The Rancher Who Took Her In (The Bachelors of Blackwater Lake)

by Teresa Southwick

  “My parents would be so proud,” she said.

  “Really?” Ty looked up at her, eyes wide.

  “They’d think it’s funny. I do, too,” she told him.

  “I’m not sure what my dad would think.” He glanced over at the man on the other side of the circle, standing a little off to himself.

  “I think all you have to do is your best and he’ll be proud of you.” Right now all he looked was wary.

  “I’m not so sure,” Ty said.

  “Why do you say that?”

  The small shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I guess maybe I’m not doing my best at some stuff.”

  “Like what?” she asked.

  “Well...” He thought for a moment. “He tells me not to mope when the kids leave every week. That some stay on for a little longer, but sooner or later they all have to go. And I try not to be sad, but I guess I can’t help it.”

  “I suppose it’s pretty hard not to be,” she said, giving him a quick hug. “But did you ever think about the fact that when you’re sad, that makes your dad feel bad?”

  “I guess I never did think about that.” He looked thoughtful. “But I like it when all the kids come in the summer.”

  “It’s great for them, too. A chance to see what it’s like to live on a ranch.” She tapped his nose gently. “And there’s stuff to keep you busy while you’re out of school and your dad is working and can’t spend time with you.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded.

  “The experience is sort of like life,” she said. “People come into our lives for a short time and we learn that we’ll go on and be fine without them.”

  “Kind of like what happened with my mom.”

  “Exactly.” When Kate answered, she forced a cheerful note into her voice that was the opposite of what she felt.

  She could have smacked herself for reminding him about that. When she looked over at Cabot, he was still watching—and frowning. It dawned on her that this reaction could be about his son seeking her out and sitting by her. Talking to her.

  He was standing guard over his child. And good for him. Cabot knew she wasn’t staying after the summer any more than these campers were, and he was afraid Ty was getting attached to her. She wouldn’t like and respect him nearly so much if he didn’t give a flying fig about his son.

  She sympathized with Cabot and his concerns. If anyone knew how it felt to make friends and then lose them, it was her. And she’d had to learn to work it out. That was part of growing up.

  But it didn’t feel right to push this vulnerable little boy away. Plus, she’d made a deal with him to work at improving his skills with a bow and arrow. Cabot wasn’t the only one who took promises seriously. That meant spending a little more time with him than she normally would.

  All she could do was try to protect this boy, too. Remind him that when summer was over, like the kids who came to camp, she would be leaving, too.

  She had a life waiting for her and it wasn’t here.

  Chapter Six

  No matter how hard he tried, Cabot just could not get the picture of his son talking to Kate out of his mind because the two of them made a really nice picture. She seemed good with Ty—and he clearly ate up the attention. The problem was Cabot knew how it felt when someone stole your heart, then left it behind. He didn’t want the boy he loved more than life itself to hurt that badly at such a tender age.

  Cabot wasn’t stupid. He knew sooner or later the kid would get his feelings stomped on. It happened to everyone. But if it was up to him, that would happen later rather than sooner.

  “This is the barn.” Speaking of the devil, he could hear Ty now.

  It was late afternoon and Cabot was standing in the barn rubbing down his horse after a long workday. The jet-black pony was tired and hungry and Cab knew just how he felt. He’d take Ty up to the house for dinner and some quality father-son time. They didn’t get enough of it.

  “These are the stalls. Don’t be scared,” Ty said, coming into view where the gate was open wide.

  And right behind him was Kate.

  Cabot’s pulse jumped at the sight of her and that was damned annoying. She was all tanned arms, big green eyes and sun-streaked brown hair. In her purple Camp Dixon T-shirt, ponytail and no makeup, she hardly looked older than the kids he paid her to supervise.

  “Hi, Dad. I didn’t know you were here.”

  “Hey, son.” Would the kid have brought her here if he’d known? “I finished up early.”

  “Hello, Cabot.” Kate stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “I had a break and Ty offered to help me get over my fear of horses.”

  “It’s not her best event, Dad.”

  “I see.” Kind of an unusual way to phrase it, he thought.

  But Cabot didn’t put too much time into analyzing that. He was dealing with a fatherly pang over how grown-up the boy sounded—protective. The way a guy should be with women. His dad had drilled it into him that men were bigger and stronger. Along with that came a responsibility to look out for anyone smaller and weaker. He was trying to instill the lesson into his own son, and it looked as if the message was taking.

  “I hope I’m not intruding,” she said.

  “Nope. This is a good time,” he told her.

  Ty moved into the stall beside the horse. “This is Blackie.”

  Kate’s mouth quirked up at the corners. “I wonder why.”

  “Because he’s black—” Ty saw her expression and grinned. “You were teasing.”

  “I definitely was,” she confirmed.

  Cabot continued to drag the stiff-bristled brush over the horse’s flank. “This is a real good time to get acquainted. He’s tired out from working all day. In the morning after a good night’s sleep, he’s frisky and full of energy. Not as quiet as he is now.”

