“Hey, Chase, care to join us?” Zane hollered as they mounted up.
“No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” The coyote continued to howl. Chase knew just how he felt.
Chapter Twenty
“Caleb, I swear that whore you were with was so fat you probably had to throw a saddle on her just to keep from falling off.” As usual, Caleb ignored Zane’s ribbing.
“Well, at least she had all her teeth,” Jake put in. “That one you were with looked like a busted-up piano.”
“She has other qualities that make a few missing teeth desirable.” Zane waggled his eyebrows in an innuendo that brought a snort from Ty. They were all stretching the truth just a bit—the whores in town weren’t fat or ugly, they were just well used.
The boys were late getting back from town and had decided to shorten the trip by cutting cross-country instead of staying on the road. They rode up on a small ridge and were brought up short. A vision had surfaced in the pond below them, throwing her long blond hair back in an arc as she came out of the water. The four cowboys quietly dismounted and sent their horses back down the ridge.
“Did you see that?” Zane jabbed Jake with his elbow as they lay on the hillside above, watching the vision squeeze water from her hair.
“How could I miss it?” Jake grunted in return. Caleb just grinned at them, then turned back to watch.
“She is beautiful,” Zane said as the woman leisurely scrubbed the soap down a long thigh. Her back was to them, and each one wished with all his might that she would turn around. “Hey, Caleb, do you think you could draw her?”
“I have”—Caleb smiled at him—”in my dreams.” Zane put his head down as he was overcome with laughter.
“Will you shut up? She might hear us,” Jake hissed.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Ty whispered.
“Then don’t, nobody’s making you,” Zane whispered back. “How many opportunities do you get to see something like this?”
“What do you mean? You saw the same thing last night,” Ty retorted.
“Yeah, but this is different.”
“How is it different?’
“She’s not a whore.”
“How can you tell?”
Zane pointed down to the prominent bulge in his pants. Ty shook his head in disgust, and Jake started to laugh.
“You are the only man I know who can wake up from a night of lovin’ with your weapon cocked,” he said.
“He hasn’t failed me yet,” Zane said proudly.
Ty began to slide back down the hill. “Come on, Caleb, let’s go home.” Caleb looked down the hill towards the beauty, then followed Ty.
“Caleb, come back here,” Zane whispered after him, but the two mounted and headed around the hill away from the pond. Jake and Zane looked back down the hill towards the pond. The woman was walking out, and Zane grabbed Jake’s arm as he got the full impact of her beauty.
The woman’s horse tossed his head as she came out of the pond, and she immediately became wary. She picked up her gun and held it ready as she pulled on her shirt. Then she grabbed the reins and scanned the hill above. She cocked the gun, holding it easily in her hand. The horse looked towards the hill, then snorted as he went back to his browsing. The girl relaxed with the horse, and went to put on her clothes.
“I am in love!” Zane exclaimed as they mounted their horses. “Did you see her? Did you see how long her legs were and her...” Zane’s hand circled his chest as he tried to find the words to describe what he had seen.
“Yeah, I saw her. I saw her first.”
“Don’t start that. You know I did.”
“I’ll draw you for her.”
“No way, I’m not falling for that.” The two rode off, arguing over the girl without even knowing her name.
“You boys are in a heap of trouble with Jason,” Grace declared as the four entered her cabin looking for lunch.
“Why?” Zane asked as he took the lid off a bubbling pot to smell the contents.
“Because he expected you to start cutting the herd this morning instead of laying about town all day.”
“You know we aren’t going to do any cutting until Jamie gets back.”
“That’s not what Jason said. He wants you to start cutting today, immediately.” The boys ignored Grace as Caleb took out his pad and began to draw. “Caleb, what are you drawing?” she asked.
“An absolute vision,” Zane answered for him. Jake and Zane were looking over his shoulder while Ty sat beside him, offering help where he thought it was needed. A pool of water began to form, with an image of a tall, slender woman’s back, and arms holding a mass of hair up on top of her head.
