Free Boots and Twisters by Myla Jackson Page A

beauty and her skin glowed with good health.
    “So if she doesn’t work out, we hire someone else and let her go.” Isaac’s face brightened. “Hey, maybe she can cook.”
    “What’s wrong with my cookin’?” Trent asked.
    Isaac snorted. “Nothing if you like everything burned to charcoal.”
    “I don’t burn everything.”
    “All you ever do is grill.”
    Trent’s brows rose in challenge. “And you’re any better?”
    “No. That’s my point.”
    “Just because she’s female doesn’t mean she can cook.”
    “True. But I like her. A lot.” Isaac turned a big smile at Lucky as she emerged from the barn. “Ah, there you are. Something you should know. The newest ranch hand on the ranch has K.P. duty for the first week.”
    Her brows furrowed. “K.P.?”
    “Kitchen patrol. You’re cookin’ tonight.”
    “But I—”
    Isaac’s shoulders rose and lowered. “It’s one of the rules of livin’ at the Triple J Ranch.” He raised his fingers like a Scout. “I swear.”
    Lucky cocked her head toward Trent. “He’s never been a Scout either, right?”
    Trent’s mouth quivered as he fought laughter. “Right.”
    “Fine. But be warned. I’m not much good in the kitchen.” She glanced at Trent. “You ready?”
    “I am.” He mounted the four-wheeler and Lucky slipped onto the back, her hands resting lightly on his waist.
    Isaac frowned. “Hey, where are you two going?”
    “From what I hear, there’s a fence needing fixin’ on the northeast corner. See ya this afternoon.” Trent goosed the throttle and the four-wheeler took off with a jerk, forcing Lucky to wrap her arms around his middle. That was one way to get the woman to hold him.
    Ranching suddenly had a new appeal to Trent, one he’d never known existed. If Lucky didn’t work out as a ranch hand, he might still get that kiss he’d been hankerin’ after. Then he’d have her out of his system and he could get back to his regular, grumpy, frustrated self.
     
    Lucky held on as they bumped across pastures. She got off at each gate, opening and closing them behind the ATV. Each time, Trent took off with a jerk and she had to hold on tighter or risk being left on her ass in the grass.
    Riding on the back of the four-wheeler gave her the needed time to digest her feelings and pull herself together.
    Had she known Isaac and Trent were co-owners of the Triple J Ranch…
    What?
    She sure as hell wouldn’t have done the nasty with Isaac. But would she have given up the chance to work there? Declining a real job offer so that she could go pound the pavement to find something that suited her as well?
    Not hardly. And she was only working nights at the Ugly Stick Saloon. Based on her first visit there, she might be more of a disaster working there and be fired before the first full night.
    The previous night she’d spent cleaning up the storeroom mess. She didn’t count any of that time as paid hours she could use toward reducing her debt to Audrey. But now that she had an idea of how much she’d destroyed due to her carelessness, she could start paying off that part of what she owed Audrey.
    Lucky couldn’t get over how warm and friendly Audrey had been when she had all but ruined her business and truck.
    She’d vowed to make it right and she would.
    In the meantime, if she wanted to keep the job on the Triple J Ranch she’d likely have to work twice as hard as any man just to prove she was good at the job.
    So be it.
    Working at the Ugly Stick, she could put feelers out to other ranchers. If things didn’t work out at the Triple J, she’d consider moving on and have a plan in place to ease her transition.
    Though things had started out shaky, after looking at it from all angles, it was not one of her worst disasters. She’d make it through this one easily.
    Her challenge would be resisting her bosses.
    Isaac had been nothing but nice, chivalrous and so damned sexy when he’d kissed her the night before, she hadn’t been able to