Raleigh And The Rancher (Wranglers & Lace #3)

by Laura Anthony

  Chester got up, loped over and began chewing on the discarded hoof clippings.

  “Why is he eating that stuff?” asked Dan, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

  Raleigh shrugged. “Dogs love hoof clippings, don’t ask me why.”

  “Ugh.”

  Chester licked his chops and sniffed the ground, eagerly searching for more.

  “How long you been doing this sort of work?” Dan aimed his dog a disgusted look. Chester wagged his tail and rubbed against Dan’s leg.

  “Ten years,” Raleigh replied.

  “Ten years? But you couldn’t be more than nineteen or twenty years old.” Dan nudged Chester away. The dog sighed and sat down at his feet.

  “Thanks for the compliment, but I’ll be twenty-four next month.” Her hammer made a muted ping-ping sound as she tapped out a new aluminum shoe against the wooden frame.

  “You’ve been shoeing horses since you were thirteen?”

  “That’s how the arithmetic adds up.”

  “Where’d you learn?”

  “My pa taught me.”

  “How come?”

  “What do you mean?” She raised her head.

  “Why does a man teach his petite, teenage daughter to shoe horses? It’s dangerous work. You could get kicked, even killed.” The thought of Raleigh getting injured disturbed him more than he cared to admit. One misplaced hoof and she’d crumple like tissue paper.

  “You’re no different from the rest.” She snorted.

  “Why? What did I say?”

  “You don’t think I can handle myself, do you?”

  “Yes, I do. I just can’t figure out why you’d want to. It’s hard, dirty work. Look, you’re covered in horsehair.”

  Stopping, she brushed hair from her clothing and glared at him. “I happen to be very good at my work and I enjoy it. Satisfied?”

  “Okay, okay, forget I asked.”

  “Fine. May I finish?”

  “By all means.”

  Moving her equipment to the other side of the horse, Raleigh started working on Matt Dillon’s left foreleg. A few minutes passed. Dan tried not to be obvious, but he couldn’t keep from studying her rounded bottom and admiring how fine she looked in a tight pair of jeans.

  “You’re staring at my rear end when I bend over, aren’t you?” she accused.

  “Yes,” he confessed.

  Her head bounced up. “Well, stop it. Just because I’m in a compromising position doesn’t give you a license to ogle me.”

  “But the view is so appealing,” he teased.

  She frowned at him, her face shiny with anger. What would it take to make this girl smile? Dan wondered. Was she always so serious? Did she ever laugh or have a good time? Momentarily, Dan diverted his eyes, but the minute Raleigh returned to her work, he allowed his gaze to stray back to her compact form.

  Observing her was an enjoyable experience. She moved with graceful, conservative motions, as if reluctant to waste any energy. Not an ounce of fat clung to her hard, lean muscles.

  “Such a good boy,” Raleigh cooed to the Thoroughbred, and for one startled second, Dan thought she’d spoken to him.

  “You talking to me or the horse?” he drawled.

  “I seriously doubt you have ever been a good boy,” she replied tartly.

  At a loss for a snappy comeback, Dan stroked Matt Dillon between the ears, relaxing his hold on the bridle. The gelding took a step backward and flicked his tail, almost swatting Raleigh’s cheek.

  “Hey!” she groused. “You’re suppose to be holding him still.”

  “Sorry,” Dan mumbled, and tightened his grip. He felt like a chastised schoolboy. Why was he letting her get to him?

  “Two down, two to go,” she announced after completing work on the second shoe.

  Good. He didn’t think he could stand much more of this.

  “Need to take a break?” she asked.

  “Nope.”

  He blew out his breath through clenched teeth. What was this bizarre tug of sexual desire seeping throughout his entire system? He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had stirred him this way without even trying. It had to be pure animal attraction. Raw chemistry and nothing more. He must control his hormones. The last thing he needed was in-depth involvement with some small-town tomboy while he struggled to make his dreams a reality.

  “Come here,” she said, stretching catlike. Dan jumped, and feared he might swallow his tongue.

  “Huh?”

