The Cowboy Comes Home

by Patricia Thayer

  * * *

  After getting Brady from preschool, Jess walked him to Gracie May’s. She hated that she felt nervous. When had been the last time she’d had lunch with a man? High school?

  Most of all she didn’t want Brady getting too attached to Johnny. Maybe that was why she hadn’t explained the plan to meet Johnny for lunch to her son. The child was already intrigued by the man. Suddenly Brady had an interest in horses, but it seemed to be also about the man.

  “Mom, can I have French fries?”

  She’d rather he ate something healthier, but said, “This once.”

  She opened the door to the old storefront diner and looked around. It had been built in the fifties and not much had changed. It had worn linoleum floors and cracked red vinyl-covered booths. A lunch counter ran along the length of the restaurant, and every stool was filled. The place was crowded for lunch. Good. Several customers were eating her pies.

  She glanced around for her lunch date. No, it wasn’t a date, she chided herself. She finally found Johnny sitting in a booth along the window.

  “Mom, Johnny’s here.”

  “I see that.”

  They both walked over as Johnny stood next to his table. “Hi, Brady.”

  “Hi, Johnny. Are we going to have lunch with you?”

  “I’d like it if you two would join me.”

  Brady looked at her. “Sure.”

  Once again, she was surprised by her son’s enthusiasm. “Hello, Jess.”

  “Johnny.”

  He took her coat and hung it up on the hook at the end of the booth.

  “I want to sit with Johnny,” Brady said, and climbed into the seat by the window. Jess sat down across from them.

  “Did you see Storm today?” the child asked.

  “Yes, I did. I worked with him this morning.”

  “Did you hear that, Mom?”

  “That’s good, because that’s Johnny’s job,” she said, then looked at Johnny. With his hat off, she could really notice his eyes. Those light gray eyes. “Is he any better?”

  “Not yet. It’s going to take a while.”

  The waitress, Bonnie Waters, came by with two cups and a coffeepot. “Well, what do we have here?” She filled the mugs.

  Jess put on a smile. “Bonnie, this is Johnny Jameson, the new trainer who is working with Storm.”

  The fortysomething woman stood back and took stock of the man. “Either you’re just plain crazy, or you’re really good at what you do.” She smiled. “Since you’re so good to look at, I don’t care which it is. Welcome to Larkville, Johnny Jameson.”

  Johnny gave her a smile. “Thank you, Bonnie. I hear the food here is pretty good.”

  The waitress winked at Jess. “Well, I can guarantee the dessert is.”

  “That’s ’cause it’s my mom’s,” Brady said as he got up on his knees.

  “You’re a good son, Mr. Brady Calhoun,” Bonnie said. “So what’s your pleasure today?”

  “I want a hamburger and French fries.”

  “I’ll have the same,” Johnny added.

  “Me, too,” Jess finished.

  The waitress walked away and Brady took over the conversation, wanting to know everything that Johnny did with Storm.

  “I was telling your mother that he’s getting used to me.”

  “Will that take a long time?”

  Johnny glanced at Jess, not knowing how to answer the boy. “I’m hoping not too long.”

  “So this is why you sneaked off today?”

  Johnny looked over his shoulder and found a pretty brunette standing at the end of the booth, smiling. She had dark eyes that revealed her interest in him.

  “Hi, Aunt Molly,” Brady cheered. “This is Johnny. He’s helping Papa’s horse.”

  The brunette nodded. “Horse trainer extraordinaire.” Before any introduction could be made, she stuck out her hand. “Hello, I’m Molly Dayton.”

  Johnny stood. “Johnny Jameson. Pleased to meet you, Molly.”

  “I’d say the pleasure is mine.”

  Jess drew her attention momentarily. “Molly, please join us for lunch.”

  Jess slid over and Molly sat down beside her. “So, Johnny Jameson, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Johnny was surprised. “You have?”

  “Small town, you know. Also Jess here is my best friend. But she is a little on the serious side.”

