To keep herself from gagging, she pulled the collar of her tee up over her nose, grateful for the sweet scent from her perfume. Part of her wanted to turn around and run back to the house, but this was going to be home for the next couple of months and she needed to get used to her new surroundings. Smells and all.
Her destination was the single story red barn, which housed the horses. Set back about two hundred yards from the main house, the rectangular building stretched the length of the property. Caytie carefully made her way toward the entrance where she could see Uncle George’s truck parked out front along with another one she didn’t recognize.
She hadn’t gone very far past the back paddock of the second corral when she heard a strange noise. Turning around, her eyes widened as a big brown chicken charged straight toward her.
“Stop it!” she shrieked, and scrambled back as fast as she could. “Leave me alone!” Running backward wasn’t working very well, but she didn’t want to take her eyes off the aggressive bird.
The large chicken continued its charge, rushing her and trying to peck at her bare ankles. “Hey, knock it off,” she yelled, deciding the only way to outrun the stupid thing was to face forward.
Pivoting quickly, she picked up her knees in a high marching run so the bird couldn’t get her ankles. Her escape came to an abrupt halt when she slammed into a solid wall. As she fell backward onto the ground, she realized two things: The brick wall was Jace McAllister. Oh, and the ground wasn’t just dirt. It was warm, and squishy and very, very smelly.
***
Several things went through Jace’s mind as he gazed down at Caytie, sitting in fairly fresh horse dung. Judging by the look of horror on her face, laughing wouldn’t go over very well.
Neither would questioning her what had had happened. He kind of figured it out when Rodney, a rooster who didn’t like people even looking at his lady hens, strutted around Caytie as if he’d just made the capture of the day.
“Are you okay?” He held out his hand to help her up.
Caytie didn’t move or speak. She just sat there, staring up at him as if she couldn’t believe this was really happening to her.
He squatted down in front of her. “Are you hurt?”
She blinked. Twice. Then pointed at Rodney. “Th-that chicken was trying to kill me!”
Chicken? He figured now would probably not be a good time to get into the semantics of poultry gender and names.
“I doubt he was trying to kill you, but Rodney can be a mean little sucker when he wants to.” He looked down to examine the smooth, tan skin exposed beneath the cuff of her rolled up jeans. “I don’t see any marks so I think your high-stepping run saved your skin. Literally.”
Jace tried not to smile. He really tried. But he could still see the funny way she was running just before she slammed into him.
“Are you laughing at me?”
I’m trying real hard not to. “Absolutely not.” His smile grew wider and he had to look away before he actually did laugh. “Let me help you up.” He rose to his feet, doing his best to mask his amusement, and held out his hand.
Caytie squinted up at him, her lips pressed taut. After a few seconds, the corners of her mouth lifted into a tight smile. “Thank you.”
The saccharine sweet tone of her voice was incongruent with the glint in her eyes. The minute she placed her palm against his, Jace knew why. Manure was a scent he was used to. And truthfully, what cowboy hadn’t ever had the misfortune of coming in contact with horse dung? Still, having it pressed against your hand wasn’t pleasant.
He released his hold on her, looked at the mess covering his palm and couldn’t hold back a chuckle as he wiped it across his pant leg. “Gee, thanks.”
She wrinkled her cute little nose and held out her soiled hand. “This is so disgusting.” Then she eyed his jeans.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said, taking a step away from her.
“Why not? Your jeans are already gross.”
He snorted a laugh. “So are yours.”
She closed her eyes and shuddered. “I know.”
“Come here and you can wash up.” He led her over to a trough filled with water dotted with bug floaties and bits of hay.
“Oooh, no. That’s just as disgusting.”
“It’s not bad.” He plunged his hand in and swirled it around.
The poor girl’s face paled. “All right.” She stuck her hand in and splashed wildly.
“Easy.” Jace held up his hands to ward off the droplets of flying water.
