Robert Martin had been watching him from inside the barn that morning and had then told Chance and Clayton what he’d seen. Later that afternoon, they overheard Parker making a rude comment to Jim Cappell about Lydia. Jim had shut him down before he could finish what he was saying, but the damage was done. Chance and Clayton confronted him and told him to eat on his own until he could apologize and speak to Lydia with respect.
Knowing she was anxious to get the meal on the table, Chance brushed a parting smooch against Lydia’s lips, wishing it was the end of the day instead of only lunchtime. She opened her eyes, and he was pleased by the dazed look there and the way she continued to cling to him.
She blinked her eyes and released him with a chuckle and said, “Well, everything is right with my world now. You go check your e-mail and I’ll let you know when lunch is ready.”
“Okay, baby. No rush. It smells delicious, by the way.”
Lydia smiled and said, “I made you dessert, too.”
“Yum,” he murmured with a growl as he nibbled at her neck and made her squeal.
“Hey Lydia, I finished with the—Oops! Sorry about that!” The voice was anything but sorry sounding.
Chance looked up and caught his first glimpse of the young woman who must be the source of Lydia’s frustration. Now he understood Lydia’s lack of confidence in her new help. He wasn’t one to make snap judgments about people, but she didn’t seem the type to sign up for a job as a maid.
Lydia sighed and indicated the blonde, roughly in her mid twenties, who looked dressed for an afternoon at the country club and not for a day of house cleaning. “Presley Ann Woodworth, meet Chance Carlisle.”
The name explained a lot. She was probably one of Doug Woodworth’s daughters and well acquainted with the country club in Morehead. Doug Woodworth owned several area department stores, including Stigall’s.
Lydia didn’t make eye contact with him, but Chance could see her frustration as Presley Ann sauntered boldly to him and shook his hand.
“Mr. Carlisle, it is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she purred as she clung to his hand longer than she needed to.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Woodworth.”
Lydia reminded Presley Ann to redo the family room, and Chance hid his amusement as she sashayed out of the room.
“Lydia, I’ll be in the office if you need me.” She smiled at him and nodded, seeming relieved that he didn’t linger over the introduction. He glanced into the family room as he walked by and shook his head in disgust. Presley Ann maneuvered the vacuum cleaner like she’d never seen one before and was afraid to touch it, while wearing heels that were as high as skyscrapers.
Both he and Clayton had seen her type show up at the ranch before, looking for any excuse to ingratiate themselves. He couldn’t wait to see Clayton’s reaction to Presley Ann.
Sitting at his desk, he turned on his laptop. He patted his pockets and the papers littered on his desk looking for his reading glasses and thought about the business he needed to take care of that afternoon. Lydia had mentioned that morning that the kitchen needed some new tools that she’d have to order online. She needed her own laptop and access to a bank account for her own personal spending as well. It was satisfying to think about taking care of her and providing what she needed and prayed that things worked out between the three of them.
“Hey,” Clayton said as he walked into the office and plopped in his chair. He rubbed his face with his hands and asked, “Did you get a load of who is helping Lydia?”
“Yep. Good work, there, Clayton.”
Clayton groaned and replied, “I should have listened to you when you said to call Grace. That’s Doug Woodworth’s daughter, isn’t it? I’ll bet Lydia is really pissed at me.”
Chance leaned back in his chair and propped his boots on the corner of his desk. “I can’t believe you didn’t even ask Dorothy who she was going to send. Did you tell her that the help could live on the ranch?”
“No. I remember Dorothy asking about that and I said all of that stuff was going to be up to Lydia, but I never said that was what we wanted.”
“Well, she came prepared to move in.”
Clayton had the good sense to look sheepish. “I’ll bet that went over like a lead balloon with Lydia.”
“She looked damned frustrated when I walked in earlier. Lydia seems to like a tightly run ship and I wonder how long Society Girl is going to last.”
“Probably until she breaks a nail.”
“You know why she’s here, right?”
“I think it’s obvious. Let’s just stay out of their way. I’m sure this situation will resolve itself by the end of the week.”