  Johnny laughed. “Something tells me you’ve spent a lot of years trying to change that.”

  They both laughed. Jess sat up straight and said, “Hello, I’m right here.”

  Molly grinned. “And she’s fun to tease.”

  “And I’m also your boss,” Jess said. “And I don’t have time today. I need to get Brady back to the ranch before long, then I have a meeting with a prospective retailer.”

  Molly gasped. “The Good Neighbor grocery chain is going to carry your jams and jellies?”

  Jess hesitated. “Nothing definite, but keep your fingers crossed.”

  “I’ll do better than that,” Molly said. “I’ll run Brady back to the ranch for you. But I’ll need to borrow your car seat.”

  “Mol, I don’t want you to go all the way out there.” She had trouble focusing with Johnny Jameson across from her.

  “Not a problem.” Her friend glanced at Johnny, giving him the once-over. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you at work.”

  Brady’s head snapped up at her. “Mom, I want to watch Johnny, too.”

  Jess tried not to react to Molly’s flirting. “Sorry, son, too dangerous. You need to stay inside with Nancy. I mean it.”

  Brady didn’t look happy.

  “How about this, Brady,” Johnny began. “Why don’t you and Molly show me around town after lunch?”

  The child still didn’t look happy. “Okay.”

  Jess still didn’t like this situation any better. But by the looks of things, she’d been outmaneuvered.

  “Just behave.” She wasn’t sure if she was talking to her son or her friend.

  * * *

  Later on that day, after spending an hour or so in town with Brady and Molly, Johnny returned to the Double Bar C Ranch and approached Storm’s stall. Already he heard the horse’s high-pitched whinnies and the sound of his kicking at the wooden slats.

  By the time he opened the stall and peered in, the animal had calmed down. As much as Storm ever calmed down.

  The horse stopped, but blew through his nostrils as he tapped his hoof on the straw floor, then he danced backward. Finally the ritual stopped, but those midnight-black eyes still regarded Johnny with suspicion.

  Johnny didn’t break eye contact with the huge animal. A good sixteen hands high with a black glistening coat, Night Storm was an impressive stallion. And he could be dangerous. That he had to remember first and foremost.

  The horse rushed forward, trying to frighten him off, but Johnny quickly raised his hands and waved Storm back. Spooked, the animal reared up. Johnny stood his ground and opened the bottom half of the door. Speaking softly, Johnny moved slowly and managed to attach a long lead rope. He slowly walked him out of the stall.

  Everyone knew to stay back when the horse was in transit. Outside, Wes was standing away from the pen, but motioned with a thumbs-up.

  Johnny nodded and got the horse into the pen and let him run.

  Wes walked over. “Good job.”

  “All in a day’s work,” Johnny told him, still watching Storm. “Seems easier than answering questions from Brady.”

  Wes laughed. “The boy does have the gift of gab.”

  Johnny had never spent much time with kids. He’d avoided it. They came with baggage and were needy and wanted all your attention. All right, Brady talked a lot, but he was polite and his favorite topic was his grandfather. And even he had liked the stories about Clay Calhoun. The kid looked up to his grandfather, and his respect seemed to have been well earned.

  Johnny thought back to his own childhood. Not a good one. Talk about baggage.
He’d been about fourteen when he’d run away from his mother and her abusive boyfriend. But there had been some good moments, too. Will Nichols stood out as the one man he’d respected and cared about the most. Will had found him hiding out in his barn, but instead of calling the law or making him go back, the old man had offered him a place to stay whenever he needed it.

  Johnny hadn’t stayed long. He decided he’d search for his biological father, thinking the man would be happy to meet his son. All he knew about Jake Jameson was that he was a musician, traveling around to honky-tonks and bars with his band.

  In the end, he never caught up to his father. He finally gave up and went back to Will’s place. The old horse trainer had been the closest thing to home and family Johnny had ever had. Will also taught him everything about training horses.

  “Need any help?” Wes asked as they watched Storm charge around.

  “Maybe you could hang around to see if this pen holds up.”

