The Wrangler

by Lindsay McKenna

  Slade’s guard had dissolved because of his love of Jordana. Love…Griff had never considered that feeling in this way before. Perhaps love could dismantle Val’s guardedness, as well.

  Her face shimmered before him. Griff clung to the image, her beauty and naturalness. He liked it when she took her hair out of its ponytail and wore it loose around her shoulders. The red frame around her oval face brought out the youthful freckles that covered her cheeks and clean, straight nose. At times, Griff glimpsed the child within Val. She didn’t show it often and when she did, she quickly hid it from view. Griff wished he could see more of the real Val.

  Glancing to his right, Griff appreciated the Teton that rose like blue dragon’s teeth out of the flat plane that surrounded them. The highway was thick with tourists from around the world driving through on their way to Yellowstone Park.

  Traffic was heavy and as he began his descent down a very long hill into Jackson Hole, Griff felt marginally better. As he entered the town, Griff crawled through the main plaza. He spotted Gwen Garner’s quilt store on one corner. Gwen was the heart of the town, knew all the gossip, but also treated everyone with respect. Miss Gus opined Gwen as being more of a mayor to the town than the one who was elected. She would be a good person to talk to if one had questions.

  Maybe Gwen was the right person for his questions regarding Curt Downing. On a whim, Griff quickly turned into the quilt store driveway.

  Griff parked his truck in back of the store. Nervousness danced through him. He’d never met Gwen Garner, but her reputation as a wise and compassionate person goaded him into asking for help.

  Griff walked up to the counter where two young women were manning the cash registers. “Excuse me,” he said, taking off his hat, “I’m looking for Mrs. Gwen Garner. Is she here?”

  “Oh, sure,” one of them said, pointing to the other side of the store. “She’s over there. The lady with gray hair, wearing the calico skirt and yellow blouse.”

  Tipping his hat, Griff murmured, “Thanks,” and turned around. There were about twenty women in the store, selecting fabric for quilts. He spotted Gwen near the window talking with a woman about her own age. Slowing down, Griff waited until she had finished speaking with the lady. Then, he moved around the end cap of one of the fabric aisles.

  “Mrs. Garner?” Griff removed his hat.

  Gwen turned toward the male voice. “Yes?”

  “Hi, I’m Griff McPherson. Do you have a moment to spare?”

  Her eyes sparkled. “For a moment, I thought you were Slade.” She offered her hand. “Call me Gwen. I heard Slade’s twin was in town, but this is the first I’ve gotten to welcome you back to your birthplace.”

  Taking her hand, Griff found it warm and firm. There was kindness in Gwen’s eyes. “I’ve been told by everyone around here that you’re the woman who knows everything.”

  Laughing a little, Gwen straightened some of the fabric bolts in front of her. “Oh, not everything, Mr. McPherson. Just some things. How can I help you?”

  “Well,” he murmured with a slight smile, “start by calling me Griff.”

  “You got a deal, Griff.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “WE’RE DONE!” Val crowed, throwing her hands above her head in celebration. They had just strung the last of the barbed wire. She gave Griff, who was climbing the slope of the grassy hill, a triumphant smile. There was something calming about Griff. She wasn’t quite sure what it was about him, but she was grateful he possessed this quality. Val felt her heart respond to his slow, masculine smile as it broadened. His skin glistened with perspiration beneath the late-afternoon sun.

  “We’re finished and, yeah, it’s time to celebrate.” Griff dropped the tools at his feet. This week had been special for him in so many ways. Mainly because Val had worked at his side from dawn to dusk repairing the fence line with him. Her company made even the hardest work seem effortless. The sun danced across her hair and Griff could see gold and crimson threads shimmering beneath the strong light.

  His heart opened wide at Val’s smile, her eyes shining with real joy as she dropped her hands to her sides. “Couldn’t have done this without you, Val.” Griff gestured down the stout, straight fence line. “I’d have been out here another week without your help.”

