A Cowboy for Mom

by Honor James

  Monica didn’t even realize what Carrie was doing. They got into the house and she put their luggage on the bed. “At least it’s big enough that we both can sleep on it.”

  Carrie fell down in one of the chairs and snorted. “Goodie, sleeping with Mommy again,” she grumbled.

  “Look, child, I’m about to beat the snot out of you.”

  “Whatever, Monica, you know you wouldn’t raise a hand to touch me.”

  Damn, the child was so right. “You going to be okay in here for awhile?”

  “At least they have Wi-Fi,” Carrie said and put her earbuds in.

  Sighing, Monica shook her head, grabbed her hat, and headed out into the heat of the day. Might as well grab the bull by the horns. Lifting her hand, she walked toward the stables, and toward Carson freaking MacDonald.

  She lifted her hand and waved. “Hi there.” She knew she had lost her accent a long time ago and that was damn good. “So these are the horses you’re going to teach us to ride?” She knew how to ride, and she was damn good at it, but she couldn’t let anyone know that.

  He was frowning at her and looked slightly confused before he gave a shake of his head. “Yes, ma’am,” he nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at her. “Some of them anyway, others are out getting their workouts. We didn’t realize you’d be bringing a friend along,” he said, his lips twitching slightly. “If you need a second bedroom, ask Esther for one. All the men that will be coming out will be living in the bunkhouse, so you and your friend will pretty much have the run of the main house.”

  “That’s okay. She and I have slept together before so it’s not a big deal,” Monica said as she watched the horses. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an animal other than a dog or cat up close and personal. It was a zoo opening or something like that,” she added, as if she were a brainless twit.

  His eyes got impossibly narrower as he stared at her. “Uh-huh,” he said. “Well, the offer is still there. Esther will give you the schedule that you and the others will be on while you’re here. You should probably get that from her before you get too gungho. I know for a fact that your lead actor is, oh, how did his agent put it, ‘extremely put out’ by it. And, like I told that gentleman to relay to his client, ‘tough shit’. This is a working farm and if you are here, you work for me. Dinner’s at six if you want to get some rest.” He adjusted his hat so the brim shaded his eyes. “I have work to get back to, ma’am.” He flicked the brim before turning to stride away.

  Monica shrugged. She had worked a ranch before. In fact, her parents’ ranch was right next door to his. “Never been afraid to work, besides, it will help me get into character.” She adjusted her hat and shrugged. “However, you might want to get that stick out of your ass,” she muttered before turning around and walking away from him, leaving him watching her (and she knew he was watching).

  “As soon as you come clean,” he called out. When she shot him a look, he grinned, the white of his teeth evident against the tan his skin held. “Until then, suck it up buttercup, and get ready for the worst three weeks of your life.” Chuckling, Carson kept walking through the paddock, this time whistling an oddly familiar tune.

  She gritted her teeth and walked on. Come clean, my ass. Nope. He didn’t know who she was and if the gods were watching her, she would damn well get through these three weeks without anyone the wiser. Or so she prayed. Dammit!

  Chapter Three

  Washing up in the barn after the day’s work, Carson’s mind was still on Monica whatever-her-name-was. There was something about her that was tugging at his brain. Something in the way she moved and, most especially, that comment about the stick up his ass.

  Oh, that had definitely gotten his attention. Smart-alecky comments usually did. But it had been another tug on his memory. One that he’d been mulling over all day long, and basically trying to drive himself insane with, apparently.

  Carson headed outside, leaving the guys to finish cleaning up before they came to dinner. He really wanted a shower but knew there was no time for it. Besides, if Monica was going to be there for three weeks, she’d better get used to him and the hands as they were—more than a little rough around the edges, and not particularly caring about who they offended, some more than others.

  Stepping into the house, he inhaled…mmm…Esther had made her famous pot roast. Hanging his Stetson on the coatrack, he shoved a hand through his hair and headed into the kitchen. “Something smells good,” he commented as he came in. She would deck him with a spoon if he snuck up on her. He’d learned that the hard way, more than once.

