As he finished signing off on some paperwork and gave a wave to the trailer as it pulled away, he looked around, taking in his new surroundings. He was grateful for this job, very grateful. Life had thrown him some curves, okay, a lot of curves, but he finally felt like he was getting on top of things and getting his life together. This new job, he'd only been in it a couple of weeks now, but it seemed to be going pretty well. The big thing to him was that he was working with horses again, something he loved dearly and felt was in his blood. His Olympic dreams had been crushed, as he'd almost been too, but he'd finally put that behind him, along with a failed marriage and everything else that had fallen apart the last few years. He'd at least come out of the marriage with a great daughter and at least an amicable relationship with his ex. For both things, he was grateful. He'd been a mess after his Olympic dreams had ended, and that had contributed to the downfall and ultimate collapse of his marriage, but thankfully, now, a few years later, things were much better, and he had a job he believed he would enjoy.

His new boss seemed okay so far-fair and respectable. Other than that, he couldn't get a read on her yet. He felt he read people well, but she was still a mystery. To be fair, he hadn't spent a lot of time around her yet. She was in and out a lot, trusting her staff to do their jobs. He respected that, at least, knowing she wasn't hovering constantly. From the little he'd heard from the staff, they liked her and respected her too. Some said she was caring, but he hadn't seen that side of her at all. She'd been all business with him, which was fine. He wasn't looking for a best friend. He was looking for a boss who treated him fairly and knew his abilities. On one level, he knew she was just like any of these other fancy race horse owners; they were all the same. If he'd met one, he'd met them all. They were all very wealthy, ran in elite social circles, had a very high standard of care for their business and horse care, and were quick to dismiss problems and employees if let down or their horses started losing. The fact that he'd landed this job, head stable manager, for a stable that had a Kentucky Derby winning horse was short of amazing. Many stables hadn't even given him a callback after he'd submitted a resume, so if anything, he was very thankful someone had given him a chance. Time would tell just how high society she was. This area of Alberta was crawling with massive ranches, huge horse operations, and a lot of very, very wealthy people.

As he walked back to the stable now, the trailer he'd loaded long out of sight, he took in the gorgeous scenery, thankful to work in such a beautiful place. One thing that puzzled him, leading him to believe his new boss was a lot more high society than maybe he'd been led to believe was that she didn't even live on the grounds of this sprawling facility. There was a mansion on the grounds, one that almost anyone would give anything to live in. The other employees said she used it still, but she didn't live there. He'd seen her coming from there with food or coffee, but it was unbelievable to him she lived somewhere else even better than this. Yes, this was a different level of rich for sure, where one incredible stable operation still wasn't good enough. He wondered just how fancy and sprawling her place must be. He'd have to look into it. One of the guys had mentioned she lived on a ranch nearby, and also had a house in France where the rest of the operations were located, and while he hadn't said anything at the time, he wanted to ask how many houses were enough for this new boss of his. She worked from home a lot, and the image of just how grand that space must be popped into his head. Some people just really had too much money to spend.

His wandering thoughts had distracted him, so he snapped out of it, determined to get back to work. He heard a rumbling and turned to see that while lost in his thoughts, an old truck had arrived on the property. Sighing, he turned back toward where he'd just sent off the trailer, knowing he would have to get rid of this guy. The truck came to a stop and parked in the one place no one was allowed to park. He walked quickly toward it, hoping to easily get rid of this guy. He'd been told and had now seen in his two weeks on the job that random people would stop in to 'put eyes on' the horse that had won the Kentucky Derby. It was becoming more and more of a nuisance, and he'd experienced it firsthand already four or five times in just the two weeks he'd been here. He'd get rid of this guy and get back to work, hopefully without further interruption today.

As he approached the truck, he couldn't help but notice it was old, really old, and had plenty of rust. It had seen better days, and he was amazed this thing was still running. The only thing older than the truck was the man who stepped out of it. Sizing him up, he hoped the guy wasn't lost or senile, but he was pretty confident it would be easy to convince him to leave.

"You can't park there," he called to the man, making sure his voice was loud and clear. Someone of this guy's age probably couldn't hear anything. He took in this old cowboy's appearance and figured that the truck was probably the most expensive thing the guy owned. His hat was worn, and he had on a tan field jacket that a lot of the old guys around this area seemed to wear. It was vastly different than the elite, racing world where people dressed with much more polish and style. This guy was ancient, and Edwin just hoped he wasn't too senile to move off the property.

He yelled it again, noting the man had bent back into the truck, probably forgetting what he was doing there anyways. Geez, this guy didn't just look old; he looked ancient.

"You can't park there," he almost yelled, hoping the guy could hear him, as he walked up to the truck now, making eye contact with the man finally, and he gestured as he spoke, "This spot is reserved for the owner. Perhaps I can point you in the right direction if you are lost."

The man stood up at the truck, turned, and frowned at him. Edwin was sure the guy was going to ask about where he was, that or where he could just look at the Kentucky Derby horse.

"Well," the man said with a nod of his head and somewhat of a hidden smile under that ridiculously huge mustache of his, "it's a good thing I'm married to her. I don't think she'll mind, and technically, I suppose, if this is for the owner, and I'm married to her, then I suppose I legally own half this place, not that I want to be in the horse racing business myself, so I'm parked in just the place I should be."

