The Cowboy's Lady

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “Cade told me it was worth coming to the cookhouse for,” he said, rubbing his hands over his damp jeans. “He was right.”

  Vivienne tossed him a quick smile over her shoulder as she walked to the refrigerator. She slid open the glass door and pulled out a jug of milk.

  Cody inhaled the heady scent of his supper, then ducked his head and thanked God for the food. For the day. And asked God to make sure he didn’t make a fool of himself in front of Vivienne.

  Because her presence was more alluring than the most gourmet dinner she could have made.

  She set a glass of milk in front of him and a glass of water.

  Cody picked up the glass of water and toasted her with it. “To the cook, with grateful thanks.”

  “You just eat,” she said, a flush staining her cheeks.

  And for the next few moments, Cody allowed himself to enjoy to the fullest the meal Vivienne had served him. He had to catch himself from groaning with pleasure with each bite, it tasted so amazing.

  “This is fantastic” was all he could mumble as he cut off another piece of chicken, trying to figure out what she had done to it. “I’ve never tasted anything like this before.”

  “Parmesan chicken. Secret recipe given to me by a fellow student in Paris,” she said with a coy grin. She sat across the little table from him, which made him feel more awkward.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” he said as he finished off the meal. Tabitha wasn’t much of a cook, so even when he was married he had often eaten with the men, but his previous cook seldom, if ever, saved dinner for them. And if he did, it was usually a plate dished up and waiting on the counter, congealed, cold and unappealing.

  He had never been waited on like this, and it didn’t help that the person waiting on him was Vivienne Clayton.

  She smiled at him, then took his plate when he was done. “You want some more?”

  “It was delicious, but I’m full.”

  “Too full for dessert?”

  He could only stare at her, open-mouthed. “Seriously?”

  “Actually, it’s apple pie, but I can give you a side of ‘seriously’ if that’s what you prefer.”

  He laughed at that and lifted his hands. “What can I say? You’ve hit my soft spot.”

  “So I was told.”

  She came back with a generous wedge of apple pie, the crust flaky and light and a large scoop of ice cream on the side. The golden crust had flakes so fine you could see through them. And the aroma was, again, familiar and yet different.

  “Gourmet apple pie,” she said, setting the plate in front of him with a flourish. “Enjoy.” She poured him a cup of coffee, then poured one for herself and once again sat down across the table from him.

  Before he took a bite of the pie, he looked across the table at her and felt a peculiar sense of home.

  This feels right, he thought, hardly daring to examine the situation too closely. He was sitting across the table from Vivienne Clayton. She had just served him dinner and pie and was now sharing a cup of coffee with him. If someone would have told him—

  “Did you find the cow?” she asked, cradling her mug between her hands, her head tipped slightly to one side.

  “Yes, I did.” He wiped his mouth and took a sip of scalding coffee that added an extra flush of warmth.

  “I’m glad. The boys said you were worried.”

  “I don’t like seeing orphaned calves,” he said.

  “I’m not surprised.”

  Cody wondered what she meant by that, but he didn’t want to ask. He finished off the pie and resisted the urge to lick the plate.

  “That was…amazing. Don’t know how else to say it. Just a great dinner.”

  “And simple.”

  He cocked her a quick smile. “If you want to call it that.”

  “Hey, for me it was.”

  A comfortable silence followed her comment and as they drank their coffee Cody marveled that he could feel so at ease with her.

  “So how was your day?” he asked, resting his elbows on the table, a move that brought him just a little closer to her.

  “I cleaned out the freezer and discovered some interesting souvenirs from your previous cook.” He frowned.

  “One of the men told me they are called prairie oysters in some circles.”

  Cody laughed. “Ah, yes. Stimpy kept threatening to serve us those. Never did.”

  “That you know of,” she said with an impish grin.

  He laughed again. She told him about a few other things she had discovered. He told her about the cow gather that was coming up. The conversation shifted from work to life. He asked her what the minister preached about on Sunday, and he was pleased to find out that she remembered.

  The conversation grew easy and flowed from family to community to thoughts on God and hopes.

  She got up and poured him another cup of coffee, and neither of them made any move to leave. As they talked Cody felt the attraction that had been just a whisper—just a thought—growing and shifting.

  They were moving into new territory…and though he wasn’t sure he knew his way around this place, he knew he didn’t want to leave. Not yet.

  When Vivienne came to sit down, her chair had moved a bit closer. Now they were practically side by side, their hands almost brushing each other whenever they put their coffee cups down.

  She was laughing at something he said when a strand of hair got stuck on her lips.

  Without thinking, he reached up and, slipping his fingers behind the hair, gently brushed it away. Then his hand was on her chin, his fingertips resting against her cheek.

  She was looking up at him, her eyes wide, shining, her lips parted with…expectation?

  He wasn’t sure what, but he knew he couldn’t simply sit here, his hand on her face, his eyes on hers.

  He leaned closer, and she did, too.

  Their lips met, warm and cool, soft and rough. His hand slipped to her neck, then down her back. Her hand came up and cupped his face, her other hand on his shoulder.