  “Before I finish, I want you to tell me what you think of my handiwork.”

  He almost slid out of his skin hustling to her side. She leaned over and lifted the gelding’s foreleg for him to survey.

  His arm brushed lightly against hers. A fast, hot heat accelerated his pulse rate. She smelled wonderfully of lemons, sunshine and horses. Blinking, Dan stared down at the neat row of nails embedded in Matt Dillon’s hoof.

  “Well?”

  “Looks good.” Dan nodded. He didn’t know much about the art of shoeing horses and he hated to appear ignorant.

  The sound of an approaching vehicle drew their attention to the driveway. A battle-scarred work truck chugged to a stop and a bowlegged, middle-aged man got out.

  “Pete?” Raleigh asked.

  “Raleigh? Little Raleigh Travers?” Pete Grissom, Dan’s only ranch hand, dropped the sack he carried and opened his arms wide.

  Raleigh tossed her tool aside and launched herself into the older man’s embrace. Dan found himself curiously jealous. He wanted to wrap his arms around the irrepressible redhead. Immediately he dispelled the thought from his mind. He couldn’t afford the distraction. All his time and effort had to be focused on achieving his goals.

  “I take it, you two know each other,” Dan said.

  “You bet we do.” Pete winked. “Raleigh is my goddaughter and the best horseshoer in Callaghan County.”

  “It’s wonderful to see you, Pete.” She beamed, and the sight took Dan’s breath away. He longed to be responsible for making her smile.

  “You, too, sugar babe.” Pete affectionately pounded her back.

  “How long you been working here?” she asked.

  “Close to three weeks.”

  “Well, this is fantastic. I’m going to be working here, too.”

  She was? Dan pulled a sour face. How to break the bad news? He just couldn’t afford to hire her. At least, not right now.

  “I do have the job, don’t I, Mr. McClintock?” Untangling herself from Pete’s embrace, Raleigh turned to face Dan.

  Dan hesitated.

  “I’m tough. I can shoe as many as eight horses a day. Want me to shoe some more when I get done with Matt Dillon?” A note of desperation had crept into her voice.

  “Well...” Dan stalled, trying to think of a gentle way to refuse her.

  “You’re not going to give me the job, are you?” she accused.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t say yes.”

  “Raleigh...”

  “It’s because I elbowed you in the gut, isn’t it?” Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

  “No. Oh, no,” Dan denied.

  “I need the work, Mr. McClintock. I need it real bad. I’ve got a little brother to support and I don’t want to be a waitress or a secretary. I’m an outdoors girl. I love shoeing horses. Please. I know I’ve got a sharp tongue, but I promise to curb it. Please.” She whispered the last word.

  Oh, Lord, she’d cast him in the role of villain. But how could he possibly hire her? He was on an extremely tight budget with every cent accounted for, and he hadn’t planned on employing a farrier until after the dude ranch opened.

  Shaking his head, Dan took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Miss Travers, much as I’d like to, I simply can’t hire you.”

  Chapter Two

  Anger exploded inside her. Not again!

  An abrupt burst of adrenaline caused her hands to tremble and her voice to quiver.

  “Oh, that’s rich...rich
,” she cried, her tone shrill and nonsensical. Pacing a circle in the dirt, Raleigh flapped her arms like a giant bird, flailing at Dan and knocking over her tripod in the process. Matt Dillon jumped, flicked his ears and snorted.

  Rejected again.

  She wanted to scream her frustration. She wanted to break something. She wanted to slap that apologetic grin off Daniel McClintock’s face. Instead she clenched her fists and hitched in a jagged breath. She knew she was a good farrier, she knew it! So why couldn’t she get a job? Simple. Because she was a woman.

  “What are you smiling about?” she snapped at Dan.

  “You look pretty comical.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she shook a finger under Dan’s nose. “It’s because I’m a woman, isn’t it? Admit the truth, McClintock.”

  “No.” His lips twitched as he fought laughter.

  “You refuse to give me the job just because I’m a female, isn’t that right?”

  “Raleigh...” Pete Grissom interjected, attempting to mediate.

