His Outback Cowgirl (Wildflower Ranch Book 4)

by Callen, Alissa

  Seeing Ethan again had left her unsettled and she couldn’t pinpoint why. She’d had relationships in the past, even one she’d labeled as serious, but she’d never once felt ... derailed. When she was around Ethan, she was hyperaware of his smile, his every micro-expression and just how gorgeous he was. She only hoped her awareness of him would decrease once she released the pressure valve on her emotions. So until then she had to conceal the effect he had on her. She had to appear as though she were coping with the loss of her father. Any blushes, vacant stares and shallow breaths were not signs she had herself under control.

  Ethan’s truck swung into the parking lot. As he left the driver’s side he waved to another cowboy who approached with a smile. Bridie slowed her swing to a stop, helped Finn out of his and walked over to a nearby empty picnic table. Ethan soon headed over to them.

  “How does toffee sound?” He passed her a cone topped with a generous serving of toffee-streaked ice cream.

  “Perfect. Thanks.”

  She didn’t need to look at the cone he held in his other hand, and that would be his, to know he’d choose a safe and plain vanilla flavor.

  Finn settled himself onto the table seat and Ethan handed him his cookies n’ cream cone.

  “Thanks, Ethan”

  Ethan sat beside him. “Anytime, buddy.”

  They ate their ice cream and watched the children play on the pirate ship-themed equipment, their voices loud and cheeks flushed with the joy of childhood.

  Bridie finished her cone and when she glanced across at Ethan she realized he now watched her and not the playing children.

  Their gazes locked.

  “So what do I need to bring for our trip?” she asked, hating that her voice emerged breathless.

  “Not much. I spoke to Zane earlier, that’s how I knew you and Finn were in town, and he’s got most of what you’ll need. I just need to know if you’re allergic to anything and what type of things you like to eat.”

  Beside Ethan, Finn crunched loudly on his cone.

  “How’s your ice cream?” Ethan asked, smiling.

  “Good.”

  “And almost gone,” Bridie added with a grin. She looked at Ethan again. “I’m allergic to bee stings and maybe wasps but will have an EpiPen filled with epinephrine. As for food, I eat anything but peanut butter.”

  Ethan raised a brow. “No peanut butter? Finn, did you hear that? Bridie doesn’t like peanut butter.”

  Finn grinned through his last mouthful of ice cream.

  “That’s right,” she said, “I’m an Aussie, remember. I eat vegemite.” She smiled sweetly at Ethan. “You should try some.”

  “No, don’t.” Finn quickly shook his dark head and came to his feet. “It’s horrible.”

  Bridie laughed and lifted her legs over the picnic table bench to also stand. “Let me guess it was Bug and not you who ate that whole plate of vegemite crackers?”

  Ethan followed Bridie and Finn over to what he assumed to be the famous climbing spinner. Sunlight shone on their identical shades of dark hair. While Finn’s eyes were a true blue, and Bridie’s a blue-grey, their high cheekbones also marked them as nephew and aunt.

  Ethan glanced skyward as swallows swooped and dipped close by. It might be the ice cream giving him a sugar-high but the sky appeared extra bright, the summer breeze extra sweet and Bridie, well, she just looked extra beautiful.

  His gaze clung to her slender back as her ponytail swung across her shoulders as she walked. He’d forgotten the warmth of her quick smile and how much he enjoyed the Australian cadence of her voice. She wore jeans and boots again but instead of a Western shirt she wore a fitted white tank top. Her winter-pale skin was now lightly tanned and with her hair pulled back she would have passed for any Marietta local.

  She held the spinner still while Finn clambered on and then she joined him. They scaled the rope web, laughing as they climbed.

  Ethan’s chest tightened. It was so good to see Bridie have fun. She hid her grief so well. It was only when she thought no one was watching that the light in her eyes dulled and the corners of her mouth wilted. He’d do everything he could to ensure tomorrow’s trip brought with it the space she needed to grieve. And that included not acting on the attraction he felt toward her.

