Rocky Mountain Cowboy

by S A Monk

  This time of the year, she’d only been able to find one type of bathing suit in the only department store that carried them— a competition suit of turquoise blue nylon spandex. After changing into it, she put her personal belongings in one of the lockers, wrapped the big white towel around her waist, then clipped her hair atop her head.

  There was one large swimming pool in the center of the outdoor patio, plus four smaller, circular pools around it. The outer ones were more like large in-ground hot tubs. There was no roof above any of the pools. They were open to the sky and the elements. Only the changing rooms had been enclosed.

  Jenny spotted Hawk in one of the larger hot tub pools. He was reclining on the underwater seat that circled the pool, his arms extended out on either side of him, braced on the lip of the pool. His head was thrown back, his eyes closed. He looked thoroughly relaxed. Steam billowed around him, while the water gurgled and swirled in powerful eddies from his waist down. Amid the vapor, he was nearly invisible.

  Jenny stood for a moment and stared at him simply because he was so damned handsome. His muscular shoulders, bare arms, and broad chest rose above the water, their dark teak color contrasting sharply with the pale color of the cement. His large long fingered hands were curled over the tile rim of the pool. He had very competent hands, strong hands that had moved over her body tenderly, gently. The memory brought back a shiver of deep pleasure.

  A couple of young women were in the pool with him, staring at him. When they started to scoot closer, she draped her towel over one of the redwood patio chairs, slipped out of her sandals, and stepped into the pool. The water eventually rose to her waist. It was deliciously hot and smelled faintly of sulfur, which in her opinion, was much better than hot tub chemicals. It was also wonderfully warm and inviting. Waving the steam aside, she waded over to Hawk. He opened his eyes and greeted her, his gaze making a long slow sweep over her figure. The two women trying to inconspicuously move closer to him, frowned at her. She gave them a smug little smile, then sat down next to him, in the crook of his out-stretched arm.

  “You look great in that swimsuit,” he commented, tucking her close.

  “It’s a competition suit. It was all I could find this time of the year.” But it was almost the same color blue as his eyes, and that had been reason enough to choose it.

  “Nice— very nice.” The husky timbre of his voice generated even more heat than what she was soaking in.

  Her eyes dropped below the water line to look at the swim trunks he was wearing. “You surprised me with this suggestion. I wouldn’t have thought of you as the swimming pool type.”

  He grinned in that engaging lopsided way of his. “I come here when I can to soak all my old rodeo injuries. In the six years I competed, I probably came close to breaking every bone in my body. Bull riding really took a toll.”

  Jenny shook her head. “It sounds awful.”

  “It’s the original extreme sport— a real kick, sometimes literally. There’s nothing like being on top of a ton of gyrating bull, but you pay for it, eventually.”

  “You were pretty good, from what I heard. Cindy said you and Scott were Team Roping champions, and that you ranked in the top three a couple of times for All-Around cowboy.”

  Hawk raked his fingers through his wet hair, slicking it back off his forehead. “Cindy does like to let you know how much she knows.” He sighed. “I did okay on the circuit. I made good money for a while— enough to buy my airplane, a new truck and horse trailer, and put some aside, which I later invested in the Bar F.”

  “But your body paid for it.”

  “Yeah— hence my regular trips here.” He lifted a corkscrew tendril of wet hair out of her eyes. “Did you ever come here with Tom as a kid?”

  “I don’t think so. Dad used to take me to the indoor public pool over at Concho Springs.”

  “This is more pleasant. Do you like it?”

  “I do. It’s very European— very charming.” The mountains behind the pools made it look like a spa in the Swiss Alps she’d been to once. She wondered what it would look like with snow on the peaks. “Is it open all year?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll bet it’s beautiful in the winter, when it’s snowing.”

  “It is. I’ve been here when the frigid air makes the steam so thick you can barely see, and the snow falls straight down to the water. It’s spectacular. We’ll come back then.” He turned to look at her. “If you’re still here.”

