Cowboy Six Pack

by Kari Lynn Dell

“We’re walking home.”

  He grasped her wrist, holding her from releasing her dog. “No, you’re not. We’re ten miles or better from the stables.”

  She peered into his eyes.

  He’d expected to see anger in their depths, all he saw was fear. “I won’t hurt you.” He released her wrist, sliding his hand to hers and pulling her to stand beside him. Lacing his fingers with hers, he studied her face. She was the prettiest woman he’d ever seen. The dusting of freckles gave her an air of innocence.

  “You do believe that, don’t you? That I won’t hurt you.” It meant everything to him that she knew he would never hurt her.

  She nodded.

  “How old are you?” he asked.

  “Twenty-seven. And you?”

  “Thirty-three.”

  He peered into her eyes. His thumb rubbed back and forth along her hand. The contentment flowing through him was new and welcome. This was what he’d tried to find with Laurel and could never achieve.

  Barking jerked him from her gaze and his thoughts.

  “What’s wrong, Winnie?” Kitty asked, staring into the trees the same direction as the dog stared.

  Zach turned. A flash through the trees made him wonder if they’d been watched. If so, why?

  “Ready to go back,” he asked, watching Kitty soothe her dog.

  “Yes.” She avoided his gaze as she cleaned up the bag and his bottle and hurried to the passenger side of the truck.

  He closed the tailgate and climbed in the driver’s side. “This was fun.”

  She stared at him. A smile slowly curved her lips. “It was.”

  “I don’t like eating alone.” He started the truck and drove out to the main road. It was empty.

  “I’m used to it. Been doing it a long time.” She kept her gaze on the road ahead of them.

  He had a feeling she may be used to it, but she didn’t like it any more than he did.

  “How about tomorrow evening you come to my place for dinner? I’ll show you my barn clinic.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Kitty stared at Zach. They’d just shared a burger meal and now he was asking her to his place. The idea of not eating alone and with this man was exciting. But did she dare think he’d still be interested if he knew her shortcoming?

  “That’s kind of you, but I—”

  “Bring Winnie with you,” he interrupted. “I’m sure she’d like to sniff around some place new.”

  Zach glanced over and grinned. He knew the dog was her soft spot.

  “I’ll think about it.” She stared forward, trying not to feel excited that someone as intelligent and handsome as Dr. Zach MacDonald was asking her out on a second date.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said, driving through town.

  “You can’t. I don’t have a phone.”

  He stared at her.

  “Watch the road!” She shoved her foot down on the floor as if braking as a carload of teenagers careened around the corner.

  He swerved and braked, missing the vehicle. “What is wrong with those kids? They could have caused an accident.”

  “Looked like they were out for a joy ride.” She glanced over at him. “You ever do anything that crazy?”

  A grin spread across his face. “A time or two.”

  She’d thought as much.

  “Back to no phone. How come you don’t have one? Everyone has a cell phone.” He continued out of town.

  “I don’t have a need for one. I live where I work so I can just walk over and tell Marcella what I need to say. I don’t have family or friends to call.” And she didn’t have to worry about a bill for a phone.

  “What about going to the doctor or the dentist? You need to make appointments.” He glanced her way as he turned down the road to the stables.

  “I use Marcella’s house phone for those.” She was happy with her life until someone made comments of how little she had.

  “I guess I’ll just have to come by and check on Apache and see if you’re coming to dinner tomorrow.” He stopped the truck in front of the barn.

  She reached for the door handle and a hand rested on her arm.

  “Thank you for joining me for dinner. I really do hate eating alone.”

  A glance over her shoulder and she relaxed. The honesty shining in his eyes told her, her acceptance of the meal had meant a lot to him.

  “When you grow up like I did, eating alone is a treat.”

  “I can’t believe you enjoy eating alone any more than I do. So, think about joining me tomorrow, please.” He released her arm, and she slid out of the cab of the truck.

