Taming Clay

by Raeann Blake

  “I heard it in the bar,” Davey admitted.

  “In the bar?” Clay and Hailey asked as the same time.

  Davey and Charlie both nodded at the same time. “Me, too. A couple of those girls that were in there last night work in that store. They recognized Hailey right off when we all came in,” Charlie said.

  “Oh, hell,” Hailey muttered under her breath.

  “Well don’t feel bad. I think they might be organizing a parade in your honor. What was it that blonde said, Davey?”

  Davey chuckled and said, “She said ‘It’s about time somebody taught him that women aren’t just for bein’ barefoot and pregnant anymore.’”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Dadgummit. I could have been a rich man today,” Shack grumbled but the grin on his face made a lie out of the woeful shake of his head.

  Clay laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “I think you’ve been to that well too many times. They all know if you’re trying to get them to take the first drink there’s something in the water.”

  “Huh. Gonna have to change my tactics. Miz Hailey, you’re a sight for sore eyes. You and these other ladies sure brighten up these trips. Step right on up here and help yourself,” Shack said as he motioned to the stack of plates then turned away.

  “Can’t I help you? Anything that I can do?” she asked.

  “No, ma’am. Everything’s under control. And especially for you,” he said as he turned back to her with a tin cup filled with coffee and a little grin. Hailey looked up at him in surprise and then chuckled when she saw that same little twinkle in the old man’s eyes.

  “Ah, somebody told you about my caffeine addiction. Thank you very much, sir.” She took the coffee and took one sip then another and sighed deeply and took a plate to start down the line.

  Shack tilted his head and watched her to see how she would handle the plate and cup together. When she set the plate on top of the cup and carefully spooned food onto it he chuckled.

  “And this sure ain’t your first rodeo, is it?”

  Hailey glanced up at him then right back to her plate as she kept moving. “No, sir. Back home, they knew coffee was first and I’m not about to set it down. The hands weren’t above making it disappear when they got the chance.”

  She finished off the plate with a piece of flatbread and then smiled up at him proudly before she turned and started over to where most of the hands were gathered. When she settled on the ground beside Charlie, she set the plate on her lap then took another swallow of coffee before she set it down. She took one bite then looked up and saw two women watching her steadily. One’s expression was open and friendly. The other’s wasn’t. She didn’t let her gaze waver but waited until she finished chewing before she spoke.

  “I’m Hailey.”

  The one who had the friendly look on her face spoke. Hailey guessed her to be in her fifties. The hair that was pulled back into a braid had probably been a deep red in her younger days, but was peppered with a few gray hairs now that gave it a lighter appearance.

  “Jean Ann. This one’s Lynn. Welcome to the Double-C Bar.”

  “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you both.”

  “I saw you in the corral on Soldier. Nice ridin’.”

  “Thanks. All I did was sit there. He did all the work,” she said and smiled at her then shifted her gaze to Lynn.

  “Are you both from around here?”

  “I am. Lynn’s from Wyoming. You’re from New Mexico, right?” Jean Ann asked.

  Hailey nodded and swallowed the bite she’d just taken. “I am.”

  “Jean Ann’s the first woman Clay hired,” Laine said as he settled on the opposite side of her from Charlie.

  “You broke the barrier, huh? Good for you,” Hailey said with a real smile.

  “Well, to tell the truth, I wasn’t exactly trying to be a flag waver. My man died on me and left me with a ranch to run. It was more than I could handle by myself. Had to sell out. I was lucky that Clay was the one who bought it and then offered me a job. This place we’re taking the cattle to was part of our place.”

  Hailey stopped chewing then quickly swallowed what was in her mouth. “Does it make you sad? To go back?”

  Jean Ann looked up at her for a few seconds then shrugged her shoulders. “Honey, when you get my age, just about everything makes you a little sad. There’s always something that reminds you of what used to be. Lot more years to look back on that to look forward to.”

  Hailey frowned and glanced at Lynn then to Laine before she looked back at her. “You’re not old. You’ve got plenty of years left to look forward to.”

  Jean Ann smiled at her and then chuckled. “Well, I hope so. But not as many as what’s already passed, I’m sure. Not unless I’m plannin’ on makin’ it to a hundred and twenty. Shack, what do you think? Would you let me ride on the wagon with you when I’m a hundred and twenty?” she called.

  “Sure, I’d take you on. Just long enough to find two sixty year olds to trade you in for,” Shack shot back then grinned at her when she rolled her eyes.

  “Men don’t grow up…and they never change,” Jean Ann said with a perfectly straight face.

  Hailey chuckled then went back to her food but kept glancing up at Lynn. She was young. Probably a couple of years older than her. Really short blonde hair. Pretty, probably prettier if she smiled. She wouldn’t look directly at her but she caught her cutting a hard gaze to her more than once

  “What part of Wyoming, Lynn?”

