“Hello? Tristan?” Liv waved her hand in front of Tristan’s face.
“Oh, sorry. I don’t remember the last time I was on a date. Not much time for that these days.”
“We’ll see if we can change that.”
Tristan felt the color rise on her cheeks. “We’ll see is right.”
“Here’s your Happy Hippie,” the waitress said as she set the plate in front of Tristan.
She couldn’t resist ordering it when she read the name. The wrap was made with olive tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, artichokes, banana peppers, and mozzarella. “I could eat this every day,” she told Liv after she’d taken a few bites.
“Wait until you have dinner here,” Liv murmured in between bites of her own food. Tristan hoped she’d have occasion to.
1961
It was dark and cold. The sky had clouded over and hid the light of the moon. Maybe he should stop for the night. Try to find a tree to lean up against until dawn. Bill turned to see the lights of a truck coming down the road. It had been more than two hours since another one had. He started walking backwards and stuck out his thumb.
The truck slowed, and the driver rolled down the window. “Who’s that? Is that you, Billy Flynn? Whatcha’ doin’ out on the road this late at night? Your mama know where you are, boy?”
“Yes, Mr. Patterson. She knows.” He’d hoped for a ride, not a hide-tanning. He slunk away from the truck and kept walking down the road.
“Where ya goin’, son? Come on, now. Get in the truck.”
Bill opened the door and climbed in. “Thanks. I ’preciate this.”
Mr. Patterson turned in the seat to look at him. Bill wished he’d just put the truck in gear and keep on down the road.
“I don’t know if you know this, but your pa and I were friends from way, way back. Since we were younger than you are now. I was sure sorry to hear about his passing, Billy.”
“Thank you, sir. And I’m Bill now.” He’d never be Billy again. Billy was the name of a child, and he wasn’t a child any longer. He was a man, with the responsibilities of one.
“That right? Well, where you headed, Bill?”
“Sundance Trail, sir.”
“What’s at Sundance Trail that you need to get there in the middle of the night?”
“Lookin’ for a job,” he mumbled in the direction of the window. He turned back around. “You know if they’re hiring?”
“Doubt it, but I know somebody who might be.”
Bill sat up straighter and waited for Mr. Patterson to continue. When he didn’t, he asked who it was.
“You ever hear of P-Bar Ranch?”
Bill shook his head. He hadn’t.
“It’s over the pass, in McCoy.”
He hadn’t heard of McCoy either, but if they were hiring, he didn’t care where it was.
“We’ll stay at my place tonight, and then tomorrow, I’ll take you up to the ranch. I was headed there anyway.”
“You were?” Bill asked. “Why?”
“It’s my brother’s place, and it’s gotten big enough that he needs a partner. I figure, if he needs a partner, he probably needs a few more cowboys, too.”
Bill wished they could go straight there tonight, but sleeping in a warm bed sounded mighty good right then.
“Thank you, Mr. Patterson.” Bill held out his hand to shake.
“Call me Clancy. And you’re welcome, Bill.”
3
“This place is incredible,” Tristan said when they drove through the gates of the Flying R Ranch. It was nestled in a valley between two sets of mountains; more predominantly, to the east, was Mount Crested Butte, which she could’ve guessed based on its formation.
Tristan pointed to a stream that followed the road and appeared to be frozen over. “What’s that?”
“Cement Creek. It divides the entire ranch in half. In the past, Ben’s family raised cattle on one side of the creek, and horses on the other. It’s gotten more complicated now that they’re heavier into rough stock.”
“How long has the ranch been in his family?”
“Four generations. Ben’s great-grandparents were the first of his family to move to Colorado. They bought this land. Their son, Ben’s grandfather, bought another ranch, closer to the butte, and developed the ski area, but this was his home.” Liv pointed as they drove past a sprawling ranch house.