“Who is that?” Grace asked as she peered over Caleb’s shoulder.
“We saw her this morning down at the spring,” Jake said.
“You were spying on her?”
“I guess you could say that.” Zane grinned.
“I wonder who she is and what she’s doing out here,” Grace said as she began to take dishes off the shelf.
“She’s looking for me, that’s what she’s doing,” Zane commented.
“Will you shut up! I’m sick of hearing you go on about her like she’s one of your conquests,” Ty snapped.
Zane rolled his eyes. “Sound’s like you fell for her yourself.”
“No, I’m just tired of the way you talk about women.”
“So, Grace, you say Jason was pretty mad at us.” Zane couldn’t help grinning as he set Ty up.
“Yes, he was.”
“I bet he wasn’t as mad as Cat.”
Ty sighed in frustration as Zane began to laugh.
“Yeah, she was here this morning and she rode away like a bat out of hell.” Grace ladled the bowls full of stew and set them down on the table. “Now you boys eat so you can get to work before Jason runs us all off.” Conversation ended as they dug into the bowls and passed the sketch around, each agreeing that it was a good likeness of the goddess they had seen, with Zane adding that he would like to see the view from the other side.
“I could do it,” Caleb said, and they all urged him on, even after Grace smacked him with a towel. The noise was soon interrupted by a knocking at the door, and Grace shushed them as she opened the portal.
“Excuse me. I wonder if you could help me—I’m looking for someone.” Four mouths at the table dropped open. The beauty they’d spied on that morning was standing in the doorway, her golden hair tumbling around her shoulders, her blue eyes wide with apprehension.
“Who are you looking for?” Grace asked, wondering if this was the woman they had been talking about.
“James Duncan. Jamie. He’s my brother.”
Grace put her hand to her mouth as realization sank in. “Oh, my God, you are his sister. You’re Jenny? Your eyes—they are just like his.”
“He’s here?”
“Yes. I mean no. I mean not right now. Oh, God, please come in.” Grace realized she was babbling as she pulled Jenny into the cabin. “He lives here on this ranch, but he’s out with Chase hunting strays. He’ll probably be gone a couple of days.”
Jenny blinked back tears as she realized that she had at last found her brother. She looked around the room as if in a daze, and Ty, seeing her condition, leaped into action, sweeping a chair out to her just as her knees collapsed.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s been so long,” Jenny apologized as her head began to swim. She heard paper rustling and saw the pages in a sketchbook being flipped back until suddenly everyone was staring at one of the pages.
“She looks just like that, Caleb,” Zane commented as they looked between Jenny and the page. Caleb turned the pad around so Jenny could see the likeness he had drawn from Jamie and Chase’s description.
“I drew this so they could put up posters to find you. I guess it didn’t work.”
“No, it didn’t.” Jenny looked in amazement at the drawing. “Do you have any of Jamie?”
&nbs
p; “Sure, look through the book. There are lots.”
Jenny began to flip the pages and saw her brother—looking so much like their father—on horseback, standing, sitting, in a group, by himself, amid drawings of others. Then she saw a drawing of Chase, his body poised, waiting, his shoulder-length hair blowing out behind him.
“Chase,” she said almost to herself.
“Those two are inseparable—they have been ever since they arrived,” Grace said.
“Inseparable—that’s how they used to describe me and Jamie.” She had to wipe the tears away again, and she noticed the man they called Ty watching her closely. “How long have they been here?”
“A couple of years—three, I think,” Grace answered.
“Three. I was with Gray Horse three years ago.”
“Gray Horse—I’ve heard Jamie mention him.”
“Yes, he was a friend of our father’s. Jamie had been in Gray Horse’s village before me, and I guess he never thought to go back.”
