The Hired Hand.pdf

THE HIRED HAND

Melissa Schroeder

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Published by

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

Whiskey Creek Press

PO Box 51052

Casper, WY 82605-1052

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are

products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any

resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons,

living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of

the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and

retrieval system, without permission in writing from the

publisher.

ISBN 1-59374-024-7

Credits

Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter

Editor: Chere Gruver

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

To Terry Wilde Spear whose tireless help, encourage-

ment and critiques enabled me to write The Hired Hand and so

many more. You’re the best critique partner a gal could ever

have.

AND

To Les, who did the laundry, listened to me whine, and

always believed. You are my lover, my friend, and my favor-

ite research tool. I push and you stay the course. I love you.

Chapter 1

“You hired me a what?” Marlow Smith asked from behind

clenched teeth.

“Marlow,” Joey said, as if talking to a five-year-old. “It’s a

birthday present. You need to cut loose. You need a break.”

Marlow stared at her best friend and administrative assis-

tant, wondering if she’d taken to drinking in the middle of the

afternoon. Joey stood before her, a red spandex excuse for a

dress in her hands, a calm look on her perfect face. Yep, she’d

been hitting the bottle .

“A break? A break does not include hiring a gigolo for the

night!”

With an exasperated sigh, Joey tossed the dress on the

bed. “Listen, hon, you’ve been working like crazy the last few

months. The problems with the company...well, you need to

get laid.”

“Yeah, I know, but...a gigolo? Josephenia Vernon! A gig-

olo!”

“Listen, you haven’t dated anyone since Vic. You need

this, and Clarice owed me.”

Only Joey would have a childhood friend who became the

owner of an escort service. Marlow didn’t even want to con-

template what favor Clarice owed her. “There is no way on

earth this is going to happen, Joey.”

“Marlow—”

“No, I’m not the type of woman who needs...”

The Hired Hand

Joey placed a hand on each hip and raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, I’m not the type who wants a gigolo.” Joey

snorted but kept her mouth shut. “Now, how much time do

we have?”

Joey’s eyes widened. “I thought you said you didn’t want

to go.”

“I don’t want a gigolo but we’re going to the club and fir-

ing him. I can’t let him sit there all night, wondering what

happened.”

“Marlow—”

“No. We’re going and I’m going to stand there while

you’ll explain you’re the one who hired him and I don’t desire

to avail myself of his services for the evening!” She still

couldn’t believe Joey pulled this! “When were we supposed to

meet him?”

“Ten. And it was supposed to be you, not both of us.”

Marlow glanced at her watch. She had less than an hour.

There was no reason to panic. They’d meet the man and tell

him what happened. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I feel

funky.” She grabbed her toiletry bag. “Don’t try anything

while I’m gone.”

She emerged from the shower ten minutes later, the

grime of the two-hour car trip after a long day at work

washed away. Immediately, she realized her clothes were no

longer sitting on the counter where she had placed them. She

shrugged it off, thinking Joey must have grabbed them up. Af-

ter hurriedly drying her hair, she wrapped the towel around

her body and walked out the door into the empty bedroom.

“Joey?” Silence. “Joey?”

Uneasiness crept into her stomach, souring the contents.

“Joey?” Still nothing.

She walked into the living room and the worry increased

when she found it empty as well. Thinking to get dressed as

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