  Wes walked closer. “Wouldn’t mind that at all.”

  Johnny went into the pen and picked up the lead rope and started the horse moving around in a tight circle. If nothing else was accomplished, Storm would get some exercise.

  * * *

  Jess pulled up at the ranch at about four o’clock. She started toward the house, but stopped when she saw some of the men standing at the corral.

  Curious, she headed toward the barn, then around to the metal pen that had been constructed by Wes and the ranch hands for Storm’s training.

  She stopped when she saw the stallion circling the arena. Storm looked a lot calmer.

  As she got closer, Johnny snapped the end of the long lead rope against the ground. Dust scattered and Storm gave a high-pitched whinny, but with ears pinned back, the animal did as commanded and changed his direction.

  Jess looked at Johnny. He stood tall and lean with wide shoulders that carried off the cowboy look—Western shirt, faded jeans and boots. But this man looked better than most. Sure and confident, Johnny moved around animals as if he were born to it. No doubt, he had a special gift. She was sure her father had seen that same talent.

  Looking at the setting sun, she realized they were losing daylight. In the winter months the days were much shorter. The training ended as Johnny opened the gate and walked out leading a resistant horse back to the barn. She followed from a safe distance, and once he closed the stall gate, she walked over.

  He turned just as she arrived. She wasn’t dressed for a walk in the barn. Her heels made maneuvering difficult.

  “Checking on my progress?”

  “Not really. I was checking to see if Brady should see any of this. I think he should keep away for now—Storm seems calmer but his behavior is still questionable at best.”

  “I agree, Brady doesn’t need to be around the horse right now. Not with his fears. So I’ll be the bad guy and tell him.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, and stopped. “I’m still baffled as to why my son, who’s always been afraid of horses since that incident with my dad, wants to see this out-of-control stallion.”

  “I believe it’s because Storm is your dad’s horse.”

  In her high heels, Jess walked gingerly down the aisle. “I guess that could be it.”

  Seeing her difficulty, Johnny took her by the elbow to help her maneuver out of the barn to the gravel compound area that led to the house. There was a warm strength in his touch. He made her feel small and feminine. Whoa. She didn’t need this right now. Now? No, never. No more cowboys.

  “What do you know about Storm’s history?” he asked as they approached the split-rail fence that surrounded the ranch house. “Did you know the previous owner?”

  “There are records. Probably in Dad’s—I mean, Holt’s office.”

  “Have you been around the horse much?”

  She shrugged. “I was there with Dad the day he bought him. He’d seen a picture of Storm on the internet.” She looked up at him in the dimming sunlight. His gray eyes got her attention again. How could you not stare at them? His dark skin and long black lashes made them stand out.

  “It was a horse ranch outside San Antonio,” she told him. “I still remember seeing him that first time. Big and muscular, he had nearly perfect proportions. Dad was taken, too. It was love at first sight.”

  She turned back to Johnny and found him staring at her. “Do you believe in love at first sight, Jess?” he asked in a husky voice.

  His words sent a warm shiver through her. All at once she caught her heel in the gravel and lost her balance. “Oh,” she cried as she started to go down, then she felt Johnny’s arms come around her and pull her upright. She ended up against his solid chest.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and he set her back on her feet. “I shouldn’t have come out with these shoes.”

  She caught his grin. “Oh, I don’t know. Then I wouldn’t have gotten to see your gorgeous legs.”

  Heat rose to her cheeks and she wasn’t sure what to say to that. Then she heard the back door open and her son called her name.

  She moved away from Johnny to see Brady running toward them. Jess took several steps back from the man. “Hi, honey.” She hugged her child, then zipped up his jacket to ward off the chill.

  Brady went to Johnny. “Did Storm do better this time?”

  Johnny crouched down to the boy’s height. “Hey, buddy,” he said. “We talked about this. Storm has a long way to go before he’s safe.”

  “But you’re gonna fix him, right?”

  “I’m going to try my best. That’s why I don’t want anyone around to bother Storm while we’re working.”

