Home on the Ranch: Rodeo Legend

by Pamela Britton

  Well the store clerk sure hadn’t made it sound that way. “So I need to go to a riding store.”

  “You’re going to let me ride?” Bella squeaked.

  “Not today.” She took a deep breath. She’d given his offer some thought while she’d been out running errands. “Mr. Gillian has offered to give you some lessons, Bella. I think it’s a good idea. That way we’ll both know what we’re getting into.”

  Bella stared up at her incredulously. Then, darting forward, she wrapped her hands around Ava’s waist and hugged her as tightly as Ava had ever felt Bella hold her.

  “Oh, Momma. Thank you so much.”

  Momma. She was in every sense of the word. Her throat tightened because she couldn’t have loved Bella more than if she’d given birth to her herself. She inhaled, trying to keep the tears at bay. They’d been through so much together and yet here they were, starting a new life in a new town with a new hope for the future.

  “You have to keep your grades up.”

  “I will.” Bella leaned back, brown eyes so like Paul’s and so filled with joy. “I promise.”

  Ava glanced up at Carson. He had the strangest expression on his face. Almost as if her daughter’s reaction had moved him, too.

  “Well, now that that’s settled.” She saw him take a deep breath. “You won’t be able to find the boots you need at a department store. Try the local feed store. And while you’re there, maybe get some boot-cut jeans, too.”

  She had no idea what those were, but she supposed she’d find out. “Where’s the store?”

  “If you hang on a moment, I can show you the place. I have to pick up some feed today anyway.”

  More time spent in the oh-too-distracting Mr. Carson Gillian’s company. Great.

  “Can we go today, Mom? Pleeezzz?” Bella’s brown eyes were imploring. “Carson said I could ride tomorrow as long as I have the proper attire.”

  She knew she was fighting a losing battle. And, really, when else would she have time to do it? She should take advantage of a quiet cell phone while she could.

  “Okay, sure.”

  “Cool!”

  And that was how Ava found herself following Carson into downtown Via Del Caballo, a place that still felt unfamiliar to her. It’d been such a long road to get to where she was that she’d sworn to herself she’d get out more often. It seemed like she’d spent the last two months throwing herself into her job and taking care of Bella.

  “Mmm. My hands smell so good.” Bella held up a horse-stained palm for Ava’s inspection. “Smell.”

  “No thank you.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Do you think we might buy a horse from Carson?”

  Ava glanced down, wishing like hell Paul could see her, all smiles and happiness. She’d been so gung ho to ride that horse. It reminded her so much of Paul. He’d been afraid of nothing, too.

  “I think we’ll have to wait and see.”

  “If we did, maybe I could keep it out at Gillian Ranch.”

  So she would have to deal with Carson on a regular basis? No thank you.

  “Hmm. I don’t think they board horses there.”

  “It sure is a nice ranch.”

  It was indeed. Ava couldn’t imagine living among such splendor. She’d worked her butt off to get herself through medical school while raising Bella. The irony was that Bella had inherited a small fortune from her dad’s insurance policy, but it was money she couldn’t touch until she was much older. Paul had left Ava custody of Bella and nothing else, but that hadn’t surprised her. They’d been about to get married when he’d fallen from the side of that mountain—an adrenaline junkie to the last. Foolish man.

  The taillights of Carson’s truck lit up and Ava forced herself to focus.

  Via Del Caballo was a small town, one with numerous small ranches and farms that they’d passed on their way toward downtown. It was, as Ava liked to say, a one-stoplight town, although not literally. There was, however, a main drag—a street with a hairdresser, restaurant and, she suddenly realized, a feed store, not to mention cute little boutiques and other businesses. The walkways were all covered, potted plants hanging from between posts and the rafters. Quaint. That was what she called it, and why she’d decided to settle there.

  She directed her SUV into a diagonal parking spot next to Carson’s, the sound of his truck’s diesel engine loud enough to temporarily drown out Bella’s squeal when she spotted what looked like puppies in a wire kennel up against the front of the store.