  Jenny thought she’d like that. She gave him a leisurely smile.

  “So, what did you do all week while I was gone?”

  She didn’t immediately answer him, she was so engrossed in studying him. His long thick black lashes were wet and curling from the steam, and his black hair curled up against his bunched shoulders. Her eyes fell to his wet chest. The curvature of muscle captivated her. She heard him laugh and met his teasing eyes guiltily. He’d caught her admiring his body again. She blushed, although she was sure the hot water concealed it.

  “I rested. Eli and I made lots of cookies for next week’s trip to cow camp. We went to the store for groceries to take up to the cabin. Of course, I got my bathing suit. Eli was thrilled to go shopping with me— not,” she amended with a laugh. “I went to Becky’s wedding shower. I met her friends— nice women. I discovered I actually went to elementary school with a couple of them, Becky included.”

  She’d also found out that he had dated a couple of the women. The consensus was that he was a man of good character; a man loyal to his friends; a man who would be a very good catch for some woman, as long as she wasn’t Cindy Caldwell, who they all disliked intensely.

  The women at the shower had certainly been curious about her. They were fascinated that she worked in Hollywood, and wanted to know if she had a boyfriend among all those actors and models she worked with. They wanted to know if she was going to become Hawk’s new partner. What did she think of him so far?

  They all thought he was one of the most eligible, good-looking bachelors in the area. Did she? Was she going to stay? It was the question that seemed to be on everyone’s mind, including her own. She didn’t have an answer for them or herself yet.

  “I went over the books,” she told him. “Eli said you told him it was okay.”

  “I wanted you to take some time and look them over. I’m sorry that I haven’t gotten around to it.”

  She shrugged that off. “You’ve had a lot to do.” She saw how hard he worked. Brad’s insinuation that he was lazy and incompetent was totally wrong. “I reviewed your recent loan payments to the bank.” Brad hadn’t been mistaken about his partial payments. He and Tom had two large loans outstanding; one for the mortgage and one for equipment. The latter had been incurred in the last six months. Their line of credit had reached its limit. It had been sadly obvious from looking at the books that the ranch would never have been in such current debt if it hadn’t been for all that damage. For years, it had been operating in the black. Jenny completely understood why Hawk was so upset and worried. If they did suffer the loss of fifty head of cattle and the problems continued, they could be looking at foreclosure and bankruptcy.

  “You could use an infusion of cash, or maybe I should say a transfusion,” she amended teasingly. Hawk frowned darkly. “How about a partner who can make an investment of cash?” It was an idea she’d been toying with. She wasn’t ready to make the deal yet. She still had to see what kind of money she could put together. But she wanted to test his reaction to the possibility.

  “Are you offering to form a new partnership with me?” He searched her expression carefully.

  “Maybe. I need to look into a few things at home first. Resolve some issues. Review my investments.”

  “I don’t want you baling me out.” She’d anticipated that reaction, suspecting how strong his pride was. “Tom left you his interest in the ranch. And if you decide you want the money, I’m going to make sure you get it. I won’t flake out on that commitment. And I don�
��t want you putting your own money into the ranch just to get it out of debt. I know Caldwell told you it would be a poor investment— as long as I’m around.”

  “He has his own agenda. I’m hardly going to take his advice.” She meant to show him that he didn’t have to worry about her siding with Brad. “I don’t have a problem taking the time I need here. I can even work from here if needed.”

  “Is it costing you income to be here?”

  “Not really, but money’s not a problem.”

  She could see him wondering why that would be true, but he didn’t ask, which for the moment, she appreciated. She wasn’t ready to tell him how much money she had inherited from her mother. Her grandfather and she had been so estranged by the time of his death that she hadn’t inherited anything from him, and for that, she was glad. She wouldn’t have taken his money. Even the money her mother had left her had given her scruple problems, but she hadn’t refused it. She had invested it instead, and done very well for a while on the stock market. Now her money was simply collecting interest. Putting it into her father’s ranch felt right. After nearly ruining his life, his ex-wife’s money would finally do some good. There seemed to be a kind of justice in that.

