Suited to be a Cowboy

by Lorraine Nelson

  Hot damn! Exactly what he’d been searching for. And he wouldn’t even have to worry about finding accommodation nearby. His dinner forgotten, he grabbed the paper and rushed into his home office. He spent a few minutes updating his résumé and sent it off with a cover email outlining his current status and availability.

  Colorado. The Rocky Mountains. Wide-open spaces. Fresh air.

  To Jimmy’s surprise, he received an almost immediate reply.

  F&*% you!

  Flabbergasted, Jimmy leaned back in his chair. What the heck kind of response was that? Not exactly the best way to do business. Oh well, if the owners were that rude, he didn’t want to work there anyway. He hated profanity. How many times had he been sworn at and picked on in school just for being smart? He shut down the computer and went back to his now-cold dinner. Nuking it again, he paused to wonder if it was healthy to reheat food more than once. Probably not, but he was too hungry to care.

  After dinner he changed clothes and headed for the shed out back. He heard Sherry’s whinny before he had the door open. “Hey, girl. Did you miss me today? Want to go for a ride?”

  The horse tossed her thick, mahogany mane and snorted as she peered over the stall door, sounding as if she was laughing.

  “I know, I hate keeping you cooped up all day, but I don’t want you getting lost or hurt in the woods.” He glanced up at the windows he’d installed, one on each wall and all open to allow a cross-breeze, no matter which way the wind was blowing. “I’m doing the best I can, but soon, real soon, we’ll have plenty of acreage and you can run to your heart’s content. For now, let’s saddle up and ride.” Jimmy threw a blanket over Sherry’s back, placed the saddle over it, and tightened the cinch straps before leading the mare from the shed. Still holding the reins, he placed his left foot in the stirrup and mounted. “Ready, girl? Let’s go.”

  Jimmy led her over a seldom-used four-wheeler trail through the woods until they reached a gravel road, which led to a clearing with a brook running through it. Jimmy had spent many happy hours traveling the countryside on Sherry’s back, but he considered this isolated spot their best find. With ample grass for grazing and water to drink or cool off in, it was a small piece of paradise where he could sit and think and dream.

  He dismounted and led Sherry to the stream. Perched on a rock, Jimmy studied the clouds as the horse drank her fill. Amused, he spoke. “What do you think of that one, Sherry? It has all the curves of a woman I met in town today. Is it an omen of some kind, do you think?”

  The horse swung her head up and let loose a shrill whinny.

  He chuckled and pulled a long stem of grass to chew on. “Don’t like me talking about another filly, do you? That’s okay. I haven’t a clue who she is or where she’s from. Still, she sure was pretty.”

  Sherry tossed her head a few times and ran circles around the clearing, stopping to graze only a few feet away from where he sat. He moved to lie down, the tall grass making a comfortable cushion on which to stretch out his tired body. His eyelids closed against the glare of the setting sun and it wasn’t long before sleep claimed him.

  Walt’s was the lead truck in their little convoy. Although he tended to flirt outrageously, Walt was good company and he soon realized that Melissa could give as good as she got. It all served to help pass the time and she found she enjoyed the ride to Kentucky…until they pulled onto the racetrack to find her ex-husband waiting with the potential buyers.

  She thanked Walt and jumped down from the cab ready to send Marcus on his way while the men unloaded the stock. The sale of her horses had nothing to do with his running of Dehavilland Downs. If he hadn’t been the father of her only son, she would have sent him packing when the marriage ended.

  Still fuming, she motioned him to one side and confronted him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Why, darling, I’m overseeing the sale of our horses. Surely you wouldn’t expect me to leave something so important in your incapable hands.” Marcus wore an evil smirk that did nothing to cool her anger.

  “How dare you! These are my horses.”

  “Oh, I dare. I can fetch a much better price for them than you can. My share of the proceeds will compensate for the pittance I’m allowed for managing the track.”