  Laine watched her to see what she would do. He knew she had her eye on Clay but she’d never said anything or done anything out of line. Still, he’d seen her watching him when she didn’t think anybody was around to see her.

  “Laramie,” Lynn finally answered lowly.

  “Is it pretty there?” Hailey asked easily. She was getting some vibes that said this girl didn’t like her for some reason. She’d just met her. No way had she done anything to offend her already.

  “Pretty boring,” Lynn said then took another quick bite.

  “Then you must be doubly glad to be here,” Hailey tried again. When she only got shrugged shoulders as an answer she decided to leave it alone.

  Clay listened silently. He could tell Hailey was feeling the girl out and not getting much of a response. He admired her for trying and even more for stopping when it became obvious to everybody that she didn’t want to talk to her. He didn’t know why, but it was plain. He glanced up at one of the men who walked by then looked away but jerked his head right back up to him again.

  “Houston, what happened to you?” he asked lowly as he took in the man’s black eye.

  Hailey turned and looked up at him then blinked in surprise. He was one of the hands who had gone into the bar with them the night before.

  “Ken Anderson,” he said and started to walk away until Hailey shot up off the ground.

  “What?” she said quietly.

  Houston shrugged his shoulders and kept walking until Clay stopped him.

  “What happened?”

  Houston blew out a short breath and turned back to face him. “It was nothin’, boss. He said something I didn’t like. I said something back. He swung. I was a little slow in duckin’,” he stopped and waited for several seconds.

  “He was slower,” he finally added evenly.

  Clay clenched his jaw several times then nodded. “Go ahead. We’ll talk later,” he said quietly then shifted his gaze back to Hailey.

  She met his eyes then dropped her head with the guilt running through her. She shouldn’t have been there and she shouldn’t have let that happen. Now she had his men fighting in a bar because of something that she had done. Any other time, she would have never been sitting between the two of them. She knew they were trouble as soon as she saw them. And still she had let it happen.

  She sat back down slowly and picked up her cup. When she took a swallow she could have sworn she saw just the smallest smug grin on Lynn’s face before she turned her head
.

  “I’ll talk to him, Clay. Don’t worry about it.”

  “We’ll both talk to him. You know I don’t like them gettin’ in bar fights. Just like you know that I’m not dumb enough not to know sometimes you just can’t help it. I just wanna know what was said. That’s all,” Clay said quietly.

  “Okay. Charlie, did you hear it?” Laine said as he turned to him then clamped his mouth shut when Charlie glanced once at Hailey and away.

  “I heard it, boss. I just wasn’t quite as slow duckin’ as Houston was. But Ben Anderson was,” he said then rose with his plate and carried it back to the mess area.

  Laine saw Hailey bite her bottom lip and take another swallow of coffee without lifting her eyes.

  “You know those little piss-ant boys, Laine. No tellin’ what they said. Got what they deserved, I’m sure,” Jean Ann said quickly.

  “You’re probably right. Alright, guys. Eat up. We’ve got cattle to round up,” he said then rose and followed Jean Ann’s path to the mess area.

  Hailey cut her eyes quickly to Clay then away when she found him with a steady gaze leveled at her. His jaw was back in the hard line again. She knew he was pissed. It was like he’d forgotten all about what had happened in the bar for a while. But he remembered now.

  She rose quickly and walked by him without looking at him again. “Where do you want me, Laine?” she asked as she scraped off her plate then put it in a galvanized tub with the others.

  He turned his head to look back at Clay and studied him for several seconds. When he didn’t turn or say anything he shook his head slightly and looked back to her. This was like walking a tightrope. One wrong thing, one wrong word, and he seemed to step right back off into that angry guy that he’d known for so long.

  “Why don’t you ride with Charlie? Hey, Charlie. Hailey’s ridin’ with you,” Laine called.

  “Come on, New Mexico. We’re beatin’ the bushes in some of the draws west of here. I’ll show you where all their hidin’ places are,” Charlie said with a wide grin.

  Hailey tried to smile back but didn’t quite make it before she turned and walked back to where Soldier was tied. Just to be safe, she led him away from the other horses then mounted him with ease. She waited just a heartbeat then reached forward enough to run a hand down his neck and say something softly to him before she started him in Charlie’s direction.

  Clay rose slowly and finally turned only to find Laine watching him steadily. He walked past him and dropped his plate in the tub before he turned back to face him.

  “What’s with you, Clay? They popped the Anderson’s and you act like it’s Hailey’s fault.”

  “I don’t know that it’s her fault. I won’t know that until I hear what they said. But she…” He stopped and looked around him to make sure nobody was close enough to hear him except Shack.

  He lowered his voice and said, “She shouldn’t have been there. She was sittin’ right between the two of them, and drunk enough that they had their hands all over her. I’m not talkin’ about shakin’ hands, either. They weren’t happy that I told her she was needed at the ranch. Thought they had their night all planned. Whatever they said could have been about me making her leave. Or it could have been something about her. I don’t know which one. But I know it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been there.”

