They sat in silence for several moments before she spoke again.
“You should be commended, Gavin. You’ve done a great job providing for your family.”
“Not that great. We barely get by.” His gaze traveled the courtyard, taking in the numerous repairs that needed doing. “I might have been satisfied with that indefinitely. Except something changed this past summer. Something that’s made me determined to not only keep the ranch but fix it up into something I’d be proud to pass down to the next generation of Powells.”
“Cassie came to live with you.”
“Sandra remarried two years ago. They had a baby girl in March. By July, Cassie was here.”
“She doesn’t like her new sister?”
“Are you serious? You saw her with Isa. She loves kids and, from what Sandra says, doted on the baby. Next to riding horses, the thing she seems to like best is babysitting. She’s got quite a nice side business going with some of our customers’ children.”
“What’s wrong then?”
“It’s her stepdad. They don’t get along. At all. I understand he’s strict. Sandra and her parents have always spoiled Cassie. And she’s twelve. The school principal is continually reminding me that preadolescence is a challenging age.”
“If she is spoiled it doesn’t show. She seems like a great kid to me.”
“She is a great kid. A little willful at times.”
Sage smiled softly. “Like father, like daughter.”
There it was again. That radiance warming his insides.
He resisted. Sage wasn’t the wisest choice for a romantic relationship even if he was in the market for one.
“Believe it or not, Cassie’s the one who asked to come out here. I wish I could say she wanted to see me as much as I did her. The real reason was Sandra and her husband had decided to send Cassie to a boarding school in Massachusetts. She was already attending private school, thanks to her grandparents. I guess they figured boarding school wouldn’t be much different.”
“Excuse me for being rude, but that sounds, well, insensitive.”
“It was. Cassie felt like Sandra chose her husband and new child over her.”
“What kid wouldn’t feel that way?”
“Rough as it’s been on her, I’m grateful. It gave me the chance to be a real dad to her. If she adjusts well and chooses to stay permanently, Sandra’s told me she won’t object. Of course, she could go back on her word.” Gavin had only to remember how low she and her parents had stooped in the past. “But I’m not going to let myself worry about that till it happens.”
“I hope it doesn’t,” Sage said.
Gavin echoed her sentiment. “I know I have a lot to learn about parenting. I say the wrong things, lecture when I should be listening. But I love her and have sworn to do right by her. Give her everything a kid her age needs.”
“I still don’t see how any of this—”
“With the mustang, I’ll be able to bring in more revenue. For Cassie. And to make this place into something other than a ramshackle old house and a falling down barn.”
“I do understand how important it is for a parent to provide for their child.”
“It’s more than that. Powell Ranch isn’t just a home. It’s our legacy.”
“Like being cowboys and keeping the tradition alive,” Sage said thoughtfully.
“Exactly.”
“You’re counting an awful lot on that mustang.”
“I’m also counting on your help capturing him.”
Her expression hardened. “And Dan for his financial backing.”
So much for winning her over. “I know what I’m asking of you isn’t easy. To work with your ex-husband—”
“We were never married.” Dark emotion flashed in her eyes.
“Sorry.” He shouldn’t have assumed, especially given his own circumstances. “Dan’s loss.”
She regarded him for several seconds, then the valley below. “It is really pretty here. Even with all the houses and buildings. I can see why you’d fight to keep it.”
He read between the lines. “You can’t put your differences with Dan aside.”
“Actually, I think I could. Him, on the other hand…” She shrugged. “Doubtful.”
“He was agreeable when I talked to him yesterday.”
“He won’t be much longer. And I’m not sure you will, either.”
“What’s going on, Sage?”
“I didn’t come to Mustang Valley solely for the horse. Or to arrange for Isa to meet her father.” She smoothed her ponytail, the gesture a nervous one. “Dan owes me, owes Isa, a considerable amount of back child support.”
He waited for her to finish, his stomach tightening with each second.
“I’m going to collect it. Do whatever’s necessary. Like you are for Cassie. Things might get awkward and unpleasant.”
Gavin could see where they would.
“It’s possible…” She rose. “No, I’ll be honest with you. It’s very likely you’ll be involved.”
“How?” He also rose.
“I wish there was another way. You have no idea how much. But I have to think of Isa. She has a right to the money Dan owes her.”
“Tell me.”
“You’ll be receiving garnishment papers from the state soon.”
Gavin sank back into his chair. “How soon?”
“I’m guessing by the end of the week.”
He could easily imagine Dan’s reaction.
Sage placed a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “I hope your agreement with Dan is in writing and ironclad.”
It wasn’t, but he didn’t tell her that and barely noticed when she walked away.
Chapter Seven
The ride to the canyon on Sunday was every bit as demanding for Sage as the previous day. Not so for the men. Ethan and Conner, leastwise. Their spirits soared as the four of them navigated the same steep trails and jagged terrain. When conversation was possible, they talked about what techniques they’d employ to capture the mustang, confident of returning to the ranch in a few hours with their prize in tow.
Sage said little. Neither did Gavin. Not to her, anyway.
