Comrade Cowgirl by Yolanda Wallace

Author:Yolanda Wallace [Wallace, Yolanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635553765
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2019-02-10T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

Laramie noticed the confused looks on the men’s faces as they gathered around the dinner table. Yevgeny asked Elena a question in Russian. Elena pointed at her as she gave a short reply.

“Should I be worried?” Laramie asked as Yevgeny glared in her direction.

Anastasia closed the book Vladimir had given her when he walked in. “He wanted to know why we are eating an hour earlier than usual time. Elena told him to ask you.”

Laramie felt like she had spent most of the day arguing with Yevgeny over matters both trivial and profound. She steeled herself for yet another confrontation when Yevgeny stomped his way over to her. He said something, then folded his arms across his chest. She could practically see smoke coming out of his ears while he waited for a reply.

“He would like to know why you changed the meal times without consulting him first. He says you were brought here to train the men, not the cook.”

“Here we go,” Shorty said under his breath.

Laramie knew he was expecting her to lose her temper. Yevgeny had been pushing her buttons all day and she was close to blowing a gasket, but she was determined not to do so in front of Yevgeny. She had dealt with people like him before. People who loved to sow discontent. She had always preferred chaos to tranquility. If she let Yevgeny see how much he irritated her, his behavior was guaranteed to get worse instead of better.

Two can play this game.

“Shorty and I were brought here to train the team,” she said. “Elena is part of that team.”

“He says she is just a cook.”

“She’s much more than that. If you ask me, this ranch wouldn’t be able to run without her.”

The translated comment brought a smile to Elena’s face. A smile that quickly disappeared after Yevgeny turned to gauge her reaction.

“Are you turning against me, too?” he asked.

Not backing down, Elena held Yevgeny’s gaze as she replied to his question.

“Don’t be stubborn,” Anastasia said, translating Elena’s words. “Listen to her. What she says makes sense.”

After Elena gave her an encouraging look, Laramie motioned for everyone to take their seats.

“I had planned to have a meeting after dinner, but we might as well do it now.”

Yevgeny sat at the head of the table. Everyone else quickly assumed what were most likely their usual seats. Andrei and Vladimir sat on the left side of the table. Fyodor and Ivan sat on the right. Both Andrei and Fyodor left an empty seat between himself and Yevgeny, emphasizing the chasm that existed between Yevgeny and the rest of the team. Hoping to bridge the gap, Laramie took the empty seat between Yevgeny and Andrei. Anastasia sat across from her. Shorty and Elena claimed the seats next to Vladimir and Ivan.

At home, the meal would have started with a prayer. Laramie didn’t expect this crew to hold hands while someone said grace so she closed her eyes and gave a silent invocation while Andrei and Vladimir began to fill their plates with offerings from the many platters of food.

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