Ridge was there with Casey, his bride of only a few years. The two were all smiles as they went around the room. Sassy saw Ridge fill his small plate with tacos and other goodies from the commissary table, while Casey “edited,” exchanging a few cheesy treats with carrot sticks and an apple.
And then there was Kat.
From a distance, Sassy watched her enter the room with an expectant grin like a grande dame—the hostess and matriarch of the ranch. Even though Casey was married to Ridge, Freda told her that Kat was large and in charge.
Standing at the back of the room, Sassy could see Kat was beautiful. From the twinkle in her eyes to her confidence level (which seemed off the charts) Kat West kept one manicured hand on her husband Gunnar, and extended another to each and every ranch hand and cowboy as if being introduced to royalty. She had grace and style, but worked hard to make everyone feel welcome.
“Sassy, why you hiding over there? Come on over and say hi,” Gunnar called out to her, leaving her no choice but to come forward and face her at last.
“Hello,” Sassy said quietly, “it’s so nice to meet you.” She worked hard to keep her hand from trembling with moderate success.
“Sassy,” Kat said, almost fumbling over the name. She stopped mid-shake, and held the girl’s hand as she searched her eyes for recognition. “Have I met you before? You seem so familiar to me.”
And then, to Sassy’s horror, Kat’s eyes grew big and her smile faltered slightly.
“Nope.”
Sassy pulled her hand away and forced her smile to widen, to compensate for Kat’s own.
“She’s never been anywhere near Wyoming before,” Gunnar told his wife with a small laugh. “But she’s doing a fine job getting our records in order, and clearing muddy creek beds with Ash in her spare time.”
Gunnar tried to move Kat on.
“Darlin’, you remember Red’s nephew, Wayne, don’t you?”
Kat’s eyes remained fixed. Sassy was used to stares, and took Kat’s in stride. It was a good first encounter, she thought, and had been trying to engineer a second. So far, Ash wasn’t as much help as she’d hoped.
Gunnar, however, made it easy with one simple request.
Chapter 30
“Oh Lordy, what have I gone and done, what am I doing here?”
Sassy eyed the ranch house from the open-top Jeep as she slowly approached.
Kat was waiting on this mail, but she couldn’t seem to make the car go any faster than five miles per hour. Any slower and she’d be going backwards—part of her wanted to do just that. Turn the other way and drive through the night back to her home, and her mother.
Hearing her heart pound, Sassy took a few cleansing breaths, then guided the Jeep to the circular driveway near the covered front door.
The front of the ranch house made it appear almost normal in size, though still quite elegant with its iron and wood beams. But Ash had pointed out the back of the house that day they went to the creek, and it was like an iceberg. Most of the house was built into the bluff and hidden from view.
From the back, it looked more like a conference center with wings, decks, and massive picture windows. Sassy thought she could slip in one of the lower doors and never be noticed for weeks in such a place.
Surely Kat must have a mighty league of support staff to keep such a place so pristine. The landscaping alone looked like it was ready for a magazine photo shoot.
As she parked, Sassy thought about her own family home in south Illinois. It was almost ridiculous that her mother had a housekeeper and gardener, but then again, she couldn’t picture her mother doing much except flipping through magazines. And they had the money.
“Whatever makes your mama happy,” her daddy would say, indulgently. He was that way with Sassy, too, though seemed to have higher expectations of his daughter than his wife.
“Whatever makes you stronger, smarter, and more prepared,” he would say as a barometer for her interests.
“Prepared for what?” Sassy would ask when she was young, only to receive a sad smile in return by way of an answer.
For this, she knew now, walking towards the massive double door. For a time when she was a fatherless child; practically alone in the world and tasked with carrying out her daddy’s final wish.
Chapter 31
Kat didn’t bother to hide her surprise at seeing Sassy standing in the doorway.
“Oh, hello Sassy,” she said, coolly.
“Gunnar asked me to come by,” Sassy hurriedly explained, “to bring your mail.”
Still knitting her brow, Kat opened the door a little wider.
“Come on in.”
Stepping into the impressive foyer, Sassy exclaimed at the antler chandelier overhead, and oohed a little at the inlaid marble flooring. Her eyes caught the family portraits on the wall and the stone fireplace in the background, at the far end of the connecting great room.
As Sassy took in the visual treats, Kat seemed to be watching her closely.
“Let’s go in the kitchen,” Kat said, “you look thirsty, and a little pale.”
“It must be the altitude still,” Sassy said to a skeptical Kat. “I’ve been dizzy at times.”
Kat nodded and turned so Sassy would follow. “There’s other things that cause dizziness, you know,” said the doctor. “If it doesn’t go away soon, you might want to have a physical exam and some bloodwork.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sassy said, wondering what Kat was implying. People tended to make assumptions about pretty girls—if she’s dizzy, she must be preggers, right? She was guilty until proven innocent, apparently. Sassy expected more from Kat, and if this is what she had been thinking, was more than a little disappointed.
Little did anyone know, and it was nobody’s business, that Sassy kept men at arm’s length as a rule. A rule she had broken for Ash, whose kiss she did not regret and could still taste. Being on West Ranch was intoxicating for Sassy, for many reasons now. It could be that Ash was getting tangled up in her complex emotions.