  Zach was out and in the back of his truck bed, releasing Winnie before she reached the tailgate. He ruffled the dog’s ears. “Tell your mistress you want to come see my barn. I have dog treats.”

  Kitty shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re bribing my dog to get me there.”

  “I told you I don’t like eating alone.” He hopped out of the truck behind the dog.

  “You could ask someone else. How about your sister?” She still found it hard to believe he liked her company.

  He stopped at the driver’s door and studied her. “I don’t want to eat with anyone else. You intrigued me with your voice when you sang, and I respect the way you handle animals.”

  Her mouth dropped open at the compliments. Two in a row. Even Marcella who told her she was a wonderful employee had never given her a double compliment.

  Zach reached out and with the tip of his finger lifted her chin, closing her mouth.

  Dang! Now he’d really think she was dim-witted. She backed away. “Thank you for the dinner.” She turned on her heel and headed into the barn and her sanctuary.

  The sound of the truck rumbling away left her insides quivering. His touch had been gentle and his gaze…No one had ever looked at her with such compassion. Not pity, compassion.

  Climbing the steps to her apartment, she knew it would take an act of God to keep her from seeing his new clinic and having dinner with Dr. MacDonald.

  Winnie bounded up the steps and waited at the door. They entered and Kitty twirled in a circle. For the first time, she had a man interested in her. Really interested in her. Her heart raced as she stared into the closet at her meager wardrobe. She only had one more nice blouse. A trip to the thrift store was in order tomorrow to purchase a couple more blouses. Her clothing allotment didn’t allow her to purchase new clothes, except for boots.

  *~*

  In the early afternoon, when the horses had been taken care of and exercised, Kitty drove into town and straight to the church run thrift store. The older women who worked there were always welcoming. They didn’t seem to care who you were as long as you purchased merchandise from the store.

  “Welcome!” greeted the large, gray-haired woman sitting in a chair at the door.

  “Hello.” Kitty hurried to the section with women’s clothing. One rack had shiny soft blouses. She picked out four different tops and headed to the changing room.

  “Those are beauties. You get a job other than cleaning stalls?” the small woman with bottle-red hair asked as she pointed to the middle changing room.

  “No.”

  “I saw you were looking at the rack of business clothing. Thought maybe you got another job.”

  She ducked into the changing room to avoid the woman’s curiosity. It was true, she usually headed to the racks with the everyday clothing and jeans. Now she worried someone would find out she had purchased nice clothing and wonder what was up.

  “You have to stop worrying about what other people think.” She unbuttoned her short-sleeved western cut shirt and pulled the soft, robin’s egg blue blouse over her head. It fit nice and made her look like the ladies working in the shops along the streets of Opal Springs.

  Two of the other blouses were comfortable and looked good. The green blouse hung funny. She checked the prices and opted to keep the blue and lilac colored ones.

  The woman guarding the changing room
s grinned when she put the other two in the basket to be returned to the racks. “Those two colors will look lovely on you.”

  “Thank you.” Kitty hurried to the cashier. Her feet stopped as she recognized the person standing just inside the door scanning the room. Paul narrowed his eyes and stormed toward her.

  She glanced around looking for somewhere to run. The glint in his eyes reminded her of when she was fourteen and he’d cornered her.

  “Where’s the restroom?” she asked the small woman at the changing rooms.

  Her skinny finger pointed to a hallway at the back of the building. She didn’t want to get stuck alone with him anywhere. Her only thought was stay where there were others. Grasping her items, she plunged back into the changing room and locked the door.

  “Come out of there, Kitty!” bellowed Paul.

  She hunkered in the far corner of the enclosure and closed her eyes. Why was he here in Opal Springs? And why did he keep tormenting her?

  “Kitty!” He banged on the door. The sound reverberated in the small enclosure.

  “Sir, you have to leave,” said the skinny woman.

  “Kitty get out here. You owe me.” His voice bellowed.

