He strode toward his rental car. Neighbors or not, he wouldn’t be seeing Payton Hollis again. Their paths couldn’t cross. No matter how much he wished they could. The unspoilt cowgirl had caused something to unravel deep inside him and he needed his emotions to remain hog-tied. There was a reason why he never settled in one spot and kept his life entanglement free.
Just like there was a reason why leasing land wasn’t the sole motive behind his coming to Marietta.
Chapter Two
‡
The persistent bark of a black-and-white Australian Shepherd welcomed Cordell to Larkspur Ridge Ranch. He slowed on the graveled driveway as the Shepherd raced close to his wheels. The dog’s instinct to herd might be invaluable out on the range but when it came to chasing cars it could become a liability. When he was sure the dog was again a safe distance away, he stopped and pulled on the emergency brake.
A double-story wooden building filled his windshield-framed view. While the ranch house had looked small and insignificant from the valley below, it now appeared as rugged and as stalwart as the mountains themselves. Movement drew his eye beyond the sprawling house and outbuildings to a corral where a buckskin mare paced. The dog’s high-pitched barking intensified and the buckskin tossed her head, her black mane lifting in the wind.
Longing cut through Cordell like the lash of a bullwhip. What he wouldn’t give to swap his suit for jeans and chaps and to throw a saddle on the restless horse. He understood how the corralled mare felt. Freedom was beyond both their grasps. He slid the silk knot of his tie into position. But he’d made his choices and now he had to live with them.
He tore his gaze away from the buckskin who held her head high, scenting the breeze coming off the snow-capped peaks. He might be the eldest by only a minute but it was his duty as the first-born son to look out for his twin brother. Serious and steady Ethan wasn’t a risk-taker. He could spot a sick heifer a hundred yards away but he could no more head to the city to secure their financial future than the now tail-wagging dog could abandon its natural instincts.
Cordell opened the driver’s side door and stood. The dog grinned and wriggled forward as though angling for a pat, except the Shepherd’s bright eyes were centered on the foil-covered plate on the passage seat.
“You can’t fool me,” Cordell said with a chuckle as he bent to tickle behind the dog’s silken ears. “It’s not me you’re overjoyed to see.”
The dog dropped to the ground and rolled onto his back to expose the fluffy white underside of his belly. He rubbed the dog’s stomach with the toe of his city-shoes. “And looking cute won’t get me to slip you a rib. Payton would have my hide if I didn’t deliver the whole plate to Henry.”
Sensing, rather than hearing, someone approach, Cordell looked up. A tall, unsmiling, white-haired man stood a short distance away. Faded grey eyes locked with his. He went to remove his Stetson then remembered his felt hat lay packed in a box in his Denver condo. With a last rub to the dog’s belly, he walked forward, his hand outstretched.
“Hello, Henry. I’m Cordell Morgan. We spoke over the phone.”
The old man grunted, his fixed stare never wavering. Just when he thought Henry wouldn’t shake his hand, the gnarled strength of the rancher’s fingers grasped his. He concentrated on matching the power of Henry’s handshake and on reading his face. The old rancher’s craggy features may appear as if carved from stone but the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth spoke of a life well-lived. Payton had spoken the truth. Henry was a hard but decent man, a man to ride the river with.
A hint of acknowledgment softened Henry’s gaze. Cordell hadn’t been the only person making a snap character assessment.
The handshake ended and he lowered his arm. “Sorry I’m late. I stopped to help your neighbor Payton with a calf.”
“You helped Payton?”
‘Yes.’
Skepticism creased the old man’s brow. “And she let you, just like that?”
“Actually, to be honest I didn’t give her a choice. It didn’t seem right her jumping over the fence in her dress, even if she had her boots on.”
“So you jumped over in your suit instead?”
He shrugged. “As you do. I did take off my jacket and tie.”
A faint smile touched Henry’s mouth. “As you do. And how did Payton take to you butting in?”
Cordell remembered the cuss words he couldn’t hear but could see her lips form when he’d turned to make sure she didn’t follow him. “Fine, considering she’s used to doing things on her own.”
