Clouds and Rain

working on your family‟s ranch then?” Flynn was afraid of this question, but he had his standard answer.
    “I‟m the youngest of five boys. Nothing there for me really.” GABLE didn‟t answer immediately; instead, he watched the young man. He was sure there was more to the story and he knew he‟d find 2

    Clouds and Rain

    out if he hired him. Not that he had a lot of choice, really. The local boys found better-paying jobs at the bigger spreads, and not a lot of strangers passed through town. If he didn‟t say yes to this guy, he‟d have to work the ranch alone this season, and he wasn‟t doing a great job of that so far.
    “So what can you do?” he asked, although he‟d already made up his mind. Even if the kid could barely hold his own around the young horses, he‟d have an extra pair of hands to do the hard labor.
    “Pretty much everything a horse needs,” the brown-eyed looker answered. “Groom, water, muck out their stalls, exercise them, teach them to accept a bridle and a saddle, break them in, you name it, I‟ve done it.”
    Although it sounded like Gable had died and gone to horse heaven, he knew there had to be a snag. If this kid was as good as he claimed, why wasn‟t he working for the big boys, making much better money than Gable could afford to give him? He wasn‟t about to dig deeper, though. If he didn‟t get a move on, he‟d have no ranch left and he needed the extra pair of hands.
    “Good enough,” he said. “Can‟t pay you anything right now. As soon as the horses sell, I‟ll make it worth your while. For now, I can give you room and board.”
    “That‟s what the piece of paper at the post office said,” the young man replied with resignation.
    “I‟m Gable Sutton and I own the place,” Gable answered, thinking “for now,” but not voicing it.
    “Flynn Tomlinson,” the young man answered, taking a few steps forward to shake the offered hand, “and I work here.” The smile that accompanied that final statement hit Gable square in the groin. All ideas of working close to Flynn to keep an eye on him vanished, because he knew he wouldn‟t get much done himself if he had to look at that young man all day long. He‟d eyed his cute little butt as he was walking down the barn, admired the long legs and the lean back. Of course he could only imagine that last bit, since it was hidden underneath a suede jacket and a denim shirt, but when he‟d turned 3

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    around earlier, Gable had practically heard his body wolf whistle. He shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts. They had work to do.
    “Let‟s grab some lunch, I can show you the house and then we can get right to work.”

    FLYNN watched his new employer take two steps out of the stable and followed him toward the barn doors. It was hard to miss how much effort the man had to put into simply walking. If the pronounced limp didn‟t give it away, the labored breathing certainly showed it wasn‟t just a physical thing. This man was in pain with every step he took.
    “You should probably get a doctor to look at that leg,” he said, trying to sound casual about it. “If you were a horse, I‟d bring you in from the paddock and call the vet.”
    “Doctor‟s seen it,” Gable answered gruffly. “Says I‟ll need to live with it.”
    Gable‟s tone suggested to Flynn he‟d better shut up about it, but it did give Flynn some indication why the stables were badly maintained and the rest of the ranch looked like a mess. If Gable was taking care of everything by himself, and with the sort of injury that limp implied, it was no surprise. Although Flynn could only guess at what was wrong with his new boss‟s leg, it looked like it was a bit worse than a sprained ankle. At least Flynn wouldn‟t have to ask him what he could do around the place. It was obvious he‟d have plenty of work.
    As they approached the house, a white truck stopped next to the green one and a tall, slender woman with a blonde ponytail stepped out.
    The sheepdog darted past them to greet her as she opened the back and took out a large cardboard box. Flynn, having been taught to always help a lady, rushed to her side to take the heavy load from her.
    “Why, thank you!” she smiled at him and then looked over at Gable. “I see you‟ve found a helping hand?”
    “Hi, Calley,” Gable acknowledged her with a nod. “Calley, meet Flynn. He‟s going to help me out around here until I sell the horses.
    Flynn, this is Calley.