  “Good thing we got it done.“ Val rested her gloved hands on her hips and looked into his shadowed face. “Those twenty heifers arrive tomorrow morning.”

  “I know. Nothing like a little pressure.”

  Val watched as Griff settled the hat back on his head. Around its brim were sweat stains, a sign of hard work. She felt suddenly uplifted and swept away by the warmth dancing in his green eyes. Something was happening between them and Val couldn’t define it. She had always been afraid of working in close quarters with men. The past couple of weeks she had discovered Griff was a “safe” person to be around. And magically, she responded to his friendly smile and the look gleaming in his eyes. And then, her heart started a slow beat of possibility. She wanted to kiss Griff. For a moment, her nerves jangled, raw with fear. She knew she would be vulnerable to Griff if she initiated a kiss. She tried to settle her fears. How she wanted to taste this man against her lips!

  “We need to celebrate once we get back to the ranch house,” she said, pulling off her worn leather gloves. Swallowing against a dry throat, Val allowed her yearning to kiss him override her fear.

  Griff nodded and tucked his gloves into the waist belt of his Levi’s. He saw a longing look in Val’s blue eyes. She seemed suddenly more available, as if another invisible wall had dissolved between them. As the past week had worn on, she’d become more relaxed, chatting with him and sharing a laugh every now and again. What was going on? Griff wasn’t sure, but he liked the desire banked in her gaze as she studied him from only a few feet away. Did she want to kiss him?

  Before Griff could say or do anything, Val stepped forward, placed her hands on his chest, reached up and pressed a chaste kiss against his jaw. Eyes widening, Griff was in such shock he didn’t move. He felt her hands leave his chest, his skin tightening beneath the damp fabric. Suddenly, he ached for more of her butterfly touch. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Val’s expression was filled with happiness and shyness.

  Lifting his hand, he touched his jaw where she’d placed the kiss. “Thanks,” he said.

  Val laughed a little giddily. “I—I just wanted to thank you, Griff. I was wrong about you.” Unsure of herself because it had been a long time since she had kissed a man, Val shrugged and said, “You’re different from other men, Griff. I don’t know why I did it, but I just wanted to say thank you.” Turning, Val hurried over to her ground-tied gelding. Her heart was still pounding, but now, it pulsed with joy. Just the male scent of his skin, the roughened stubble of his cheek against her lips had thrown open the doors of her fearful heart. As she picked up Socks’s reins, Val gulped, relief flowing through her. Griff invited her, rather than repelling her as most men had in the past. There was something so heady and masculine about him, and woven with his sensitivity toward her, it made Val feel safe.

  Light-headed, Griff’s fingers rested where her soft lips had brushed his flesh. When he’d looked into Val’s eyes, he’d seen a hunger. For him? Griff wasn’t sure. Smiling a little, he absorbed the unexpected event. How many nights had he awakened from overheated dreams of Val? He was sure if she knew about his dreams, she’d run away screaming from him.

  He gathered up the tools and walked over to the Appaloosa. Freckles was happily munching the lush green grass where he stood. Feeling a little more confident as he opened the saddlebags and tucked the gear into them, Griff knew, based upon Val’s past, she mustn’t be crowded. He’d come to understand being hurt by her father meant feeling trapped for a long time afterward. He had to remain patient and let Val come to him. Otherwise, she would run away and
he’d have no chance of a relationship with her ever again.

  Buckling the saddlebags, Griff looked across his horse. Val was checking and tightening Socks’s cinch. The sun was hot, the breeze warm with the scent of the evergreens that surrounded them. High, graceful-looking strands of clouds patched the sky, which reminded him of a horse’s mane unfurling as it galloped. Gathering up the reins, he pulled them over the horse’s head and looped them around the saddle horn.

  Damn, it was so hard not to respond to that kiss, not to walk up to Val right now, slide his arms around her waist and haul her against him. Griff wanted to taste her lips. He wanted to taste all of her in every way. But as he mounted his horse, he reminded himself that was off-limits until Val made the move.

