The Cowboy's Spring Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Coming, Mother,” Lindsay replied, rolling her eyes, but keeping a firm grip on Trent’s hand.

  “Mrs. Pierce, my boss’s wife sent me to get Lindsay to join us for dinner. Would you like to come as well? She’s an excellent cook.”

  “I think not,” Christine said, looking at Trent as if he was something very distasteful.

  “That’s too bad. The Triple T Ranch is really something to see and you might not ever get another invitation,” Trent said, trying to look concerned on her behalf.

  “The Triple T Ranch? I didn’t realize you worked at the Triple T. They have quite a reputation for excellence around this region.” Christine said, warming to the subject. If Lindsay refused to leave the sticks, maybe she could at least find a suitable boyfriend for her. Everyone had heard of the Triple T Ranch. Perhaps there was some hope at getting Lindsay interested in a ranch owner instead of the mouthy cowboy with whom she was currently infatuated.

  “I like to think so,” Trent said, biting his cheek to keep from smiling. This was turning out to be quite entertaining.

  “Your boss, does he have any sons? Brothers?” Christine inquired. Trent and Lindsay could see the wheels spinning in her head.

  “He has two brothers, Mrs. Pierce. Some folks have even been known to say they are quite good looking,” Trent said, hiding the flinch when Lindsay pinched his side.

  “Really?” Christine said, getting out of her chair, picking up her purse and stepping to the door. “What are we wasting time for? We have a dinner party to attend, Lindsay. Let’s go.”

  Trent drove the women in his pickup. Lindsay sat in the front with him while her mother kept up a running monologue on his poor driving, the filthy state of his vehicle and had the gall to ask him if he had finished high school. Trent’s knuckles were turning white on the steering wheel when they pulled up at the front door.

  The circular drive was impressively landscaped and the wide porch always looked inviting. Lindsay raised her eyebrow and shook her head as he helped her out of the pickup then offered a hand to her mother.

  “We should have brought my car instead of this monstrosity. I can’t believe your employer let’s you park in front of the house like this,” Christine said as they walked up the porch steps to the front door. Taking a moment to look around Christine felt quite impressed with the Triple T Ranch. It appeared to be very prosperous.

  “I never said he was my employer,” Trent said with a wink, opening the front door. “Just my boss.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense and don’t be so impertinent,” Christine said with her best haughty air. She was already impressed with the outside of the ranch house and the inside confirmed her assumption that this family had class and money.

  Walking through the entry, Trent led them around to the dining room area and kitchen where Cady was busy dishing up food. Hearing their footsteps, she looked up and smiled.

  “Hello! I’m just about ready to ring the bell,” Cady said, carrying a platter of steaks to the table. Wiping her hand on her apron, she held it out to Christine. “Welcome to the Triple T. I’m Cady.”

  “Very nice to meet you,” Christine said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. The rancher’s wife was quite attractive and had an air of good breeding about her. She held out hope that there were at least one or two people of class in the community. “I’m Lindsay’s mother.”

  “Oh,” Cady said, unable to hide her surprise. Lindsay had told her a little about her mother and their less than warm relationship. “Well, I’m so glad you were able to join us this evening. I wasn’t sure this rascal could talk Lindsay into coming tonight.”

  Trent kissed Cady’s cheek, which drew a gasp from Christine. “Is all your hired help as fresh as him?”

  Cady laughed, wrapping her arm around Trent’s waist. “Nope, but this guy gets special privileges.”

  “Good heavens,” Christine said, deciding that Cady was as lacking in class as the rest of the yahoos.

  “Where’s the boss man?” Trent asked, washing up at the sink.

  “He took Cass out to see if they could find where one of the barn cats moved her babies,” Cady said, handing Trent a bowl of green salad and a basket of hot rolls.

  Cady brought another place setting over to the table and quickly made room to squeeze Christine in the seating arrangement. She decided next to Cass would be the perfect spot for their unexpected guest.

  While Christine was busy ogling what she could see of the house, Lindsay turned to Cady and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cady whispered as she walked past her, patting her warmly on the arm.