  Over the past three days, his head had won the argument with his hormones. Starting something with the beautiful cowgirl would be the worst possible thing for both of them. She was emotionally vulnerable and he didn’t do risks, especially ones that involved his heart. So, no matter how much his testosterone might disagree, he’d be keeping his hands to himself.

  “Can you spin us, please,” Bridie called from her lofty height.

  Ethan nodded and after checking they both had a firm hold on the net, he spun the equipment. Finn squealed and Bridie again laughed. Ethan waited for the spinner to whirl past three times before grasping the edge and spinning it again.

  Finn again squealed but Bridie no longer laughed. Ethan tracked her as she climbed down the rungs on the web. Instead of waiting for the apparatus to slow to a gentle speed he knew she’d soon jump right off.

  He readied in case she fell flat on her face. But she landed on both feet and tucked the strands that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. Ethan turned his attention to Finn.

  Then in his peripheral vision he saw Bridie sway and pitch sideways. He turned and flung an arm around her waist to catch her. She grasped his bare forearms and swayed again before straightening to stare at his chin.

  “Sorry,” she said, words vague, her eyes not lifting to his. “I’m so .... dizzy.”

  “It’s fine. Everything will stop spinning soon.”

  Bridie’s grip tightened on his arms. Ethan fought to remain unmoved. The warmth of her touch heated his skin. Her rose scent filled his lungs.

  A soft thud sounded as Finn jumped from the now slow-moving spinner. Ethan turned to check that Finn too wasn’t dizzy. He listed to the left, but covered the short distance to them and wrapped his tiny arms around Ethan’s leg.

  Ethan chuckled. “A great pair of pirates you’d make. You have landlubber legs, not sea legs.”

  Bridie’s grip eased and she lifted her hands as if testing the stability of her surroundings before taking a small step away. “Tell me about it.” This time she met his gaze, smile sheepish. “Is now a good time to confess last time we went on the spinner it wasn’t moving.”

  Ethan looked skywards before he ruffled Finn’s hair. “Now you tell me. I wouldn’t have spun you quite so hard.”

  Finn pulled away from his leg, his grin infectious. “But it was fun.”

  Gait still unsteady he skipped over to a blue whale mounted on springs. He sat inside and rocked forward and then backward.

  Bridie screwed up her nose, her face still pale. “No more spinning or rocking for me, the picnic table bench will suit me fine.”

  Ethan checked his watch before they retraced their steps to the table. “I’m meeting Cordell soon but can stay if you’re not feeling well.”

  “No, you go, I’m good. I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.”

  Ethan stifled a pang of loss that she no longer needed his help. “Okay. See you then.”

  He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder and check on her as he strode to his truck. Bridie was back to her old independent self and it was the way things should be.

  Ethan took a swig of his beer and leaned back in the booth at Grey’s. It was his favorite time of day in the historic saloon. Soft music played broken only by the occasional clink of glass and hearty laugh of the two cowboys wearing plaid shirts seated at the bar. Otherwise the saloon was empty, with no groups of rowdy patrons to keep an eye on for potential trouble.

  His childhood on the run might have ended when his mother had married steady rancher, Scott, but the lessons life had taught him never faded. Stay calm. Stay in control. Be prepared.

  In a small, nameless town, his mother had found work behind a bar. He could still remember th
e tremble in her slim fingers when she’d dressed for her shift. Years of living with an alcoholic and abusive stepfather had left their scars. Raised voices and the smell of beer never failed to make her anxious. No matter how late her shift ended, Cordell and Ethan would stay awake to check she made it home.

  One night she was late and they’d slipped away from their grandmother to sprint the block to the saloon. The two drunks looking for a good time and standing between their mother and her car hadn’t stood a chance. Tall and world-weary for his years, Cordell threw the first punch. In countless schoolyards Ethan had always been the twin to talk their way out of trouble, but this time he was done talking. His fist landed the second punch.

  They left town the next day but not before they’d heard how the two men had been attacked by a gang of youths and had still managed to fight them off.