  Kate was staying by the stall’s opening, deliberately not moving closer. Apprehension darkened her eyes nearly to brown and tightened her mouth. “But he’d still be as big.”

  “Blackie’s just a little guy,” Ty told her. “Dad likes to ride him on the line ’cause he’s fast and has quick moves if any of the cattle take it into their head to make a run for it.”

  Cabot hid a smile at the way the boy repeated to her what he’d been told. Good to know he was actually listening when his old man said something. Sometimes he wondered. “It’s a cowboy’s job to be smarter than the animals, to anticipate their moves and be ready to counter.”

  “Come over and touch him, Kate,” Ty urged. “Don’t be afraid. Blackie won’t hurt you.”

  “He’s right,” Cabot told her. “This pony is as gentle and sweet as they come. I won’t let him get out of line with you.”

  Ty met his father’s gaze, then looked at the woman hanging back, and a gleam stole into his dark eyes. “Dad, I just remembered something I forgot to do.”

  Without further explanation, the boy turned and ran past Kate and out of the barn before Cabot could say “hold your horses.”

  He glanced at where his son had disappeared, then at her. “I apologize for him. Can’t imagine what that was all about.”

  “Really?” Amusement danced in Kate’s eyes. “You don’t know?”

  “Do you?”

  “I have a pretty good idea.”

  “Care to share?” he asked.

  “Of course. It’s something I suspected at the campfire the other night, but his behavior just now confirmed my suspicions.”

  “Of what?”

  “Tyler wants a mom. Like his friend C. J. Stone.”

  “Technically,” Cabot told her, “C.J.’s mom got married and gave him a dad.”

  “So he’s told me.” She leaned a shoulder against the fence, still keeping her distance. “The point is, he wants the parent he doesn’t have
in order to get a complete set. And he seems to have picked me.”

  “Well, that’s not good,” he muttered.

  “I’m going to try not to take offense at that.” She gave him a saucy look. “And it has to be said that I’m not completely without maternal skills.”

  “That’s not what I meant. It came out wrong.” He rested his hand on Blackie’s back. “Let me rephrase.”

  “I get it. My job is for the summer only. I’m here temporarily,” she said for him. “Believe it or not, I actually agree with you. It’s not good. No one, especially me, wants that child to be disappointed or hurt when his expectations aren’t met.”

  “Amen,” he agreed.

  “But I’m pretty sure when he saw you here, he decided to play matchmaker and leave us alone. Let nature take its course, so to speak.”

  Cabot remembered the last time they were alone. Nature had taken its course all right. He’d kissed her. Surprised the heck out of himself when he’d done it and no matchmaking had been required. He’d chalked it up to the heat of the moment when she’d been giving him a piece of her mind. But she wasn’t telling him off right this minute and he still wanted to kiss her.

  The light wasn’t all that good here in the barn, but he would swear her cheeks turned pink. He’d also swear she was remembering that moonlit night, too. He’d managed to pull together his self-control and walk away, but thinking about her all the time was taking a toll.

  “So, you’re saying that he’s trying to push us together?”

  “I think so, yes.” She nudged the hay with the toe of her sneaker, not quite meeting his gaze. “Far be it from me to give fatherly advice, Cabot, but I hate the thought of Ty being hurt. I’d talk to him myself about why things with us can’t be the way he wants, but it would be better coming from you.”

  He appreciated her sensitivity to his son and found himself admiring her straightforward manner. No games. No pretense. Just state the problem and a solution. Practical and appropriate.

  “I agree. And I’ll have a chat with him to explain.”

  “Good. That makes me feel a lot better.” She smiled at him as if he’d hung the moon.

  Cabot felt the pull of that smile clear down in his gut. He had a finely honed mistrust of women in general and this one in particular. In spite of that, being with her was like enjoying the first day of spring after a long, cold winter.

  “Don’t worry about Ty. He’s tough.”

  “He’s a charmer, that’s for sure. You’ve got a terrific kid there.”

  “I know.” Giving him that boy was the only thing he was grateful to Ty’s mother for. Other than that, she’d left a trail of emotional destruction in her wake.

  “Speaking of kids...I should get back.”

  Her body language said she was going to bolt, but Cab wanted to hang out in her sunshine just a little longer. So he said the only thing he could think of to get her riled. “Coward.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You’re going to cut and run without getting close to this horse?” Now for the challenge. “What would Ty say?”

  “Probably that I’m a coward.” She shrugged. “I’m okay with that.”

  “Blackie will feel rejected.”

  “I’m okay with that, too.”

  “I’m really disappointed in you, Kate.” He pointed at her. “And don’t tell me you’re okay with that. This is a working ranch and some of the camp kids want to spend time with the animals. Consider it part of your job description.”

  Her mouth pulled tight and she glared in his general direction, then finally nodded. “Feel free to check the ‘uncooperative’ box on my employee evaluation.”

  He didn’t say anything, just watched her inch forward. Then she stopped, keeping him between her and the horse.

