Choices

by Federici, Teresa

  “We’ve treated her with nothing but derision since she came in here.” He said, “Including me.”

  “I was very nice when she came in here asking for directions to Wal-Mart, you know that. At least you should, you were listening at the door.” Kassey replied, looking disgruntled.

  “I was not listening at the door.”

  “You sure were, I saw you open it a crack then shut it. What, you didn’t want to come in here with her in the room? Kassey told me you’re sweet on her.” Ben countered, laughing.

  “I am not sweet on her because she’s nowhere near my league. I get the feeling from her that she’s out here, getting over a bad divorce.” Logan replied, pointing a finger at Ben. This was going in a direction he did not want to go in.

  “Yeah and what’s up with that? A divorced woman coming out here by herself? No husband, no kids, and Kassey said she’s booked the cabin for two weeks for only one person, no friends joining her. Something smells funny to me, and it ain’t Jake’s boots.” Ben shot back, nudging Jake’s foot with one of his.

  “That is kinda unusual” Jake finally spoke.

  “Well, whatever, just try to treat her with some respect from now on. I’m going to invite her up for dinner to the house tonight. Maybe we can show her that we’re not all rude jackasses.”

  “Dinner at the house? Why Logan, you haven’t invited any of our guest over for dinner before. Why the change of heart?” Kassey asked, batting her eyes at him. Logan took a deep breath before answering, or else he’d haul off and hit someone, and it couldn’t be Kassey because she was a woman, so he would have to hit Ben and then that would just be counter-productive.

  “As we’ve stated before in this conversation, she’s alone out here. The other times, we’ve had full families out here, not single women.”

  “Ah, but she’s not just single, she’s newly single. Maybe she’s out here to try and find someone new.” Ben speculated, tapping a finger on his chin.

  “Well, for whatever reason she’s here, let’s try to be nice, okay?”

  “I still think you’re mighty interested in her.” Ben stated. Logan ignored him, but he had a point. With an inward sigh, he stalked to the front door, jammed his hat on his head and with a last glare at everyone, opened the door and headed out to do some work.

  He was watching for her to get back. He knew he shouldn’t be, but his horse had just gravitated to the pasture next to the cabin, and he had been helpless to stop her.

  Abby had been on his mind all day. He knew he had dreamed of her, but he couldn’t remember his dreams from the night before. The mystery of why she was here alone puzzled him. He knew next to nothing about her, other than she was raised in White Fish on a cattle ranch. That had just upped her intrigue factor for him. She seemed to be very centered, with no airs about her, but she was definitely money.

  Lord knows, her body was enough to incite lust in a dead man. She was so tiny, almost fragile, but her body curved nicely under her clothes and her tight fitting, low-waisted jeans hugged shapely thighs before flaring into a boot cut. Her waist was small, her breasts high and firm.

  And he really needed to not think like this.

  He shifted in the saddle, trying to find a comfortable position. His jeans had become awfully tight. Maybe he should dismount and jump into the freezing cold stream. It was shameful that a woman he barely knew could bring him to this. He wasn’t an untried boy who couldn’t keep it in his pants, nor was he some freak who ran around thinking with his dick.

  But he couldn’t stop thinking about her eyes, so green they looked like emeralds, and her hair that fell down to her waist in a fiery wave. Her mouth, with its full bottom lip he just wanted draw into his mouth.

  Logan shook his head from side to side, as if he were trying to throw that vision out of his head. That’s when he saw her SUV coming up the road.

  He groaned. Great. His traitorous mind and body had worked him into such a state he couldn’t even get off his horse. He gave himself some time to get it together, tried to think about something unpleasant, like boiling in oil.

  Abby got out of the truck and saw him out in the pasture next to the cabin, on the other side of the stream. Oh God, did he have to be on a horse? She watched as he slowly came across the pasture, until he got to the stream. He stopped for a moment and it looked like he shifted in the saddle. Then the horse was picking its way across the stream, and Abby just stared. There was nothing as sexy as a cowboy on a horse. He sat straight in the saddle, swaying gently with the horse’s movement. As he brought the horse to stand right in front of her, she cocked her head back and brought her hand up to shield her eyes.

