a teenager, his mouth had gotten him in trouble more times than he could count. As an adult, he’d learned to stand out by joking and calling attention to himself. But his loud mouth had ruined his last few relationships, and he was determined not to say everything that came into his mind, nor to insert himself into every conversation.
Sometimes, he just needed to listen and let someone else have the spotlight.
“How old is your daughter? Can you call her and let her know you’re safe?”
“I’ve already spoken to her and my aunt,” Montana said. “I just…I don’t like being away from them.”
“I understand.” He noticed that she’d dodged the question of how old her daughter was. But she could obviously talk on the phone, so she had to be at least four or five. “What’s her name?”
“Aurora,” Montana said. “She’s fourteen.”
“Fourteen?” came out of Bishop’s mouth before he could school the tone. His shock was loud and clear, and Montana nodded by the light of the fire. Darkness had settled over Texas, and Bishop just wanted to go back to the barn and pretend like they could have a normal dinner and sign the contracts.
In that moment, he realized he was still holding Montana’s hand, and he slipped his fingers away.
“Yes,” Montana said, shifting away from him. “Fourteen.”
“I don’t think you’re old enough to have a fourteen-year-old daughter,” he said.
“I am,” she said, but she didn’t volunteer her age.
“I’m thirty-three,” he said. “Older or younger?”
“Older,” she said.
“More than a decade or less?”
“Less.”
Bishop nodded. “That’s all I needed to know.”
“Why do you need to know that?” she asked, and Bishop backed up a step. Had she not noticed the fire sparking between them? Was she not present when he’d held her hand and touched her back? He thought he’d been blatantly obvious, but maybe he hadn’t. Maybe the electricity he felt zipping from her to him and back was only in his experience.
“No reason,” he said, because he was done making a fool of himself in front of pretty women. “I don’t think we need to stay down here. We’re just in the way.” He stepped toward the back corner of the truck. “Want to go back up to the ranch?”
Montana got in the truck, and Bishop did too. It smelled more like her already, and she’d ridden in it for twenty minutes.
Twenty more, and he reached the T-junction on the ranch. The land spread before him, their main barn directly in front of him. Right, he’d park at the homestead. Left, and he could get almost all the way to True Blue. “Do you want to go finish dinner? The contracts are out there too.”
“We might as well do that,” she said, and Bishop turned left. A few minutes later, he pulled up to the stables and got out of the truck. He made very sure not to get too close to her or to touch her as they made the quick walk to the barn.
Their dinners still sat on the table Bishop had set up. One look at it, and Bishop could see the romance hanging in the air. How did Montana not see it?
Idiot, he chastised himself as they continued toward the table. “I can heat it up,” he said.
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Montana sat down and immediately took a bite of steak. “Still good.” She smiled at him, and Bishop swore the gesture was flirty.
Her signals were all over the place, and Bishop made a decision to keep things strictly professional tonight. Get the contract signed. He did need her help on the ranch.
He shoved some steak in his mouth and stood up as he chewed. He went into the kitchen and collected the folder with their standard independent contractor contract in it, swallowed, and returned to the table.
“This is pretty basic,” he said. “But you can have a lawyer look at it before you sign.”
“Do I need to have a lawyer look at it?” she asked.
“No,” he said. He set the folder in front of her.
She opened the folder and took out the top sheet. She seemed to read every word, and then she asked, “Do you have a pen?”
“Sure thing.” Bishop plucked it out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
She signed the contract and handed it and the folder back to him.
“Great,” he said. “I’m still hiring people, but you can come up tomorrow if you’d like. I can put you to work in the south cabins for now.”
She nodded, but