But honestly, Sassy thought, before long, she’d be gone and none of it would matter.
Minutes later, the two were perched on stools against a marble kitchen island so big it could land a small airplane.
“I’m sure you hear it all the time, but this house is amazing,” Sassy managed, after gratefully sipping the cold lemonade. The bracing tang of the drink revived her senses.
“Yes, it is amazing,” Kat said. “I never thought I’d be living in such a place, but it’s become home to me.”
“Did you… grow up in Wyoming?” Sassy ventured, already knowing the answer.
“No. Northern Illinois,” Kat said, watching the girl closely. “Not far from Wisconsin. You?”
“Southern Illinois,” Sassy said. “Close to the Missouri border.”
“Ah,” Kat nodded, eyeing Sassy with interest. “You’re a long way from home.” And then, “Why did you come here, Sassy?”
Sassy felt her heartrate increase at the question as blood drained from her head—she thought she might faint, but forced herself to reach down and lift the glass. With a trembling hand, she focused her energy on stilling the shaking ice cubes and taking another tart sip. This was the opening she’d been looking for with Kat, and opened her mouth to answer.
“I came to tell…”
“Mommy, Mommy,” a sharp little voice interrupted Sassy before she could say more. A child came running into the room, excitedly holding a book.
“Willow…” Kat started to say.
“Mommy, I can read this one all by myself!”
“That’s great sweetie,” Kat said, “you can read it to me in a minute, but first, do you see we have company?”
“Oh, hi,” the girl said to Sassy, rallying admirably to gain her composure. Sassy was sure that the girl’s parents were raising her as heir to a vast fortune and responsibility—of whom much is given, much will be required, or so goes the scripture.
“Willow, this is mi
ss Sassy. She works in the ranch office, and is visiting us from the state of Illinois—the same state…” and then, Kat looked up at Sassy with a jerk before continuing, only this time, there was a dawn of recognition in her eyes, “…the same state I grew up in.”
“How do you do, Willow,” Sassy said with grace equal to Kat’s own. “It’s nice to meet you. And you’re reading books already? You must be very smart.”
Sassy had never been around many children in her life, but knew from her father’s example never to point out a little girl’s beauty.
Nobody can take credit for their God-given looks, he’d say; encourage their accomplishments and their mind instead. Which is how he raised Sassy.
“Would you like me to read to you?” Willow asked, about to hand her book to Sassy. Mama Kat intervened and took the book from the little hands.
“Sassy needs to get back to the office, Willow,” Kat said, “and I need to open my mail. We’ll see our guest out, and then read a few books together, okay?”
“Okay Mommy,” Willow said, “bye Miss Sassy.”
“Bye Willow,” Sassy said as she stood up to go, sensing Kat’s hot gaze even without looking. “Thanks for the lemonade, Mrs. West… Kat.”
Kat nodded, still holding a frown on her face as she gave her head a little shake and led Sassy to the door. There was no fond farewell, or “come back soon.” Moments later, as she walked to the Jeep, Sassy flinched as she felt as much as heard the large wood and iron door close hard behind her.
And a feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach.
“Whew, I would not want to be on the wrong side of Kat West,” Sassy said to herself as she made her way back. Kat had done all the right things, as the matriarch of one of the biggest ranches in Wyoming.
Nobody could accuse her of being inhospitable.
And yet…
There were no warm and fuzzies awaiting Sassy in the big house. Instead of feeling welcomed, Sassy felt as though Kat was biding her time and watching the clock; anxious to escort her guest out the door, and toss her back into the dry hot Wyoming sun.
Could she blame her? Kat was a busy doctor and mother, as well as wife to Gunnar West. Individually, these were all full-time jobs. Then there was the foundation. Sassy knew the West Foundation, led by Kat West, actively raised and dispersed funds to schools, shelters, and individuals in need—it was all there in the foundation’s social media posts.
The look on the students’ faces when they all received new laptops from the West Foundation is something I’ll never forget, a teacher from the high school posted.
Kat West was a godsend, posted another local family, after their home was flooded by the West River in springtime, and they had their temporary housing paid for.
The posts impressed Sassy, and filled her with hope that Kat would warm up to her before summer’s end.
“Be a godsend for me, Kat West,” Sassy said out loud, as a plea and a prayer. “There’s nobody else.”
Chapter 32
“He likes you.”
“Stop it.”
“I won’t. He likes you, likes you.”
Sassy and her roomie were fixing their supper after a long day on the ranch. Freda had been helping Ash spread feed for the herds, and was filled with observations and insight.
“Ash wouldn’t stop asking me questions about you,” Freda continued. “What’s it like to live with Sassy? Do you think she has a boyfriend back home?”
“He did not ask you that!” Sassy was now fully engaged in the conversation.
“Oh, he did too,” Freda told her.
“I’ll kill him,” Sassy said under her breath.
“What’s that,” Freda asked, “did you say you’ll kiss him… again?”
