hand tied behind his back,” Nancy scoffed.
Jay turned to Julia. “You will be safe with her as long as she’s on your side, that’s all I’m saying.”
Nancy gave her boss the finger, came out from behind the bar, and smiled at Julia. “You coming?”
“Sure.” Julia slid down from the barstool and took a moment to orient herself. She wasn’t a big drinker and two beers had made her woozy. “Hang on—doesn’t Jay live upstairs with his mom?”
“Not anymore,” Jay said as he wiped down the bar. “I’m married now, and Mom is engaged to Billy Morgan. She spends way too much time up at his ranch these days if you ask me. Nancy’s doing us all a favor living there.”
“What he means is that if anyone breaks in, I’m the one who’ll end up dead.” Nancy winked at her boss as she linked arms with Julia and towed her toward the back of the bar. “Night, Jay. Come on, Julia.”
Julia allowed herself to be maneuvered up the stairs and into the charming apartment above the bar that faced down Main Street. She tried to remember the last time she’d been there. Miguel and Jay had never been close, and she’d only visited briefly with her girlfriends when everyone was going out together.
“This is nice,” Julia said as Nancy stuck her head in the refrigerator, pulled out two more beers, and held them up inquiringly toward Julia. “I think I’ll stick to coffee if there is any, thanks.”
“You always were a lightweight,” Nancy joked as she rinsed the coffeepot. “Way too uptight to drink, smoke, and have a good time.”
“Yeah, that’s me. The perpetual party-pooper.” Julia’s tongue slid over the words and she almost giggled. “Try saying that ten times.”
Nancy sat on the couch and patted the seat beside her. “So, what’s going on? I know you’ve come back to help your dad, but how long are you planning on staying?”
“I’m supposed to have two weeks off, but you wouldn’t know it.” Julia sighed. “In my profession, you’re not supposed to actually take your holidays or your sick days, because it makes you look weak and inefficient.”
“That’s stupid,” Nancy said, shifting on the sofa. “How can you be at your best if you never take a day off for yourself?”
“My big boss and my new boss have been on my back since the moment I arrived. I’m almost ready to tell them to take a hike,” Julia confessed. “Except I can’t do that because I need my salary to pay for the remodel of the ranch house.”
“That sucks.” Nancy got up to tend to the coffee and then handed Julia a mug and assorted creamers in a bowl. “Help yourself.”
“I didn’t realize how bad things had gotten for my dad. It was a shock.” Julia grimaced. “I should have known.”
“Your dad’s old-school. Those cowboys never admit they are sick or too old for anything. Look at Roy over at Morgan Ranch? How old is that guy? A hundred and fifty?”
Despite her woes, Julia couldn’t help but smile in Nancy’s bracing company.
“All I know is that Dad isn’t capable of running the ranch by himself anymore, and he still won’t admit it.” Julia gripped her mug hard. “If I keep working, I can pay for the remodel and some continuing care, but I can’t revitalize the ranch, and that’s what he really wants.”
Nancy tapped the rim of her beer bottle against her chin. “You should talk to Ben Miller.”
“Why?”
“Because he and his fiancée have set up this charity thing for Morgan Valley, and they are looking for good ideas to fund in the local community.”
“Since when has Ben Miller had any money?” Julia asked.
Nancy’s grin was wicked. “Since he hooked up with Silver Meadows.”
“The Silver Meadows?”
“Yup, the multimillionaire actress and producer who is also a really good person.”
“You’ve met her?” Julia set her mug down on the cluttered coffee table.
“We’ve all met her.” Nancy shrugged. “She even comes in the bar when it’s quiet. I was quite prepared to hate her on sight but she’s as nice as Ben, and they are perfect together.”
Julia shook her head. “Wow. Who’d have thought Ben Miller would get it on with a movie star?”
“I know. If I’d taken a bet on any Miller getting a girl like that it would’ve been Kaiden.”
Julia’s smile slipped. “Kaiden?”
“You know the Miller I mean. Dark hair, gray eyes, dimples, and the kind of corny lines that ladies fall for every time.”
“I suppose you’ve seen his finest work at the