∾
Graham clicked his tongue and began to slowly lead the horses towards his brother. Hayes lay on the ground, pounding his fist into the grass.
“You alright?” Graham asked him.
Hayes slowly pushed himself to his feet, his clothes covered in tattered grass and flowers, dirt smudged across his chest, and sweat dripping from his face. “Bruised but not broken. I don’t think. He planted a hoof in my thigh.” Hayes limped towards Julia’s vacant horse. “I told you I hate that horse. How’s—” He nodded towards Julia and Graham just shook his head. Hayes sighed in frustration that he’d caused such a dangerous fiasco. Graham rubbed a comforting hand over Julia’s back and felt the tremors of fear still radiating through her body. Her hands gripped around him with fists twisted into the back of his shirt.
“Geez.” Hayes took a deep calming breath, stretching his back as he guided Vivica slowly next to Graham. “I’m sorry to have come up on you guys like that. I didn’t know you’d be on the road. I figured the road would be smoother than the pasture. Guess it didn’t matter any way.”
“It was an accident.”
“I’m going to call it a day.” Hayes rubbed a palm over his sore thigh. “Think I need to have this checked out, just in case.”
“Take someone with you.”
Hayes nodded. He cast one more sympathetic glance towards Julia. “Sorry. Again.” He clicked his tongue and diverted Vivica in the opposite direction towards the horse stalls. Graham headed straight to the guest house. When they reached the porch, he halted the horse. “We’re back.” He felt her grip loosen on the back of his shirt and slowly she raised her dust and tear-stained face to his. He felt his heart drop at the sight and hugged her to him. She willingly went into his arms again. “So sorry that happened, Julia. So sorry.”
“I think… I think I’m done riding for today,” she murmured and sniffled as he lightly kissed her hair.
“Right. I think we all are. Let’s get down.” Her grip tightened on his shirt when he started to dismount. “It’s alright.” He eased her hands free, but she adamantly shook her head not wanting to be left on the horse by herself even for a second. Graham looked around for an alternative solution and found it in Seth when his brother rounded the corner.
“How was the ride?” Seth’s smile vanished when he spotted Julia. “What happened?” He ran over and Graham removed Julia’s arms from around his waist.
“Seth’s got ya, Julia. Just ease on down now.” His brother intercepted the trembling woman and tucked her into his side as Graham dismounted.
“Come on, Julia. I’ve got just what you need right over here.” Seth escorted her up the porch of the main house and into Graham’s kitchen. Graham followed behind them. Seth eased Julia into a chair. He hurried and filled a glass with water and set it on the table. “Need me to get anything?” Seth asked him.
Graham shook his head. “Ride with Hayes to town. He’s injured.”
Seth’s eyes widened as he nodded. “Sure thing.” He hurried out the door and towards his truck.
Graham knelt in front of Julia’s chair and grabbed her hands. “I’m so sorry.” He rested his forehead on her hands and kissed them when he noticed the blisters that would soon coat her palms.
He felt her run a hand over his hair and he looked up. “I’m sorry too.” She shook her head at his questioning glance. “I go all crazy crying on you and can’t focus. It was just a big blur. I was holding on and couldn’t even think.” Her hand shook as she ran it through her wind-crazed hair. “I didn’t know what to do.”
“You did great.” Graham pulled her up and into a hug. “You did great, Julia. You held on and that in itself is a big feat when something like that happens.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Anytime.” He heard her sniffle as she attempted a small laugh. “I think I’m going to need a few minutes to calm back down. My legs are still wobbly and my heart is out of whack. That was so scary.”
“Take your time. I feel about the same. Come on, I’ll walk you home.” He hugged her to his side as he made his way towards the guest house. “You need to rest or you’ll be sore.”
“I’m already feeling a bit stiff,” she admitted on a shaky breath as they climbed the steps.
“I’d offer you a shot of whiskey to help, but it’s a bit early still.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Already her voice grew distant, as did she once they reached the porch. He had every intention of walking her inside, sitting with her on the sofa, holding her. Comforting her. But it seemed Julia didn’t want any more to do with him. “I’ll see you later, Graham.”
“If you need anything—”
“I’ll be fine.” She forced a watery smile and gently closed the door.
