“Sure did for Lucy.”
“Wasn’t too bad for you, either, hotshot. It’s clear Millie doesn’t hate you.”
“That still leaves a lot of room for improvement. She wouldn’t let me help her out of the truck when we got to the arena. She specifically refused.”
“Do you blame her?”
“No. I blame myself, which makes it hurt twice as much. Things are worse than before we had sex. I used to be allowed to hug her, dance with her, grab her around the waist when we were kidding with each other. Now it’s strictly hands-off.”
“Buck up. We have a plan, right?”
“After tonight, I wonder if it’s doomed.”
“Is that any way to talk? You were fired up this afternoon and we’re all on board. I did some reconnaissance during the party and I have some options for you to consider.”
“Like what?”
“Henri wanted to know if you had a plan and so I told her what it was.”
“You did? But what if she tells—”
“Come on. Henri’s never betrayed a confidence in her entire life. She asked if she could tell the Babes, and I said she could.”
“Damn it, Rafe, the more people who know, the more likely Millie will hear about it.”
“Let me ask you this. Did the Babes keep that saddle deal a surprise for weeks?”
“Yeah.”
“I think they can keep this under wraps for less than twenty-four hours. And I’m glad I said something, because Ed and I have come up with an awesome idea. I also—”
“Wait. Ed is part of the process, now? What the hell, Rafe?”
“Hear me out. This could be great. I was talking with Kate, and—”
“You told Millie’s best friend? Are you insane?”
“Relax, bro. I didn’t describe the plan, I just wanted to get a sense of how Millie felt about you. She said something that gave me an idea.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Look, you’re the one who came up with the bold move. Don’t chicken out, now.”
Jake sighed. “Lay it on me.”
“Millie told Kate you’d have to jump through flaming hoops to get her back.”
“That sounds like Millie.”
“Remember that white horse of Ed’s, Silver? The one who’s trained to—”
“Holy crap. You want me to jump that horse through flaming hoops.”
“I do! It’s a crazy stunt, but—”
“But it’s perfect.” He grinned. “It’s what Charley would do.”
“I know, right? He was a master of the grand gesture. Like the time they had a fight and he hired a skywriter. Epic.”
“I thought of doing that, but Millie remembers it, too. It would be like I couldn’t come up with my own ideas.” He pulled into his usual parking space beside the bunkhouse. “To be fair, I didn’t come up with the flaming hoops.” He glanced at Rafe. “I owe you one.”
“You don’t owe me a damn thing. We’re in this together.”
“Thanks, bro.” He lifted his fist and Rafe tapped it with his. “Can’t wait to tell the guys about this.”
“Yeah, they’ll love it.”
“Does Ed still have everything we need? It’s been years since she performed that stunt for us. Millie wasn’t even here yet.”
“Which makes it all the better. Ed’s kept it since she still has some film crews from California using her property. The hoops are a handy prop. A crew used it, and Silver, a few months ago. Works fine.”
“Excellent. I’ve never jumped through a flaming hoop, though. I should probably—”
“Ed suggested you come out for a few run-throughs in the arena.” He hesitated. “One slight catch. Teague’s the expert on the hoops. He’d supervise your run-throughs and would be the one who sets up everything and breaks it down.”
Jake nodded. “Figured. That’s fine. He’s the one who gave me the kick in the butt I needed to go after Millie. I’m grateful. If he’s willing to help, I’ll pay him whatever he wants to charge.”
“My guess is he won’t take it.”
“Probably not.” He smiled. “In his shoes, I wouldn’t, either. He’s a good guy.”
“Just not good enough for Millie.”
“Damn straight.”
Late the next afternoon, Jake left Ed’s place with a new respect for Teague. He clearly loved working with horses, especially Silver, and he proved to be an expert in handling the flaming hoops. He explained every safety precaution he’d take to guarantee that nothing other than the hoops would catch fire.
He was also the most gracious loser Jake had ever met. At the end of the run-throughs, he shook Jake’s hand and wished him and Millie a long and happy relationship. Did it with a smile, too.
Jake’s schedule for the next few hours was packed and that was a good thing. Kept him from obsessing about the night’s outcome.
Because Garrett was cooking his popular chicken dinner, Jake had evening barn duty. He’d have a short time to shower and change clothes before dinner.
Garrett had slipped into the cooking job during Jake’s nights at the cottage and the Brotherhood seemed okay with it. Chuck wagon stew night had been replaced this week by the party over at Ed’s and nobody had commented on that, either.
No telling how things would shake out after tonight. It all depended on Millie. But he couldn’t focus on her or he’d go nuts.
He was a little late for feeding, so he drove straight to the barn. Nick had brought the horses in from the pasture and was delivering hay flakes.
Jake grabbed a pair of gloves from the tack room and started down the barn aisle to fetch a wheelbarrow from the back. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No worries. Did it go okay?”
“It went great. It’s fun jumping a horse through a flaming hoop. Teague knows his stuff, too. We don’t have to worry about burning down the pasture tonight.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Hey, you left the new wheelbarrow for me. You didn’t have to—”
“You need all the good juju you can get. It was the least I could do. Did Henri fix you up with a mask?”
