Jack Daniel’s: It’s All in the Whiskey Read online

  “Oh no, you don’t. I didn’t bring her up at all. Nor did I bring up dating. You did that. All I did was ask you to deal with ranch business.”

  He lifted his cowboy hat and raked a hand through his hair. “You don’t have to say the words for me to know what you’re doing, so I need you to promise me that you’ll let this go.”

  She raised both her hands. “If you want to torture yourself, I can’t stop you. All I’m asking is that you show my boyfriend’s little sister the ways of our ranch. That’s it.”

  “Then we’re on the same page,” he said.

  A tap at the door caught his attention.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” his secretary said. “Annette is here to see you.”

  “You can bring her back,” he said.

  “Thank you.” His sister closed the gap and pulled him in for a good old-fashioned Whiskey family bear hug.

  “I’ll expect that pie to be delivered fresh to my house every evening by suppertime.”

  * * *

  Of the people that could be doing a full orientation to life on Whiskey Ranch, Annette had to spend the next week with the sexy, but brooding JD.

  “Right this way,” the secretary said as she handed Annette a large cup of coffee. “He’s just finishing up a meeting with Georgia Moon.”

  No doubt a discussion about Annette. Life in Idaho and Whiskey Ranch was so totally different than living on a horse farm in Florida. And it wasn’t just the fact there were no beaches, palm trees, or alligators roaming around. The way the Whiskey family did things was unique and not like anything she’d ever experienced. Luke used to tell her how wonderful it was and how he wished everyone ran their business like JW and his siblings.

  But it also required loyalty, trust, and dedication from those on the ranch, and that didn’t always happen.

  “Good morning.” Georgia Moon stepped into the hallway. “How did little Tony do today?”

  “He loves daycare, but he’s not loving me leaving, that’s for sure,” Annette said. “He holds on to my leg so tight he leaves marks. And then, for good measure, he screams bloody murder just as I close the door behind me.”

  “He’ll get used to it. Our staff is the best. Kitty has made sure of it.” Georgia Moon twisted her long raven hair before placing her cowboy hat on her head. “I best get going. We are running at capacity now with the bull-riding school, thanks to having Luke back as an instructor.”

  “He is the best.” JD appeared in the doorway sporting a half-smile before he popped a toothpick into his mouth. He wore a black V-neck shirt tucked neatly into a pair of jeans that hung low at his hips. A fancy belt buckle with the Whiskey Ranch logo was attached to a black leather belt. “We’re glad he decided to stay, and we’re happy to have you as well. I’m sure you’ll make a great addition to the horse breeding and training team.”

  “Thank you.” Holy shit. That had to be the longest sentence JD had ever said to her at one time. And he did it with a smile. Normally, he just grunted one or two words before wandering off to continue ignoring her. There might have been a time or two where he was in the middle of a story that he’d become animated about, or at the wedding when he’d had a drink or two, but mostly, he kept to himself.

  Very different from the rest of his family, yet he was glued to JB’s hip half the time, especially when it came to the nightlife.

  Which she didn’t participate in and not just because of Tony, but after what happened with her late husband Mark, she didn’t have much of a desire to be social, at least with the male persuasion. All she wanted to do was build a life for her and her son, and she did that by working and putting money in the bank. She wanted to make sure Tony had a better shot at a normal life without making the kinds of mistakes she had.

  “We’re all happy you decided to stay.” Georgia Moon gave her a quick hug. “Let me know if this one misbehaves.”

  “Hey. I’m the perfect brother,” JD said with a chuckle.

  “Right.” Georgia Moon patted him in the center of his chest. “I’ll see you around dinnertime.”

  “Oh, you’re joining us too?” Annette’s heart fluttered toward her throat, tickling her tonsils. He put new meaning into the strong, silent type of man. On the one hand, she found him super attractive and wouldn’t mind being kissed by him at all. But she also found him a bit scary because whenever she was around him, he seemed to be standing in the background, observing and rarely talking.

  “Now that’s a good idea. Why don’t you join us?” Georgia Moon asked with a sweet smile.

  JD plucked the toothpick from his mouth and arched his brow.

  If Annette wasn’t mistaken, the look on his face appeared as if he’d just stuffed an entire lemon down his throat.

  Yeah. This would be a fun week.

  “I’ve got a lot going on today,” he said.

  “But you’ve got to eat.” Georgia Moon patted his shoulder. “And I’m making pie, and we all know you can’t say no to pie. So, I’ll see you both over at mine and Luke’s private quarters around six.”

  A low growl echoed in the hallway.

  It had to have come from JD.

  Annette swallowed. There was nothing worse than being shown the ropes by someone who not only didn’t want to do it, but who didn’t like you either. Well, Annette would just have to impress the hell out of him with her knowledge of all things horses.

  “Why don’t we get started.” He snagged his Stetson. “I did get your employment paperwork; thanks for putting that in on time. I can’t tell you how many people I have to chase down to get that, and they wonder why their first paycheck is held up.”