After a few more frantic swishes, she removed a relatively clean appendage. Water dripped down her arm as she looked around for what, a towel?
“Here,” Jace said, taking her hand and wiping it dry against the other leg of his jeans.
“Oh, wow.” She almost looked like she was going to cry. “That was very nice of you. Thank you.”
Her sincere gratitude made him feel great and, at the same time, guilty. Since their first volatile encounter he’d been acting as surly as Betty, the cantankerous goat George had brought home a few months ago.
A sweet smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Well, I guess I’ll go home to clean up.” Her eyes flickered over to Rodney. “Is the chicken done chasing me?”
“The chicken is a rooster.” He winked when she looked back his way. “And I’m pretty sure he’ll leave you alone.”
Suddenly Rodney squawked and made a beeline for Caytie’s ankles. She squealed and jumped up at Jace, leaving him no choice but to catch her.
“Or not.”
“Don’t let him get me,” she said, burying her face against his shoulder.
“I won’t.” He adjusted his hold and she did too, by winding her arm around his neck. “I’ll…uh, carry you home?” He said it more as a question because he wasn’t sure if she truly meant for him to carry her a few yards or the entire distance.
Since there was no protest, he started back toward the house. Thankfully the scent of her flowery perfume countered the barnyard stink he was used to. Under different circumstances, Jace might have enjoyed the close contact. Still, having a pretty girl snuggled up against him did something crazy to his heart. By the time he reached the back porch, he felt dangerously close to kissing her pouting lips.
“We’re here,” he said, settling her on her feet.
“Thank you.” Her blue eyes studied him closely. “I shouldn’t have made you carry me the whole way.”
“It was no big deal.”
“Yes it was.” She pointed to the bottom of his tee that was now stained with dirt and horse droppings. “I’m sorry about your clothes. I’ll buy you a new shirt.”
He laughed. “Not necessary. A little soap and water will get it clean.”
She wrinkled her nose again. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, but Ilene will be madder than Rodney if we get manure in the house.” Jace gestured toward the back door. “I’ll stay out here and you can go inside and get your dirty clothes off in the laundry room then just throw them in the washer.”
“I think I’ll just throw them away.”
“Because of a little manure?”
She made her eyes go all squinty again. “A little?” She turned and pointed at her horse-dung-encrusted designer pockets. “You call this a little?”
Hmm, it wasn’t that much, but a gut feeling told him not to contradict her. And it would be a crying shame to throw away such nice fitting jeans. “Just toss them in the washer and I promise they’ll be as good as new.”
“If you say so.”
“If not I’ll take you shopping for a new pair.”
Her eyes grew round. “Really?”
Why in the heck had he made an offer like that? “Sure.” He shrugged. “The next trip to Billings you can come with me.”
Man, what was wrong with him? He hated shopping, especially with a girl. He needed to get back to work before he said anything more stupid.
Work. Oh, yeah. The colt he had been tra
ining. Judd’s horse Moonshine was as ornery as his owner, and Jace had hoped to have him halter broke by now. Despite working with him all morning, the two-year-old colt was still just as skittish.
“Look,” he said, taking a step backward. “I need to go take care of Moonshine and get him settled in a stall. You go on in and get cleaned up.”
“You’re not changing your clothes?”
“Eventually.” He took another couple of steps back. “There’s shower facilities in the barn, and I’ve always got a change of clothes there so I’m good.”
He lifted a hand before turning and bolting to safety. His impulsive invites to two different women in the past twenty-four hours had him more unsettled than Moonshine being harnessed. Even more troubling was the fact that Caytie, who was completely wrong for him, had felt so right when he was holding her.
Chapter 8
After taking one very long shower and then slathering her body with scented lotion, Caytie finally felt clean. As for her Hudson jeans? Despite her intense desire to throw them in the trash, Caytie knew she couldn’t afford to replace the two hundred dollar jeans any time soon. And since her wardrobe was very limited, she just hoped that after going through a heavy-duty wash cycle the capris would still be wearable.
