by Amanda Renee
“There must be a million cattle out there! This place is incredible.”
Through Miranda’s eyes, Jesse truly saw Four Oaks Ranch for the first time. Each ranch had always been just another potential customer. He took its simple beauty for granted until he witnessed her amazement. As they watched the swell of brown-and-white Hereford in the distance, he realized every rancher probably had the same hopes and dreams he did.
“You see out there?” Jesse pointed to a couple of men on horseback. “Those are cutting horses. They can anticipate the cattle’s next move before the rider does. Those dogs are Australian cattle dogs, same as Max. In fact, Max is one of Blueford’s pups.”
Together as one, both man and beast danced across the land. Every step was precise yet graceful. Each horse led its rider through a perilous maze, where one false move could trigger a lethal stampede in an instant. The dogs yipped and nipped as they rounded up the stragglers left behind.
“You trained those horses?” Miranda said, unable to take her eyes off the group of riders.
“Sure did. That’s Jitterbug, closest to us. Toughest darn horse to train, but worth every minute of it. He turned out to be the best one yet, outside of General Lee.”
Above all else, Jesse took pride in his work. He wasn’t shy about showing it, not even to her. As proud as he was, his years at Double Trouble had ended. It was time to move on. It was a shame, too. Eight horses remained in the stables and he was in the process of training seven of them. Now he’ll have to start over in Abilene. Something he didn’t look forward to. Unless he could convince Miranda to change her mind and sell him the ranch. Deep down, he knew that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. She dug her nails in deeper and held on tighter every day.
They reached the stable area as Blueford stepped down from a sleek black gelding. He was a man of distinction in his Stetson and leather chaps. Gray temples in sharp contrast to his blue-black hair gave him a certain air of sophistication. The men shook hands and exchanged a pat on the back hug.
“And who do we have here?” Blueford tipped his hat toward Miranda.
“Miranda Archer. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Blueford Thomas, ma’am.” He took her hand in his. “Jesse, my boy, you sure know how to pick ’em.”
“I didn’t pick her. I got saddled with her for the time being.” Miranda crinkled up her nose at his statement. “She’s the new owner of Double Trouble.”
“Is that so?” Blueford stepped back as if to size up her abilities to maintain a ranch. “Where are you from, pretty lady?”
“Washington, D.C., Mr. Thomas. And before you ask, no, I don’t have any ranch experience. I just have a little more than I bargained for.”
“Please, call me Blue.” He laughed. “Honey, anyone involved with this fella here always gets more than they bargain for. He’s a handful, but damn good with a horse.”
“We’re not involved,” Jesse interjected as he walked around the trailer and began to unload the horses.
“Give him time,” Blueford whispered to Miranda. “He’ll come around.”
“Oh, I don’t think—”
“Blue, you want to give me a hand here?” Jesse cut her off before she said something she would probably regret.
Blueford whistled for one of his men to join him. They saddled the horses and rode out to a round pen. Effortless in their movements, they twisted and turned, moving each head of cattle through a chute and into a smaller corral.
Jesse watched the masterpiece he created from the top fence rail. Like a proud father watching his son’s baseball game, horses had become his children. Only they didn’t take the place of the void his heart was feeling of late. His dreams died when the ranch was sold. Now there was a chance he could have everything he worked for back again. Nothing would stop him this time.
“Jesse, you’ve outdone yourself.” Blueford patted Hawkeye’s neck. “I’m mighty impressed with these two. What do you think, Ty?”
Ty reined Charisma to a stop in front of Miranda.
“He’s a real beaut, Blue, like the little woman here. Pardon me, ma’am.” He tipped his hat and leaned toward her from his saddle. “I think you have something in your eye. Nope, it’s just a sparkle.”
Miranda blushed. She glanced up at Jesse and grinned. Heat rose to his face as well, but not from embarrassment. That Ty was so vain Jesse was surprised the man hadn’t broken his arm patting himself on the back.
“This here is Miranda, the new owner of Double Trouble,” Blueford said.
Horse and rider moved closer as he bent down to shake her hand. When he held on to her hand longer than he should have, Miranda seemed to relish the attention. Please tell me she didn’t bat her eyelashes at this guy. Time to leave. A storm is coming, after all.
“Well, Blue, I’m glad you like them. Here are their records and feeding schedule. Same as last time. We need to get going, though.”
“What’s the rush, son? Stay, have some lunch and head back a little later. Give me a chance to get to know this new rancher a little better.” Blueford winked at Miranda.
“Some other time. It’s clouding up and I’m sure you have work to do.” Jesse directed the last part straight at Ty who still clung to Miranda’s hand.