  “It’s all right, Pete. I’m used to being discriminated against.”

  “It has nothing to do with your sex,” Dan said, drawling the last word, his dark eyes glistening with suppressed mirth and something strangely akin to desire.

  “Liar.”

  Dan rolled his eyes.

  “Okay, then, what is the reason? You think I’m too small to handle the job, don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “You claimed I did good work. If I think I’m physically capable, why can’t you trust my judgment?” Raleigh knew she should rein in her maverick temper, but she’d finally had all she could take. For six months she’d been banging her head against closed doors, desperately searching for employment. Unfortunately for Dan, he was the one to suffer the brunt of her frustration.

  “The reason I can’t hire you has nothing to do with your size.”

  She stopped pacing and stared at him. Embarrassment replaced anger. Once again she’d gone off half-cocked. Hanging her head, Raleigh studied her dusty boots.

  “Well,” she said, “what is it, then? What is your excuse? Why won’t you give me a chance?”

  Dan shrugged, a sheepish expression on his face. “I can’t afford it.”

  “What? You’re creating a dude ranch and you don’t have enough money to get your horses shod? You expect me to buy that line of bull?”

  “Honest truth.” Dan raised his hand in a Scout’s honor gesture. “Every penny I own is invested in this venture. I won’t be able to have the horses shod until I have some capital rolling in from the ranch.” He spoke calmly, unaffected by her whirlwind temperament. “Pete’s not even getting paid until I turn a profit.”

  “He’s right, Raleigh.” Pete nodded. “I agreed to work for room and board. Not having any pocket change keeps me out of trouble, plus Danny runs my legs off so I don’t have time to spend money, anyway.”

  “See.” Dan smiled angelically. “I’m not the heartless chauvinist you mistook me for.” The sight of his upturned lips stirred vulnerable emotions inside her, emotions she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

  “I owe you an apology,” Raleigh said contritely, disturbed by her response to this man. “I overreacted.”

  “Forget it. I understand.”

  He really was a nice guy, she realized. His dark eyes crinkled at the edges when he gazed at her. They were the eyes of a dreamer, soft, bright and shining with a faraway light. For the first time since her arrival she noticed his well-shaped mouth, sensual and tempting. She was of a practical nature herself and found the hint of romance in him appealing.

  “I’m truly sorry I can’t hire you.” He reached out, stroked her jaw with his thumb, then quickly dropped his hand. The intimate contact dazed her senses and she took a step backward. Her imagination instantly conjured up a vivid picture of Daniel McClintock planting a searing kiss on her lips. She shivered despite the broiling heat.

  Feeling disoriented, Raleigh ducked her head and toyed with her braid. Probably the hot, West Texas sun had permanently baked her brains. This was not the time or the place for erotic thoughts.

  “I better finish shoeing Matt Dillon,” she said, clearing her throat. “After all, I did promise you one on the house.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He kept looking at her as if she were a delectable confection.

  “I’m a woman of my word and if I say I’ll do something, then I do it. Besides, poor old Matt Dillon can’t go around half-shod, now can he?”

  “All right,” Dan agreed. “Because I respect your integrity.”

  “Speaking of work, I got a heap of it waiting for me, too. Good to see you again, Raleigh,” Pete said, returning to the driveway to retrieve his forgotten package.

  Collecting her supplies, Raleigh righted the tripod and resumed her stance next to the gelding Thoroughbred, while Dan settled in to hold the bridle once more.

  Disconcerted by the swirling emotions she experienced when she thought about Daniel McClintock, Raleigh forced herself to concentrate on the job at hand. She must squelch these feelings. Now. But try as she might, a curious ache blossomed deep inside her. The man’s proximity had a devastating effect. Resolutely, she denied the sensations she couldn’t quite identify.

  Silence descended. Not even a locust buzzed. Only the soft in and out of breathing and the droning of lazy flies could be heard. It seemed aeons passed before she finished shoeing the Thoroughbred.

  “All done,” she announced, her voice echoing oddly in her own ears. Untying the bandanna from around her head, she mopped her heat-dampened face.

