To Court a Cowgirl by Jeannie Watt Page B

Jason didn’t know if Zach was being snotty or not, so he gave him the benefit of the doubt. It never hurt to assume the best.
    One hour later Zach stood and made a show of taking the cat’s-paw to Jason’s truck and storing it in the box it had come out of that morning. He took off the hat and Jason said, “Take it with you. Bring it back tomorrow or you don’t work.”
    â€œFine.”
    â€œThanks,” Jason said. “See you tomorrow.”
    He got a curt nod and then Zach strode over to his truck, got inside and fired it up. Loud truck. Jason stood where he was as the kid swung it in a wide circle and then tore out of the driveway. Tomorrow he and Zach would discuss driveway etiquette, but right now he wanted a few answers from Allie.
    He stowed all of his gear, took off the hard hat and ruffled his hair, enjoying the feel of air over his bare head. Allie came out of the house and headed across the drive to the barn. She saw him heading toward her and stopped, pushing her loose blond hair over her shoulders, but the breeze blew it forward again. She had great hair. The kind a guy thought about spilling over him at she took advantage of the top position.
    Not that he was thinking about sex and Allie. Not a lot anyway. Just the normal amount for a guy who hadn’t been laid in a while...and who thought his boss was hot.
    â€œHey,” he said as he approached.
    â€œHow’d it go?” There was a healthy measure of concern in her voice.
    â€œLike working with an angry badger.”
    â€œThat good, huh?”
    â€œWhat’s the deal, Allie?”
    Allie glanced to the side, obviously debating about how much to say. Jason waited. He wasn’t going to push her, but surely she could see that the more he knew, the easier it would be for him to deal with the situation.
    â€œWhatever it is, could I find it out in a local bar?”
    Her gaze flashed to his. “Probably,” she admitted.
    â€œI’m not looking for gossip. I’m looking for insight. It’d help to know, in general, why he’s so angry. Has he always been like this?”
    â€œNo. He used to be a sweet kid. When he was twelve anyway.” Allie gestured with her head for him to walk with her “Zach’s mom is a friend of mine. She thought she had a great marriage until her husband left her. Zach was supposed to go to work on the family ranch with his dad during the summer. He was really looking forward to it, then his dad moved his girlfriend onto the place and decided it’d be too uncomfortable having his son on the ranch with his live-in.”
    â€œOkay,” Jason said as he automatically opened the barn door before Allie could reach for it. “Now I get the anger. Which makes it easier to deal with.”
    Allie gave a small sigh as she opened the barn door. “Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as a great marriage.”
    â€œIt’s a tricky business,” Jason agreed.
    She gave him a sidelong look. “Have you been married?”
    â€œToo focused on my career to get that involved with anyone.” The sad truth. He’d had a lot of girlfriends, but never found anyone that he’d felt like sharing the rest of his life with.
    Allie gave a small snort. “I thought I was building a life with someone, only to find out that I was the only one swinging the hammer. Not to sound bitter...sorry. I probably shouldn’t talk about Kyle right now.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    â€œNothing. He’s out of the hospital, but...” She shrugged. “Nothing.”
    Nothing, his ass. There was something about the ex that was eating at her or irritating her. Maybe both.
    â€œDo you think you can continue to work with Zach?” she asked.
    He smiled down at her. “Do I have a choice?”
    â€œYou could walk.”
    â€œThen who would oversee the kid?”
    â€œHe probably doesn’t need overseeing once the beams are