by Jillian Hart
“Me!” Addy called out. “I want to see how the new baby is doing.”
“Me, too,” Cady said above the sudden jingle of a cell phone in the adjacent mudroom. “Oh, I think that’s mine.”
“Look at Dad,” Cheyenne whispered as Cady slipped from the room. “He doesn’t want us to know, but he’s keeping an eye on Cady. He’s always aware of her.”
“They seem really serious.” Eloise managed to find the words, but she couldn’t take her attention away from Sean. Distantly, she realized the dishcloth was missing from her hand.
“Dad is completely head over heels when it comes to Cady.” Cheyenne balled up the cloth and tossed it. It sailed across the island to land in the sink.
“Two points.” Addy headed to the living room, gripped the sides of the archway and leaned in, pitching her voice to be heard above the roar of the game. “I know it’s exciting in here and everything, but we’re heading out. Anyone want to come?”
“It’s batter up,” one of the brothers said.
“Yeah, bases loaded.” Little Owen’s sweet voice made everyone smile. “Tucker and me gotta see what’s gonna happen next. Then can we go to the barn?”
“Then we can go, buddy.” The love for his soon-to-be stepson was impossible to miss.
More conversations rose up, but Eloise heard nothing other than silence as Sean rose from his seat. The distance between them zoomed like a camera in a movie, focusing in until there was no one in the house, no one in the room but him and his slow, incredible smile. Dimples framed the corners of his mouth like a dream, stealing her breath. She leaned on her cane, a little dizzy, a little overwhelmed. Her pulse tripped over itself as she grabbed the edge of the table for balance. Strange how he affected her equilibrium, and it worsened as he paced closer. His bright blue gaze latched onto hers with uncomfortable intensity.
Why was the tingling back? Shivers snapped like bubbles in her spinal column. She gulped, realizing she was alone to face Sean’s approach. Cheyenne had moved away and headed toward the back door with her sisters.
“You look like you’re having a good time.” He ambled up. “Although it can be overwhelming. This branch of the Granger family is just plain crazy.”
“In the best possible way.” She didn’t remember deciding to join him. She fell in stride beside him. The sunshine slanting through the wide picture windows brightened inexplicably. “This reminds me of all the times I stayed over with Cheyenne for supper and sleep-overs when we were kids.”
“Good times?”
“The best. I come from a big family too, so I’m used to all the action.”
“Life would be dull without it. That’s the problem with being a lone wolf.” He held the screen door for her.
“You are a lone wolf?”
“Don’t act so surprised. I thought my solitary wolf thing showed.”
“Not even close.”
“Really? I was sure I radiated aloofness.” Those dimples ought to be illegal in every corner of Wyoming. “I’ll have to try harder.”
“Much harder.” Her cane tapped on the porch boards.
At the rail, Cady smiled as they passed, phone to her ear.
“Yes, Adam. The girls are doing fine. No, Jenny was a gem today. As happy as could be. You’re still coming to pick the girls up on Friday?”
“Daddy! Daddy!” Julianna dashed up the steps with a clatter, hand held out for the phone. Jenny jogged behind her at a slower pace, but judging by her look she was eager to talk to her father, too.
Such nice little girls. Eloise couldn’t help feeling a little wishful. She’d always planned on having kids one day, always wanted to be a mom. She leaned on her pink walking stick on the way down the steps. No man was going to marry her now, so motherhood wasn’t going to happen. It was another loss she had to learn to live with.
“I don’t know how anyone is going to tear Julianna away from the horse she rescued.” Sean matched his pace to hers as they crossed the lawn. “The Stone family should just move out here.”
“I agree. She and Dusty are bonded. It’s been adorable to see how they need each other.” She glanced over her shoulder to watch the girls trade the phone back and forth, the din of their merry chatter as sweet as lark song on the breeze.
“Their father might not be as interested in moving here.”
“Why not? He’s a surgeon. We could use one of those in these parts. There are a few specialists over in Sunshine, but mostly we have to go to Jackson, Boise or Salt Lake City. When Owen had his heart surgery, Sierra took him to Denver.”