"Sorry, what?" he asked, now terribly confused, or maybe this guy was really confused. He didn't seem senile, old yes, but he was fit for his age, really tall-towering over him, but something didn't fit.

"You must be Edwin," the man extended his hand. "Jack," he nodded to himself. "Lisa told me you had started recently."

Edwin knew his face must have turned a pasty white, and he was glad for his own beard to cover up his face. This guy didn't fit-was he for real? He knew too much to not have some truth to his statement, but there was no way he was married to Lisa. Before he was caught there gawking at the man, Jack, he went through the robotic motion to shake the guy's hand, Edwin dumbfounded at the situation. He snapped out of his stupor when he heard the guy talking again.

"Lisa's really glad to have found someone with all of your background and knowledge. She's had trouble finding the right fit in a stable manager lately. She was really fond of one who retired awhile back, and he'd been on here since her dad was alive running the place, so," he said with a kind nod, "I hope things work out, for your sake and," he chuckled, "for Lisa's and mine because I get an earful when things don't work out."

"Ahh, yes, Edwin," he said, his eyes feeling like they were popping out of his head. He wanted to just take in all of this guy, Jack, and figure out what was off here.

"Hey there, Cowboy," both men heard, and both turned toward the voice. Edwin noted his boss walking toward them, bundled up with the extremely cold temperatures. She carried herself always with class; he'd already noticed that in the two weeks he'd been working, and even now as she stepped outside from the office, she was bundled in a black wool coat and a beautiful and probably really expensive scarf over it. Leather gloves were on her hands, but she's stuffed them in her pockets with the cold weather, and she had on what he knew had to be really expensive black heeled boots, her trademark here. He watched her as she walked toward them, now intrigued, and questioning everything he believed to have been true about her. "I saw you pulling up from my office and just had to see the reason for this nice surprise."

Edwin felt like he was invisible as he watched the pair. Definitely interesting. He'd not seen a look of warmth on Lisa's face before, the all-business face gone, at least for the moment, and instead, she was smiling ear to ear.

"You forgot your coffee," he told her, focused only on her and not at all on Edwin more, a stainless steel mug in his hand as he stepped toward her, leaving Edwin there to watch this scene. "Lyndy found it on the bathroom counter, and she was really intent that I bring it to 'the other GG, GG Lisa' as she called you this morning," he chuckled.

Edwin's head was spinning at these two, the complete odd couple in his opinion. He was further blown away when Lisa's face broke into a wide smile and she gripped Jack's arms, reaching up to greet him properly. Edwin wasn't sure he'd ever kissed his ex-wife with that much fervor. For an old guy, this Jack seemed to be a lot more of a mystery than his appearance had shown. Edwin studied his clipboard only because he felt awkward here now, but trying to step away and get back to work would be rude and awkward as well. Plus, it was intriguing to him now to figure out this couple. He glanced back at the rusty old truck, wanting to shake his head. That certainly didn't fit with Lisa's Porsche, something he was used to seeing parked in that spot.

"Well, thank you," Edwin heard Lisa tell Jack. "Lyndy has been funny trying out different names with me. It's sweet. As for the coffee, I realized I'd left it when I parked up at the house, but I don't remember leaving it in the bathroom. I must have been distracted when fixing my hair. All of this with Platinum Bow has my mind wandering. I made a fresh cup up at the house, but that's long gone, so thank you."

"All the more reason I wanted to bring it by, but," Edwin watched as Jack almost fidgeted, and if Edwin was right, it seemed Jack, the old guy Jack, was attempting to flirt, leaning toward Lisa and saying something in a low tone, whatever it was had Lisa grinning. The guy really was a mystery, but as he watched, he was certain of it. He'd never seen Lisa smile like she was, and she hadn't been able to keep her hands off Jack, her hand now on Jack's arm, but she'd already held his hand in hers and patted at his chest too. Both were completely shocking him from his initial impressions. "I took the liberty to drink your coffee but I did brew a new pot and replaced yours. So, this is hot and fresh." Lisa took the coffee from Jack, and finally, Edwin caught her eye.

"Oh, Edwin," she gave him a small smile and nod. Edwin wanted to laugh; Lisa had been so focused on Jack's arrival that she really hadn't noticed he was there. "This is my husband, Jack. Jack," she nodded with her free hand on Jack's chest, "Edwin, my new stable manager."

"We were just getting acquainted," Jack glanced to Edwin and looked back at Lisa. "Good to meet you," Jack gave a nod and tilt of his hat. He looked down at Lisa, "I was just telling him that I hope things work out because replacing Harry hasn't been easy."

"No," she said with a warm smile at both men, "he was like family, and he embodied loyalty, something very valuable to me."

"Nice to meet you, Jack," Edwin finally found his voice. "I'm very happy to be here, and I promise," he chuckled slightly now with how he'd approached Jack, "I won't try to run you off again."

Lisa glanced between the two, and Edwin caught that. Jack started to laugh, and he nodded, then looking back to Lisa, shook his head, almost indicating he'd tell her later.