“She took a black strip of material and cut eyeholes in it. She thinks I need the tight lace-up shirt and pants, but I’m not into spandex.” He loaded hay flakes into the wheelbarrow.
“Yeah, I’d skip that, too. You have the white hat.”
“And a grey shirt that I bought a size too small by mistake. Oh, and Henri insisted I had to tie this red strip of cloth around my neck.” He started delivering hay. “I don’t know what it’s supposed to do for you. It’s not a bandana. She showed me a picture and damned if he didn’t always wear it.”
“This is gonna be one hell of a night, bro.”
“No kidding. I’m glad we’re finally letting Garrett know about the existence of the Brotherhood.”
“Kind of necessary under the circumstances. Hey, I told you a few days ago that we wouldn’t let him take your spot in the kitchen, and yet—”
“It’s the way things have worked out this week. That’s okay. I mean, if Millie… well, I don’t want to speculate about Millie. But no matter what, I’m making chuck wagon stew next Friday night.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear. We’ve gotta keep that going. It’s my all-time favorite meal.”
Jake paused. “All-time favorite?”
“Absolutely. It’s amazing, and because it’s your special recipe, our bunkhouse kitchen is the only place in the world I can get it. I value that.”
Jake’s chest tightened. “Thanks, bro.” The phone in his pocket chimed. Pulling it out, he checked the screen. “It’s Matt. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Then let’s pick up the pace.”
After the horses were fed, Jake gave Nick a lift back to the bunkhouse. Showering and shaving meant he was late to dinner, but that couldn’t be helped.
When he walked into the kitchen and took his place at the table, Matt stopped talking and turned to him. “I
just finished telling Garrett the plan.”
“Okay, good.” Jake took the platters of food as they were passed to him and filled his plate. If he was lucky, he’d need the fuel. “But I assume you didn’t mention—”
“Nope. Waiting for you.”
“I’m glad he filled me in,” Garrett said. “That explains the tight shirt and the red scarf.”
CJ grinned. “Jaunty accessory, bro.”
“I’m sure Henri could fix you up with one, CJ.” Jake tucked the trailing ends under his collar to get them out of the way while he started eating.
“I’d forgotten about that scarf.” Rafe looked amused. “Never questioned it when I watched those old shows, but wearing something bright red around your neck isn’t too smart when the bad guys are gunning for you. Makes you an easy target.”
“Nobody outguns the Lone Ranger,” Nick said. “He can wear whatever he wants.”
Garrett laughed. “Yes, he can. You look good, Jake.”
He chewed and swallowed. “Thanks.” He glanced at Matt. “Anytime you’re ready.”
Matt nodded and looked across the table at Garrett. “There’s something special about this group and we’ve chosen tonight to tell you about it.”
“Oh?” Garrett put down his fork.
“Providing you with this information is the reason we gave Millie and Kate for why I’m here and Lucy’s having dinner at Henri’s.”
Garrett’s focus sharpened. “Go on.”
“All of us at this table were hired at different times and for different reasons, but we have one thing in common. Henri and Charley took us in when we had nowhere else to go. We owe them…” He paused and shook his head. “More than I could begin to describe.”
“I see.” Garrett took a deep breath. “That explains a lot.”
“When Charley died four years ago, we lost a man we’d come to think of as our father. As we flailed around, searching for something to hold onto, some way to comfort Henri, we turned to each other. The Buckskin Brotherhood was born.”
“Wow. A band of brothers. I sensed…something…but I didn’t—”
“We’re a tight bunch, as you can imagine. We’d do anything for each other. Including crazy stunts like tonight’s deal.”
“It’s out there, all right.”
“And it’s not even the wildest thing we’ve ever done. There’s a lot more to tell, even more you’ll have to just experience. But since you agreed to go along tonight, you need to know about the Brotherhood. The subject will come up.” Matt paused. “Over the next few months you’ll learn more about us. And we’ll learn more about you.”
“I get it.” Garrett glanced around the table, his expression solemn. “Thanks for including me.”
Chapter Thirty-One
As often happened, Kate had brought home leftovers from the dining hall to share with Millie. They’d just finished eating when Millie’s phone chimed.
She left the table and picked it up from the counter. “It’s Henri. She and Lucy just finished dinner and looked outside. Evidently there’s a spectacular sunset and moonrise combo developing. They’re driving over to the pasture to get a better look and invited us to go along. Henri’s taking the apple tarts she baked this afternoon.”
“Yum. I love those things. I’m game.”
“Me, too. That’s one of the few disadvantages of this cute cottage. It sits in a low spot and you don’t get a good sunset view.”
Moments later she climbed the gentle slope up to the house with Kate already three steps ahead. That woman could not walk slowly to save her soul.
Henri already had the truck running. Millie got in the back seat with Kate and buckled her seatbelt.
“We’re off.” Henri put the truck in reverse. “Charley and I used to do this all the time. The view from the pasture is so much more open than the one from the porch. After all, we live in Big Sky Country. We need to pay attention.”