  “Sir, you have to leave,” a man’s voice said.

  “Kitty, I’ll be waiting for you!”

  She sat in the room wondering what to do. Would he be out in the parking lot waiting for her? She had no one to call, no one to help. This was how she’d felt when he’d harassed her at the foster home. Then she’d slipped away in the middle of the night. It wasn’t night.

  “Honey, you can come out now, he’s gone,” the soft voice of the red-haired woman said.

  Her legs wobbled when she pushed to her feet. Shaking fingers worked the lock loose.

  The older woman wrapped her arms around Kitty. “There, there. Is he your husband?”

  “No. I barely know him.” Tremors shook her body.

  “Sit.” The woman settled her on the chair by the rooms. “Charlotte, bring this lady a cup of tea.” She patted Kitty’s hand. “You’ll be fine.”

  Another woman arrived with a cup of tea in a Styrofoam cup. “What was all that yelling about?” she asked, handing the cup to Kitty.

  “Is he out in the parking lot?” she asked the other two.

  “That big guy drive off?” Charlotte called to the woman at the door.

  There was a bit of grunting before she called back, “No. He’s sitting in an old beat-up truck.”

  The tremors started again. Some of the tea spilled on one of the blouses. “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to brush the liquid off.

  “There, there. You’ve had a scare.” The skinny woman took the blouse. “Charlotte, go run this under cold water.”

  When Charlotte left, the skinny woman nodded. “I’m Mrs. Thompson. It looks like these blouses were red tag items. Let me see that one.” She studied the tag on the blouse. “Give me five dollars for the two.”

  Kitty stared at her a moment then dug her wallet out of her back pocket and handed over a five-dollar bill.

  “I’ll get a sack. Is there someone I can call to come get you?” The foggy eyes stared at her.

  She had no one to call. “No. There’s no one.”

  “What about Marcella?” Mrs. Thompson continued to study her.

  “I don’t want her to get mixed up in this. I don’t even know why he’s acting this way.” All she could think of was getting home and packing. She and Winnie would have to find somewhere else to live. She wouldn’t be harassed by Paul the rest of her life.

  The woman nodded to the shirt in her hand. “What about the man you were buying these shirts for?”

  “Dr. Mac—” She shut her mouth. The woman was too sharp.

  “I’ll give him a call.” The skinny woman spun around, her shoes tapped a cadence as she walked to the cash register.

  “Please, don’t call him.”

  “You need protection. It’s either the doctor or the police.” Mrs. Thompson held the phone in one hand and her finger poised to punch the buttons.

  She didn’t like the idea of getting either involved, but unless Paul miraculously drove off, there was no choice. Zach was better than the police. She’d be gone tomorrow anyway.

  “Call Dr. MacDonald. He’s the new veterinarian.” She gulped her tea and hoped she could do a better job of bluffing when he arrived.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Zach pulled into the thrift store parking lot. He hadn’t understood all the woman had said when she’d called. Something about Kitty needing help and to come to the store. He spotted the older Ford he’d seen at the stables and parked next to it. Not finding Kitty in the vehicle, he headed to the store.

  Inside, he spotted her sitting in a chair by the changing rooms. A thin older woman sat next to her.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, when close enough to speak in a normal tone.

  Kitty’s whole body jerked and her big violet eyes stared at him.

  “Are you ill?” he asked, crouching in front of her.

  “No. I didn’t need you to come.” She flicked an irritated glance at the older woman.

  “She can’t get to her car.” The older woman held out her hand. “I’m Mrs. Thompson, I called you. There’s a man sitting out in a pickup in the parking lot. He came in here yelling at her and looked like he would have hurt her if she hadn’t locked herself in the changing room.”

  He turned his attention to Kitty. Her face had paled as the woman spoke.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Her head shook, swinging her blonde ponytail.

  “What did he want?” Zach’s thoughts went to the person he’d barely glimpsed at the lake last night. Did she have a jealous ex-lover?

