The Cowboy Comes Home

by Patricia Thayer

  The group sat in front of the fireplace at a long wooden table that looked as if it had been around for years. Wes explained that Clay had liked eating in the kitchen.

  Although the Calhouns were extremely wealthy you couldn’t tell by the way they acted or treated others. They were down-to-earth folk.

  The meal was pot roast with potatoes and carrots. His favorite. The biscuits were mouthwatering. And, oh, yeah, he couldn’t wait until dessert.

  “What do you whisper to the horses?” Brady asked, breaking into his thoughts. “Magic words?”

  “No, not magic. I just want to get the horse used to my voice. Not spook ’em. Each animal is different.” He glanced across the table at Jess. “Sometimes, if it’s a filly, I’ve been known to sweet-talk them. All females respond to that.”

  The boy giggled. “Mom likes it when I’m sweet, too.”

  Jess smiled at her son.

  Brady turned back to him. “Can I watch you train Storm? Mom said I have to ask permission.”

  Johnny glanced at Jess again. He wasn’t sure how she felt about it. “Why don’t you give me a little time with him and we’ll see how it goes? Horses can be unpredictable.”

  The boy frowned. “I don’t know what that word means.”

  “It means we don’t know how Storm will act. He misses your grandfather. And from what I’ve been told they were good friends. I’m gonna try and help him so he’ll trust people.”

  “You think someday I can pet him like I did Risky?”

  “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

  When Nancy stood and began to clear the table, Wes immediately got up and helped her. Johnny smiled as the two huddled together at the sink and talked quietly.

  The boy leaned toward him and cupped his small hand to his mouth. “Wes’s sweet on Nancy.”

  “Brady,” his mother called. “You shouldn’t whisper at the table, it’s impolite.”

  “Sorry, Mom.”

  She nodded and glanced at the clock. “I think it’s about time we head home. So go gather your things. You have school tomorrow.”

  The kid opened his mouth, then closed it. He turned to Johnny. “Papa Clay said that a gentleman never sasses a lady.”

  “Your grandfather was a smart man.”

  “The smartest in the whole wide world.” The boy got up from the table and walked out.

  The room grew silent except for the soft tones coming from the other side of the kitchen. “I should go, too,” he told Jess.

  He was surprised when she reached across the table and touched his arm to stop him. He felt the warmth of her delicate hand through his shirt.

  “Please, don’t leave.” She quickly moved it away. “I mean, finish your coffee, Mr. Jameson. And have some dessert. It’s apple pie.”

  He looked into those light brown eyes. “I will if you stop calling me mister. Again, the name is Johnny.”

  “Johnny,” she repeated. “And I’m Jess.”

  “That short for Jessica?”

  With her nod, he said, “I think Jess suits you better.”

  “I don’t know if I should ask what you mean by that.”

  “I’d say you’re a solid, dependable person.”

  She quickly changed the subject. “What about you, Johnny Jameson? Do you have a place you call home?”

  He hated to have the tables turned on him. But it was best she knew him from the start. No surprises. “No. I travel too much with my work to pay for a place that would be empty for months at a time. As you can see, my trailer is big enough.” He smiled. “And a pretty good sleeping quarters, and just about everything else I need.”

  “You don’t get lonely?”

  Hell, he’d been lonely all his life. He took a sip of coffee. “I’ve been on my own since I was a kid. I like moving around from place to place.” He needed to get her away from talking about him. “Enough about me.” He leaned forward, his voice low. “I’d rather talk about a pretty woman, with a smile that could stop a man in his tracks.”

  A blush rose on her cheeks and she glanced away.

  “Too much information?” he asked.

  “Maybe a little inappropriate. We don’t even know each other.”

  He started to speak when he heard a familiar voice ask, “Mom, what does inppro…inpprop…?”

  Smiling, Johnny stood. “It means that I didn’t behave myself, son.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and walked to the back door. Grabbing his hat off the hook he looked back at the woman he suspected would be keeping him awake tonight.