“I remember. I had just landed the job with the inn at the time.” She wondered how difficult it had to be for Adam Stone to be separated from his children. His daughters clearly loved him, chattering merrily away, eager for the chance to tell their dad everything they had been up to.
A cow’s moo cut through her thoughts.
“We’re coming, Buttercup. No one has forgotten you.” Sean chuckled. “Buttercup is my sweetie. Isn’t that right, girl?”
The cow lowed, pleased with her status as Sean’s beloved. She wore a necklace of buttercups. A single daisy was stuck jauntily on the fluffy tuft of hair between her ears. Clearly Julianna and Jenny had been spending time with her before their father’s call. Buttercup’s big puppy-dog eyes beamed as she placed her nose in Sean’s outstretched hands and sighed with emotion at seeing him again.
“You have a way with the ladies,” Eloise quipped. “Too bad it’s only with the bovine variety.”
“It’s my lot in life.” He winked, unaware of the image he made with the sun’s low rays painting him in a golden glow. “That’s why I’m a lone wolf. It didn’t always used to be by choice.”
Buttercup batted her long curly eyelashes at him and lipped at the collar of his T-shirt. She drew the fabric into her mouth, holding on tight to him, adoringly.
Yeah, Eloise thought, she knew just how Buttercup felt.
Chapter Twelve
The sound of voices filled the breezeway as Sean knelt to check Wildflower’s cinch. The mare watched him curiously, her ears twitching as she listened to the rise and fall of familiar voices a few feet away. He resisted the urge to pick out one soft alto among all the others just like he was doing his level best not to let his gaze drift over the horse’s gold rump to where the women congregated in front of Sunny’s stall, cooing over the newborn foal.
Lone wolves did not moon after pretty gals. They stayed remote, defenses up, in control of their common sense.
Satisfied the cinch was tight enough, he patted the mare’s neck.
“Looks like we’re ready to go,” he told the mare. “You don’t mind taking Eloise home, do you?”
Wildflower, the good girl that she was, whickered low in her throat, an affable agreement. He walked behind her, placing a hand on her flank and did the same to his gelding, Bandit, who arched his neck and stomped his foot, eager to go. He’d spent the day in his corral, and he was a horse that liked to stay busy and on the move. Sean knew just how he felt.
“Don’t worry, we’ll head out in a minute, buddy, I—” He looked up, spotted Eloise, and forgot whatever else he’d been meaning to say.
She blew him away. Slim and willowy, she leaned against the gate, transfixed by the foal, wonder on her face. She was golden goodness as she glided her fingertips across Star’s forehead—Julianna and Jenny had agreed on the name for the new filly.
“Hi, little one.” It was her musical words that stopped him in his tracks, her delight that stole the air from his lungs. Happy, she glowed as bright as the sun’s rays slanting through the open door, a rare and arresting beauty. The newborn foal’s eyes drifted shut at her tender touch.
“She likes you, Eloise,” Cheyenne said, and Addy chimed in something too but he didn’t register what.
It was nearly impossible to hear a thing over the rush of his pulse thudding in his ears like a death knell.
“I don’t know how you Grangers get any work done.” Eloi
se stopped stroking and the foal’s eyes opened.
“It’s tough,” Cheyenne agreed. “There’s nothing but foals in the fields with their dams and calves in the pastures with their mamas. Most days all you want to do is play with the little ones.”
“She is amazing, wobbling on those long, awkward legs. Adorable.”
“I don’t know how many foals have been born on his ranch, and I am in awe every time,” Cheyenne agreed. “They are so innocent and sweet and knock-kneed. Just too cute.”
Cute, sure. He was in awe, totally. But it wasn’t the foal that captivated him. Not even close. Eloise’s gentle laughter radiated joy as the filly clamped onto the hem of her pink T-shirt with her velvety muzzle. With care, Eloise gently freed her shirt from the little darling’s clutches.
Something nudged his hand, dragging him out of his reverie. It was Sunny, who gave him a look that plainly said she was waiting.