  He was wearing a tan work jacket and jeans. His hat was pulled low on his head, and he had a pair of sunglasses on. He took them off when he dismounted and stood next to his horse, one arm thrown over the saddle.

  “Hey, Abby. You settling in here?” his rough voice washed over her, warming her insides. That was so wrong.

  “Uh, yeah, thanks. Went to Wal-Mart, got some food, bought a jacket.” God she sounded so stupid. She reached up and ran her hand down his horse’s forehead, rubbing underneath the forelock where the bridle sat.

  “What’s his name?” She asked, trying to think of something else to talk about before she blurted out how much she wanted to throw him to the ground.

  “Actually, it’s a she. Her name is Bridger. Been with me a long time.” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her hand stroking his horse, wishing she would stroke him like that.

  “Look, I just wanted to invite you up to the main house tonight for dinner.” he said, the words coming out almost defensive.

  Abby blanched. Was she being obvious? He wanted her to come up to the main house? Did he sense that she wanted to throw herself at him, despite her trying so hard to not put those vibes out there? Her mind really shouldn’t be there. She was trying to get on with life, not get a boyfriend.

  Logan heard what came out of his mouth and backpedaled quickly.

  “Dinner with everyone else, I mean. Not just me. God that sounds bad. Kassey will be there, with Ben, my manager, whom you’ve met. And Jake, another ranch hand. We all eat together every night.” Logan hung his head. Now he had scared her. He had seen her face turn white, and now she probably thought he was a pervert, a sex maniac that preyed on women alone on his ranch.

  “Oh, that sounds great. I appreciate it. What time?” Abby asked, wondering if he knew she was mentally drooling over him.

  Logan turned back to Bridger and mounted, swinging his leg gracefully over the back of the horse. Abby wished he would’ve stayed down on the ground. He looked ever so doable on his horse, thinking that was what her friend Joyce would say.

  “We eat at 6, so just drive on over when you want. The main entrance to the house is in back, so when you come back up the road, instead of going around to the front, take that side road and it’ll put you at the kitchen door.” Logan said, adjusting his hat, and shifting again in the saddle. He felt like a complete idjit.

  “Okay, I’ll be there.” Abby replied, tipping her head back again to look up at him. Could you be any more obvious, Abby? She watched him ride away, toward the stable she had noticed this morning when she had left. Well, at least she didn’t have to cook tonight, and dinner conversation should be interesting. She was interested in finding out more about a man who has dinner with his employees. In some respects, he reminded her of her father.

  Abby stepped onto the back porch and knocked on the kitchen door promptly at 6 p.m. She waited while she heard footsteps coming to the door, then the door swung open and there was Kassey, a brighter smile on her face than any Abby had seen yet. She really was a pretty woman, with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was tall and thin, and looked like she made her living working on a ranch. Abby put her age near her own 31. Her face was angular, but her mouth was full and her cheekbones high. Despite the blond hair, Abby thought she might have some American Indian in her. Abby stepped ins
ide and Kassey closed the door behind her.

  “Hi Abby. You can hang your coat on those pegs right there and then come on back. We’re all at the table.” Kassey said, motioning to a built in hall bench. Abby hung her coat, and followed Kassey out of the kitchen. They came around the corner and into the dining room, where Logan, Ben and the Small One sat, whom Abby figured must be Jake.

  The men all stood and waited until Abby and Kassey sat down, Kassey across from Ben and Abby across from Jake. Logan sat at the head of the table. Abby took a moment to look around. The dining room was an extension of the great room, and everything was log and stone. The ceiling soared upwards, and windows were everywhere. There was a huge chandelier over the table made of antlers and the décor in the living area was distinctly western.

  Logan tried not to look at her, although she was sitting right next to him. Tonight she had on another pair of those low-waisted jeans and a pair of boots. Her shirt was simple, just a white, long-sleeved v-neck, but from his reaction, she might as well have been wearing nothing.