  Ethan traced a pattern in the condensation on the beer bottle. But the next town they drifted to had been Colorado Springs and it was there widower, Scott, had become a regular at the diner where their mother had found work. She became his housekeeper and they moved to his ranch. A year later she became his wife. Ethan and Cordell never had to protect her again.

  Ethan took another swig of beer and almost choked as a hand slapped his back.

  “You’re not starting without me, are you little brother?”

  “You’re late.”

  Cordell slid into the booth seat, grin wide. “I’m always late, just like you’re always early.” He picked up the beer Ethan had bought for him. “And just like you always have a beer waiting for me.”

  Cordell took a quick swallow of amber liquid. “So what have you been doing all afternoon? Henry said you left after lunch.”

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed. Cordell’s too innocent tone didn’t fool him. Ever since he’d told his twin he was heading into the backcountry with the Australian cowgirl his curiosity had been obvious.

  “Doing a chore list an arm long for Henry. Why, what do you think I’ve been doing?”

  Cordell’s blue eyes danced. “Nothing.”

  “Has Henry mentioned anything about taking a trip? I’ve a travel book from Lesley for him.”

  “Nope. But knowing him, he’ll be up to something. He’s always hatching some sort of plan.”

  “He is.”

  A grin shaped Cordell’s mouth. “Speaking of Henry’s plans ... how’s his latest one coming along?”

  Ethan withheld a sigh. Cordell was worse than Milo with a bone when it came to asking questions about Bridie. “If you mean Henry’s matchmaking one between me and Bridie ...” He broke eye contact to toy with his beer bottle. He and Cordell never kept secrets from each other. “I can’t speak for Bridie but unfortunately for me it’s going ... well.”

  Silence.

  Ethan glanced at his brother but instead of amusement, seriousness sobered his gaze.

  “How well?”

  “Too well. We might be incompatible and she could be gone tomorrow, but I can’t ... stop thinking about her.”

  Cordell nodded slowly, beer forgotten. “How do you know it’s not going ... well for her too?”

  “Because, despite how together she appears, she’s in a world of pain. She won’t admit it, but this trip tomorrow is all about her letting go of her grief for her father. There’s no way a relationship would be on her radar. Then there’s also the obvious fact that a woman who says ‘surprise me’ with an unknown ice cream flavor wouldn’t fall for a man who always chooses safe and boring vanilla.”

  Ethan expected Cordell to laugh. But he didn’t. “Ethan, we both know you’re not safe or boring. As for you being incompatible, when it comes to falling for someone, logic doesn’t always apply. Payton and I shouldn’t work. Our mile-wide stubborn streaks should mean that we spend our lives butting heads. But we don’t.” His lips twitched. “Besides according to Carol Bingley, Bridie and you seemed very ... compatible ... in the park.”

  Ethan groaned. “Carol saw us? Great. Now she’ll have us married and expecting triplets by Thanksgiving.”

  “Thanksgiving? Try Labor Day.”

  Ethan didn’t smile. “Well, she can gossip all she wants, because it’s not happening. I’m not making things worse for Bridie and you know me, I’m not a risk taker.”

  “Bridie might be worth taking every risk there is in the book.” Cordell raised his beer bottle to clink it against Ethan’s. “Besides you’ve already taken one huge risk. You’re a braver man than I am to spend two days alone in the mountains with a beautiful woman, let alone one you’re falling for.”

  Chapter Five

  A flash from the direction of the ranch house caused Bridie to turn in her saddle and to wave. Henry watched her and Ethan’s progress across the meadow as they left for their first mountain trip.

  “Does he always need to know what’s going on?”

  Ethan grinned. “Always. There’s very little that Henry misses.”

  Bridie matched his smile. The sun warmed her shoulders, the saddle leather creaked in time to Molly’s steps and to their left an eagle soared. Bridie’s smile widened. Soon they’d be high in the mountains and from there the eagle would no longer resemble a wide-winged silhouette.

