by Karen Rock
“Doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying.” He strode to the kitchen counter and returned with a postcard he dropped in Jewel’s lap.
“Have you even read my report yet?” She eyed the picture of a lit-up Eiffel Tower.
James ducked his head. “I’ve been busy.”
“How? The cousins are here...you have lots of help.”
“He’s not delegating,” Sofia interjected, wagging a finger at him in a silent tsk tsk tsk.
“You’re kidding, right?”
At Jewel’s question, James frowned. “Justin’s doing an excellent job, but he’s needed at Fresh Start, too. I can’t turn everything over to him.”
“How about me? Will you be able to give up control if you name me range boss?”
Jewel’s heart sank when James cleared his throat and pointed at the postcard instead of answering. “Read it.”
“Yes, boss,” she grumbled, then skimmed her mother’s handwriting on the back. “Sounds like they’re having a good time,” she mused aloud, then stopped on the last sentence and reread it. Her eyes flew to James. “What’s this about an arbitration hearing?”
James dropped a thick cream-colored envelope in her lap. Their attorney’s name appeared in the return address. When she pulled out the missive, her hands shook slightly as she read.
“Before the trial, Ma and Boyd want us to try to settle the water access dispute with the Lovelands in arbitration.” James took the letter from her, refolded it and slipped it back inside the envelope. “It’s scheduled for this Friday.”
Jewel’s mind raced as she considered the ramifications of the Brahmans gaining access to the Crystal River. Their gut-fill looked worse, despite the recent deluge, the watering spots as dry as ever. If they could cross the easement, her cattle would be saved.
Her cattle.
The thought brought her up short.
The Brahmans belonged to Heath and the rest of the Lovelands, not her. Striving alongside them through this miserable, dry summer, however, bonded her with the gentle gray beasts. Despite everything she and Heath were trying to avoid, their worlds were subconsciously colliding on every level. A traffic accident in slow motion, destined and inescapable.
The door opened, and Justin sauntered inside. He carried with him the faint scent of leather and exhaust from one of his motorcycle rides.
“What are the chances we’ll settle with the Lovelands?” Jewel asked.
“Nil.” An easy chair creaked when Justin sat and bent down to pull off his boots. “Their cattle used to destroy our property, trample our forage and crossbreed with our herd, to name a few of the reasons why we won’t give them back the easement. The main one, though, is that they’re Lovelands.”
“The feud is over.” Jewel slapped her hand on her thigh for emphasis.
“Just because we know who really started it doesn’t excuse the decades of strife in between,” James said with his annoying calm. “Remember the year they dammed up the Crystal River and nearly wiped out our herd?”
“Rotten Lovelands,” Justin muttered.
“That’s all in the past.” Jewel turned the postcard over in her hands. “We should hear their side.”
“The only side that counts is ours.” James gestured to Justin. “Keep your boots on. I’ve got something to show my range boss outside.”
The moment the door closed behind them, Jewel stormed to the kitchen, flicked on the faucet and filled a glass with cold water. She was so tense there was a good chance parts of her body would start breaking. “Bossy, controlling older brother!”
How dare he? She’d spent her whole life proving she was worthy of the range boss position and James all but threw it in her face that he was giving the job to Justin.
“Would you mind grabbing me a glass, too?” called Sofia.
When Jewel returned and passed it over, Sofia gave her a grateful smile. “Sorry to put you out. My doctor wants me off my feet as much as possible.”
“It’s no trouble.” The cool water did little to lower Jewel’s temperature. James wanted to get her goat by calling Justin his range boss and it worked. He’d promised to make the formal announcement at the end of the summer. Would he honestly consider her for the job over Justin?
“I thought James was controlling before,” Sofia said, and sighed. Her large brown eyes, so like Javi’s, met Jewel’s. “But this—” she gestured to the pillows he’d heaped around her, cocooning her “—is prison. He doesn’t even want me attending the Flower Gala.”
