The Cowboy and the Girl in the Hot Pink Chaps

by Maggie Carpenter

  “I think it’s because he knows I’ll slip him a piece of toast when you’re not looking,” she laughed. “I think it was the secret piece of salmon I fed him last night that convinced him I’m a soft touch. It was a wonderful dinner, by the way,” she smiled. “You’re an amazing cook.”

  “I had inspiration,” he grinned. “When will you be leavin’ for the State finals?”

  “In a couple of weeks. To be honest, even if we win I can’t imagine going all the way to Texas for the nationals. I’m not even sure I want to, it’s so far.”

  “Really?” Matt asked. “Don’t you want to move up to the pro circuit.”

  “I’ve thought about that a lot this summer, and there’s no question there’s money to be made. I might consider it for a year, but only to make the bucks. This summer’s been fantastic, but do I want to do be on the road all the time, traveling from show to show? No. It’s not for me. I’ll still show locally, but I think that’s going to be it.”

  “You sure are competitive for someone who doesn’t wanna-”

  “Oh, I am,” she interrupted. “When I’m racing I want to win, but long term it’s not what I want, not really.” I want to come home to you every night, I want to lay in bed with you, and eat with you and ride our horses out on the trail together, not be hauling down the freeway and sleeping by myself in a motel.

  “You know,” he said quietly, “I’m real glad to hear that.”

  “You are?”

  “Sure. It’s probably a bit selfish, but I’d kinda like to think you’ll be stickin’ around.”

  Dusty felt her heart smile, and finishing the last of her coffee she rose from the table and picked up her plate.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she smiled, “except out to your truck so you can drive me home.”

  They quickly cleaned up the dishes, and with Jinx running ahead of them, they made their way into the garage and climbed into the truck, but as Matt backed out on to the road, he paused and looked across at her.

  “Could you find your find your way to that house where you found Licorice from here?”

  “Sure, why?”

  “I just wanna drive by it. No reason in particular, I’m just curious,” and I may need to knock on their door and ask some questions.

  “Why do I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me?”

  “I have no idea. You told me it was for sale, I’m curious. Point me in the right direction, please.”

  “Okay, turn left at the stop sign. It’s not far, but go slowly because I’ll have to watch for the street where you turn right. I know it by sight.”

  The truck drove forward, and Dusty stared across at him.

  What aren’t you telling me? I can totally feel you’re holding something back.

  “Quit lookin’ at me like that,” he grinned. “I can feel your eyes. You’re makin’ me nervous.”

  “I know something’s up,” she insisted. “Oh, wait, there, turn there,” she said quickly as the next street came into view, “and then the next road on your left, Cottontail Lane, take it all the way to the end.”

  Tall pine trees lined the street, horses were grazing in large paddocks, and barns and houses were set back from the road.

  “Damn. There are some real nice properties here,” Matt remarked. “Why haven’t I ever driven through this area?”

  “I don’t know, but yes, It’s lovely up here. The place where I found Licorice is just up ahead, slow down, there it is, the white house with the blue shutters.”

  “For Sale By Owner. Huh. They’re not usin’ a realty office? That’s kinda weird.” Matt remarked. “Where was Licorice when you spotted him?”

  “In that paddock by the side of the house. It goes all the way around the back. I guess that’s why he was kind of okay, even though he was by himself there are the neighbor’s horses on either side. The girl from the barn lives down that dirt road across the street. She said they never see the woman that lives there. It’s like she’s a hermit.”

  “How do they expect to sell this place? It’s at a dead-end, no realtor, and it’s run down, real run down,” Matt frowned.

  “You’re right. It was bad when I took Licorice out, but it’s even worse now.”

  “It doesn’t look like anyone’s livin’ there,” Matt commented. “Do you see any sign of life?”

  “There’s that old car, but other than that, no, I don’t.”

  “That car looks like it’s been parked there for ages. Look at all the dust on it.”

  “You’re right. Maybe it was abandoned along with the house.”

  “I’m gonna go knock on the door,” Matt declared.