  “You’re already enjoying yourself, aren’t you, and we haven’t been gone ten minutes?”

  “I am.” Bridie chose her words carefully. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to take pictures in the wild country.”

  She still couldn’t have Ethan know her real reason behind her drive to head into the wilderness. Even though she wasn’t alone and could grieve, she’d find a way to steal some time to herself. She urged Molly into a fast walk.

  “There’s no rush,” Ethan said as he rode alongside. “We’ve got all day to get to where we’re going.”

  “I know.” She made no attempt to slow Molly whose ears flicked forward in excitement.

  “Has anyone ever told you sometimes it’s not the destination that’s important but the journey?”

  She stared at the forested peaks that left her with an almost physical ache to climb. She sighed and slowed Molly. “Yes, they have. My father for one.”

  “Let me guess, he’s also told you more than once?”

  “Yes, he did.” She loosened her reins and ignored the energy zipping through her. Both her father and Ethan were right. She needed to relax and live in the moment. The mountains weren’t going anywhere. “You do realize that ‘enjoying the journey’ involves multiple stops to take photographs?”

  “I do and that’s why we’re taking the long way round. There’s a high altitude meadow where we should find a bachelor herd of bighorn sheep.”

  “Wonderful.” She halted Molly and removed her camera from the black bag clipped to the front of her saddle. She focused on a delicate butterfly resting on a yellow wildflower. “Finn will love this picture.”

  She lowered the camera. Ethan had halted Captain and the pack horse, Cloud, a little ahead of her. With the jagged mountain backdrop, the vivid blue sky and the lush green of the meadow, the image was both iconic and breathtaking. Many a past and present cowboy had headed into these mountains, their hat brim pulled low and their supplies packed on a horse or a mule.

  “Would you mind if I took a picture of you?”

  He watched her closely. “For Finn or for your blog?”

  “Both ... I guess. But if I do put any of you on my blog I promise not to show your face if you’re not comfortable with being on social media. Not everyone is.” She grinned. “Even though I already know there’d be plenty of comments asking to see more of you than just the side or the back.”

  His lips twitched. “Did you just pay me a compliment?”

  She raised the camera and took a quick picture of him with a smile in his blue eyes. This shot wasn’t for Finn or her followers, just herself.

  Sunlight again flashed from the direction of the ranch house.

  “Now that really would be living dangerously if I paid you a compliment in full view
of Henry. If it looks like we’re getting on, there’ll be no telling what plan he’d hatch next.”

  “Agreed.” The corner of Ethan’s mouth curled into a grin. “So no more smiling at me until we reach the treeline, okay?”

  She changed her smile into a frown. “Okay.”

  But as Ethan increased their pace and the horses settled into a steady lope her smile returned. The wind tugged at her hair falling below her hat brim and the mountains loomed closer. Soon they reached the treeline that marked the end of the undulating meadow. This time Ethan led them into the pines at a different point to where they’d entered to reach the cave.

  Sunlight filtered through the old-growth forest and Bridie relaxed into her saddle. It was as though she’d entered another world. A world full of nature’s beauty and peace. A world that would provide her with the solitude and space to say farewell her father. Just like the mountains they’d soon scale, she’d climb to the summit of her grief and then ... let go.

  But for now she needed to stay in control and catalogue landmarks as they rode. She’d need to know the best way to travel when on her own. She stopped to take a picture of marks on the bark of a tree. The pine had a slight lean and a small tuft of black fur snagged on a branch stub from where a black bear had rubbed against the trunk. In the past days, when she wasn’t hanging out with Finn, Bridie had talked to Zane about animal tracks and signs.

  Soon the trees thinned and the forest opened onto a higher meadow. The breeze carried the sweet scent of beargrass wildflowers. A pair of white-tailed deer hovered at the tree fringe and then bounded into the forest. The horses made their way to where a creek tumbled over water-smooth pebbles. Side-by-side, they strode into the crystal clear water and lowered their heads to drink.