By the time she left the bunkhouse, she was exhausted in a way she hadn’t been in years. Preparing for the Ironman had been brutal, so she reasoned that if she had grown accustomed to those workouts, she would certainly grow inured to the demands of ranch work.
Twilight had descended when Erin struck off for the main house. As she walked, mentally bellyaching about how sore she was, she glimpsed movement off to her right and saw Wyatt standing at one of the corral fences. She detoured toward him, appreciating how good he looked in a relaxed pose, his arms resting on the top rail and one hip jutting forward, his opposite leg extended slightly behind him. He was every inch a cowboy, and after working with him that afternoon, she knew he wasn’t a pretender who strutted around dressed for the part. He’d earned every one of those steely muscles that bulged beneath his shirt.
When she stepped up beside him, he jerked. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He relaxed and went back to studying the horse that pranced rather frenetically inside the enclosure. “You’re the only person ever who can sneak up on me like that.”
He’d said as much to Erin before, and she still didn’t get how that could be. When he looked down at her, she said, “Other people must startle you. You can’t hear anyone approach.”
“No, but I feel them getting close to me. Same goes for animals.”
She gave him a wondering study. “You feel them? How can that be?”
“Beats me. I only know I can.”
Erin believed him. As far as she knew, he wasn’t given to lying. “That’s amazing.”
He shrugged. “It started when I was a little tyke. My grandpa overruled my mother and made me work with horses every day. At first I didn’t want to. I was frightened of them. Even more frightened than you are, because they’re dangerous animals if you aren’t careful around them, and not being able to hear put me at a disadvantage.” He glanced back at the horse before returning his attention to her face. “But my grandpa was right to insist on me doing chores out there. Somehow I developed my own fifth sense and knew when a horse was invading my space. Once I got over being scared, having to work with the horses became my favorite thing in the world. They didn’t care if I couldn’t hear. They didn’t care if I could talk. They just accepted me as I was. For me, that was wonderful.”
A lump rose in Erin’s throat. Wyatt had just shared something with her that came straight from his heart. “And you still love horses to this day.”
“I do. Don’t get me wrong. I’m cautious around them. You never know when one might swing its head and knock you flat or kick out from behind. It’s not because they’re mean. They’re just big. When a fly lands on them, they’ll swing their heads or kick at their bellies. If another horse gets too close, they’ll nail it with a hard kick. And you never know when that might happen. If you’re in the way, you could end up with a broken femur or even worse. Getting kicked in the head is no small thing, either.”
Erin realized this wasn’t idle conversation. He was imparting knowledge to her that he felt was important for her to know. “I’ll try to be very careful.”
“Do that, because you’re Slade’s niece, and he loves you. If you get hurt, I’ll feel like you do right now about Jenette. Like I didn’t warn you enough or teach you what you needed to know in order to stay safe. And unfortunately, I can’t cover all that in one afternoon.”
“Okay. I’m warned. And when you have time to tell me this or that, I’ll be a sponge, absorbing all the information.”
He smiled slightly. “Just don’t get stubborn on me, and you should be all right.”
Erin released a tight breath. “I didn’t come out to get a lecture on safety, although I appreciate you giving me one.”
“Why did you come out here, then?”
“To ask how you think I did today. Honest answer, please.”
“You did fine, but the true test will come tomorrow and the next day. If you can still walk in the morning, I’ll give you an A for your performance today.”
Erin had never heard anything quite so ridiculous. “I’m not a hothouse orchid. I can work as hard and as efficiently as any man you put me up against.”
“Whoa. I’m not putting you up against anyone. Get that kind of thinking straight out of your head. I know you pushed yourself too hard today, and that isn’t necessary. Ranching isn’t a male-dominated field. It never has been. Women have been ranchers as far back as the eighteen hundreds. Probably hundreds of years before that in other countries. They’re just as capable as men, but they do have a few physical limitations that men aren’t as likely to have.”