  “Well, I’ve got a kid to feed, plus, Georgia Moon told me that all my bills can be taken right from that paycheck.” She followed him into the main office area where a dozen or so people worked in cubicles. Off to the sides were six or seven offices. However, JD was the only Whiskey sibling and executive that worked in this building.

  “And I’ve got that all set up for you. Just remember, if you’re not going to use all your allotted daycare hours, make sure you not only send them the request, but copy me on it. I’m the one who needs to make sure the adjustments are done properly.”

  “It seems like a pretty efficient and simple system. I mean, it’s all spelled out on the website portal.”

  He laughed. “I wish everyone believed that.” He shifted the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. “You won’t find yourself in this building too often, but if you have any problems at all with payroll or requisitions for work that needs to be done on the old manager’s quarters, all of that is run through this office.” He pointed to one of the offices on the far right. “That’s Rick Cohen. He’s responsible for the finances of the horse-riding school, so when we do get you set up to give lessons and do trail rides, you’ll need to work with him. He goes down to the barn two days a week. Usually Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons to check on schedules.”

  “I didn’t quite understand how that rotation works,” she admitted. “I’m still reading through the handbook.”

  “It’s a little overwhelming, I know. Chuck Holland, the man who owned the ranch before we took it over, was huge on maintaining up-to-date standard operating procedures, and we just kept up with it.”

  “That’s not a bad way to be as long as everyone follows the right procedure,” she said.

  “For the most part, you won’t have to concern yourself with what goes on up here on the hill, but if you don’t get paid, or a bill doesn’t get paid, or something goes weird at the school with the finances, this is where you’ll need to come to find out why.” He pressed his palm on the small of her back. “And unfortunately, it’s almost always because you didn’t follow protocol.”

  “Good to know.” She shivered as he guided her through the office. A warmth spread quickly over her skin. She hadn’t had this kind of reaction from being around a man in years. Even before she found out her late husband was an asshole, she hadn’t had such
an intense physical reaction to a man. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.” He pulled open the door to the outside.

  The warm summer Idaho air hit her face. The sweet meadow smell calmed her nerves, but only for a second as he took her by the elbow and helped her into the golf cart.

  This was a side of JD she’d never seen before. Sure, he’d always been a gentleman, but never attentive. Although, he never had a reason to give her all his attention. Any time they’d been in the same room, it had been during large gatherings, and he spent most of his time with his family. Or some chick by the name of Ellie who had been at the wedding. Annette had thought Ellie was his date, but it turns out Ellie was just a booty call.

  Figures.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m being rude, but how did you end up as the numbers guy for this operation? I’ve heard stories about you and breaking wild mustangs and your rodeo skills, and I hear you’re pretty damn good.”

  “I know I am.” He jumped on the golf cart and turned the key. “But no one in my family knows how to balance a checkbook, much less run the financials of a ranch of this scale. I mean, ultimately, we’ve got a few different businesses running under the umbrella of Whiskey Ranch. All those moving parts needed someone who understands investment and money, and if I left that up to my siblings, well, that would be like putting Georgia Moon in a dress on a daily basis.”

  “That makes sense,” she said, gripping the side of the cart when he punched the gas, jerking the motorized vehicle forward.

  “So, tell me, Annette, what do you want to see and know about Whiskey Ranch?”

  “Luke gave me what everyone calls the short tour when we first got here.”

  “That’s basically the main house where JW and Kitty live. The manager’s quarters. Mine and JB’s place along with the main barn and corral, which is where all the lessons are given and tours are scheduled out of. But you’ll end up spending a lot of time at the west barn. That’s where all the horse training happens.”

  “I don’t think Ron likes me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Every time I’ve tried to talk to him about what my responsibilities will be, he tells me I’ll have to wait until after orientation and that all new trainers start out mucking stalls.”

  “Well, we all have to muck a stall now and then, but that won’t be your job,” JD said with a laugh. “Ron always gives new people a tough time, but he does struggle with women who know how to handle a rowdy filly.”

  “Oh boy. He must hate your sister,” she said with a roll of her eyes. The first time she’d met Georgia Moon she knew exactly why Luke had fallen madly in love with her. Luke wasn’t like most alpha males. He liked women who were his equals on all levels, and Georgia Moon was exactly that.

  Actually, in some areas, she surpassed him.

  But ultimately, they complemented each other.

  “If he didn’t respect my sister, he wouldn’t be working here. He’s just a little old-fashioned. He’ll give you the same hard time he does any new ranch hand. He’s a stickler for our rules, and most trainers that come to us have their own way of doing things.” He maneuvered the golf cart onto an access road that cut through a wooded section of the ranch on the far north corner. “We like things done our way.”

  “Your way might not be the best, you know.”

  He tipped his hat. “We absolutely know that, and we’re most certainly open to new ideas and concepts. However, we’d prefer if the new trainers and breeders kept their opinions to themselves until after they’ve given our methods a fair shake. If after, say, a month, a new trainer still thinks they have a new trick to add to our manual, by all means, bring it.”

