Stabled (The Stables Trilogy #1) Read Online Free PDF

felt good to be there.
     
    Maybe this was a place she could let go a bit. Try and be normal again.
     
    Dressing quickly, she threw her hair in a ponytail and went to grab dinner. She was eager to meet the other ranch workers and, if she was honest, eager to see J.B again.
     
    But Maple wasn’t being honest with herself. No, she was pushing all of that deep down.

     
    J.B. had been right-- she heard the kitchen area long before she saw it. When she did round a corner, the sight that greeted her stopped her mid-step.
     
    It was like a restaurant kitchen. Steel appliances, dark stone counters, crisp white cabinets. Everything was clean, and it was huge . Behind an eight burner gas range was a pretty girl, maybe a little older than Maple, with long, dark hair and eyes and beautiful, brown skin. She was busily alternating between stirring a few pots, chopping onions and herbs, and laughing whenever one of the men made a joke.
     
    The men-- there were three of them-- were sitting at a long, rough cut table. Well, it was one of those tables meant to look rough, but it had the stain and sheen of a designer table. Maple sighed. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the luxury of J.B.’s home. It felt as if he was trying to appear modest, with the ranch style and simple layout and designs. But everything had that extra touch of elegance that made her feel as if she were in a museum.
     
    She hadn’t felt comfortable in her parents’ home, but she was a fish out of water here.
     
    “New girl!” One of the men stood. No, on closer inspection, he seemed like he might be her age, maybe younger. He was taller than her, but not by much. Clear, mocha skin and a shaggy mane of black hair. His eyes were so dark they were almost black.
     
    They were inquisitive and intense and Maple blushed and had to work not to stare at her feet.
     
    “Um… hi?”
     
    “Come in!” He loped over to her with a friendly, awkward gait, and draped an arm over her shoulder. “New blood! Sit down. I’ll grab you some food. Tell us every single thing there is to know about you.”
     
    Flustered, she found herself thrown onto a bench, the other two men looking at her and trying to hide their chuckles. “There isn’t much to say--”
     
    In a heartbeat, a plate appeared before her. Rice, beans, shredded beef. It should have been simple food. It was anything but. The rice was fragrant with lime and bursts of cilantro, still steaming. Black beans in a sauce that had hints of cumin and fresh oregano. Spooned on top was fresh pico de gallo, with tiny winks of jalapeño.
     
    She speared some of the shredded beef and tasted it. And promptly died from pleasure. It was so tender it fell apart and melted like butter in her mouth. It was a fattier piece of meat and, despite being from a cheaper cut, still tasted better than the steaks she’d had. “Oh God,” she sighed, rolling the spicy-sweet meat on her tongue. “This is incredible.”
     
    “Mariela makes the best barbacoa around. It helps that J.B. lets us have one of his cows every quarter.”
     
    “What breed?”
     
    “American Wagyu.”
     
    Ah. She understood, and couldn’t believe the level of generosity J.B. had with his staff. American Wagyu steers had to be registered in the U.S. Known for intense marbling, the beef fetched high prices at market. “He lets you have a steer?”
     
    “Mmhmm! I’m Raúl. What’s your name?”
     
    Raúl was sitting close to her. Far closer than a new acquaintance should. He leaned in, elbow on the table near her, fingers resting just to the side of her plate. The intimacy of him made her pulse quicken. She’d jumped right into her relationship with Tony. That meant she was limited in her flirting experience.
     
    His closeness, the cheeky smile he kept flashing her, was nice. It also made her uncomfortably nervous. Flirting seemed like one of those innocent behaviors normal people did. Maple didn’t know if she could be normal