  “I don’t know.” Her color slowly came back as well as her anger.

  “You know who he is?” He waited for her to wrestle with telling him. “Mrs. Thompson, thank you for calling me. I think I can take it from here.”

  The woman took the hint and moved away from them.

  “Who is he?” he asked again.

  “Not here.” She peered into his eyes. “I want to go home.”

  He understood her need to go where she felt safe. “Come on.”

  She stood and he put an arm around her shoulder. To his surprise, she leaned into him for a few steps before slipping from his grasp.

  At the door, a large woman pointed to a beat-up truck. “That’s him over there.”

  “Thank you.”

  He walked beside Kitty as she stepped outside. “You want me to follow you, or give you a ride to the stables and we can come back and get your truck later?”

  “I’ll take my pickup.” She glanced at him. “But follow me, please.”

  Before he could answer, the beat-up truck roared to life.

  Zach hurried Kitty to her vehicle as the truck raced by. The man behind the wheel glared at them. The man’s actions gave Zach a good look at him. He’d know the man the next time they met.

  “You want to tell me who he is now or when we have dinner tonight?”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Dinner. You still want to have dinner with me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” He’d witnessed her insecurity but hadn’t thought it was so ingrained in her.

  “I have some lunatic yelling at me in the middle of the day in a business, and I don’t know why. I’m not good for your practice.” She opened her door and slid behind the wheel.

  “You can’t be blamed for someone else’s lunacy. As for bad for my practice, I don’t see how.” He stepped back to close the door. “I’ll see you at the stables.”

  She nodded and started her vehicle.

  He climbed into his truck and followed her through town and out to the stables. There wasn’t any sign of the beat-up truck along the way. As much as he wanted to know more about the man and his and Kitty’s relationship, he would wait until tonight to bring it up again.

  *~*

  At the stables, Kitty parked and hu
rried over to Zach’s truck. He opened the door and set a foot on the ground.

  “I’ve taken you away from enough work,” she said, pushing him back in.

  “You’re sure he won’t bother you here?”

  The worry on his face wiggled a bit of guilt in her mind. What would he think when she didn’t come over tonight, and then discovered she was missing?

  “I’ll be fine. I don’t want to worry Marcella. I’m sure it was a onetime thing.” She patted Winnie’s head as the dog pushed against her leg.

  “Keep her close. She’s a good guard dog.” Zach slid back behind the wheel and rolled his window down. “Come over about six. That will give us time for a tour before dinner.”

  She looked over his shoulder. The thought of fooling him ate at her. He had saved her today, the least she could do was have dinner and disappear afterward. “I’ll be there.”

  The words blurted out before she’d truly decided to stick around long enough to have dinner with him.

  His smile dazzled her. “Good.” He put the vehicle in gear and drove off.

  Kitty stared at the backend of his truck. She’d been here for thirteen years. Why had Paul picked now to find her and harass her?

  “There you are!” Marcella strode down the alley with a man of about fifty.

  “Sorry, I ran to town and the errand took me longer than I’d thought.” She pasted a smile on even though she wasn’t feeling up to dealing with strangers right now.

  “This is Mr. Van Durn. He is thinking about having me stable his two horses and train them to cut.” Marcella’s heightened enthusiasm intrigued her.

  The man, close to Marcella’s age, held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you. Marcella has had nothing but praise for you.”

  She shook the man’s hand and smiled. “Would you like me to give you a tour of the stables?”

  “We just finished.” Marcella’s eyes sparkled. “Mr. Van Durn would like to see you around the animals. Do you mind if he watches as you do the evening chores?”

  “That’s fine. Let me put this in my apartment and I’ll be right back.” She took the stairs two at a time. It wasn’t the first time someone boarding horses here wanted to see how she got along with the animals. She understood. She wouldn’t put Winnie with anyone she hadn’t checked out thoroughly.