  “So how long do I have you?”

  His question was so provocative, she couldn’t resist a teasing comeback. “How long do you want me?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, I’m not touching that one, lady.”

  As his laughter subsided, his arm dropped from the rim of the pool to curl around her shoulders. With a tug, he pulled her closer, curling her up against the side of his chest. Then he sank lower with her into the water until it came up to their necks.

  Jenny’s head fell back against his muscled bicep, while his rested on the rim of the pool. Their feet touched under the water, their legs entangled. It was wonderful, peaceful, lying beside one another, soaking in the steamy water. Jenny closed her eyes and sighed.

  Hawk turned his head toward her, and his lips brushed her cheekbone. “Shall we go out to dinner after this, maybe see a movie? It’s Saturday night. We could both use a little break.”

  Jenny had not expected this to evolve into a date. She cast a quick sideways peak at him. He had one of those wickedly sexy half grins on his face again; the ones that did such funny things to her composure and pulse rate. Hadn’t she told herself to keep this just business between them?

  “I don’t know, Hawk. Mixing business and….”

  “Fun? Nothing threatening. Just an evening together relaxing. We’ll be up to our ears in work come Monday.”

  She wasn’t sure, but if they could just keep it light fun, maybe she could take a chance. “Okay. That sounds nice,” she replied, smiling. “No big deal, though. Somewhere where jeans are okay.”

  “That’s just about every place around here.”

  As she lay back against his arm again and closed her eyes, she nearly purred with contentment. “This is so heavenly. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “My pleasure, Miss Fletcher.” His voice was husky enough to slide like silk along her nerve endings. Catching her around the waist, he angled her in front of him so that his arms could slip around her while her back rested against his chest with her head resting on one of his shoulders. Tucked closely together, they lapsed into silence and simply enjoyed the moment as they soaked.

  CHAPTER 12

  “Hank and I think that this is where the cattle thieves have been keeping our stolen cattle until they could transport them off the mountain.” Riding Red Phantom, Hawk preceded Jenny and Aspen into the large meadow.

  As they emerged from the trees, she saw an old dilapidated cabin and a sprawling well-fenced paddock in the center of the clearing. Back against a wall of sheared rock, there was a dark boarded-up hole in the rock. “The old abandoned Miller Mine,” she commented. “This is the place we got in trouble exploring as kids.”

  They were an hour away from cow camp, and the two of them had put this on their first day’s agenda. Hawk had been up here a week ago. He explained that he had found animal and vehicle tracks. He pointed out what she had already concluded, that the fence had been recently constructed, and not by anyone at the Bar F/Bar L.

  Hawk rode toward the decrepit one room cabin, and Jenny followed. In front, they dismounted and tied the reins of their horses to an old hitching post. The wooden porch groaned as they stepped on it, and the pine plank door opened easily, without benefit of lock.

  Inside, the single room contained a bed, a potbellied stove, a chair, and a small table. Interestingly enough, none of the furniture was dusty or rickety. The bed had a pillow and heavy quilt on it. Hawk went over to open the door on the cast iron stove.

  “The ashes in here are recent. Someone’s used this place not too long ago.”

  Jenny crossed her arms and shivered. Something about the place gave her the creeps. It had a menacing feel to it, a personally menacing feel. She’d never been psychic in her life, but there was something about this place that gave her a sense of personal foreboding. It was spooky. She found she didn’t want to remain in it a moment longer and turned to leave. Hawk stayed to take a closer look around.

  On the front porch, she took a deep breath and thrust her gloved hands into the pockets of her rain slicker. All morning the clouds had been gathering and getting darker, but it hadn’t rained yet. It was getting colder, though. Her breathing created little puffs of steam on the air. She wondered if they were in for an early snowfall. It was possible at this elevation. She fervently hoped it would hold off until they gathered all the cattle, got the summer calves branded, and drove the herd home to the pastures around the house.

