Taming Clay

by Raeann Blake

  He let his eyes settle on Shack and then Laine. They really were the only two real friends he had. Not that he didn’t think a lot of the hands. Especially those who had been there a long time like Charlie. But Shack had been his one steady support for all of his life. The one person he could go to when he couldn’t go to anybody else. Then Laine had come there. He was the same age as Clay and something about them just clicked. They had spent many hours talking about life and Clay had learned a lot from him about what it was like outside the fences of the ranch. Sometimes at the bunkhouse, sometimes on the back of their horses. And sometimes sitting beside a campfire or lyingbeneath the stars. But they’d never talked about girls.

  He let his eyes shift over to Hailey. Maybe if they had, he’d know better how to handle what was happening. He knew it was a bad thing for a boss to get involved with an employee. But he hadn’t meant for that to happen. He wondered if there were other women out there like her. He didn’t go out much. He’d never been on a date, a real date. Picked women up in a bar after he’d had several drinks, yeah. But not a real date. He had a tendency to discount at least half of what he’d heard in the bunkhouse over the years as tall tales. Those usually made the women prettier, sweeter, faster than they really were.

  No matter whether he knew what he was supposed to do or not, it didn’t change the fact that she worked for him. And it didn’t change that he wasn’t about to trust her. He’d never trusted anybody and he wasn’t about to start now. The hands, yeah…some of them. Shack and Laine, yes. A woman…no. To handle his business, do her job…yes. He could see trusting her to do that eventually. But not in other areas. You don’t trust women not to play games. That’s when they play them. And you don’t trust them not to leave. That’s when they’ll leave. If Laine was right about her not being able to accept that he couldn’t trust her, then this wasn’t going to turn out well. But he couldn’t change what he knew. All women look for a way to get in…they look for a way to get what they want…and then they look for a way to get out. She wouldn’t be any different.

  He dropped his head and shook it slightly when he thought he felt her hand against his chest. Instead of dwelling on that, he pushed away from the tree and walked slowly back across the opening to the mess area.

  “Do you want some coffee, son?” Shack asked.

  “Yeah, thanks. It was a good drive, wasn’t it,” Clay said quietly.

  “It was a great drive. It’s a shame we don’t have enough herds spread out over the ranch so that we can move two or three herds a week,” Shack said then smiled when Clay chuckled softly.

  “Now there’s a thought. I’ll work on that,” he said then grinned at him as he turned to walk to the campfire. He glanced up just in time to see Lynn’s eyes drop and frowned at her then cut his eyes to Laine. Laine met his eyes steadily without saying anything, an action that said he had something he wanted to talk to him about. He nodded just slightly to let him know he understood then settled beside him.

  “Shack wants herds all over the ranch so we can make two or three drives a week,” he said then took a bite of chili as Laine started laughing.

  “Hey, I like that idea. Then we could just live out here like we were talking about.”

  “That’s what I thought, too,” he said then took another bite. He glanced up at Hailey once then right back down. She seemed to be making it a point not to look at him. More games? Something else that she wants and thinks if she ignores him that he’ll give in?

  “Hey, boss. When’s the race?” Houston shouted.

  Clay immediately shook his head and swallowed the bite of chili he’d just taken. “There is no race.”

  Several of the men laughed and he glanced once up at Hailey to find her head lifted and her gaze fixed on him with her eyebrows just slightly raised.

  “No,” he said evenly.

  “Okay,” she said easily.

  He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth only to clamp it shut again. She wasn’t going to bait him into an argument. He quickly looked back down at his bowl and ate in silence.

  Hailey smiled back at Laine when the grin split his face. And she had to drop her head and clear her throat when it quickly disappeared into a perfectly bland expression when Clay turned his head to look at him.

  “Hailey, how much dust did you swallow today?” one of the men asked.

  She laughed and looked down his way them looked directly at Lynn. “I figure Lynn and I both weigh a few pounds more than we did when we started out this morning.”

  They all laughed and Hailey saw Lynn’s jaw flex once before she spoke. “Speak for yourself. Some of us know when to keep our mouths shut.”

  The entire group went silent as Hailey locked a cold gaze on her but she kept the smile on her face. “Like now?”

  “How are you coming with that chip?” Lynn snapped.

  “I’m workin’ on it. But let me ask you a question. Where I grew up, a woman in the saddle had to fight for her right to be there. And when she got there, the fight didn’t stop because there wasn’t one out of a hundred people who thought she had that right and did whatever they could to make sure she knew it. Are you tellin’ me that it wasn’t like that where you grew up?”

  “No. It wasn’t.”

  “And you didn’t have any problem getting a job?”

  “I missed out on a couple of them, yeah. So what? I moved on.”

