He turned to stare at the blonde now offering what looked to be a forced smile.
This was Rio? Princess Rio? The spoiled, freckle-faced ripsnorter who’d shadowed him while he did his chores, got underfoot and dared him to try to do something about it? He’d landed in trouble more times than he cared to remember for taking desperate measures to keep her out of his hair.
She thrust out her hand. “Hey, Cash. Long time no see.”
Still stunned, he briefly took her surprisingly firm grip in his. “Guess it has been.”
He’d been thirteen the last time he’d laid eyes on her. She’d have been—what? seven?—when his dad had been booted from Hunter’s Hideaway in disgrace.
“Cash accepted an offer to fill in for J.C. this summer,” Jo informed her evenly, and from the tone of her voice he got the sneaking suspicion she expected her granddaughter might object to that decision. But why? Surely Rio didn’t hold it against him that her cousin had once talked him into locking her up. Not that it had required much persuasion.
“Then,” Jo continued, “if all goes well—which I expect it will—he’ll move into the managerial role when you leave.”
Wait, wait, wait.
Little Rio Hunter—okay, not so little now—was the manager of the Hideaway’s horse operation?
During the interview, Jo had talked in general regarding a current manager’s imminent departure—J.C., he’d assumed—and expectations for the position. Then she’d touched on the summer hires. And she’d mentioned that a potential events booking agency would soon be inspecting the family-run business, including the horse-related part of the outfit. Rio’s name hadn’t come up. He hadn’t seen her when he’d toured the facilities.
But did that mean he’d be...?
“Looks like you’ll be reporting to me, Mr. Herrera.” Deep blue eyes that a man could get lost in gazed up at him with a hint of amusement.
Reporting to the Princess? When pigs fly. He glanced at Jo, seeking confirmation that there was a misunderstanding.
“Temporarily,” the older woman assured. “Rio departs in August.”
Two and a half months. Not exactly what he had in mind when he’d decided to leave wrangling at a dude ranch in hopes of bettering his financial situation, but he could live with that, seeing as how he didn’t have much choice. Not if he wanted to give his son a home and gain legal custody.
Speaking of which...he glanced out the door Rio was still holding open. No sign or sound of Joey. He’d better get moving.
“If you don’t mind, I need to track down my boy.”
“Then let’s plan to meet at the main barn at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow.” Rio’s chin lifted slightly. “You’ll have plenty to learn in a short time about how we do things here.”
A muscle in his gut constricted. He couldn’t leave Joey by himself at that hour. When he’d applied for the job last month and then interviewed earlier this week, kid care hadn’t been part of the equation.
Jo shook her head. “Not tomorrow, Rio. Cash needs time to make childcare arrangements and get his son settled.”
“He can’t take care of that today? Saturday will be busy, and we can’t have a kid running loose around here.” Rio crossed her arms, clearly irritated and wanting to get the show on the road, even though she apparently hadn’t even known he’d been hired until a few minutes ago. “Not only does Cash have a job to do, but there are too many dangers a boy can get into if left on his own.”
She sounded as if she didn’t think he was aware of that possibility. With Joey evading him right under her nose, was his amateur parenting status obvious?
“He won’t be running loose,” Jo assured her granddaughter. “As I’ve mentioned to Cash, Luke’s Anna and a few of her high school friends want to pick up extra money this summer by babysitting the children of Hideaway guests. What’s one more?”
Childcare. That was another expense on top of child support until he could track down his ex-wife—an endeavor he didn’t look forward to—and get things legally ironed out. Sure, her new husband—the second since she’d divorced Cash—didn’t want a boy around who didn’t belong to him. But typical of Lorilee, in the blink of an eye she could change her mind about the new marriage and the hasty disposal of their son. He didn’t trust her not to rethink her decision and call the law down on him for child abduction or something equally crazy.
Like her accusations of assault when he’d told her he planned to seek legal custody of Joey.
All he had now to stake a claim to his boy was a sack of personal documents with a scribbled note from Lorilee delivered by his former mother-in-law. The woman had dumped her grandson off at his place two days ago as he was readying to leave for Hunter Ridge.
“A babysitter on the premises would be great,” he acknowledged. But except for his pickup, which he had to hang on to, he didn’t have anything to sell for ready cash. Having lost his job at a horse training facility while jailed three-and-a-half years ago, he’d sold his two horses to help cover child support during those six months. He’d dig deep and come up with the money, though. Somehow.
But first, he had to find his boy. Who knew where the kid had gotten off to while his dad stood lollygagging with a pretty woman? “Maybe we can get together tomorrow, Rio. You know, once Joey’s settled in.”
She nodded, but clearly wasn’t on board with his apparently unexpected