“Ben’s parents, Bud and Ginny, live here now. Our place is over there.” She pointed north. “Ben’s brother Matt’s place is that way.” Liv pointed south. “And we passed the turnoff to Will’s place on our way in. His house is set a little farther back, so you can’t see it from the road.”
“It’s heavenly.”
“The first time Ben brought me here, I had a similar reaction. I always thought my place, over in Black Forest, was the most beautiful ranch I’d ever seen.”
“You had a ranch?”
“I inherited it from my parents. It’s where I raised my daughter Renie after my first husband died. Renie’s husband, Billy, bought it from me before they got married. You’ve met Billy, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have. You know, I heard something about your daughter being married to him, but I thought I’d gotten the story mixed up.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you don’t look old enough to have an adult daughter.”
Liv beamed at Tristan. “Thank you. You’re good for this old girl’s ego.”
Tristan shook her head. “Old,” was the last word she would’ve used to describe Liv.
“You’ve met Lyric, haven’t you?” Liv asked when they walked into the house and saw a woman sitting at the kitchen counter.
“Of course I have.” Tristan walked over to shake Lyric’s hand. “Nice to see you again.”
Instead of taking Tristan’s extended hand, Lyric stood and hugged her. “I need a hug, bad, and you’re closest.”
Lyric hung on longer than Tristan expected.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Liv put her hand on Tristan’s shoulder and gave Lyric a hug as well.
Lyric started to cry. “Bullet’s wife killed herself.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Liv gasped. “How’s Bullet?”
“On his way here. With Grey.”
Tristan wished a hole would open up in the wall so she could disappear. “I’m sorry to intrude. Is there somewhere else I can wait for my meeting?”
Lyric wiped at her tears. “Intrude? If you’re gonna be part of things around here, you better get used to drama. There’s been nothin’ but, since I met this family. Today, it’s my turn to bring it.”
“The other thing you’ll have to get used to is Lyric telling you exactly what she thinks the minute she thinks it.” A woman whom Tristan hadn’t met walked into the kitchen.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Bree. Jace’s wife.”
“I’m Tristan, um, with Lost Cowboy.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Jace asked me to tell you they’ll be a few more minutes. The guys are tending to a cow that had twin calves. I’ve never seen anything like it, although Jace said it isn’t that unusual.”
“It’s more common with dairy cattle than it is with beef cattle, but from what Billy said, there’ve been five sets of twins born so far this year.”
“Lyric, how do you know this? Even I knew nothing about any twins being born?” asked Liv.
“Just gotta pay attention is all. Sometimes I think I’m the only one who does around here.”
Bree laughed. “See how she is? You’ll get used to it.”
Jace and Billy came in the front door a few minutes later. Tristan wondered if it didn’t bother Liv, all the people who walked into her house as though they owned the place.
“Sorry we’re late,” Billy said to her.
“I heard you had some excitement.”
“Yeah, we did. Uh…can you wait for another minute?”
“Of course,” she answered, although he didn’t appear to be
listening to her.
Billy walked straight over to Lyric and wrapped her in a hug. “You okay?” she heard him whisper. Lyric started to cry again, and buried her face in his shoulder.
Out on the circuit, Billy had a reputation for being self-involved. Guys complained that he kept to himself and didn’t form relationships with anyone. What she was witnessing was the antithesis of what she’d heard about him.
“I guess you talked to Bullet already. So you know what happened.”
Billy nodded his head.
“He’s worried. You need to reassure him that he’ll have help when he gets here. Got it?”
Billy smiled. “Got it.”
“Don’t you worry, Lyric,” Jace added. “Bullet is one of us. He’s part of the family, just like you are. We’ll help him the same way we’d help one another.”
“What’s goin’ on in here?” asked Ben Rice as he walked in the front door followed by two other men Tristan didn’t recognize.
“Come here and give me a kiss,” he said to Liv, and then looked over at Tristan. “Don’t we have a meeting?”
