Suited to be a Cowboy

by Lorraine Nelson

  Instead, she found her guest and her accountant enjoying her hot springs pool. Laughing and splashing each other, she saw Amy jump on Jimmy’s back and they went underwater to come up cuddled close together, with Jimmy’s arms around her waist and her arms around his neck. Immersed in each other, they didn’t even see her.

  Furious, she left them to it and drove home. She’d given him permission to use the place, so she couldn’t very well complain, but that reasoning didn’t help diffuse her temper. Not wanting to be around when they came back, she treated Aaron to breakfast in town. She did some shopping and, by the time they got back to the ranch, Amy was gone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Thank you for helping with the horses,” Jimmy said to Amy as they returned to the ranch house. They walked through to the kitchen where Sheila was busy at the stove. “Hi, Sheila. Have you seen Melissa?”

  “Yep. She and Aaron went out for breakfast and then they were going shopping. Did you need something?”

  Sheila didn’t turn to acknowledge their presence and her voice was cool. Weird that. “Nothing I can’t handle.” Seemed like an odd time for Melissa to go to town. He’d seen her pull up by the pond and was about to wave when Amy jumped him and pushed him down in the water. By the time he surfaced and looked for her, she was gone. Hmmm. Was she jealous? Jimmy smiled to himself thinking of the possible reason for her jealousy. Amy sure was a pretty girl, and in a swimsuit, delectable, although not for him. Still, it was rude of her not to be here to see Amy off, particularly after the vet had made a special trip to help.

  He took Amy’s arm. “Come into the office and I’ll settle your bill.”

  “I haven’t made one up yet. I can mail it to you,” she said.

  “Not a problem. I know what you charge per hour, unless that was a friend rate I was getting?” He smiled and tilted his head to look at her questionably.

  “That works for me.”

  “How much was your airfare and other expenses?”

  “Six hundred and twenty for the round-trip fare. Forty-five for the taxi to get here. That’s it.”

  Jimmy totaled it up and wrote out a check, then passed it to her. “Here you go.”

  Amy glanced at it and then back at him. “This is on your personal account. What gives?”

  “When Melissa isn’t around, we do things this way and she reimburses me.”

  “I can wait for the money, Jimmy. I’m not destitute.”

  “Neither am I, so quit arguing.” He rose from the desk, escorted her out into the hallway, and locked up. “Are your things packed? We have to leave shortly if you don’t want to miss your flight. We might even have time for a coffee when we get there.”

  “Yes, I’m packed. My suitcase is by the front door.”

  “Then let’s go.” Jimmy picked up her suitcase and took her arm as they headed for the truck. It was a half-hour drive to the airport, but by the time she made it through the line and checked her luggage, she had to board.

  “I’ll take a rain check on that coffee, big guy.”

  “Sure thing. It was nice seeing you again, but next time, no bar.”

  “Yeah, I’m really sorry about your black eye, but I haven’t had so much fun in ages.”

  “Fun, yeah, right.” Jimmy chuckled. “I can do without that kind of fun, my dear.”

  Amy giggled. “Yes, I suppose so. Tell Melissa thanks for inviting me. I’ve enjoyed this chance to work on a ranch.”

  “I’ll do that. Take care of yourself.” He hugged her goodbye, just a friendly hug, but she reached her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he hugged her back, but the kiss didn’t faze him a bit. Amy’s lips weren’t the ones he wanted to be kissing. He extricated himself from her hold just as they announced the last call for boarding.

  “You sure there can’t be an us?” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

  He shook his head. “I value your friendship but…”

  “That’s okay. Don’t say it. I gotta run.”

  She turned on her heel and went through the gate and with one last wave, she was gone. He stood in thoughtful silence as he watched her go. Maybe it was best that Melissa hadn’t been with them. But then, if she had been, he could’ve avoided that final scene.