“That she is. Anna and I weren’t lucky to have children so Payton’s the closest thing I have to a daughter. But even then, she’s reluctant to accept help from me.”
“Maybe I caught her in a soft moment but …” Cordell swung away to retrieve the plate of prime ribs from the car. “She did wish me good luck and gave me these to buy five minutes of your time.”
The dog’s tail thumped on the gravel as he handed the plate to Henry.
The old man’s eyes twinkled and Cordell had the impression he’d passed some sort of test before Henry’s face resumed its impassive lines.
“Well then, you’d better come in.”
Henry turned and for the first time Cordell realized his ramrod straight back belied a body twisted with age and pain.
He matched his stride to Henry’s slower one as they walked toward the front doorsteps. From the corral a piercing whinny sounded.
Cordell stopped to gaze at the buckskin. He then glanced back at Henry and noticed the old man had stopped too, but it was Cordell whom he examined and not the restless horse.
Henry inclined his head toward the buckskin. “Payton and I adopted this mare from the Pryor Mountain horse range. She’s a mustang through and through and hasn’t yet taken to her new home. I’m waiting for a truckload of hay to be delivered to Payton and then she’ll go to Beargrass Hills. She’ll be happier out of the corral.”
Cordell nodded and erased all empathy for the mustang from his face. The man waiting for him held the reins of his future in his time-worn hands. He had a promise to keep and to do so he had to gain access to the lush pastures carpeting the rolling foothills below. But first he needed to get his act together. Payton had distracted him and now the mustang’s yearnings continued to stir emotions he’d long ago buried.
Shoulders squared, he followed Henry up the steps, through the front door and down the hallway into the large kitchen filled with the pure mountain light. The huge windows, exposed beams and stone feature wall, all bespoke of an attention to detail and a desire to bring the natural beauty of Montana indoors. A light-fixture made from a circle of old lanterns hung over the table, but no homely knick-knacks or family photographs sat clustered on shelves. If a woman had lived here, her presence had long since faded.
“So,” Henry said as he carefully settled himself into a chair, “you’d better start talking, your five minutes starts now.” He tousled the Australian Shepherd’s head as the dog rested his head on his knee.
Cordell sat opposite Henry and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t need to talk. You do. What do you want from a lease agreement?”
Respect glinted in Henry’s slate-hard gaze. “You’re a cool customer, aren’t you?”
Cordell didn’t answer. He wasn’t going to waste time talking or feeling. He’d learned life’s lessons all too well. Emotions were synonymous with weakness. To survive he couldn’t allow himself to feel. No matter how high the stakes were.
“Let me see …” Henry stared out the windows to where the waning sunlight caught in the blue of the lake Cordell had passed on the drive in.
“I’m not leaving here until they carry me out. I don’t want people poking their noses into my business. I like my peace and quiet too much to hire a ranch foreman and to fill the bunkhouse with strangers. I have more than enough money. I want to read and to fish. I want to see cattle grazing but don’t want the responsibility.” He paused, mouth tense. “I want to end
my days with no regrets.”
Cordell again remained silent, not wanting to intrude on the old rancher’s memories as he continued to stare out the window as though lost in another time and place. As the silence swelled between them, he wasn’t even sure if Henry remembered he was there. But when Henry’s sharp gaze zeroed in on his, Cordell realized Henry knew exactly where he was and whom he was with.
“So if you can deliver on these things,” he continued, his tone gruff, “you might have yourself a deal.”
“I can. You’ll have no regrets about leasing me your land.”
“Maybe.”
Henry rubbed at his thigh. Pain pinched his features.
“The pastures closest to Payton’s ranch are off-limits. She has full use of them for as long as she needs.”
Cordell nodded.
“If I let you have my land what will you use it for?”
“I’ve two truckloads of hungry cattle leaving Texas next week.”
“Herefords?”
“No, black Angus.”
“I’m not surprised they’re hungry. Payton’s part of the range might be dry but Texas is doing it real tough. The drought there just won’t break.”