  She turned, eyed him up and down, and then nodded. Grinning that he’d apparently passed muster, Carson went to the fridge to grab a beer. Twisting the cap off, he shot it into the garbage with a double bank that had Esther giving him the evil eye. Okay, so he did that just to get on her nerves, but it was fun too.

  Monica and Carrie both came into the kitchen, Monica giving Carrie a look as she took a seat at her side. “It smells wonderful. Again, I insist that Carrie and I do dishes after dinner.” She spoke to Esther and ignored Carson. She was praying that Carrie’s decision to color her hair purple and have it spiked with the faux nose rings would keep his eyes off the fact that she looked just like his damn mother, God rest her soul. “You should at least wash your hands,” she shot to Carson, however. “It would take all of two minutes,” she muttered. It was the disrespect to Esther that he came to the table with dirty hands that bothered her more than anything else. Damn her and her big mouth though.

  “I did, with a scrub brush even,” he said, cocking a brow at her. “Esther doesn’t let anyone in her kitchen that doesn’t pass muster. It might be my house and property, but she runs this room with an iron fist. But if you’re worried, you can inspect my hands if you want,” he offered, a small grin on his lips.

  “That’s perfectly fine, thanks so much,” she grumbled and settled in beside Carrie once more. “Will you at least take the earbuds out, for the love of God?” she grumbled. She tugged one free and gave Carrie the eye.

  “Sure, Monica.”

  Deep and calming breath. Monica closed her eyes, counted to ten, and then through ground teeth, said “Mom.”

  The girl just grinned and shot Carson another dirty look and a one-finger salute when Esther’s back was turned.

  Now Carson’s attention was solely on her daughter, his eyes focused and sharp. And that little furrow began to appear between his brows as he started to frown slightly in concentration. She could practically hear the wheels turning in his head, not slow in the least, no, Carson always had a sharp mind. Thankfully though, his attention was yanked away as the hands all started to pile into the kitchen. Each stopped to kiss Esther on the cheek and show her their hands before stepping around her to grab a beer from the fridge.

  Monica leaned into Carrie and said, “Quit pulling a wolf’s tail. I mean it. Stop it, Carrie.” Then she smiled at the men as they began to pile into the kitchen. She shook a few hands, took a few pics, and then finally turned her head. “Just sit down. Esther has cooked this meal for us so we should enjoy it, right?” she asked with a smile.

  “Aw, come on, Mom, maybe it’s time to get a date,” Carrie grumbled.

  “Shut. It,” was all that Monica could say.

  Thankfully, Carson had missed her daughter’s words, since his head was bent as he listened to something Esther was saying. Nodding, he pressed a kiss to the woman’s cheek and then stepped away from her. “Dig in everyone,” he said before leaving the room.

  Esther brought over the meat and set the platter down amongst the other bits and pieces of the huge meal she’d prepared. Pressing her hands to two of the farmhand’s shoulders, they all bowed their heads for a moment before the woman announced, “Eat!” in an imperious tone.

  Monica grinned and shook her head. She ignored the fact that Carson had left the room, and instead simply got a plate ready for Carrie and herself. When they had their plates, she be
gan to eat and talk quietly with the men that were all more than willing and ready to share a tale of living on a ranch.

  “Es, where’d boss man get to?” one of the hands asked as dishes were passed around at near-dizzying speeds.

  “His sister called and wanted him to check in with her after the doctor’s appointment he had yesterday, but he of course got busy and forgot. The message she left today made him decide to call her, and as he so quaintly puts it, get her off his back,” the older woman said. The men on either side of her were filling her plate as she sat back for a moment to relax.

  There were a few muttered comments in regard to Carson’s sister that were actually a little shocking to hear. Apparently, the hands didn’t hold her in very high regard.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Monica heard herself asking. “He looks fit enough.” Maybe it was to remove the stick from his ass. No wonder he hadn’t wanted shit to do with her when she came to tell him she was pregnant. He didn’t want kids, that much was pretty obvious, or he would be married with a little one by now.

