by Rose, Amelia
“Like I said before, Red, I want Jim and I want the Dupont Ranch. And yes, you’re right. It affects my grandparents now, too. I’m going to take your advice and ride out and see Jim, today. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed him. And to think, I broke up with him because I wanted to live in a place of my own. I still want that and I just hope Jim does too.”
“You’ll just have to go and see him and find out, Maddie, but I don’t think anything has changed with what he wants either. And I think I know how I can help you both get it.”
Red took both of her hands in his across the table. “Do you trust me enough to try and work something out?”
Maddie smiled and her face lit up, just like it used to when she and Jim were an item. “Sure, Red, I’ll trust you. With a bit of luck, you’re going to be my father in law really soon.”
They stood up, ready to leave.
“You go and see Jim. I have some arrangements to make. Now, how about we all meet back here tomorrow at 11.00 AM. Tell Jim I told you that. I’m giving him the day off. I’ll explain everything to you tomorrow.”
Red gave Maddie a big hug before she slid back into her car. “Get going, girl. I want my son put out of his misery. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Red, and thanks for your help.”
Maddie pulled out and headed back home, her heart singing and her mind wondering what Red was going to do.
Chapter Four
Maddie was happier than she’d been for a long time and made it home in record time, even remembering to pick up a frozen lasagna for her parent’s dinner, as well as the makings for a romantic outdoor dinner for Jim and herself. She hoped Red wasn’t too disappointed in Andrew but on the other hand, it was high time he knew what Andrew was planning. This was a lot more sinister than a prank and like he had said, it was playing with people’s lives, well intentioned or not.
When she arrived home, Maddie quickly changed into jeans and a cotton long sleeved shirt, packing a spare shirt for tomorrow. An insulated cooler bag, with ice for the small container that was filled with top of the range rib eye fillet and a couple of bottles of red wine completed her preparations. When she was ready, she quickly visited her gran to let her know she might be out all night.
“Where are you off to then, Maddie? It’s not like you to stay out unless you’re planning on staying in the old Circle O cabin.”
“I’m going to see Jim and he’s out riding fences at the moment on the northern end of the Circle O. It’ll likely be dark for the ride home so I’ll stay out unless I can convince Jim to come back with me.”
“Does this have anything to do with your trip into town today? And I heard you talking to Red earlier too. What’s going on?”
“Something I should have done two years ago. I just hope it’s not too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“Too late for Jim and I to get back together. Too late to do something about keeping a roof over our heads before the bank forecloses on us. Just a few minor life events, Gran.”
“Your grandfather should be taking responsibility for that, not you.”
“Well, you know he’s not and I for one do not want to move into town.”
“I don’t either, but your grandfather will need to know.”
“He will Gran and he’ll most likely receive an offer he can’t refuse. I won’t know all the details until tomorrow so there’s no point in worrying him with it until I have something definite to talk about. The same goes for you, Gran. Just don’t say anything until tomorrow, after I’ve been to town to see Red again. Are you okay with that? Because I have a feeling in my bones that everything will work out.”
“You’re a good person, Maddie, looking out for us like this. Go and see Jim then. You two have a lot of catching up to do.”
Maddie gave her gran a quick hug. “You bet we do. Now there’s lasagna thawing out in the oven, so by dinner time it will be thawed and ready to cook. You only need to turn on the oven. Leave the dishes for me, though. Promise?”
“Okay, I will. Be sure to give Jim my regards.”
Maddie gathered up the cooler bag, her small clothes bag, and headed out to the barn, where she saddled up her favorite horse, Pixel, complete with saddle bags for her things. She had a frozen two liter bottle of water to tie around her neck too, so she could drink it as the ice melted and it would also help to keep her cool.
She decided to ride as far north as she could before heading west into the sun. That way, she’d be able to steer clear of unwanted prying eyes from the Circle O. Andrew O’Connor would be just as likely to bail her up for trespassing, even if she was just going to see Jim.
******
It was hot riding at this time of the day and after an hour she decided to stop to rest Pixel. She could see a windmill in the distance and headed for it, thinking the water would be a welcome treat for her horse as well. There were a few cattle drowsing in the shade of a clump of trees and after letting Pixel drink her fill, she made her way to join them. She took a swig of her own water, relishing the cold track it left as it made its way down to her stomach.
It would take at least another hour and a half to reach the hut where Jim was located and figured if she got there before he came in from riding the boundary, she’d have a chance to wash off the dust and sweat before she saw him. She took a final swig and mounted up, ready for the second leg of the trip.
