He watched as she made her approach and knew the mare she was riding could make it. When she leaned low and didn’t slow he knew she was going for it. She rode the horse as effortlessly as she’d always ridden and easily jumped the water. When her horse landed Lori stayed in the saddle perfectly and guided her horse back to face him. She was smiling brilliantly and nearly knocked him out of his saddle, she was so beautiful and happy looking. He urged his gelding forward and took the leap too, felt the power of the horse as it sprang forward and sailed easily to the other side. Laughing, he pulled up and his horse pranced a bit as it settled down.
“You couldn’t resist,” he said, smiling.
Her eyes were flashing with happiness. “I know, I couldn’t. It just felt good.”
He dismounted and she did the same to allow their horses to get a drink from the clear creek. It was an old routine they’d done so many times growing up together when things had been good between them. He let go of the reins knowing Jep and Bell weren’t going anywhere.
The mesquite trees and the oaks were thick further down the creek but here the land was clear and perfect for enjoying a picnic or fishing. Or, as they’d done many times, wading in the shallow water.
“Are you going to pull off your boots and roll up your pants for a wade in the creek?” he asked.
She placed her hands on her hips and thought about it. “No, not today I don’t think. But, maybe another day.”
He moved to stand beside her and they watched the horses enjoy the water.
“So, there will be another time? Are you planning to stay?”
“We used to love coming here,” she said, her voice smiling.
“Yes we did.” He didn’t tell her that there wasn’t a time that he rode by this spot that he didn’t think of her.
She smiled. “I remember when I was about eleven, you fell in.”
“I was twelve and you pushed me in.” He scowled, then laughed.
“Oh, is that what happened,” she teased. “I don’t seem to recall it that same way.”
He grunted. “Recall it however you want but you pushed me that day.” He laughed, knowing full well that she knew exactly what had happened that day.
“If you say so. But I’ll never admit that.”
“I know.”
“But you got me back,” she accused. “I came in to help you up and you pulled me in.”
He grinned, remembering. “You jumped up faster than a jackrabbit running from a rattlesnake. You were drenched and laughing…” And beautiful. His heart swelled because that had been the first time he’d noticed his friend as more. That had been the beginning for him, an adolescent longing for more and too scared to let her know it. “I’ve missed you, Lori,” he said, unable to stop the admission.
She inhaled slowly. “I’ve missed you too. We were a good pair back then.”
“I think your dad knew we’d be a good pair again.”
She looked at him then, and something sparked in her eyes. Something that sent his pulse careening. As quick as the heated gaze met his, she extinguished the flame and hid it behind blank eyes.
“Why did you pull away from me your senior year? You just closed me out. And then you left.”
And there it was. The question that hung between them that she’d never asked…that he’d tried to avoid.
“You were the boss’s daughter. I was the manager’s son. And—” He halted, uncertain if this was the right move to make but certain it was time to be open with her. “As kids that was fine but then we weren’t kids anymore.”
She startled him when she stepped toward him, her expression confused. “I was always your friend no matter what. I made a mistake letting you know I cared for you that night. If I’d have known my admission was going to drive you away I wouldn’t have said anything. I never dreamed you would turn away me.”
“I’m sorry, Lori.”
Her eyes filled with pain. “You walked away and found new friends and left me hanging. And then you left for college and barely acknowledged me before you left.”
“We don’t need to open this up.” He had wanted so many times to let his guard down with her, to step back across the line he’d drawn in the dirt between them after his dad had told him that his manager’s job could be in jeopardy if Trip got romantically involved with Lori. Going away to school had been the right excuse.
“No, I think now is a good time to open it up.” She lifted her chin stubbornly. “I’m about done, I think, with unanswered questions. I cared for you and you shunned me. It hurt and I think I deserve to know.”
It took everything he had in him not to reach for her. She was only a step away from him and the fierce hurt mingled with fire and accusation pushed him to his limits. “I never meant to hurt you. I did what I had to do.”
“To bad, you did hurt me. I cared for you,” she gritted out.
“I cared for you too. Lori, you were the boss’s daughter. I had nothing to offer you.”
She recoiled as if he’d slapped her. His heart thundered. “You had everything to offer me.”
“What? I owned nothing, you owned a ranch. I was the ranch hand. Do you know what people would have said if I’d dared to be more than your friend? They’d have said I was trying to move up in the world by using you.”
Her jaw locked in place and her eyes glittered. “So you walked away and closed me out so people wouldn’t talk? People are always going to talk and I could care less.”
“But I couldn’t let them talk about that. I couldn’t be that guy. And then there was the fact that my dad was afraid if I let my feelings be known and we broke up his job could have been on the line.”
She laughed. “Daddy wouldn’t have done that. And neither would I.”
“It wouldn’t have worked.”
“Funny, I never took you for a coward.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m not a coward. I did what I had to do.”
“Oh really, so you just assumed if we, you and I, explored the feelings we had for each other outside of being friends that we wouldn’t make it. And that I would think less of you because my daddy had a ranch.”