  “Trent, if you ring the dinner bell, I’ll get out the drinks and we’ll be ready for dinner,” Cady said, filling glasses with ice. Lindsay carried a pitcher of tea to the table and returned for a pitcher of lemonade while Trent went outside and rang the triangle that would call all the hands in for dinner.

  Christine, who was admiring a painting above the fireplace in the great room, turned to see a steady line of cowboys come pouring through the back door. They were loud and boisterous and every one of them stopped to look at Lindsay’s hand and offer her a word of encouragement. Somewhat taken aback, Christine acknowledged she didn’t even ask Lindsay how she got hurt, let alone how bad the injury was. She noticed for the first time that her daughter’s wrist was bandaged and she wore splints on three fingers.

  A small needle of conscience pricked Christine as she realized once again she put her own agenda ahead of the health and welfare of her child. Sighing, she walked closer to the dining room and waited. The last two cowboys in the door swung a little redheaded girl between them and all three of them were laughing. Oddly, they reminded her of someone but she couldn’t think whom.

  Cady quietly said something to one of them, who brazenly kissed her on the lips before washing his hands and the child’s before directing the little girl to a chair at the far end of the table. Christine assumed he must be the ranch owner by the way everyone seemed to defer to him. He wasn’t overly tall like Trent, but solidly built and one of the most handsome men Christine had ever seen. Picturing him dressed in a suit and tie, she decided he could probably hold his own in polite company. Turning to her, he offered a warm smile along with an outstretched hand.

  “Welcome to our home. My name’s Trey. My wife tells me you’re Lindsay’s mother. It’s very nice to meet you,” Trey said, offering the warm hospitality his mother had drilled into his head from the time he was a young boy.

  “Thank you for having us in your home,” Christine said. “It’s quite lovely.”

  “Thank you. My granddaddy built this house forever ago, but we like it,” Trey said, taking Christine’s elbow and escorting her to a seat next to Cass.

  The little girl climbed up onto her chair and held out her hand to the newcomer. “I’m Cass, this is my Daddy and Miss Lindsay’s my teacher.”

  “Nice to meet you, Cass,” Christine said, thinking the child was entirely too precocious. She was most likely doted on by all the cowboys and spoiled rotten.

  Trey went to the other end of the table nearest the kitchen and held Cady’s chair while she took a seat. Trent held Lindsay’s and the cowboy who walked in with Trey held Christine’s chair.

  When everyone was seated, Trey asked the blessing on the meal and then a lively conversation ensued as platters were passed and food consumed.

  Trent was correct in his statement that Cady was an excellent cook. She’d never had such fluffy rolls or steak that literally melted in her mouth before. She would have to get the recipe before they left.

  “Mrs. Pierce, what brought you to our neck of the woods today?” Trey asked as he cut a piece of meat for Cass.

  “I had some things to discuss with my daughter. Your hired hand showed up in the middle of our talk and insisted we come to dinner,” Christine said with a pointed look at Trent. “He is quite impertinent.”

  “Mother,” Lindsay said under her b
reath, shooting her mother a warning glance that went unnoticed.

  Trey laughed. “That he is, along with a few other things.”

  Trent scowled at Trey, but continued eating in silence. He felt Lindsay brush her leg against his under the table since she was one-handed. He helped her fill her plate and cut her meat, much to her annoyance. He knew she liked to be independent, but some things were easier to do with two hands.

  “Please tell me about your ranch, Trey,” Christine said, taking a dainty bite while maintaining her rigid posture.

  “It’s been in our family for several generations. My great-granddaddy settled it more than a hundred years ago and we’ve been raising wheat, hay and beef cattle on it since. Travis and Trent are full of ideas for expanding and improving the operation, so we’ll see what great things the future brings.”

  “You let your hired hands decide how to run your ranch? That doesn’t seem like a wise business practice,” Christine observed, raising her nose just slightly in the air.

  “Mother!” Lindsay said, mortified. Talk about bad manners, her mother held the reigning champion title.