  Val mounted Socks and turned to see concern in Griff’s face. For a moment, she wondered if kissing him had been the wrong thing to do. What was he thinking about her brazen show of affection? She knew she’d kissed him spontaneously because she trusted him. Fully and without reservation.

  Turning Socks, she called to him, “Let’s go home….”

  Home. The word held such nostalgic magic for Griff. This time, as they rode over the grassy slopes to reach the dirt road below, Val remained close to him. And sometimes, their boots would brush against one another as their horses plodded along. He watched as Val’s freckled cheeks reddened. She was suddenly very shy. Uncertainty lurked in her blue gaze.

  Griff managed a one-sided smile he hoped would ease her fears. “Thanks for the kiss. It’s nice to be appreciated.”

  Heart squeezing with yearning, Val managed, “I don’t know what came over me. I guess I got spontaneous.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I’m not.” Griff shared a tender look with her. Her brow was wrinkled and she had tucked her lower lip between her teeth.

  “I used to get in such trouble with my father when I was kid because of my tendency toward spontaneity. I found out early on it wasn’t a good way to be.” Risking a glance over at him, Val saw care burning in Griff’s eyes. It was nearly four o’clock, and although he’d shaven this morning, his beard was quickly growing back and it made his cheeks appear hollow and accentuated his high cheekbones. He looked even more desirable to Val as a result.

  The horses moved at a slow, swaying gait. Griff smiled a little. “I like spontaneity. It breathes life into the world, into a relationship.”

  Some of the tension bled out of Val as she heard the lightness in his husky voice. “Oh…good. It’s gotten me into so much trouble in the past.”

  “It won’t with me,” Griff promised, holding her gaze. “I like what we have, Val. I don’t consider your kiss anything more than celebrating a job well done.” Griff meant it and he could see that Val’s face went from stress to relief. Of course, he wanted to add so much more, but he knew it would scare her off. And that’s the last thing he wanted to do. She was a wonderful person. She had a wry wit that made him laugh and he liked the fact they were equals. All those ingredients conspired to make him want to know her on a deeply personal level. And patience was the key to getting her to open up and trust him.

  By the time they arrived at the ranch house, it was time for dinner. Griff took the horses to the barn and Val went inside to help Gus with preparations.

  His heart sang. He was tired and dirty, but he felt like he was walking above the ground. With quick efficiency, Griff unsaddled the horses, rubbed them down and turned them out in the pasture next to the barn. He’d feed the rest of the livestock before going to wash up for dinner.

  Val was busy in the kitchen with Gus. “We got the fence repairs done,” she told her grandmother with pride. “Griff is such a hard worker. You were right, Gus, he was the right man to hire.”

  “Yep,” Gus said, taking a bowl of steaming turnip greens over to the table. “Griff is solid gold.” She raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter. “He’s the kind of man any woman would want for a husband.”

  Val felt heat rush up her neck and nettle in her cheeks. “He’s a decent sort, Gus.”

  “He’s single, you know.” Gus took freshly baked spelt bread out of the oven and set the loaf on a trivet to cool.

  “No,” Val replied, drying her hands, “I didn’t.” Well, that was good to know. Val had always suspected it.

  “Yep, I talked to Gwen Garner about him yesterday. I was over buying two yards of calico cloth because I want to make us a couple of new aprons. I nosed around about Griff.” She slathered the bread’s golden-brown top with butter. “He’s the real deal, Val. A good person with Wyoming blood in his veins who got a bad hand dealt to him early on in life. He’s come back to make amends with Slade and to prove to everyone that he’s a reliable, honest man with integrity.”

  “Wish I could have heard your conversation.”

  Gus placed a huge CorningWare casserole on the table. She could smell the tuna and noodles in the air.

  Val quickly set the table and heard the front screen door open and close.

  Griff peeked in. “Miss Gus, do I have ten minutes to grab a shower? I don’t think you want me at the table otherwise.”

  “Go ahead.” She chuckled and waved her hand in his direction.

