“You should have seen her with that horse of hers, dad. No saddle, no bridle. She just swung up, as pretty as you please, and guided that horse with her legs. That horse is not only something, but it loves her more than I do. The way it responds to her and the things she has taught it must have taken a lot of patience on her part, and trust on her horse’s part. I just got to get her to trust me that way.”
“If you marry her, you are going to have one handful of a woman, you know that. She will probably train you the same way she’s trained her horse.”
“Never thought of that,” Matthew chuckled. “She already has me tied in knots.”
“You have only known her a couple of days. Maybe all that love you think you are feeling may wear off.”
“Dad, I have been wanting a woman like this for as long as I knew I wanted a woman. I don’t think it is just going to wear off.”
“Well, she would make a good horse rancher’s wife, that is for sure,” Daniel commented.
“At least, now you know what I am thinking and that she is actually a girl. Just don’t let her know you know or I will be in hot water forever.”
“She’ll get over her anger. Women are fickle that way.”
“She’s not like any other woman I have ever met,” Matthew pointed out. “So I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Where is she?”
“Sleeping. I wouldn’t let the boys wake her up. She had a hard night of it. Turns out I am the one who made her take off, and I was supposed to be the one to watch over her.”
“This should be a good lesson about kissing pretty boys,” Daniel laughed.
“Don’t rub it in, dad. She already told me to go to hell.”
“Sometimes hell seems like a good escape from an angry woman,” Daniel grinned.
“I can’t understand how she can make me so happy and angry at the same time,” Matthew marveled.
“The powers of love,” Daniel said simply. “The powers of love.”
There was a knock on the door and Matthew unfolded his tall frame from the chair and pulled the door open. Mattie was standing there.
“Everyone is out doing something. Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”
Matthew just shrugged. Daniel smiled.
“How are you feeling this morning, Mattie?” Daniel asked. “Heard you got lost out on the back forty, last night.”
“You might say that,” she said, looking over to Matthew.
“Next time take someone with you if you plan to go riding very far. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. You’re a darn good horseman, and I want to keep you around for awhile. In fact, you are welcome to remain here for as long as you want.”
“Thank you.” she gave a quick glance at Matthew. “I would like that.”
“Well, I am glad we agree on that point,” Daniel said, smiling kindly at her. “You getting along with the boys okay? They haven’t been teasing you too much have they.”
“Oh, the boys and I see eye to eye. We get along just fine,” she said.
“Glad to hear that. You can start working with that little filly if you want. Do whatever you think she needs to turn her into a good saddle horse. That should take up most of your time, I figure.”
“Depends on how much you want to teach her,” Mattie said.
“Just the regular stuff for starters. When we see how she takes to that…”
“Most horses can be taught just about anything,” Mattie told him.
“But some are better at some things than others. We try to find the horse’s real talent and then expand on it.”
“Good idea,” she said and turned towards the door. “Sorry I interrupted you,” she mumbled and then went out.
Daniel shook his head.
“That’s going to be one valuable horse rancher,” he said.
“Speaking of the boys, I didn’t tell you what went on in the bunkhouse yesterday. That is why Dusty was so upset when Mattie took off. He thought it was his fault.”
“So what went on in the bunkhouse?”
“Well, Dusty was messing around and wanted Mattie to measure his dick. By the time I arrived, it looked like they were taking advantage of her innocence. I told them to cut it out. Only Mattie stood her ground and asked me if I wanted to watch. She was trying to fit in, I think,” Matthew ended.
“The girl has guts, that’s for sure. But she is going to get herself into trouble if she keeps playing those kind of pranks with the boys. When they catch on she is a girl, all hell is gonna to break lose.”
“That’s what I am afraid of, and if it happens before she turns eighteen, then what are we going to do about her?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, son. You have already created a big problem with that kiss. It’s probably gonna take some time to work that out of her system. The way she was looking at you a few minutes ago, I would bet my last dollar she likes you. You hurt her pride and now she is going to make you suffer for it.”
“As long as I know she likes me, I am willing to suffer for a time,” Matthew admitted.
“I’ll find out, soon enough. But just give her time to cool down. I don’t think she is going anywhere real soon.”
“Let’s hope not. But she seems to have a temper and her little excursion last night proved that she can bolt at the least little reason.”
“Just don’t go kissing her again, son.”
“Man, that is not going to be an easy promise to keep,” Matthew said shaking his head.
“You just wait until she kisses you first,” Daniel laughed. “If that look in her eye meant anything, she’ll get around to cornering you and then you had better watch out. She’s already proven that she can handle a stud,” he laughed even harder.
“That’s the problem, Dad. She doesn’t just want kisses, she wants it all and she is under-age.”
Matthew left the office, feeling more confused than ever, but at least, his dad would back him up when the time came. For now, he had two miserable months to look forward to, with Mattie under his nose, while he had to try and ignore her. A feat he felt was near impossible. He just hoped his dad was right about how Mattie felt. She sure acted like she hated the very sight of him, he bemoaned. Before he hurt her pride, she was all over him.