  Oh, dear goodness. The other thing Bella had always wanted.

  “Mom. Look. Puppies.” She grabbed the door handle.

  Ava reached for her just in time. “Bella Marie Moore, don’t you dare get out of this car.” And this time her daughter actually listened. It must have been Ava’s tone of voice because Bella glanced back at her with wide eyes. “We’ll go in together.”

  Carson was waiting for her near the front of her SUV when they exited into bright summer sunshine. That was what she loved about Via Del Caballo. The weather. It cooled off at night thanks to an ocean on the other side of the coastal mountains, warming up once the overcast burned off. Beautiful weather. Gorgeous scenery thanks to the grass-covered hills and lush, ancient oaks. Cute little town with its single-lane street and stately homes near the center of downtown. She was renting one of those homes not far from where they stood.

  “Ready to do some shopping?” he asked Bella.

  Her daughter nodded, but Ava was clearly distracted. Carson’s eyes followed her gaze, a smile coming to his face when he spotted the black-and-white puppies behind the wire cage.

  “Uh-oh,” he said.

  She’d denied Bella a dog for years. Between finishing medical school, her residency and living in an apartment, she hadn’t felt it feasible. But now they were settled and she knew in that instant she’d be going home with more than new boots today.

  “Mom, can I pet them?”

  Carson caught her gaze, his smile seeming to say, You’re in for it now.

  “It’s not up to me, Bella. We’ll have to ask the store owner.”

  “Oh, he won’t mind.” Carson’s brows dropped when he smiled. On any other man those thick brows would be overpowering, but Carson had such a masculine face with a thick jaw and square chin that they suited him. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

  Bella didn’t want to leave the little pups behind, but Ava held out her hand, her meaning clear. Behind them a truck roared past, nearly drowning out what she said.

  “Probably never going to get a dog.”

  Ava winced inside. The poor kid had been a trouper throughout the years. It hadn’t been easy, just the two of them. Bella had gone without a lot most of the time. Once she’d completed her residency and been hired at Via Del Caballo General, Ava’d promised herself all that would change. No more scrimping. No more saving. Time to live a little. Time for Bella to enjoy the spoils of victory.

  “Well, look who’s here,” said a man from behind a counter to the left of the doorway. His friendly eyes matched the gray in his hair, his black apron with VDC Farm & Feed printed on the front nearly wrapping all the way around his small frame. “The rodeo legend in the flesh.”

  “Hardly a legend,” Carson said, holding up his elbow.

  “Ouch. What happened there?”

  “Broke my elbow. Surgery next week.”

  “Too bad.”

  “Tell me about it.” Carson turned back to her. “Tom, this is Dr. Ava Moore and her daughter, Bella. They just moved here.”

  Tom’s gray brows lifted above the rim of his glasses. “A doctor, huh? You don’t look old enough to be one of those.”

  Maybe someday people would stop saying that, but she didn’t take offense. It was hard not to instantly like that man with the wire glasses and graying h
air.

  “Nice to meet you, Tom.” She smiled. “You have a nice store.”

  The place smelled like a shoe store and a waffle house, such a strange combination that she paused and took stock of her surroundings. Windows along the front allowed light to stream in. Stacks of bags of feed were piled to her left in multiple rows. That was where the sweetness came from, she realized. To her right stood a combination of clothing and horse equipment, bridles and saddles hanging along the long wall, the clothes in rounds to her right. Boots stood on a display in front of her, but Bella never gave them a glance.

  “Are the puppies for sale?” Bella asked.

  Above the rim of his glasses, Tom looked down at her daughter as he leaned across the counter, his weight on his elbows. “Well, now,” said the older man, “that depends.” He glanced past Bella and caught Ava’s gaze. “You thinkin’ you might want to buy one?”

  Bella turned and glanced back. “Mom?”

