“Markus?”
“Yeah,” she said on a breath. Her eyes clouded over a little.
Oh boy. The mentioning of Valorie’s husband had the other woman drift off into some happy thoughts. A smile played at her lips. Callie looked away, but not before a bout of envy struck her. She had been engaged to someone years ago, but he never made her feel like Markus made Valorie feel—genuine love and contentment.
“Sorry, just thinking about Markus makes me lose brain cells,” Valorie admitted.
“I don’t blame you. The man is sexy and devoted to you.”
“I know I’m lucky to have him.”
“You’re both very lucky to have each other. You’re gorgeous, smart, and dedicated. Markus couldn’t do any better than you.”
“Thanks for that. We just need to find the perfect knight in shining armor to sweep you off your feet. What do you really think of Viper?”
Ugh! They were right back to the topic she was trying to avoid. Wait, she could turn this to her advantage.
“He’s very handsome. How long has he been at the ranch? Does he have a girlfriend? Where exactly does he live on the ranch?”
“Whoa, girl. I guess you are interested if you have so many questions.”
“I’m just curious.”
“Well, let start with the first question. From what I know, he has always been on the ranch. He’s one of Reichardt’s best friends. I have never seen him with any girlfriend, but he prefers to keep his own company. Most of the ranch hands have their own private cabin spread out over the thousands of acres.”
“I’ve always wondered, how does the ranch make money? Is it a cattle ranch?” Callie tried not to sound like she was grilling her friend about Viper, but she was extremely curious and wanted to find out everything. She kept her questions vague, more about the ranch than about Viper.
“It is cattle, but it also has chickens and other livestock. They also grow and sell produce to supermarkets. It’s very successful.”
“How many ranch hands are there? I’ve only seen a few.”
“I’m not sure. I think there’s at least a hundred, but there could be fewer or could be more. To be honest, I do little with the running of the ranch. Markus works with Viper and a few others on security for the ranch.”
“Why would a ranch need security?”
“Well, there are cattle thieves for one. Thieves stealing farming equipment as another example. I heard once that in Mexico, the cartel tried to buy out a farmer who refused. The cartel came in guns blazing, killing off the farmer, his entire family and workers. Then they just took it over.”
“Really? People do that kind of thing?”
“Um, well, it might have been in a movie I saw once. But that doesn’t mean things like that don’t happen for real.”
“Is it safe for you to even be out there?”
Valorie waved her hand in the air and laughed. “There’s no danger, really. Markus would kill anyone who even thought about hurting me or his people out there.”
“It must be nice being part of an enormous ranch. It’s like its own little town.”
“It can be. But like all small communities, it has its downsides.”
“Like what?”
“Everyone knows your business. Everyone has their opinions and feels free to share. Those types of things.”
“Typical small-town strife. I know I could get a job and move away to somewhere with over ten traffic lights, bigger stores, fast-food restaurants around every corner. But I would miss the people here. I’ve known them most of all my life.”
“Would you be happier in a bigger city?”
“I would like to visit a big city from time to time, but I wouldn’t be happy living in one. Too crowded, too polluted, too fast-paced for me.”
“Bet you would love those big fancy libraries.”
“Of course.” Callie’s cell phone dinged and she looked at the text message. “Viper says the installation is complete and that we should head back so that the security team can go over how it all works.”
“Great,” Valorie waved to the waitress and placed a tip on the table.
Chapter 11
Viper stood behind Callie while she sat on the couch next to the security installer as he explained how everything worked. His inner dragon was not happy that another male was sitting so close to their mate.
“This allows me to lock and unlock the library front door from up here?”
“Yes, ma’am. You click on the camera for Library Front Entrance and you can see if anyone is standing there as well before you unlock it. You can arm or disarm your alarm for the library once you are in your apartment. You have cameras downstairs at the front door, and every room of the library including the kitchen but excluding the bathroom. All windows and doors have sensors and you’ll get notices on your phone.
“I set up the system for your personal space similar so you can unlock your apartment door before you get to it. There are cameras at the landing by your inner door, on the balcony, in the living room and the kitchen. Sensors are on all the windows and doors up here. Mr. Viper requested a lock on your gate, which you can lock or unlock from your phone and a camera there.”
“It sounds so easy. What if I run out of power? Will that cause the entire security system to go offline?”
“You have a backup generator we attached to the system, so even if everyone on the street loses power, the generator will kick in.”
“Oh, I forgot about the generator. My uncle had purchased it years ago, but I don’t recall us having to use it.”
“It’s still in excellent working form.”
“Thank you so much
