A Randall Hero

by Judy Christenberry

  “I think it might be too soon, John, but thank you for thinking of me.”

  “I can take another day off later, when you’re ready.”

  “I’m not—not used to horses. I might not ever need to learn to ride, anyway. I probably won’t stay on a ranch. I’ll move in with Melissa and Harry, or find my own place to live.”

  “Really?” John asked in surprise. “I think a ranch is a great place to live and raise kids.”

  “But that’s because you grew up on a ranch. That wasn’t how I was raised.”

  “That’s true,” Camille joined in. “But you may decide it’s nice, after you’ve been here awhile. Change takes time, John. You should know that.”

  “Yeah,” John agreed, but the expression on his face didn’t look happy. “How about I take the four-wheeler and you go with me?” he suddenly asked, surprising Lucy.

  “A four-wheeler?”

  “Yeah. I can show you some of the ranch without you having to ride a horse. Will you come with me?”

  Lucy could feel herself weakening. After losing one last effort to resist, she finally consented. “But I can’t leave Emma for too long.”

  “We’ll just be out a couple of hours. Back in time for lunch. Mom can take care of Emma for that long.”

  “You know I’d love to take care of Emma, Lucy. And I’ll have Griff to help me, won’t I, dear?”

  Griff nodded.

  “Well, I—I suppose I can go,” Lucy stammered, “but just for a couple of hours.”

  “Great. Put on some warm clothes and I’ll go get the four-wheeler. I’ll drive it up to the door so you can just wait here for me.”

  John grabbed his coat and hurried out the door.

  Lucy went back to her room, pulling a sweater over her shoulders and hoping her jeans would be warm enough. Then she grabbed her coat.

  “Lucy, do you have any long underwear?” Camille called.

  “No. Do you think I need them on under my jeans?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt. Here’s a pair of mine. I think they’ll work for you. And I have some gloves, too.”

  “Thank you, Camille. I didn’t realize the undertaking would be so involved.”

  “You’ll get used to it.”

  When she was ready to go, she found John had come in to get a small Thermos of coffee and some cookies.

  “So you get just as hungry riding a four-wheeler as you do a horse?”

  He chuckled. “No, not really, but I thought you might get hungry.”

  She couldn’t hold back a smile. When John was amused, the entire world shone for Lucy.

  “Ready?”

  “Yes, if you are.”

  He escorted her out to the four-wheeler. “Have you ever been on one of these?”

  “No. Are there seat belts?”

  “No, honey, no seat belts. You just need to hold on to me. I won’t go that fast today.”

  “Do you do a lot of your work from one of these?” she asked as he started the motor and drove away from the house.

  “Not really. We use it in the open pastures, but not all of our land is flat. Besides, you can’t round up cows on a four-wheeler, and you certainly can’t cut out a cow from a herd with this machine.”

  “Do you do all those things?”

  “Yeah, some days. That’s why I ride most days.”

  “I’d like Emma to learn to ride when she’s older.”

  “Then you’ll have to ride, too.”

  “I will?”

  “Sure. She won’t believe she can ride unless she sees you riding.”

  “But—”

  “We’ll get her a little pony, and a small horse for you to start off. You’ll like it.”

  She forced herself to say, “If we’re still here when she’s old enough.”

  “I think you will be. Cecil can’t terrorize you for long. Either he gives in, or he’ll be destroyed. We don’t live in a world where he can continue to threaten you.”

  “I hope that’s true.”

  “It is.” They rode in silence for a while, enjoying the scenery and the closeness. At the crest of the hill, John stopped and pointed at a picturesque lake. “In a couple months we’ll be able to skate on that, then we can swim in it. Still, it can be pretty cold. It takes a brave person to get in the water. Do you think you’ll be able to do that?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been in a mountain lake.”

  “You’ll like it. We can have a picnic on the banks of it.”

  “It’s gorgeous. The kind of place you see in travel books.”