Okay, she deserved the silent treatment after the bombshell she’d dropped on him yesterday. If he’d just talk to her, she’d apologize. Tell him how she hated putting him and his family in a bad position. They were innocent bystanders. Like her and Isa. Victims of Dan’s selfishness. She had no choice except to report any possible payees to the Child Support Enforcement Agency.
A turn on the trail tickled her memory. Up ahead, she recognized the entrance to the box canyon and silently rejoiced. Ahead of her, the three men simultaneously craned their necks to see into the canyon. Sage did, too.
“You spot him?” Gavin asked Ethan. He was leading the gelding, the lone packhorse they’d brought along.
“Not yet.”
The horses increased their pace, no doubt picking up on their riders’ eager anticipation to reach their destination. Sage patted Avaro’s neck. The mare had once more started out the morning acting up, then quickly calmed, for which Sage and her sore muscles were grateful.
Five minutes later, they finally had a clear, if distant, view of the mares in their makeshift pen.
From what Sage could tell, there was no sign of the mustang. She tried to stave off disappointment. He could be hiding beneath the rock ledge or behind a rise.
Gavin reined in his horse, causing Sage to stop, as well. He reached behind him, removed a pair of binoculars from his saddlebags and lifted them to his eyes. After several moments of scanning the canyon in every direction, he lowered the binoculars.
No one asked what he’d seen. The answer was clearly written on his face.
The mustang wasn’t in the canyon.
Sage rolled her sore shoulders and sighed. All this work for nothing. She should have insisted on contacting the city about using the ATVs. Now, they had no choice.
“How are the mares?” Eth
an asked.
“They look okay from here.”
As the group started out again, the mares spotted them and began whinnying, their high-pitched calls echoing through the canyon. Avaro and the gelding both answered back.
Near the pen, they dismounted and tethered their horses.
Conner was the first to reach the mares, who pressed eagerly against the sagging lines. “Come here!” Motioning everyone over, he pointed at the ground.
There was no need to clarify. Sage could see what had raised his interest. Hoofprints. Lots of them. Outside the pen and all around.
The mustang might not be here now, but he’d returned at some point during the night.
Gavin pulled on one of the pen’s lines, which hung loosely in his hand. “He tried to get to the mares.”
“Or they tried to get out,” Ethan said.
“Probably both,” Conner added.
Gavin raised his gaze to the canyon walls. “You can bet he’s not far.”
“And that he’ll be back.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Conner meandered over to where the bottom line was anchored to the thick root of a shrub growing between two boulders and began untying it.
Sage assumed to disassemble the pen.
Shouldn’t someone locate the halters first so the mares wouldn’t get loose?
Gavin checked the level of water they’d left for the mares, absently stroking the head of the nearest one.
Sage waited for him to dump the remaining water so they could load the tub and take it home with everything else.
Ethan returned to the packhorse, his limp every bit as pronounced as before, and started unfastening the ropes securing the pack saddles. “Sage, how about a hand with this?”
She hurried to help him, mentally calculating how long it would take them to pack up and get back on the trail. How long until she could soak away her aches and pains in another hot bath.
Together, she and Ethan lifted the heavy plastic tarp. Beneath it, in the panniers, was a five-gallon jug of water, a large sack of pellets, additional line and some of the same equipment they’d brought yesterday.
Sage stared at the items in disbelief.
“I thought…” Words failed her.
“What?” Ethan looked at her over the horse’s back, his expression innocent.
Irritation flared. Were he and his brother taking her for a fool? Then it struck her. “You’re leaving the mares here another night.”
Gavin came up beside her.
She faced him, accusation in her voice. “You planned this all along.”
“We considered the possibility it might take more than one night to lure the mustang into the canyon and came prepared.”
“That’s not what you told me.”
He reached past her and dug into the pannier, removing the sack of pellets. Hefting it into his arms, he carried it to the makeshift pen.
“I can’t come back tomorrow.” Sage chased after him.
He set the sack on the ground and straightened. “Why not? You said you had a whole week. It’s only been four days.”
Sage swallowed. She wasn’t going to tell him about the paternity test and the appointment she’d made for her and Isa. “I have a previous commitment.”
“All day?”
“In the morning.”
“Fine. We’ll ride out after lunch. Ethan, can you get someone to cover your classes?”
“I’ll ask Rebecca.”
Gavin returned his attention to Sage. “Will that give you enough time for your commitment?”
His matter-of-fact attitude irked her. They were supposed to have the mustang by now.
She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.
“You can bring Isa with you to the ranch.” He bent down and stepped between the lines, entering the pen. The mares immediately crowded around him, sensing that food was coming. “My dad will keep an eye on her. Cassie can take her riding again on Chico.”
“No.” Sage quashed the panic bubbling in her and hissed, “What if Dan’s there?”
“He won’t be.”
“And you know this for sure?”
Thankfully, Gavin lowered his voice. “I talked to him last night. He’s going to Casa Grande for the day to meet with a potential client.”
Well, that much was a relief at least.
