Free Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown Page B

even if the words were nothing more than information. “Sally helps Chester in the kitchen and she’ll know if you aren’t here for supper. They set the table before she leaves and sometimes Granny even invites her to eat with us before she goes home.”
    “Starting tonight?” Laura asked.
    “That would be nice. Now you don’t work too hard, darlin’, and I’ll see you at supper,” he said.
    “Colton Nelson,” Sally leaned over the railing and yelled. “I’ll be cleaning your room twice a week from now on too.”
    “Was she…” Laura asked.
    “Oh, yes. They all are paying close attention,” Colton whispered as he brushed a kiss across her lips.
    Laura raised her voice slightly. “Has Sally worked here a long time?”
    “She was the first person that Granny hired when we bought this ranch. She used to work at the school with Granny.”
    “How many more folks work in the house?” Laura asked.
    “Chester, the weekday cook, and Molly, a lady who comes in four hours a day to help Sally. If you didn’t stay so cooped with Andy Joe, you would have met them before now, but that’s one of the things I love about you—your dedication to work.”
    Laura narrowed her eyes and gave him a drop-dead look. Love was a strong word that did not have room in a fairy tale world.
    “Gardeners?” Laura asked.
    “One comes twice a week to take care of the pool flowers,” he said.
    “Could I start working in the yard in the evenings?”
    Their eyes met and Colton could feel the moony, so Roxie would have seen it for sure. Laura worked hard, complained very little, and she was asking for more work. She might be up to her pretty little nose in a scam, but if she was, she was damn good at it.
    “Sure, I’ll even pay you extra if you want to tinker around out there. Just keep up with your hours and tell Andy to add them to your paycheck each week.”
    “Thank you. You said that you had to get going. What’s on your agenda today?”
    “I’m going to round up the new calves and vaccinate them.”
    “Four-wheeler or horses?” she asked.
    “Four-wheelers.”
    She gave a brief nod. “Poor little critters. They probably don’t like shots any better than I do. Is that all they have to suffer through today? No working ’em or taggin’ ’em?”
    “You’ve done that?” he asked.
    “If it has to do with cows, pigs, chickens, gardens, tractors, milking, or mucking out, I’ve probably had a hand in doin’ it,” she answered. “But right now I’ve got a whole day’s work to do in three-quarters of a day because Maudie says that Roxie and I are going shopping for things to wear to some party that’s going on. Want to explain what that’s all about?”
    Colton settled a straw hat on his head and started for the front door. “Ask Andy. He’s the producer of this blockbuster film that we’re starring in.”
    “What are you talkin’ about?” Sally asked from the bottom step.
    “It’s a joke between me and Laura. Andy kind of introduced us when he hired Laura to help him so we have this inside joke about him creating a love story out of our lives,” Colton said quickly.
    ***
    Laura ducked into the office and covered her bright red face with her hands. She’d kicked the door shut with her foot and something darted across her foot, something with fur and soft feet like a mouse. She threw her hands in the air and landed in Andy’s office chair. A shadow of something as big as a possum darting under the desk sent her to the top of his desk and trying to climb through air to the ceiling.
    Andy heard her squeal and he rushed into the office with Colton right behind him. They took in the scene with one glance and Colton said, “Snake?”
    “Mouse or maybe a possum or could be King Kong,” she said in a shaky voice.
    He eased over to the desk and looked under it. “Dammit! I hate snakes.”
    Andy stayed by the door. “If you see one, I’m out of here. I’ll get Rusty to bring something to kill it.”
    “Two