He snatched his hat off his head and tossed it on the ground in a fit. So much for his grand plan of riding around the ranch. Of impressing Julia. Of making her fall in love with the place. With him. He stopped short at that thought, and it only made him angrier. The chances of that happening were now zero. He stared at the closed door before bending down and retrieving his hat and plopping it on his head. He mounted his horse and set out towards the stalls. He’d keep busy, as he always did. Chores and projects. If Julia needed time to relax, he’d give it to her. He needed time too. Space, even. He’d acted like a love-sick fool this morning. He should have considered a shorter ride for her on her first try. Maybe around the pens. Not an open stretch. But he’d been too eager to see her face light up at the sight of the wildflowers or even at him. He couldn’t wait to kiss her again and hold her. He was blinded and stupid. Cursing himself for being such an idiot, he kicked his heels and set out in a full gallop.
The next morning Julia busied herself at the vet clinic in Sheffield. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Graham since the horse incident. She did know Alice ranted at him for taking her outside the pens on her first ride, but other than that face-off, Julia hadn’t heard or seen any sight of him. She regretted avoiding him, but she was embarrassed by her reaction to the situation. She had cried like a sobbing pile of wimp. He probably thought she couldn’t hack life on the ranch. If she couldn’t even go on a simple horse ride, what use was she? Humiliated at the thought, she huffed and ran a hand over her face before leaving the front desk to grab a soda in the break room.
“That’s your second one today.” Alice paused in the doorway, her lab coat covered in dark fur. She slipped it off and walked it over to a washing machine and tossed it in. Grabbing a fresh coat off a hook, she slipped it on. “What’s eating you today?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Julia, you never drink soda. The only time I’ve ever seen you drink them was during finals in college. What gives? Graham?”
Julia avoided eye contact.
“Ah, so it is about Graham. What’d he do now?” Alice eased onto a bench.
“You have patients out there, ya know.”
“There’s one. And it’s Mr. Smithson. I do not deal with Mr. Smithson’s dachshunds. So I have all the time in the world.” She forced a smile.
“Graham hasn’t done anything to me. I haven’t even spoken to him since yesterday.”
“Then why so glum? And if you say it’s because you miss him, I’m going to vomit on this floor and make you clean it up.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Julia’s lips. “I’m a fool, Alice. That’s all. I’ve recognized it and I’m just trying to come to terms with it. That’s all.”
“A fool about what?”
“To think a man like Graham could be with a woman like me.”
“Why do you say that? Is this about the horse incident yesterday?”
Julia nodded. “I’m just not cut out for ranch life, I guess. He deserves someone who is.”
“First off, Graham is a grown man and can decide for himself who and what he wants in a lady. Second, you’re being too hard on yourself. It was your first time to ride a horse, and then Hayes had to ruin it
. You would have been fine if he hadn’t lost control of the beast they call ‘potential.’”
“That’s just it, though. I completely lost it. I was terrified. And I have zero desire to ride again. I don’t want to. At all. And I know that’s important to Graham.”
“Is it? Have you asked him that?”
“Well, no. But it will be. It’s a huge part of who he is. And I imagine he has hopes of one day riding around the ranch with the woman of his dreams. And he deserves that. I’m just not her. It was silly of me to let my emotions get the better of me anyway. I barely know him.”
“And yet, here you are talking like you know him well enough to decide his future.” Alice rolled her eyes. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. And I think you’re not giving Graham nearly enough credit. If you care for him, which I know you do— I can tell— then you need to tell him all this. He’ll understand. And who knows, in the future, maybe you will crawl back up in the saddle. It’s just not for today. Go home. We’re pretty much done here anyway. Go back to the house and talk to him.”
Dread pitted in her stomach.
“And don’t be embarrassed or weird about it, just tell him your feelings. Graham’s a good guy, Julia, he’ll listen. And better yet, he’ll understand.”
“But what if I do tell him I’m scared of horses now and that I don’t want to ride and he decides I’m just a waste of time? That I’m too ‘city’ for him.”
Alice laughed. “Then come tell me. I’ll tell his brothers. And if one of them doesn’t take advantage and propose to you on the spot, I’ll beat them all up.”