  And then she was in his arms, she was holding him, and their kiss shifted and changed. She moved and laid her head on his chest, her one hand tangling in his damp hair.

  A gentle sigh eased out of her and then she pressed her lips to his neck.

  “Vivienne,” he breathed, unable to say more than her name.

  He wanted her closer, so he pulled her off her chair and onto his lap and she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around him.

  He closed his eyes with contentment. This was so right. He felt as if he had finally come home.

  A sharp whistling pierced the intimate quiet, and Vivienne slowly drew away.

  “It’s the… I’m heating water… The kettle.” She pushed her hair away from her face, then jumped off his lap and hurried to the stove, turning off the burner.

  The whistling stopped, and for a moment she stood at the stove with her back to him.

  Was she regretting the impulse? Was she wishing she hadn’t done anything?

  Then she turned around and her smile warmed his heart and soul.

  “So now what, Cody Jameson?” she asked.

  He pushed his chair back and was about to walk toward her, maybe get another kiss, when the door of the kitchen burst open.

  “Vivienne, can you help me with this problem?” Bonnie called out.

  Then she looked up and saw Cody. She frowned, glanced toward Vivienne then back to him while he hoped and prayed that it wasn’t obvious what had just happened.

  “Hey, Cody. You just get back?” Bonnie asked.

  “Yeah. Vivienne saved supper for me.” At least he didn’t sound as disconcerted as he felt. And he hoped the momentary resentment he felt at his sister’s inopportune arrival didn’t show.

  “Nice. You busy? Can you help me with my math, Cody?”

  Cody was about to protest when Vivienne walked over to his sister. “Here, I’ll help you with it. Cody’s tired.”

  “Okay.” Bonni
e dropped the book down on the little table with a thunk and then frowned and bent over and picked up a gold hoop. “Hey, Vivienne. Did you lose an earring?”

  Cody took a step away. “I gotta check on the horses,” he mumbled and left before Bonnie could see the flush working its way up his neck.

  Vivienne lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her heart still beating out a heavy rhythm in time to the words running through her head like a refrain.

  Cody kissed me. Cody kissed me.

  She shifted to her side, staring at the rivulets of water trickling down the panes of the window.

  Cody kissed me. Cody kissed me.

  And she had kissed him back.

  Now what? She blew out a sigh, her arms folded over her chest. For the past two hours she’d been lying here, her head a whirl of thoughts and worries. What about her future plans? She’d wanted to be a chef for so long. She couldn’t abandon that dream because of a kiss.

  It was more than a kiss.

  The accusing words echoed in her head, and she couldn’t dismiss them. But what was she supposed to do about this mixture of feelings roiling through her mind? Her heart?

  She flipped onto her side, fluffed her pillow, rearranged herself and took another deep breath. And another. Time to sleep. Tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow she would see things differently.

  An hour later, Vivienne’s eyes were still wide open, her mind a snarl of confusion and worries as she stared into the absolute darkness of her room. Finally she gave up on sleep, sat up and clicked on the lamp on her bedside table. Golden light flooded the room, warming the wooden walls and chasing away the tangling thoughts and concerns.

  She sat up and her eyes fell on the Bible sitting on the table by the lamp. She picked it up, fingering the worn edge. Her mother had given her this Bible as a birthday gift after her father died. In those horrible months after his death, she’d read every night. Then, slowly, as she, Zach and Brooke became accustomed to his absence, she read it less. In Paris and New York? Not at all.

  But it had still come with her everywhere she went.

  Now she opened the Bible, turning to the passage the pastor had preached on last Sunday.

  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

  Vivienne let the words settle into her mind. Right now her paths seemed anything but straight. Too many maybes. Too many things out of her control. She’d made plans around her potential inheritance, but if Mei and Lucas didn’t show up, all her work here would be for nothing.

  And yet…

  Her hand came up to her mouth, as if seeking evidence of Cody’s kiss. So much had shifted in that intimate moment, but was she ready to go down that road?

  She reread the passage, remembering the relief she had felt when she thought of releasing her problems to the Lord, as the pastor had encouraged them to do. Reminding them that the things this earth promised were fleeting and empty.

  She repressed a flutter of panic at the thought of letting go of her plans. It seemed like she’d be letting go of herself. How often had her mother reminded her to take care of herself? Had those warnings so taken over her life that she was blind to other possibilities?

  She covered her face with her hands, drew in a cleansing breath and prayed, her voice a thin sound in the emptiness of her cabin. “Please, Lord, help me to trust in you. Help me not to lean on my own understanding. Help me to know what I’m supposed to do.”

  She waited a moment, as if giving the prayer time to make its way to God, then she continued. “And please be with Lucas. Keep him safe wherever he is. And be with Mei…” Another flutter of panic followed that half-finished petition. Mei was a bit of a wild card. She always said she didn’t feel like a true Clayton. Would it matter to Vivienne if Mei decided not to come?

  Then, a realization came crashing into Vivienne’s mind. Should it matter to anyone? If Mei didn’t come and none of them got the inheritance, would their lives be worse for it? Should the money matter that much to any of them? Shouldn’t their concern be more for Mei herself than what her presence meant financially to any of them?

