The Princess And The Cowboy

by Lois Faye Dyer

  “Well…” Lily felt torn.

  “What good is it to be the boss if you can’t play hooky every now and then?” Justin put in, a smile in his voice as he coaxed.

  “Well…” Lily hesitated. “I suppose we could be gone for a few days. But I have to be back by next Thursday for a meeting with a client,” she added when he grinned at her. “Promise we’ll be back by then?”

  “Absolutely.” He held up his hand, palm out, as if taking an oath. “I swear I’ll have you back in time. We’re using one of the company jets so even if I get hung up, which is unlikely, you and Ava can fly back whenever you’re ready.” Justin looked at his watch. “How soon can you be ready?”

  Two hours later, Lily stepped out of the limo and onto the tarmac at Boeing Field.

  “I’ll take Ava,” Justin told her, lifting her out of Lily’s hold and settling her on his chest. “Hector, we’ll need the car seat on the plane with us,” he told the driver.

  The chauffeur nodded and began to unload Lily’s hastily packed suitcases from the open trunk. A second man in a flight uniform leaned inside the car and unstrapped Ava’s seat.

  “We can go aboard and settle in.” Justin took Lily’s elbow and they climbed the steps to the sleek jet. “Have you flown in a jet this size before?”

  “No, only on commercial jets,” she replied as they entered the cabin.

  The interior was blue and gray with muted gold accents. It was tasteful and quietly luxurious; Lily liked it instantly. By the time they touched down on the private airstrip at Justin’s ranch, she was in love with the comfortable plane.

  “I’m totally spoiled. I’ll never be happy flying commercial airlines again,” she told Justin as the pilot taxied to a stop.

  “It’s nice, isn’t it? Not to mention convenient.” Justin gestured out the window on Lily’s left. “Practically drops us off at my door.”

  The jet slowed and made a turn that allowed Lily to see a hangar. On the road just beyond, dust billowed up behind the wheels of an SUV and a pickup as they stopped next to what appeared to be an office door at one end of the large building. The drivers got out of their vehicles and joined a man in coveralls just outside.

  “Do you always have a HuntCom plane available when you fly anywhere?” Lily asked as they waited for the jet to come to a full stop.

  “Whenever I fly from Seattle to the ranch, yeah.” Justin unlatched his seat belt and stood as the plane stopped moving. “If I fly farther, I sometimes fly commercial, but I try not to.” He grinned at her, his dimples denting his cheeks.

  “I can see why,” she said, giving up trying to resist his charm and just enjoying the moment.

  “One of the perks of being Harrison Hunt’s son,” he said dryly. “I’ll get Ava.”

  While he freed the toddler’s seat belt, Lily unhooked her own, and moments later they left the plane.

  “Hey, boss,” the oldest of the three cowboys called. “Good to see you. How was the trip?”

  “Fine, Bob, good to be home.” He drew Lily forward, his hand at her waist. “Lily, I’d like you to meet Bob Draper, he’s my foreman and runs the place when I can’t be here.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Bob touched the brim of his hat and nodded respectfully.

  “Nice to meet you, Bob.” Lily was charmed by the man’s politeness and old-fashioned manners. The fingers that brushed his hat were gnarled with age and the hair beneath the brown Stetson was white. His bright blue eyes snapped with intelligence and interest.

  “And this is our daughter, Ava.” Justin’s voice rang with pride.

  “Well, now…” Bob fairly beamed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, little girl.” He glanced at Lily, his wide grin including her. “She’s as pretty as her mother.”

  “Thank you.” Lily smiled back, intrigued by the obvious affection between Bob and Justin.

  The other man in boots, jeans and cowboy hat approached, nodding gravely at Lily and smiling at Ava.

  “We loaded the luggage in the pickup, boss, and put the baby car seat in the back of the SUV.”

  “Do you want me to drive you or should I head on up to the house with Cory?” Bob asked.

  “I’ll drive, thanks, Bob. I want to give Lily a short tour.”

  “Sure thing.” Bob handed a set of keys to Justin. “I’ll ride with Cory—and I’ll let Agnes know you’ve landed and you’re on your way.”