Erin wanted to tell him that she would show him some physical limitations, but she wouldn’t be the one who had them.
“You aren’t hearing me,” he said softly. “I see that prideful, defiant look in your eyes. Lose it. There’s no place for it on this ranch.”
She straightened away from the fence and struggled to get rid of the look on her face that he found objectionable. She needed this job. As of last night, she’d said farewell to her career in law enforcement and had no other means of earning money. She’d thought about getting a food-service job, but she feared she’d be lousy at it. If Wyatt sent her packing, she didn’t know what she would do.
His mouth quirked up at one corner, which made him look boyish. Only she knew that was deceptive. Wyatt was a hard, unbending man just like her uncle. He’d had to be. At the same time, he seemed to have a good heart. It was an attractive combination.
“You need to slow down,” he continued in that same, soft voice. “Pay attention to your body. This isn’t the controlled environment of a gym. When you lift weights there, the bars are evenly balanced and you assume a certain stance that protects your skeletal structure and muscles. Out here, you can get hurt in a nanosecond if you try to lift something you shouldn’t. Most of it is awkward, dead weight, and just one wrong twist of your hips can injure your back.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“If something is too heavy, get creative with the skidder to move it. We’re not in competition with one another. Steady and slow wins every race. All that matters at the end of a day is that the important work is done, and I stress the word important. On a ranch, you learn to prioritize. Unexpected work that’s important will crop up late in the day, and even if you’ve paced yourself, you can end up so exhausted you can barely lift your feet. Get the important stuff done as early as you can and then pace yourself as you do other things. At quitting time, the important things are that the animals are safe, fed, and watered. During the growing season, the irrigation schedule is also a top priority. Back off and slow down. A rancher who hurries is a rancher who gets injured.”
Erin had never been able to slow down and back off. All her life, she had pushed herself to be as good as, or better than, any man. To impress everyone with her strength, her musculature, and her endurance. Through her sessions with Jonas, she was trying to rid herself of masculine mannerisms, but she couldn’t picture herself becoming a limp-wristed sissy like Wyatt was describing. She preferred to be more like Vickie, who wasn’t afraid to say she was one hell of a woman and then set out to prove it.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll bear in mind everything you’ve said as I’m working tomorrow.”
His eyes darkened to a steely blue, and his facial muscles tightened. “See that you do. I know you need this job, and I don’t want to be put in a position where I’m forced to fire you because you refuse to listen.”
Erin was steaming as she walked away. She’d done fine? No praise for working her tail off. No recognition for blistering her hands so badly they would probably take two weeks to heal. Instead of a pat on the back for a job well done, he’d lectured her and threatened to fire her. Well, she’d show him. Maybe she’d become the best ranch hand on her uncle’s payroll and be promoted to foreman. Wyatt Fitzgerald c
ould take his condescending attitude toward women with him when he crawled home to his grandfather’s ranch in Klamath Falls.
Chapter Twelve
When Erin entered the main house, she heard her aunt and uncle talking in the kitchen and she decided she should at least tell them goodnight. As she stepped through the archway, she saw them sitting at the table, both leaning forward with their arms braced on its surface, their faces animated and bearing smiles. In that moment, she envied them, but she quickly shoved that feeling away. The two of them had lived nearly their whole lives separated from each other. They deserved to finally be happy, and if Erin was lucky, maybe she would find true love herself someday.
“Just dropping in to say goodnight. I hope you guys had a great evening with Brody and his family.”
In the light, Vickie’s curly hair glinted like a copper penny, and her green eyes danced with laughter. “We had a wonderful dinner and wanted them to stay for Yahtzee, but the kids had homework to do.”
Slade met Erin’s gaze. “We didn’t get to talk much earlier. After getting a taste of ranch work, are you still thinking it may be right for you?”