“It’s only getting dark because all the sunshine in the world is in this pretty lady’s smile,” Ty said.
“Winnie would love to see you. She’d be downright hurt if you didn’t say hello.” Blueford turned to Miranda. “Winnie’s my better half. Now come on in the house. Bet Jesse had you up at the crack of dawn, didn’t he?”
Blueford led Miranda to the main house. Jesse blocked Ty’s path so he wouldn’t follow. Miranda had her hands full as it was. She didn’t need a cowboy with his britches on fire, hot on her heels.
I’m not jealous. I’m looking out for her. I’m not jealous.
After lunch and a quick tour of the ranch, they said their goodbyes. Jesse couldn’t hightail it out of there fast enough. Ty wormed his way into a lunch invitation and managed to captivate Miranda throughout the entire meal.
“Such nice people,” Miranda said as they drove away from Four Oaks. “Looks like the horses have a good home.”
“Here’s your money.” Jesse removed a folded check out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her. “I had Blueford make it out in your name.”
“What’s this for?”
“Ed Carter always got a share of the training side of things in exchange for the use of his stables and land. This is your portion and I told you I would give you my share when we made our bet.”
“Keep it. I’ll have to give you money anyway for feed and whatever else you need.” Miranda pulled a pen from the visor and signed the check over to him. “I don’t want you coming to me every time we need something, and then insulting me because I don’t know what you’re talking about. Use it however you see fit.”
Her words stung. She made him sound like a bully. But Jesse didn’t protest. He’d be a fool not to accept the money and he was tired of feeling like a fool lately.
Jesse death gripped the steering wheel at the thought of Miranda’s flirtations with Ty. And the way she hung on his every word about ranch life almost sent Jesse over the edge.
“It should be me,” he muttered under his breath.
“What?” Miranda asked.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jesse said, harder than he meant to.
“Fine. If you want to sit there and talk
to yourself, be my guest.”
It amazed him how she could push him aside without a care in the world but get downright neighborly with a total stranger. Yes, he was a stranger, too. One she had to live with, for now.
“Did I do something?” Miranda asked in a quiet voice.
“No.”
“Then why the attitude?”
“I don’t have an attitude!” Again, his words were harsher than he meant them to be.
“If that’s not an attitude, then I don’t know what is.”
Dark clouds filled the sky, turning day into darkness. Rain started to fall, and within minutes, Jesse wasn’t able to see past the hood of the truck. The wind whipped the trailer from side to side, as he fought to keep them on the narrow two-lane road. He knew they shouldn’t have stayed at Blueford’s as long as they had. Nevertheless, his old friend wouldn’t have it any other way.
Lightning struck the road a few yards ahead of them. Miranda jumped toward the middle of the seat. Her body lightly brushed his, sending a chill up the back of his neck.
What on God’s green earth is wrong with me? This is the enemy.
Jesse didn’t understand how he could be so attracted to the woman who stole his future. Maybe it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. He didn’t have time or the patience to get involved with one now. It was time to move on, not start a relationship of any kind.
The rain came down heavier, forcing Jesse to pull off the road. Miranda questioned him without saying a word.
“I can’t drive this rig any further.” He leaned over the steering wheel to get a better view of the sky. “We’ll stay here until it lets up.”
Jesse turned the engine off and rested his head against the window. The temperature had dropped a good fifteen degrees outside. Miranda shivered. He was tempted to pull her close and keep her warm, but his senses got the better of him. He reached behind the seat, grabbed a denim shirt and handed it to her.
“Put this on.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t look at him.
Jesse closed his eyes. She was quiet. Too quiet. He opened one eye to see her staring at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to figure you out.”
“Nothing to figure out.” Jesse closed his eyes again. “What you see is what you get.”
“I don’t think so.” Miranda yawned. “But if you’re so determined to hate me, then so be it. I can’t force you to like me.”
“I don’t hate you, Miranda.” Jesse lifted his head. “It’s the circumstances I hate. In any other situation, I’d probably be asking you for a date.”
Miranda didn’t respond. He knew she would never be interested in a cowboy. Except maybe to play out a little nighttime fantasy. And he wasn’t one for a brief fling, although they seemed to be all he ever had. A relationship with him would be beneath her. Something her folks would probably see red over.
He listened as the rain hit the roof of the truck. It didn’t look like it would let up anytime soon. With good weather, they would be lucky if they made it home by midnight. The only thing they could do at this point was to find a motel and spend the night. Jesse searched for the weather on the radio. The reporter forecasted torrential rain and high wind gusts for the remainder of the night.
“What are we going to do now?” Miranda asked.
