Home on the Ranch--Colorado Rancher

by Patricia Potter

  After everyone dispersed from the cookout, Reese went to the stable and saddled his favorite horse, Max. Chet met him as he walked Max out.

  “That went well,” Chet said.

  “Yeah. Seems that way. We have a good bunch of people here.”

  “Best crew I’ve worked with,” Chet said. “That’s because of you.”

  Reese shook his head. “You’re the foreman.”

  “Going for a ride?” Chet asked.

  “I’m just going to the Roost. Think for a while.”

  “About anything in particular? Like a certain woman?”

  “When did you become a detective?”

  “It wasn’t hard, my friend. I watched you with her. You were...intense with each other. Both times. Three weeks ago, and again today.”

  “That’s absurd,” Reese said. “I admit she’s an attractive woman, but...she has a career of her own. She would never be happy here even if I was interested.”

  “Like Cara?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Two different people,” Chet said. “You know I was worried about my Ann when we married. She was a city girl. Turned out she was a cowgirl at heart. She loves it here. Something tells me Mrs. MacInnes might have a bit of an adventurer in her, too.”

  “I hardly know her,” Reese said. “And what in the hell would a pilot do here in the middle of nowhere?”

  “You never know,” Chet said, “unless you give it a try.”

  “Don’t you have something else to do?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Go find something,” Reese said in mock irritation.

  “Yes, sir,” Chet said with a grin and left.

  Reese rode out. There was a near full moon tonight and a million stars and he could find his way easily. He was used to riding at night. There’d been stormy nights when he and the hands were out soothing frightened cattle to keep them from smashing through fences as lightning flashed around them.

  The ranch was located in a valley bordered on three sides by peaks, one of which harbored eagles. They’d roosted on the ledge of one of the peaks since the first Howard arrived. Henry Howard had been a trapper and mountain man when he followed an eagle into the valley. He never had the desire to leave. The game and fish were plentiful, the gazing great for cattle, and there was plenty of fresh water from the mountains.

  Reese dismounted, and Max drank from a spring next to a fenced-off area. Reese opened a gate and squatted in front of his father’s marker. He’d both loved and feared his father as a boy and pitied him years later as he wasted away.

  The family cemetery was located here, according to family lore, because it was an eagle that guided Henry to this place. The souls of the family members could look up and watch the eagles soar. There were twenty-three headstones. Four of the family were returned from overseas: one died in World War I, two in France during World War II and one in Vietnam. The others ranged from 1882 to 2010. The most recent one contained no remains, only what could have been.

  He knelt before it for a moment, then mounted and rode home.

  Chapter 7

  The poker game was all that Eve said it would be.

  Lauren had spent the morning exploring the area. Covenant Falls was the most amazingly friendly town she’d ever visited. Almost everyone she met was a veteran or related to one. The first lunch at Maude’s Diner was free for veterans. And the steak was good.

  She met and immediately liked Andrea Stuart, an injured former battlefield nurse who organized the town museum. The museum was one place she really wanted Julie to visit, not only because the history was exciting but also to see how well Andrea dealt with a major injury.

  Lauren also studied the information sheet on things to do in Covenant Falls. In addition to visiting the museum and falls, it listed the Jeep trip Reese had mentioned and horseback riding.

  She was going to be here a week. Why not try it? Reese had told her about Luke Daniels. The phone number was included on the information sheet.

  She called and made an appointment for a riding lesson for the next day. When she mentioned Reese’s name, it was readily made. He was obviously a hero around here...

  Thirteen people, including three women, came to the museum’s community room for the penny poker game. All armed services and ages were included. There was beer and food and kidding and she felt very much at home.

  She owed Reese for mentioning it and, apparently, for the invitation. Or perhaps he’d just wanted her not to worry about her daughter. Anyway, it was much too late to call him when the game disbanded at 10:00 p.m.

  When she reached the inn, it was ten thirty. There had been no call from Julie on either her cell phone or room phone. A positive sign. She undressed and stepped into a hot bath with a book. Just as she sank into the bubbles thoughtfully provided by the inn, the room phone rang.

  There was an extension in the bathroom. She stood up, grabbed it and settled back inside the bathtub.

  “Mrs. MacInnes?” There was no mistaking the deep Western drawl when she answered.

  “Yes?” Her voice was harsher than she intended because she worried the call indicated trouble.

  “Sorry to call so late, but I was pretty sure you wouldn’t be back at the inn much before now since Monday is poker night. You expressed some interest, so I called the other parents first.” He paused. “Just wanted you to know that Julie had a good day. She picked out Snowflake yesterday, saddled her this morning and with the help of some steps we have, was able to mount on her own. She rode around the ring with no problems, even a slow trot.”

  “I wish I had been there,” she said with mist beginning to blind her.

  “I get that. How do you like Covenant Falls?”

  “I know now why your sister suggested it. It’s great. I did go to the poker game tonight and they accused me of being a ringer.”

  “You won?”