  The boy sighed. “Okay, I won’t bother him. But when he starts behaving can I see him?”

  Jess watched a smile appear on Johnny’s face. He was good to her son and she appreciated that. “I’ll come and get you myself.”

  “Will you tell me how you train him?” Brady asked.

  “Sure. Anytime.”

  The boy turned to his mother. “Mom, can Johnny come to supper tonight? ’Cause we have to talk about stuff.”

  Great. “Well, I don’t know, maybe Johnny has plans for tonight.”

  The man grinned. “My social calendar just happens to be clear.” He took Brady’s hand and the two walked hand in hand toward the house.

  Jess had planned to go back to her place and fix supper there, but hearing the sweet laughter coming from her son, she decided she could put up with the good-looking Johnny Jameson for a few hours.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  LATER at the ranch house, the fireplace was lit and the kitchen had a warm and cozy feel. Johnny didn’t do warm and cozy, recalling his past attempts at it. Not with his kind of life.

  Then he glanced at Jess and felt a stirring in his gut. Damn, he wanted her. This wasn’t good. He thought about Molly and the time he’d spent with her today. She was a pretty woman and he liked her well enough. She was more his type. Yeah, he needed to stay where it was safe. No strings. No kids. But the problem was, he was attracted to Jess.

  “Johnny, how many horses have you talked to?” Brady asked.

  Johnny bit back a smile. The kid’s big brown eyes were darker than his mother’s, but just as expressive. “I guess I never thought about counting them.”

  “We can start now. Your horse, Risky, is one. And Storm is two.” Brady frowned. “Do you remember any more? We should write them down on paper. I can’t do it, I only know how to write my name.”

  “Brady,” his mother began. “How about we save that for another day? I got that new video today you’ve been asking for.”

  The boy started to argue, then thought better of it. “Okay.” He climbed down and his mother took him into the other room.

  When Jess finally came back she refilled their coffee cups.

  He smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Oh, Jess,” Johnny began. “I meant to ask, how’d your meeting go with the grocery chain?�
��

  “Not too bad.” She smiled. “We’ll have limited shelf space to start, but I get five stores.”

  “I take it that’s good,” Johnny cheered.

  Earlier in the day Molly had told Johnny about Jess’s beginnings. How she’d started up her bakery pretty much on her own. With an inheritance from her mother and a cosigned loan from her father, Jess began selling Sandra’s Preserves and then her baked goods. And all while she was raising her baby.

  Once again, Johnny wondered about Brady’s father. The man had to be out of his mind to leave this woman. He took a sip of his coffee. Most guys would trip over themselves to get a chance to be with her.

  From what little he’d learned about Jess, she’d pretty much kept to herself and her family. Maybe it was time he helped change that.

  “Jess, do you dance?”

  She blinked. “What?”

  He smiled. “I heard about this dance being held at the Cattleman’s Hall. It’s this weekend.”

  “Who told you? Wes?”

  “I first heard about it at the gas station from Gus.”

  Jess smiled. “That man can talk your arm off.”

  Johnny shrugged. “He seems harmless.”

  “He’s a wonderful man, and was a good friend of my dad. They went to school together. And he’s come to my rescue a few times.”

  Johnny caught her sad look. He expected being a single mother in a small town hadn’t been easy for her. Of course, there was no doubt that Clay Calhoun had protected his daughter. Was that the reason Jess stayed to herself? Were people cruel to her?

  Well, it had better not happen when he was around. “I was wondering, since I’m new in town…would you like to go to the dance?”

  “What?”

  “I asked if you would like to go to the dance this coming weekend.”

  Jess froze. She hadn’t been asked out in a while. Most men left her alone. She gave them plenty of reasons to stay away. “I can’t… I don’t go out.”

  “Is it me, or just every man?”

  She felt the rush of excitement from Johnny’s attention, but she was also frightened by it. Before she could answer, a child’s cries filled the room and she took off for the family room with Johnny close behind her.