A Cowgirl's Pride

by Lorraine Nelson

  “You okay?’ he asked when he got his breath back.

  “Umm, hmmm. Never better.”

  He lay beside her, feeling more satisfied and complete than any man had a right to. She snuggled up next to him, one hand splayed across his upper body as her fingers toyed with his chest hair. He hated to ruin the aftermath of such great loving, but he had to have an answer to that question—the one niggling constantly at the back of his mind.

  “That trespasser, Erickson, did you know him in Vancouver?”

  “No, I only met him this morning. Why?”

  “I saw you talking and laughing with him when I cleared the walkways behind the house. Seemed like you were catching up. He seemed to know plenty about you.”

  She rose on one elbow and looked into his eyes. “Oh? When were you speaking with him?”

  “Didn’t Michael tell you? Rounder and I were the ones who caught him sneaking around early this morning and took him up to the house.”

  “No. I missed that fact.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t get too friendly with him if I was you. He’s spreading some pretty wild rumors.”

  “Such as?”

  Cal thought for a moment, wondering if the man’s words were worth repeating.

  “Cal?” she prompted.

  He kissed her on the nose. “He’s saying that you were a stripper in your boyfriend’s club.”

  “And that bothered you?” she asked, searching his face as if she was seeking the truth there.

  “Hell, yeah! No man likes to think of his woman being that cheap and easy. You told me you danced in that club, and I’d believe you over him any day.”

  “Thanks for the loyalty, and I did dance in Roddy’s club. It’s called pole dancing.”

  “What kind of dance is that?”

  “It involves wearing a skimpy costume, some very sexy moves orchestrated around a pole and excellent agility.”

  “How skimpy?”

  “Le Club Rouge Sang is a topless bar, Cal. I stripped down to a thong while dancing. Made excellent tips,” she teased.

  “You think this is funny?”

  “No, I guess not, but it’s in the past. Why can’t we leave it there?”

  He pushed her away, grabbed his jeans, and pulled them on. “No wonder you give such excellent head. You’ve probably had lots of practice during your whoring sessions. Do you even know who the father of your kid is?” he sneered, disappointment fueling his fury as he lashed out at her verbally.

  She’d risen to gather her clothes. At his words, she swiveled to face him and planted a resounding slap across his face. “I don’t deserve this crap from you.”

  He reached up to rub the spot, which burned so badly it felt like she’d branded him. “You don’t deserve jackshit from me. Why didn’t you level with me? I had to hear it from a damn stranger. Do you know what that did to me?”

  “Apparently, it made you horny as hell. Well, you’ve had your piece of the action. I’m going home.”

  He grabbed her arm as she turned away. “Why, Leah? Why did you work at a place like that when you had so much potential as a real dancer?” He had to ask…needed to know.

  “Why, Cal? Not that I should have to explain, but would you believe it’s because I’m just another in a long line of dumb blondes? I got wined and dined and roped into dancing at Roddy’s club because I was naive enough to sign a contract without reading it.”

  She jerked her arm out of his grasp and walked away from him.

  Damned if that curvaceous ass didn’t have him hot for her all over again.

  “Leah, we need to talk this through,” he said, trying his best to calm down while he watched her dress. He needed to absorb what she’d just said, what she’d admitted, added to the reality of the hell her life had been out there.

  “Oh, I think you’ve said enough. I’m leaving.” She pulled on her gloves and, with a toss of her hair, left him standing, half-dressed in the middle of the room.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cal ran a hand through his hair in a gesture of utter frustration. What the hell had just happened? Was she telling the truth? Why hadn’t she hired a lawyer to check into it? Contracts are broken every day.

  By the time he’d dressed and gone outside, she was nowhere to be seen. Damn! Luke was going to kill him. He locked the house and mounted up, spurring his horse into an easy gallop in an effort to catch up with her. When two shots rang out up ahead, he dug his heels into the horse’s sides and rode like a man possessed. He rounded a turn in the trail to see Leah, her shoulders slumped as she sat upon her horse, with Rounder running back and forth between two dead coyotes.

