Suited to be a Cowboy

by Lorraine Nelson

  Exhausted beyond belief, he fell asleep almost instantly.

  Oh, wow! Melissa felt like a voyeur. A wanton and extremely needy voyeur. When he came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel, she should’ve turned away, but she couldn’t. Her feet seemed glued to the floor.

  From the way he filled out his clothes, she’d known he had a great physique. What she hadn’t known, and couldn’t possibly guess, was how splendid a body he did have.

  His broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, not a spare ounce of flesh on him to be seen. Perfect abs, muscled biceps, and those legs, long and lean. Her legs shook in reaction, threatening to give way. She was about to start drooling. Never had she seen such a perfect body.

  Certainly not Marcus’s. She giggled, remembering his paunch. Too much wining and dining did that to a person. Served him right, the adulterous jerk.

  She watched as Jimmy crossed his room, walking up close to the patio doors. Was he coming to see her? Dressed like that? Had she given him reason to think he could? Melissa’s insides tightened in response as she turned off the lamp. She almost parted the blinds and waved when he looked her way…until he dropped the towel.

  She’d moved then, peeking through the blinds to try and determine if Jimmy was retiring for the night, or just winding down.

  Her eyes threatened to pop out of her head and she knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t look away. She took one step backward, then another, never taking her eyes off his muscular physique. When he turned and headed for bed, she almost cried out for him, such was her need. Instead, she stood there and admired his fine tush until he covered it with the blankets and turned out the lamp.

  “Good night, Jimmy,” she whispered into the darkness. “Sweet dreams.” She undressed and crawled in between the sheets, punched her pillow into submission and settled in to get some shut-eye. Sleep did come, eventually, and with it exquisite dreams of the man across the way.

  Up before dawn due to a restless night, Melissa donned her robe and headed barefoot to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Before she got there, the heavenly smell wafted its way down the hallway to her. She rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, thinking Sheila was up early, only to find Jimmy leaning against the counter dressed in blue jeans and nothing else. She stopped short. Geez! Even the man’s feet were sexy.

  Jimmy cleared his throat. “Good morning.”

  Embarrassed heat warmed her cheeks, making her aware that she’d been staring. “Good morning. Sleep well?”

  “Like the dead.”

  She attempted a smile. “Must have tired you out, chasing after those Mustangs. Did you catch any?”

  “A few,” was his noncommittal reply. But his eyes twinkled merrily.

  “How many is a few?” she asked as he turned to pour their coffees.

  “Eighteen.”

  “What?” She couldn’t have heard right.

  “We managed to round up a stallion and seventeen mares.” He faced her, passing a hot mug of brew. “A pretty good evening’s work, I’d say.” His grin was broad, proud of his efforts, as he should be. On previous outings, they’d only rounded up one or two or sometimes none at all.

  “Wow! I think that’s a record around here.”

  Jimmy moved toward the patio door. “Yeah, that’s what Tippy said. Thanks for hooking me up with him. He’s a good man. Said he’d help break them, too, and since I don’t have much experience in that area, I accepted.”

  Melissa nodded and took a sip of her coffee then set the mug on the table. “He used to bust broncs for a living. He knows what he’s doing, for sure.”

  “Yeah, he regales me with tales between runs every time we go out. It’s a beautiful morning. I think I’ll take my coffee outside.”

  Melissa took that as a clear invitation that he was still avoiding her, so she drank her coffee then went to her room to shower and dress. When she returned to the kitchen, Aaron was sitting at the table and Jimmy was coming through the patio doors.

  “Mmm, mmm, Sheila! You’ve outdone yourself this morning. I smell me some blueberry pancakes.”

  Melissa’s cook beamed proudly as she served their breakfast. All was quiet except for the tinkle of forks and knives against plates, and the occasional thud when Aaron set his glass of milk down.

  Tension filled the air, and although Melissa had wanted to talk to Jimmy alone and explain, she thought it would be a good time for Aaron to come clean. “So Aaron, don’t you have something to tell Jimmy?”

  The kid had just taken a drink of milk and ended up sputtering it out of his mouth.