When Liv tugged on his sleeve and pointed to Lyric, Ben did the same thing Billy and Jace had done; he went straight to Lyric to offer his condolences.
Tristan wished her dad was here with her. She’d already convinced him that partnering with Flying R was the right thing to do, but if he had any doubts about the kind of men they’d have as partners, this would’ve eliminated them.
In less than two hours, they’d be in Crested Butte, and instead of three days, it had taken them four. He had to hand it to Grey, though, he was hanging in pretty good. Bullet made sure to stop at the first sign he was getting antsy and to give him time to run around and play.
Every hundred miles or so, he’d stop at a store and let Grey pick out a new toy. Other times he’d try to find a park where he could play. It wasn’t as easy once they got to Colorado, where snow covered most of the playgrounds. Grey loved it though. He didn’t need a slide or a swing; he loved rolling around in the fluffy, white powder. That was another thing he had to get on one of his stops, snow clothes. The boy didn’t have any to speak of. He hadn’t needed any in Oklahoma.
He didn’t miss the girls checking him out when they stopped at a store, or to get something to eat. He figured having Grey with him would cramp his style, not that he was looking for any company right now. Instead, Grey seemed to attract more attention.
Women would sit right down at the table, without being invited, and ask about his baby. When they asked where his baby’s mama was, Bullet answered simply, “She ain’t in the picture anymore.”
They’d express disappointment when they heard he was just passing through. One or two offered to let him and Grey stay the night. Bullet declined though. It didn’t feel right, so soon after Callie’s passing. Plus, he needed to stay focused and get them to Colorado.
“Almost there, baby boy,” he said to Grey, who was just about to doze off. If Bullet was lucky, Grey would sleep the rest of the way.
“Our new life is about to begin.” Bullet hoped he was doing the right thing, not just for himself, but for Grey too.
There were still a few things to nail down, but for all intents and purposes, the partnership between Lost Cowboy and Flying R Rough Stock was a go.
Liv helped Tristan get settled in a guest room on the lowest level of the three-story ranch house.
“There’s a hot tub off this room that you’re welcome to use.” Liv pointed to the door off the family room. “You’ll have complete privacy. There’s one on every level,” Liv giggled. “Ben really likes hot tubs.”
Staying here was better than any hotel she’d ever stayed in. In addition to the hot tubs, there was a sauna too. And dinner, tonight, had been fabulous. Ben had grilled steaks, just like her father did. It made her miss her daddy even more, and that much happier when she saw his name pop up on the screen when her phone rang.
“How’s my baby girl?”
“I’m good, Daddy. I miss you.”
“You do?” The surprise she heard in his voice made her feel terrible.
“How’s Gramps?”
“He’s sittin’ right here. You wanna talk to him before we hang up?”
“I’d like that.”
She went over the questions the Flying R team had asked during the meeting. Her father was as anxious to finalize this deal as she was, and said he’d get back to her with the answers the next morning.
Tristan didn’t feel sleepy when she hung up after talking to her grandfather. The hot tub sounded like a nice way to relax and wind down, and since Liv said she’d have privacy, she decided to go in, even though she hadn’t brought a bathing suit with her.
Bullet had arrived less than an hour ago and Grey was already asleep in the crib that was still set up in Caden’s room. Liv assured him that her little girl could sleep through a train wreck, and even if Grey woke in the middle of the night, he wouldn’t bother her. She handed him the extra baby monitor and told him he could sleep downstairs in one of Ben’s son’s rooms. The boys were at their mother’s house this week.
“Oh, and Tristan McCullough, from Lost Cowboy, is staying in the guest room down the hall.”
The name sounded familiar. Was she the same woman from Lost Cowboy he’d met in Las Vegas? He sure wouldn’t mind running into her in the hallway in the middle of the night.
He took a shower, and then remembered there was a hot tub on the patio.
1961
Once they turned off the main road, Bill kept thinking the ranch would be around the next bend of the dirt road. It felt as though they’d been driving for hours since they could only go ten miles an hour on the washboard-ridden road. He was beginning to feel sick to his stomach.