  “Then you’re very lucky. Because it wasn’t like that for me. I had to fight for every single time I got to climb up on a horse. And I had to fight everybody around me that kept telling me I didn’t have the right to be there. So if I’ve got a chip on my shoulder about being looked at like anything other than another hand, then maybe you can cut me a little bit of slack about it. I’ve never worked with women before. So if I did something wrong that pissed you off, then I truly apologize for it. If not, get off my fuckin’ ass,” Hailey said evenly.

  Lynn held her gaze for several long seconds in the ensuing silence then finally said, “Maybe I can understand a little about the chip. But just because you rode in on a big white horse and saved the day doesn’t mean I have to like you.”

  “Then I suggest we learn to tolerate each other. If we don’t, one or both of us is gonna be out of a job,” Hailey said evenly. It was a real struggle to keep her voice calm, but she managed it.

  “Now there’s a true statement. Houston, did any of you boys bring your harmonicas with you?” Laine asked easily as he cut in without looking up from his bowl.

  “Do I ever go anywhere without my harmonica, boss? Of course we did.”

  “Then eat up, son. I’m in the mood for a little music.”

  The conversation started back slowly but eventually went back to normal. Hailey waited several minutes before she cut her glance quickly to Clay only to find that hard line back at his jaw. He was pissed. If he was pissed at her she couldn’t help it. Maybe he’d learn to tolerate her, too.

  She took the last bite of chili she had left then rose and walked back to the mess area. She dropped the bowl in the tub then turned to face Shack. She gritted her teeth when her eyes met his and she felt the tears start to build.

  “How about some more coffee,” Shack said quickly.

  “That would be great. Thank you,” she said hoarsely.

  He picked up the pot and started to pour then dropped his voice. “You did good, kid. You did just right.”

  “Tell him that. Do you have any cigarettes?” she whispered.

  “You bet. Might even come smoke one with you.”

  “I’d like that. If you’ll do that, I’ll help you wash these dishes when we’re done.”

  “Come on,” he said and motioned for her to follow him. He stopped and pulled a pack of cigarettes and lighter out of the back of the wagon then walked away from the campfire into the night.

  “There’s an old log over here. One of the few places in this area with just dirt all around it. Safest place to smoke up here. Right here,” he said as he m
otioned to the log then shook a few cigarettes part of the way out of the pack and held it out to her. When she took one he lit it for her then lit his own.

  “It was tough for you growin’ up, wasn’t it?” Shack said as he sat down beside her.

  “Yes. It was. I’m sure some men raise children all alone very well. But my daddy wasn’t one of them,” she said then shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that sounds pretty childish knowing what Clay’s daddy was like.”

  “I don’t think so. He had it tough. Tougher than anybody I know. That doesn’t mean that you had it easy.”

  “He’s angry,” she stated quietly.

  Shack sighed and said, “Clay’s nearly always angry. He doesn’t trust, Hailey. He never learned how. And he’s never been around any women that he didn’t look at like just another hand, another employee. Oh, he’s picked up the occasional woman in a bar. He might be a hard man, but he’s a man. And Gail…that’s how that happened. But to really spend time with a woman, he’s never done that.”

  Hailey waited for several seconds then finally asked, “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Just that he may say or do things that you might not understand or that might be the wrong thing. He doesn’t know any better, sugar. He never had an example to learn from. He’s never seen a man and woman together other than Gage and Kathy and I could probably count on one hand the number of times he’s been around both of them at the same time. I guess…well, I guess I’m asking you to try to keep that in mind. Just in case he says or does something that might not be just the right thing,” Shack said softly.

  They smoked silently as she debated whether or not to say what was on the tip of her tongue. “He thinks that I would play games with somebody’s feelings.” That was the only way she could come up with to say it.

  “Well he’s never met a woman before who wouldn’t. A lot of women will. And that’s the only kind he’s ever known. I wish I could tell you that he’ll get past that, Hailey. But I can’t. I don’t know that he will. I hope he does.

  “Now, what happened back there…you did real good. Don’t let that he’s angry upset you. And don’t let it make you back down. All you did was stand up for yourself. Once he thinks about it, he can’t fault you for that. You did the right thing and you handled it just right.”

  “Maybe she’s right about some of it. I guess I do try to get my way about everything. I guess I even like the attention. At home I was the only woman. The boss’ daughter. I had to really work to figure out how to fit in with them and not have them treat me that way. Now I guess I don’t know how to be any other way.”