  “Good night, Jess. Brady.” He turned and walked out into the cold, but that didn’t put out the fire in his belly.

  * * *

  The next morning, Jess had struggled to get Brady dressed and out the door on time. She needed to open the store. Her manager and right-hand man, Molly Dayton, usually came in early on Brady’s school days to start the baking orders.

  With ten minutes to spare she kissed her son goodbye at preschool, then climbed into her small silver SUV and drove back two miles toward the west side of the ranch. To the section of Calhoun land that ran next to the highway and the home of Jess’s bakery. Above the shop was also a two-bedroom apartment where she and Brady called home.

  Even though the bakery had been a dream of hers none of it would have come to be if not for her father. He’d convinced her to keep going after what she wanted in life.

  When she’d outgrown the kitchen at the ranch for jarring the fruit preserves, and the mail-order business took off for Sandra’s jellies and preserves, he’d loaned her the money for a bakery with a small warehouse at the back to expand her business.

  She’d talked him into adding a two-bedroom apartment over the bakery so she and Brady had their own place.

  Clay had complained about her living so far away from the main house, but there were two shifts a day with production in the warehouse, so there needed to be someone close by. Right now the store didn’t get as much traffic as she wanted; most of her jelly and jam sales were from the internet. She hoped to change that. She didn’t want to live over the bakery permanently. That was why she had more plans to expand, not only the business but her home.

  Jess parked at the side of the building and walked through the front door of the store. The familiar aroma of the baking bread and cakes hit her as she went behind the long counter to the cash register. She took out the bills and coins from her purse and added them to the cash register for today’s sales.

  Removing her coat, she walked along the high glass case filled with sweets, cakes and pies that were fresh for today’s customers.

  The entire store was filled with her products. The shelves along the opposite wall were stacked with Sandra’s Preserves. During the winter months, she didn’t expect a lot of traffic in the store, but they were still busy filling orders from town.

  Jess heard a familiar voice from the back and looked up to see her best friend carrying in a tray of cakes.

  “Hi, Mol.”

  “Morning, Jess.”

  Molly Dayton had lived in Larkville all her life. That was how long she’d been friends with Jess. Molly had moved to Houston for college, and a few years ago when her parents had lost their ranch, she’d come home to help out. Now, her father, Ben, handled the shipping of all the bakery’s products. Molly’s mother, Carol, was her best baker. All ten of her employees were the best.

  “Did Jerry deliver the café’s order?” Jess asked.

  “Yes, even Mrs. Fielder’s birthday cake made it on the truck.” Molly set the tray down on the counter. It was laden with two carrot cakes and three of her double Dutch chocolate cakes. Jess smiled. “Looks like your mother’s been busy.”

  The pretty brunette smiled. “Hey, be careful, or she’ll take over.”

  Jess loved Carol Dayton. She had come in to help with her quickly expanding business, and now, Jess didn’t know what she’d do without her. “How is everything else going?”

  Molly folded her arms. “You tell me, friend
.”

  “What happened?”

  “A good-looking guy shows up at your ranch and I have to hear about it in town.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  JESS should have realized how fast word traveled in Larkville. With the population less than two thousand, everyone knew everyone else. A stranger coming to town was big news.

  “I take it you’re talking about Johnny Jameson.”

  “There’s another good-looking cowboy in Larkville?”

  “Not that I’ve been looking, but I’d say there are several, especially with early-spring roundup coming soon.”

  Molly opened the case and placed two cakes on the shelf. She paused and looked at Jess. “It’s a shame you have such a cynical outlook on men. It might be fun to fight you for him.”

  Jess straightened. “This isn’t high school. If you’re interested in Johnny, go for it.”

  Molly nodded. “Okay, I’m curious to know what he looks like. Maybe you can invite me to the ranch for supper and have this Johnny Jameson come, too?”

  Jess didn’t want to spend any more time with the man than she had to. “Wouldn’t that be a little obvious?”