Julia set the half empty can of soda on the counter. “I guess you’re right. About talking to him, not the proposal bit.”
Alice grinned. “Seth’s pretty smitten with you.”
Julia ignored her comment as she grabbed her purse. “I’ll make dinner tonight. Hopefully at Graham’s. I’ll try to have it ready by the time you get home.”
“I cannot say no to that. Good luck.” Alice stood and walked back into the office area, striking conversation with Mr. Smithson and the mini, spoiled dogs she dreaded so much.
∾
He saw the little red Honda as he pulled up the drive and knew Julia must already be home from Sheffield and working with Alice. His stomach tightened as he saw her sitting on the porch, rocking quietly in her chair with Curly contentedly curled in her lap, lavishly accepting every stroke her beautiful hands offered. He shut his door. There was no pretending he didn’t see her. He had. And it’d be rude to just walk on by. But he wasn’t sure if his presence was welcomed. It was clear she’d been needing her space. She waved and some of the tension in his gut eased.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“Dirty.” He glanced down at his shirt. “Cleaning out the tack room with Hayes. You?” He walked up and she lifted a glass of sweet tea towards him that was more than half full. He graciously accepted and took a long pull.
“Good.”
Not as much detail as Julia would normally share, but he’d take it and see where it led. “How are you feeling?”
Julia diverted her gaze to Curly and after a couple of smooth pets looked up at him again. “That’s a bit of a more complicated topic.” A nervous smile ticked across her face.
He eased into the second chair. “Tell me anyway.”
She reached for his hand and he gladly accepted, lifting it to his lips and kissing her palm. Her eyes softened, but held a touch of sadness to their dark depths.
“I feel like I’ve let you down.”
“Let me down?” Surprised, he angled towards her, resting his elbows on his knees as he listened. “How so?”
Sighing, she nudged Curly to the porch and faced him square on. “Because I’m not sure if I like horseback riding. I mean, I’m officially terrified of the idea. And it’s important to you.”
He squeezed her hand. “Is that it?”
“Well, yeah, mostly.” Julia ran a hand through her hair and gazed out over the scenery, lifting a hand to wave at Lawrence as he passed by in his truck headed towards home.
“You haven’t let me down.”
Her eyes turned to him again. “I haven’t?”
“No.” He chuckled and kissed her hand again before releasing it. He stood to his feet. “My momma, rest her soul, married my tough, rough, and sometimes calloused daddy and she never once slipped her foot in a stirrup.” He flushed when he realized what he’d said. “I mean, not that we are—” He motioned between them and she waved her hand for him to continue with his story and not backpedal. He cleared his throat. “But they still had fun together, loved each other, had plenty to keep their hands full.” He pointed at himself and the next brother’s truck that was headed towards home. “You’re right, horses are important to me. I love them. I love riding them. I feel like there’s no better perspective to see the ranch than on the back of a horse. But, that’s me. Seth hates riding horses. Cal tries to avoid it any chance he gets, and Philip… I’m not sure how much I’d have to pay him to climb back in the saddle. It’s not for everyone, Julia. I’m not disappointed. If anything, I completely understand why you feel the way you do. You had a terrible first experience. If you decide to ride again, it’s going to take some time. But if you decide not to, I understand that too.”
“Really?” Hope lit her face as she stood and walked towards him, hands wringing in front of her. He tugged her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. When she relaxed in his embrace, he rested his chin on her hair.
“Really.”
“Thank you, Graham.” She looked up at him and slid one of her arms free so as to place her hand on the side of his face. Her eyes bore into his a moment before she kissed him sweetly on the mouth. She then rested her head against his heart once more and sighed. “It’s not such a bad perspective of the ranch from here either,” she said as they both looked out over the land and could hear the familiar sound of cows bellowing in the distance.
“Have you made dinner plans?” he asked.
“Other than I know I’m cooking for Alice, no. I can add you to the list, if you like?”
He smiled down at her. “I would. Hastings, party of one, please.”
She grinned and slipped from his hands. “Then you go shower. You kind of smell.”
He blanched a moment and she giggled. “Don’t worry, I like it. But go shower. I’ll start supper, and maybe by the time Alice drives up it will be finished.”