  Carrie looked up at her mom and grinned, “Care, Mom?”

  Deep and calming breaths. “And? He’s our trainer for the next three weeks so of course I care.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, Mom,” Carrie grumbled, “You just keep on lying to yourself, good thing I know the truth.”

  Jesus, her kid had a mouth on her. It was all her fault and she damn well knew it. The kid was hers and Carson’s so of course she would have a mouth on her.

  Esther waved a hand, “Just the migraines again. He gets them now and again ever since the accident he had, oh, when was it, Nate?” She looked to one of the hands.

  “‘Bout fifteen years ago, give or take a few days,” the hand answered. He squinted up at the ceiling and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds ‘bout right to me.”

  “I think you are right, dear,” she said with a smile. “He was in a coma for a good month and then had to deal with physio and such after that. The fact that he’s back working everyday and walking is the true miracle. We all figured he’d be paralyzed, but that boy has always been stubborn and does pretty much the opposite of whatever he’s told he can’t do.”

  “Brought the ranch back from ruins from his hospital bed,” another hand said. “The whole place was sliding into the hole with his sister in charge out here. As soon as he was conscious, he was back working as best he could, even though his brains were more than a little scrambled.”

  “Couldn’t talk, could barely move two fingers on his left hand,” another picked up. “Hell of a thing, that. We all got to see him, those of us here that were still working the ranch at the time, and not a one of us thought he’d be back full force.”

  “The doctors are worried the migraines are a symptom of something else leftover from the accident,” Esther said. “I think he’s just been stressed about this whole thing with your people. He’s not big on outsiders around here, especially when it’s his and our livelihood at stake.”

  “Well, we will do all that we can in order to minimize the impact we make on your lives. Just treat us as extra hands,” Monica whispered. Accident. Her brain couldn’t seem to wrap around that fact. Fifteen years ago. That’s when she would have come to them to tell him she was pregnant.

  “What happened to him?” It was actually Carrie that asked that question. “The accident I mean, what happened to him?”

  “It was just under a year after he’d lost his mama,” Esther said. “God rest her soul.” She made the sign of the cross, as did all the men at the table while they murmured the same words. “He was out breaking a horse when a rabbit spooked it. The horse went absolutely crazy and the screams could be heard all over the ranch. I went racing out to see what was going on and saw the horse jumping and twisting, bucking like nothing else, and Carson on his back holding for dear life. Then…” She stopped and looked away.

  The ranch hand to her right put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. He also picked up where she’d broken off. “He was thrown, straight into a post. That would have been bad enough, except it was the one next to the old well pump and gave way. Esther screamed for help and those of us close enough raced out to find him already in a pool of blood. We knew we didn’t have a lot of time, not with what he was losing from the head wound, but also the chunk of broken post through his shoulder. We rigged up a backboard, tied him down, and hauled ass for the hospital. The doctors told us as they wheeled him into surgery that if we’d waited for the ambulance or the helicopter, he would have died. We got him there within seconds, with seconds left to spare.”

  “Jesus,” Monica whispered. “The poor man went through hell. That he’s still alive and functioning is a miracle,” And all this time she had believed his sister, believed the venom that the bitch had told her that day. “It has to be that hard head of his, or the fact that the man has a stubborn streak a mile and a half wide,” she grumbled. “Because there isn’t a more stubborn being in the world.” She looked at Carrie and grinned, laughing and shaking her head. “Well, let’s just hope that the doctors have cleared him to have us, otherwise, I’m sure that they will all have my studio’s ass.”

  “He’s fine,” said another ranch hand, with a grin and a wink. “The doctor just gave him a few different herbal remedies to help him with the tension that causes the migraines. As long as he does what he’s told and you city slickers don’t piss him off too badly, he’ll be fine.”