  “Second place. I went home with seven whole dollars.”

  “I’m impressed. I played with them once and lost everything I had.”

  “All of three or four dollars, I suspect.” She hesitated, then asked what she’d been waiting for all day. “Tell me more about Julie. How is she with the other kids?”

  “Good. They seem friendly. Today they’ve been mostly involved with horses. They’re beginning to understand how much work it takes to own one. They had dinner, compared notes and headed for bed.”

  “She really enjoyed riding?” Lauren needed confirmation.

  “If a broad smile is any indication, I can confirm it,” he said.

  She blinked back a tear. “Thanks for calling.”

  “It’s a ritual at the end of the first full day. I do it with all the parents.”

  She wasn’t sure how to read that, but it didn’t really matter. She was too pleased with the news. “How was the variety show last night?”

  “You’ll have to ask Julie about that, but I think I saw a few smiles. Despite what I said, the show was pretty good but then I’m prejudiced. There are a few really talented people in the group. And some real hams.”

  “But that’s what makes it fun, right?”

  “Right,” he replied.

  “I’m following your suggestion,” she said. “I’m going to take some riding lessons starting tomorrow.”

  “With Luke Daniels?”

  “Yep. Along with your suggestion, his number was included in the inn’s recommendations.”

  “Good. He and his wife are good teachers. His wife will be up here for the last two weeks of the program,” he said, then added, “I’ll see you Sunday. I’m sure your daughter’s going to want to show you some good equine moves.”

  “I’m going to dinner at the Mannings’ ranch tomorrow night. Someone seems to have informed everyone in town that I’ve arrived.”

  There was a silence,
then, “Did I overstep?”

  “Nope, I like being the toast of Covenant Falls, including a free lunch at Maude’s and being the honored guest at the Famous Covenant Falls Veteran All-Star Penny Poker Game. Haven’t tried the other eatery yet, but something tells me there’s a free beer or something there for me.” She paused, then added, “They seem to know you well.” It was a question more than a statement.

  She could almost see him shrug. “Not that well. When I heard about the Horses for Heroes program and that they were looking to borrow trained horses, I offered to loan them several of mine. I get as much out of it as they do. Even sold some of the horses for a nice profit.” There was something in his voice that tugged at her.

  It was as if he was ashamed of doing something worthy.

  He was a very complicated man despite her first impression. The first time they met, she saw raw masculine strength. It seemed he cared little what other people thought. Tough. Self-contained. She hadn’t been sure at all that she wanted to leave her daughter in his care.

  Sunday, though, she’d noticed how he treated all his employees. It was as if each one, even the newest hand, was a treasured family member. Because he didn’t have much of his own?

  As far as she knew he had his sister and her son and, on the edges, some distant relatives like Patti.

  But it was none of her business. None at all.

  “When you come next Sunday,” Reese said, “I’ll select a horse for you and show you more of the ranch.”

  “I hope you know I’ve never been near a horse, much less atop one.” She changed the subject. “I’m confused about who’s who in Covenant Falls. I keep running into more and more veterans, and they all seem to know me.”

  “Same thing happened to me the first time I visited,” he said. “If I were the least bit competent with a computer, I would send you a Covenant Falls residents’ graph.” She could almost see his rueful smile as he said it.

  “Without Sandra—I don’t think you met her but she’s our accountant and business manager—we would be in trouble. My computer skills are nil, probably because I resent modern technology. Kids can’t add two plus two these days without looking at a computer.”

  She laughed. “I’m pretty good with computers,” she admitted. “You have to be these days if you fly modern aircraft. But I would be terrible with a bunch of mustangs.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” he said. “But I’m keeping you away from whatever you were doing. I just wanted to tell you Julie’s doing fine. I have one more family to call.”

  Lauren thought they were both conscious of a certain intimacy that crept into the conversation and they were trying to avoid it. Their lives were going in opposite directions. He was probably a confirmed bachelor since apparently he hadn’t been married for a long time. At least that was what she’d pieced together. And she still mourned her husband and had a daughter who was still fragile.

  “Thanks,” she said and hung up before they lingered longer, except she wanted to linger. She’d discovered new things about him while she was in Covenant Falls, and he was even more of an enigma. She slipped deeper into the bathwater and turned on the hot water again, not that she needed any more heat. How could a voice create such a warm reaction in her? It was deep and sexy and made her toes curl.

  Then she immediately felt guilty. Was she being untrue to Dane?

  She finished her bath and it was nearly eleven thirty. All in all, it was a good day. Much better than she expected. She’d been instantly accepted, and she hadn’t realized how much she needed adult company. She was beginning to feel like a real person again.

  * * *

  She was excited the next morning. Her riding lesson was at eleven. It was a challenge and she badly needed one.

  After a coffee and two cinnamon rolls, she headed for the Covenant Falls General Store where she purchased riding boots, riding pants and several shirts. She knew exactly what to buy because she had bought them for Julie.