  It was decision time. Ava knew. And just as she’d known it was time to give Bella the first of her dreams—riding lessons—she knew it was time to give her the second most sacred wish.

  “Go ahead and look.”

  The way her daughter’s face lit up, the way her whole smile brightened, the excitement and happiness...well, Ava suddenly wanted to cry again. This week would go down in history, no doubt.

  Bella was gone in an instant.

  Carson met her gaze, brow raised. “A puppy and horseback riding lessons all in one day,” he said. “Kid’s living the dream.”

  She deserved it. Her kid should get a medal for all she’d endured, not a puppy. Plus, maybe it would help with the terrible dreams she’d been having lately.

  “Ooh, Mom, look at that one.”

  She followed her daughter outside. Beneath the covered overhang, six adorable puppies had spotted Bella, one of them balancing on its back paws, big brown eyes staring up at her.

  “Can I hold him?” Bella asked.

  Tom had followed them outside. “Sure, sure. Let me just undo the latch for you.”

  “Oh my goodness, what did you do to your thumb?” Ava pointed to Tom’s left hand and the tied-off white gauze. She could see that blood had seeped through.

  “I nicked it with a box cutter this morning.”

  “Let me see.”

  Tom looked at her sheepishly. “It’s really nothing.”

  “Just the same.”

  The man glanced past Ava toward Carson, almost like he was asking for backup, but Carson didn’t say anything, so he reluctantly gave her his thumb. Men. They were always so reluctant to admit they were hurt.

  She gently peeled the bandage down. “Looks like you might need a stitch or two.”

  “Nah. It’ll heal up.”

  She gave the man his hand back. “Well, if it doesn’t, call me. I’ll stitch it for you. Free.”

  “Thanks.” He turned back to the wire cage. It had four sides, a door seemingly concealed in the front of it. The moment that door was open the puppy burst into Bella’s arms. Love at first sight, Ava thought. Mutual love. Bella started giggling and the puppy started to make a keening noise, not quite a whine but not exactly a bark, either.

  “What kind of dogs are they?” Carson asked.

  “Well now, there’s the rub.” Tom scratched his head with his good hand. “They’re my neighbor’s pups, actually. She works with border collies, but our other neighbor breeds Bernese mountain dogs, and damned if her stud didn’t get out and somehow...well, you know. But they’re cute as the dickens. That’s why they have such big heads, though. It’s actually a hybrid breed. Bordernese. They get that long coat from both parents, but they’ll be good-size dogs. I hope you have a yard.”

  “We do,” Bella said, then met her gaze. “Momma, can we please?”

  “How much are they?” Not that it mattered.

  “We’re asking fifty dollars.” Tom smiled. “A steal at twice the price.”

  Ava took a deep breath. “You can have one, Bella—”

  Her daughter whooped in delight, the puppy thinking that meant it was play time, yipping in response. It wiggled in her arms, pink tongue trying to lick her face again.

  “Bella,” Ava said again, more loudly. “You need to promise me you’ll take care of her. That you’ll clean up after her and take her out to go potty and take her for walks every day.”

  “Actually that one’s a boy,” Tom said, pointing to the obvious boy parts.

  “I’ll take care of him.” Bella stood, clutching the puppy to her. The little dog had moved on to trying to clean her daughter’s face.

  “Okay then. Put him down for now. We’re here for riding boots and jeans, remember?”

  “But what if someone buys him while we’re inside?”

  “That won’t happen,” Tom said, holding out his arms. “I’ll put him behind the counter with me for safekeeping.”

  Bella, her beautiful brown eyes filled with so much happiness they seemed to glow, nodded. “You be good,” she told the puppy. “I’ll be right back.”

  Ava looked up in time to catch Carson’s gaze. He was smiling at her in a way that made her think she might have surprised him in some way.

  “You’re going to need some puppy food,” he said. “And some piddle pads.” He surprised her then, using his good hand to touch her back. “But you’re in luck. I’m an expert at puppy rearing. Come on. I’ll help you out.”

