulled her back to real life again, and she turned on her heel to face him. Nick came through the door with a stack of dishes and a towel draped over his shoulder. How could something as simple as that be so damn attractive?

“No, I’m fine. You can stay in there and talk to my dad if you want. That is, if he’s not driving you insane yet.”

Nick crinkled his brow and set the dishes in the sink, his body close to hers, as he brushed past. “I don’t mind either way. You cooked this huge meal. It’s only fair that someone else do the dishes for you.”

“You wash dishes too? Is there anything you can’t do?”

Looking down at her, he smiled. “Cook.  I can’t cook.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. You told me you couldn’t even boil water. That’s pretty serious.”

“I’ve got plenty of experience washing dishes, believe it or not.” He opened the dishwasher and began to rinse the plates. “Didn’t ever have a fancy dishwasher though. You might have to show me how to run it.”

“And where’d you pick up this dishwashing experience from? You didn’t mention this during our interview.” Amelia winked as he handed her stuff to load inside it.

“Believe it or not, the army. Nice disciplinary tool for us.”

BOOK: Her Lifeline: (A Romantic Suspense)
9.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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