  “Don’t tell her we’ve got company, Bob,” Justin said with a smile at Lily. “I want to surprise her.”

  Bob laughed, a deep chuckle of amusement. “Oh, she’ll be surprised, all right.”

  The two cowboys drove off in the pickup as Lily walked beside Justin toward the other vehicle. “Who’s Agnes?” She asked, wondering how many people were on the ranch.

  “She’s my housekeeper. I told you about her, remember? The woman I didn’t want to lose so the boys and I cooked and kept house for ourselves at the old place I bought last year.”

  “Oh, yes,” Lily nodded. “I remember.”

  “She’s been with me for years,” Justin said as they reached the SUV. He opened the front passenger door for Lily and handed her in before settling Ava in her seat and making sure she was securely belted. “I don’t know what I’d do without her,” he continued as he slid behind the wheel and switched on the engine. “Not that I’d tell her that,” he smiled, with a curve of his lips that told Lily volumes about the affection he felt for the woman. “She already thinks she runs the place.”

  He put the vehicle in gear. The gravel road was well maintained and they followed it as it curved to the left to approach a cluster of outbuildings and barns. Lily could see the peak of a log house, but it wasn’t until Justin passed a small grove of trees that she could see the entire home.

  “Oh, my,” she said, catching her breath. “What a beautiful house.”

  “I’m glad you think so. I like it.” Justin’s voice carried a deep thread of pride and pleasure.

  The log home was two stories high at its center, with single-story wings off both sides. A deep porch ran the length of the entire front of the house, and rockers were spaced down its length, with two separate round wooden tables and chairs at each end.

  Behind the house, a bluff rose, seeming to tower over the ranch and outbuildings as if sheltering the humans below.

  “The center section is old,” Justin told Lily as he parked in front of the house and they got out. “I added the south and north wings about ten years ago when I moved here.”

  “It’s absolutely beautiful.” Lily tipped her head back, scanning the facade of the building with its massive logs.

  The screen door opened and two dogs barreled out, barking ferociously as they raced down the steps.

  “Boo, Rusty, down,” Justin said with authority. The dogs instantly sat on their haunches, but their tails wagged their entire bodies and their eyes gleamed with excitement.

  “I’m sorry, Justin. I didn’t know you had someone with you or I wouldn’t have let them out.” The female voice was apologetic.

  Lily looked up, away from the wildly excited dogs and at the porch. Is this Agnes?

  The woman had to be at least six feet tall, she thought, and was dressed in a simple white cotton blouse over pale blue polyester pants. Her long feet were clad in Birkenstock sandals and her hair was cut short, in a curly bob that ended below her ears. Her face couldn’t be called anything other than plain, but the lively blue eyes were filled with intelligence. And curiosity, Lily thought as she realized she was staring.

  “It’s all right, Agnes.” Justin bent to run his palm over each of the dogs’ heads, then lowered Ava so she could touch their soft fur. The larger of the two, a black-and-white collie mix, licked Ava’s hand and she giggled, chattering to Justin. He laughed and shifted her higher, holding her securely. “You two, stay,” he ordered. They complied, thought they clearly wanted to sniff Ava again and receive more attention.

  “These two are cattle dogs, but I’ve made
pets of them. They’re in and out of the house,” he explained to Lily as he settled his hand on her waist and urged her up the sidewalk to the porch.

  “I think Ava likes them as much as they seem to like her,” Lily commented.

  “Smart dogs,” Justin commented as they climbed the porch steps.

  Agnes waited for them, her hands clasped in front of her, her face alive with curiosity.

  “Agnes,” Justin said, his eyes twinkling. “I’d like you to meet Lily Spencer and our daughter, Ava.”

  Agnes’s eyes widened in shock and her hands flew to her mouth. “Your daughter?” Her eyes grew suspiciously damp. “Oh, my goodness. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lily.”

  “I’m glad to meet you, too, Agnes. Justin told me you’re indispensable.” Lily had the impression the older woman was going to enfold her in a spontaneous hug, but then Agnes appeared to catch herself and merely beamed at her before looking at Ava.