  She liked Luke immediately. He was probably in his seventies but he looked younger and his energy was contagious. He didn’t start her in the saddle, but led her through the steps of saddling the mare he’d chosen and explained the best way to approach a horse.

  Once she was in the saddle and the stirrups adjusted, he instructed her on her seat and the correct way of holding the reins. Then he instructed her to walk around the ring. She was stiff and uncomfortable, worried that she would prove to be an inept pupil, but after a few moments Luke put her at ease, assuring her that every new rider felt the same.

  After walking around the ring several times, Luke coaxed her into trying a slow trot. At first, Lauren felt as if she was going down while the horse went up, but then Luke’s quiet instruction relaxed her enough that she and the horse went in the same vertical direction.

  Exhilaration ran through her for the first time since she’d left the air force. By the end of the lesson, she’d successfully trotted around the ring and yearned for more.

  In just those minutes she started to understand Reese’s passion. There was a sense of freedom, much like she felt piloting a plane, only it was more...personal. She liked feeling the power of the horse and the way it felt when they moved together. The hour stretched into two.

  “You’re going to be sore as hell tomorrow,” he said as he ended the lesson and showed her how to cool the horse down. “I suggest a hot bath tonight.”

  She made an appointment for a lesson the next day, then she hurried home to take a hot bath as instructed before having dinner with the Mannings. She decided to skip lunch since it was already midafternoon.

  Cleansed of horse, she was waiting at the inn entrance when Eve’s husband, Josh Manning, arrived. She’d met him and his former military dog, Amos, at the poker game and liked him immediately. He reminded her of Reese.

  “I heard you went riding today,” he said when she settled in the front passenger seat. Amos was taking the entire backseat.

  “Of course you did,” she replied. “I heard about the grapevine. No wonder there’s no crime in Covenant Falls. It would be all over town in five seconds—the who, what, when and why.”

  He smiled. “True. It drove me crazy when I first arrived. Now I’m used to it.”

  When she arrived at the Manning house, she was met by a boy of twelve or so. “This is Nick,” Josh said, “and he is a keeper of the zoo we have here. He’s been minding the grill for me.”

  It was altogether a very good evening. She liked Eve immensely, especially when she heard the story of the couple’s first meeting. When Josh appeared in Covenant Falls, he was apparently the terror of the town. He was angry at the world and showed it. Eve defied the town to defend his right to be angry.

  She was still mayor, and now he was half owner of the Camel Trail Inn among several other businesses. The evening went fast, with great steaks grilled outside and tales about Covenant Falls. After the food was devoured, she was introduced to Nick’s dogs. In addition to Amos, she counted five, all rescues of varying sizes, and Dizzy the cat, who ran in circles when meeting her. There were also two horses, Beauty and the Beast.

  The conversation turned to the riding lesson. “How did you like it?” Eve asked.

  “I liked it far better than I thought I would. It always seemed like a slow form of transportation.”

  Eve laughed. “A lot more personal, though.”

  “That’s true and I have aches to prove it.”

  “Take a long hot bath tonight,” Eve advised.

  “I did that earlier and I’m still beginning to feel aches in muscles I never knew I had.”

  “They’ll fade quickly,” Josh said. “I know.”

  They were on the way home when he asked, “Are you returning to San Antonio?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. Too many reminders.”

  “Think about us. It’s a great co
mmunity. We have a good school, winter sports, even a summer pageant.”

  They reached the inn. “I have to make a living,” Lauren said. I’m not sure I can find one around here although I’m beginning to really like Colorado.”

  He started to get out of the car and she shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said. “Thanks for the evening. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.”

  He grinned. “Tell Reese hello for me. He’s one hell of a good guy.”

  She was getting into bed thirty minutes later when she received a call from her daughter. There was a note of excitement in it. “Snowflake is wonderful.” Her voice was bubbly for the first time since the accident. “Maybe we can get a horse?” she asked tentatively.

  “I thought you weren’t supposed to call until the third day,” Lauren said before answering the question. She needed time to think.

  “This is Tuesday,” Julie said. “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. See. Three days.”

  “I don’t think they meant to call Sunday the first day.”

  “But it was,” Julie insisted. “And I wanted to tell you about Snowflake.”

  “And I’m happy you did,” she said. “I liked Snowflake, too.”

  “Then maybe we can get one...”

  Lauren was a lot more receptive to the idea of a horse than she would have been before her lesson. She didn’t mention that. She didn’t want to spoil her daughter’s excitement by barging in. “You know it’s not as easy to buy a horse as a dog. We can think about it, though,” she said.

  “I cantered today.” Her daughter exploded with excitement. “The instructor said I had a natural seat.” Lauren’s heart skipped a beat. Julie sounded every bit as excited as when she’d won an important race.

  “That’s terrific,” she replied.

  “Well, goodbye,” Julie said. “I just wanted you to know about Snowflake.”

  “Goodbye, sweetie. I can’t wait to see you ride.”

  After hanging up, the past three days passed through Lauren’s mind in a flash.