The Cowboy's Spring Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Without a doubt. You just watch. Leroy is going to let the other bulls know that nobody is messing with him.”

  “You’re just saying that because you picked him out yourself.”

  “Probably,” Trent agreed with a crooked grin. “But he is something.”

  “Huge comes to mind,” Lindsay said then couldn’t resist teasing Trent. “How many steaks could you get out of him?”

  “I’m insulted you would even ask that,” Trent said, slapping a hand to his chest. “First of all, he is not meant to be eaten and second of all you couldn’t afford the price of his steak.”

  Trent paid their bill and they walked out to the truck and Leroy, who was banging around in the trailer. “I think I’ll tell him what you said. He won’t be happy with you at all.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Lindsay challenged. “I think he’s already got his eye on me. I don’t need to do anything to get on his bad list.”

  “If he’s got his eye on you, he’s even smarter than I gave him credit for. Personally, I plan to keep both of mine on you,” Trent teased, as he held open the pickup door. When she was seated inside, he leaned in and kissed her soundly.

  When he pulled back, Lindsay looked at him with a dreamy smile. “What was that for?”

  “Just cause,” Trent said, shutting her door and running around to the driver’s side.

  “Just cause?”

  “Cause I like you,” Trent said, pulling out on the road.

  “I like you, too.” Lindsay realized how much she meant it. She truly liked Trent Thompson.

  Arriving back at the Triple T, everyone came out to admire Leroy. Cady kept a firm hold on Cass as the guys unloaded the bull and he shook and snorted as he checked out the pasture. He charged at the fence once, but Travis and Trent’s yelling drove him back. With a toss of his mighty head, he lumbered off to introduce himself to the rest of the livestock.

  “That is one big, bad bull,” Trey said, slapping Trent on the back. “Good job, bro!”

  “Thanks,” Trent said, beaming a smile as the three brothers and a few of the hands watched the bull swagger away.

  “I can’t wait to see the calves next spring,” Trey said, already envisioning the big, hardy stock Leroy would produce.

  Lindsay and Cady shook their heads and walked back toward the house.

  “Are you sure you want to hang around with this bunch, Lindsay? I’m not convinced they’re normal at all,” Cady said with a laugh as they went inside and she made a pot of hot chocolate and set out a platter of cookies. “It’s all bigger is better, my bull can take down your bull, and non-stop testosterone around here. I think they all have a raging case of spring fever. It might be catching.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Lindsay said with a smile, washing her hands as Cady set out mugs. “It’s entirely possible I’ve got a bit of that fever myself.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity –

  romantic love and gunpowder.

  André Maurois

  Trent went out before the first rays of light streaked the sky and saddled his horse, Lass. Yesterday, the herd in the southwest section of their property seemed antsy and unsettled. Wanting to make sure everything was fine, he put a rifle in the scabbard on his saddle and rode out just as the sky began to lighten.

  Riding slowly toward the herd, he could see many of the cows milling around. As he rode further along, he thought the ground look churned more than normal, like some of the cattle had been running. Topping a small rise, he saw one cow in particular keeping her calf close as they stood off by themselves from the rest of the herd.

  Drawing near, he could see blood on the calf. Pulling up on the reins, he stepped cautiously out of the saddle and ground-tied Lass. Walking toward the cow and her baby, he talked in soothing tones, taking one unhurried step at a time. The cow looked frightened and ready to bolt, but Trent was cautious to keep the calf between him and the cow. New mamas could take down a grown man in the blink of an eye and he didn’t intend to be the next ranch-related casualty covered on The Dalles evening news.

  Now that the sky was filling with morning light, he could see the calf had one ear nearly torn off her head and scratches covered her sides, while a bite on her hindquarter dripped blood.

  Stepping back toward his horse, Trent took his cell phone out of his pocket and called the house. Cady answered on his second ring.

  “Cady, can you tell Trey or Travis I’m going to need a little help out in the southwest herd. We need to treat a calf for some superficial wounds,” Trent asked, surveying the area trying to decide what got to the calf and where it went.