Grace sat down next to Jenny and took her hand. “He looked for you, I promise. He never gave up, Jamie and Chase both were determined to find you, but you just disappeared.” Jenny looked into the soft brown eyes above the scarred cheeks of the woman who sat beside her and saw her sincerity.
“I know. I made myself disappear for a while, actually.”
“You two will have a lot of catching up to do, I know.”
They were interrupted by the sound of clattering hooves outside. Cat came bursting through the door, her curiosity piqued by the strange horse outside. She pulled up short at the sight of Ty hovering close to a strange woman sitting at the table.
“Cat, guess who this is.” Grace said excitedly. The other faces were grinning as Cat narrowed her eyes.
“She looks familiar,” Cat said, her manner reserved as she sized up this new threat.
“It’s Jenny.”
“Jenny? Oh my gosh, you mean Jamie’s Jenny?” She was excited and disappointed together, happy that Jenny was found but worried because she was here, and she was beautiful. Cat stalked around the table to get a better look.
“This is Cat Lynch. Her father owns this ranch.”
“I ran into Jamie and Chase out in Nebraska. They saved my life,” Cat said.
“That’s Jamie, all right. Always around when you need him.” Jenny started flipping pages again, the images before her now having names and faces attached to them. She stopped when she came to the last drawing. She looked up into a trio of red faces across from her; Ty was conveniently looking out the window. Cat came around and saw the drawing, her green-gold eyes narrowing to slits as she perused the back of Ty’s head.
Caleb tentatively reached out for the sketchbook, his dark eyes avoiding Jenny’s wide blue ones. She let it go, and he slid the book back across the table as Jake turned and walked away. Zane looked down at the drawing and grinned at Jenny. “You are talented, Caleb. No one can deny that.”
“Indeed,” Grace said, breaking the awkward silence that followed.
“We’d better get back to work, fellas,” Ty said from his place near the window. There was a shuffling of boots and a scraping of chairs as the boys filed out, each of them giving Jenny a second glance, much to Cat’s annoyance.
“So, what are your plans?” Cat asked when the men were gone.
“Cat, where are your manners? She just got here.”
“No, that’s okay,” Jenny said. “I realize I’m intruding. If you can tell me where to find Jamie, I’ll go on, and after we’re together again we can decide.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Grace gave Cat a look that immediately made her feel guilty, but Cat had her own interests to protect, and Jenny was much too beautiful to remain here where Ty could see her every day. She hadn’t missed the looks Ty, along with the others, had given Jenny. While Jamie was a valuable employee, he wasn’t worth her own happiness. “We have no way of knowing where Jamie and Chase are, you’ll just have to wait here until they get back. As a matter of fact, I’m sure Jason will want you to stay in the main house while you’re visiting. Cat, go find your father and tell him who’s here.”
Cat rolled her eyes but left to obey, hoping to explain her point of view before Grace had a chance to influence her father.
“I couldn’t do that. Maybe there’s a place I could camp until Jamie gets back.” Jenny was looking down at the table, trying to hide the pain that Cat’s obvious dislike had caused her.
Grace sat down next to Jenny and took her hands. “You are most welcome here. I consider this place my home, and the people here are my family. I can’t even begin to explain right now what Jason Lynch has done for me, but I can tell you that he saved my life when he brought me here, much as he has done for everyone else on this ranch. When Jamie told us about you, Jason did everything he could to find you: he hired detectives, he posted fliers, he advertised in every newspaper, but we never heard a word. Still, I know that they never gave up. Believe me when I tell you that Jason will be thrilled you are here, just as I am. Even all those dirty-minded cowhands are thrilled, because they have shared Jamie’s pain for the past few years.”
Jenny had to laugh when Grace mentioned the hands, but Cat’s words still hung over her.
Grace put her finger under Jenny’s chin and lifted it a notch. “Don’t worry about Cat. She’s obsessed with Ty, who so far hasn’t given her the time of day. She’ll come around. She’s just worried about the competition, that’s all. If it wasn’t you it would be someone else, believe me.”