“I wonder if the guys have even noticed, considering they were going have this discussion with Garrett about the Brotherhood,” Millie said. “I hope it’s going well.” For someone who’d pleaded with her last night to keep their friendship alive, Jake had been strangely silent today. Not even a brief text.
“I’m sure everything went fine.” Lucy turned toward the back seat. “Like I told Matt, Garrett just needs to know about the Brotherhood. He won’t expect to be invited into it. Not yet, for sure, and maybe not ever. They all have to wait and see.”
“I wasn’t sure what they were going to do,” Henri said. “But since they formed the Brotherhood, it was their call what to tell him and when.”
“I can relate to being the new person in a tight group.” Kate glanced at Millie. “You and Henri were lifesavers. The guys took a little longer to warm up, but now it’s like I’ve been here forever. Garrett will get there eventually, too.”
Lucy nodded. “It takes a while. When we flew in from our honeymoon, it was the first time I fully realized this was my home, now. Which reminds me.” She pulled out her phone. “I spent some time today culling the Hawaii pics so I’m finally ready to show them off. I took tons, but so many were repetitive.”
“I’d love to see them.” Millie leaned forward.
“Here you go.” Lucy scrolled to a shot of Matt standing in the surf. “Start with this one.” She handed her phone back. “That’s our first trip down on the beach. But wait until you get to the ones of Matt surfing. They’re hysterical.”
Millie took the phone and held it so Kate could see. “You two look so happy.”
“We were. We are.” Lucy pointed to the screen. “That’s at the luau. Matt tasting poi. Ever had it?”
Kate laughed. “Once at a friend’s house who’d been there and had some shipped home. I’m not a fan.”
“We weren’t, either. There’s me doing the limbo. There’s Matt, falling on the sand while trying to do the limbo.”
Millie grinned. “I think Matt needs to stick to being a cowboy.”
“That’s what he said. Next are the surfing pictures. We—”
“Lucy.” Henri pulled the truck to a stop. “We’re here.”
“Right. We’ll finish them later.”
“Sure.” Millie handed back the phone. “Great pictures, Lucy. You guys…” She trailed off. Henri had parked in the middle of the pasture. About twenty yards ahead of them was a giant hoop, with a second about ten yards behind it. Both were shooting flames. “What the heck is that?”
“Just get out,” Henri said. “Everything will make sense in a minute.”
“You know what this is about?”
“I do.”
“Lucy? Do you know?”
“Yes. You should probably stand in front of the truck.”
Millie looked over at Kate. “Do you know, too?”
“I don’t, but I’m starting to get it. Millie… flaming hoops.”
“So what? I—” He’d have to jump through flaming hoops. “How could Jake know—”
“I told Rafe last night that you said that.”
Clapping her hand to her mouth, she scrambled out of the truck and hurried around to the front bumper.
From across the meadow, seven riders galloped toward her, the horses’ hooves making the ground shake. The cowboy in the middle rode a white horse. A red scarf around his neck fluttered in the wind. He wore a tight gray shirt, snug jeans, a white hat… and a black mask.
He drew closer to the first hoop and the three riders on either side split off, veering around the flames. The white horse gathered himself and leaped through the fiery circle, raced forward and sailed through the second one.
Oh, Jake. An adrenaline rush left her trembling.
About ten feet away, he pulled back on the reins and came forward slowly. His gallant steed pranced, arched his sleek neck and blew through his nostrils.
She gulped. “You jumped through flaming hoops.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He swung down from the horse and dropped the reins to the ground. �
��It was your requirement.” As he approached, he untied the mask and handed it to her. “This is for you. My days of being the Lone Ranger are over.”
Dazzled by the intensity in his blue eyes, she clutched the material and struggled to breathe. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“But people don’t change overnight.”
“They can if it’s important enough.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Millie Jones.”
She gasped.
Sweeping off his hat, he dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me?”
“Marry you?”
“Yes. I don’t have a ring. I wasn’t going to rush that, but you have my love and my word that we’ll have that happily-ever-after. We—”
“You’ve really caught me by surprise.”
“You don’t want to?”
“Of course I want to, but—could you stand up, please?”
He rose to his feet and took a quick breath. “I’ve loved you from the first day I laid eyes on you but I’d never been in love before, so I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Or right with me. Rafe told me I was in love with you and I didn’t believe him, but he was right. We don’t have to get married right away. We can have a long engagement so you can make sure I’m—”
“Jake, could you please be quiet for a minute?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She took his hat, dropped the black cloth into it and handed both to Kate. Grasping his hands in hers, she lifted her face to his. “I’ve loved you ever since I laid eyes on you, too. I’ve been waiting and hoping for this moment ever since that day. If you want a long engagement, I guess we can have one, but I don’t see the point. I believe in you and your brothers believe in you or they wouldn’t be here lending their support. We can’t go wrong.”
“That’s a yes?”
“That’s a hell, yes.” Releasing his hands, she pulled his head down and kissed him.
With a groan, Jake wrapped her in his arms and kissed her back, which set the Brotherhood to whooping and hollering.
Lifting his head, Jake gazed into her eyes and smiled. “They’re happy.”
Big-Hearted Cowboy Page 17