“Thanks, little lady. They’re getting to the handful stage. Don’t know why I even bother breeding them anymore. About time I stopped and let someone else do the dirty work.”
“Come on now, Jim. You always have great dogs. These ones look top class.”
“Yeah I know, but I’m getting too damned long in the tooth for this mucking around. This might be my last litter. Now who is this pretty lady you have here?”
“Callie, I want you to meet Jim. Known him since I was knee high. Jim, Callie moved over from Australia to be my ranch manager.”
“Australia you say. Now that’s a fair long distance to come for a job, missy.”
“Yeah I guess, but it was advertised and just what I wanted so I thought, why not. You know what they say, a change is as good as a holiday.”
He eyed her up and down, obviously giving her answer some consideration. “Hmmm, guess I can’t argue with that then.” He turned back to Chance. “So what are you doing here? After a dog at long last?”
“Thought it might be high time I got one. Now Callie is living on the ranch I think it might be a good idea. A cattle dog that can act as a companion would be handy.”
Jim chewed it over and looked between the two of them. “Right. Well, you can choose a pup if you like. None of them are taken just yet, but I doubt they will last long once I put the word out. You prepared to train the little rascal, missy?” He pinned his dark little eyes on Callie and she blushed under his scrutiny.
“Done it before, and I’m pretty sure I can do it again.”
“Callie comes off a station in Australia, Jim. Had her own dogs over there.” She knew Chance was trying to make things easier for her with the old man. He’d told her on the way down Jim had a reputation for being a hard hitter and not to take anything he said personally.
“Girl can talk for herself, can’t she?”
“Of course I can. I’m not a fool. What did you want to know?” Callie waited for him to take her to task as Tyson had.
“What do you know about the breed?” He leaned on the fence and watched her carefully.
“Australian cattle dog. Clever, fast, and deadly loyal. I had two I had to destroy when I left because our station was taken by the bank and nobody wanted them.”
“Damned shame that. So, you prepared to take on a pup, scattered as they are?”
A grey and white cattle dog jumped the fence and sidled its way up to Callie, sniffing her boots before sitting down beside her. The dog had one blue eye and one brown eye, a trait that popped up every now and then but didn’t affect the dog’s ability to see what it was doing.
“Sherbet, get outta there. Go on, get.” Jim waved his hands at the dog, but it turned its head and ignored him.
“Damn stupid thing. Lost her pups and has been acting silly ever since.”
Callie glanced at Chance before putting down the pups. “How old is she?”
“Hmm, about four years old, I reckon. First litter was good, second not so great, and the last one a total failure. Not much good for breeding which is good, cause I’ve just about had enough.”
Callie reached down and stroked the dog’s ears. It looked up at her with its odd colored eyes and leaned into her leg.
“How much for her, Jim?” Chance winked at Callie and she smiled.
“You want her? She’s yours, Chance. Can’t sell her as a breeder and I doubt anyone with a lick of sense would want her over a good pup.”
“Woo hoo.” Callie ran back in the fenced yard and whistled to the dog, holding her arm in the air.
Sherbet turned and ran, sailing over Callie’s arm with ease, following her every move with intense concentration. Callie crouched and flicked her fingers and the dog launched over her back spinning on her feet to await the next command. The whistle for “way back” sounded and the dog launched herself over the fence.
Callie signaled her back and held her arms out, waiting for the ball of energy to soar into her embrace.
“Looks like you have yourself a dog, Callie.” Chance grinned as she stood amongst the pups with the cattle dog in her arms.
Sherbet licked at her face and she laughed with delight before putting her down on the ground. Callie held out her hand to the old man. “Thanks so much, Jim. She’s just perfect for what I want.” She lifted her leg and scooted over the fence and Sherbet followed, sticking close to her new owner.
“Damndest thing, ain’t it? They always say a dog chooses it owner. Guessing she finally found hers.” Jim scratched his head and grinned. “Glad to see her going to a good home too.”
“Oh she will be looked after, I can assure you of that.”
Together the three of them walked back to the truck and Sherbet jumped in and nestled on the floor beside Callie’s feet, signaling her position in the family. Jim followed, leaning on the door of the truck. “Looking like we might get a drift of snow the next couple of days.” He rubbed his lower back. “Damn winter storms are making me ache all over.”
“But its spring isn’t it? At least I thought it was. Don’t think I’ve mixed up the seasons and its autumn at home.”
“Yep, you got it right. Can’t make head nor tail of the weather some days.”
Callie looked at the old man and then up at the sky. “How can you tell?”
“Haven’t you seen the blackbirds flying around? Always a sign of snow when they take to the sky in droves and circling overhead like they have been last couple of days. Right pretty red sunsets too. Anytime this week coming I reckon, you mark my words.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sherbet followed Callie around the rest of the afternoon, dogging her every step. Chance let her go and do her jobs, and since his hip was hurting he sat on the front porch and relaxed. His stress levels were low for the first time in weeks. He loved being home at the ranch and having Callie here was the best thing that could have happened to him. It was a shame he had to have her here under false pretenses as far as his brothers were concerned, but he was sure they would all come around sooner or later. He hoped for sooner so he could come out about his future.