“Are you going to listen to him?”
Sofia snorted. “I’ll listen to the doctor. If I’m cleared, you’ll be seeing me boot scootin’ with the best of ’em—or waltzing...guess that’s more like a gala, right?”
Jewel shrugged. She’d never attended it or any dance. “How do you deal with him? He’s such a control freak.”
Sofia laughed. “Can’t disagree. But I know it comes from love...and fear. He doesn’t want anything to happen to the family after losing Jesse.”
Jewel’s heart throbbed painfully at her deceased brother’s name. “I thought he was getting better.”
Sofia waved her free hand. “Baby steps.”
“I’m glad you have patience. I don’t.”
“I also love him. He’s not perfect and neither am I. Mostly I just don’t take him seriously. Usually, I nod and then do what I want anyway.”
“You two seem so different,” Jewel observed, thinking of her and Heath. He had a sensitive side Jewel lacked...or at least, hid, whereas she had an aggressive side he only seemed to reveal when arguing with her.
“We’re alike where it counts.” Sofia tapped her heart. “We both value and want the same things.”
Jewel sipped her water, considering what she wanted in life. Before, it was only the range boss position. Independence. Respect. Now she found herself considering a bigger future, one with a husband, children. Heath’s influence? “When did you know James was ‘the one’?”
“He drove me crazy at first.” Sofia’s lips twisted wryly, and her eyes took on a dreamy expression. “But then, when we took Javi to cut down a Christmas tree, James sang the wrong words to ‘O Tannenbaum’ and admitted he forgot to bring the marshmallows for the hot chocolate. He wasn’t as in control as he pretended and wanted to change. Falling in love isn’t really falling, it’s more like two people bending until they meet in the middle.”
Jewel nodded. These past few weeks, she and Heath had made concessions on the range, learning to give and take, trust and support. Could their bending extend to their personal lives, too? “You believe people can change?”
Sofia nodded vigorously. “Even you Cades.”
Jewel laughed. It did seem a tall order.
“So...are you talking about someone special?” Sofia’s voice rose at the end, teasing, and warmth flooded Jewel’s cheeks. “Someone you’ve been working with perhaps?”
“Me? That’s crazy talk.” Jewel stood, trying, and failing, to look indignant.
Sofia swatted Jewel’s leg as she passed by. “Your secret is safe with me. Though your brother may have already guessed. Why do you think James is so worried about you working over there?”
Jewel gaped at her. “James is worried about me?”
“He doesn’t want to lose you to the Lovelands. He wouldn’t know how to manage without you.”
Fussing baby noises emerged from the monitor beside Sofia. She heaved herself to her feet. “Duty calls.” She caught Jewel in a hug and whispered, “Remember. It’s your life, not your brothers’. And if you want to change, don’t be afraid to try.”
Jewel watched Sofia disappear upstairs, then strode outside. Leaning against the porch banister, she stared at the stars, noting the constellations. Depending on the seasons, they changed positions. And the moon, it waxed and waned, but it was always the moon. Could she cha
nge, become more vulnerable and open, without losing her strength? Her independence?
Sofia said falling in love was more like bending to meet in the middle, but if Heath didn’t bend, too, she’d fall flat on her face.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“ARE YOU TWO all set for the night?”
At Daryl’s question, Heath dropped another log on the fire, turned and followed his brother’s gaze to Jewel. A brisk scraping sound rose as she scrubbed the cast-iron skillet in the trickling stream. The sweet scent of their dessert, a berry cobbler, lingered in the twilight while the bulky shapes of the cattle meandered in the purpling gloom.
“Fine.” Heath brushed the dirt from his jeans, his movements jerky, stiff. For the past week, he’d been confused and furious with himself for kissing Jewel and betraying Kelsey. Tough as it was, he’d done his best to distance himself from Jewel, until now...
Daryl lifted one thick eyebrow. “Fine, huh?”
