So Tough to Tame (Jackson Hole 3)

Walker was the first to break the spell. He turned back to Charlie, his mouth grim. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s no big deal,” she said.

“I’d better get back to work. Will you be all right?”

“I’m fine.”

He waited until she looked up at him, then nodded. “I’ll talk to you later, then, if you’re sure you’ll be okay.”

He shot the other woman a look that Charlie couldn’t read, then hesitated a moment before moving back toward the heart of the party.

“He worked for us until a few weeks ago,” Charlie heard the woman quietly explaining to Keith. That woman had been his lover...and his boss? Oh. That made his tale of unemployment a little more interesting.

Charlie caught Keith’s gaze and made a little grimace of contrition. She had to remind herself that she hadn’t actually been making out with Walker. She hadn’t been doing all the things she’d been thinking. It might not have been entirely professional to be cozied up to a cowboy, letting him whisper in her ear, but it hadn’t looked quite as bad as it honestly was. Nobody knew what she’d been thinking about. Nobody knew what they’d been planning.

But Keith was frowning at her, not responding with sympathy or understanding. The woman touched his arm, and he jerked back and glanced around the party as if to check on who was watching this awful little scene.

Charlie decided she’d better return to her assigned schmoozing and started to walk away, but Keith took a step toward her. Shit.

“I’m sorry,” she said as soon as he got close. “He’s an old friend. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or—”

“No, it’s fine. I understand.”

“You do?” She’d expected him to engage in an epic freak out as his wife would have.

“Of course. You’re a young, single woman. You should be enjoying yourself.”

“I should? I thought you’d be... I know there’s a lot of talk around, and you gave me a chance. I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate that.”

“Charlotte, I wanted to hire you because I thought you’d gotten a bad deal. You’re a local girl, and when I heard the story, I asked Dawn about you. She told me she’d known you for years, and I figured if you’d been friends with my wife, you were the kind of person who deserved a second chance.”

Charlie knew she was standing there with her mouth open, but she couldn’t make her muscles work. What the hell? Dawn had said over and over that she was the one who’d gotten Charlie hired. That she’d talked her husband into it despite his reservations. She’d made clear that any misstep on Charlie’s part would likely get her fired and Dawn would look like an idiot.

She shook her head. “I thought Dawn was the one w

ho wanted to hire me.”

“Oh, God no. I mean...” He flashed a sheepish smile. “Don’t get me wrong. She likes you, she just had a few reservations about the accusations. But I get you.”

“You do?”

“You’re loyal. That’s an admirable quality and something that’s missing in ambitious people these days.”

“Well...” She supposed maybe she was loyal. But mostly, she’d just been blind in her last job and now she was grateful for this one.

“Look, you popped up on my radar because of the police investigation and all that other nastiness. Sure. But your brother called and suggested I hire you, and I asked Dawn about you and she had such positive memories of your character. Now that you’re here, I agree with both of them. You’re amazing. Professional. Dedicated.”

She nodded dumbly, too stunned to do anything else. Her brother had called to suggest her? Why had he played it down?

Her mind spun. This whole time, Dawn had been pretending it had all been her idea, but the truth was that she’d been dragged into it by Keith and Brad? Dawn had wanted Charlie to feel insecure, as if her position at the company was at Dawn’s whim and could be terminated at any moment. It wasn’t true.

Keith touched her elbow. “Listen, Charlotte. This is just my first resort of many. I’ve got plans for Utah and Colorado, and then Europe. And you’re in on the ground floor. If you put in the hard work, your possibilities are limitless. You can help me plan and roll out each resort. You could end up in Europe if that’s where you want to be. I’m loyal to those who are loyal to me. I want you on my team, all right? So don’t look so nervous.”

The flood of relief that overtook her was so strong she felt embarrassed. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she was relieved for the relatively dim lighting in the barn. Maybe this didn’t have to only be a job she got through. Maybe she could have the future she’d always planned on, despite the awfulness in Tahoe.

She looked away, touching on several people in the crowd before she saw Walker’s ex-boss watching with narrow eyes from a few feet away. Charlie ignored her.

“Thank you,” she said to Keith. “I really appreciate knowing that you believe in me. It means so much.”