His long legs strode across the yard in the direction of the stables to get his own horse and go out to help the boys round up the horses that had managed to break through a weak fence the week before. They were still enclosed in the ranch property and he had noticed some of them when he had been out looking for Mattie the night before. He knew there were several mares that were getting ready to drop a foal in the bunch, so they needed to get them back to the smaller pasture.
As he crossed the yard, he looked over to the paddock where Mattie was working Patches. She had a feed sack full of cans and was shaking it at the filly, who was on the end of a rope. Patches was going crazy at the sound and strange appearance of the sack. Then Mattie would pull Patches to her and rub the noisy sack over Patches back and withers. Patches eyes were wide and round, as she shivered in fright, but Mattie held the horse still, while she made Patches accept the sack against her skin.
Matthew got so caught up in watching Mattie with Patches, that he forgot what he was about to do. He laid his arms across the top of the fence rail and rested his chin on them as he watched Mattie working the filly. He liked to watch the way she moved, and each time Patches performed well, Mattie would give the horse a kiss on its nose and hug its neck. She wasn’t only training the horse, she was loving it in the process and getting the horse to trust her. No wonder Apache loved the girl so much. She had a close bond with horses. He remembered how she said that horses were the only things worth loving and it made him feel awed and sad at the same time. He was awed at the kind of love she showed the horse, yet was sad that it wasn’t him receiving that kind of love from her. Boy, he just blew his chance of ever having her give him that kind of look she reserved for horses. He shook his head. He yearned f
or the kind of look she reserved for only her horse, and that little filly she was training, but not for him. However, the way she had been kissing him the other night, was just too damn dangerous. What else was he supposed to do, he asked himself? Had he given into her, the way she wanted, it would have been hell to pay, had he ever got caught.
Mattie suddenly looked up and saw him watching her. Their eyes locked and that look of love she had just given to Patches turned into a stormy glare. Then she looked back to the horse, petting its neck and giving it a kiss under its ear. Matthew straightened up and pushed himself away from the fence, continuing towards the stable again. That look was like a shot in the heart. This wasn’t going to be easy, he thought.
Mattie was leading Patches around the paddock, stopping and lifting her foot, then leading her again and stopping to lift yet another foot. Every time she passed the feed sack hanging on the fence, she gave it a vicious shake, making the cans clank inside. Now, Patches hardly even blinked at it.
“Looks like you know what you’re doing there, kid.”
Mattie turned and saw Dusty watching her. He had his horse, a bay gelding, by the reins standing beside him.
“Just part of getting ‘em used to stuff,” Mattie said, sort of shrugging.
“Hey, I just came over to tell you I’m sorry about last night, and what I tried to make you do. You’re a pretty good sport though. Matthew said you were upset about something and took off. He thought you got lost and went out looking for you. I hope it wasn’t me who upset you,” he said, looking shamefaced.
Mattie came to where he was standing.
“I wasn’t mad at you,” she told him. “It was something else.”
“Anything I can do?”
“Nope, it’s over now. Just a misunderstanding between me and Matthew.”
“That is why he is ignoring you, huh.”
“I told him to stay clear of me. He keeps calling me sweetcakes.”
Dusty threw his head back and laughed.
“The way he keeps looking at you, one would think he had a crush on you. Only I know that Matthew is not attracted to boys.”
“He sort of feels he needs to protect me or something cause he thinks I’m so dang innocent. I told him to fuck off. Guess that pissed him off. He wants to be my big brother or something.”
“Well that explains it,” Dusty grinned. “Matthew has his strange ways. He jumped all over us, about what we had been doing in the bunkhouse after you took off. Said if it ever happened again, he was going to start laying people off.”
“Guess I kind of made a stir around here,” Mattie said, realizing her being there was making it hard for everyone.
Maybe Matthew was right. Having a woman was just a big bother!
“Oh, he’ll get over it. And anyway, we won’t tease you no more. We’re gonna to be too busy trying to outdo you in training horses and playing chess,” he chuckled.
“Not to mention arm wrestling,” she teased.
“Are you saying you could beat us in arm wrestling?” Dusty grinned, raising his eyebrows at her.
“You heard me,” she smirked.
“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you? Ok, sweetcakes, you can prove it tonight after dinner.”
“Didn’t Matthew tell you what would happen if anyone called me sweetcakes, or cutie pie, or any other name related to those names?”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” he winked. “But you are a cutie pie,” he chuckled.
“Well, this cutie pie is going to beat you in arm wrestling, after I beat you in chess,” she predicted. “Then you’ll think twice before you call me sweetcakes again!” she warned and then turned away and started waking Patches again.
The dinner table was unusually quiet. Ordinarily, there was a ruckus of noise, talking and joking and grabbing for food. Daniel looked out over his adopted family, as he always called them, and smiled inwardly. That little snip of a girl was creating a real predicament. Matthew sat like a bump on a log, trying not to look at Mattie, but stealing a glance every chance he got, and none of the boys missed it. Dusty, just kept looking at his plate and shoveling food in his mouth. McCloud and Clyde were talking softly between themselves about some disagreement they had been having when they first came into the room, and Buck just sat grinning at everyone like there was some big joke going on. Mattie was looking from one to the other, but never at Matthew, and Daniel just shook his head and occupied himself with his own dinner.