Heath nodded fast.
“So why are you acting funny?”
“I’m not.” As he and Jewel had wandered deeper into backcountry, laboring to save the herd and ranch, it’d been nearly impossible to avoid her. Try as he might, he thought of their kiss nonstop, his wish to repeat it followed by a full lashing of guilt. He’d betrayed Kelsey and trifled with Jewel’s heart—an unforgivable act. For a person who considered himself a peacekeeper, he’d done his share of stirring up trouble.
“You’re wearing one of your Sunday shirts.”
Heath glanced down, astonished. “Must have grabbed it in a hurry.”
“Um-hum.” Daryl’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re smelling like you used one of those shower gels instead of plain bar soap.”
“Gets pretty odorous up here.”
“Ain’t heard you complain about it before.”
Heath shoved his hands in his pockets. “What are you getting at, dude?”
“Are you okay being alone with Jewel tonight? Those coyotes might have moved off, or I could ask Jewel to sit with the kids if LeAnne’s gone out while I stay here with you instead.”
“I’m fine being alone with her. She’s just a ranch hand.”
Daryl’s piercing blue eyes called Heath out for a liar. Jewel was much more than that. They’d grown closer as they’d worked together, traversing the property to higher ground in search of a consistent, elusive water supply.
Too close.
And now they’d spend an entire night alone together—something he’d managed to avoid since their kiss.
“Just a ranch hand,” Daryl echoed before swinging himself into his saddle. “Now how come I don’t believe that?”
“Overactive imagination?”
“Nah.” Daryl retrieved his flask, drank a long gulp, then tucked it back in his saddlebag. “All I need is these.” He pointed at his eyes, then swung his fingers between Heath and an approaching Jewel. “Night, Jewel.”
“Night, Daryl,” she called. When Daryl trotted away, she turned to Heath. “What was up with the eye pointing?”
“Nervous tic.” Heath shook out his bedroll and laid it on the soft, grassy soil. It’d been a relief to discover this still-green pasture. While not lush, it had enough water and forage to keep the herd going for a few days if they stretched it. After that, things only got tougher. The next watering spot was a steady four-hour climb the weaker cattle might not make.
“Never saw him do it before.” Jewel unrolled her bedding, then sat, cross-legged, on the shiny outer material. “What’s he nervous about?”
“The coyotes,” Heath blurted. There. Lie number two. Jewel was turning him into a dishonest person in more ways than one.
Jewel pointed to the rifle she’d retrieved with her sleep gear. “If we didn’t scare them enough earlier, we’ll give ’em a good reminder tonight.”
“Their pack’s been following us for weeks.” Heath grabbed the guitar case strapped to Destiny’s saddle, opened it and pulled out his acoustic. “And growing bolder.”
“They see some easy pickings. The cattle are getting weaker.” Jewel yanked out the elastic bands on the ends of her braids and loosened her plaits.
Heath sat and strummed a D chord. “Not much we can do about it unless we reach an agreement at Friday’s arbitration.”
Jewel snorted. “Those mosquitoes have a better chance.” She pointed to the bats swooping through the sky, gulping down the insects stirring the warm air. They’d appeared after the rainfall and seemed to be making up for lost time by swarming anything that moved.
“Or we could just drive the herd to the Crystal River ourselves.”
“Is that why you kissed me?”
Heath’s fingers froze on the strings. When he lifted his eyes, Jewel’s stricken expression pierced him through. “I kissed you because I wanted to, not to get something.”
“You said it was wrong.”
“It was, but it doesn’t change how much I wanted to kiss you.”
“Do you still?”
“So, we’re going there, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
He began playing Darius Rucker’s “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” The notes floated on the still, dry air, his music speaking for him.
“Guess that’s my answer?” Jewel asked when he finished the song.
“This isn’t easy for me.”
