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Chapter 160: The Afternoon
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 161: Interview
Chapter 161: InterviewPoppy perched primly on the edge of a boxy red chair in a sleek, modern lobby. Seven other seats like hers fronted a collection of low white coffee tables. The chairs struck her as odd. They were too large for one person but too small to be sofas or even love seats. They were massively deep, though. She had a distinct feeling that if she sat all the way back, she'd need help getting up. Not exactly the way to make a great first impression. She opened her tablet and scanned her resume for the hundredth time. Her heart fluttered as she worked to remember her talking points. She needed this job if she didn't want to end up blowing through her entire savings in the next few months. But as that thought went through her mind, she glanced around.She didn't want to work here. She hated everything about what this position would entail. She was only considering it because she was desperate. The receptionist who'd asked her to wait had smiled kindly. But oth
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 162: A Talk
Chapter 162: A TalkPoppy watched as he let himself out the door. Blinking in the sudden quiet of the apartment, she slowly turned her gaze to Hunter, who stood by the window. Hands shoved in the pockets of his Wranglers, he looked thoughtful. "How did the interview go?""I didn't do the interview. Why are my parents here?"He shrugged slightly. "I didn't know they were going to come.""Daddy said you called them.""I did," he nodded.She felt her impatience rising. "OMG, Hunter, I feel like if I don't ask exactly the right question, I won't ever figure out what the hell's going on!"He glanced out the window then looked back at her. "I called your folks before I left Idaho."Bewildered, Poppy sank onto a kitchen stool. "Why did you do that?"Hunter moved away from the window, stopping in the center of the room. "Why didn't you do the interview?" His voice was soft, his gaze curious.Poppy shrugged irritably. "I don't know, I just…" She exhaled sharply. "I just couldn't
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 163: The New Generation of McFalls
Chapter 163: The New Generation of McFallsHunter gazed down at Poppy and smiled reassuringly. "You've got this. You're so strong."She shook her head wildly. "No! I can't do it anymore. I'm too tired."And he knew she was. She had to be. She'd been in labor for 16 hours. Again, Hunter wished he could absorb her pain. He pressed a kiss to her damp forehead. Downstairs, he knew, his mother and Poppy's parents waited anxiously for the baby to be born. The last time he'd popped down to the kitchen for something to drink, Rolly had joined them."Okay, Poppy, when the next contraction comes, you're going to push." The midwife's voice was calm and soothing.Poppy gripped Hunter's hand for dear life. "I can't," she squeaked.He knelt beside the huge bathtub and sought her eyes. "You took on a billion-dollar real estate empire and convinced them to give me a mountain for free. You created the perfect plan to bring tourist dollars to McFall without losing the town's identity."
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 164: Sweetwater Ranch
Chapter 164: Sweetwater Ranch VOLUME 3: ANNA'S HEART "He's coming here to the Sweetwater, can you believe it?" Simone chattered. "Angus McGregor, here at our little guest ranch. Who could have imagined it?" Tight black braids framed her deep mocha face, and her dark brown eyes sparkled with excitement.Anna Graves tucked her long dark chestnut hair behind her ears and flicked an annoyed glance at her sister-in-law before she scanned the handful of guests who'd just arrived for a two-week stay at Sweetwater Ranch. Some of them milled around the expanse of the lodge's rustic lobby while others checked in at the front desk with Anna's mother, Teresa.Anna shrugged indifferently. "He's just another guest. He'd better not come here expecting that he's going to be waited on hand and foot, that's all I can say. This is a working cattle ranch. People know that when they sign up.""Yeah," Simone gushed, "but I hear he's getting ready to do a cowboy movie, and he has to brush up on his
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 165: The New Session
Chapter 165: The New SessionIt was after ten o'clock that night when Anna finally made her way back to her own cabin. Dinner had been served in the dining room in the main lodge, and the traditional Welcome Campfire had followed. It gave the guests a chance to get acquainted with each other and with the ranch staff, most of whom were members of the Graves family. Anna's older twin brothers Andy and Ross taught sessions in advanced horsemanship and in working with cattle, respectively. They were also in charge of caring for all the horses in the Sweetwater stable. Andy's wife Simone worked in the kitchen alongside her mother-in-law, Teresa Graves, and she performed many of the housekeeping duties. She and Teresa also took care of reservations and guest relations.Anna also took care of many housekeeping tasks in addition to teaching the beginning riding sessions, which generally meant working with the children who visited the ranch with their families. It was what Anna enjoyed
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 166: So Much For First Impressions
Chapter 166: So Much For First Impressions"A flyer came in the mail today. Founders' Day is a week from Friday."Anna frowned slightly at the brightly colored sheet her mother thrust into her hands. The bulk of the page was a vintage mid-19th century sepia photograph of Main Street in Crystal Springs, overlaid with jaunty graphics declaring the annual Crystal Springs Founders' Day celebration. Back in the late 1860s, the nearby town of Crystal Springs had sprung up practically overnight as a mining boomtown. The coal vein had played out by the middle of the following century, but the small town was proud of its heritage. Each summer, they celebrated what they thought of as Founders' Day with a parade down Main Street followed by a giant picnic and capping off the festivities with a family-friendly dance at the fairgrounds in the nearby town of Eagleton.There was a time when Anna had looked forward to the annual event. Now, she scowled at the announcement."I'd like that put on
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 167: Angus Meets Anna
Chapter 167: Angus Meets AnnaAfter Angus settled his six-foot-five-inch frame into his first-class leather seat at the gate at LAX, he ordered a soda and lime from the cabin's efficient flight attendant. Slouching slightly in his window seat, he lowered the green lenses of his Raybans over his eyes. He scrolled through his phone, more to avoid the curious looks of the other passengers as they boarded than to actually check on anything important. His notifications showed several text messages from Alanna, which he promptly ignored. What she wanted at this point, he couldn't possibly imagine. He'd thought they'd said all there was to say in his kitchen that morning. He tossed back the rest of his drink and sighed, grateful he had Douglas and the rest of his security team in place to handle whatever reticence she might still have when it came to moving out of his house. Lately, she and the house had become a tremendous weight on his shoulders. The time had come to move on. A m
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 168: Painful Past
Chapter 168: Painful Past"Tell me you're not actually going." Anna crossed her arms, her voice incredulous."Why would I not go, Anna? It's my job." Sawyer continued to pack his gear even as Anna willed him to stop."Because we're engaged now. That makes everything different." Her tone was softly pleading.He stopped and looked up at her, his brown eyes unblinking. "I'm not different. I'm still the same smokejumper you met at Reilly's Bar two years ago. You didn't really think that just because we're getting married, I'd suddenly settle down, maybe take a job working for your dad on the ranch, did you?"Flustered, Anna blinked several times. "Well...yes, actually. At least until we decide what we want to do. You know there's that ranch in Florida where they teach riding to special needs kids. It's something I've always wanted to look into."Tucking a spare yellow fire shirt into his heavy-duty duffel bag, he straightened. "You knew who I was, Anna. This is me." He waved
Last Updated : 2022-10-20
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 218: Unexpected Guest
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 215: Florida
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 212: Nightmare
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