After Tyson’s visit this morning, he’d decided it was time he called Rory and pushed him to come and visit. He missed his brother. There had to be something he could do for him to bring him back into the fold. He picked up the phone and dialed the number.
“Denver Police, Sheriff Watson speaking.”
“Rory, its Chance.”
“Chance, well what do you know. The famous one is calling me. What’s happened, brother, run out of rich people to spend your time with?” The bitterness in his voice was a shock. They had been close as teenagers until Chance had run, leaving Rory to hold the fort with the other boys and their drunken father.
“Since when has that been an issue between us? I wanted to see how you were doing?”
“One day after another, same as always.” A deep sigh sounded over the phone. “Sorry, I don’t mean to take it out on you. Some days are great, some suck like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Rory, you can always take it out on me. What do you think family’s for?” He missed the closeness they used to share. “When are you coming home? It’s about time, don’t you think?”
“I just don’t know what to do anymore. I thought if I stayed here I would get a sense of Cindy and it would be enough, but it isn’t.”
Chance could hear the weariness in his brother’s voice. “Put in for a transfer or just throw it all in. Come and stay with me for a while until you know what you want to do. Buy a ranch of your own if you want or work in town. Pretty sure there are enough offences happening in a town the size of Estes Park to warrant you moving back here.” Chance looked over the view and his gaze was drawn to beyond the forest deep in the valley where the town was nestled just out of sight.
“I already put in for a transfer. Decided it was time. I’m just waiting to hear if I got it or not.”
A spark of hope settled in Chance’s chest. To have his brothers all back in town w
ould be the ultimate buzz. “It will happen, just you wait and see. You can stay with me, I have heaps of room as you know.”
“From what I understand, you have a new house mate already. Not sure I want to cramp your style.”
“Tyson.” His little brother was the town gossip, Chance was convinced of it.
“Yep, that one never could keep anything to himself. Besides, with you going back on the circuit, your new manager might want the place to herself. I can get accommodation in town anyways. Maybe catch up with the old man and see what he’s been up to.”
At the mention of their father, Chance grimaced. “Can’t see how he’d change. Once a drunk always a drunk.”
“Let’s agree to disagree, shall we? You weren’t there to see everything so don’t go judging him like that.”
Chance heard the words and took the hit to the gut, knowing Rory was right. Still, he doubted his father had changed any since he left home. Sitting at the kitchen table with a bottle of whiskey for company while the boys brought themselves up was a poor excuse for a father. And when he lost it, they all suffered. Until the day Chance up and left before he could retaliate.
“Right. What he does no longer concerns me.” He rubbed his knuckles over the faded patch in his jeans and looked over the ranch. The chill was more noticeable now than it was yesterday. Snow for sure. “So, have you heard from Evan lately?”
“Nope, not for a bit now. Last time I heard he was still in Denver at the hospital.”
“Yeah me too. Well, you take care and let me know when you get that transfer. Can’t wait to see you, Rory. It’s been too damn long.”
“Likewise. Gotta run.” The phone disconnected and Chance put it on the table beside him. He lazed in the chair and waited for Callie to come back. He missed her already.
***
Once the horses had been brought in and the chickens fed, Callie walked over to the fence and gazed at the cows, some now with calves at foot. Sherbet sat beside her and leaned into her leg. Callie reached down and rubbed the ears of her new best friend, thankful Chance had taken her down to visit Jim when he had. A dog completed her in a way she couldn’t explain. On the farm, the dogs had been like an extra pair of hands and here on the ranch Sherbet saved her a lot of work. She was a well-trained cattle dog and the two of them had bonded immediately. She also filled up the hole in her heart that stood empty the moment she’d pulled the trigger.
The dog moved her head and growled low in her throat. When Callie turned it was to see Terror at the fence, pawing at the ground, his head down in a show of aggression that would have been frightening if Callie was on the other side of the fence. “Give it up, big guy, you don’t scare me. Seen tougher than you in the desert where I used to live.”
The bull snorted and tossed his head around, intent on intimidating her. She ignored him, turning and glancing over the cow paddock again, looking for any sign of trouble. Seeing none, she snapped her fingers and Sherbet followed her back down the driveway to the house. Chance was sitting on the front porch, gazing silently over the valley.
“Hey.” She dropped down into a chair beside him.
He glanced at her, gave a smile, and reached for her hand. “Hey, everything okay?”
“Yes. Why do I think it’s the calm before the storm though? The ranch seems bathed in a kind of eerie light.” She looked up at the mountains but couldn’t shake the weird tingling up her spine. Callie stared at the hazy cast over the mountains, unsettled by the unfamiliar sight.
“Snow coming. Jim was right, look at the birds overhead.”
She raised her eyes to the sky and watched as the birds circled the house, high enough that they were silently gliding on the wind overhead. “Hmm, best I get out there early in the morning then and make sure the cows are okay. Any idea how long it’s likely to last?”