  “And she wouldn’t have been there if whatever happened the night before hadn’t happened. You knew she was upset. You were upset. And she wasn’t the only one drinking last night. It sounds a whole helluva lot like you’re saying that if it was about her that she deserved it. That’s like saying a girl wearing a short skirt or a skimpy top deserves to get raped. I know you better than that,” Laine said evenly.

  “I didn’t say she deserved it. I said…dammit. Leave me alone, Laine,” Clay said then turned away from him.

  Shack turned to the wagon then turned back around and waited as Clay mounted then urged Ringo forward.

  “Old man…” He stopped when Shack held out the pack of cigarettes and met his eyes steadily. Clay grabbed them and mumbled his thanks then turned the horse and rode out of camp.

  Laine turned his gaze back to Shack and waited silently. Shack finally shrugged his shoulders.

  “I don’t know. Only time I’ve seen him smoke since his old man died was when Gail was here. Something’s eatin’ at him, but I don’t what yet. I think we just may have to let this one play itself out, son. We’ll watch out for him, but he may just have to work his own way through this one,” he said quietly.

  “Dammit, I like hearing him laugh. He was laughing all the way here. Kiddin’ around with the guys. Even teasing Hailey. Now I don’t know whether to tie their damn tails together or try to keep ‘em apart,” he finally said lowly then turned and stalked to his own horse.

  When Hailey saw Houston and Davey riding not too far from them, she kicked Soldier into a canter to catch up with them. Charlie blew out a long breath and followed her silently and watched as she rode up beside them.

  “Houston, I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

  Houston looked over at her and smiled slightly then shook his head. “Nothin’ to be sorry about, Hailey. I took offense, he took offense. That was that.”

  “But it was my fault,” she said then reined Soldier to a stop when Houston did.

  “Don’t misunderstand what happened, Hailey. What he said could have been about you, any one of the other hands, male or female. He could have said something about Clay or Laine. Isobell or Shack. It wouldn’t have mattered. If you work on this ranch, you belong to us. And we don’t take kindly to people disrespecting one of our own.”

  She frowned at him for a few seconds then asked, “And you felt that way about Pepper, too?”

  Davey snorted in disgust but Houston held her gaze. “No, ma’am. I said work on this ranch. Never saw her do any work past tryin’ to get in Clay’s bed. No, I wouldn’t have hit him over anything he said about her. Daylight’s burnin’, Hailey. We should all get busy.”

  “Yeah. You’re right. Still I’m sorry that I let that happen. And thanks.”

  “See you at supper,” Houston said then kicked his horse into a canter.

  “Let’s go, Hailey. This way,” Charlie said as he motioned in the direction they were supposed to work.

  They rode and worked silently until they had cleared the last of the draws they were assigned to. Once they started driving the ones they had gathered back to the main herd, Hailey finally spoke.

  “Charlie, would you tell me what was said?”

  Charlie shook his head. “No, ma’am. It was lewd, crude, and ugly. I won’t repeat it.”

  “Oh. Dammit, I don’t know how I let that happen. I didn’t have that many drinks. I don’t understand how they went to my head so quickly.”

  Charlie looked at her then away. “It wasn’t your fault, Hailey. That’s part of what started the fight. We overhead them talking. They paid the bartender to put double shots in your drinks. Didn’t you notice they were kind of strong?”

  Hailey’s head jerked around to him in surprise. “They did what?” she snapped.

  Charlie nodded his head without saying anything. “Goddammit. Those bastards. No, I didn’t notice it. I was drinking mixed drinks. I usually don’t drink mixed drinks. I drink it straight. I thought if I drank them mixed that…sonofabitch.”

  When they got close to the next rise, the cows in front of them broke into a trot and she could hear the herd just ahead of them. When they topped the rise, she reined Soldier to an abrupt stop and let her eyes scan slowly along the backs of cows as far as she could see. She was so entranced that she didn’t hear Clay and Laine ride up and stop beside them.

  “Oh, my God. How many?” she whispered.

  “About thirty-five hundred, give or take. How many did you run at home?” Laine asked.

  “Less than a thousand. Wow. That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she said reverently.

  Laine met Charlie’s ey
es with smiles on both of their faces before he turned to look at Clay. He wasn’t smiling, but he was watching her face. He couldn’t pinpoint his expression. A little surprise, a little wonder, maybe a little delight that seeing the main herd would affect her that way. He didn’t see any of the anger in his eyes that had been there earlier, but he could still feel that distance he was putting between himself and everybody else. They’d caught up with Houston and Davey then gotten the real story about what had happened. After they heard about the drinks, Laine was desperately wishing that he’d gotten the story first and left out some parts of it. He made a mental note to be sure and check with Clay to see how much money was in the safe. He had no doubt that when the day came that Clay met either of the brothers again that he was going to need the money to get him out of jail.