  Cabot stepped aside. “If he wanted to, a horse can hurt you with his hooves and his teeth, so a side approach is pretty safe.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Just put your hand on his neck.”

  “What if he decides to bite?” She looked up at him nervously.

  “He’d have to move his head and you’d have plenty of time to react,” he assured her.

  Her hand was shaking when she lifted it and he covered it with his own. Setting her palm on Blackie’s long neck, he showed her how it was done.

  “Just rub him, like you would a dog or cat.”

  “If he were that small, I wouldn’t have a problem.” But she didn’t pull away as he gently moved her hand up and down the long neck.

  “He’s not really soft,” she observed.

  No, but she was, Cab thought. He’d settled his other hand at her waist and it took every ounce of his willpower not to explore the curves that were just inches away from his fingers.

  “His coat is coarse.” He heard the ragged edge in his voice. Blackie nickered softly, as if he sensed the reaction.

  “Is he okay?” Kate asked, tensing.

  “Fine. Just his way of letting you know that he likes it.” Cabot couldn’t see her face, but he could still feel her tension. “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah. This isn’t so bad.”

  Just as she said that, Blackie threw his head back and shifted to the side. Startled, Kate let out a squeak that was not quite a scream, then turned as if to run. Cabot’s arms automatically went around her, pulling her close. At least he told himself it was automatic. Then he shifted, putting himself between her and the horse.

  “You’re okay,” he crooned. “That wasn’t a predatory move. He was just shifting his weight to be more comfortable. Like we do when we’re standing.”

  In a reclining position, he could think of a lot they could do. And the warmth of her body, the softness of her pressed against him and the scent of her skin made him want that more than his next breath.

  Kate clutched at him. “I’m sorry. It’s just that was unexpected.”

  “I know. Don’t worry about it,” he said easily. “You’ll get comfortable after a while.”

  “Yeah.” She blew out a breath and snuggled just a fraction closer. “I’m sure that’s true.”

  The same thing could be said about the two of them, Cabot thought. Spending time together could make him drop his guard and that was all kinds of bad. He put his hands on her arms and set her away from him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Fine. Feeling a little silly,” she said, “but fine.”

  “Good.”

  He was feeling silly, too, but for different reasons. It was stupid, but he wanted to kiss her, in spite of the fact that she worked for him and he’d made a promise to her that it would never happen again. Didn’t take him but a couple of days to nearly break his word, and that was a big black mark on his integrity.

  Kate must have seen something in his expression because she said, “I’m not being a coward, but Caroline might need some help in the kitchen. It’s really time I get back to the job.”

  “Right.”

  She backed up toward the stall’s open gate. “Thanks for trying to help me with my large-animal phobia.”

  “No problem.”

  “See you, Cabot.” She turned and walked away, taking the feminine floral scent with her.

  It had been on the tip of his tongue to say he would help her anytime, but he stopped those words from coming out of his mouth. She was here at the ranch for a paycheck. And his job was to work harder at not making another mistake with her.

  * * *

  Kate took her dinner tray out to the patio overlooking Blackwater Lake. The dining room was loud with excited kids chattering about the day and banging plates and glasses while they did. It was a kid-friendly environment and that was appropriate. But it was also crowded and there weren’t any seats left. Outside only two seats were availa
ble, and she took one of them.

  These children were the quieter, more artistic ones, so it was less noisy here. Peacefully beautiful. A strange feeling came over her...contentment. She hadn’t felt it for a long time; possibly she never had, given her nomadic childhood.

  She looked at the redheaded girl beside her. “Hi, Amanda.”

  After a shy smile the child said, “Hi.”

  “Are you enjoying your dinner?” She directed the question to the four children at the table—two boys and two girls.

  “Chicken nuggets are my favorite.” Dylan was a dark-haired, freckle-faced nine-year-old.

  “Good.” Again she glanced around, trying to draw all of them out. “How do you feel about carrot sticks?”

  “I’d rather have ice cream.” That was Ryder, a charming blond, blue-eyed heartbreaker in training.

  “Me, too.” Kate laughed. “But veggies are important.”

  “That’s what my mom says.” Lisa pushed her black-framed glasses up on her nose.

  “Yeah, moms are like that.” She took in the lake, mountains and trees and breathed deeply. “Don’t you love it here?”

  Before anyone could answer, the sound of two voices carried from the dining room behind her.

  Caroline was saying, “It’s about time you joined us to see how your summer-camp program is working out.”

  “I have good people running it for a reason. If there’s a problem they can’t handle, and by that I mean you, I’ll hear about it.” That deep voice definitely belonged to Cabot.

  “That’s a given. So what did we do to deserve a visit from you?”

  “Just wanted to check on Tyler and see how he’s doing with the other kids.”

  “And?” Caroline asked.

  “He was so busy talking, he didn’t even know I was there.”

  “That’s the way it should be.”

  “I know.”

  “And now you’re stuck eating dinner here.” Caroline waited for a response.

  “I wouldn’t put it like that,” he said.