"The coffee was one reason to stop by. Another, I didn't see you this morning since you left while I was still out with the herd. You'd also mentioned you wanted my opinion on Platinum Bow's recovery, and," he grinned at Lisa, which Edwin had to chuckle quietly because Jack almost couldn't help but flirt with her, "you mentioned the kitchen sink up at the house was dripping, so I'm here to fix it."

"Wow, I am the lucky one, coffee delivery, horse expertise, and my very own handy man. Come on," she reached for his hand, and the two gave a nod to Edwin.

"I need to get back to work," Edwin gestured at them, and they both gave him a nod. "I'm sure I'll see you around, Jack."

"Ahh, probably not as much as you think," Jack chuckled, Lisa's arm looped through his. "I keep up with a 600-acre cattle ranch while Lise tackles this place. Glad you are helping with her load."

Edwin watched the two walk into the stable, dumfounded while rooted in his spot. Truly fascinating. Okay, a 600-acre cattle ranch-that explained where Lisa lived, but what in the world did that place look like? Edwin figured it probably had a house as big, if not bigger than the one on this property. Definitely the odd couple as far as he could tell, and a quick glance at the rusty old truck had him nodding at that idea.

"Billy, hey," Edwin saw the head trainer walking by and wanted to get some information. He'd not probed a lot about people or things here yet, but after watching this interesting pair, he felt like he needed more information.

"What's up?" Billy asked him, and he turned to where Edwin was gesturing at Jack and Lisa now almost to the barn, Lisa's arm still looped through Jack's.

"What' the deal with them?" Edwin asked.

"Jack?" Billy asked him with a questioning gaze, and when Edwin nodded, Billy shrugged. "Jack's a good guy, pretty down to earth, what you see is what you get kind of guy. He's quiet, not around here too much. Lisa lights up when he's around. That's the only time I see her, what giddy? That might be the right word. Otherwise, you've seen it, she's all business. He definitely brings out another side of her. Not sure how long they've been married, awhile though, longer than I've been here, which is eight years. Jack's not into the horse racing business. Jack's a good one, much better than Lisa's ex, Dan. He's into horse breeding and racing too, and sometimes he stops by, really just to irritate Lisa. When you meet him, get rid of him. No one here likes him, most of all Lisa. He's your typical racing snob. Lisa found the exact opposite with Jack."

Edwin nodded as he listened and gestured, "So, he just seems so-"

"Old?" Billy laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, he is like 20 some years older than Lisa. He's got grandkids even great-grandkids. Lisa loves them like they're her own. Some of them show up here at times. All of them are into horses, just in different ways. The one granddaughter, Amy, she is like into horse therapy or something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but she rehabs horses and is really good at it. One of the great-granddaughters is into jumping and is off training for that, maybe the Olympics. Oh," he pointed at Edwin, "sometimes Lisa has the little one with her, ahh Lyndy," he nodded, "and just make sure she doesn't get into the horse stalls. She loves horses too, but she's too little to be around these big-time racing horses. She usually plays in Lisa's office, but we've found her wandering around wanting to meet all the horses."

"Okay," Edwin nodded, "ahh good to know, but I wasn't going to say old. I was probably going to say odd, like the odd couple. He doesn't give off the same vibe. He seems like a legit old-time cowboy, not one of these weekend cowboys who dress the part but have loads of city money."

Billy shook his head, "He is an old-time cowboy. Jack was a legend on the rodeo circuit, has a big cattle ranch, and he owns Heartland Beef." Edwin's eyes widened at that, some of this now making more sense. "Like I said, he's not into horse racing. He lets Lisa do the traveling while he stays home. He'd rather try and fix anything than buy new."

Edwin chuckled and gestured back to the truck, "Yeah, I noticed with that rusty truck."

"Don't mess with his truck," Billy gestured at him with a nod. "I think Amy once told me-when I was working on a horse with her- that Jack didn't hate much in life but hated change, cruelty to horses, disloyalty, anyone messing with his trucks, and most of all though, hated upsetting Lisa. She told me that, which I always found funny."

"Interesting," Edwin noted. "Thanks, definitely didn't picture Lisa with a guy like that. I'm surprised, maybe impressed, you know, with how some of these rich horse owners are."

Billy nodded, understanding, "Lisa's not what you might expect. Sure, she is on some level, yeah, wealthy horse owner and all, but she's a good boss. She's not into the high society like a lot of these people are. You'll see," he nodded to Edwin. "I think that's why she works from home a lot. She just likes being around Jack and the family, and that my friend," Billy patted Edwin's back, "is a rare thing to find. Lost two wives not putting them first myself."

Edwin glanced at Billy, "Divorced myself. I hear you. Thanks for the info."

"Anytime," Billy nodded and walked off. Edwin started back toward the stable, stopping to give some instructions to one of the stable hands. By the time he was back working in the tack room, he noticed Jack and Lisa now stepping back outside. They'd been down looking in on Bow when he'd gone into the tack room, but now they were headed toward the main house, hand in hand, both laughing. Truly fascinating. Perhaps he'd misjudged his new boss and just perhaps this job would be the perfect fit for him.