  He returned to the truck, paid the parking fee, and decided to go for that coffee. Melissa was still gone when he returned to the ranch, so he went straight to the office, put in a bill to cover what he’d paid out, then locked up and rode out to work with his Mustangs. Sheila, bless her heart, had packed him a lunch, but her attitude was still cool. He wondered what was bugging her, but it was none of his business. He thanked her and went on his way.

  Jimmy looked out over the vastness of the terrain as he rode toward the mustang corrals. All this open space made a man feel small. It was a moment to sit back and ponder the wonders of life. The horizon was painted in colors of pink, orange, and blue with tinges of purple, but to his eye, it was the greatest painting ever put to the canvas. Out here, he could breathe and know he was one with the land.

  He wasn’t foolish enough to try to break horses on his own, but he could work with the mares that Tippy had already broken to the saddle. He tethered Sherry to the fence post and removed her saddle and blanket. After placing them over the rail, he slipped inside the corral. His aim was to visit with each horse, speak a few words of encouragement, then saddle up and ride each one around the paddock. He needed them to be used to him…for the horses to know that he was in charge when in the saddle.

  The horses behaved beautifully and he was having a grand old time. It wasn’t often that he had time to spend all day in the saddle. That made his enjoyment so much more intense. And to know that these were his horses, what a coup.

  Suddenly the sky darkened and he looked up to see thick, heavy, black clouds moving across the sky. He moved fast to get the saddle off Black Bounty and onto Sherry, but it wasn’t fast enough. A torrential downpour, the like of which he’d never seen, had him soaked to the skin in mere seconds. Lightning flashed, lighting up the sky in chains of mass proportion. Thunder rumbled and crashed all around him. He hated to put the saddle over Sherry’s wet blanket, but uncomfortable or not, it was still better than having the heavy saddle on her bare back.

  He had to find shelter—and fast. The western line shack was closest to the mustang pastures, so that’s where he headed. Rain rolled off the brim of his hat in rivulets and slashed across his face making it difficult to see. Hard, cold rain. He shivered uncontrollably as the water streamed down his torso. If he didn’t find shelter soon, he was likely to catch pneumonia. And it wasn’t good for Sherry either.

  Cold, wet, and miserable, he finally found the cabin. He’d almost missed it in the heavy downpour. He led Sherry into the dubious shelter of a lean-to around back, removed the saddle and saddle bags, gave her some fresh water, then went inside.

  Before long, Jimmy had a fire blazing in the wood stove, ever so thankful for whoever laid in dry wood and kindling, and started another in the fireplace. He grabbed a thick heavy blanket and a towel and went back outside to care for his horse. Sherry whinnied her thanks as he removed the wet blanket, rubbed her down briskly, and covered her with the heavy one he’d found in the cabin. “There you go, girl. That’s the best I can do for now.”

  The bucket beside the sink was upside down to keep rodents out, so he made a trip to the spring for drinking water, put a kettle of water on to heat, then removed his wet clothes and hung them up to dry. Wrapped in a blanket, his teeth chattering from the cold dampness, he pulled the armchair into position and sat in front of the fire, staring into the flames as he waited to get warm.

  When the kettle boiled, he rose to find a mug and coffee fixings. The hot beverage did a lot toward warming his insides. His stomach grumbled and he remembered the lunch Sheila had packed for him. He found a pan and placed the fried chicken on it and put it in the oven to heat. He sure wasn’t in any mood to e
at something cold. There was also a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, which he toasted in a frying pan. Once he’d eaten, he realized the cabin had warmed substantially and his teeth had ceased their chattering.

  Rain still pounded the roof and he wondered how Sherry was faring. He crossed to a back window where he could just barely see out for the streaming rain, but there she was, asleep on her feet and seeming none the worse for the ordeal. Relieved and relaxed, he lit the lamp on the table to ward off the darkness of the stormy night. It was the only light other than the fire blazing in the hearth. A quick glance around the cozy cabin revealed a radio, a stack of books and magazines, and a deck of cards. He turned the radio on, but with the storm outside, all he got was static. A magazine on ranching caught his eye and he brought it to the table to read.