  “Maybe, but there aren’t a lot of single men around here to choose from. The good ones seem to all be married, or they’re ranch hands and move around a lot. The last guy I dated seemed to have more loyalty to his horse than to me. And then he took off. I’m looking for a stick-around guy.”

  Weren’t they all, Jess thought. “Well, don’t look at Johnny for stability. He’s got his truck, trailer and his trusty horse. Horse Trainer Will Travel seems to be his motto.”

  Molly shrugged. “Maybe he hasn’t met the right woman, yet.”

  Jess would hate to see her friend hurt again. One of the reasons Molly came back to Larkville had been because of a man who wouldn’t commit. And Jess knew all about that type of man. “Mol, just tread carefully.”

  Her friend eyed her closely. “And you’re too careful, Jess. At least I’m out there trying to find love. It’s better than what you do, hide out from life.”

  She glanced around the bakery. “You call this hiding out? Besides, I’m a little busy with a son and running a business.”

  Molly gave her an incredulous look. “You have no idea how men look at you. Just about any male in town would swallow his tongue if you showed him some interest.”

  Jess knew about some of them. “Most are far too old, and some of the others just like the fact that I’m Clay Calhoun’s daughter.” She had Brady to think about, too. “I never know if the interest is in me, or the Calhoun fortune.”

  “Then go somewhere that’s never heard of Clay Calhoun.”

  Jess smiled. “I guess I’d have to leave Texas, huh?”

  Molly laughed. “Okay, I see your point.” Her friend grew serious again. “I know Chad did a number on you. He’s lower than a snake for walking away when you were pregnant. But, Jess, you can’t give up on finding that great guy.”

  Jess stiffened. She’d heard this story before, and she could always push it off before when Brady had Papa Clay to take care of him. But now the man in both their lives was gone.

  Jess didn’t want to deal with this now. “Why do you feel the need to give me this same pep talk about every six months?”

  “Because I hate to see you close yourself up. Not all men are like your ex.”

  “Chad never made me any promises.”

  “Well, you should expect promises and more. So good riddance to him.”

  The jingle of the bell rang over the bakery door. Thank God, a customer. She sent Molly back into the kitchen and went off to sell her goods.

  She had her work and her son. That was enough for her. But was it enough for Brady?

  * * *

  Johnny had spent his first morning, along with a couple of the ranch hands, setting up a temporary sixty-foot round pen.

  Once it was completed, he worked Storm for about an hour. This was only their second time together, and they needed to get used to each other. The stallion was leery—the pinned-back ears, the cocking of his hind leg whenever Johnny had gotten close. Storm’s body language said it all. Stay away.

  Seemed similar to the signals Jess Calhoun gave him.

  He shook off the mental interruption and put his concentration back on the horse.

  After he’d finished with Storm, Johnny took the animal back to his stall, then drove into Larkville. He needed a break and to do some shopping to stock up on food. Most of all he wanted to get a look around. He’d never been to this part of east Texas. When he came off the highway he wasn’t surprised to see how small the town was. After all, it was a ranching community.

  History had it the town had been founded by cattle baron William Scout Calhoun, who’d settled in Hayes County in the nineteenth century. Johnny read it on a plaque at the edge of Washington Park just before the center of town. Seemed that the next generations of Calhouns continued the tradition and made their money in cattle.

  Johnny pulled into the lone gas station in town, Gus’s Fillin’ Station. He got out to pump as an older man came rushing out of the small building with a big smile. “Howdy.”

  “Hello,” Johnny returned.

  The man looked to be about sixty and walked with a lazy gait. His face was weather-beaten and a battered straw cowboy hat covered thin gray hair.

  He took the nozzle from the holder and began pumping gas. “Fill ’er up?”

  Johnny nodded. “Sure.”

  “So, you stayin’ in town awhile?”

  “Depends on how fast I can do my job.”

  “I hear you’re the fancy horse trainer that Clay hired.”