“Tell her I’m not interested. I’m not interested in any man.”
Grace looked down into Jenny’s deep blue eyes and saw the fear hidden there. “You’ve had a rough time, haven’t you?”
“It could have been worse.”
“It’s hard for a girl out on her own, I know. I lost my daddy when I was seventeen, and I was all alone.”
Grace got up to fix Jenny a plate. “Of course, from what I’ve heard of your family, your loss was greater than mine. My father was a burn.”
“Our father was wonderful. Jamie looks just like him.”
“And your mother? Do you look like her?”
“No. My mother was beautiful, like an angel. I don’t look anything like her.”
Grace looked down at the perfectly oval face, the straight nose dusted with freckles from the sun, the clear golden skin, the wide blue eyes that could drown a man in their depths, the golden hair that waved and curled down around her shoulders. The woman sitting before her was tall, with long legs, a flat stomach and ample curves. And she had no idea that she was beautiful. Grace’s heart went out to her, but she fought the impulse to comfort the girl. Jenny had the look of a skittish colt that would run at the first sign of trouble, and Grace hoped that Jamie would return soon, before Cat had a chance to run her off.
“What was Jamie like when he was young?” Grace hoped that getting her to talk would help relax her.
Jenny had to gather herself to answer the question. It had been so long since they had been children, running wild across the plains without a care in the world, knowing that their parents would be there to take care of them. What had Jamie been like as a child?
“He was more serious than I. I was pretty wild, now that I think about it.” Grace sat down, anxious to hear. “He was steady, and I was impetuous. I guess that’s the best way to describe us, but he had a great sense of humor, and always had us laughing at something.”
“He still does.” The comment shocked Jenny as she realized that Jamie might have changed in the five years since she had last seen him. Her thoughts scattered as she began to turn the five years back.
Seeing a wild look come into Jenny’s great blue eyes, Grace grabbed her arm. “What else?”
“He loved to read aloud. He would read to us every night. He could make the stories come alive. I would rather listen to him read than read myself. I will never forget when he read The Arabian Nights, but that was later, when we were at the mission.
”
“That’s where you met Chase?”
“Yes, Chase came right before I was. . . .” Jenny’s words trailed off as she remembered that fateful day when Thad Miller had dragged her away. “I guess he’s all right, then? He was unconscious the last time I saw him, he was trying to help me.”
“He’s fine. You know he’s been with Jamie ever since you were taken. They are like brothers. Chase even goes by the last name of Duncan now.”
“Really? That’s strange, but maybe not. Jamie was always practical. He’s the one who started calling him Chase instead of Chase the Wind.”
“How did you know to come here?” Grace suddenly asked as she recalled how isolated the ranch was.
“I’ve been searching for years. But yesterday I overheard a man talking about someone that could make a horse dance, and his description of the man fit Jamie. I knew it had to be him. There’s not many who look like him.”
“There’s not many who can work a horse like him.”
“My father was like that, and his father before him. My mother called it the Duncan magic. Oh my gosh, Storm! Jamie doesn’t know I have our father’s horse. Is there someplace I can put him?”
The sound of riders approaching stopped Grace’s answer. They heard the long stride of boots on the porch, and Jason Lynch burst through the door. All the color drained from his bronzed face at the sight of the girl standing before him.
“My God—Jenny?” he asked.
“Yes.” Jenny looked at Grace, who was looking at Jason quizzically. He put his hands up to rub his eyes and looked at her again. His face looked shocked, but he regained his composure.
“I am so glad to finally meet you.” He extended his hand and Jenny gave him hers, unsure of what she was supposed to do. Cat was behind him, looking unhappy, and Grace knew that her father had set her back on her heels. “Jamie rode out this morning with Chase to look for strays. There’s no telling when he’ll be back. You must stay with us at the main house.”
Chase the Wind Page 29