“A ranch that was going to be yours.”
She glared at him. “In my heart of hearts I knew that was why you pulled away from me.” She swung around and strode to her horse. In one swift movement she swept up the reins, grabbed the saddle horn and stepped into the stirrup then settled into the saddle.
“This ranch turned into a deficit to me after you left. It cost me you and now it’s cost me my dad.” She tore her eyes off him and glared at the beauty around her, a frown hardened her face. “It’s too much.”
He watched as she rode her horse through the stream up the shallow bank and then sent the horse into a gallop back toward home.
Trip didn’t move. Couldn’t move. He just watched her ride away.
Was he a coward?
Had he taken everyone’s reactions for granted because his dad had?
And what was holding him back now?
Chapter Six
Anger drove Lori to ride straight home and not look back. She didn’t care if Trip followed or not. She’d pushed the anger at him deep, she had to or it would have driven her crazy. She hadn’t even acknowledged until that moment that she’d resented the ranch. Oh, she’d felt it after Trip had pulled away, because she’d known that had to be part of it. She had ears and she’d heard other boys tease him, that he should grow up and marry her because she and the ranch were a package deal. But he’d just been her friend and had told them to lay off.
But in the end the digs had hit their target.
And deny it all she wanted but she and the ranch were a package deal. And the ranch was worth a lot…enough to run a man like Trip off.
She’d handed her horse over to one of the ranch hands as soon as she got back to the stable and headed to the house. She did not want to talk to Trip any more today.
The office phone was ringing as she entered, jol
ting her from her thoughts. Glad for the distraction she grabbed the phone from its dock and answered it immediately.
“Lori, this is Madge Clark, the secretary at the Oklahoma Buckout Rodeo. I need to have a word with you.”
Dread filled her. “Sure, what can I do for you?” She’d been waiting for this call.
The Buckout had specifically booked her top five horses. And they were missing. She’d wondered how long she’d have before they’d hear the news and call. Obviously word was out.
Madge didn’t waist time. “As you know our event is with the top ranked saddle broncs. And well, we’ve heard Cimarron Trouble and your other top four horses are missing. Have you got any news on them?”
“None so far. We’ve got the Knight Investigation Agency looking into it as well as the TSCRA because we’ve also had some cattle stolen.”
“Good. If anyone can locate them those two agencies can. Do you have any leads? We hate this for you. But as much as I hate it, if your top five can’t show up then we have to bring in the next in rank to fill in.”
Lori rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on. Her entire body tensed. “In all honesty, Madge, we have no leads at this point. We don’t even have a motive other than what they’re worth. But they’re branded and it will sure be hard for them to be sold. So it’s going to be hard for someone to get by with this as far as I can see.”
“I think so too. But if they aren’t found then I’ll have to let Stan Kramer’s stock fill the slots since they rank above your other horses. And that’s how we do this event.”
Lori’s heart sank. This was what she’d feared. To make it to the finals her horses needed this rodeo. “Can you give me at least until after Fort Worth before you cancel?”
“We can do that. And I wish you the best of luck. I’ll contact you soon after Fort Worth.”
Lori leaned her head back against her dad’s chair and closed her eyes. “Okay, fair enough.” They ended the call and Lori pushed out of the chair and paced the office.
She stopped to stare out the window and saw Trip heading to his truck. She needed to tell him the news but not right now. She just couldn’t handle facing him again today. Not after having lost it out there like she’d done.
No matter what was between them they were going to have to run the ranch together or she was going to need to go back to Houston and frankly she no longer knew what it was she wanted to do.
But for tonight she was going to relax in a warm bath listen to a book on tape and try really hard to escape everything around her for a few hours. And if she was lucky she’d sleep and wake up ready to face another day.
The morning after their fight Trip, tired and in a less than happy mood from lack of sleep and concern over the way things were going, headed to see Lori. His men had quickly gotten out of his way and headed off to their various jobs for the day, including Harvey. The man was irritating and obviously was looking for ways to lose his job. Trip hadn’t figured out why the man was still here but he was watching him. And he wasn’t firing him, not yet anyway.
Mike, on the other hand, continued to apologize for leaving the trailer and the kid was working harder than everyone else trying to keep his job. Trip figured he’d just done what he was told to do the night the trailer load of horses were stolen.
Trip’s friend, Vance Presley had called this morning and said they’d had rustlers on their pastures that bordered Lori’s ranch. Trip had made a decision as he’d hung the phone up and was heading to find Lori. They might have their problems but he was still her foreman and needed to do his job. He was walking out of the stables when he saw Lori come out of the house. His gut clenched as she came his way.
Yesterday he’d hurt for her and he hurt for the pain he’d put her through. But he didn’t, in all good conscience, believe now was the time to place any other kind of pressure on her by hashing out their past and their future. Any hope of getting past her resentment she felt about everything had been hit hard yesterday. He’d left her alone after their ride, deciding they both needed time to pull back despite every fiber of his being wanting to go after her.
“I have news,” she said halting at the tailgate of his truck. Keeping distance between them.
