Chapter Four
Ashlynn
Uncle Gabe walked me to the clinic, it was on the back side of the stables. It was huge, and as he had stated, everything was state of the art. The clinic was immaculately clean. When we walked in, there was one young guy behind the counter. He looked to be about twenty or so. "Hey Mike, this is Ashlynn Cane. She's our new vet. Ash, this is Mike, he's one of your vet techs." We said our hellos and then toured around the facility. I think I was still in shock. So much was happening and so fast. It was exciting and scary as hell, all at the same time.
When he took me to my "loft" above the stables, I had to laugh. It was not the type of lofts I had seen. It was actually a two bedroom apartment. It had a big kitchen, with a center island, stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. It was nicer than our house back in California. It had beautiful furniture and an amazing view. The large picture window in the living area, looked out over the arena and to the mountain back drop that sat behind us. My Uncle looked at me with a smirk on his face, "I trust this will do?"
"Will it ever! This is so beautiful Uncle Gabe. I'm in shock. Thank you for everything, " I threw myself at him and gave him a big hug. I wasn't actually much of a hugger but he made me feel cared about and taken care of. I knew now why my Mom had so enthusiastically threw herself into his arms when we arrived. He really was a great guy.
My Uncle chuckled. It was a deep warm sound. I loved it. "Ok Ash, lets take a walk around the place. I will introduce you to some of the more important people. You will be working with my Ranch Foreman quite a bit. He's also my lead horse trainer. You will need to meet my livestock manager. He handles the cows. I've also got a bunk house manager, not that you will be in the bunk house,"he gave me a look to say not allowed, and I laughed. "You will need to know where to find the cowboys and cowgirls, should you need anything with the horses."
"Cowgirls?" I asked. I was actually excited to meet some girls who might have the same interests as me, and a cowgirl sounded like just the type.
"Yep, we have three on staff here. Hard working ladies. All three of them grew up here, so they know the land like the back of their hands. That would be a good way to start learning your way around the mountain, hang out with the girls. They are close to your age," we had just stepped out through the breeze way. The quiet I had seen out front was just an illusion, because it was not quiet out here. There was stuff going on every where. There was a cowgirl cantering a horse around the arena, it bucked a couple times and she held on. Clearly it was green broke and she was working it.
A few corrals behind the arena, I saw four cowboys, roping calfs, and hauling them to the ground for branding. There was another stable off to the left, two cowboys stood talking, next to a hitching post. They were deep in conversation, talking about a heifer that was about to give birth, as we walked up behind them. I instantly recognized that ass in those wranglers. He visibly stiffened when we approached, turning towards us. "Alpha," he said tipping his black stetson. The other guy did the same, and then shifted his eyes to me and back to the Alpha.
"Afternoon, gentleman. I'd like to introduce our new Veterinarian, Ashlynn Cane. She's also my niece, so don't give her to hard of a time boys." He gave them a smile, as he draped his big arm over my shoulder.
"Ashlynn, this is Dawson, my Ranch Foreman," He gestured to the hottest guy I'd ever seen. I'm sure my face turned fifty shades of red. "And this is my Livestock Manager, Cody." He gestured to the other guy.
Both of them stared at me for a second, Cody the first to come forward, his hand extended to shake mine. "Welcome Ashlynn. We will be working together a lot during breeding season and calfing season." I took his hand and gave him a firm handshake.
"Nice to meet you Cody. I look forward to it," I smiled.
Dawson was giving Cody a snear, as he stepped closer to me. "Strange how we meet again huh? Nice to officially meet you Ashlynn," he said with a smirk. His eyes seemed to stare right into my soul. He hung onto my hand just a little longer than he needed to, then dropped it.
"You've met before?" Uncle Gabe asked. "When?"
Dawson looked up to my Uncle, it seems everyone has to look up at him. Dawson was not short either, probably six foot three if I were guessing. "Yes sir. I saw her a the gas station in Idaho Falls, the day I was coming back from visiting my family. We spoke briefly." That was all the explanation he gave, as he tipped his hat to me and began to walk away. "See ya around, I've gotta get back to work." He walked away, heading towards one of the stables.
"Well Ash, it's about time we get your horses out, don't ya think," my Uncle guided me back towards the front of the main stable. He didn't appear to even notice the odd tension between myself and Dawson. Huh, so that was his name. It was fitting. Tall, dark stranger with alluring green eyes. Who would have thought we'd come across each other again.
Dawson
I had to get away from her as quickly as possible. She was even more beautiful up close. And she smelled amazing. I couldn't help my irritation when Cody took her hand first, for some reason I didn't like it. I had to keep repeating in my head, the Alpha's niece. The instant my hand touched hers, I felt a warmth spread through me. When I realized I hadn't let go of her hand as quickly as I should, I admit I got nervous that the Alpha would notice.
I had work to do anyway. We had just gotten in a stallion that needed some calming down. I turned on my heel, feeling an uncomfortable hardness in my jeans. I had to get away from her. No woman had ever affected me like that. I knew I felt a draw to her at that gas station, her scent was intoxicating, but now that I was actually going to be working in her presence, I was going to have to put up a wall. This was no good.
I heard the Alpha leading her away. I turned back to look, seeing them walking back down the breezeway to the front. Her perfect ass was swaying as she walked. I could see her profile as she looked up at her Uncle, she was smiling. She had a little dimple in that cheek. How I wanted to kiss it. Let's be honest, I wanted to kiss every inch of her. I turned back towards the stable I was heading too, I was going to need to go for a run, or take a cold shower. Maybe both. The Alpha's niece. Off limits. The mantra playing over and over in my head.