  “Sure, Trent. Is everything okay?” Cady asked. He could hear the concern in her voice. Seven months ago, Cady was a personal assistant to one of Seattle’s top attorneys and the closest she’d ever been to a ranch or cowboys was to see them in the movies. Now, she was trying to learn how to be a wife, mother and rancher all at the same time.

  “I’m not sure, but I plan to find out. Don’t worry, though,” Trent said, hoping she wouldn’t start envisioning wolves at their door. “Tell them to bring along my sewing kit, too.”

  “Your sewing kit?” Cady asked. She loved to sew, but she’d never seen Trent sew a stitch. She assumed what he was referring to wasn’t something she’d necessarily want to see.

  “They’ll know what I mean,” Trent said, picking up a set of tracks and deciding to follow it. “Thanks, Cady. Save me some breakfast for when I get back.”

  “I will. Be safe,” Cady disconnected the call. Trent knew she’d run out to the barn and get Trey, who would hurry out to see what needed to be done.

  Following the tracks along the fence line, Trent was intently studying the ground when movement in the distance caught his attention. Wishing he’d thought to grab his binoculars, he strained to see what was moving so quickly along the other side of the fence. Whatever was out there was moving fast and coming toward him. Unfastening the strap on the scabbard so he could easily reach his rifle, he pulled it out and looked through the scope.

  Sucking in his breath, he sheathed the gun and waited. Disturbed, he realized he had just sat there with his gun pointed at his girlfriend. He knew Lindsay ran in the mornings, but he never stopped to think about where she ran. If there was something wild on the rampage, she could be in great danger out here alone, unprotected.

  Dismounting, he tied Lass to a fence post and stepped over the fence, waiting for Lindsay to reach him. She wore running clothes with her hair secured in a ponytail and earbuds dangling from her ears. He thought she looked strong, vibrant and more appealing than a sweaty woman in workout clothes should look at a quarter-past six in the morning.

  When she finally saw him, a look of surprise crossed her face, followed by one of warmth. Speeding up, she ran to him and threw her arms around his waist.

  He held her close and kissed her deeply.

  “What are you doing out here?” she asked, leaning back. Mortified to be caught without a speck of makeup on and all sweaty, she hoped Trent wouldn’t take one look at her and flee the other direction. When he pulled her back for another kiss, she decided maybe he wasn’t too repulsed by her appearance.

  “Trent, what’s gotten into you this morning?” she asked with a startled laugh.

  “I’d really like for you to go home right now, Princess,” he said, taking her hand and staring into her face. He’d die if something happened to her. He thought he knew what had messed up their calf, but in case he was wrong, he didn’t want to chance Lindsay getting hurt. Trent knew his heart couldn’t handle it.

  “Why? What’s wrong?” Lindsay noticed Lass on the other side of the fence with a gun on the saddle. “What happened?”

  “Something tried to maul one of the calves last night and until we know what it is for sure, I don’t think you should be out here running by yourself.”

  Lindsay’s mouth formed a perfect “O” as she s
tood looking at Trent.

  “I’m serious,” Trent said, putting his arm around her shoulder and walking her to the fence. “It could be nothing more than a couple of dogs gone wild. It could be a rabid coyote. It could be a cougar. Until we figure out exactly what’s going on, I’d feel much better if you weren’t out here alone.”

  “Okay,” Lindsay said, willing to comply with what Trent was asking. It was one thing to be stubborn and something else entirely to be stupid.

  “What are you doing with the gun?”

  “If it comes down to it or me, you can bet I plan to have a little advantage,” Trent said, helping her over the fence.

  “That’s barbaric. Surely, you can find a way to capture it and turn it loose somewhere it won’t be a danger to anyone, whatever it is. You can’t just go around shooting anything that moves,” Lindsay said, walking up to Lass and rubbing her head beneath her forelock. The horse snuffled her jacket and shook her head. Lindsay usually brought her a treat but she had empty pockets this morning.

