Page 84 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“I’d love your help but I’m paying you from now on,” Silas insisted. Pax opened his mouth, but before he could protest, Silas talked over him. “Hear me out. Gus is coming off payroll. Last week he decided to take disability, retire and get back surgery. That leaves us shorthanded as we head into the busiest time of year. Dad and I already discussed it, and if you’re interested, the job is yours.”
“I don’t know shit about ranching,” Paxon said. “You should hire someone with experience.”
“You know plenty. Dad and I will show you the rest. What you lack in experience you make up for in hard work and trust. That’s huge. Please? Take the job.”
I was on the tips of my toes, waiting for his answer. This place could be so good for Paxon. There was peace here with the outdoors and the animals, and maybe if he let it, some would settle into his heart and chase the demons away.
“All right,” Paxon finally agreed and shook Silas’s hand.
“Yay!” I cheered. “How great is this?”
“Are you going to find me a house?” Paxon asked.
I gave him a mock salute. “I’m on it.”
The three of us visited for a while until Silas and I went to check the cattle and Paxon headed to the motel. When we got back, Silas helped me out of my coat, then bent to give me a light kiss. “Want to watch a movie and chill?”
“Nope.” I grinned and started padding down the hallway and up the stairs. Silas’s hand gripped the back pocket of my jeans as he followed.
I’d never been in Silas’s bedroom loft before, but by the end of the day, I was well acquainted.
Especially with his bed.
“Thank you, Felicity.” My client was shaking my hand with such abandon, my entire arm was moving up and down.
“That’s enough, dear.” Her husband gently pried both of her hands away from mine. “Thanks, Felicity.”
I smiled. “It was my pleasure.” We were at Maple’s, wrapping up an afternoon spent shopping for homes. I was helping this young couple find their first house before their baby was born in the summer. “I’ll draft your offer agreement right now and send it over so you can sign it. With any luck, we’ll hear back from the sellers this evening or tomorrow.” I waved good-bye as they left the coffee shop and sat back at my table, getting to work on their offer.
I couldn’t have picked a better pair of clients to be my first. They were such a cute couple, with a little boy and a baby
girl on the way. Seeing her pregnant belly, plus being around Gigi’s, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of longing.
Being this close to Rowen and Ben had really amped up my biological clock. I swear I could hear it ticking louder each morning as I swallowed my birth-control pill. Would I get the chance to have my own kids? Did Silas even want children? We hadn’t had the kid conversation yet, and as much as I’d like to know the answers to my questions, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.
I was enjoying the beginning of our relationship. We couldn’t keep our hands off of one another, any spare moment was spent together, and we laughed just about as much as we kissed. The serious family discussions could wait. Right now, I was happy we were together.
Finally.
After all these years.
“Felicity?” Khloe Olson stood at my table, on the other side of my laptop.
“Khloe, hi!” She looked so much better than the last time I’d seen her. Her cast was gone and this was the first time in months that her face wasn’t bruised and battered.
“Can I sit?” she asked.
“Of course!” I rushed to slide my computer and papers off the table.
“You look nice,” she said. “Though you always do.”
“Thank you.” I smoothed out my navy pencil skirt and gray blouse. “I had a couple of house showings today and I wanted to dress up.”
“House showings?”
“I got my realtor license a couple of weeks ago and went into a partnership with Rob Jordan. It’s all very new but so far I am really enjoying it.”
She smiled. “I bet you’ll be great.”