“I know.” The despair Cordell had witnessed when he’d visited Texas three weeks ago still kept him awake at night. “And it’s not only the cattle suffering. If I could, I’d make it rain.”
Desperation must have seeped into his words because Henry’s eyes narrowed.
Cordell cleared his throat. If he had any chance of leasing Larkspur Ridge Ranch he had to get himself under control. “So, I’ll have my lawyer draw up a draft lease agreement and then –”
Henry came to his feet.
“Not so fast. This is far from a done deal.” He looked at the foil-covered plate. “Rocky and I have some ribs to eat. See me tomorrow morning and I’ll make my decision then.”
Cordell pushed back his chair, using the simple movement to mask his tension. He’d lasted more than five seconds but he still had to pick his battles. He’d award round one to Henry but tomorrow there would be round two.
“No problem,” he said as he too stood. “I’ll come at nine.”
“With some of Payton’s chocolate-chip cookies.”
“Sorry? Payton’s cookies? I won’t be seeing her again.”
A ghost of a smile curved Henry’s lips. “Where do you think you’ll stay tonight?”
Cordell’s tie suddenly choked like a silken noose. “Marietta? The woman at the rental car place at Bozeman said I didn’t need to book ahead.”
“Well, this weekend you do. Rosa, my housekeeper, says all the accommodation in town is booked out thanks to the wedding.” Henry shuffled toward the kitchen door leading to the hallway signifying Cordell’s time had more than expired. “Payton won’t mind if you bunk in her bunkhouse. Beargrass Hills has plenty of beds since her dad ran it as a dude ranch.”
Cordell followed Henry along the hallway. As Henry held open the front door, he briefly turned, mouth hard. “And if you don’t want a black eye like that cowboy Rhett Dixon, remember Payton is only interested in one thing – her ranch.”
*
“Easy there, buddy,” Payton said as she lowered the bottle to reduce the milk flow to the hungry calf. She tightened her grip to make sure the calf didn’t pull the plastic bottle from her grasp. It might have taken patience and persistence to encourage him to drink but once he got started there was no stopping him. She smiled at the expanding contours of his round belly. She’d like to see Cordell lift him now. The calf had almost drunk his own body weight in colostrum.
She glanced across the barn to where a black cow stared at them, her tail twitching. She hadn’t liked being milked even though the action had reduced the pressure on her swollen udder. The cow had given birth to a stillborn heifer yesterday and Payton had brought her into the barn to make sure she caught any early signs of mastitis. As kind and as generous as Dr. Noah Sullivan was, she didn’t need the expense of a vet bill should the cow’s udder become inflamed. With any luck the cow would now accept the abandoned calf.
The little bull calf’s sucking noises changed as the bottle emptied. She slipped the teat from his milk-frothed mouth. He took a step toward her and then sank to the straw-covered floor before closing his eyes. She chuckled. Now he’d been fed the calf wouldn’t be able to do anything but sleep. She’d wait until he grew hungry again and then she’d see if his new mother would let him suckle.
Bottle in hand, Payton left the barn. The evening breeze buffeted her and she dragged her denim jacket closed. It had felt so good to ditch the pink cocktail dress and pull on her faded jeans and warm blue plaid farm shirt. Fashionista Trinity would be horrified at her wardrobe choice but Payton dressed purely for practicality.
Payton’s gaze strayed toward the high peaks that framed Henry’s ranch house. Cordell had to be on his way to Marietta. She’d give him ten minutes tops before Henry would have sent him on his way. Her eyes lingered on the snow-crested slopes. The prospect of Cordell being gone shouldn’t make her feel so … empty. By his own admission he said he didn’t stay in one place for too long. But there was just something about him that made a small, hidden part of her want a chance to get to know him better.
Was that dust on the road? She strained to see into the gloom and caught an unmistakable flash of silver. She swallowed. It was as though her thoughts had conjured Cordell out of the indigo shadows. From over near the kennel beneath the pine tree, Baxter barked and pulled at his chain confirming they’d soon have company. The liver-colored kelpie had been fed early and tied up to make sure he didn’t spook either the cow or the calf.