“Sorry, girl.” He tugged a chunk of carrot out of his pocket. She grasped it with her big horsy teeth and her whiskers tickled his palm. As she crunched contentedly, his attention drifted back to Eloise. “Are you ready to head home?”
“I’m not sure I can tear myself away.” Elation rolled through her words.
“I can’t compete. I’m definitely second fiddle to a filly like Star.” He approached the throng of women, knowing full well what his cousins thought about his friendship with Eloise, but he didn’t let other people’s suspicions bother him. “We can stay here as long as you want, but I’ve got the horses saddled and ready.”
“I don’t want to make them stand too long. It’s a beautiful evening.” Eloise swept a lock of silken hair behind her ear and pushed away from the bars. “I wouldn’t want to be tied up in the stable, not on an evening like this. Goodbye, little baby.”
The foal’s ears swiveled, taking in the sounds. Her chocolate fudge eyes were wide and curious as she watched the human walk away from her. Her mother, at her side, gave a low whicker of reassurance. His cousins called out their goodbyes and Eloise returned them. Could he listen? No, not with Eloise at his side.
“I saddled Cheyenne’s saddle horse, Wildflower, for you.” He slowed his gait to match her uneven one.
“Hey, girl.” She held out her free hand for the mare to scent. “We know each other from way back, don’t we?”
In answer, Wildflower lowered her head for a scratch, which Eloise obliged. His spirit brightened simply from watching her.
“I thought that might be the case.” He knelt and laced his fingers together. “Need a boost?”
“No, but since you are already down there …” Trouble twinkled along with dark green flecks in her irises as she turned her attention to him. “You may as well make yourself useful.”
“Useful.” The full focus of her gaze walloped him, leaving him breathless. It was all he could do to stay steady as she planted her foot in the palms of his hands. “Glad to know I’m good for something around here.”
“Oh, I’m sure you must have some value in addition to being useful.”
“If I do, that’s news to me.” He lifted effortlessly, boosting her into the saddle. “If I have so much value, you might have to hang out with me more often.”
“I’m not sure I would go that far.” Leather creaked as she settled into place, towering like a princess on a throne.
“It seems to me if I have such merit you wouldn’t hesitate.” He snatched the cane she’d left behind and tucked it behind the saddle, then tightened the ties until it was secure.
“Oh, there’s the male ego. I knew it was there. Every man has it.”
“Please, don’t go confusing me with other guys. I’m not that bad, am I?” He untied Wildflower’s right rein from the wall hook and drew it up for Eloise to take.
“I said you had some merits. That doesn’t erase your many, many flaws.” Dimples hooked the edges of her pretty mouth.
No one could make him laugh the way Eloise could. He untied Bandit and swung into the saddle. “Fine, I have a few flaws. More than a few flaws. See, I’m better than other men since I can admit it.”
“Yes, clearly superior.”
His big black gelding tossed his head, ready to roll. Sean pressed his heels and the horse responded, eager to get out in the summer evening.
Birds chirped and flitted from fence post to tree. Horses grazed. In the fields far up the hillside cattle lounged, looking like a mass of black dots against the stunning grassland. The clomp of hooves as he and Eloise rode together down the hill was about the most companionable thing he’d ever known.
Now this is friendship, he thought, watching the gentle breeze flutter through the ends of Eloise’s hair. He and she were two like souls out for a ride, enjoying the summer evening. He wasn’t noticing in the slightest that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He’d hardly even glanced at her soft rosebud mouth upturned in a smile. As for his crazy attempt to kiss her?
Forgotten. Wiped from his memory permanently.
“Let’s cut through the fields,” he suggested. It was shorter than following the roads to her house and more scenic.
“Just what I was thinking.” She tugged the brim of her Stetson lower against the sun. “It’s a perfect evening for riding.”
“That it is.” Perfect. That was the exact word he’d been searching for. Nothing could be finer than being on the back of his horse with her riding at his side. He breathed in the fragrance of the windswept meadows and felt her shadow fall across him as he sidled Bandit up to the gate to unlatch it.