  “Leah, are you all right?” he asked as he reined in abreast of her.

  She stared at the coyotes. “They came out of nowhere and attacked Rounder. As soon as I had a clear shot, I fired.”

  “Looks like your aim is still good.” He smiled. “Coyotes have been feeding on the herd, but we’ve never spotted them, just the carcasses they’ve left behind.”

  “Well, that’s two you won’t have to worry about.” She flicked the reins, urging Beauty to move forward. “Come, Rounder.”

  Cal flicked the reins to move forward. He wasn’t being left behind this time. They hadn’t gone far when they heard a vehicle approaching. Someone had obviously heard the shots.

  “Leah, I’m sorry for what I said back there. I was shocked, angry. I never meant to lash out at you like that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I learned to separate my emotions from sex a long time ago.”

  Cal clenched his teeth and bit back the retort that sprang to his lips. There was no sense in making matters any worse.

  “And, by the way, I wasn’t your woman at the time, and I’m definitely not now.”

  Luke’s truck rounded the turn up ahead. He stopped his four-by-four and jumped out, along with her father and Michael.

  “We heard shots,” said Luke as he rushed to his sister, hauling her off her horse and into his arms.

  “You okay, baby girl?” asked her father.

  “I’m fine, but there’s a couple dead coyotes back the trail a ways that need to be disposed of.”

  “I knew riding was a bad idea,” Michael remarked.

  “You gave us quite a scare. Why don’t you ride back with us?” Luke asked. “Cal can tend to the horses and coyotes.”

  “Yeah, why don’t I?” she said.

  Luke walked her to his truck and held the door while she climbed inside. She’d left him behind again, this time without even a backward glance. Cal reached for Beauty’s reins, called for Rounder, and followed the truck as it reversed to a turning point in the trail.

  When he arrived back at the ranch yard, he sent Pete out with the backhoe to collect the coyotes and bury them behind the barn. To leave them out there would attract other predators, and they’d had more than their share of those at Thunder Creek this year.

  ****

  Leah went straight to her room upon entering the house. She gathered some clean clothes and wasted no time in hitting the shower, hoping to wash all traces of Cal from her body and her mind. It was a toss-up as to which ran faster, the tepid water or the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  She honestly didn’t know what she’d expected from him on learning the truth, but it certainly hadn’t been the vile words he’d thrown at her. He’d called her a whore, because she danced in a topless bar. She snorted a laugh and inhaled a mouthful of water. Spitting and coughing, she wondered what Cal would say or do if he knew Roddy had treated her like one for the past four years. She’d gone west in search of a dream and lived a nightmare instead.

  She considered herself every kind of fool for thinking she deserved the love of a good man like Cal. And he was a good man. Obviously, her dreams of a second chance with the one man she’d ever truly loved had just gone on a downhill ride. His angry words had cut her to the core. She hoped to avoid any further abuse by avoiding him, at least until the hurt subsided and she was in co
ntrol of her emotions once again. Damned hormones had her blubbering at the drop of a hat these days.

  She stepped from the shower and rubbed herself briskly with the towel to find that her breasts were over sensitized from the attention he’d lavished on them. Bloody hell! How long would it take to forget how good he’d made her feel, so cherished, so loved? Her insides clenched, aching with the need to be with him again.

  Swiping fresh tears away with an angry hand, she dressed and returned to her room. She lay on her bed, her mind immersed in abject misery, recalling the afternoon idyll that would never be repeated. Giving in to her tears for what she vowed would be the last time, she cried herself to sleep.

  ****

  Cal removed the saddles, stabled the horses, and grabbed the currycomb to give them a brisk rubdown. Physical labor he could deal with, but his emotions were fast zapping him of strength.

  He regretted being so crude and nasty to Leah. It had been such a shock to hear her casually admit what she’d done for a living, as if it was no big deal.