  Carson came back then and stopped as the entire table looked his way. “I have this horrible feeling you were all just discussing me. Should I leave to let you finish?” he asked.

  Esther pointed a finger at the only empty seat at the table. Rolling his eyes, he sat down. “So, is she happy again?” the woman asked.

  “Dunno, Bev was out with Collin at some school thing. So I talked to Mark and told him all was well and to let her know when she got back.”

  Esther’s lips thinned and she looked like she wanted to say something else. But with amazing restraint the woman resisted, and began to eat her meal while Carson filled his plate.

  Carrie looked at Carson and asked, “Can I see your scars sometime? I think that the studio gets them wrong but they don’t listen to me. I’m just a nobody and all that, I think that scars are cool. But the people who try to make them, I swear that they’ve never seen them before. Mom’s got one, and it’s a weird looking one too from some...” Her words were trailed off when Monica covered her daughter’s mouth.

  “They seriously don’t need to know about my scars,” she muttered. Not when Carson had been there that day she got the scar. It had been a stupid accident—they were diving into the quarry and she misjudged the rocks. She ended up with a scar on her ass from that little incident.

  Carson was staring at the two of them with a confused look before something obviously clicked. His eyes narrowed and he shot a deadly look at all of the ranch hands and Esther. The older woman was immune but the hands were all bent over their plates, practically shoveling their food in as fast as they could manage.

  Monica could hear when he popped his jaw and watched as he took a slow, deep breath, the tension leeching off him. “There’s not much to see, they’re pretty grisly and all that. Not something anyone should have to see,” he said to her daughter.

  “I still think they’re cool,” Carrie said with a shrug. “But whatever, its chill.” She went back to eating, effectively ignoring her father.

  “I blame it on me and the fact that I’m practically always on-site somewhere” she shrugged. “She’s learned a great deal but it’s all good. She’s a good kid, even if she speaks when she shouldn’t.” They had this talk. As soon as she found out that it was Carson MacDonald’s ranch they were going to, she had told her daughter to try to keep it on the DL and try not to draw attention to herself. The last thing she needed was Carson trying to find a place in their lives now. He didn’t want to then, and he shouldn’t want to now.

  “It’s all good,�
�� he shrugged. “Kids as a general rule are curious about anything and everything. I know I was, once upon a time. We all seem to lose that when we turn into adults and take on the responsibilities passed down to us. But the rest of you…” he looked to the hands again. “Oh, you lot are going to pay for your big mouths.”

  “Esther started it,” they all practically shouted.

  Monica laughed and shook her head. She knew that Carrie wanted to get to know her father and she couldn’t blame her. Carson was an amazing man. However, Carson had broken her heart. He had stomped on it, via his sister of course.

  Carrie kept shooting looks at Carson. It was clear that the child was curious about him but she kept her mouth closed and instead she simply watched him instead.

  “You lot are not getting dessert,” Esther announced, getting groans and muttered apologies. “Nope, you threw me to the wolves, no dessert for a week.”

  That really got a reaction, and the men were out to placate her again. Carson just shook his head at their antics while he sat quietly eating his dinner. He appeared distracted and only partially aware of what was going on at the table.

  When dinner was finished Monica placed her hand on Carrie’s and gave it a squeeze. “We will do dishes, won’t we, Care?”

  “Yeah, we can clean up. We’ve done it before, haven’t we, Mom?”

  “Yep, we’ve done it before and we will do it again and again, I’m sure.” She didn’t believe that they should have a housekeeper, even though Monica was no longer a small-town girl. She tried to give her daughter those values that she had been given, except for the teenage sex thing. Monica was seriously trying to keep her daughter from making the same mistakes and falling into the same pattern that she did when she was that age.

  “I will take your help,” Esther said with a smile. “And you both will get extra helpings of dessert since we’ll have a lot of it for the week to come. Now,” she got to her feet and glowered at the men at the table, minus Carson. “I think you all have evening chores to attend to before you hit the bunks, don’t you?”