Thankfully, Loretta had been joking. Ashley had been moving the horses to the pasture so they could work on the stables unhindered.

“Ever held a broom before?” she asked.

Adam looked at Tyler, whom he had immediately disliked. “Course, haven’t you?”

“Nope,” Tyler said. “That’s what you have Mexicans for. They clean up the place.”

Adam bit his tongue, trying not to respond to the racist comment. Ashley also ignored it, but he could tell she didn’t approve. She was holding herself all stiff as if afraid of letting go.

“Yes, the key to doing this job properly is to have a method and stick to it. The floor of the stables is concrete, so we use a mixture of straw and hay bedding. The clean bedding can be kept to that side, the dirt and the muck go to the middle. Clear?” she asked.

“As mud. Why don’t you just dump all of it and start over? It’d be quicker.”

“Yes, Tyler, and much more expensive. We’re a working ranch. We can’t afford to waste anything. Okay, here you go.” Ashley handed both of them a metal pitchfork and showed them how to use it. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait, where are you going? I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s slave,” Tyler argued.

“You didn’t sign up for anything. You are here because you were sent here. I have to check the tack. Wouldn’t want you falling off your horse because a bridle was torn or a saddle damaged, now would we?”

Adam had to turn his face away to hide a grin. Ashley sounded like she would love Tyler to fall flat on his butt. He didn’t blame her one bit. The guy was a typical spoiled rich kid who believed he was above everyone else. The three months at the ranch would seem like forever if he didn’t get his attitude in check. Anyway, that was none of Adam’s business.

He concentrated on cleaning out the stall, wishing he had something to put in his nose. Maybe he would get used to the burning smell of urine. He used the pitchfork to move the clean bedding against the wall. Tyler stood and watched.

“You best get moving or you won’t finish before she gets back.”

“Who cares? You can be the teacher’s pet,” Tyler replied.

Adam resisted the urge to pitch Tyler into the middle of the dirty bedding he gathered into the center.

“Do you have to be so enthusiastic to impress the girl?”

Adam ignored Tyler. He didn’t care what the man thought of him. He kept working, moving the dirty bedding and lumps of manure into the wheelbarrow.

“Honestly, man, where is your pride?”

Adam’s knuckles whitened as he held the wheelbarrow full of muck and wheeled it over to the manure spreader. Then he came back and used a shovel to collect any large bits of manure left behind by the pitchfork. For some reason, Tyler was goading him on purpose and he wasn’t about to give in to him. But he would be lying if the shovel hadn’t proved tempting.

Finally, he swept the stall clear of all debris. He stripped off his shirt, enjoying the feel of the sun on his back as he worked. The manual labor was good for him. Tyler did more complaining and smoking than work, but Adam didn’t care. The stalls he was set to do were shining by the time Ashley came back to check on them.

“Well done, Adam. Those spots there need some absorbent deodorizer on them or they’ll stink to high heaven.”

“You mean it could smell worse than it does?”

“A whole lot worse. The stalls on the Double R are cleaned out every day, which makes a huge difference. You should visit some ranches where the staff are lazy and only clean them out once a week. Then you would know how awful it could smell.”

“What do we do now?” Adam asked as Tyler stood and stared.

“Leave the stalls to dry and air. We’ll put the new bedding down when the horses come back in. It’s better to keep them outside for as long as possible. Keeps them happier and lessens our work so a win/win for both sides.”

“So when do our riding lessons start?”

“How about now?” She smiled up at him before frowning at Tyler. “You better get a move on. If you don’t finish in the next hour, Henry and the boys will throw you in the manure pile.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I suggest you don’t test me to find out. Come on, Adam, let’s go find you a horse.”

She glanced at him. He caught her looking at his chest before he remembered he was naked from the waist up. He grabbed his T-shirt and threw it over his head.

“Sorry. I was hot.”

She didn’t reply. Adam followed her without looking back at the other man.