  It had been only twenty-four hours since his arrival in town and already the news of his arrival had spread. “I guess you heard right. I’m a horse trainer, and Clay Calhoun hired me.”

  The guy nodded and held out his hand. “Gus Everett.”

  He shook it. “Johnny Jameson.”

  “Good to meet you, Johnny. If I’d been Clay I would have put that good-for-nothin’ horse out of its misery a long time ago. But that wasn’t Clay. He loved that black devil of a stallion.” The old man shook his head and Johnny could see the sadness in his eyes. “Damn, I miss that old cuss. Best friend a man could ask for.”

  “I’ve been hearing that a lot.”

  “Take it as gospel, son.”

  Gus also shared the history of the Calhouns. The founding family had made a fortune in breeding stock and horses, but also in oil. They had made good investments that helped ward off drought and low beef prices. They still ran a sizable mixed Angus and Hereford herd on Calhoun land.

  After Johnny had finally gotten away from Gus, he drove to a mom-and-pop grocery store called the Smart Mart to pick up some staples—bread, milk and some lunch meat for sandwiches. He walked up and down the four short aisles, pushing his cart past the limited selection. He turned a corner and found a pleasant surprise. Well, well, Ms. Jess Calhoun shops, too.

  He couldn’t help but stare. The woman was beautiful. Her hair was tied back in her usual braid, showing off her delicate bone structure and flawless skin. Her eyes had caught his attention yesterday. Although she was looking away, he’d memorized the color. Aged whiskey came to mind. She bent over and his gaze moved over her dark slacks that covered her shapely hips and legs. Oh, yeah, someone like Jess could get your blood going on a cold morning.

  “Excuse me, would you know where the mustard is?”

  She turned around. “Oh, Johnny,” she gasped, and the sound conjured up a whole different scenario.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “You didn’t, I just didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Men have to shop, too.”

  “Of course.” She glanced down at his cart. “Are you getting settled in?”

  “Yes, I got just what I need here.”

  She put on a smile. “Good. How is Storm today?”

  “Ornery as ever.”

  T
his time her smile was genuine. “Sorry. He isn’t going to be easy to train. You’re going to have your hands full.”

  “That’s why you pay me. I do the hard jobs.”

  Jess wasn’t sure what was keeping her asking questions. She really didn’t need to get friendly with another drifting cowboy. When she looked him in the eyes it was as if she was mesmerized. Not good.

  She started pushing her cart to one of the two checkouts. She went to one and Johnny went to the other.

  Somehow they ended up walking outside the store together. She spoke to people passing by on the main street. They openly eyed Johnny and she did some quick introductions.

  “This is a friendly town,” Johnny said.

  She nodded as they walked to the parking lot, which happened to be the one that all the downtown stores used. “Larkville is small, but we have pretty much what we need.”

  She nodded across the street. “Hal’s Drug and Photo. You can get a prescription while your pictures are developed.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Our town hall.” She pointed to the two-story stone building. “Our mayor is Johanna Hollis—she was just elected this past year. It took a lot to get a woman in office. Farther down the street is the Lone Star Mercantile. If you need a pair of jeans, or a saddle, that’s where you’d go.”

  Johnny looked up and down the two-lane street as if he were searching for something. “Is there a good place to eat?”

  “That would be Gracie May’s Diner. Best coffee around.”

  “How about lunch?”

  She nodded. “The food is good, too.”

  He smiled and it did funny things to her stomach. “What I meant, Jess, is would you have lunch with me?”

  “Oh, I can’t.” She shook her head quickly, trying to think up an excuse. “I have to pick up Brady from school.”

  “Then bring him along. I want to thank you for having me to supper last night.”

  “That’s not necessary. Really.”

  He gave a sly smile. “Surely you aren’t going to let me eat alone.”

  She knew this man didn’t need her sympathy. Any woman would be willing to go, including her, she had to admit. “Okay, give me fifteen minutes to get Brady from school. I’ll meet you there.” Jess walked away, fighting the need to run. To run far from this man and the feelings he’d created in her.