  “Would you like some ice water?” Dan asked, releasing his hold on Matt Dillon.

  “Sounds terrific.”

  She watched him disappear into the farmhouse, still trying to decipher the feelings he aroused. A few minutes later he returned, carrying a tall glass of water.

  Their hands touched briefly when she took the glass from him and the contact resulted in another roller coaster ride. Their gazes locked. Her stomach lurched; her heart scaled her throat.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled, and downed the whole glass.

  “More?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  Neither spoke.

  Dust motes danced between them on a shaft of afternoon sunlight, bathing the corral in a hazy halo. Heat waves shimmered like living things. The silver buckle on Dan’s belt glinted brightly. Matt Dillon nickered. Suddenly the aging horse ranch was transformed into a mystical, magical place. Mesmerized, Raleigh couldn’t turn away. She felt like a firefly in a jelly jar—captured.

  “Raleigh.”

  He breathed her name on a sigh and she met his stare. Jolted, she realized a romantic relationship with this man would be like riding a bucking bronco—wild, unpredictable, with no hope of getting off unscathed. His aura of dreaminess served only to make him more dangerous by tricking her with an illusion of safety. She knew about dreamers, failure, and lost love.

  “That’s it, then,” she said, dropping her gaze in an attempt to break the spell he’d woven.

  “I promise, when the dude ranch opens, I’ll give you a call,” Dan said.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I mean to hire you soon as I can.”

  Yeah, big deal. She needed a job today.

  “You’re a good farrier, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

  “Thanks.”

  Anxious to leave, to be on another planet, she pushed Dan aside and grabbed for her equipment. “Got to get a move on, you know,” she chattered. “Places to be, people to see.”

  “Let me help you with those supplies.”

  This time she didn’t balk when he picked up the wooden frame and shoe box. Her head swam and she couldn’t think clearly. More than anything, she wanted to put distance between herself and Daniel McClintock.

  They loaded her gear into the pickup and Raleigh hopped inside. “‘Bye,” she said, gunning the engine and throwing the old truck i
nto a head-jerking reverse. She didn’t feel secure until she’d traveled several miles down the road and her raging heartbeat had slowed to a normal pace. Perhaps it was a good thing she hadn’t gotten the job. Battling the long-buried emotions Daniel McClintock evoked in her made it far safer to remain unemployed.

  * * *

  “You shouldn’t have let her get away,” Pete Grissom observed.

  “Huh?” Dan snapped out of his engrossing reverie concerning a certain redheaded farrier.

  “Raleigh.” Pete cocked his head in the direction of her departing pickup.

  “I couldn’t pay her. What was I suppose to do? Stand behind her truck? Did you see the way she lit out of here? She’d have mowed me down like a field of Johnsongrass.”

  Pete stroked his grizzled jaw. “Could’ve offered her the same setup you’re giving me. Free room and board, all expenses paid for six months, then ten percent of the yearly profits.”

  “If there are any profits,” Dan said gloomily. Sometimes he felt he was kidding himself. Running a ranch was rapidly proving to be a much more daunting and expensive task than he’d first anticipated. Had his father been right, after all?

  “Yep, Raleigh is one special gal,” Pete mused. “And she knows horses. Me, I’m better at renovating buildings than I am at caring for livestock. She could look after the animals while you and I do the carpentry work. She’s a right hard worker, too, plus she’d be an extra pair of hands. I don’t mind telling you, we sure need some help if you aim to open this dude ranch by next spring.”

  “Give it up, Pete. I doubt she’d go for it.”

  “She might. Never can tell about that girl, and she’s got her little brother to take care of, so she’ll do whatever it takes to make ends meet.”

  “Tell me more about Raleigh.” Dan leaned against the gate, propping his chin in his palms. He knew he should forget about her, but dadgummit, he found her intriguing and quite unlike any woman he’d ever met. “Why is she raising her brother alone? What happened to her parents?”

  “Folks are dead. Her pa passed on in January. Kidney failure. Raleigh’s a real private person and she hates for people to feel sorry for her.”