It was a pity it was so hot and she decided the return trip would work well if they left at dawn. But in the meantime, she had to get there. As she rode along, alternating between walking and trotting Pixel, as well as the occasional gallop, she thought about Jim. She loved him and the last two years without him had been the worst of her life. It was like a piece of her had been missing and although she’d hoped their separation would put an end to their troubles, for her, it seemed to have made them worse.
She should have talked with Red about Andrew two years ago, but then again pointing out the less than desirable character traits of someone’s first born son was not something you did lightly. But, she was sure now. The time to act had come and she hoped with all her heart that Jim didn’t mind what she’d done. Truth be told, he should have done it himself. But like her grandfather, he preferred to avoid trouble.
Not long now and how was it that the time seemed to have flown by? It was like she had fixed her mind on Jim and the rest of the world ceased to exist. She thought back to this morning too, when she’d gone to the old cabin. It was their special place and was glad now that she’d cleaned up, sweeping away the cobwebs and the dust. She’d wiped everything down too and placed a few wildflowers in a jar of water on the old table, leaving it looking like a home.
She was jolted out of her reveries when Pixel slowed her stride and she saw at once that they were almost at the hut. There was the windmill, turning in the breeze and the hut nearby under the shade of the trees. A horse and rider were approaching from the opposite direction and it looked like they would both arrive at the same time. That’s not how she had planned it. She wanted to get cleaned up first and …
Chapter Five
When they were twenty yards apart, Pixel stopped and so did Jim’s horse. He just sat there, looking at Maddie, thinking the heat was playing tricks with his mind. But it wasn’t. He’d thought about Maddie day and night for the last two years and now she was here? It couldn’t be. He slowly dismounted and led his horse to the trough to drink before taking off the saddle and attaching its hobbles.
Maddie couldn’t take her eyes off him and now that she was finally here, she found that she couldn’t move. Jim turned to her and took his hat off. “How’re you doing, Maddie? What are you doing out here after two years of ignoring me?”
She’d expected him to react differently and was disappointed, but maybe he was feeling a bit stunned at seeing her. After dismounting, she turned to him, took her own hat off, and instead of saying anything, she shrugged and just smiled at him because now that she was here, she had
no idea what to say.
Something snapped inside Jim then and he ran over to her and pulled her roughly into his arms, as if the last two years had never happened. Maddie dropped her hat as his mouth found hers and there were no more thoughts of heat, dust, and sweat. Jim had no intention of letting her go for fear of her disappearing again and Maddie simply wanted him. She felt as though she was drowning as she sank into the familiar oblivion that blocked out the whole world. There was only Jim, his lips on hers, as if he would never be able to slake his thirst for her.
It was if time had turned back two years and as Jim’s body was reacting to her nearness, his soul was slowly filling with the joy of her. The despondency that had been his constant companion for two years shrank as his physical need of her grew as Maddie sank further into the feelings he had ignited in her. She answered each of his kisses with two years of pent up passion and as his tongue gently entwined with hers, his thumbs lightly grazed her breasts, sending flashes of desire through her.
There was nothing gentle about this coupling as they fell to the ground, ripping off the clothes that constricted their attempts to become as close to each other as physically possible. It was over very quickly as their need for each other escalated and the culmination of their passion exploded around them. As their bodies quieted, the reality of lying on hard ground made itself known but they could not bear to let each go.
“I love you, Maddie, and I can’t live without you. My life isn’t worth living without you in it. Please, don’t ever leave me like that again because I couldn’t survive it again,” he whispered in her ear while gently holding her, mesmerized by the feel of her soft flesh.
“I love you too, Jim, and I can see what a dumb decision I made when I wanted us to break up. I’m so sorry for hurting you like I did.”
Jim pulled them both up into a sitting position. “Ah, that’s better. So, why the change of heart? Why is today any different than any other day in the last two years?”
“I don’t know why but this morning, when I was in the old cabin, I felt as though I couldn’t face the rest of my life without you. It’s taken me this long to realize that the first thing I want is you and that instead of giving up when things didn’t work out, I should have looked for a different way to make it happen.”
“Maddie, I have been incapable of functioning since you walked out on me, a shadow of a man without the guts to come after you and too weak to stand up and go after what I want. I’m no longer the man I was two years ago.”
“Jim, one of the things I love about you is the fact that you have a gentle soul. You care about the things that matter and you don’t believe life is about making as much money as possible. I’ve made you feel bad about yourself by turning you away. But it wasn’t you I was rejecting. It was the whole stupid situation about us needing a place of our own. I’m not too proud to say I was wrong and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.’
Jim turned to her with a grin. “Anything? You might regret you said that by the time I’m finished with you.” He took her face gently in his hands, tracing the line of her jaw with his thumbs.