  “She looks like you, Justin.” Agnes’s voice trembled.

  “Yeah, she’s got my hair and dimples, when she smiles.” He tucked his chin, trying to see Ava’s face. But she’d chosen that moment to be shy and was hiding her face against his neck. “Well—” he grinned at Agnes “—as soon as I can get her to laugh, you’ll see the dimples.” He drew in a deep breath. “What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

  “Oh, my.” Agnes threw up her hands and pulled open the screen door. “I’m keeping you standing on the porch. Come in, come in. I had the boys take the suitcases upstairs.” She gave Justin a reproving glance. “Wondered why you had so much luggage this trip.”

  “I wanted to surprise you. I asked Bob not to tell you I’d brought company.”

  “You surprised me, all right.” She gave Ava a warm glance. “But it’s a good surprise, a very good surprise.” She took a tissue from her pants pocket and wiped her damp eyes. “If you’d like to show these ladies where they can wash up, I’ll have dinner on the table by the time you come back downstairs.”

  “We won’t be long,” Justin assured her.

  She nodded and hurried off.

  “She’s not what I expected,” Lily commented as they climbed an open stairway that curved to the left of the entryway to a balcony above.

  “No?” Justin looked down at her, a slight frown veeing his brows. “What did you expect?”

  “I thought she was the woman you employed to care for your house. But she’s more than that, she’s like a beloved aunt, isn’t she?”

  Justin shrugged, his expression uncomfortable. “She’s bossy, opinionated and thinks she runs the house and everyone in it. I suppose you could call Agnes more than an employee.”

  “Umm-hmm,” Lily agreed. Justin may not want to admit he had a deep affection for the older woman, but he clearly did. And what was very nice is that Agnes seemed to feel the same for him.

  They reached the top of the stairs and walked along the balcony.

  “This is Ava’s room.” Justin pushed open a door.

  Lily stepped over the threshold and stopped, gazing about her in surprise. “It’s beautiful.” As she registered the faint smell of fresh paint, she looked more closely at the beautiful white crib, changing table and dresser. “Justin, when did you have this done?”

  “A few days after I found out about Ava.”

  She looked at him, searching his features but unable to decipher what this meant. “Were you so sure we’d come here with you?” she said carefully, trying to understand if the room was a reliable indication of Ava’s permanence in his life.

  “I wasn’t sure at all.” His gaze was intense, direct. “I hoped, Lily.”

  Something about the intensity of his words reassured her.

  “I see. Well,” she said softly, “it appears your hopes have been realized.”

  “Not all of them,” he murmured, just as softly. “But two of them have come true today. Ava’s here—and so are you.”

  “We’re only visiting,” she reminded him.

  “I know.” He gave her a lopsided grin and his dimples dented his cheeks.

  “Stop being charming,” she scolded, smiling back.

  “Is it working?” he asked, his voice hopeful.

  “I’m not telling.” She glanced around the carpeted room. “I need to change Ava, but I don’t see her bag.”

  “The boys probably dropped them all in my room. It’s this way.” He strode off down the hall and went inside the room at the far end. “Yeah, here they are. Which one is Ava’s?”

  Lily stopped on the threshold, her eyes widening as she took in the big room. The walls were white, except for two—one of which was all glass and looked out on the bluff, while the second one was a rock fireplace. A massive king-size bed sat against one wall and faced the fireplace, while an overstuffed chair and ottoman were placed to the right of the hearth.

  A sudden mental image of herself and Justin making love on the big bed while a fire blazed in the fireplace caught her unawares. She stared wide-eyed at the turned-back sheets. When she finally managed to pull her gaze away from the technicolor visions heating her imagination, she saw the spa tub in the bathroom.

  Lily nearly groaned aloud. Determinedly, she tore her gaze away from the temptation and stared at another wall. It was a moment before she could actually focus.

  On the wall just inside the door were several framed photos in various sizes. All of them were of an elderly, white-haired man in boots, jeans and cowboy hat in various ranch settings with a young boy of eight or ten. Lily instantly recognized the boy by the black hair and dimples.