  After the rowdy way the evening ended the night before, he truly enjoyed the peace and quiet. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire, the rain beating on the roof, and Sherry’s occasional whinny. Life was good.

  Glad to have hot water at the ready, he found a package of dry soup in the cupboard, and fixed that too. Chicken soup was always good for getting the chill out. With his body warm and his stomach full, he yawned. He filled the stove and, having nothing better to do, curled up on the bottom bunk and fell asleep.

  Morning dawned bright and sunny and he went back to working with the stock. He rode the ones Tippy had broken until they’d gotten used to him. By the time he’d called it a day, none of the horses shied away from him. He was pleased with his success, but his sore muscles protested the long day in the saddle as he saddled up Sherry to return to the ranch house.

  Had Melissa missed him? Then again, had she even noticed him gone? She and Sheila had both acted rather strange yesterday. Maybe he should spend another night at the line shack. Enjoy a restful, quiet night before returning. Darn! Brian would be bringing the payroll over tonight and he had to be on hand to get it done. That’s why he was here—what he was getting paid for. He mounted up and headed home.

  The storm hit shortly after Melissa got home and when Jimmy didn’t come back, she worried. What if he’d gotten lost out on the range? The poor visibility made it easy for a person to lose all sense of direction. She’d paced the floor at first, running from window to window, watching for a glimpse of him. Should she go looking for him? Send some of the men out searching?

  No, he had probably found shelter by now. He knew where two of the line shacks were. Surely he’d holed up in one. Appeased with that thought, she settled in to watch a movie with Aaron. They’d spent most of the day together, just the two of them, and he cuddled up next to her on the sofa. There was something about a rainy day that made her feel drowsy and content to have him near.

  If only she wasn’t so worried about Jimmy. The movie couldn’t even capture her attention and it was a new release. Her concentration was focused on the sound of a horse and rider approaching—something she should’ve given up on hours ago. She couldn’t help thinking that he was out there somewhere being battered by the high winds and rain. Thunder and lightning scared her senseless. Always had, ever since a tree got struck by lightning one summer and killed eight of their horses that were sheltering beneath. She remembered riding out on the tractor with her grandpa, digging a huge hole in the pasture, and dropping the beauties in one by one. That scene had haunted her for years. Still did when storms raged like this one.

  She shouldn’t be worried about Jimmy though, not after the way he’d run out on her to spend time with the lady vet. Ha! Some lady! The woman had been dressed like a tart. Melissa stifled a giggle and shook her head. She was jealous. The green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head and she’d succumbed. What a hoot! Served her right for expecting more than Jimmy had to give. He’d warned her from the beginning—no strings, no regrets. So be it.

  After the movie, she tucked Aaron in bed and ended up pacing the floor in the living room. Where was Jimmy? He hadn’t returned. She hoped he was all right, as it was too late now to send out a search party. Exhausted, mentally and physically, she finally went to bed, only to toss and turn and worry until she fell into a fitful doze.

  Sheila had breakfast ready and waiting when she surfaced the following morning. “Good morning, Sheila.”

  “Good morning. Aaron’s already eaten. Said to tell you he’d be in the barn with that colt of his. I think he said something about kittens too.”

  “Yes, didn’t we tell you? Marmalade had her first litter. One of them is pure white.”

  “And I suppose the little gaffer wants to bring it in here.”

  Melissa smiled at Sheila’s knowing glance. “Yes, he did ask. I haven’t given him an answer yet.”

  “Harumph! A puppy would suit that boy better. What’s a ranch without a hound dog?”

  Melissa pondered the thought for a moment. “I think you’re on to something there. Maybe I’ll take Aaron to the pound this afternoon, see if there’s one ready to be adopted that he likes.”

  Sheila beamed a matronly smile at her. “Good idea. And don’t forget to pick up food and stuff for it before you come home.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” After Melissa refilled her coffee, she went out to the courtyard, walking until she reached the gazebo. She hadn’t been out here in days. When she rounded the bend, she got quite a surprise. In the center of the gazebo sat a pristine white garden swing. She hurried her steps and was soon rocking back and forth, enjoying the unexpected gift. Jimmy told her he would but had never said another word. Now it was here. When had he had time to make it? And where? The barn? He did spend a lot of time out there with Sherry.