  Griff glanced for a moment at Val. Usually, when dinner came, her walls went up. But she continued to look relaxed. He hurried up the stairs to shed his dirty clothes and wash ten hours of sweat and dust off his body.

  Emerging from the shower a few minutes later, running a comb through his damp, darkened hair, Griff hesitated a moment as he stared back at himself in the antique mirror on the dresser. Did he look happy? He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt like this. Griff dressed and pulled on his good set of cowboy boots. As he went down the wooden stairs, his stomach growled. Even more important, his heart burst open as he walked into the kitchen.

  They sat at the table waiting for him. Val had released her hair from its ponytail. The red strands hung around her face emphasizing her pink cheeks and darkened freckles. Griff took his chair opposite her. “Smells good, Miss Gus. What’s for dinner?”

  “Tuna-and-noodle casserole,” Gus said, pointing to the serving dish on the table. “And organic turnip greens steamed and sprinkled with pine nuts. That’s freshly made spelt bread near your elbow.”

  Griff gave her a grateful smile. “My mouth is watering.” Gus lifted her plate and he placed a huge spoonful of casserole on it. Val was next. She asked for two helpings. And he would give himself the same amount.

  “So you two finished the fence repairs,” Gus murmured between bites. “That’s a cause to celebrate. You finished early.”

  “I have a good partner out there on the land, Gus,” Val said, and she gestured with her fork toward Griff.

  “You’re a quality wrangler, Griff, and we’re mighty appreciative of your work ethic,” Gus praised.

  “I think the land agrees with you. It’s like coming back home and resonating with it once more,” Val said. She took the dish and their fingers met. A thrilling sensation, a tingle, raced up her hand and into her arm. She saw a smoldering look in Griff’s gaze. But he wasn’t hunting her. He wasn’t crowding her and that was good to know. It made her yearn for more of a serious connection with him. Something intangible within her heart was driving her toward him. Val didn’t have the answers and didn’t know why. She felt safer accepting her driving need to know him because he wasn’t chasing her.

  “My soul thrives here, unlike in New York City.” Griff squeezed a wedge of lemon across the fragrant greens.

  “I can’t tell you how much I loved being outdoors with Pete,” Gus said. “I always looked forward to riding with him, working the cattle and repairing fence lines. He was a man with a good sense of humor and I can’t tell you how much he entertained me out there.” Gus cackled fondly over the memories.

  Griff wondered if he and Val were sharing something similar. �
��Val’s been not only my teacher,” he told Gus. “We’ve also shared a lot of stories about our lives with one another.”

  “That’s good,” Gus said, giving Val a look of praise. “When you’re a team, it happens automatically.”

  Val wanted to move the conversation elsewhere. She was still dealing with the surprise of kissing Griff. She needed time to digest her actions. “So when are the heifers set to arrive?”

  “At ten sharp, tomorrow morning. Dr. Bennett will be out here to meet the truck. Each heifer needs to be vet checked before we accept it.”

  Excited about getting cattle back on the Bar H, Griff asked, “You’ll probably want us to take them to the round corral near the barn? It has a chute so we can get each heifer into it for examination.”

  “Yes. Once the vet has okayed the twenty, then I pay for them.”

  “Gus, you do so much for this ranch,” Val said. “Thank you….”

  Patting her hand, Gus said in a gravelly voice, “Honey, you deserve the world. I can’t give it to you, but if I could, I would. At least, this is the start of the rebirth of the Bar H. Cattle were always a part of this ranch. Now, it will be so again.”

  Griff sat there digesting Gus’s emotional reply. He saw tears in her eyes and she fought them back. Yes, Val deserved the world. And in his own way, Griff wanted to be a part of the blossoming now taking place on the ranch.

  “Well,” Gus said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going to bed early tonight. I’m plumb tuckered out. I’m even passing up dessert. There’s lemon cream pie over there on the counter if you want a slice.” She rose and placed her linen napkin on the table.

  Val nodded and planted a kiss on Gus’s wrinkled cheek. “Good night, Gus. We’ll take care of everything from here.”