  One of the men sitting across from Christine choked on his drink of iced tea and had to be thumped on the back several times before he could stop coughing.

  Trey grinned, but turned his attention back to Christine. “Every person on this ranch has ideas and opinions and they are all free to express them. But my two business partners and I make the decisions about the ranch together.”

  “You have business partners? Where do they live?” Christine asked, pressing on with her questions. Lindsay shook her head, wanting to crawl under the table and hide.

  “Here on the ranch,” Trey said, looking up and catching Cady’s eye. She was giving him a reproving stare, but he kept throwing out the bait to Christine.

  “Really? Do they not join you for meals?” Christine said, looking around the table and deciding no one could possibly be business partner material.

  “No, they are generally here for every meal. Unless one of them has a date with a lovely school teacher or the other one is off sowing wild oats.”

  “Pardon me?” Christine said, not sure what she’d heard.

  “Trent and Travis are my business partners and brothers,” Trey said with a smile. It wasn’t a warm friendly smile. This smile had a certain coolness that not even Christine could miss, but chose to ignore.

  “You mean Trent isn’t just a shiftless cowboy? He actually owns part of this ranch?” Christine asked, perplexed by this news. Now that she thought about it, Trent, Trey and Travis did bear a striking resemblance to each other.

  “He owns just as much of it as Travis and I do,” Trey said. “I’d have to say not a single person who regularly sits at this table could be considered shiftless. We all work steady, play hard, love strong, and care deeply about each other. We spend our time looking to see how we can lift each other up instead of push each other down.”

  “Oh,” Christine said, not entirely certain that she hadn’t just been insulted.

  Trey directed the conversation to Lindsay and how her day went with her injury. They talked about the upcoming spring program at the school and Cass recited her part with flourish. Tommy got up and helped Cady clear the table then she brought out a huge chocolate cake with ice cream.

  Once dinner was finished, Trey suggested Trent take Mrs. Pierce on a tour of the ranch buildings, which he did reluctantly. Although she wanted to be irritated to find out Trent wasn’t just a no-account loser, she couldn’t help but be somewhat excited to know that her daughter was dating a man of solid financial standing.

  Christine still found Trent to be insufferable, but she could overlook that small fact based on what she assumed the ranch must bring in during a good year.

  Returning to the house, Trent escorted Lindsay and her mother back inside. Cady sat at the table helping Cass with her homework and none of the men was anywhere to in sight.

  “Thank you, Cady, for a lovely dinner. I so appreciate your hospitality. If you ever come to Prineville, please do look us up. We’d love to have you for a meal,” Christine was fairly gushing now. Dollar signs, not to mention prestige and a sense of importance, danced in her head. If Lindsay could land one of the Thompson brothers, she would be set for life. Since the oldest one was already taken and the youngest one seemed a bit wild, she resigned herself to the fact that Trent was it. At least he was good looking even if he was too tall. She hated to think about how towering her grandchildren would be if they came from Lindsay and Trent. They’d most likely be giants.

  “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Pierce,” Cady said, walking them to the door. She grew weary of the pompous woman five minutes after she arrived. Although she knew it was rude, she was glad Trey had taken her down a peg.

  As Trent helped the tiny woman into the back of his pickup, Cady hugged Lindsay. “You’ll have to come by tomorrow after school and fill me in on what all this was about.”

  “I will. Thanks for tonight. I hated to subject everyone to her, but I wasn’t up to an entire evening alone with her either.”

  “Do you need anything? Are you doing okay with your hand?” Cady asked as they walked arm in arm to Trent’s truck.

  “No, I’m going to take my pain pills as soon as we get home because they make me sleepy. I’ll use any excuse to get away from mother’s demands. I promise I’ll stop by tomorrow.”

  “Good. Remember to call if you need help,” Cady said, giving Lindsay another hug. Waving, Cady walked back in the house and called “come out, come out where ever you are.”

  Trey came out of the office with a sheepish grin on his face. Before he said anything, Cady patted Cass on the head and suggested she go get ready for bed. The little girl picked up her homework, stuffed it in her backpack and skipped down the hall.