Erin had worked too hard to think overmuch about what was right for her, and in the overall scheme of things, she didn’t have a lot of choices, anyway. She had bills to pay. “I learned so much today that I didn’t spare much thought for anything else. Ask me again tomorrow night, and I may have more to tell you.”
Slade raked a hand through his hair, which was still a dark brown, but was now threaded with silver, particularly at the temples. “Vickie says you’re staying in the front upstairs bedroom with the adjoining bath. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to let us know. We hope you’ll be comfortable up there.”
“It’s perfect. From the window, I have a great view of the ranch and the mountains as well.”
“Vickie puts out breakfast stuff early in the morning. She doesn’t cook until later. Come down and help yourself to some start-up fuel before you head out to work.”
“I’ll do that, and thank you both again for opening your home to me.”
After bidding them goodnight, Erin started up the stairs, holding the handrail and wincing with every step.
* * *
* * *
Erin awakened the next morning to butter-yellow sunlight pouring through the windows of her room. The morning songs of birds outside in the surrounding pine trees created muted but beautiful music. She smiled against the crisp pillowcase and breathed in the scent of fresh mountain air emanating from the cotton. Vickie liked to line dry her laundry when the weather allowed.
Erin could tell by the light that it was still early, and no one had told her yesterday what time her day would start, so she couldn’t really be late. She decided to stay in bed for a few minutes to relish the wonderful warmth of the down comforter. She’d fallen asleep in this position and didn’t think she’d moved all night.
She started to turn over onto her back, and an involuntary whimper of pain erupted from her throat. Oh, God. Every part of her body screamed. She lay perfectly still for a moment, remembering Wyatt’s lecture. Maybe he knew what he was talking about. Scratch that. He’d been condescending, and all her romantic notions about him, sexual or otherwise, had crash-landed inside her heart and formed a knot of disappointment. She’d believed he was about as perfect as a guy could get. When would she learn that nobody was perfect? Especially not guys. After growing up around her father, she should know that.
Her personal feelings and change of heart about Wyatt had no bearing on her present situation, though. She needed to figure out how she could get out of bed. Clenching her teeth against the knifelike torture of moving her legs and arms, she rolled onto her side and inched her feet toward the side of the mattress. Her plan was to sit up with her feet on the floor, all in one smooth motion, using her weight for momentum. Only just as she tried that and cried out again, Vickie cracked open the door.
“Good morning! I brought—”Balancing a tray on the bend of one arm, she stepped fully into the room, her green eyes going wide with alarm. “Oh, honey. You overdid it yesterday, didn’t you?” She set the tray atop the dresser. “You stay right there. I’ve been through this and know exactly what to do. Be right back!”
Erin lay helplessly on her side with tears welling in her eyes. She had not overdone it. How could she have? She was in peak physical condition. Could she be sick? Viruses sometimes made people hurt all over.
Vickie burst back into the room. This morning she wore a gray-and-black plaid shirt and jeans. She looked younger than her years and cute as a button. Holding up a bottle, she said, “Horse liniment. When I get sore, this saves me every time.”
Erin just lay there. “I’ve never gotten sore from doing any kind of work.”
Vickie laughed. “Well, honey, I think you’re unaccustomed to ranch work. You use muscles you don’t even know you have.”
She set the bottle on the nightstand, jerked back the down comforter and sheet, and then grabbed the ankles of Erin’s sweatpants and tugged them off her with one hard pull. “Roll over. I’ll get the backs of your legs first.”
Erin moaned and almost couldn’t roll over without screaming. Nonsensical as it was, she was glad she’d worn panties under the sweats. At least she wasn’t bare-butt naked. Vickie sat beside her and began massaging the liniment into the backs of Erin’s legs from the edge of her underwear down to her ankles.
“Crap. It burns!”