  “We can’t pat it on the head and give it a time out, Lindsay. Today it was a mauling. If it gets a taste for blood, the next thing we know, we could have dead cattle everywhere. We can’t let that happen. It’s just the way it is. You’ve got to understand how things are done out here,” Trent said, mounting Lass then holding out a hand for Lindsay.

  She looked at him, confused.

  “I’m going to take you home, unless you want to stay out here with us while we doctor the calf and then hunt down whatever it is that did the damage.”

  “No. Home would be fine,” she said, taking Trent’s hand and finding herself pulled on the horse behind him. She was somewhat miffed at him and thought his preference to shoot first and ask questions later was uncalled for, but she was grateful for the escort home. It was hard to keep her anger from softening as she rested her head against Trent’s strong back and had her arms wrapped around his trim waist. He was strength, security and comfort.

  Trent turned Lass and started her back toward a gate in the fence. When he reached it, he got down and opened it, had Lindsay ride Lass through, then closed the gate before remounting. Riding down the other side of fence, Trent was quiet, lost in his thoughts. Coming up on the back side of Lindsay’s house, he rode Lass to the end of the sidewalk and helped Lindsay dismount.

  Stepping out of the saddle, he walked her up the porch steps and to the door.

  “Lindsay, I don’t mean to come off as a trigger-happy hick, but there are some things ranchers have to do, and this is one of them. If the animal can be trapped, we’ll see that it happens. If it can’t, well, we’ll handle the situation as best we can.”

  “I know, Trent,” Lindsay said, her voice quiet and thoughtful. She knew Trent wasn’t taking any pleasure in the task before him. Remembering Trent’s love for animals, she decided her lecture was unwarranted. “I didn’t mean to sound so snotty. You just caught me off guard and frightened me a little.”

  Trent pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly. “Don’t be scared, Princess. Just please promise you won’t go running out there until we figure out what’s going on.”

  “I promise,” Lindsay said, stretching up to kiss him again. “Be careful, cowboy. I don’t want anything happening to you.”

  Trent offered her a crooked smile. “I’ll be careful. You promised me a date Saturday and it has been way too long since we had an entire day together.”

  Lindsay blew him a kiss as he remounted Lass and waved as he rode back the way they had come.

  By the time Trent got back to the herd, he saw three riders approaching. Trey, Travis and Danny, one of their best hands and a fair shot with the gun, were working their way over to where Trent waited near the calf.

  “What do you think it is?” Trey asked, looking around.

  “I think it is probably a wild dog. Coyotes wouldn’t normally tear into a calf like that and a cougar would have killed it. The tracks look more like a dog made them to me.”

  “I agree,” Trey said, handing Trent a bundle in a brown lunch sack. The smell of ham tickled his nose and his stomach growled. “Cady sent you a snack until you can get in for breakfast.”

  Trent opened the sack to find a fluffy biscuit filled with a thick slice of ham and two fried eggs. Bowing his head for a quick prayer of thanks, he took a bite and savored the almost-warm food. Trey took a bottle of orange juice out of his pocket, handing it to Trent.

  “Not quite a strong cup of coffee, but this will do,” Trent said with a grateful smile. He’d be sure and thank his sister-in-law for being so thoughtful when they got back to the house. Trey was one lucky man. They all were.

  While Trent finished his breakfast, Danny and Trey roped the cow to keep her from charging one of them as they doctored the calf.

  Trent took out some antiseptic and cleaned the calf’s wounds while Travis held it still. It bawled pitifully at the sting and the mama cow fussed and mooed, but Trent continued until he was satisfied the wounds were properly cleansed. Taking out his sewing kit, he stitched the ear back in place. If all went well, the calf would keep her ear.

  Wiping off his hands, he and Travis mounted their horses while Trey turned the cow loose. She rushed to her baby and began licking its face, head and everywhere else.

  So much for trying to keep the wounds clean, Trent mused as they watched the protective mama.

  “Let’s go see what we can find,” Trey said, studying the tracks Trent followed earlier. “How far down the fence did you go?”