  She looked back at the Bible passage. “Trust in the Lord.”

  The ragged edges of her worry eased as the words soothed her concerns. “Trust in the Lord.” After all, as she had known since she was a little girl, the Lord was her shepherd. She would not want. And for now, she was with her family.

  And there was Cody.

  She covered her face, praying once again for her family, for the people on the ranch and then, toward the end, for wisdom for herself and for peace for Cody.

  Chapter Ten

  The next day dawned bright and sunny. As Vivienne walked from her cabin to the cookhouse, she saw the mountains, snowcapped and towering over the ranch, as if protecting it. The moisture that had been rain down in the valley had been snow up high, and the peaks glistened pristine white.

  She stopped a moment, enjoying the play of light on the rocks and snow, the intriguing shadows they created on the mountain’s crags and valleys.

  “You’re looking chipper today.”

  The deep voice behind her made her jump. Be calm, she told herself. Be levelheaded. Then she turned.

  Cody walked toward her, the smile on his face making nonsense of her moment of composure. Her answering smile almost hurt her cheeks.

  “Nice day today,” she said, reaching for the ordinary, the inane.

  He didn’t stop until he was right in front of her. His face only inches from hers. His hazel eyes were warm, and his smile raised a whisper of hope inside her.

  “Wonderful day.” Then he moved past her, but not before he caught her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze that sent her heart fluttering as quickly as his kiss had yesterday.

  When she brought breakfast out, he had a secret smile just for her. Afterward, he came to the kitchen to thank her, then he stayed an extra few minutes, just chatting.

  When he left, she felt as if the day had just lost some sparkle. She knew she wouldn’t see him again until suppertime. So she got her work done for the morning and then grabbed her coat and pulled on her boots. As she zipped them up, she pulled a face. If she was going to do this walking thing more often, she would need better boots than these heeled ones. As she headed out the door, she promised herself that she’d buy some proper hiking boots soon.

  “Vivienne. Vivienne.”

  The voice calling her name stopped her. Cody? She turned and there he was, walking toward her, his hat pushed back on his head, his welcoming smile softening his face.

  “I thought you and the guys had to fix fences today?” She kept her question light, not daring to delve into why he was hanging around the ranch and not working as hard as he had been the last few weeks. She zipped up her coat and turned up the collar. In spite of the sun, a fall chill lacing the air hinted at winter.

  “I’ve got enough men to delegate the work to,” he said with a curious grin. “Besides, as Uncle Ted said, there’s got to be some perks to being the boss, and today I’m just taking advantage of that.” He angled his chin at her coat. “Where you going for your walk today?”

  “No place special.” She didn’t want to admit to him that her initial plan was to head out toward the pasture. To watch the men—and Cody—working on the fences. She wasn’t sure where they were, but she was willing to spend some time trying to find them.

  Now he had found her.

  “Have you been up to the waterfalls?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  “You have to see them,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle nudge in the opposite direction of the pasture. “We’ll go down this path. It’s a bit of a hike uphill.” He glanced down at her boots and frowned. “You want to change?”

  “I’ll be okay,” she said, not willing to admit to him that this was all she had other than high-heeled shoes or the flats she wor
e when she was cooking. “I’ve walked in these before.”

  “Okay,” he said, as if he didn’t believe her. Which made her all the more determined to show him she could. He started walking and she followed.

  While they walked he pointed out an unusual out-cropping of rock, the way the trees changed and how the air got cooler.

  She responded with a few comments, but because the walk was mostly uphill it took all her energy to focus on breathing and making sure she didn’t twist her ankle in these silly city boots.

  Twenty minutes later, her feet were burning, her arches ached, but the growing sound of rushing water helped her to push on.

  “We’re just about there,” Cody said over his shoulder. Then he stepped off the path and pushed aside some spruce tree branches and stood to one side, indicating she had to go through. “Watch for the roots,” he said, as she walked past him. “It’s only a few more feet.”

  She followed the barely discernible path, taking careful steps with throbbing feet, but then the trees disappeared and so did her breath.

  A huge chasm yawned in front of them, damp and rocky.

  To her right, a silver stream of water dropped over fifty feet, tumbling and splashing over boulders and rocks into the creek at the bottom of the cut in the rocks. A gentle mist roiled up from the creek, creating an ethereal view of the trees clinging to the cliffs across from them.

  A wave of dizziness washed over her at the depth of the gorge, and she reached to grab a tree. However, the only thing she caught was Cody’s arm. He steadied her, then slipped his arm around her shoulder.

  “So, was this worth the walk?”

  Thankful for his support, she looked back at the view in front of her, overcome by the rugged beauty and the space yawning below her.

  She drew in a steadying breath and shook her head. “It’s amazing. I didn’t know this waterfall was on the ranch.”

  “There’s two more. They’re higher up, but this one is the closest to the yard.” His voice was a rumble against her side, and she found herself wanting to lean into him. To rest against him, to let him hold her up.

  She hadn’t felt that way around a man for so long, it left her feeling breathless and unsure.