  “You are? Why?”

  “Why not,” he grinned. “This looks to be a decent piece of property. Might be a good investment, and maybe it comes with a car,” he chuckled.

  “Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but you run Silver Streak. When would you have time to oversee a renovation?”

  Ignoring her question, he drove the truck up the gravel driveway, stopping behind the old, slightly beat up Chevy Malibu, and jumping from the cab he marched up to the front door and knocked. Not getting an answer, he walked around to the side of the house, and as he peered into a window, Dusty climbed from the truck, and with Jinx following, she hurried across to join him.

  “I feel weird,” she frowned.

  “Why, there’s a For Sale sign up. I’m interested.”

  “It’s creepy here,” she continued. “Like, spooky or something.”

  As if on cue Jinx began to growl. Jinx rarely growled, and when he did it meant something. Slowly turning around Matt looked towards the back of the house and saw a man in overalls, a deep scowl on his face, walking towards them.

  “Whatta you folks want?”

  Dusty felt a chill, and grabbing Jinx's collar she moved behind Matt and began backing away towards the truck. The man was tall and thin, with an odd looking mustache, and he looked mean.

  “I saw the sign, I might be interested,” Matt said casually.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s your name?”

  “Matt.”

  “Well, uh, come back later, after five. My wife will be here then. She handles all that stuff. Kathy, that’s who you wanna speak to.”

  “Okay, great. Thanks. Do you know how much land there is?”

  “A few acres,” the man replied still appearing wary.

  “So, room for horses then?”

  “Yep, I guess.”

  “Is there a barn or anything?”

  “Talk to her,” the man said gruffly.

  “Maybe I could call her? Does she have a number?”

  “It’s on the sign.”

  “Ah, right. Okay, thanks for the info.”

  Jinx was still growling and ignoring Dusty’s attempts to pull him to the truck, but as the man turned and marched away, Jinx whined for a minute, then finally relented.

  Matt, not wanting to turn his back on the scowling stranger, kept his eyes on him until he’d disappeared, and when he turned to jog back to the truck he saw Dusty and Jinx were already safely inside the cab.

  “Get us the hell out of here,” Dusty said urgently as he climbed behind the wheel.

  “You got a pen in that bag of yours?”

  “Uh, sure,” she nodded.

  “I’m gonna stop at the sign, you write down the number,” he said backing up.

  “Matt, that guy was scary, really scary.”

  “Yep, he was. Somethin’s off here. Jinx sure felt it.”

  “Has he ever growled like that before?”

  “Not often, and he’s gotta have a real good reason,” Matt replied as he stopped beneath the sign.

  Dusty quickly scribbled the number on to a piece of paper and handed it across to him. Stuffing it into his jacket pocket, he started driving slowly down the street.

  “Was Kathy the name of the woman who had Licorice?”

  “It sounds familiar. Yes, I’m sure her name was Kathy.
Why?”

  “Nothin’. I just wondered if it’s still owned by the same people,” he said vaguely hoping Dusty would stop asking him questions.

  “There’s definitely something else going on here,” Dusty said firmly. “Be prepared to spill the beans later on.”

  “Later on,” he grinned. “Am I seein’ you later on?”

  “You are now,” she quipped. “When I finish at the show I’m going to call you, and you’re going to come over and take me to Annie’s Eats, and tell me what the hell this is all about. Maybe you are interested in the property, but there’s something else, I can feel it.”

  He was about to protest when he realized there was no point, and he had only himself to blame.

  Dammit. I’ve let the cat stick its head outta the bag. Oh, well, maybe I’ll know more by time I see her, and maybe it’ll be good news. Maybe Kevin or dad will tell me Black Lightenin’ was sold, and that will be the end of it.

  “I have a better idea,” he said. “Why don’t you and I have dinner again, but at The Sunset Lodge?”

  “Wow, two nights in a row,” she giggled.

  “Yep, two nights in a row. Whatta you say?”

  “I say, absolutely.”

  “There’s one condition.”

  “A condition? What’s the condition?”

