An Unlikely Rancher

“Maybe he won’t mind, Andee.” She stepped into the shower and turned it on. She took the time to wash her hair.

Chasing ostriches around was hot work. Maybe she should have agreed to pay Don Winkleman more.

Rob and Melody’s skepticism about her ability to make a go of the ranch was proving valid.

She vowed, as she dressed, that she’d do whatever it took.

She felt refreshed and upbeat by the time they left the house.

“It’s hot inside the car, Mommy.”

“I’ve turned on the air. It should cool down soon.” As she adjusted the vents, Jenna felt compassion for Flynn Sutton’s predicament with his home air conditioner. She hoped the repairman could offer an easy fix.

“Do you know where Mr. Flynn lives?”

“I have the address,” Jenna said, turning off the main street and driving in the direction the Realtor had marked on the map. The residential area didn’t look overly prosperous. Not that the homes were in decay, but they were far from being as elegant as the residential areas in Florida and Maryland.

“There. It’s that cream house with the dark green shutters.”

“I don’t see Beezer.”

Jenna rechecked the address on the back of Flynn’s business card. It was the right house. “It’s just five o’clock. Apparently we’ve beaten the repairman and Flynn.”

“Ah, you didn’t call him Mr. Sutton, either.”

Jenna frowned and parked at the curb. Oddly, in spite of counseling Andee on what to call him, she’d begun to think of him as Flynn, too. “He is renting from us, honey, so we’ll probably be on friendly terms.”

A panel truck with the Hometown Electric logo splashed across the side pulled to a stop behind Jenna. She got out of the Cherokee and put on her sunglasses.

“Mr. Fuller?” She extended her hand to the young man, who’d also gotten out.

“Ms. Wood, I guess?” He grinned and briefly touched Jenna’s hand. “Flynn said he might be detained. I’ll just run up a ladder and have a look at the unit.”

“Fine, we’ll wait under that tree.” Even now she felt a trickle of sweat under her bra.

J. D. Fuller was on the roof by the time Jenna saw Flynn’s pickup round the corner. He pulled into the driveway and sprang out of his truck, removing his sunglasses as he greeted her. He wore gray pants and a pale blue short-sleeved shirt that matched the color of his eyes.

He looked as handsome in civilian dress as he did in a flight suit. Better, maybe, she thought grudgingly.

She wished she hadn’t changed into her worn jeans.

Beezer leaped from the pickup, zeroing in on Andee, who greeted him with a big hug.

“Those two are quite a pair.” Flynn smiled at Jenna. “Have you been here long? Any verdict from J.D.?” He squinted up to the top of the roof.

“No, but he’s only been up there a few minutes. I’ve heard some banging around.”

“I’d open up and let you inside, but in this five-o’clock heat it’s probably cooler out here.” Flynn put his sunglasses back on.

“That’s okay. I’m pleasantly surprised to see this home is among the nicer ones on the block. And you have flowers along the front. That’s more than I have.”

“Yeah, I even have a nice patch of grass out back. Oscar said the couple who rented before me loved to garden.

“There, looks like J.D. is finished his inspection.” Flynn moved toward the ladder and Jenna took in his limp again.

The repairman stepped to the ground and adjusted his baseball cap. Waggling his clipboard, he beckoned Jenna closer.

She didn’t like the deep grooves between J.D.’s eyebrows.

“The compressor is shot,” he said.

That didn’t sound good. She could see the two men share a look.

“What does that mean in the way of repairs?” Jenna asked.

“It means you need a new air conditioner. As old as this unit is, it’s more costly to replace a compressor than to buy a new unit with a current SEER factor.”

Jenna glanced between the two, silently asking for more explanation.

Flynn undid his top button to open his collar and rubbed his neck as he hooked his sunglasses on the shirt. “SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. New regulations come out every few years.”

“I see. But this house passed inspection a few weeks ago,” she said. “Shouldn’t I have known about this issue then?”

J.D. shook his head. “When these suckers go, they go fast, often without warning. I maintained this for Mrs. Wilson. It operated fine. Now, poof, it’s shot.”

Taking a deep breath, Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I have brochures in the truck on the types we handle. Any of them could be installed as soon as possible.” J.D. ripped the sheet off his clipboard and passed it to Jenna. He loped off to the open back of his panel truck, where she heard him rummaging around.

“This is a bummer,” Flynn murmured, eyeing Jenna.

J.D. jogged back and gave Jenna three brochures. “The cheapest we recommend is $5,500 on up to $12,000. For a house this size I suggest the one at $8,000. It’s a workhorse and over the long haul will give you the best bang for your buck.”

All Jenna could think was that $8,000 was way more than a buck. Way more than she had in the savings account. “Is there such a thing as buying used?” she asked hesitantly.

The repairman looked sympathetic. “No.”

Not looking at Flynn, she paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. “The truth is I can’t afford any of these air conditioners at the moment. I’ll need to arrange for a bank loan, and I worry that since I’m new in town that may take time.”

The men didn’t respond. Flynn ran a hand through his cropped blond hair. “My rent’s paid up for this month. To be honest, I’ve sunk so much into the airpark I’m sort of strapped for cash, so I’m not in a position to front you the money and take it out in rent.”

Jenna glanced at Andee, who sat beneath the tree pretending to read to the dog.

Turning her gaze on Flynn, Jenna took a deep breath and said in a rush, “All I can think to do is to temporarily offer my upstairs. It’s vacant. Two bedrooms with a full bath. One room has a double bed and dresser and a TV. The movers hooked up cable. The second room has a daybed, a nightstand and bookcase. As for kitchen privileges, I can make room in a cupboard and the fridge. We can set a timetable so we don’t trip over each other.”

Flynn scrutinized Jenna for the longest time, then his dog. Even though Beezer sat in the shade, he was panting hard from the heat. “It isn’t ideal,” Flynn muttered darkly. “I’ll give you a month to square things with the AC. Just so we’re clear, there’s no need to get chummy because we’re sharing a house.”

Jenna’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. She sensed heat rising to her cheeks and was sure of it when J.D. said, “My card’s stapled to those brochures. Call when you decide which unit you’d like.” He left in a hurry.