I parked my truck at the vet hospital, quickly sterilized all my equipment, and headed home for a shower and change of clothes. It didn’t seem to matter how many times I reminded myself that this wasn’t a date. I couldn’t stamp out my eagerness to see her.
I was probably just lonely. I should’ve been visiting a bar for companionship. Someone who was not my packmate’s baby sister.
I hopped in the shower and caught myself singing under the spray. It took me until I hit the chorus to remember the name of the song: “Bad Things.” I smirked as I rinsed my hair. The theme song from the True Blood TV series. Chase and I used to watch the show every week, laughing about the way the shifters were portrayed. We’d had many discussions about the ramifications of the paranormals being “out” in the world, and he used to love postulating about whether or not vampires really existed.
Fuck. I missed him. The night he’d been shot still haunted me.
I got out of the shower, toweling off as I shoved the painful memories aside. No time for that right now. I’d have plenty of opportunities to relive the nightmare of holding him in my arms while he bled out later. Dammit. I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing the emotions into a box.
Tonight would be a nice escape. Nothing more. I went to the closet and decided on a pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt. I left it untucked and rolled up the cuffs, hoping I looked like I was meeting someone for a casual business meetup instead of a date. In front of the mirror, I ran my fingers through my wet hair, inspecting myself to see if I looked like a vet having a beer with a client.
Hell, if I knew.
I inspected my face more closely. Should I shave? Nah. The five-o’clock shadow played right along with my casual meeting. If this were a date, I’d be freshly shaved and my shirt would be tucked in. I’d have a belt on and maybe black jeans.
This was definitely not a date. Who was I trying to convince?
I put my wallet in my pocket and grabbed my phone. Time to rock and roll.
CHAPTER 4
Madison
I was counting down the seconds before I could leave the ranch. At ten minutes to five, a knock came on the doorframe to my office. I turned around to find a slender woman with silver streaks lining her dark hair at her temples. She wore black slacks and a black knit top with simple pearl earrings that matched her necklace.
The most unlikely cattle ranch owner ever.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?” Deidra Harlow toyed with the pearl pendant around her neck.
“No.” I quickly scooped up the ranch receipts I’d been entering into the spreadsheet and set them on the stacking file. “I was just wrapping up for the day.”
“Oh good.” She entered the office and took a seat in a chair across from me.
My heart sank. So much for leaving on time.
“I got away from the lab a little early, and I wanted to see how you were settling in,” Deidra said.
I perched on the edge of my executive chair with an all-business smile in place. “It’s going well. I’m learning about vet bills and feed bills—it’s all pretty interesting—and I’ve been researching the industry associations to see how we can get Serenity Farms more involved. It’s all about networking, and the visibility might help us expand to new distributors. People can’t do business with us if they don’t know we exist.”
Deidra smiled. “You have big plans already.”
“I do. Finding new ways to expand businesses and develop new connections is one of my favorite parts of marketing.” It wasn’t a lie or some kind of please-the-new-boss bullshit. I hoped Deidra recognized the difference. The truth was, I wasn’t super excited to work on a cattle ranch, but now that I’d been here for a couple of weeks, my usual hunger for solutions had grown. And now the ideas were flowing.
I felt like me again instead of new girl, new town, new job. Plus I was going to be an auntie soon. Life was changing fast, but I was still standing.
Deidra asked a few questions about budgets and projections and finally stood up. “I don’t want to keep you after hours, but I made it home early and thought you might want a tour of the main house. I wasn’t here the day Jorge showed you around the ranch.”
I glanced at my phone. It was already a quarter after five. I had totally forgotten about the time, lost in my goals and action steps for growing the business. The impromptu meeting was eating into my prep time before meeting Cole at the Wolf Pack Bar, but with Deidra’s busy work schedule off-site, this might be my only chance to see the rest of the facility.
“I’d love a tour.” I slid my cell into my pocket and followed her out of the office.
Serenity Farms boasted a modest two-room outbuilding about fifty feet behind the main residence. That was my domain. The compact space housed my office and a small utility room with a tiny bathroom at the end.
When I’d interviewed for the job, we had talked over Zoom, and when I arrived after being hired, Jorge had shown me around the ranch and the outbuilding, but Deidra’s house wasn’t part of his tour. Until now, I’d never been inside. My brief encounters with Deidra since then had been in my office, not hers.
Not that I’d ever met any cattle ranch owners before, but in the movies and on TV they were usually men in cowboy boots and big Stetsons. Deidra was a very intelligent, soft spoken scientist.
After I’d found out the job was mine, I had researched Deidra’s background. She was a renowned biochemist connected to a biotech research company called Evolution Defense. From my googling, they appeared to be a federal defense contractor.
I caught myself wondering, not for the first time, why she’d be interested in cows. I had no clue, but I was curious to find out.
Her perfectly manicured fingernails clicked the keys of the electric keypad outside the back door, unlocking it. She turned back and gestured for me to enter. My eyes widened at the spacious, desert-inspired living space. There was a sunken living room area with a large fireplace and built-in circular sand-colored leather sofa. I walked farther inside, noting the gorgeous watercolor paintings and the sculptures spotlighted inside alcoves in the walls.
Deidra stopped beside me and followed my gaze. “I can’t take credit for the decor. My interior designer is a genius.”
“I agree.” I nodded, staring at the Red Rock mountains through her seamless plate glass window. “This is amazing.”
She seemed satisfied with my response as she pointed out different pieces of art until we reached the kitchen. All the appliances were oversized stainless steel and commercial grade. There was a walk-in freezer on one side, and another smaller door with a padlock on the other side.
Weird.
I turned to her. “Do you entertain often? This is an amazing kitchen.”
“Occasionally.” She shrugged with a close-lipped smile. “I’m more of an introvert, but it’s ready for the caterers to take over when I need it. I have an apartment in Phoenix too when I need to be closer to the lab.”
She exited the kitchen at the other side, and I followed her down a narrow hallway that split at the end. She gestured to the right. “The guest wing is on that side. We have four bedrooms available.” Then she glanced to the left. “The master bedroom is on this side.”