“I was just wondering why Buttercup wasn’t dashing up to us.” Eloise rode past him into the field, stirring his heart like ripples in a pond.
Remember, you don’t feel a thing, he told himself and followed Eloise into the pasture. Feelings were what got a man into big trouble. Heartbreak trouble. He swung the gate closed behind him. The horse waited with a swish of his tail while Sean secured the latch and double-checked it.
“No wonder,” Eloise said as if from a thousand miles away. It was hard to hear anything over the crazy drumming in his ears. She sat straight in her saddle, gently gorgeous and quietly dazzling. “The girls are busy adoring Buttercup appropriately.”
“That cow is the most spoiled bovine in the state. Maybe in the entire country.”
“Perhaps the whole continent?”
It took all his effort to focus on the gathering at the far end of the field, since his eyesight seemed fixated on Eloise against his will. He tried to focus on the two little girls flanking tall, slender Cady, but everything was blurry. The trio were petting Buttercup and adding a crown of daisies to the top of her head. “There ought to be a law.”
“Yes, animal pampering ought to be regulated,” she quipped, although a layer of seriousness remained beneath.
He knew what she was thinking. He winced because he didn’t think he could ever get the sight of those half-starved horses out of his head. That had been an emotional day. Proof that emotions were best avoided, since they had led to his disastrous attempt to kiss her. From here on out, no emotions allowed. “Here’s my law. All animals should be pampered.”
“I would vote for it. That’s always been my rule.” She patted Wildflower’s neck and the mare nickered as if she were in total agreement, too.
“That’s why I love working with Uncle Frank.” He steeled his chest so no emotions could sneak in and cause all sorts of trouble. “I love ranching, I love working outdoors, I love cows. I could have hired on at a lot of other big operations in the state. There are always openings.”
“But you wanted to work with your uncle.”
“Yes. Not just because he’s my dad’s brother, but because of what he stands for.” He liked that Eloise understood that and understood him. He relaxed a little, rocking in the saddle slightly in time with Bandit’s gait. “He’s a top-notch rancher and he treats his animals right.”
“You want to learn from him.”
“I want to be like him.” He ke
pt his attention on the ground ahead where a worn trail wove its way through the tall grass and nodding wildflowers. Amazing that Eloise could instantly see what his parents had not been able to get. “He has a gift with animals, and he’s good to them. He respects them. There’s never a harsh word used, never a whip, never an electric cattle prod. Every steer, cow and calf has a name and they aren’t solely a means to making a profit, but they are the point of the ranch. There is a reward in ranching the right way that no amount of money made can begin to compete with.”
“Sounds noble to me.”
“Glad you think so.” Her opinion mattered to him. He let silence settle between them, broken only by the occasional creak of a saddle and the rhythmic plod of horse hooves. Bandit’s mane rippled when he lifted his head to scent the wind. Wildflower danced closer to avoid a sudden flurry of a killdeer bursting out of the grasses and crying out, feigning an injured wing to lead them away from her nest.
“I think that’s the secret to a happy life.” She didn’t rein Wildflower away but let the mare walk alongside Bandit, so close Sean could reach out and catch her hand with his.
Not that he wanted to hold her hand. But he could.
“What’s the secret?” he asked.
“That happiness can’t be found necessarily in the big successes of life or the material benefits, but in the things that can’t be measured. In knowing you are doing things the right way. Living your life with honor. Living with your heart.” She caught her hat with one hand as she tipped her head back, breathing in the scent of the winds and letting the gold-layered sun rays paint her with sepia tones. “It’s also pretty nice riding horses on an amazing summer evening like this.”
“It is pretty amazing. The evening, I mean. The horse ride.” And her. She was awesome and so full of life that her emotions tugged him along with her, forcing him to feel. Not the easy things like the warmth of the sun on his face, but the hope that could be found when he peeled back the scars on his heart and looked beneath the surface.
“It’s what I’ve been struggling with,” she confessed. “I’ve had so many losses since the accident, not just having to give up skating.”