  She couldn’t wait to see him, to thank him. She went back inside so she wouldn’t miss his return, but her numerous trips to the window were to no avail, as he never returned. It was time to round up her son and head for town. Tonight…surely he’d be back tonight.

  That evening she sat in the dark ensconced on her new swing while Aaron and his puppy raced back and forth on the garden path, their steps guided by the solar lighting along the path. The dog was a purebred Chow Chow and it had been love at first sight on both counts. Aaron hadn’t even wanted to look at the rest of the dogs once he’d spied Sasha. She rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes, wondering for the hundredth time if Jimmy was all right.

  “Jimmy! Come look! See what I got.”

  Aaron’s voice cut through her thoughts and she opened her eyes as the man materialized in front of her. With the dim lighting behind him, he was mostly in shadow, but she felt their gazes lock and hold for a brief moment before he turned to Aaron.

  “What a beautiful puppy. Boy or girl?”

  “She’s a girl. Her name is Sasha and she loves me already.”

  “I can see that. Are you teaching her any tricks?” Jimmy squatted down to pet the dog. Sasha jumped around, trying to lick his face and Melissa couldn’t help laughing.

  “She’s fetching sticks,” Aaron said proudly.

  “Good job.” Jimmy stood and turned toward Melissa. “How do you like your swing?”

  “I love it. Thank you.” As always, his attention had butterflies taking flight in her stomach. “Care to join me?”

  “Maybe later. I just got back and am badly in need of a shower and a change of clothes.”

  “Okay,” she said, disappointed, yet understanding. She walked back to the house with him. “Come on, Aaron. It’s time for your bath and then bed.”

  “Can Sasha sleep with me?”

  “If she wants to.” Melissa ruffled his hair, then he was off and running up the path, Sasha hot on his heels.

  “Did you catch any more Mustangs?”

  “No,” he answered as they meandered along. “Just worked with the ones Tippy has already broken to the saddle. They are mighty fine horses.”

  “I’m sure they are.”

  They’d reached the courtyard and stopped for a moment, but Jimmy didn’t once glance her way.

  “I must go in, get that shower.”


  “And I need to tend to Aaron. See you later.”

  “Later.”

  With him bathed and ready for bed, she sat on the floor with Aaron and played with Sasha until both puppy and boy wound down. She tucked Aaron in bed and the pup jumped up beside him, turned a few circles, then lay down with her head resting on his arm. Aaron’s smile was worth every penny she’d spent that day.

  “Good night, sweetheart. Pleasant dreams.”

  “Nite, Mom. Thanks for Sasha.”

  “You’re welcome. See you in the morning.”

  She went out, quietly closed the door, and walked to the front room. Jimmy had arrived ahead of her, sorting through her movie collection. Should I confront him about his behavior with Amy? Or let it go?

  He turned as she walked in.

  “What happened to your face?”

  “Had a run-in with a few cowpokes at the bar. Amy sure is a party girl.”

  “You seemed to enjoy her company well enough.”

  “We’ve known each other a long time. She had the primary care of Sherry whenever I needed a vet. Amy made house calls.”

  I’m sure she did! “Is Sherry the only reason she made house calls?” Melissa wished she’d kept her mouth shut when he slanted a grin her way and raised an eyebrow.

  “Jealous?”

  “Curious,” she corrected.

  “Uh-huh. She sure is pretty.” One purposeful step at a time, he closed the distance between them.

  “I suppose, but she’s really not my type.” Her laugh came out choked.

  “And you think she’s mine?”

  “Seemed like I didn’t exist with her around, so yeah.”

  “Amy and I are friends. That’s it. That’s all it ever could be.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “She’s very social. I’m more of a homebody…content to spend my nights in a cozy atmosphere with one special person.”

  “Oh.”

  “Forgive me?” he asked.