She’d desperately wanted to send them to the dry cleaner, and asked Ilene about it when she came home. Ilene had laughed and tossed them in the wash, telling her the only thing that went to the cleaners were wool suits and leather coats.
Caytie didn’t want the jeans to shrink in the dryer, so Ilene had introduced her to the clothesline out back. Currently, three pair of Caytie’s jeans hung on the clothesline, which she needed to remember to bring in before dinner. She hoped they smelled as fresh as Ilene claimed they would, although she seriously doubted that since to her the pervading scent on the GH ranch was pretty gamey.
Descending the stairs, Caytie felt a little nervous about seeing Jace again. The guy could definitely be sweet when he wanted to. She still couldn’t believe she’d let him carry her all the way home. To be honest, it felt really good to be in his arms and she hadn’t been paying any attention to her whereabouts.
The next thing she knew he deposited her on the back porch. Then, after offering to take her shopping, he’d taken off faster than the demented chicken—er…rooster had chased her.
That stupid bird had her terrified of going outside again. Ilene had handed her a water bottle and told her that Rodney didn’t like to be squirted in the face and it wouldn’t take long for him to realize Caytie was bigger than him.
Yeah, right. Rooster one. Caytie a big fat zero.
She walked into the kitchen just as Uncle George came inside, followed by Kellen on his crutches. One last man stood out on the porch, scraping his boots on the rug. The rim of the cowboy hat hid Jace’s face, and he had on clean clothes that had a decidedly more cowboyish look to them than his usual T-shirt and jeans. A fluttery feeling tickled her tummy as she waited for him to lift his head and notice her.
The cowboy noticed her all right. It just wasn’t Jace.
Silvery blue eyes exuded appreciation as he took off his hat, revealing wavy light brown hair. He was cute and when he smiled he was downright sexy.
“Hi,” he strode confidently across the room and held out his hand. “I’m Ian Davies. You must be the pretty girl Kellen can’t stop talkin’ about.”
Caytie placed her palm against his roughened hand, feeling his strength. Not only were Montana men proving to be hot, they also knew how to work. “Thank you, Ian. I’m Cath—Caytie Holbrook.”
Ian held onto her hand longer than necessary, giving her a look that let her know he might be interested in her. Caytie waited to feel a tingle of awareness for the guy, but that reaction only seemed to be reserved for a certain cowboy. A cowboy that was absent.
Pulling her hand away, Caytie looked over Ian’s shoulder and wondered where Jace was. Ian glanced behind him. “You lookin’ for someone?”
She froze. Was she that obvious?
“Yep,” Kellen answered for her. “She’s lookin’ for Jace.”
Great. She was obvious.
George snorted a laugh and walked over to help Ilene transport the food to the dining room. Caytie felt heat rush to her face, and she tried to think of something to cover her embarrassment.
“I just need to know if I should put another place setting on the table.” She smiled up at Ian, hoping he didn’t notice her reddened cheeks. “You are staying for dinner, right?”
Ian studied her with one eyebrow slightly raised. “Yes, ma’am.”
The distinct sound of a truck engine roared to life, giving her the answer to Jace’s whereabouts. She was dying to ask where he was going. Probably to spend time with the pretty woman and child from the photographs in his room. For some reason the thought really bothered her.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Ian said, giving her a wink. “But McAllister was late for baseball practice and had to leave.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You’re stuck with me for tonight.”
Caytie gave their guest a genuine smile, relieved to know Jace was going to baseball practice. “Well, if you don’t already know this, Ilene is a wonderful cook so you’re in for a real treat.”
“He knows,” George said, coming out of the dining room. “Ian just graduated from veterinary school and is practicing with Doc Gardner. We’ve got a few mares who are due to foal and he was willing to stop by after hours to check them out today.” He gave a hearty thump to Ian’s back. “But he’s spent a lot of time hanging out here with my boys, causing all kinds of trouble, and eating plenty of Ilene’s good cooking.”