  “These are my buyers and my horses. You get paid handsomely for what you do and you’re not getting one red cent of my sale money. Now get off this track before I call security and have you removed for good.”

  “Tut, tut, darling. Such a temper. What would Aaron say if you followed through on that threat?”

  That thought gave her pause, but only for a moment. “Oh, I think he’d understand well enough, given the way you’ve kept in contact with him. Not! And don’t call me darling. You gave up that right when you walked out.”

  She palmed her cell phone and began to dial.

  “All right. You’ve won this round, but you’ll be sorry. Those buyers will strip you bare of the horses’ real worth, but you’re on your own. Know that I’ll be laughing from my position on the bleachers.”

  Melissa breathed a sigh of relief as he stomped off. He could watch the proceedings or not. She really didn’t care. With a smile fixed on her face, she signaled the jockeys to start the show and turned to her buyers, a mix of men and women from all over the states. Wanting to at least appear professional, she greeted each one in turn and gave a running commentary on each horse’s capabilities.

  Two hours later, she’d fetched handsome prices for all but two of the horses. One threw a shoe and she’d had to remove him from the trials. Another was off his mark, a direct result of the train wreck, no doubt.

  The bills of sale were neatly printed out and in her briefcase. All she had to do was fill in names and amounts and have the buyers sign both copies, one for each of them.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I’m staying at the Kentucky Motel. It’s only a couple miles from here.” She passed out pre-printed maps for their convenience. “To conclude our business, please stop by with your certified checks to receive your bills of sale and permission slips enabling you to load your horses. I’m certain you’ll be more than satisfied with your purchases from Thoroughbreds R Us. Thank you for coming.”

  Melissa shook hands with everyone as they left and turned to pick up her briefcase full of papers, surprised and annoyed to find Marcus right behind her. She groaned inwardly. How much had he overheard? The last thing she needed was her ex showing up at the motel and harassing her, or worse, intercepting her buyers.

  “I thought I told you to leave.”

  “And I did, but I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was a bit put out when you arrived and hadn’t notified me of the impending sale. You know I’d be happy to handle that for you.”

  “Thanks, but there was no need, the sale being ranch business and all.” There, that should show him.

  “Come to dinner with me tonight?” he asked, pulling the little boy lost facial routine that had always worked for him in the past.

  “Nope. I’m busy.” She grabbed her briefcase and walked away, beginning to get a mad on when he strode beside her. “Isn’t there something you should be doing? Like work?”

  “I miss your company. Is that so bad?”

  Melissa snorted a laugh. Not very elegant or ladylike, but she couldn’t help it. “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m serious. Can’t we have dinner, talk about old times? We had our share of good ones.”

  “Did we? I don’t rightly remember.” She unlocked the rental she’d arranged to have on hand and climbed in behind the wheel. Marcus held the door, preventing her from closing it. “I have to go.”

  “Call me?” he asked.

  “Nope.” She gave a mighty tug and the door slammed shut. She reversed out of the parking space and drove away. The nerve of the man. Had she really been that easy a conquest when they’d been together? Yes, she had, but since she’d taken over the ranch, Melissa had grown a new backbone and her ex wasn’t
going to get to her ever again. She didn’t want him, didn’t need him, and she sure as heck didn’t love him anymore. With a carefree laugh echoing through the car, she pulled up in front of the motel office and went inside to register. All in all, it had been a very good day.

  Chapter Two

  Melissa returned from her travels feeling pretty pleased. Ever since she’d inherited the ranch, she’d felt like a fish out of water. True, she loved horses and her grandfather had known that well enough, but she didn’t know anything about breeding them, caring for them, or anything. Thankfully, the foreman did.

  Old enough to be her father, Brian had patiently walked her through the ropes time and time again. She was learning—not fast enough by some standards—but she wasn’t about to quit and sell out without even trying. Besides, she loved the ranch and it was a great place to raise a family.