Gavin poured the pellets into the trough. The mares, unable to wait, reached in for bites.
Sage reconsidered as she watched. The paternity test might be stressful for Isa. If so, an afternoon at the ranch would do her good.
“What if the mustang isn’t here again tomorrow?” she asked.
Gavin climbed out of the pen and straightened to his full height. Sage had to tip her head back to look him in the eyes. Those killer blue eyes. She wasn’t sure what disconcerted her the most, his height, his proximity or the way in which he studied her.
“Then we’ll come back Tuesday.”
“On ATV’s.”
His brows drew together. “We’ve had this discussion already.”
“I think we should reopen it.”
To her annoyance, he walked away from her, again, and back toward the packhorse.
Ethan and Conner, busy repairing the makeshift pen, stopped to stare openly at Gavin and Sage.
Rather than go after him, again, she, called out, “Like you said, I only have a few days left. We need to make the most of them.”
“Forget it. The city won’t move fast enough. Too much red tape.”
“I’ll see if my supervisor can expedite the request.”
“No.”
She did go after him then. “Gavin, this isn’t a one-man operation. You don’t get to make all the decisions.”
He stopped unloading the equipment and glowered at her. Glowered! “I know these mountains. Every inch. And I know this horse. I’ve spent four months tracking his every move. You couldn’t capture him with ATVs if you had a whole fleet of them. Do you have any idea how big this mountain range is?”
“No, but—”
“Over ninety-thousand acres. That’s a lot of ground to cover. And I guarantee that horse can go places you can’t begin to on an ATV.”
Despite his annoying tone, what he said made sense. If only he weren’t so stubborn.
“Fine. One more day. But if that mustang isn’t here tomorrow afternoon, I’m calling my supervisor.” She had no intention of spending her entire vacation in Mustang Valley chasing a horse that obviously didn’t want to be chased.
Gavin smiled. The same devastatingly handsome smile he’d given her when they first met. To her embarrassment, a fluttery sensation in her middle left her mildly weak-kneed.
This was bad indeed.
She thought she heard one of the other men chuckle. When she looked over, Ethan was coughing into his hand. Ignoring him and Gavin, she threw herself into helping unpack.
Soon, they were done. The mares, tended and secure in their repaired pen, weren’t happy to be left behind and whinnied their protests. Sage searched the canyon as they rode out, hoping for a repeat appearance of the mustang. She wasn’t alone.
Unfortunately, wherever he was, nearby or not, he remained well hidden.
Sundays were evidently a slow day for the ranch. A few people were grooming or walking out their horses, and a pair of teenagers rode in the arena.
Gavin joined Sage just as she was putting Avaro up in her stall. Though he appeared friendly enough, she doubted their truce would last.
“I’m not trying to make your job harder,” he said when she’d shut the stall door.
“If that’s an apology, it needs a little work.”
“It’s not.”
Was this irritating man really the same one who’d left her weak-kneed earlier? “What do you want, Gavin?”
“To make a deal with you. If the mustang isn’t in the canyon tomorrow, I won’t object to you calling your supervisor.”
“Then you agree we can use ATVs.”
“No. Only that the BLM can contact the city.”
Realization dawned. “You think they’ll refuse our request.”
“There’s a good chance of it. The city isn’t known for bending the rules.”
“I guess we’ll see.” Sage spun on her heels. She didn’t get far.
Gavin quickly fell into step beside her. “Okay, I’m a jerk. I admit it. But you’re being selfish.”
That brought her to a halt. “Selfish?”
“You want to avoid Dan, and you have every good reason. But that’s no excuse to force a method of capturing the mustang on me that not only has an ice cube’s chance in hell of working, it’s damaging to the environment and dangerous to the wildlife.”
“This is getting us nowhere.” She refused to acknowledge the grain of truth in what he said.
“There’s a trail ride and picnic this afternoon. We have it every third Sunday of the month for our customers and their guests. Everyone brings their own food and drinks. We head out about four, ride for an hour, stop, eat and then come back, usually by seven or seven-thirty.”
“That’s nice, but what does it have to do with the mustang?”
“Yesterday you mentioned the view of the city at night. This would be your chance to see it.”
She blinked in astonishment. “Are you inviting me?”
“And Isa.”
“Why?” she blustered.
“Because I thought maybe if we…socialized some, it might improve our working relationship.”
She almost laughed. “You’re joking.”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Let me think about it.”
“Take your time.”
He left her then, and she watched him stride leisurely out of the stables, the impressive width of his broad shoulders filling the jacket he wore. She’d watched those shoulders for two days now on the trail.
It wasn’t a hardship, then or now.
Was she crazy to even consider going on the trail ride? Her weary body screamed yes.
Except Isa would love it. Have the time of her life. Sage had yet to tell her about the paternity test tomorrow, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Of course, she was procrastinating.
She could do it this afternoon, on the way back to the ranch. If she used the right words, downplayed the test, played up the trail ride, Isa might respond better. Be less scared.
Last Chance Cowboy Page 8