  Geesh! Was that really how she thought of it? Had she categorized it as work and justified it the same way? Were the tips that good to make her forget her morals to such an extent?

  Something else had to have happened. He was beginning to think he didn’t have the full story, but how would he find out the truth if she wasn’t talking to him? Would Luke level with him if he asked? Michael? No, he didn’t want to ask him. Cal was certain he had his eye on Leah and probably wouldn’t tell him anything, especially if it meant healing the rift between them.

  He decided to take one of the other horses for a ride. Riding always helped clear his mind and maybe he’d get some honest thinking done. He saddled Diablo and rode the short trail to the creek. On his way, he stopped to pick up Erickson’s snowshoes and strapped them to the back of the saddle. Snow started falling again before he reached the creek, but he continued on, knowing the horse needed some exercise.

  It turned out to be a bad choice. By the time he turned to head back, the wind picked up and he was in the midst of a whiteout. He pulled his collar tight around his neck and let the horse have his head. Diablo had an excellent sense of direction, and he counted on the stallion to take them safely home.

  ****

  “Leah, are you awake, girl?”

  Her father’s voice sounded from the other side of her closed bedroom door and roused her from her on again, off again, afternoon slumber. “Yeah, I am now.”

  “The women sent me up to tell you dinner’s ready. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I just seem to tire easy these days. I’ll be down shortly.”

  “Good! See ya downstairs.”

  She heard his footsteps recede as she crawled out of bed. The moment she stood, an attack of dizziness hit, and everything turned black.

  * * * *

  When she opened her eyes, the first person she saw was her father. “What happened?”

  “I heard you fall and came a runnin’. You must’a fainted.”

  He helped her up, and she sat on the edge of the bed. “Yes, I remember being a little dizzy.”

  “More’n a little for ya to pass out cold. I’ll get Winnie to call the doctor.”

  “No, don’t do that. I think I just stood up too fast. I feel fine now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yep, I’m sure. I need to wash up, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “You go wash up, but I’m waitin’ for ya. Need to make sure ya get down those stairs in one piece.”

  “Okay. I’ll just be a minute.”

  She entered the kitchen, her father’s arm still holding her tight, and saw Zakia at the sink. “Hey, Zak. I think I’d better call that doctor of yours and make an appointment.”

  “The number’s on the wall by the phone. Dr. Gregory.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call him in the morning.”

  “Her, Dr. Stella Gregory. She’s my obstetrician.”

  “Even better.” She took a seat next to her father, just in case.

  “Are you feeling all right?” Winnie asked. “You look a mite peaked tonight.”

  “A bit dizzy, but I’m fine.”

  “People who are fine don’t pass out cold,” said her father.

  “Are you on prenatal vitamins, Leah?” asked Zakia.

  “No, should I be?”

  “Yep. Here.” She passed her a bottle. “Take one. A growing baby zaps us of iron.”

  Leah screwed off the lid and shook one out, swallowing it with the glass of water Zakia thoughtfully brought over. “Thank you.” She looked around. “Where is everybody?”

  “In Luke’s office. Something about a fax. I warned them to be out in five minutes, or we weren’t waiting.” She smiled as she said it, but Leah had the feeling she was serious. Her next words confirmed it.

  “When you’re eating for two, you’re always hungry.”

  Leah laughed. “I can vouch for that. I’ve never eaten so much in my life.”

  Luke, Michael, and Trent soon joined them, and Zakia served dinner. Most of the talk around the table centered on babies and cravings, to the twins’ amusement. Once the boys had finished and run off to play, the talk turned to the case.

  “How’s your friend, Michael?” Leah asked.

  “The Chief found Vic bound and gagged with a good-sized goose egg on the back of his head. He’s all right, but his partner made off with the files.”

  “Yeah, but what he didn’t know was that I always keep back-up copies on computer disks,” said Trent. “Vic’s going through them now, searching names against missing persons and unsolved cases.”