“Yeah, well, as it absorbs in, it’s the best burn you’ve ever felt,” Vickie said. “It does wonders. I’ve worked alongside men a lot, and I’ve been so sore a few times that I couldn’t move without crying. I know you work out and run. Probably do daily biceps and triceps exercises with weights, heaps of squats, and all that. But at the business end of a pitchfork, you’re pushing, lifting, and throwing weight from different angles, sometimes even sideways. Trust me, you’re using your muscles differently.”
Wyatt had said almost the same thing, and Erin hadn’t believed him. Now she did. But that sure didn’t mean she would cry uncle and act like a baby about it. It wasn’t in her makeup to give up. She would work as fast and as effectively as any man on the payroll, or she’d die trying.
When Vickie had applied liniment to every part of Erin’s body except her butt and chest, she drew the covers back over her. “There. Prop some pillows behind your back, honey, and sit up. Stay covered. Let those muscles simmer in the warmth while you’re having breakfast. I guarantee you’ll feel fifty percent better by the time you get dressed.”
The smell of wintergreen was so strong Erin wasn’t sure she could stomach any food, but she struggled to a sitting position, leaned back against her pillows, and managed a halfhearted smile as Vickie placed the breakfast tray over her lap.
“Go ahead and pour your coffee,” Vickie told her. “I’ll wash my hands.”
After Vickie disappeared into the adjoining bath, it was all Erin could do to lift the coffee carafe, and her aching arm shook as she poured. When Vickie reappeared, she sighed and shook her head. “I know it’s bad right now, but after you’ve eaten, you can get up and do some stretches and squats. You’ll still be sore as the devil, but you shouldn’t be incapacitated.”
Erin hoped Vickie was correct, because she needed to hit it hard again today. She would not be considered a second-rate worker simply because she was a woman.
Vickie sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her mug of coffee. “Raised by a rancher and hunting guide, I grew up determined to be as good as any man at everything, only in addition to being a female, I was also a tiny one. My parrot mouth overloaded my parakeet ass more times than I can count. I think that’s how I got Slade to notice me, way back when. He was always taking up for me when my sassy mouth got me into fixes.”
Erin put a cinnamon roll onto one of the plates and settled back against the pillows to enjoy it.
“If I continue to eat all this fattening stuff, I’ll gain thirty pounds in a blink. Last night, Wyatt fixed hamburger gravy and served it over hot, buttered biscuits.”
“Oh, shit on shingles! I haven’t had that in ages.” Vickie chuckled and shook her head. “Working on a ranch, you’ll burn off all the calories and no longer worry about your weight. If you can loosen up your sore muscles enough to work today, that is, and every other day ahead.”
“It’s true that you aren’t a very big person. How on earth did you manage to keep up with all the men when you were younger?”
“The same way I do now, by working smarter instead of harder,” Vickie replied. “When you’re mucking out stalls, you should lift less weight with each swing of the shovel or fork. When you have to lift stuff, you should use leverage to protect your back or figure out a way to lift things with the skidder bucket. Bottom line, a woman doesn’t need to be as strong as a man on a ranch, but she does need to work smart.”
In other words, Erin thought, I’m supposed to wimp out simply because I don’t have the same equipment behind the fly of my britches that men do. That stuck in her craw.
After Vickie left with the tray, Erin swung out of bed and loosened up her muscles as best she could. Then she got dressed and made her way to the bunkhouse where she found only Kennedy, who sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal while he studied.
“Wyatt isn’t here,” he said. “He and the men were out working at first light. I don’t know where they are now. You might check the horse barn. He normally holds a huddle there midmorning to assign the guys their work for the day. The first stuff they do is just routine. Feeding, watering, and letting the horses out into the paddocks. After that’s all done, they regroup.”
Midmorning? It just turned eight o’clock. Erin wandered outside. She saw the side-by-side and three quads parked in front of the barn and walked that way. She found the men strapping on chaps and grabbing light jackets off wall hooks because the early morning air was still chilly. As Erin followed them outside, Wyatt drove up in Uncle Slade’s red pickup, pulling a flatbed trailer loaded four layers high with bales of hay.
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