  Abby looked around the table, and had the feeling that they had been talking about her before she walked in. There was tension in the air and Logan was looking at Kassey, an eyebrow cocked. She wondered again if they were married.

  “I’d like to say something.” Kassey said, folding her hands in front of her.

  “Abby, I’d really like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was uncalled for and you didn’t do anything to provoke me. It really isn’t my thing to insult people right off the bat, so I just wanted to let you know.” she finished, nodding towards Abby.

  “Me too.” Ben offered.

  “Goes for me too.” Logan put in.

  “I didn’t mean to stare at you” Jake said, ducking his head shyly.

  Abby looked around the table, not knowing whether to laugh or nod forgivingly. What to do?

  “I didn’t think you could speak, Jake.” Abby said to him, with a wink. He blushed to the roots of his brown hair and everyone at the table laughed, dispelling most of the tension in the air.

  “Thanks, I appreciate it, but no harm done. I’ve got thick skin.”

  “Looks pretty pale to me. You sure it’s thick?” Ben joked and Abby laughed. Then, as if her laugh, and the fact that she could take a ribbing, was a window letting the rest of the tension out of the room, everyone was grabbing at food, passing dishes, pouring drinks. Abby passed the bowl of mashed potatoes to Logan and her hand brushed his in passing, sending the now familiar, but no less startling, jolt up her arm. Logan jerked his hand away and Abby looked at him, wondering if he felt the jolt, too. He looked at her with his unfathomable eyes, and she was caught in them. It seemed as though time stopped, if only for a moment. Then Ben was asking her a question and she came back to the present.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. What did you ask?” Abby tore her gaze from Logan’s and hoped no one noticed.

  “I said, what brings you out here?”

  “Oh, um, I just needed to take some time off. Unwind. Get back to nature.” She told him, hoping that was enough info. It wasn’t.

  “Do you have a hard job, or something?” Jake asked, taking a bowl of green beans from Kassey.

  “No, actually, I don’t work.” So much for them not thinking she was a spoiled rich girl.

  “What do you do back East if you don’t work?” Kassey asked, motioning towards Abby with her wine glass.

  “I’m on some hospital committees, do some charitable work.” Abby heard herself, and knew, just knew, she sounded just as they had perceived her. As some ineffectual princess who would scream bloody murder if she broke a nail or didn’t get the right kind of latte.

  Logan noticed her discomfort and brought the conversation around to a different angle.

  “You told me earlier that you were raised in White Fish. How’d you get to Boston?”

  Abby shot him a grateful look, and replied, “I was raised in White Fish, on a cattle ranch.”

  Ben looked at her appraisingly, Kassey looked shocked, and Jake fairly beamed.

  “See, I told you she was country. Didn’t I?” Jake crowed, looking very pleased with himself. Abby laughed, an easy going sound that rang in Logan’s ears. Even her laughter could seduce him.

  “I guess deep down I am still country. I went to University of Montana in Bozeman and got my master’s in Wildlife Biology with Environmental Sciences as my minor, then I went on to Harvard for my law degree. I wanted to practice Environmental Law.” Did that sound like bragging? For some reason, she wanted these people to really like her.

  “Jeesh, we got a brain in among us. How come you’re not practicing?” Ben asked, leaning back in his chair.

  “Well, I got married, right after graduation. That’s pretty much it.”

  “Any kids?” Kassey asked.

  “No, my husband wanted to wait until his career solidified.”

  Kassey nodded, guessing it was a sore subject. She sensed something deep there, though. It was Kassey’s turn to change the subject.

  “Are you one of those people who think that wolves should be returned to the wild?” Kassey threw down the gauntlet, the biggest contention between ranchers and environmentalists everywhere.

  Abby, who had been hoping that someone would get off the subject of her ex-husband, almost let out a groan. Not a good subject for discussion at a cattle rancher’s table and she couldn’t believe Kassey put her on the spot like that. She wondered if the temporary truce between the two of them was now over. She chose her words carefully, not wanting to get on anyone’s bad side, and it looked as if everyone wanted to know her opinion. Ben and Kassey looked at her speculatively, while Jake looked like he was ready for a shootout. Logan just sat back in his chair, and watched her with hooded eyes.