  “Hailey, she has a reason for not liking you. Misguided, but to her it’s valid. There’s nothing wrong with the way you are. Don’t change one thing. Maybe she’s a little right about that chip on your shoulder. But only because this is a special place and you won’t be treated that way here. Not by Clay and not by Laine. And they wouldn’t tolerate any of the hands treating you any differently than another hand either. That doesn’t mean that you should knock that chip off your shoulder. You know better than anybody that it’s not that way most anywhere else you’ll go. If you do decide to put it away for a while just don’t forget where you put it. The day could come when you need it again. Until that day comes, just be yourself. Anybody who doesn’t like that can sit and stew about it, or they can get over it and join in the fun. You brighten up this place. Don’t let that light go out now.”

  She stubbed the cigarette out on her boot and watched to make sure that no sparks floated to the area past the dirt-covered clearing then dropped the butt in her shirt pocket. When she rose she turned back to face him.

  “Thank you. I think that just might be the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me. Come on. Let’s go wash some dishes.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Shack said as he rose and they started walking back together.

  “Now you’re not going to argue with me, too. Are you?” she asked then sent him a wide smile.

  Shack laughed and then shook his head. “No, ma’am. Wouldn’t think of it.”

  Clay had watched the direction they had disappeared as often as he could without it being too obvious. He wondered what they were talking about, but he wasn’t going to follow them. They’d both been laughing when they came back and now they were both washing the tubs full of dishes. He tried not to look their way, trying instead to pay attention to the music and the laughter around the camp. But his eyes just kept shifting back to them. He finally rose and slowly walked that way. He didn’t look at her, instead looking at Shack.

  “Sit down, old man. You’ve had a long day. We’ll wash them,” he said quietly.

  “You don’t have to do that, son. I can…okay. Sure, thanks. To tell you the truth, my feet are a little tired,” he said quickly. It had suddenly dawned on him that Clay really wanted to stand beside her and help her do that.

  Clay nodded and waited for him to back up before he moved behind the tub he’d been using. The two tubs weren’t close together. There was a third one between them with the rinse water in it, but it still reminded him of the way it had felt in the kitchen that night. And he still liked it.

  Shack settled back on the end of the wagon and watched Clay’s face. He couldn’t tell for sure what he was feeling, but he thought he might be a little mesmerized. Mesmerized was good. He cut his eyes over to Laine and saw just a hint of a smile on his lips as he turned back to the hands.

  “It’s beautiful here. It’s…Montana,” Hailey said quietly as she cut her eyes up to Clay and found a grin trying to tug on his lips.

  “Yes, it is. You did bring your jacket, didn’t you? It’s gonna get cool real quick,” he said.

  “I did. I don’t think I’ll be sleeping on top of my sleeping bag tonight.”

  “No, I doubt that you will. We’re a couple of thousand feet higher than the ranch. Clear sky. It’ll drop pretty well during the night. Did Soldier give you any trouble today?”

  “No, he did great. Where are the other women?”

  “A couple of them are off, I think. Two of them are back at the ranch. And…” He stopped and lifted his head to look across the hands then pointed to one. “Amy is over there. The black hat, blue shirt.”

  “She’s quiet. I haven’t met her yet. She doesn’t say much, does she?”

  Clay bit his lip for just a second and tried not to grin as he cut his eyes to Shack. “Well it’s hard to get two words in when you’re around,” he said wryly then waited. When he knew her head turned slowly to look at him, he finally cut his eyes that way and found a wide smile and amusement dancing in her eyes.

  “Is that right? That wind-up toy you were talkin’ about?”

  “Aw, hell. I forgot about that,” he said as he chuckled quietly.

  Shack laughed and said, “I knew she reminded me of something. That’s it exactly.”

  “Hey. I expect that from him, but not you,” Hailey grumbled, but the grin on her face said she didn’t mean it.

  “I swear, Shack. You should get her talkin’ about reports or just about anything to do with that job. The longer she talks, the faster she goes. Instead of winding down, she winds up,” Clay teased.

  “I’m energetic,” Hailey offered as she hitched her chin up a notch but then had to laugh when Clay and Shack both burst out laughing.

  “Yes, you are. I’ll give you that,” Clay said and sent a smile her way as he dipped the last plate in the rinse water then shook it off and stacked it with the others. When she did the same, he did the exact thing he told himself he wouldn’t do.

  “I’m gonna have a cigarette. You want one?” he asked without looking at her.

  “I would like another one. Thanks,” she said as she dried her hands then poured another cup of coffee before she turned to look up at him.

  “Is that old log still over there, Shack?” he asked as he looked back at him. Since she said she would like another one, he assumed that she had smoked one with Shack.
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  Shack nodded and said, “Yep. It’s there.”

  “Why don’t you come with us?” Hailey asked.

  “You two go ahead. I kind of like resting my feet. I think I’ll stay right here for a bit then maybe I’ll go over there and show those boys how to play a harmonica,” he said then laughed when Clay grinned at him.