  “Do I have to? I thought you were going to tell him.”

  His pleading look was difficult to ignore, but his petulant tone told her she was doing the right thing.

  “Tell me what, buddy?” Jimmy asked.

  He glanced at her one more time then sat up straight and faced Jimmy.

  “I was just trying to make sure you’d stay.”

  “Oh? How’s that?”

  “I led Midnight Rain to Sherry. I thought if your horse had a baby with one of ours, you’d have to stay on the ranch.”

  Jimmy set down his fork and picked up his coffee, taking a drink. Melissa waited with bated breath, as she was certain Aaron was, to find out what Jimmy would say.

  “Well now, I like it here well enough, but I’m not family, Aaron. That’s leaves me free to move on when and if I’m ready to. Understand?”

  “But I don’t want you to leave,” he wailed pitifully.

  Melissa heard the wobble in her son’s voice, saw tears welling up in his eyes. Her heart went out to him.

  “I haven’t been here all that long. Hadn’t even considered leaving to tell the truth.”

  Aaron perked up at that. “You could marry my mom, then you wouldn’t have to leave. We’d all be family.”

  It was Melissa’a turn to sputter. Coffee went everywhere and she hastily grabbed a napkin to sop up the mess. “Aaron!”

  Jimmy’s soft chuckle reached her ears and she felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment.

  “I’m afraid I’m not the marrying kind, buddy, but if I was, this would be the perfect place to settle down.”

  “Are you mad at me?” Aaron asked.

  “Well, I’m not exactly pleased. You see, Sherry is a purebred Arabian and I’d hoped to breed more purebreds when I have my own ranch. Mating with your horse may have tainted her bloodline.”

  “Oh.” Aaron hung his head, the picture of abject misery.

  “But nature has to run its course, with or without a little help. Just don’t pull anther stunt like that. Okay?”

  “I won’t. Cross my heart.” Aaron suited action to words and turned to his mother. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, Mom. Can we go see Jimmy’s horses?”

  “How did you find out about them so quick?” she asked, glad for the change of subject.

  “When I went to the barn to look for you and check on Aaron’s Pride, Tippy told me they’d lassoed eighteen more last night. So, can we go see your horses tomorrow?”

  Jimmy glanced her way and she gave a brief nod. “Sure. I plan on riding out to lasso a few more in the morning. The Mustangs are real beauties, but they’re wild. You’ll have to stay outside the corral.”

  “Okay. You coming, Mom?”

  She glanced at Jimmy, his fork paused halfway to his mouth. Was he waiting for her answer? Did he want her to tag along? To heck with it. She wanted to see the Mustangs. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Good. Now that’s settled, I’ll get to work. Thank you for a delicious breakfast, Sheila. See you later.” He winked at Melissa as he left the room.

  She stared after him, deep in thought. What was that wink for? Was everything okay with them again? After the way her marriage ended, she didn’t think she had it in her to trust another man with her emotions, her heart, and her life. But he’d been so understanding with her son’s mischief—twice now. And she couldn’t help the thrill that encompassed her when envis
ioning him as she’d seen him last night. Good Lord, help me get a grip.

  “Earth to Mom.” Aaron waved a hand in front of her face.

  “What, dear?”

  “Can we go riding this morning?”

  “I have to run into Fort Collins for groceries and supplies first. Want to come with me?”

  “Can we stop at the park?”

  “For a little while. Brian’s waiting on feed for the mares ready to foal, so we can’t stay long.”

  “Okay. Let’s go.” He jumped to his feet, almost upsetting the pitcher of juice.

  Melissa chuckled as she righted it and took her plate to the sink. “Thank you, Sheila. Excellent meal, as always.”

  “No problem, Melissa. Drive careful.”

  With the accounts almost caught up, Jimmy had too much time to think. His lawyer had finally called back, but Jimmy didn’t know what to do with the information he’d received. The vet had determined that Sherry was pregnant, and it was good to know that the foal would belong to him, but the lawyer was of two minds concerning the stud fees.

