Free Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss) by Cindi Madsen

before it became a tripping hazard. “You saw how good she was with Eli yesterday. And she’s good with the animals—hell, she knows most of the horses, not to mention the land, and she can even drive a tractor if need be.”
    Mom raised an eyebrow. “Mm-hmm.”
    “Don’t start psychoanalyzing me, Mom. She’s qualified and desperate for a job I’m desperate to fill. That’s it.”
    “Well, that’s a very mature decision. I’m proud of you.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then headed after the group that was going to be learning to milk the cows.
    Now he was the one rolling his eyes. His mom probably already had him and Sadie back together in her mind. He hated to break it to her, but that was about as unlikely as his becoming the bronc-riding world champion.
    …
    “This is disgusting,” Addison said, pulling up her shirt so that it covered her nose and mouth. “In fact, this is torture . I can deal with the other podunk stuff—it’s even kind of fun, actually—but this? This is total bullshit!”
    Sadie stuck her pitchfork in the ground and used it to prop herself up. “Okay, now you owe money to the swear jar.” She didn’t mind enforcing rules with the princess—the girl had done nothing but complain.
    “It’s not swearing if it’s a noun instead of an expletive, and I’m referring to the stuff we have to pick up.”
    “It’s actually horse crap, not bull crap, so that’s not going to fly. I’m marking it down.”
    “Fine.” Addison turned around, and Sadie was pretty sure she just got called a female dog, and not in the noun sense.
    How did everyone here deal with the diva attitude? Eli put on a front, but the kid was funny, and he’d done twice as much as everyone else, including herself. She couldn’t keep up. Her arms burned and, okay, it smelled awful, that sweet scent of hay mixing with the not so sweet. But at least they were almost done. She needed a break and about a gallon of water.
    “As I was saying,” Sadie said, taking up her spiel on the horses, “Chevy’s a bay quarter horse. She’s good for roping because of her muscular build that’s great for quick bursts of energy, and she’s gotta be strong when the cowboy ropes a calf or steer. Bay refers to her color, which is the reddish-brown coat and dark mane and tail. Since her baby daddy is a black quarter horse, it’ll be interesting to see what her foal looks like.”
    “Baby daddy,” Eli said with a chuckle.
    “I know the baby daddy, too. He’s my grandpa’s horse.” Sadie couldn’t help adding a pun, since Eli had liked baby daddy so well. “Total stud.”
    Addison leaned against the handle of her pitchfork, scowl firmly in place. “Isn’t the baby called a colt?”
    “Only if it’s a boy. I should’ve asked Royce if he knew girl or boy.” Now that she thought about it, she doubted he’d spend money on finding out. “If it’s a girl, it’s a filly.”
    “How do you know Royce anyway?” Addison asked. “Yesterday you guys looked like you could barely stand each other, and now you’re working here.”
    Okay, this chick was getting on Sadie’s last nerve. “We went to high school together. Now, help Mark take the wheelbarrow out of the barn.”
    Mark had hardly said a word, just worked now and then and looked from person to person, like he was soaking it all in but choosing not to comment. He took hold of the wheelbarrow, and Addison took a handle, more for show, because she clearly wasn’t helping much.
    “That girl is—” Sadie cut herself off, realizing she shouldn’t bad-mouth her, especially not to Eli.
    The hint of a dimple showed up in Eli’s cheek when a smile crossed his lips. “She thinks she’s pretty tough, but she’s mostly talk. I thought she was hot at first.”
    “Not anymore?”
    “Well, yeah, she’s still hot, but she’s…” He shook his head. “Complicated. I think her last boyfriend messed her up, because she’s like, anti-guy, and everyone’s an