Payton lifted a hand to her tangled hair, only to quickly lower it. What was she thinking? It didn’t matter if her unspoken wish to see Cordell again had been granted or that she looked a mess. She had no room in her life for a man. But still her right hand sneaked to the backside of her worn jeans to check that the rip she’d torn when milking the un-cooperative cow hadn’t ripped further.
Cordell slowed and parked beside the barn. He dipped his head in greeting as he left the rental car. Despite the gathering chill, he’d discarded his jacket and tie. In the waning light, his white shirt accentuated the width of his shoulders and the honed contours of his chest. “Hey, Payton.”
“Hey,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray how much her breathing had accelerated in the past three seconds. “The prime ribs seemed to have worked. You must have lasted at least five minutes.”
Cordell stopped in front of her. The subtle scent of his aftershave teased her senses. He chuckled. “Yes, they did. Not that I was counting, but I would have been inside the ranch house for at least seven minutes.”
The tightness constricting her chest intensified. His easy laugh was rich and genuine, with the power to stir yearnings she thought long dead.
“Wow. Henry was sociable.” She searched Cordell’s face for a sign of how their talk went but all she glimpsed was a deep weariness touched with a strange wariness. She arched a brow. “So …”
“So … I’m to come back tomorrow morning … with some of your chocolate-chip cookies.”
She shook her head. “He’s such a rogue. Wait until I see him. You haven’t just come for chocolate-chip cookies, have you? Let me guess, you need a place to stay?”
Seriousness dimmed the smile in his eyes. “Yes. If it was no trouble. Henry said Marietta would be booked out with wedding guests.” He glanced toward the large tin-roofed building to his left. “And he assured me you have plenty of beds.”
She hesitated. “I do … it’s just the bunkhouse has no running water. My foreman and his wife left yesterday to visit their daughter and I swear as soon as they drove through the main gate the windmill stopped. The bunkhouse water tank is bone dry so there’s no chance of you taking a shower.” She fought the heat sweeping into her cheeks at the sudden image of water sluicing over the hard-packed torso only an arm’s length away. “There are plenty
of beds inside if you don’t mind a room with floral wallpaper, carpet and drapes. My mom had a thing for flowers.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping in my car.” The corner of his mouth curled in a smile. “I’m secure with my masculinity, I think I can handle a flower or too.”
Her own lips twitched. “Well, that’s good to hear. Luckily for you, Maria also left a freezer full of food, otherwise grilled cheese sandwiches would be the only item on the dinner menu.”
“It’s sleep not food I need, so a grilled cheese sandwich actually sounds pretty good. I don’t want you to run short of meals.”
“It’s fine. Trust me. You’d much rather eat Maria’s food. Even Baxter thinks twice before scoffing my meat loaf. Maria and Joe might be away for a fortnight but she’s left me enough meals for a month.”
Cordell nodded before his gaze dropped to the forgotten bottle in her hand. “How’s the calf?”
“Good. When he’s ready for his next feed I’ll see if the cow that lost her calf yesterday will let him suckle. And if she doesn’t I’ll try the Vicks trick.”
“I know the Vicks trick well. The strong smell will mask the scent of an unfamiliar calf. Your mother might have liked flowers but mine liked Vicks.” Cordell pulled face. “Both for abandoned calves and sick boys.”
Payton’s laughter filled the small space between them. For a brief moment the weight of responsibility and the desperate need for rain didn’t press so hard on her shoulders.
“I take it you didn’t get a cold or the flu often?”
“No. And our cat soon stopped scratching the lounge. It seems Vicks has uses only my mother knew about.” Cordell glanced toward the closed barn door. “Ethan actually uses another trick to re-mother his calves. He wets the calf and covers it in grain. After a night spent licking the feed off the calf, by morning the cow has then bonded with her new baby.”
“What a great idea. Perhaps my Vicks days will be over too. I’ll try it tonight if Miss-Cranky-Pants won’t play nice with the small bundle of cuteness I just fed.”
Cherish Me, Cowboy (Montana Born Rodeo Book 2) Page 2