  “You bring your hot pink chaps,” he winked.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  When Matt arrived at Dusty’s house to drop her off, he leaned across the console and kissed her, but it wasn’t a simple goodbye kiss. It was a long, soft, mouth-to-mouth, that he hoped showed her how much he cared.

  “I might call you and make sure you’re behavin’ yourself,” he smiled.

  “I can’t behave myself all the time, that would be boring.”

  “You just remember what will happen if you don’t,” he winked.

  “And you just remember, tonight I expect the full story about why you wanted me to show you the place where I found Licorice.”

  “Go on, or Patrick will be spankin’ you again for bein’ late.’

  “Oh, my gosh,” she declared, “did you have to bring that up?”

  “Yep, gotta keep you on your toes.”

  Shooting him a look, she climbed out and walked quickly to the front door, waving as he backed up and drove away. She knew her mother would already have left for work, and moving straight to the kitchen she opened the slider, walked to the fence, and made sure Licorice had been given his morning hay and his water bucket was filled. The goats bleated happily, and Licorice picked up his head and pricked his ears.

  “Thanks, mom,” she muttered, and hurried to her room to change.

  As he neared his office, Matt was consumed with the hope that Kevin would have some news.

  “I must call dad and see if he’s come up with anything,” he muttered.

  He pulled into his parking space, and with a quick hello to Jeanette, he and Jinx made their way down the hall, through the workroom, and directly into Kevin’s private studio.

  “Ah, glad you’re here,” Kevin declared rising from behind his workbench.

  “What did you find out?” Matt asked anxiously.

  “It took a few phone calls, but I got the skinny. I already knew John Draper, the guy who used to own the horse, had lost all his money, but I didn’t know where he’d disappeared to. Apparently he moved to Miami, and he’s out of the horse business.”

  “That’s good to know. If I have to find him he’ll be easy to track down.”

  “This is what I was told. He put his horses up for sale, but Lightenin’ disappeared and he claimed the horse had been stolen. At the time there was rumor that he’d had someone ship the horse outta state, and planned to sell him under the radar after the dust settled.”

  “Then why was Licorice wastin’ away in that backyard?” Matt frowned

  “Exactly,” Kevin nodded. “I don’t think a guy like Draper would lose track of his horse. I think that rumor was a smoke screen. Draper swore Licorice had been stolen, and I think he was tellin’ the truth and whoever stole him was forced to dump him.”

  “Poor horse,” Matt muttered.”So, the thief left him with this Kathy woman plannin’ to sell him but ran into a problem. Dusty knockin’ on her door must have been a Godsend, but Kevin, what does this mean legally? Is the horse Dusty’s, or can a claim be made by John Draper?”

  “I dunno. I think you need to talk to a lawyer. Regardless of what happened, if Draper gets wind that there’s a horse out there that could be Black Lightenin’ and he’s winnin’, if he had a mind to he could just hop a plane.”

  “Except that you said he’s not into horses anymore,” Matt remarked.

  “That’s true, but what if he needs the money?”

  “You’re right,” Matt grimaced. “Thanks, Kevin, I’m gonna call dad and see what his old friends had to say.”

  “You’ll figure this out, Matt, you always do,” Kevin said reaching down to pat Jinx.

  “I have to,” Matt replied walking to the door, for Dusty, I have to. If it comes to it, I’ll buy the horse from Draper myself, and sign him over to her.

  Moving quickly up the stairs and into his office, Matt settled behind his desk and called his parent’s house. When his father picked up the phone Matt could hear a sparkle in his voice. He found it difficult to remember that the man had an iffy ticker when he sounded so full of energy.

  “Hey son, I’ve got some information for you.”

  “Fantastic. Kevin found out quite a bit as well. Let’s see how it jives.”

  “John Draper had a fella that worked for him called Jim Lewis. A mean guy, tall and wiry. He went by the name of Slim Jim.”

  “Slim Jim,” Matt repeated under his breath, the image of the scowling man at the run down house flashing to mind.