Something in Caytie’s chest tightened at the pride in her uncle’s words. He considered Jace and Kellen his “boys” even though they were no relation. Envy sliced through her, making her wish George had been her father instead of his little brother.
After she’d lost the weight, Caytie had waited for her father to notice. Desperate for his approval, she had asked her dad if she could buy some new clothes since the other things were too big. His cool eyes had scanned every inch of her then he’d given her a satisfied smile. At last she had done something to make her dad proud.
He withdrew his wallet from inside his suit coat, and handed her a credit card. “Well, it’s about time,” he said. “I was starting to think becoming a plus sized model was in your future.”
The words had stung, and offset his look of approval. She’d taken the credit card and, to retaliate against her father’s cruel words, spent an inordinate amount of money. The spending hadn’t bothered her dad. As long as she dressed like the other girls at Huntington, Caytie had unlimited funds and multiple credit cards.
No wonder she was having shopping withdrawals.
“Uh, Caytie,” George said, pulling Caytie out of the memory. “You okay, sweetheart?”
She blinked, and realized Uncle George, Kellen and Ian were all staring at her with concern.
“It’s not because I’ll be joining y’all for dinner tonight, is it?” Ian asked.
“No. Of course not.” She gave a forced little laugh. “I’m just starving and my brain gets a little loopy if my blood sugar is low.”
Turning around she headed for the dining room, determined she wouldn’t be bothered by the amount of carbs she was about to ingest. Because there was no way she was skipping dessert. Tonight Caytie planned to indulge in a piece of the double chocolate cake and not feel guilty. The guilt would come in the morning and would be the perfect motivation to hit the weight room bright and early.
Chapter 9
Arriving at the ball field a few minutes late, Jace was relieved to see Shane Wesson’s dad, Gabe, had started warming up the kids. After Kellen’s injury, Gabe had tried to help whenever he could. As an attorney whose main clientele were ranchers, Gabe traveled all around Montana, Wyoming and even Idaho. Lately, he’d seemed to be home more often, and would accompany his son to practice. Jace appreciated the support.
Sometimes coaching the boys without consistent help was hard, and Jace hated being late. He might have been on time and even had a chance to see Caytie again, if Ian Davies hadn’t stopped by to examine a few of the horses. Jace and Ian had been very good friends in high school, and had gotten into a lot of mischief that usually involved some kind of stunt with Kellen. All three of them had laughed about some of their more memorable escapades and lost track of time.
Kellen also couldn’t stop talking about Caytie and by the time they’d finished up today, Ian had been very interested in meeting her. Jace’s mood darkened and he tried not to dwell on what Caytie might think about the newly graduated veterinarian. Ian was very good with the ladies, and even more popular since he now carried the title of a doctor.
Pushing thoughts of Caytie out of his mind, he tossed his Stetson on the passenger seat, exchanged his cowboy boots for his running shoes, and slapped on his favorite ball cap.
Grabbing the equipment bag, he exited his truck and jogged across the ball field toward the boys. As he ran, he eyed the sidelines to see if Victoria and Kyden had already arrived. Thursday nights she worked late, and if her appointments went longer than usual, Kyden ended up missing the first fifteen minutes of practice. Part of him felt immensely relieved she wasn’t here yet.
“Hey, Gabe.” Jace reached out and shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for being here and getting’ them started.”
Gabe crossed his arms over his chest and nodded to his son. “Shane is the one who got all the boys to stop chasing each other and listen to me.” He laughed. “The kid lives for baseball.”
“He’s got talent.” Jace eyed the man standing next to him. “I could use another coach. If you’ve got the time, the job is yours.”
A flash of concern crossed Gabe’s face. “I’ve got the time. I’ve cut back on my traveling since MaryEllen has been sick.”
“I didn’t know your wife was sick. Is she going to be okay?”
Summer in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance Anthologies Book 2) Page 6