desk than out checking on the ranch. Hazel assured her everything would be handled and she just had to worry about feeling better.
Thankfully, the swelling in her leg had gone down and they were able to track down an ancient pair of crutches for Kate to hobble around with.
AJ had stayed busy enough that she only saw him at meal time. He’d grown more quiet than she was used to. He’d come in for dinner, eat quickly, then take off before she could figure out what was bothering him.
Granted, their last encounter had been all over the place. From the teasing to the reaction to calling him a prince—maybe he was still upset about it. Had she gone too far? There had been clues regarding how he felt about being the son of the Johnsons. He kept insisting he was more than what she saw on the surface.
Kate leaned back in her office chair and rubbed her temples. Great, now she was feeling guilty. He might be a tease, but at least she could take it. He’d been poking fun at her since they were kids. But he couldn’t take when she teased back. But it wasn’t really teasing, was it? She had pointed out something he was insecure about. It didn’t matter that it was true—to some degree. What mattered was that he should be given every opportunity to prove himself before being judged. That was what people had done for her and now she was becoming that which she despised.
She sighed as she glanced down at the paperwork in front of her. The report about the marketing plan had been completed and submitted to Ethan about an hour ago. She’d be hearing about the next challenge by tomorrow. She didn’t know what to expect from AJ. He’d said he would drop out but then he said he wasn’t going to go easy on her. What was she supposed to do with that? It felt like some kind of ploy to get her off her game, but then occasionally she could see something soft in his features that made her heart thud and her mouth go dry.
Grr. It was all so frustrating. She needed some air. The office closed in around her, suffocating her. Kate reached for the crutches propped up against the wall beside her and spun her chair around. Using the crutches for leverage, she pulled herself to her feet.
The dull ache in her leg was only a small reminder of the tumble she’d taken a few days earlier. The sound of the rubber soles on the hardwood floor squeaked with each step. Kate made it to the front door and paused. She reached for the knob. The crutch under her right arm tipped and clattered to the floor.
Kate tossed back her head and groaned. Today was just one thing after another. Focusing on her balance, she stooped to pick it up. This time she moved it to the other hand as she opened the door and slipped through.
The bright morning sunlight draped her in warmth and goosebumps trailed up her arms. She wandered over to the edge of the porch and propped the crutches against the wooden rail. Leaning over the edge, her gaze scanned over the property. The cattle had been moved to another pasture, probably for grazing. Had AJ done that?
Tate wouldn’t be back until the end of next week, so it had to be either AJ or his father. She propped herself over the rail to look at the cars. Ethan’s truck was gone. He probably went to town again to look at the new tractor.
Kate hadn’t seen Hazel yet either. After breakfast, everyone had gone their separate ways. The air swirled around her and she took in a deep breath. The scent of freshly cut grass and wildflowers from a nearby field filled her senses. She’d never leave this ranch if she could help it. She’d just have to figure out how to manage it with AJ.
He was a fool if he thought his parents would let either of them run it on their own. She might actually know them better than he did. This was all a ruse. Heck, it could be something meant to help them work together and get along, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. He needed to figure out for himself that they were destined to work this land together whether they liked it or not.
A figure far off hopped the fence of a pasture.