“Best we can do is find a place to hunker down for the night,” Jesse said as he drove down the road at a snail’s pace.
When a motel came into view, they decided to try for a couple of rooms. The parking lot was full, but the vacancy light still glowed red.
* * *
WHILE MIRANDA WAITED in the truck, Jesse checked them in at the front desk. Sheets of rain made it impossible to see more than a few feet beyond the window.
She had to laugh to herself when she thought about Jesse’s reaction to Ty’s friendliness toward her. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn he was jealous. She was sure that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t manage to be civil to her for more than ten minutes at a time.
The truck door flew open, catching Miranda off guard. Jesse hopped in, soaked to the bone. He handed her a room key.
“Thanks.” She fingered the room key. “Which room are you in?”
“The same one as you, sugar.” He winked. “We got the last one.”
No Vacancy lit up under the motel sign.
“You’re what?” Miranda hadn’t considered they might share a room. “I guess it’ll be okay. As long as you stay in your own bed.”
“Have no fear, ma’am.” Jesse touched the brim of his hat. “You’ll leave with your virtue still intact.”
They made a mad dash for the shelter of the overhang above the motel room doors. When they located their room, Jesse opened the door and flicked the light switch on.
“Uh-oh.”
“What’s wrong?” Miranda pushed her way past him. “You planned this, didn’t you?”
The dimly lit room was cheap and nothing short of sleazy. Like something straight out of Psycho. There was a double bed in the center and two chairs on either side of a small table by the window. A television sat atop a small dresser at the foot of the bed. A four-star motel it wasn’t.
A one-star motel would be an improvement over this.
“No, Miranda. I didn’t plan this. I never thought to ask if the room had two beds. I’ll sleep in the chairs. Somehow.”
Miranda paced the entire length of the room in a few short strides. There was barely room for the furniture, let alone the two of them. She turned to look at Jesse. There was no possible way for him to sleep in those chairs. The thought of sharing a bed with him both excited and frightened her.
She didn’t fear he would take advantage of the situation. In fact, she’d bet her life he would go out of his way to ignore her. That fact may have bothered her more. She alone knew they shared a common bond. They both wanted a family to call their own. The only problem was Jesse knew nothing about her. And she wasn’t ready to reveal her past yet.
He would never understand how she felt when her mother died or the future she turned down with Ethan. He certainly wouldn’t have any respect for her winning the lottery, not with all the nasty comments he’d made.
“Maybe we should find another place to stay.”
Jesse motioned outside. “Have you seen what it’s doing out there?” He closed the door behind him. “We’re both tired and it’s only until the storm passes. Get some sleep and we’ll be on the road before you know it.”
“But what about the horses back home? Who will take care of them tonight?”
“I already called Aaron when I checked in.”
“Aaron? The man you love to hate? Doesn’t he have his own ranch to run?”
“Not everyone owns a ranch. I may not think much of him when it comes to women, but he’s the best horseman I know. Outside of myself.”
That’s right. No one’s better than you are. Can you be any more pompous?
“You stay on your side of the room.” With the door closed, the space seemed even smaller. “I smell horsey. I need a shower.”
And some space.
Miranda closed the bathroom door behind her. As she braced herself against it, she surveyed the dingy tiled room. It was better than nothing. Depends on your definition of nothing.
Stranded in a motel room with Jesse, in the middle of nowhere, was the last place and first place she wa
nted to be right now. While her attraction toward him was almost unbearable, she couldn’t get past his attitude. He called it “Texas charm.” Miranda called it pure crap.
If he tore down the walls long enough to let her in, they might be able to become friends and work something out as far as the ranch was concerned. Then again, she was just as much at fault as he was.
While she undressed, she had to admit one thing to herself. As trashy as the motel was, sleeping in a bed would be a huge improvement over her sleeping bag on the floor. As long as the sheets were clean.
Miranda finished with her shower, stepped from the tub and wrapped an almost nonexistent towel around her. The door opened and in walked Jesse. Toothbrush in hand, he headed for the sink.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
“Brushing my teeth,” he said matter-of-factly. “What does it look like?”
“Looks like you barged in while I was taking my shower.”
“No, I waited until I heard you turn the water off. Got you a toothbrush. They sell them at the front desk.”
“How sweet of you,” Miranda said sarcastically. She felt the towel start to slip and struggled to keep covered.
“I thought so.” He nodded.
“Do you mind?” Miranda said as she gestured toward the door.
“Not at all. Pay no mind to me.” He turned the water on and started to brush his teeth. “You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”
Miranda silently fumed. How dare he lump her together with his other women. She threw caution to the wind and dropped her towel to the floor.