  Chapter 4

  For the first time in his life the fact that Carson had always been the one to take care of the ranch dogs came in handy. Of course, that’d changed in recent years. Life on the road meant he didn’t have time to do that, but it felt good for some reason to show Ava and Bella around the store, advising them on what they’d need.

  “Do you think I could get this collar, Mom?”

  Carson turned and had to bite back a smile when he spotted the pink collar with the white daisies studded throughout.

  “Not unless you want to humiliate the poor thing,” Ava said. “Pick something a little more masculine.”

  “Actually leather is better for them. It doesn’t chafe like the nylon.”

  Bella nodded and headed back to the display. They’d already picked out a pair of boots for her and some jeans. She’d rushed through the whole process, though, wanting to get back to her puppy.

  “I hope your backyard is puppy-proof.”

  “I think so,” Ava said. “I hope so.”

  Carson echoed her words with his eyes. Think?

  She’d clearly understood his silent question. “Well, I mean, I have no idea if there’s ever been a dog back there. I didn’t ask the landlord.”

  He nodded. “Well then, I suppose we’re going to have to go look.”

  Ava frowned. “Don’t you have feed to pick up or something? I’d hate for us to waste half your day.”

  He did, but he felt a ridiculous need to impress her. Ridiculous because he suspected he knew the reason why. He’d come across her type before. The cutting horse industry drew people with money. Once upon a time he’d let himself fall for one of his dad’s clients. Katarina had been rich and beautiful, a lawyer from the Bay Area, and he’d been sure she was “the one.” Right up until the day he’d overheard her best friend mimicking his drawl—only he didn’t drawl—and Katarina had laughed and said something about brains being overrated. The words still stung. Just because he wasn’t college educated didn’t mean he was dumb.

  But that was why he heard himself say, “They’re probably already loading the feed.” Still trying to prove himself, he supposed.

  “Already done,” the older man said. “Full pallet of Stable Mix in the bed of your truck.”

  He turned back to Ava. She didn’t seem like she approved of the idea, and that sort of hurt.

  “Can he come over, Momma, please? I don’t wa
nt Balto to get out of our backyard.”

  “Balto...like the movie?” her mom asked.

  She nodded.

  Ava just smiled. “I’m pretty sure I can dog-proof our yard. Or hire someone to do it.”

  “But can you tell which plants might be poisonous to canines?”

  Ava’s brows shot up. “No.”

  Just as he’d thought. See, there really were some things you couldn’t learn in books. “Then you should probably let me have a look around.”

  “Please?” Bella asked.

  “Okay, fine.” She must have realized her words had come out sounding harsh because she said, “We would appreciate your help very much. Thank you.”

  Not really. He could tell she wanted to keep him at arm’s length. He didn’t know if that was because of client/patient privacy or something else, but he supposed it didn’t matter. He felt the same way, too. He just wanted her to think of him as more than a slab of meat when she operated on him. And, if he were honest with himself, being with her and her kid distracted him from thinking about his upcoming surgery.

  As it turned out, they didn’t have all that far to go. She lived in the older part of town. The “fancy side,” he liked to call it. An area with stately Victorian homes, most built before the turn of the century when the area had been a booming cattle town. Her house was dark gray with white and maroon trim, and had likely been owned by one of the town’s founders back in the day. It would have been L-shaped if not for the rectangular section that sprouted from the crook of the L, one capped by a witch’s-hat turret with dormer windows all around it. Gable roofs capped both ends of the L, square windows set into the corners. A porch framed the middle section, the white balcony railings matching a similar porch on the second floor.

  “Nice,” he muttered to himself. How many times had he dreamed of building a similar place on his family’s property? One day he hoped to do exactly that, but for now he slid out of his truck, curious about the inside.

  “Isn’t it neat?” Bella said as she came around the side of the house where Ava must have parked, her new puppy wiggling in her arms. “My mom said it’s like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, whoever that was.”