  “When Black Lightenin’ disappeared, so did Jim. Apparently the police were lookin’ for him to question him about some other questionable things, but they couldn’t find him.”

  “So it’s likely Slim Jim stole the horse,” Matt remarked.

  “Yep, it’s likely, and here’s the good news.”

  “There’s good news?”

  “I don’t know how he did it, but Draper has bounced back in a big way.”

  “Why is that good news?”

  “Seems he’s traded horse flesh for horse power. He’s heavy into motor racin’, and he’s out of the horse business completely.”

  “That’s weird,” Matt frowned.

  “Nope. See, I didn’t know this, but he was never a rider. He was a horse trader. He had jockeys and trainers. For him it was all about winnin’ and sellin’ and collectin’ the dollars. I doubt he’d have any interest in him now.”

  “That does make me feel better,” Matt said. “What would he do with a horse if he’s livin’ in Miami and involved in auto racin’?”

  “Exactly, horses aren’t his business anymore. How Lightenin’ ended up in that backyard, that’s the mystery.”

  “Right,” Matt said firmly. “I’m gonna call our lawyer and get his take, but I’m not gonna worry about Draper. I agree. It’s obvious this Slim Jim character is behind the whole thing. Thanks, Dad, that’s a big help.”

  “You’re welcome, son. My buddies are keepin’ their ears to the ground, and you let me know if there’s any more I can do.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon, pop, thanks again.”

  I’ll bet that guy at the house was Slim Jim. I wonder if he’s been here long. It’s been years since Dusty recused Licorice. He certainly wouldn’t have any legal claim to the horse. Shoot, I’ve gotta call my lawyer.

  He reached for his phone, but as he did his cellphone rang, and staring at the screen he saw it was Patrick.

  “Hi Matt. I found the receipt for Licorice, and I discovered something I’d completely forgotten about.”

  “Good news I hope,” Matt replied.

  “I think it could be. I found the receipt, and when I saw it everything came back to me. I wanted to
make sure the sale would be legal, so I paid the woman $100. Dusty had no idea. I didn’t want her to think she owed me any money. She didn’t have a dime back then, and since she was under twenty-one at the time, I didn’t know if she could sign the bill of sale, so I put myself down as the buyer. Of course I’ll sell him to Dusty for $1 today, but it’s very clear. The description of the horse, everything. Of course it doesn’t mean the woman, Kathy Lewis is her name, had the legal right to sell him, but I certainly have proof of the sale.”

  “Fantastic. That’s great. Thanks, Patrick. Keep it somewhere safe.”

  “Of course,” he promised. “Now I have to run. I just wanted to let you know.”

  As Matt placed his phone back on his desk, he allowed himself a smile.

  “God Bless you Patrick! Now let’s see what my lawyer has to say about all this.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The day had turned hot and sunny. Dusty had pulled her hair up under her cowboy hat, and donned wide, dark sunglasses. With her light eyes and fair complexion she had to be careful. Sun headaches could plague her during the summer, and she burned easily.

  It was nearing lunchtime, and with Patrick busy on the other side of the show grounds, she was working with one the young students, Amanda Peterson, who was competing in a western pleasure class. The girl’s mother was on hand, more than a hindrance than a help, along with several of Amanda’s friends.

  “Perhaps you could watch over the brood for me, Mrs. Peterson,” Dusty suggested. “It’s hard to corral them and stay focused on Amanda at the same time.”

  “Yes, of course,” the woman nodded, and rounding up the excited group, she moved them into the bleachers.

  With the mother and children out of the way, Dusty walked into the warm-up ring. Amanda just needed a few helpful hints, and if she listened, Dusty was confident she’d be in the ribbons.

  She made her way carefully through the riders and horses to reach her young student waiting on the opposite side of the ring, but as she approached her eyes caught sight of a tall, thin, disheveled man wearing a baseball cap, and she could see was looking directly at her. Lifting her glasses and peering across at him, her heart skipped a beat. It was the rude, scary man she and Matt had run across at the lake property that morning.