“You think it’s easy for me?” Jewel jumped to her feet and pointed down at him. Her loose hair flamed around her face as bright as the fire. “You’re the last person I want to care about!”
His mouth dropped open. “You care about me?”
She whirled around, her back hunched. “Forget it.”
“I will not!” He laid down his guitar and stalked toward her. Irritating cowgirl. She never quit trying to call the shots.
He stepped in front of her, angling his head left, then right, until he caught her eye. “Talk to me, Jewel.”
“I got nothing more to say.”
“Maybe I do.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it.” She began to walk off again, her momentum checked when he dodged in front of her.
“You darn well will hear it!” he shouted, surprising himself. “Maybe I care about you, too!”
Instead of looking happy about his declaration, Jewel shoved him hard in the chest, catching him off guard so he tumbled backward and landed on the seat of his Wranglers. “What was that for?”
One side of her tense mouth lifted. “The ‘maybe’ part.”
“Fine.” He extended his hand and she tugged him to his feet. He was amused at her cheek and determination to drag the truth from him. “There is no ‘maybe’ part. I do care. I just can’t do anything about it.”
Jewel’s shoulders drooped. “Because of Kelsey.”
“Because of lots of things.” He stared into Jewel’s heart-shaped face, smudged from the days’ work, the circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and marveled. How had he won the affection of such a tough, tenacious big-hearted cowgirl? They argued more than they got along, and he hadn’t kept the peace with her the way he did with other women. In fact, he’d been downright antagonistic at times. Maybe that was a truer, more honest side of him. Jewel made him see himself, and his relationships, in a whole new light.
Before now, he’d always considered love a conditional emotion. A transaction. If he made someone’s life easy, they’d care about him. It’d never occurred to him someone might have feelings for him based on who he was, not what he did for them...and considering he was a broke range boss on a nearly bankrupt ranch, he wasn’t much.
What could he offer Jewel, even if she was the one?
“Besides.” He rubbed the back of his tense neck. “You never want to settle down. Unless that’s changed?”
Jewel’s mouth worked before she shook her head. “I don’t k
now what I want anymore.” The cresting moon illuminated the high color in her cheeks. Sympathy for her welled. She was turned inside out, just like him. “Guess we’re a pair.”
“Guess so.” But what kind of a pair? Work partners or more? Were their feelings born of proximity or rooted in something deeper?
Heath laced his fingers in hers. “Come back to the fire. We’ll talk about anything else and forget about—” he gestured between them “—this.” Although he knew he wouldn’t forget. Jewel cared about him and he cared for her, another complication to his already-difficult summer...but darned if it felt like a negative even if it was confusing as all get-out.
“Anything?”
He nodded, a sinking sensation settling heavy in his gut.
They wandered back to the sleeping bags and scooched to the ends closest to the crackling fire. When Jewel didn’t speak, he picked up his guitar and played one of his originals, a tune about the roads he’d never know, the paths he’d never follow. As his fingers slid and pressed, he glanced up and met Jewel’s eyes, her expression as rapt and fierce as the night he’d spied her in the Silver Spurs crowd.
When he finished, she asked, “What was the opportunity Clint chastised you for not taking?”
Heath shrugged, picking chords.
“You can say anything out here,” Jewel persisted. “No one’ll hear but me, and I won’t repeat it.” She crossed her heart. “Scout’s honor.”
Heath studied Jewel, wondering if he dared open up and trust her. Something in her steady brown eyes assured him.
“A Nashville producer offered me a tryout a couple weeks ago, but I had to turn it down when Cole hurt his arm. Otherwise Pa would have canceled his honeymoon.”
“Did you ask them to reschedule?”
“Nah. Kelsey gave me until the end of the summer to set a date and begin planning the wedding. There wouldn’t be enough time to give Nashville a real try before that to prove we could make a life there together.”
“Tell Kelsey to wait. You have a gift, Heath. You’re a darn fool if you don’t take risks or put yourself first.”