Thoroughbreds and Trailer Trash Read Online Free

his impatience seeped away. “Are you always this late?” he asked mildly.
    “Not always, but a lot. Depends on my massage schedule.” She gave an unrepentant smile. Stuck her head past him and checked the office. When she saw it was empty, she immediately backed away. “Better get out of there,” she said, tugging at his arm. “Wally doesn’t like people in his office. It wouldn’t be smart to piss him off, not on your first day.”
    “So,” she added, once she’d herded him to the middle of the aisle, “will you be working with the inventory or the cleanup? I can give you a quick tour if you want. Introduce you to everyone.”
    He paused, not usually at a loss for words, but her openness was refreshing. As the heavy for the Burke operations, employees either feared or disliked him. Not a problem, just the way it was. Still, this couldn’t go on.
    “I had a tour last month, Jenna.” He crossed his arms. “My name’s Derek Burke.”
    A flash of dismay then her expression shuttered, and she stepped back. “A pity. I liked you better with the hard hat.”
    “Come in. Shut the door.” He pivoted and walked back into his office.
    She followed but neglected to close the door. “What have you done with Wally?” she asked.
    “He’s moved into the receiving office at the other end of the barn.”
    Her shoulders relaxed as though that was the extent of her worries, and he frowned at the door, irritated she hadn’t followed his simple order. “Maybe you should be worrying about your own job,” he added.
    “Maybe, but not yet.” She tilted her head, eyeing him with sharp intelligence. “If Wally’s still here the rest of us are probably safe, at least for a while.”
    She was absolutely correct but in spite of his desire to keep staff intact, theft was cause for dismissal. He leaned back in his chair, studying her over steepled fingers, waiting for a fidget. It didn’t take long, fifteen seconds.
    She crossed the room and picked up one of his framed degrees. “Wow, you’re a smart guy.”
    “Put that down.”
    “Why do you have it here then?” she asked.
    “Certainly not for employees to handle.” He tilted his head and waited, realizing she wasn’t going to confess or beg. Obviously the job didn’t matter. Rather a pity. She’d shown him a simple kindness yesterday, and he’d already decided to let her stay.
    “I’m still an employee then?” She replaced the frame and swung around, her shoulders relaxing, and he realized then he’d made a mistake. The job mattered to her; it mattered very much.
    Good. It was always easier to control staff if he understood their motivations. “Of course, you’re still an employee,” he said. “At this stage, you’re my closest friend in Stillwater.”
    Her mouth curved with irrepressible humor. “Kind of like your number one employee?”
    “Let’s not push it,” he said, trying not to smile back. “And I don’t want to see you lugging any more company supplies to your car.”
    “Oh, you won’t see that again, Burke. Promise.”
    She flashed him a jaunty wave. He stupidly waved back, and she was gone before he could tell her not to call him Burke.
     
    ***
     
    The next ten interviews were tedious and much more routine, ranging from a stammering receptionist to a brown-nosing groom. Derek turned his chair, glancing out the window at the construction site, watching as wood was expertly planed. Yesterday they’d been resizing planks, and he itched to get his hands on a power saw.
    “Three Brooks is very important to me, Mr. Burke. I’m hoping to make head groom in five years.”
    Derek nodded, adding another doodle on his yellow pad.
    “I’ve been working here for three years and always intended to take courses on animal husbandry. There’s a college close by—”
    “Yes, yes. That’s excellent.” Derek waved a hand in dismissal. “Your salary will raise ten percent when you complete a diploma. That will be all.”
    The man—pointless