Shared By the Cowboys by Cassie Cole
5
Rebecca
That night, after getting ready for bed, I closed my door and opened my laptop again. I had only been here for half a day, but my brain was already overflowing with ideas for my novel. It would involve two brothers. Maybe three, but I didn’t want it to resemble Cassidy Ranch too much. The protagonist of my story, a private investigator, would be called to the ranch to investigate some sort of crime. I wasn’t sure what, yet. Maybe something small like property damage, which of course would progressively get worse and worse…
I paused to think about what I was doing. Once again I felt a twinge of guilt for not telling Mason and his brothers the truth. It wasn’t too late to be honest with them.
Like I always did when I was struggling with a decision, I texted my agent about it.
Rebecca: I’m rethinking our plan. What if I tell the guys on the ranch why I’m really here? Maybe they’ll open up to me about it more, and give me ideas for the book
Terry: NO
Terry: Stop overthinking it, Rebecca!
Terry: If you tell them you’re writing a novel, they won’t act natural. They’ll behave differently. There are two scenarios: they will ham it up in front of you, or they’ll downplay all their mannerisms and habits. In either case, you don’t get the good research you need.
Rebecca: I know! I just hate not telling them the truth
Rebecca: I kind of feel like I’m using them
Terry: They’re getting something out of this too. A valuable ranch worker for the next three months. As long as you do a good job, they shouldn’t care that you’re taking notes in your head while working.
Terry: Stick with the plan, Rebecca. Have I ever steered you wrong?
I was sending another reply when a knock came on the door.
I started to say come in automatically, then stopped myself. My laptop was still open in front of me. I closed it and searched around for a place to hide it. Finding nothing suitable, I quickly slid it under the covers next to my legs.
“Come in,” I finally said.
The door opened and Mason stepped inside. The eldest Cassidy brother had swapped his plaid shirt for a plain white T-shirt, and without his hat I was able to appreciate his brown curls. He was also wearing glasses. He must use contact lenses during the day.
“Hope I’m not disturbing anything,” he said awkwardly.
“No, not at all. I was just reading before bed.”
He nodded and crossed his arms. “I just wanted to thank you for coming out here on such short notice. We thought we could handle everything with just the three of us, but…”
Mason walked closer while speaking, then abruptly stopped. He was looking down at the bed.
Shit, I thought. He sees the laptop.
But then I realized the bedsheet had slipped down my legs, and my panty-clad thigh was showing.
I quickly pulled the sheet to cover myself.
“We, uh, thought we could handle everything,” he went on in his sexy drawl, “but there’s more than we expected. We’ve been struggling to get in a groove. It’s never easy getting an old ranch back up on its feet, but… It’s been tough.”
He sighed with the weariness of a man who had taken on more than he could handle.
“We appreciate you coming so quickly,” he reiterated.
I leaped on the job because I’d been looking for the perfect situation for research, I thought.
“Happy to be of service,” I said. “I can help out in other areas, too. Even stuff like repairs, tending the cattle, working to break Wildfire…”
Mason snorted. “That horse’ll probably kill you. But don’t worry, we’ll definitely put you to good use. You’ll be sweaty and exhausted before long.”
He said it with a smile. Was he being flirty? He seemed too serious for that. It was tough to tell.
But he was handsome, and part of me wished he was flirting.
“That’s all I wanted to say. Thanks.” He walked to the door, then stopped and turned around. “Got a random question. Did you stay in Missoula after college?”
“I moved out to Great Falls,” I said. “Why?”
I wondered if he was going to interrogate me about my backstory, but then he said, “Your face is familiar. I could’ve sworn I recognize you from somewhere. But if you’ve been out in Great Falls, it must be something else. G’night, Rebecca.”
“Goodnight, Mason.”
When the door closed behind him, I let out a sigh of relief. Did he recognize me from the dozen books I had released, with my face plastered on the back cover?
I hope not, I thought as I pulled my laptop back out.