Sassy turned towards Freda, who was having way too much fun at her expense, and searched her face. Did Ash kiss and tell? Sassy didn’t think he would, but how else would Freda know? She hadn’t said a thing.
Freda, looking like a cat that swallowed the canary, dropped her smug look and set down her plate.
“Oh come on Sassy, lighten up. I’m only teasing,” Freda scolded her roommate. “Stop taking this so personally—you can dish out the Jim Tim’s all day long, but can’t take teasing when it’s about Ash West. I think you like him too. Why won’t you tell me?”
Sassy dropped her shoulders and set her own plate down.
“I like him a little,” Sassy said at last, “and he did kiss me once. It was nice.”
Technically it was once, but Sassy didn’t say that it lasted a very. Long. Time.
“I thought so,” Freda said, triumphantly. “You both have been going around with your head in the clouds for days, just like I did when I first fell in love.”
“I’m not in love, Freda,” Sassy insisted. “It’s all complicated. More than you know.”
“Then tell me.”
“Not yet,” Sassy said. “Now, let’s eat your mac and cheese. It’s way better hot, before it starts congealing and sticking together into gooey and disgusting… mac balls.”
Freda expelled a hard and surprised laugh at her friend’s comment and wrinkled nose, taking all the tension in the room with it.
Chapter 33
“But, why?”
“No real reason, I’d just prefer it.”
“You’d prefer that Sassy not come to the house again—did she steal an ashtray? Was she rude to you? Tell me why, Kat.” Gunnar was pressing Kat for a more definitive answer than the one she’d given, which was a non-answer.
“If there’s mail at the office that I need, I can come get it. Or you can just bring it home, okay?” Kat was trying to steer the conversation, Gunnar knew. He wasn’t letting her off the hook. They both knew that at the hospital, with her Director of Infectious Diseases hat on, Kat was used to having her orders followed without question.
“When I was growing up, there were cowboys in the house all the time, coming and going,” Gunnar told Kat. “Of course, my mother was more involved in the day-to-day running of the ranch, and the house was still being built and all. It was chaos, I’ll admit. And I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Gunnar smiled over at his wife. They were sitting on the deck overlooking the gorge. The evening had gone cool, and Kat was curled up with a wool throw on her legs. They both held a cup of hot coffee in their chilled hands.
“Did she let just anybody in the house, with small children and all?” Kat wanted to know.
“Well yes, but Daddy never hired just anybody—same as now. There was a time when cowboys were recruited at the blacksmith in town, or at the general store. Just like when my great grandmother Addie recruited Pickford West.”
“Recruited? Picked him up, you mean,” Kat said with a laugh.
“Well, she did marry him pretty fast,” Gunnar said, “made an honest cowboy out of him.”
“Your point being?”
“My point is this—our cowboys may seem like a rag tag bunch, but each and every person working on this ranch has been screened, with a complete background check. We know everybody who comes through our gates, and you have to trust I’d never send anyone to our doors who means any harm. You and Willow are my precious jewels.”
“I know,” Kat said. “But Gunnar, you can’t screen for ulterior motives. And my woman’s intuition is screaming at me to circle the wagons and keep her outside of us. My over-protective radar is going off like a siren, saying Sassy what’s-her-name has a motive. I just don’t know yet what it is.”
Gunnar nodded as he listened.
“By the way,” Kat turned to her husband, “what is Sassy’s last name?”
“I don’t recall,” Gunnar said, “nothing special; nothing that rang a bell when I heard it—if I did hear it, that is. Now you’ve got me questioning everything.”
“Good.”
“I suppose. And this is your home. I won’t send her to the house if you’re uncomfortable. Though my own intuition is perfectly at ease having Sassy on the ranch. She’s
smart and funny; nice too. And I think Ash might be smitten with her.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Consider that fear founded.”
Gunnar and Kat turned towards the setting sun over the gorge and took sips of their coffee. In the silence, they could hear the bugling of a bull moose, and the screeching of a hawk as it swooped over the river.
Nighttime was their favorite time together. Willow was fast asleep and the cattle were lowing softly along the wide-open range. Most nights, one of the two would eventually reach for the other in the dark, and they would wordlessly make their way to bed. There, they melted into kisses that tasted like warm moonlight and embraced each other with eager loving arms.
This might have been one of those nights, except Gunnar had to wrap up their conversation about Sassy, and he regretted what he had to say. He suspected it would set Kat in a foul mood.
“There’s one more thing, darlin’, that I have to come clean about.”
Kat looked over, curiously. She didn’t like the tone of his voice, and it put her on edge.
“There’s one thing I haven’t told you about Sassy,” Gunnar continued.
“What’s that?”
“There is something about her… that reminds me… of you.”
Chapter 34
“Kat!”
Rowdy seemed surprised to see his cousin’s wife in the ranch office. It was after lunch and the place was deserted—no end of chores today. Even Sassy left with Ash and Freda to go repair fences up by the pass. A fallen tree limb had taken some posts with it and if they didn’t hurry, some of the West cattle would be making a clean getaway.
Sassy Cowgirl Kisses: A Sweet Romance (A West Brothers Romance Book 5) Page 9