  “And when was the last time a new trainer added something to that SOP?” she asked, trying not to sound too coy, but she could tell that it didn’t work as she’d planned by the way his lips curved into a wicked grin.

  “You strike me as the kind of woman who does her homework.” He lifted his Stetson and winked. “I bet you know the answer to the question.”

  She tried to stop the corners of her mouth from tugging upward into a smile. “The last time any new training methods were added was the day you broke Wild Sally.”

  He rubbed his backside. “That had to be the most physically painful day of my life.”

  “Luke said you’re lucky Wild Sally didn’t kill you the first few times you tried.”

  “And she’s why we created a new protocol.” He stopped the golf cart on the side of the path near a creek but still in the woods. “A good trainer will spend a little more time before trying to ride the horse. That way he, or she, can make the right call on which method. And that’s really the key. Too many trainers come on this ranch and they want to school the Whiskey family, and that my friend, is never a good idea.”

  “I’m sure they just wanted to impress their new bosses.”

  “For the record, that’s not the way to do it.” He jumped from the golf cart and jogged around the front, offering her a hand.

  “What are we doing here?” She placed her hand inside of his, surprised by the tenderness in which he tugged her toward a lookout.

  He led her to the railing and pointed down the hill. “From here, you can see the trail we use for our guided tours.”

  She leaned over and noticed a line of eight horses, following tightly up the path. “This is an awesome view of half the ranch.”

  “It is. Sometimes I like to come up here and just watch the horses take our guests for a nice leisurely ride. But also, this path cuts right through the center of the ranch and will take us right to the north pasture where we have fifteen wild mustangs ready to be trained.”

  “It will be good for me to take a look around and spend more time on that side of the ranch.”

  “We won’t be looking. We’ll be working. No time like the present to impress one of your bosses with those famous Hannah skills that your brother has been bragging about.”

  “Oh. Well. I don’t have my riding pants. And I really need my special boots and—”

  He pressed his thick finger against her lips. “We’ll drive right by the old manager’s house so you can grab those things. We might as well each pick ourselves a horse and get to work. Maybe we could make a little wager on who breaks first. But only if you want.”

  She let out a big puff of air. “Luke and Georgia Moon either don’t know you at all, or they’ve been lying about you all this time.”

  JD chuckled. “I bet they told you I almost never speak, only grunt. And that I’d give you the tour, but then dump you at Ron’s mercy, letting him send you to the stalls to spend the hot summer days mucking.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Well, normally that’s what I would do. But something tells me I’m going to get off on watching you work.”

  She gasped as both her eyebrows shot up.

  “Well, crud. That was mighty rude and not how I meant to say that.” He took his hat off, resting it on his lap as he leaned in and pressed his lips on her cheek. “I have a feeling this next week is not going to go how I had planned, and I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.”

  “Georgia Moon said of all her brothers, you were the least scary. I think she’s wrong.” Only, she wasn’t scared of him; she was just terrified she’d end up falling in love with him.

  2

  JD leaned against the golf cart and stared at Annette while she sized up all the horses in the main corral, which took up over ten acres. She certainly knew her horses. Every question he asked, she answered. What she didn’t know, she didn’t pretend to, and he valued that more than anything else.

  But she had a hard edge to her that made him want to find a way to toss a rope over the wall and climb inside. She’d had a double whammy of a shitty life between having a child murderer for a father and then a late husband who’d gambled away her life’s work, not to mention was abusive.

  Yet, through it all, she managed to keep her head held high. He more than admired that.
He actually wished he could be half as strong as her when it came to dealing with the pains of the past.

  A couple of the mustangs raced around the side of the hill along the far fence while Annette stood by the main gate where a few of the other horses had separated themselves from the pack.

  Annette lifted her Stetson and raked her fingers through her long light-brown hair, twisting it at the nape of her neck before placing the cowboy hat back on her head. He’d noticed her the second she’d walked onto the ranch, but he did his best to ignore her and stay the hell out of her path. She made his stomach fill with butterflies and his palms break out in a cold sweat.

  Things like that hadn’t happened to him since he’d been with Susanne, and that freaked him right the fuck out. He could handle raw sexual attraction, but he didn’t know what to do with emotions that swirled around in his mind, heart, and soul, making him think and wonder about what it might be like to open himself up to the idea of love.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Ron tossed a dirty towel over his shoulder while he gnawed on a piece of straw. “More importantly, what the fuck is she doing here in full training gear? She hasn’t even turned in all her paperwork, much less gone through all orientation procedures. I don’t even want to get into what happened the other day with that one. She’s a greenhorn and needs to be put in her place, and the only way to do that is to make her start at the bottom.”

  “I want to see what she’s got,” JD said, ignoring Ron’s ramblings. But if JD was being totally honest with himself, it was more than work that all of a sudden intrigued him about Annette.

  “Wasn’t she hired without a job title?” Ron asked but didn’t bother waiting for a reply. “Everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up. No special treatment, so she starts off shadowing a ranch hand of my choice.”