As the plates emptied, Dusty stood up.
“I’ll be waiting for you in the bunkhouse, Mattie,” he said grinning.
“You and who else?” she asked, grinning back.
Matthew looked up suddenly, wondering what he had missed.
“After me, there won’t be any more contest,” Dusty said.
“That’s what you think,” Mattie returned.
“Face it, Mattie. You might be able to wrangle a horse, but other than that you are just a pretty face.”
“Yeah, my face is a lot prettier than yours,” she heckled.
“How long do you think you’ll last?” Dusty asked.
“Longer than you,” she predicted.
By this time, everyone was staring at the two.
“You can stop talking and start showing,” Dusty insisted. “So get your little butt up off that chair and come with me.”
“You just can’t wait to be humiliated, can you?” Mattie laughed, as she stood up to follow him out the door.
Matthew looked at the others at the table.
“What’s going on that I don’t know about?” he asked.
“Beats me,” Buck said.
“Whatever it is, I’m gonna go find out,” Clyde drawled, and scooted his chair back.
“Wait for me,” McCloud followed.
Matthew looked at Daniel.
“I have a feeling that little minx is getting ready to start something,” he hissed.
“Only way to find out is to go see,” Daniel, insisted, standing up and heading after McCloud, and Matthew was close on his tail.
When Matthew opened the door to the bunkhouse, he saw Clyde, McCloud, and Buck all surrounding the table where Dusty and Mattie were facing each other, their elbows on the table, their hands getting ready to chinch.
“On your mark, get set, go,” Buck yelled and then Dusty and Mattie grasped hands, as Matthew drew closer and looked in wonder, while the two began to arm wrestle.
What was Mattie trying to prove, he thought? She couldn’t possibly…and then he heard Dusty groan as Mattie slammed his hand down on the table.
“You cheated!”
“Did not! Who’s next?” she called.
“You gotta be kidding,” Buck laughed.
“Something your Daddy taught you?” Matthew asked as he came up beside her.
Mattie looked up at him and smiled.
“You wanna be next, sweetcakes?”
Matthew grinned.
“Sure, why not,” he accepted and took Dusty’s place.
“Don’t get all cocksure of yourself,” Mattie warned. “I may look soft, but it’s not like arm wrestling a girl.”
Matthew swallowed. The little twerp! She was egging him on, just like she had in the barn. Daring him… He put his elbow on the table.
“Look into my pretty eyes,” Mattie jeered as she put her small hand in his large one.
Buck called the start again and then Mattie gripped against Matthew’s hand. Her eyes smiled at him and then she let the tip of her tongue peek out of her mouth, and sort of lick against her lip. He looked away.
“Losing concentration there, big boy?” she asked, and he jerked his eyes back at her.
“You’re pretty wiry for a little kid,” he said under his breath.
“I’ve beat better men than you at this,” she informed him.
“Have you now?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said as she moved her foot under the table and rubbed it against his ankle.
His expression darkene
d and the next thing he knew she was slamming his hand down on the table.
“Do you think I cheated too?” she asked innocently.
“There is cheating, and then there is cheating.” he breathed almost under his breath. “Just depends on how you want to look at it. Guess your daddy taught you good,” he said as he leaned across the table and patted her on the cheek. “All your’s boys,” he said, as he sauntered from the room. Mattie watched him with smoldering eyes, while Daniel smiled to himself. She not only knew how to handle horses, he thought, but she had a really subtle way with men as well. He turned and followed his son from the bunkhouse. He could see why Matthew loved her, poor boy. She just might be one hell of a filly to handle, though. He shook his head, feeling sorry for his son and kind of wishing he was twenty years younger.
CHAPTER SIX
Mattie stumbled in and flopped on the bottom bunk of her own bunk bed. It had been a long hard day, but the filly was coming along good and she had already gotten a saddle on her back and got her lunging well. Next, she would work on reining, she thought.
“Come on, Mattie,” Dusty called. “You are coming into town with us tonight, aren’t you?”
“Why? What’s in town?” she asked.
“It’s Friday, and I know you can’t go to the bars, but there is a country dance going on, that you can attend. No use laying around this place.”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
Dusty hunkered down beside the bed and looked into her face.
“You know, you are filthy! I don’t think I’ve seen you take a shower all week. You’re starting to smell pretty rank, too,”
Dusty held his nose.
“Get your butt in there and take a shower.”
“Oh, I was going to do it tomorrow,” she said, thinking they would all be gone over the weekend.
“Nah, you are coming into town with us, isn’t he boys?” Dusty insisted. “So you gotta get cleaned up right now.”
“Don’t be shy. We won’t tease you about your little dick,” Dusty teased.
“I don’t think…”
“He’s right, Mattie. Your modesty is getting a little ridicules, don’t you think?” Buck put in.
Mattie Page 6