  Everyone, including Eli and Scott Richards, had come to cow camp to help for the next five days. They had a lot of work ahead of them and bad weather would only slow them down. It was going to be an arduous week, but Jenny was eagerly looking forward to every moment of it. She hadn’t done any of this since she was a girl, and now that she was here, at cow camp, she realized how much she had missed roundup and fall branding.

  She couldn’t wait to leave this meadow and this cabin, though.

  Hawk rejoined her a few minutes later. “That’s where I found those partial tire tracks Hank was talking about,” he told her, pointing toward a dirt road at the edge of the meadow. “Looks to me like someone brought a stock trailer up here. It’s part of an old logging road. It goes all the way down the mountain.”

  “Why don’t you bring the sheriff up here?”

  “I don’t have anything but some tire tracks. I did call him after my last trip up here, but without any evidence, he said there wasn’t much he could do. He advised me to keep an eye on the place, but we’re too busy to post someone here to watch the place 24/7. No one else in the valley has made any complaints about cattle rustling.”

  Jenny knew that frustrated Hawk, and of course, Brad Caldwell had made the idea of cattle rustling sound ridiculous at the Cattlemen’s meeting. He had cast doubt on Hawk’s credibility publically, which must have aggravated Hawk further, and even humiliated him.

  “How far is the Caldwell place from here?”

  “About five miles to the north. I did a little late night reconnaissance a couple of months ago. I couldn’t find anything to connect Brad to our stolen stock. I didn’t think I’d find anything, but I had to check.”

  Jenny imagined him sneaking around that immense ranch yard at midnight and had to smile. He stepped off the porch and walked in that long legged stride of his toward the corral.

  “If there were cattle in this pen, their presence has been raked clean. In fact it’s the cleanest damn paddock I’ve ever seen.”

  Jenny braced her arms over the top rail of the fence and agreed with Hawk. No trace of a cow patty anywhere. No hoof prints. Not a blade of trampled grass, nothing. “I’m sorry, Hawk. I wish you could have found something that proved someone’s stealing our cattle.”

  He turned to her, noting her use of the possessive
pronoun “our” with a grin. “Now that we’re all up here the thefts should stop.”

  She lowered her arms and shook her head. “It won’t replace what we’ve lost.”

  “Maybe we’ll find some of them yet,” he offered, though he didn’t sound as if he believed it. She gave him an encouraging smile and headed toward their horses with him. “You ready to ride back to cow camp before it rains? Eli ought to have dinner ready soon?”

  Grabbing her saddle horn, she swung herself up onto her horse. “I’m starved, and I don’t want to get wet, so yeah, let’s head back. This place gives me the creeps.”

  “Is that what was wrong in there?” Hawk asked as he mounted beside her. “Any particular reason?”

  She turned Aspen back the way they’d come. “Nothing particular. Something just felt odd about the place; threatening, personally threatening. It gave me the chills. Strange, huh?”

  Hawk acknowledged her statement with a nod and a frown, not liking the sound of her words or her fear.

  ∞∞∞

  Fortunately, the next day they had a little more luck finding strays. By noon, they had flushed six out of the forests and ravines. Aspen turned out to be a good cutting horse, and Hawk retaught Jenny several of the cattle calls and whistles she’d learned as a kid. It didn’t take long to reacquaint herself with all the cutting and herding maneuvers Tom had taught her as a child, either. It was kind of like riding a bike. Her father had been a patient thorough teacher, and she soon realized she hadn’t completely forgotten his lessons.

  It was an exciting discovery, and by the time they broke for lunch, she was feeling pretty good about herself and what she’d been able to contribute. She could tell that Hawk was proud of her, too, and that felt even better! More than anything she wanted to be a help, not a hindrance. Pleasing him seemed to have become vitally important. It was another discovery which surprised her.