  “Yeah, except our lake is private. You and Emma are welcome anytime, Lucy. If you’re not living on the ranch then.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Where did you grow up? Harry must’ve told me, but I’ve forgotten.”

  “I grew up in a small town in Colorado. But when Mom and Dad divorced, I went with her to Kansas City.”

  “Why did she go there?”

  “She wanted to live in a big city, far away from Dad.”

  “Were you happy there?”

  “I didn’t ever find my comfort zone in Kansas City. Mom dated a lot, and I stayed home alone when she went out. I missed our small town, my friends. The girls at school were nice, but I didn’t want to invite anyone over to my house. It was a rental and Mom didn’t fix it up much. I was embarrassed.”

  “And Harry wasn’t around?”

  “No, he left for college and didn’t come back to Mom’s house. He worked through the summers and if he took any time off, he went to Dad’s.”

  “Didn’t he want to see you?”

  “I was a shy twelve-year-old when he left home. Why would he want to see me?”

  “It just seems a shame. I don’t want to say anything bad about your mom, but she doesn’t seem to have done a good job of raising you.”

  Lucy didn’t like talking about her mother, nor thinking of her past. Her teenage years had been miserable, followed by several equally bad years at junior college. Then her mother had introduced her to Cecil. When she encouraged Lucy to marry him, Lucy had thought her mother should know about men. She hadn’t thought about how her mother would save money if Lucy was married off.

  That was a conversation Lucy had overheard on her wedding day.

  From that time on, Lucy had never looked back. She threw herself into her life with Cecil—until he began to change. Shortly after their marriage, he stopped bothering with kindness or patience. And he started hitting her.

  But she didn’t want to think of her husband. She wasn’t going back to him or their marriage.

  “Lucy?”

  She shook off her thoughts and looked at John. “Yes?”

  “You seemed lost in thought.”

  “Just some unpleasant memories.”

  “I want you to see some of our cattle. The boys are moving a herd that you’ll be able to see in just a minute when we top the next hill.”

  When they reached the top of the small hill, the acres of the ranch spread out before them. Lucy saw the herd of cattle John had talked about. “What are they called?”

  “Those are Herefords.”

  “They’re beautiful.”

  “In the spring, when they have their babies, you’d really like it. The baby calves are snow white on the head and deep red in their coats.”

  “I’d love to see them.”

  “You will, Lucy. But remember, they aren’t pets. Don’t get attached to any of them.”

  “Why?”

  “Because some of them will be destined to become steaks. Understand?”

  “Yes, I guess so.”

  “Want to go look at a herd of horses? You can fall in love with them. They’ll be around and you can bond with your horse.”

  “All right.”

  “Hold on,” he reminded her as he took off in another direction.

  “Are you warm enough?”

  “Yes.” She might’ve given a nod to his mother if she was around. The long underwear under h
er jeans and the gloves made the cold bearable.

  After they rode for about fifteen minutes, John slowed down and parked under a tree. He unscrewed the lid from the Thermos he’d brought and filled two paper cups for them.

  “Do we get the cookies now, too?” she asked eagerly.

  “Yeah, you get the cookies. I thought you might be feeling a little peckish about now. And you can look at the horses while you have a snack.”

  “Good. I hadn’t noticed the horses until you said that. Do you think they’ll come closer to us?”

  “Yeah. They’re social animals, if they’re trained. And some of them will hope you’ll share your cookies with them.”

  “I don’t know about sharing the cookies,” she said, thinking he was teasing her.

  “We’ll see,” he said, smiling.

  He was right. The horses soon surrounded their vehicle and John gave her some apples he’d brought to feed the horses.

  “But what if they bite me?”

  “They won’t. Just hold the piece of apple flat in your hand. They’ll pick it up.”

  She found he was right. Several of the horses came to her extended hand and nibbled the pieces of apple. She even was comfortable enough to pet them.

  “Rub their noses. They’re very soft.”

