Christmas at the Ranch by Liz Isaacson

Author:Liz Isaacson [Isaacson, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AEJ Creative Works

Chapter 8

Archer went under the Double-H ranch sign early the next morning. He parked and got out of his truck, his breath hanging in the air in front of him. It must have been fate, or serendipity, or maybe the hand of God, because Jace was crossing the lane to the administration lodge at that very moment.

“You’re here early,” he said to Archer.

“Yeah,” he said. “Didn’t have to wait for Emery, and I couldn’t sleep in. So I just came up. Figured I could nurse my coffee here as well as at home.”

Jace nodded. “You live alone.” He wasn’t asking.

“Yep.” Archer usually didn’t mind being alone, but after experiencing the joy and wonder and love here at the ranch, he realized he wouldn’t want to be alone forever. “I have a little dog. He keeps me company sometimes, but he’s been in a depression since Emery left.” He chuckled. “Somehow, he got all attached to her.”

Jace climbed the steps and held open the door for Archer. “That can happen.”

Archer stepped past him and turned back when he saw the front area was vacant. “I just wanted to thank you for this job. I mean, I know I don’t have it, but I’m really hoping I’ll get it. I’ve wanted to be a cowboy for a long time.”

Jace appraised him, and Archer let him look. “What else have you done?” Jace continued toward the kitchen where someone had already started the coffee.

“A little bit of everything. Worked in a restaurant as a line cook. Worked for the city for a summer in the parks and rec department. Even tried my hand at fixing cars. This is the best fit for me.” He felt it, way down deep in his soul. The familiar desperation he’d become friends with over the past few months lodged in his throat.

“Well, you’re a good cowboy,” Jace said. “Leading the recruits on the star chart, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jace grinned and sipped his coffee. “I’m sure you’ll have your career one way or another.” He nodded and left the kitchen, going down the hall and into his office, where he closed the door.

Archer stood in the kitchen, holding his coffee mug, numb. That conversation hadn’t gone exactly how he’d wanted it to. In his daydreams, Jace offered him the job on the spot, saying he was the best cowboy of the hirees, and Horseshoe Home simply couldn’t survive without him.

This version wasn’t nearly as rewarding, but a little niggle of hope remained in his gut. Jace knew who he was. He knew where he sat on the chart. Maybe his father’s advice to keep working hard would pay off in the end.

Elliott entered the kitchen and said, “It’s so cold out there already.” He poured himself a mug full of coffee. “Ranching in the winter isn’t so much fun.”

“I don’t think it’s so bad,” Archer said.

“You haven’t done it yet.” Elliott grinned. “I really hope you get this job so I can see how you deal with ten-foot snow drifts in February.

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