She looked weary, as if she hadn’t slept either. “What’s happened?”
“I got a call about the Buckout. If we can’t recover our horses within a few days after Fort Worth is over they’re going to give the contract to Ray Kramer.”
He grimaced. “I was afraid of this. If Kramer wasn’t such a jerk I wouldn’t mind it so much but the guy is a jerk.”
“How do you mean? I don’t know him. He must have come on the scene while I was away.”
“Let’s just say he’s not my favorite person. We’re going to find your horses,” he said, more determined than ever to get them back.
“Our horses. You are just as much an owner as I am.”
He nodded, seeing the impersonal glint in her eyes and not liking it at all. He wanted to see that spark of connection that was usually there, despite her fight not to let it show. This morning the light was out and it disturbed him more than anything. But clearly she was trying, like he was, to get back to the impersonal footing they’d been teetering on before the ride yesterday.
“Yeah, I know. We’re going to find them. I wanted to run an idea by you. I’m not willing to trust anyone who works here at the moment, and decided to let the Presleys in on what’s going on. I think we need some extra ears at Fort Worth. And frankly, around here too. Your dad hired me to look out for your interests and that’s what I plan to do. That being said, I want to bring Vance and his family into the fold on this. If you agree.”
If there was anyone he knew he could trust it was Vance and his dad and four brothers. Marcus, the father had been Ray Calhoun’s best friend. He would have trusted them too.
“Sure, I trust them completely. I’m actually startled Marcus hasn’t called to check on me but I think they were in Florida last week for Lana’s wedding so they’ve been busy.”
“Yes that’s where they were but they’re home. And Vance called and said they had cattle stolen out of the pastures sharing a fence with you. I thought I’d ride over there and talk to them about it. About all of it.”
“Rustlers—I’m sick of them,” she snapped, her pretty face twisting with disgust. “What do you have in mind? I’m all in and going over there with you.”
Trip hated this. For a moment in time yesterday they’d almost turned back time to the way they’d once been. He wanted that back…
He just wasn’t sure there was any way to ever get back there again.
For now, he had a job to do.
Chapter Seven
Lori struggled to remain unaffected by Trip. But she was. She should have been over this years ago, but she’d held it in for so long that despite everything, he had an affect on her.
“Vance is riding in the saddle bronc competition and I want to see if he’ll be on the lookout and listen for anything that seems suspicious. And all of them would do anything to help you.”
It was true. The Presleys had always been her neighbors. Five boys and one girl. Lana had been one of her friends growing up and had just married. The guys, as far as she knew, were all still single and running the ranch.
“So you want to head over there now and see who is around?”
“Sure.” They climbed into the truck and she could feel Trip slide a glance her way several times as he drove. He was not going to bring up their fight from the day before. She wasn’t either…she was going to let it ride and sink back into the dark.
Vance and Drake were the first Presleys they saw as they drove up to the arenas. They were looking over a group of horses in the round pen.
“Hey little girl,” Drake said, grinning with that slightly crooked smile and twinkling eyes.
She laughed as he gave her a big hug. They’d seen each other several times since she’d been home, always offering her any help she need
ed. Drake was the oldest of the kids and had always liked to tease her and Lana. Who was she kidding, they all teased her and Lana.
“You look tired,” Vance said, studying her as he gave her a quick hug.
“I’m fine,” she said, glancing at Trip. “How was Lana’s wedding?”
Drake looked pleased. “It was great. Lana will be moving back to Texas after the honeymoon so we’re very happy about that.”
“Cam’s got a ranch over toward Henderson,” Vance added. “And he’s a good guy. His family owns the resort on the Windswept Bay. It was nice. Not that I’m into the beach myself, but Lana liked it.”
Cooper strode up and overheard the conversation. “But we’re glad she met a cowboy who is bringing her back to Texas. That place is beautiful but Lana belongs in Texas.” He grinned and then also gave Lori a quick hug. “Good to see you, stranger.”
“Stranger? I saw you last week at the diner having dinner with a pretty blonde.”
He grinned. “Well you won’t marry me so I have to keep looking.”
She laughed. “Right.”
Cooper was a flirt. He shot Trip a look. “You need to take Lori to that new place in town. It’s nice and the food is great.”
Trip met her gaze and her insides warmed. “Maybe I’ll do that,” he said, startling her. “But first, we came to ask for your help. Did you hear Lori had her top ranked horses taken from the Mesquite rodeo? I figure news is just starting to get out but y’all were busy with the wedding and all.”
“Do what?” Vance growled.
“Who? This rustling is out of hand,” Cooper snapped.
Brice rode up on his horse just in time to hear what was said. “No kidding,” he said his serious gaze blazing.
Shane was quiet as his brothers digested the news. “We had a load go missing while we were gone. We were just about to address the problem. You had a load go missing last week, right? And now these horses. I’ve called TSCRA and alerted them.”
Her Cowboy Hero: Rodeo Knights, A Western Romance Novel (Cowboys of Ransom Creek) Page 4