  “I’m a rancher’s daughter, okay? My first allegiance is to a rancher’s way of life. I’m not an activist, and I understand about predation and losing valuable animals to big predators.”

  It seemed that everyone let out a sign of relief.

  “But.”

  Now everyone sat up straighter, Logan leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table.

  “I also believe that a wild animal has as much right to the land as we do and that there are ways to control the predator population to prevent them from taking over an area.” Abby finished, her own elbows planted on the table, looking almost defiantly around the table. Ben snorted and said sarcastically, “What, by sterilizing them? You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s that going to do? Plus, it would be pretty hypocritical to put wolves back in the wild then stop them from breeding. The whole point was to reintroduce them, not just give tourists something to ohh-and-ahh over.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Well, what else would you say then? That’s the major suggestion with most environmentalists.” Jake asked. That had to be the longest sentence Abby had heard him say yet.

  “I think there should be a hunting season for wolves. A lotto system, with a certain amount of tags given out every season, that allows selective hunting. Also, better practices for keeping up with splinter packs. Fish and Wildlife have asked ranchers to keep an eye out for splinter packs, but notice isn’t turned in until a rancher shoots a wolf on his property then claims it was because of predation. It’s not a new idea, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem to want to catch on out here. My father never had a problem reporting a splinter pack on the ranch, even when they took out five calves in one week. By right’s he could’ve shot the ones he did see, but my father has a love of all the animals on his property, not just the ones he owns. With most ranchers it’s “kill ‘em all” and with the activists, they don’t stop to think about a rancher’s way of life. They don’t understand the damage a wolf does when it kills cattle. With them, it’s let’s sterilize them selectively.” Everyone was silent for a little bit, each mulling over what Abby said. Abby held her breath.

  “She’s alright by me, although I still think that th
ey should be shot on sight.” Ben finally said, then reached forward and started eating again. Abby let out the breath she was holding in, and dug into her food. The rest of the meal passed with everyone talking and laughing, even Jake. Abby was trying to watch everyone to get a feel for them. It seemed she was wrong about Logan and Kassey being married, seeing as though she and Ben kept giving each other loving looks when they thought no one was watching, and Jake seemed just as shy as she originally thought him to be. He didn’t talk too much, and when Abby asked him questions, he ducked his head when he answered her. Logan sat quietly, letting everyone talk around him, not asking many questions, only when Ben asked her about her life as a cattleman’s daughter.

  “Well, it was much like life here is, I guess.” Abby replied, leaning back in her chair. She was full, and hadn’t eaten that much in a long time.

  Logan finally spoke. “Did you do any work out there?” his tone suggesting that he wouldn’t believe her if she said yes.

  Abby gave him a long look. She leaned towards him, her left arm leaning on the corner of the table, and said, a little drawl coming into her voice, “Honey, I can rope and ride with the best of them. Junior calf roping champion in 1988.” Ben let a whoop and Logan stared back at her, and threw down a challenge.

  “You’ll just have to prove that tomorrow.”

  Abby sat back and nodded, accepting the challenge.

  “I ran fence lines, herded with and without dogs, and one memorable spring, got to wield the branding iron. That was one job I did not repeat. No thank you.” Abby laughed. God, she was really enjoying herself. She hadn’t laughed so much in years, and despite the rocky welcome, everyone was now treating her warmly. She sat back again and just listened to everyone talking. Ben was teasing Jake about something he did, or didn’t do, with a girl from town, Kassey was sticking up for Jake and Logan lounged back in his chair, watching the others like she was.

  God, he was amazing. She had never seen anyone quite like him before.She watched him from the corner of her eye, how he leaned nonchalantly back in his chair, his right arm bent at the elbow on the arm of the chair, chin resting on his hand. He had a soft smile playing about his lips, lips she wanted to feel on her body. Abby jerked her gaze back to the table. She really needed to stop thinking like that. She had to remember that she was newly single; the last thing she needed to be doing was drooling over a man.