  Her only sore spot during the sales trip was having to deal with her ex-husband. Even the train wreck didn’t compare to his annoying presence. “Melissa, I’m sorry.” “Melissa, come back home.” “Melissa, have dinner with me.” It soon became tiresome. Not once had he asked about his son. Not once! She’d been so angry, she hadn’t wanted to talk to him, let alone see him.

  And by taking the horses to the track herself, she’d inadvertently let him know where they were living. He still managed Dehavilland Downs, the horseracing track that she’d inherited from her mother, but if she had to deal with him again, she’d go crazy. Maybe it was time to look for a new manager. Melissa had been greatly relieved when her business concluded and she could board the plane for home.

  She parked her car in front of the house and the front door opened. Aaron, her boisterous nine-year-old boy, came running to meet her. God, he was a welcome sight. She’d never been away from him overnight, never mind being gone for over a week.

  “Hi, Mom. How was your trip? Did you sell all the horses? Can we go get my game now?”

  “Whoa, Aaron! Slow down and take a breath or two.” She hugged him tight, having missed him terribly, even with the daily phone calls keeping them in constant touch. “My trip was fine. I sold all but three horses, and what game are we talking about?”

  “Moo-oom, I told you the other day. Halo broke and I emailed the company, but they wouldn’t help.”

  Startled, she held him a little away from her. She didn’t remember any such conversation. It must have been the night of the sale. Marcus kept calling and she was so annoyed, that even the sound of her son’s voice hadn’t calmed her. “You emailed the company? How? From where?”

  He stepped back, shuffling his feet, staring down at the ground. Guilty.

  “Their email was on the box, and I, ah, used your computer.” His brown eyes pleaded with her to understand as he looked up. “You weren’t here and I had to, Mom. I just had to.”

  “Uh-huh, and where was Sheila when this was going on?”

  “Watching her soaps. When I told her, she said not to bother her with silly stuff.”

  She sighed. Nothing would pry the woman from her soap operas and they were on every weekday afternoon. Maybe next time she traveled, she’d disconnect the service. Immediately ashamed of her spiteful thoughts, she remembered that there weren’t too many people willing to live on a ranch this far from town. And Sheila was an excellent cook, even if she was old-school and not interested in video games.

  “Well, I’m here now and you survived. Let me shower and change and I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”

  Aaron escorted her to her room, chatting non-stop all the way.

  “Satin’s Pride borned a colt. He’s a beauty. Marmalade has kittens in the barn, five of them, and Streamer humped Angel’s Lace.”

  Melissa laughed aloud. “Where did you learn that word?”

  “Humping is what Brian told me when I asked what they were doing.”

  “I see.” She’d have to have a talk with Brian, although she knew he could’ve used much stronger words than that. “I’ll go see the new arrivals after I get changed. I won’t be long.”

  Showered and dressed, she slipped into her office, going straight to the computer. As she waited for it to boot up, Melissa wondered if he’d deleted any files this time. Most of the important ones were password protected, but Aaron was extremely smart for his age and had accessed them before. She didn’t even think he knew how to send an email.

  She opened the program and had a look. Fifty-seven new emails. Geesh! She’d deal with those later. About to open the sent mail folder, she noticed that one email halfway down the column had a little button beside it, indicating that it had been replied to. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Melissa opened the message.

  She skimmed it, realizing it was in response to her ad, but she ignored the details and scrolled down to the reply. Oh. My. God. Melissa put her hands to her head as embarrassment fueled her anger. What must this man think of her?

  “Aaron! Get in here!”

  “Yes, Mom?’ he asked from the doorway.

  Melissa took a few calming breaths as she turned to face her son. “Come here, Aaron.”

  He did so, his posture that of going to an execution—his own.

  “Read this to me.” Melissa had scrolled back up to the original message. He started reading. When he got to the part about the application for a job, Aaron stopped and looked at her, his expression curious.