  “Until I found Lindsay,” Trent said, riding between his brothers.

  “Lindsay? What in blazes was she doing out here?” Trey asked, clearly concerned for her welfare.

  “Running. She runs every morning and apparently, her routine takes her along the fence line here. I took her home or I would have had time to follow the tracks farther.”

  “That crazy woman! She could get…” Travis said, cutting himself off. The look on Trent’s face said he had already pictured the worst-case scenario in his head.

  They rode along in silence for a while. The tracks took off across the end of a dormant field into the rolling hills at the back of their property line. When they got to a rocky area at the corner where the Triple T backed up into open rangeland, the tracks disappeared.

  “Maybe it’s just passing through,” Danny said, hopefully.

  “Maybe,” Trent agreed. He somehow doubted it would be the last encounter they had with the animal, though. Experience said it would be back.

  “Let’s take the cow and calf up to the barn so we can keep a better eye on them and you can treat the calf as needed,” Trey said, as they rode back to the herd.

  “I think we should keep an eye out for a few days and nights until we figure out if the dog is coming back,” Trent said, helping drive the cow toward the barn.

  “I agree. We can take turns,” Travis said. “I call on the last shift. It will be close to time to get up then anyway.”

  “I’ll take the early shift,” Trey said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “I wouldn’t want to leave my lovely bride alone for too long, you know.”

  “We hate to see you suffer, so. It must be a real hardship being married to such a beautiful, sweet woman who takes such good care of you.” Trent slugged Trey’s arm and waggled his eyebrows at him. “I guess that leaves me for the middle shift. Thanks guys.”

  “Anytime,” Trey said as they got the cow into a small pen by the barn.

  “If you need help, just let us know,” Danny said. “We’d be happy to send out Larry or Tommy.”

  Travis laughed. “That’s quite noble of you.”

  Danny swept the hat from his head in a grand bow. “We are here to serve.” He led the horses back to the barn while the Thompson brothers discussed plans.

  Having seen them ride up from the kitchen window, Cady came running out to the corral.

  “Oh, the poor baby,” she said, standing on a fence pole and looking at the calf. “Will it r
ecover?”

  “She’ll be fine,” Trey said, pulling Cady back against him and kissing her cheek. “It looks worse than it really is.”

  “Most of the wounds are superficial,” Trent said. “Her ear got the worst of it.”

  “Did you find what did it?” Cady asked, turning to look at Trent.

  “Not yet, but we will.”

  “Well, come inside,” Cady said with a warm smile. “I’ve got the coffee hot and I made some doughnuts.”

  The three brothers smiled at each other. “Yes, ma’am.”

  As they sat drinking coffee and eating the fresh doughnuts, Trent’s thoughts wandered to Lindsay. He hated to keep her from doing something she loved, yet he worried about her safety.

  “Cady, do you know what time Lindsay runs in the mornings?”

  “She usually heads out about five thirty. She’s working hard training for a marathon. Why?”

  “No reason, just wondering,” Trent said picking up another doughnut. Maybe Lindsay wouldn’t have to give up her running after all.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nothing spoils a romance so much as a sense of humor in the woman, or the want of it in the man.

  Oscar Wilde

  Lindsay thought she should be safe running if she kept to her own yard. She would run back and forth down the driveway multiple times. Surely, no wild animal would get this close to her house.

  Tying her shoes and popping in her earbuds, she went out on the porch and stretched. Placing one long leg on the porch railing, she flexed her foot and nearly jumped out of her skin when a warm hand rubbed up her leg.

  Stifling a scream, she tried to jump back and fell onto the wicker chair by her front door, into Trent’s lap.

  “Morning, Princess,” he rumbled, pulling her close and kissing her cheek.

  “What are you trying to do to me?” she huffed, pulling the earbuds out of her ears, scared half witless from his unexpected appearance on her porch.

  “I’m trying to give you a kiss, if you’d quit spluttering like an overheated tea kettle,” Trent said, nibbling on her neck.