  “Boss man, you were positively rude to that woman,” Cady chided as Trey slipped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

  “Not nearly as rude as she was. Not even half as rude as I wanted to be,” Trey said, leaning back and shaking his head. “How could that horrid woman be Lindsay’s mother? They don’t share a thing in common, from what I can see.”

  “Trent did say Lindsay takes after her dad. Apparently in more ways than one,” Cady commented. “Wouldn’t you want to be getting her for a mother-in-law.”

  “I’d tuck tail and run for the hills,” Trey said. “Unless, of course, she happened to be your mother. In that case, I’d send her on an extended trip to Europe without a return ticket, change our phone numbers and identities and never hear from her again.”

  “That’s not nice.” Cady smacked him on the arm. “Funny, but certainly not nice. Poor Lindsay. I wonder what her mother wanted?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure whatever it is, Lindsay isn’t going to like it,” Trey said, pulling the ponytail holder from his wife’s hair and running his hands through the dark waves. “Mrs. Pierce sure doesn’t have any love lost for our poor Trent, does she?”

  “Not even a speck,” Cady said with a grin.

  ><><

  Trent was well aware of how much Lindsay’s mother disliked him when he asked them to dinner. Her animosity was almost like a living thing in the pickup as he drove to the ranch and again at the dinner table. It wasn’t until she realized Trent wasn’t just some saddle bum that she began to change her tune. It made him angry and annoyed that she was so shallow and conniving. If he were a betting man, he’d drop a hundred dollar bill that she was right now plotting how to use his name and money to further her causes.

  The man that willingly chose to be in that woman’s life was either a saint or the biggest idiot on the planet. Since he liked Lindsay’s dad, he thought he might go with the saint theory.

  It suddenly struck him that if he ever got around to proposing to Lindsay and she said yes, he would be willingly saddling himself with Cruella Pierce, as he secretly called her, for the rest of his life.

  That thought gave him a moment o
f pause, but he quickly chased it away. He loved Lindsay with all his heart and even if he wasn’t quite ready to pop the question, he couldn’t imagine the rest of his life without her in it.

  Lindsay was infuriating and stubborn, beautiful and strong, and so smart. She made him laugh, made him think, made him feel like he was ten-feet tall and on top of the world when they were together. He knew there would never be anyone who completed him as perfectly as Lindsay.

  That was why he was going to have to find a way to make peace with that mother of hers.

  ><><

  “Are you even listening to me?” Christine said, following Lindsay from the living room to the kitchen. Lindsay took a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and tried to wrap it one-handed with a dishtowel. Her mother stood watching her, not once offering any assistance.

  Letting out a sigh of frustration, Lindsay finished wrapping the peas and returned to the front room, sinking down on the couch. If she were lucky her pain meds would soon kick in and she could wake up in the morning with the hope her mother would be long gone.

  “Yes, Mother, I heard every word you said,” Lindsay said, resting her hand on the cold bag of peas.

  “Then why don’t you look like you are paying more attention. If you are going to reel in this Trent, you had better get to work. Goodness sakes, your hair is a mess and you barely have any makeup on and your clothes could use some updating. Let’s go to Portland shopping this Saturday. You are going to have to put some effort into it if you want to catch a decent husband. He’s no doubt been around the block more than a few times and with that kind of experience, you are really going to have to play this smart.”

  “Play, Mother?” Lindsay said, opening her eyes and glaring at her mother. She was tired of her scheming and planning. “First of all, I don’t plan to ‘catch’ a husband as you put it. Second, I will not go shopping with you this Saturday or any Saturday in the near or distance future until you can accept me for who I am. Third, I already love Trent and he loves me. Our feelings for each other have nothing to do with incomes or social status. As hard is this may be for you to understand, Trent loves me for who I am, even with no makeup, messy hair and a smashed hand. There will be no reeling involved, Mother, or playing, scheming, trapping or catching, so let it go. If Trent and I have a future together that remains to be seen, but you will stay out of our relationship and our lives.”