  Since Jimmy willingly boarded the horse at the ranch knowing there were stallions present, a good lawyer could argue the case and perhaps receive compensation on those fees. Also, knowing that Melissa’s son had set the horses up for coupling put a different spin on things as well. A court could hold her totally at fault and make her pay any vet bills involved with the pregnancy and birth, as well as damages to the purebred lineage. It was a touchy subject and one he wanted to steer clear of. With Aaron’s confession, he hoped they had a workable truce of sorts. He didn’t want to be the one to spoil it.

  He glanced at his watch. Melissa had said she’d bring him a coffee mid-afternoon, but she hadn’t arrived yet. While listening for her footsteps in the hall, he couldn’t concentrate. Instead, he glanced at his watch every five seconds, and alternately watched the door for that first glimpse of her. Man, he had it bad. Which wasn’t a good thing from where he sat.

  He focused on the papers in his hands, making brief notes as he went. A pounding on the outside door caused him to fumble and drop his pen. Aaron stood outside, his face streaming with tears. Jimmy quickly rose to unlock the door. “What happened, Aaron? Are you hurt?”

  “No-o-o. I went riding with Mom and her horse spooked. Now she won’t wake up.”

  “Where is she?” Jimmy strode through the courtyard in the direction of the barn. He slowed his steps when he realized Aaron was running to keep up.

  “In the North pasture.”

  When they rounded the corner, Jimmy spied a horse, saddled and ready to go. “Is this yours?”

  “Yes, that’s Sadie.”

  Jimmy mounted and held out a hand for Aaron, swinging the boy up behind him. “Hold on and tell me the quickest way to get there.”

  At first, Jimmy rode slow, making sure Aaron stayed balanced.

  “Hurry, Jimmy!”

  That was all it took. He urged the horse into a run and they covered ground in record time. He saw Melissa’s horse and knew they were getting close, so he slowed to a trot.

  “There, Jimmy. She’s over by that tree.”

  Melissa was sitting up, her back against a huge oak tree. Jimmy reined in, lowered Aaron to the ground, and dismounted. He ran over and hugged his mother, laughing and crying at the same time.

  “I couldn’t wake you up, Mommy. I got scared and rode home for help, but Brian wasn’t there.”

  “Easy, honey. I’m okay, but I think I broke my arm in the fall.” Her eyes strayed and zeroed in on Jimmy. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

  He nodded, too choked up to speak. Terror such as he’d never known had engulfed him when Aaron showed up at the office door. How did she come to mean so much so fast? He cleared his throat. “I have first aid training. Want me to check that arm?”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  Jimmy knelt beside her to check her right arm, seeing as that was the one she was favoring. “Yep, I’d say it’s broken at the elbow. I’ll fashion a splint for it until we can get you to a hospital. Do you hurt anywhere else?”

  She snorted a laugh. “Everywhere,” she winced, “and it hurts to laugh. Can you help me up?”

  “I should splint that first.”

  “What with?”

  Jimmy found the smoothest branch available and pulled off his shirt, tearing it into strips. Melissa winced as he tied the stick to her arm to keep it immobile. “Sorry, boss lady, but there’s less chance of doing more damage with it splinted.”

  “I know.”

  “There, that should do it.” He stood and turned toward the boy waiting anxiously behind him. “Aaron, can you fetch your mom’s horse?”

  Aaron ran to do his bidding as Jimmy moved to Melissa’s good side. He was afraid she might have cracked a rib or two and he didn’t want to take a chance on her moving around too much, so he carefully reached behind and beneath her, lifting her easily into his arms.

  Melissa shrieked in alarm. “Jimmy! Put me down.”

  “Hush. I’m going to put you on your horse and ride behind you. You can’t handle that big brute of yours while in pain. Aaron can ride back on Sadie.”

  “Snowdrop is not a big brute. She’s beautiful and graceful.”

  “Maybe so, but I’ll handle the reins on the way home.” Aaron led the horse to them and he gently lifted her into the saddle. “Okay?”

  “Yeah.” She held onto the saddle horn with a white-knuckled grip.

  “Did you see what spooked the horse?”