  “You’re wondering why I asked you to read this to me?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, this gentleman has applied for a job here. Now read the reply that he thinks was sent by me.”

  Aaron’s face blanched of all color as he saw the words. He backed up a step and Melissa grabbed his arm to keep him at her side.

  “When did you start using language like that?”

  He shrugged. “The wranglers say it all the time.” His voice was subdued, yet defensive. “I was just so mad at the game’s people. Sorry, Mom.”

  “Aaron, the wranglers work for me. They do not live in my house and they know better than to cuss like that when I’m around. You do live in my house and you know the rules.”

  “But, Mom, I just want to be one of the guys. You know?”

  Her heart reached out to him, knowing how badly he wanted to fit in here.

  It had been less than a year since their lives had suffered two major upheavals. His father had walked out on them one day last summer and never came back. Then shortly after Christmas, her grandfather died, leaving them the ranch, and she’d decided to move. The ranch had always felt more like home than anywhere else they had lived.

  “Yes, I know, but can’t you just be happy being one of the good guys?” She thought of the handsome businessman who’d rounded up her horses earlier that week, deciding to share it with Aaron. “Let me tell you a story…”

  “Wow, Mom. He really did that? No saddle, no rope, nothing?”

  “Yes, he really did. And no cussing either. Understand?”

  Aaron nodded.

  “Now, how are we going to fix this?” She pointed to the computer screen.

  “I should send an apology. Right?”

  “Right, and the next time you want to use the computer, ask. If I’m not here and Sheila’s busy, check with Brian. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  With her help, Aaron composed an apologetic message and sent it off. When he left the room, she downloaded and read the attached application. This guy was just what she’d been looking for. He might live and work in the city, but his heart was with horses. She printed out his application and set it aside. She’d check his references later.

  Melissa thought again of her handsome city wrangler. He’d looked spectacular astride that horse, business suit or not. His deep, southern accent had almost melted her insides. And he’d smelled good too. It wasn’t like her to impulsively hug strange men, but she’d been so doggone grateful. The muscles she felt under that pinstriped suit hadn’t been earned sitting behind a desk. City boy…probably worked out at a loca
l gym.

  She shook her head and turned her attention back to the matter at hand…that of checking the remaining emails for prospective employees. Melissa hurried through them, aware that Aaron was waiting for her. Only seven in all captured her interest. The rest were unsuitable.

  She’d hoped to hire a female for the position, but none had applied and she couldn’t put off hiring someone any longer. Right now, though, she needed to spend time with her son and see the new additions to ranch stock. She printed out the possibles to check into further, and had just shut down the computer when Aaron appeared at her door.

  “Ready, Mom?”

  This was the first sick day he’d taken in over three years, and yet Jimmy felt guilty as he stood in his home office, peering out the window. His personal assistant was more than equal to the task of running the office in his absence, her perfectionist ways having pulled him up by the bootstraps several times since he’d hired her.

  He wasn’t physically sick. It was more emotional, a lack of ambition. Maybe he needed a vacation, although he hated to spend his hard-earned money on something so frivolous. He could always vacation at home, free to ride Sherry every day. He snickered as the thought reminded him of a woman he’d once dated with wine-colored hair.

  A break from routine appealed to him. He could pack a lunch, ride into the hills, and enjoy some quiet time away from phones, computers, and work pressures. Maybe after a week or so, he’d be so bored he’d be anxious to return to the daily grind. Doubtful, the way he felt at the moment, but maybe.

  Or he could start searching for a ranch. He had enough saved for a good down payment, but he didn’t want to go broke buying stock and running the place. Still, if he sold the firm and the cottage, he’d have enough to buy some stock.

  Roots…owning a ranch meant roots, something he’d never had. Raised in foster care, he had no family, no heritage, no roots…nothing to offer a committed relationship, so he’d remain single, maybe adopt a few kids and give them the security he’d lacked. He wanted family, a sense of belonging, but he’d resigned himself to never having children of his own.