  “Lily?” Justin looked over his shoulder at her. “What is it?”

  “This room—it’s—” she couldn’t find a way to tell him that she felt she’d glimpsed the real Justin here in the combination of simplicity and luxury, the solid furniture paired with the photos “—wonderful,” she finished, unable to explain herself.

  “Thanks.” He swept the room with a quick glance. “The furniture was my grandfather’s. I hired a decorator to plan the rest of the house but he didn’t touch my room.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want him to—seemed fine the way it was, comfortable anyway.”

  “It’s very nice,” she said softly.

  “Mama,” Ava demanded, holding out her arms.

  “Uh-oh, I think somebody’s hungry,” Lily said as she took the little girl from Justin. “Her things are in the red bag—if you’ll bring it to her room, I’ll get her changed and we can go downstairs and feed her.”

  “Us, too. I’m starving,” Justin commented as he picked up the bag and followed Lily back to the nursery.

  At eight-thirty that evening, Lily tucked an exhausted Ava into her crib, staying longer to make sure the little girl was truly asleep before tiptoeing out into the hall.

  Justin was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

  “I thought she might not want to stay in a strange room, but I didn’t hear her cry,” he said as Lily reached him.

  “She had an exciting day. She was so tired she fell asleep while I was rocking her and barely stirred when I settled her into the crib.” Lily touched the sleeve of his shirt. “Are you going out?”

  “We are, if you want to.”

  She glanced up the stairway, hesitating. “I can’t leave Ava, Justin.”

  “Agnes will listen for her. I had the baby monitor in Ava’s room wired into the kitchen, the laundry room, the living room, Agnes’s room and the back patio. If Ava makes a sound, Agnes can hear her.” He patted the breast pocket of his shirt. “And I have my cell phone so Agnes can reach us if she needs to.”

  “It certainly sounds as though you’ve covered all the bases,” Lily conceded, touched and impressed by his concern and thoughtfulness. “Where are we going?”

  “Not far. The nights turn chilly the minute the sun goes down. You’ll need this.” He draped a light denim jacket over her shoulders and took her hand, threading his fingers through hers.

  Lily felt as if she placed more than her han
d in his as he led her out of the house and down the steps to a four-wheel-drive pickup parked outside the gate. The sun was low on the western horizon, throwing long shadows behind them as they drove out of the ranchyard and followed the gravel road as it wound away from the headquarters.

  The house and barns were quickly left behind as they began to climb.

  “Where are we going?” she asked again.

  “You’ll see,” he said, giving her a smile, his gaze warm on hers.

  The grade of the road grew steeper and Lily braced herself against the dash as the road dipped and then climbed before ending in an open space on top of a high hill. The sun was a red ball, just easing below the horizon and far below them, the lights of the ranchhouse flicked on in the dusk. Lights came on in several of the other buildings, spilling pools of gold onto the porches.

  “What a beautiful view,” Lily murmured. “What’s the long building just past the barn—the one with all the lighted windows?”

  “The bunkhouse. Except for the foreman and the married couples, all the men who work for us live in the bunkhouse.”

  The truck windows were lowered and the faint sounds of a guitar drifted up to them.

  “That’s probably Cory,” Justin said with a faint smile. “He’s the musician among us.”

  “Was he with you at the older ranch you bought last year?” Lily asked, fascinated by this glimpse of the life Justin lived here on the ranch, so very different from the urban world of Seattle.

  “Yeah, Cory was there. Besides playing the guitar, he’s a pretty good cook.” Justin caught her hand in his and tugged her across the seat, turning to lean his back against the door so she rested against his chest. “How do you like my ranch so far?”

  “I like it,” she said. Beneath her palm, his heart beat in a strong, steady rhythm, the subtle scent of his aftershave mingling with the scent of trees and sage carried through the open windows by the night breeze. “Justin,” she whispered when his finger brushed her hair behind her ear, returning to trail down her cheek. “I haven’t parked with a guy since I was a teenager.”