“You look green over there, boy. You want me to pull over for a bit?”
Bill wouldn’t be making a good first impression on Clancy’s brother if he got sick to his stomach riding in a damn truck. He waved his hand. “Nah, I’m good. You can keep goin’.”
“It ain’t much farther,” Clancy laughed. “We’ll get some pop in ya when we get there. That’ll make you feel better.”
“I said I was fine,” Bill snapped.
Clancy grinned at him and rolled down his window. “It’ll be a might dusty, but the fresh air that comes with it will do you good. Hey, look there. We’re here.”
Bill looked up and saw the main gate of the ranch. It was closed, so Clancy stopped the truck and jumped out to open it. Maybe Bill should’ve done that for him.
“I’ll get it,” he said after they pulled through. He didn’t want Clancy to think he was lazy, so he jumped out and closed the gate behind them.
Getting out of the truck for just that short amount of time settled his stomach. He looked off in the distance and thought about telling Clancy he’d walk the rest of the way in, but from where he stood, he couldn’t see any buildings. Who knew how much farther it might be? Could be miles.
As he studied the view, he understood why the ranch was set as far back as it was. From where he stood, he could see all the way to Utah. Hills layered on rolling hills in shades of golden brown. Soon it would turn a thousand shades of green as the earth warmed and the plant-life came out of dormancy. He breathed in deeply. Horses. It was a smell not all found pleasant, but to him, it took him back to happier times. Day after day he and his father had ridden their land on the backs of horses. He’d give anything to go back to the time before his daddy got sick.
“You gettin’ back in the truck or not?” Clancy shouted at him.
Bill climbed in. “Quite a place your brother’s got here.”
“Ain’t just his anymore. I’ll be a full partner soon as he deposits the bank draft. So, I’ll say thanks for the both of us.”
He didn’t ask how much land the ranch encompassed; that would be rude. Plus, if things went the way he hoped they would, he’d be out, riding that land and could figure it out for himself.
“Uh, so…if
you’re a partner, who makes the decision about hiring somebody lookin’ for a job?”
“Guess I forgot to tell you that part. It was a stipulation of my partnerin’ up. We’re a package deal, young Flynn. I don’t have any doubt you’ll work hard for us, son. Just like your daddy taught you.”
Bill looked out the passenger window and hoped the tears that filled his eyes went away before they rolled down his cheeks. “Thank you, sir. I won’t disappoint you.”
4
Tristan was startled when she heard the patio door open. Hadn’t Liv said she’d have complete privacy?
“Uh, hi, ma’am. Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was out here.”
“Hi. Um…I was just about to get out.”
“You can stay. I’m happy to share,” he smiled.
“Thanks, but I’ve been in too long as it is. If you wouldn’t mind turning around, I’ll grab my towel.”
“You know, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before? Maybe another hot tub?”
“Very funny. No, we haven’t.”
“I think you’re wrong; we have met. I’m sure of it.”
“Listen, I’m a bit embarrassed by this, but I’m not wearing a swimsuit. So again, if you’d please turn around, I’ll leave.”
“Now, what fun would that be?” he chuckled. “I don’t mind; I’m not wearing one either.” The man rested his hands on the edge of the hot tub, and when he did, his towel fell to the ground. “I’m Bullet,” he said. “And if I’m not mistaken, you’re Tristan.”
“You aren’t going to turn around, are you?”
“Nope, I’m sure not.”
She shook her head and waited to see if Bullet was joking. When he didn’t make a move, she stood and climbed out around him. “Hell with it,” she muttered, walking in the house, leaving both her towel and Bullet behind her.
Bullet climbed into the warm water and couldn’t stop chuckling. That was a mighty fine-looking ass he watched walk away from him. He couldn’t wait to see the rest of the feisty Miss McCullough.
Win Me Over Page 3