It wasn’t long after that she took him to her bed, ignoring the voice that told her getting involved with an employee was a very bad idea. That voice didn’t bother her much, though, because unlike the faceless lovers of her city past, she remembered every moment of their time together. She had only ever really been interested in horses, but being with Chad showed her that there was a lot she had missed. For the first time she found herself daydreaming during work—thinking about their night together, vaguely bothered that he was a member of her staff. And then he would catch her eye, and the only thing she could think about was being alone with him. It didn’t matter that they kept their affair a secret from the rest of the staff, she enjoyed having him to herself and enjoyed the privacy of their relationship.

She was so blinded by this new world that she didn’t realize when his questions about the ranch started taking a more specific turn. Was the place paid off? How much did they (he was already talking as though they were business partners) bring in every month? How many rides did they usually do in their busy season, and how many horses did she need to sell in her off-season? She answered his questions honestly, never seeing how he calculated her worth in dollars, how he distracted her with his kisses.

Mrs. Rodriquez, however, saw everything, and even some things Jessie didn’t. After six months of the affair, she approached Jessie in the kitchen one afternoon when she came in for coffee.

“I know you are fascinated with this boy, mija,” she had said unapologetically. “But I don’t think he is all he says he is.”

Jessie sighed. She knew this was coming. Mrs. Rodriquez had known her longer than anyone else who was on this ranch, and wouldn’t let her alone if she thought something wasn’t going well.

“I know, I know. But he’s fun for right now!” She tried to brush off the seriousness of the conversation with a laugh, but her faithful housekeeper would have none of it.

“He may seem to be funny, and he may even be all he thinks he is,” she said knowingly. “But he is not right for you. He walks around by himself sometimes, looking at everything like he is putting a price tag on it. And he looks at you the same way. Maybe it would be good to be careful with him, a little bit?”

Jessie smiled and agreed, hugged this honest woman who wanted to protect her, and went back to work, secretly looking for the cowboy in tall boots. As she did, it occurred to her that the fascination with Chad was very like looking at the bright lights of an oncoming truck: the question was, did she want to get out of the way?

Despite her better judgment, the voice that was getting faint with disuse anyway, and Mrs. Rodriquez’s frequent warnings, Jessie asked Chad to stay with her during their off season in the summer. This wasn’t something new. She had always kept the best wrangler on during the hot summer months to help with the horses, and other chores that needed doing. But with Chad, she thought it might be a little deeper. He might be someone to keep her company during the days that were so hot all she could do was sweat or sleep. Someone who could rise early with her and get the work done before the hottest part of the day rolled over them. Someone who could work again at night, finishing what needed finishing in the cooler part of the evening.