“Depends on how much we get. Might only be a light dusting although I doubt it. We could be snowed in for a week or so. Damned inconvenient time for a flash storm with calves arriving.”
She grinned. “I can make a snowman. It’s going to be so exciting seeing snow for the first time.” Callie and her sisters had yearned for a trip to the ski fields but it was never in the family budget so she had yet to touch the cold white powder and she was excited about the prospect.
“I don’t want you putting yourself in harm’s way, understand? I can’t come and rescue you if you run into trouble. You need to be careful out there and not take un-necessary chances.”
“I know how to handle myself. Don’t fuss. Now how about I go and light the fire since its getting rather chilly and your hands are white with cold?” She rubbed her fingers over his, before bringing his hand up to her lips. Chance grabbed her and pulled her down onto his lap. Callie squealed and pretended to fight him but in all reality she was exactly where her heart yearned to be. A sexy cowboy of her own, a house the bank wouldn’t come and take over, and a ranch that was going to get a dusting of snow. How much more could a girl dream of?
He kissed her passionately and held her on his knee as they watched the sky slowly darken overhead. When the lights flickered on in the town down in the valley, Chance released her and they headed indoors to light the fire and prepare dinner.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
By the time Callie and Chance crawled out of bed the next day the sky was overcast and the air frigid. She hurried through breakfast, determined to get a round done of the cows paddock before the weather made it impossible to stay outside any longer. Last thing she wanted was to lose any calves to the freezing weather. They were far too valuable. Nothing Chance said could calm her down; she was hell bent on riding the paddock to make sure the stock was okay.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’m rugged up and I have the horse and Sherbet with me. I won’t be long, and then we can go and snuggle in front of the fire again and watch the snow blanket the ground.”
Chance wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He didn’t want her to go out in the cold but she was taking her job seriously and for that he was proud of her. She knew what she was doing. “If you don’t come back in before lunch, I’m calling Tyson.”
“You won’t have to, I promise. One trip around the paddock and I’ll be back before you know it.” She kissed him soundly and pulled away, wiggling her gloved fingers at him before hurrying out the door with her dog at her heels.
Chance watched her hurry down to the barn and he was still standing at the window when ten minutes later she rode Sultan out of the barn and headed down to the cow paddock. He made himself a cup of coffee and hobbled into the lounge room and threw another couple of logs onto the fire before turning on the radio to distract him from worrying about her.
An hour passed as he sat and looked into the flames, all but ignoring the chatter on the local station. Instead Chance was trying to find the right words to tell his brothers what his plans were. But no matter how he worded it, it still sounded bad in his mind. He couldn’t figure out how to tell them he hated his rodeo life and longed for the simple pleasures of working his own ranch with his wife by his side. They would ask why he’d stayed on the circuit as long as he had if it wasn’t what he wanted. There was nothing he could say that would make it sound like he was doing it for himself when he had been propping them all up with his winnings.
What man would be happy to hear that? Certainly not his brothers. They all thought they were independent and could stand on their own two feet. Knowing he had done it to make up for his guilt at leaving them with their drunken father would cause a rift between the brothers he wasn’t ready to deal with just yet, if ever.
He glanced at his watch and cursed. Three hours had passed while he’d been sitting in front of the fire worrying about something he had no control over. It might be best to just tell his brothers he’d had a change of heart and was over the high life he’d been leading the last twelve years. If he was careful, he could be convincing and make them believe him. What other choice did he have?
Chance got up and put more wood on the fire before heading into the kitchen to do the breakfast dishes. If Callie wasn’t back by the time he’d finished, he was calling Tyson. Five long drawn out minutes later, she still hadn’t shown up. Chance reached for the phone and called his brother.
“What do you mean, she hasn’t come back? Hell, Chance. I told you she was wrong for the bloody job. I’ll be right there.” He slammed the phone down with a curse. Chance looked down toward the barn, all but impossible to see now the snow was coming down harder. He paced the kitchen until he saw the lights coming toward the house.
When Tyson opened the truck door, Chance was waiting for him. “Where did she go? I’ll take the truck and if I can’t find her, we’ll have to call in reinforcements.”
“Thanks. This is the first time she’s seen snow. I should never have let her go out by herself in this.”
“Worry about that later when I get back. So help me, Chance, this is going to get sorted one way or another. Stay indoors, I don’t need to find you frozen to death against a bloody fence post.”
Chance shut the door, cursing the bull that put him in this position. He couldn’t get over the feeling of uselessness that swamped him when he couldn’t get in and help.
***
By the time she saddled the horse earlier that morning and headed toward the paddock, the wind was coming at her sideways, bitter and knife like. She pulled her hat further down over her face and huddled against Sultan’s neck, trying to keep her face out of the bitter wind.
A few white flakes landed on her jacket as she unhooked the gate into the paddock and Callie took a moment to gaze at them in wonder. She slipped off her glove and touched the flake with her fingers, watching it melt away to a spot of water. Another few dropped and then more followed. It was like being caught in a pillow fight with white duck feathers floating down from the clouds. Soon there was a steady rain of snowflakes.
Chance For Love (Colorado Blues) Page 8