  “Any hits so far?” she asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes, and two of them were former dancers at Roddy’s club,” Michael said.

  “Oh, my God!”

  “You were lucky to get away when you did.” Lucas patted her hand where it lay on the table, mangling a napkin.

  Someone banged on the kitchen door, and Leah tensed as Luke went to answer. It was Pete, one of Thunder Creek’s full-time wranglers. He’d been on the ranch for as far back as Leah could remember.

  “Boss, Cal’s missing and so is Diablo.”

  Leah’s heart jumped at the words.

  “Cal probably took him out for some exercise.”

  “But boss, a storm came up. It’s bad out there.”

  Leah turned and saw Pete covered in snow. Luke opened the door and looked out.

  “Damn! There wasn’t anything in today’s forecast about snow. Did anyone see them leave?”

  “No, boss. I checked before coming here.”

  “How long has he been missing?”

  “No one’s seen him since he sent me out to bury those coyotes. When he didn’t show for dinner, I went looking.”

  Leah’s gut clenched in dread as she glanced at the clock mounted on the kitchen wall. That was almost two hours ago.

  “Fire up the snowmobiles. We’ll take Rounder and go search.”

  “Okay, boss.” Pete left, and Luke donned his one-piece snowmobile suit.

  “Here, take this,” said Michael, passing him a handgun.

  Luke nodded, checked the safety, and stuck it in his pocket.

  “I’m coming with you,” Leah said as she got up to put on her snowsuit.

  “No way! It’s downright nasty out there.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time I went out in this kind of weather. When you find him, you’ll need an extra person to bring the horse back.”

  “I’ll go,” Michael offered.

  “You don’t know the property as well as we do, Michael. I know I’ve been gone a long time, but I’ve traveled this range all my life.”

  “So has Cal, and he’s missing,” he argued.

  “I’ll go, lass. Don’t want you passing out again and having two casualties on our hands.” Her father stood and grabbed for his coat.

  “No, Daddy. I’m fine. I need to do this.”

  He gave her a stern look t
hen acquiesced, releasing a heavy sigh as he hauled her close for a hug. “Be careful out there.”

  “We will.”

  “If I can find my snowshoes, I can search around here some,” said Trent.

  “Okay, just keep in sight of the house and you should be all right.” Luke tugged on his heavy mittens and prepared to leave, Leah and Trent close on his heels.

  They met up with Pete in front of the barn.

  “I took Rounder to Diablo’s stall for a good sniff so she knows who we’re looking for. Figured if Cal is on horseback, it would be easier for her to track the horse. She’s been dancing back and forth from here to the creek trail ever since,” Pete told them.

  “That’s where I left my snowshoes,” said Trent, the wind whipping snow around them as he headed in that direction.

  Leah climbed on behind Luke and settled in for the ride. She hadn’t been on a snowmobile since she’d left home and could almost look forward to it, except for the dire circumstances making this stormy ride necessary. She prayed that Cal was safe and holed up somewhere to wait out the storm.

  Pete’s machine stalled, and they waited for him. By the time they reached Trent, he was standing at the edge of the snow-covered trail.

  “What’s up?” asked Luke.

  “My snowshoes are gone. I walked around every inch of that tree base and they’re not there.”

  “Are you sure the snow didn’t bury them?” Luke asked as he shut down his machine.

  All four of them looked, poking through the snow with the toes of their boots, but the snowshoes were nowhere to be found.

  “I’m thinking Cal must have come this way and picked them up,” said Trent. “He’s the only one who knew they were here.”

  “Then we’re on the right path. Want to hop on or go back to the house?” Luke asked.

  “I’ll tag along. An extra pair of eyes might do some good in this whiteout.”

  The going was extremely slow, not wanting to run over a downed Cal by accident in the process. Leah's gaze scouring both sides of the trail as they drove ahead of Pete, looking for any sign of movement, anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, Rounder started barking. She squinted her eyes, trying to see through the blinding snow.