  “Later,” she said, nodding toward her son who was trying to mount Sadie.

  “Be right back.” He moved to give Aaron a leg up. “We’ll take it slow on the ride home, okay, buddy? I don’t want to cause your mom more pain than she’s already in.”

  “Okay.” He swiped at his eyes. “This was my fault. I bugged her to go riding.”

  “Nope, not anyone’s fault. It was just an accident, but I wish I knew what spooked that horse.”

  “I heard a big bang, but I didn’t see anything.”

  “That’s all right. We’ll figure it out. I’m going to ride behind your mother, make sure she stays on her horse this time.”

  Jimmy was glad to see his comment brought a smile to the boy’s face. “You can head out. We’ll be right behind you.” He gave the horse a slap to the rump to start them on their way, then turned to mount Snowdrop. Melissa had slumped forward. “Melissa, I’m right here. I’ll try not to jar you too badly when I mount up.”

  “It hurts, Jimmy. It hurts real bad.”

  “I know, baby. Hang in there. I’ll get you to the hospital as soon as I can.” He swung up behind her and grabbed the reins, giving them a slight flick to alert the horse.

  Snowdrop seemed to realize her mistress was injured. She kept a slow, steady gait all the way back to the ranch house. He reined her to a halt beside his truck and dismounted. “Aaron, go find Brian. We need him to tend to the horses so we can take your mom to the doctor.”

  “Okay.” He scampered off, screaming at the top of his lungs for the foreman. Jimmy chuckled as he opened the passenger door and lifted Melissa down off the horse and onto the seat. “That boy never does anything halfway, does he?”

  “No. Never.” She started to laugh and moaned in pain. “Don’t…make…me laugh.”

  “Sorry.” He buckled her in and closed the door, then waited for Aaron.

  “He’s coming,” Aaron called out as he ran back to the truck.

  Brian was just leaving the barn, heading their way. Jimmy gave a quick wave to the man and turned toward the truck. “Good job. Hop in.” Seated and buckled, Jimmy’s first instincts were to drive hard and fast, but mindful of Melissa’s injuries, he drove at a sedate pace, well within the speed limit. By the time he reached the town limits, Melissa had dozed off or passed out from the pain. He wasn’t sure which. He followed the signs posted, braked to a halt at the emergency entrance, and jumped down from the cab to round the hood and get Melissa.


  “Hey! You can’t park here. This is the emergency entrance,” shouted a burly security guard.

  “This is an emergency. I brought in a woman who sustained a bad fall from a horse. Concussion, possible cracked ribs, and there might be internal injuries along with a broken humerus. Get me a stretcher.”

  The guard hurried inside and came back with another man who pushed a stretcher. Jimmy carefully lifted Melissa out of the truck and placed her on the stretcher, easing her slowly down until she was lying flat.

  He brushed a few strands of hair back from her face, glad to see her eyes open. “I have to move the truck, but I’ll catch up with you soon.”

  “Okay.”

  “Aaron, stay with me. The doctor will take care of your mom.”

  Aaron nodded and they climbed back into the truck after the orderly wheeled her inside.

  “Is Mom going to be okay?” he asked in a wobbly voice.

  “She’ll be just fine. The doctor will take pictures of her arm and put it in a cast, but don’t worry. They know what they’re doing.” He smiled to relieve some of the boy’s tension, but inside, Jimmy was a mass of nerves and anxiety. What if she had internal bleeding? Had he gotten here in time? “It’s a good thing you didn’t panic. You did great riding home to get help. Real good.”

  Aaron swiped at a fresh fall of tears and offered a tentative smile. “I did?”

  “You sure did, pardner.” He gave Aaron a high-five. “Now let’s park this rig so we can go in and keep her company.”

  Aaron nodded, fairly bouncing in his seat. “I like sitting up here. I can see everything.”

  “Don’t get used to it.” Jimmy reversed into a parking space and killed the engine. “You’re still too young to be a front seat passenger when I’m driving on the road.”

  “What if you didn’t have a back seat? Most trucks don’t have ’em. I’d have to ride up front.”