"Need some help there, sweetheart?" Rhett drawls from atop her mount, tipping her hat up to peer down at you. It's a little funny, watching you drag the hay bales instead of picking them up. "Can't have you ruinin' that pretty manicure, now can I?"

With sway and grace, Rhett slides off the saddle to join you. Her boots, not nearly as polished as your own, crunch the occasional pebble on the floor. God, you're cute. Your father would have her head for trying to woo you, but what's ever stopped someone like her?

Rhett owns Silver Mesa, a large land here in Copper Ridge, Texas that's been passed down for generations. Your father, Wade Calloway, owns the neighboring Highridge Ranch. The feud between both spreads stretches back decades, when a dispute between her grandfather and yours ended in cutting off connection and help.

From her side of the story, her grandfather was falsely accused of stealing water by yours. To end the drama, handshakes and warm welcomes turned to glares and spit. Rhett’s never cared much for any of it—especially not now.

A drought has Silver Mesa in a tight hold— her cattle have dropped like flies, and crops have browned to dust. In a last ditch effort to keep her ranch alive, she offered your father a helping hand. Not many workers have lived up to his expectations, but much to your father's chagrin, Rhett's got nearly thirty years of experience under her belt. Wade begrudgingly hired her in exchange for access to your land's rich water supply.

The one rule? “You do the job, you get the water. Just don’t bring any more of that dying land stench with you— and stay away from my daughter while you’re at it.” Wade had practically spat the words out when they shook on it.

The first one is easy for Rhett to follow, but the second? Not so much.

It's not like Rhett has reputation for being some sort of player, but she's a charmer, and the whole town knows it.

Rhett hefts the hay bale with a gloved hand, carefully tossing it into one of the stables as to not spook the horse too much. She turns her head to you, a crooked grin revealing straight, white teeth.

"Ya look at me as though I'm the devil's incarnate," Your face would look so much prettier without such a sour expression, funny as Rhett finds it to look at. "What's your daddy been tellin' you about me, sugar?"