  “But won’t they get upset?” she asked.

  “Nope. They like it.”

  She again found that he was right.

  Distracted by the animals, she scarcely noticed when she heard some music, until she realized it was John’s cell phone. But she didn’t pay it much attention.

  John got off the phone and said, “I think we’d better go back. Cecil just phoned the sheriff’s office asking for Harry.”

  “Where was he?”

  “He said he was in Kansas City. The deputy told him Harry was out of town. Then he asked about you, but the deputy said he hadn’t seen you.”

  Lucy drew a deep breath. “That was kind of him.”

  “Mike trains his guys pretty well. And he’s taking your car from the mechanic’s garage and putting it in his garage so it can’t be seen around town.”

  “That’s good,” she said, ashamed that her voice was shaking.

  “You’re safe, Lucy. We’re going to protect you.”

  “I—I know.”

  “Let’s head back to the house. We’ve been gone long enough.”

  Lucy wasn’t sure she’d be any safer in the house, but she’d feel less vulnerable there. And she’d be with her baby. She wanted to make sure Cecil didn’t get close to Emma.

  When they reached the house, Griff told them Cecil hadn’t been seen in Rawhide. Mike just wanted to let them know.

  Lucy gave a shuddering sigh. “Emma?”

  “She’s not awake yet,” Camille said.

  “All right. I’ll go check on her,” Lucy said, excusing herself. Before she left the room, however, she remembered her manners. “I enjoyed our morning, John.”

  “Good. So did I.”

  GRIFF AND JOHN WENT to the barn after he and Lucy returned to the house. “Is she okay?” Griff asked.

  John knew he meant Lucy. “I think so. She didn’t say much but her voice was shaky.”

  “I see. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

  John looked at his father. “Yes?”

  “Before we go back in, I feel like I need to mention something to you.”

  “What, Dad?”

  “I got the impression Lucy was a little apprehensive of you this morning. Did you hug her or—or kiss her or something?”

  John’s cheeks flushed. “Yeah, I kissed her. She was worried about everything. I was just trying to calm her.”

  “Well, son, she’s come from a marriage where her husband hit her. She’s going to be a little leery of getting close to anyone. Especially a man.”

  “But I’d never hit her, Dad!”

  “Do you think her husband didn’t promise to love and protect her when he married her?”

  “Yeah, but—but she’s so sweet and little.”

  “I know, but you’re going to have to take it easy on her. She’ll need time to adjust.”

  John knew his father was right. But he wondered how he’d last that long.

  Chapter Eight

  Four weeks later

  Lucy rolled out of bed when her daughter woke her for her 4:00 a.m. feeding. It was nice, Lucy thought, to feel so good about life.

  She’d been with the Randalls for over a month. Her health was really good now that she’d been eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep and still managing to contribute to the household. It made her feel that she’d come a long way.

  After fixing the bottle for Emma, Lucy settled down in the rocker in the den and fed her child. “Look at how much you’ve grown in a month, Emma. John can’t really call you little Emma anymore, can he? I know he still does, but I’ll have a talk with him, I promise. We don’t want you to think that you’re undersized.”

  Emma gurgled something that was masked by the nipple of her bottle. Not that they were words. Of course, she wasn’t talking yet, but she did occasionally make noises that Lucy thought she could interpret.

  “John’s been very nice to me since I tried to run away. After that night, he hasn’t gotten too close. That’s good, isn’t it, Emma? I mean, I didn’t like being with your father, even though that’s how I got you.” Lucy stopped to think about that statement. “I think it’s good that John’s not interested…that he hasn’t tried to kiss me again.”

  She’d thought about that kiss a lot. It hadn’t been like Cecil’s kisses, which hadn’t come often. There was a sweetness to John’s kiss that she hadn’t experienced in quite a while. But she wasn’t really interested in another relationship…was she?