“Sounds like a plan. You feel better?”
“Much,” she assured him and kissed his cheek before he walked towards his house. He turned at his front door and saw Julia waiting at her own and his heart did a funny dance it’d never done before. Uh oh. There could only be one thing that made a man’s heart do that, and as he watched her walk inside the guest house, his heart longing for her to be in his house, he knew exactly what it was. He’d gone and lost his heart to Julia McComas.
∾
Her days were split between the vet clinic in Sheffield and life on the ranch. She’d successfully learned what ‘working the garden with Seth’ meant, she’d explored Calvin’s ‘mechanical palace’ as he called it, Lawrence had let her feed a few calves that were orphaned, and she loved that he kept them in his backyard instead of a tiny pen. She learned what mucking stalls truly meant while helping Hayes and even had the courage to brush down a couple of horses, though she still had no desire to ride one. Philip had come by for supper with Graham one night to go over numbers for upcoming orders to save his brother a trip to town. Clint, who’d been scarce around Graham since the well pump incident, buzzed through to flirt and tip his hat a couple of times, even leaving her and Alice a bag of jerky he’d had processed at the meat market in Sheffield. Each brother charmed her with their personality, and she’d grown to enjoy each and every one of them. Alice, sad Julia would be leaving the next morning, had planned a big night out at Sloppy’s, but Julia opted out. On her last night in Parks, she wanted to be right here
on the 7H, with her boys. Annie and Henry drove up and naturally Annie came bearing gifts of pies, puddings, and cakes to celebrate the occasion, though Julia’s heart didn’t feel much like celebrating, but mourning. She wasn’t ready to head back to Santa Fe. There was more she wanted to do here in Parks and at the ranch.
First, she’d never made that shopping trip into Fort Stockton with Annie, and boy, would she love to pick that woman’s brain on life in Parks. Secondly, she’d enjoyed the slower pace of life on the ranch. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the companionship of the brothers. Third, Alice still needed help at the clinic, and Julia thoroughly enjoyed her time there. And fourth— She watched as Graham intercepted Annie, relieving her of her pies and accepting the motherly pat to his cheek as the woman hurried into his house. The man across the lawn had bewitched her in the last week. She’d already calculated how often she could drive back to Parks to visit and stay within her budget. She hadn’t asked him yet if he’d drive up to Santa Fe to visit her. She wasn’t quite sure she’d like the answer, knowing he was tied to the ranch every day. But she couldn’t give up on what they had started. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone before, and it seemed foolish to walk away as if it were just meant to be a week-long fling. She had to try and make something work. If he wanted to as well, she reminded herself.
Sloppy, better yet, Ruby, Julia thought, pulled into the drive and had Lawrence and Seth offering their services to help unload whatever treats she’d brought to the party.
When Alice pulled in from work, her truck clanking up the drive with a new and terrible sound, Calvin waited, impatiently, hands on his hips, no doubt about to lecture her on the maintenance of the vehicle. As soon as Alice’s door opened, the bickering started, and Julia grinned at the predictability. Despite his agitation, the brother still offered to unload the cases of beer Alice had picked up on her way home. Cowboys and beer, Julia thought. Their remedy to a long day, a celebration, a tough day, or even just a lazy afternoon. Julia placed the finishing touches onto her outfit, a pair of dangling turquoise earrings and matching bracelet. Alice would tease her later for going to such measures for the Hastings family, but Julia didn’t care what any of them thought except Graham. She wanted to look beautiful for Graham. Their last evening together before she left, she wanted to leave a lasting impression for him. Maybe he’d miss her as much as her heart ached at missing him. She’d grown accustomed to his serious face and cherished that gorgeously rare, knee-weakening smile of his, his strong hands that treated her so gently, and his dedication to his family and friends that constantly kept him on his toes. She walked over to the main house and opened the door, stepping into a loud kitchen full of busy bodies and commands, Annie and Alice at the forefront. Hayes spotted her first and crossed his eyes as if the madness of the room had started to take effect. She grinned as Clint walked towards her and offered his arm. “Let me direct you, Ms. Julia, to the living room. There’s nothin’ but cranky women and dumb men in the kitchen at the moment.”
Graham Page 13