He was surprised at the flash of playfulness he’d felt. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
Maddie suddenly had an idea of what it felt like to be putty and was happy to allow herself to be molded any which way. She loved every inch of Jim O’Connor and he was a big man, easy in his body with the gentleness big men have. She felt as if his green eyes were burning holes in her and his body felt hard, lean, and muscular against her, just how she liked it. She was loath to break the contact, but needed to talk to him as well as enjoy the wicked things he was doing to her body. “Jim, can we talk for a bit and get cleaned up? I’m starving too.”
He pulled her easily to her feet and kissed the top of her head. “Sure, we can, so long as you don’t go disappearing on me. No hot showers out here but you’re welcome to a sluice down with the water from the trough. I’ll hobble Pixel for you.”
“Thanks. That’d be great.” She hugged him to her, pleasantly dwarfed by the breadth of his shoulders and the feel of his strong arms around her.
“There’s plenty of grazing for the horses here but I’m betting Pixel would like a drink. So would I, for that matter.” Jim reluctantly let her go as she washed and he brought Pixel over to have a drink, then graze. He took the saddlebags, noting the insulated cold pack and the iced water with delight.
“Hey, this is great,” he said, after taking a swig of the cold water. He handed the bottle to Maddie, who also gratefully took a drink. “Cold water and a naked woman, what more could a man want?”
She laughed and splashed him with water from the trough.”‘How about a rib eye fillet steak and red wine?”
He joined her to wash by the trough, soaping up his body and hair to rid it of dust. Maddie took the tin cup and started to methodically rinse him down, admiring how the water droplets glistened on his tanned body as they made their way leisurely down his muscled shoulders, back, and trunk. It was a fine sight.
Maddie quickly washed the dust off herself as well, relishing the cool water as she cleaned up and glad she’d had the foresight to bring a change of clothes. Jim let her use his towel to dry off.
“I’m starting to feel spoiled,” mused Jim. “First, Dad comes to visit with breakfast and now you turn up with dinner.”
“Must be your lucky day, but don’t let it swell your head.”
They dressed reluctantly and moved over to Jim’s camp chairs to enjoy a drink and a chat. Now that the moment had arrived, Maddie wanted to choose her words carefully.
“I’ll cook the steak in a while, but I need to talk to you, Jim, about us and the future.”
“I’m listening.”
“We need to talk about our families and how they are going to figure into our future. I am pretty much over the way my grandfather buries his head in the sand about the ranch. It’s mortgaged like there’s no tomorrow and we have about two months before I can no longer afford to make the payments. The bank will foreclose, unless Andrew makes a worthless offer first. You know how he wants to absorb us into the Circle O. Well, I’m not going to let it happen.”
Jim looked at her and smiled. “Good luck with that. Andrew usually gets what he wants when it comes to the ranch, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Well, this time, he won’t. I called your father this morning, after I had an epiphany in the old cabin. We met up in town for coffee and I told him what I wanted. I also told him about what I heard the time when the cattle got out. You remember? When Andrew accused you of leaving the gates open?”
“As if I’d forget. I still think he did that to convince Dad and your grandfather I wasn’t cut out for ranching. Like showing them I wasn’t worth risking a loan on to buy your place.”
“Jim, did you hear me? I told your father this morning you were not responsible for letting the cattle out. He told me he didn’t know about Andrew hiring those guys and I can’t believe you never told him about what I heard that night.”
Jim sighed. “I never told him because he wouldn’t have believed me and I decided a couple of years ago not to waste my time and my life chasing after things I couldn’t change. When it comes to the ranch, Andrew can do no wrong. End of story.”
“Well, I decided this morning that it’s about time all that changed, before it’s too late. You should know your father was pretty upset. I also told him I didn’t want to be forced into accepting a ridiculously low offer from Andrew when the bank forecloses on us. You see, Jim, this is not just about you and me anymore. It’s playing with my grandparent’s future as well.”
“I can afford to buy a small house in town for myself with the proceeds from the ranch, but I can’t afford to buy one for my grandparents as well. And you know how I don’t believe in living with family? Well, I still think that and I know I couldn’t handle living with Gran and Grandad in a tiny house in town. We’d all go nuts before a week was out.”
“An
d where do I fit into all this? Don’t forget I’m the incompetent one, good for nothing bar riding boundary fences and being paid peanuts for it. I don’t actually have a future for myself, let alone one with you. I can’t fight Andrew with anything to do about the ranch. I think you’re wasting your time. Loving you is the easy part but it doesn’t solve anything for any of us. Glad as I am to see you, I can’t see this going anywhere.”
“You’re wrong, Jim. Red asked me to meet him in town again tomorrow morning and to bring you as well. He said he’s officially giving you the day off and told me to move my sorry butt out here and patch things up with you. So, here I am.”