  She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t shaking my head at you, sweetie. Wow, you finished your milk quickly, didn’t you? Are you ready to go to sleep again? Then we’ll get up at eight o’clock. All right, time for a burp.”

  She put Emma on her shoulder and gently patted her back. Emma responded as she had since her birth, with an enormous burp.

  “Good girl, Emma. Mommy wants you to know you are absolutely perfect.” Maybe her mother hadn’t intended her to feel the weight of the world on her shoulders, but she had. Living here with the Randalls, Lucy had learned the power of believing in your goodness.

  “I’m being a good mommy because that’s what you deserve, Emma, my girl. I think that’s important. Don’t you?” She snuggled Emma to her and kissed her cheek. “Let’s go back to sleep now, okay?”

  She carried the baby back to her crib and tucked her in. Stepping back, she watched as Emma slowly drifted off. She loved watching her baby squirm and stir around for several minutes before she fell asleep.

  With a sigh, Lucy headed to her bedroom. She loved waking up in the mornings in this room. It was a happy room and it helped her feel happy.

  She got under the covers again and sighed as she put her head on her pillow.

  JOHN ATE BREAKFAST with his men in the bunkhouse. He’d started doing that after his dad retired. There was no reason for his mother to get up just to fix his breakfast when the bunkhouse cook was already making a big meal for the cowboys.

  And it made it possible for him to start his day without Lucy and Emma being a part of it, which helped him concentrate on the business at hand. Still, he’d found it difficult to keep his mind on the cows.

  He always stopped by Emma’s bed each morning at six to gently touch the baby. She was always sleeping soundly. He wanted to hold her, but he didn’t wake her.

  He’d paid attention to his father’s warning about touching Lucy. He’d kept a friendly demeanor toward Lucy and given her some space. But he knew what he wanted. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to promise to protect her and Emma forever.

  That would have to wait.

  He’d just be her friend for now.

  “I’D BETTER PUT IN some laundry, now that Emma’s down,” L
ucy said.

  She and Camille had just finished a cup of coffee on their afternoon break. The day had fulfilled its promise. Winter sunshine blazed through the window, and Caro had earlier pronounced Emma healthy and growing. The doctor visit had assured Lucy that she was doing her job.

  “I swear, that child is getting bigger every day,” Camille said, almost as if reading Lucy’s mind.

  “Caro says she’s over ten pounds already.” Lucy couldn’t help but smile.

  “When you went to Caro’s, did you drive John’s truck?”

  Her smile faded. “Yes, he insisted. He doesn’t want me to drive my car. He still thinks Cecil will be looking for me.”

  “It’s possible, but I’d like to think he’s moved on. I certainly hope so. I don’t want him to have anything to do with you or Emma.”

  “Me, neither.”

  Lucy got the laundry started and then came to the kitchen to see if she could help with dinner. Under Camille’s tutelage, she was learning how to cook. Now she could make a lot of Camille’s recipes and John couldn’t tell who prepared it.

  It was getting close to John’s arrival. Griff was working in his office. Lucy knew he would come to dinner when he heard John come in. She liked this time of the evening best, the coming together of all four of them to eat with one another and talk about their days.

  When she got to the kitchen, she looked out the window to see John come out of the barn. “Oh, look, John’s here early.” The sight of him infused her with warmth. Tall and broad in his sheepskin jacket and cowboy hat, he was model handsome. She could still feel those arms as they’d held her.

  She watched John walk toward the house, and her heart rate accelerated the closer he got. Suddenly he came to an abrupt halt.

  Lucy followed John’s gaze and almost passed out.

  There stood Cecil, with a gun pointed at John.

  CECIL CALLED OUT in a loud voice. “Lucy? Where are you, Lucy? Come on out. I want to talk to you.”

  Lucy saw John turn to him, pretending confusion. “Who are you talking to?”

  “I’m talking to my wife. I want to see her.”

  “She’s not here, whoever she is. This is the Randall ranch.”