Gallant Golfer (River's End Ranch Book 10)

by Cindy Caldwell

  “Thanks for picking us up,” Emma said with one last look back at the helicopter.

  “No problem. River’s End Ranch is known for our guest services,” Dani said. “Among other things.”

  Emma glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure, but it seemed maybe as if this wasn’t Dani’s usual responsibility at the ranch. Her short-cropped hair, steady hands on the wheel and single focus made Emma think she wasn’t the usual welcoming committee.

  Emma looked around as they passed what looked like a pro shop—she’d seen a million of those from tagging along on the pro tour—but the way it was situated at the beginning of the course, set against stunning mountains that dotted the landscape made it particularly lovely. If a pro shop could be called lovely.

  “If you look back that way one more time your head might spin off,” Dani said with a chuckle, and Emma turned around to face forward. Had she been looking back again? No, it was the mountains that had captured her attention.

  “It’s just gorgeous here. A lot to see,” she said as she pulled her jacket around her.

  “Yes, it is. And not such a bad view back that way, either,” Dani said as she jerked her thumb back toward the helicopter. “That’s your brother, then?”

  Emma braced herself on the hand rail before she turned around once more. “Yes,” she said as she sighed. “The other one is just a—well, a client.”

  “Client?” Dani asked as she veered left at a fork in the road, toward what looked to Emma like an old western town, complete with raised boardwalks and painted signs over the businesses. There was even one that read Sadie’s Saloon.

  “I’m finishing up my training as a sports therapist. Brian—my brother—is a professional golfer, on the tour. I needed to do internship hours and he knew of somebody on the tour who needed help, so I’ve been traveling with them for a couple of months.” Emma was grateful that she’d had the time with Skip for work purposes, but lately he’d been a little different, a little more interested in what she was doing—both during sessions and after.

  “Ah,” Dani said as she rounded a huge boulder in the road and approached what looked like a main road. “Well, the way he looked at you didn’t say therapist to me.” She chuckled as she stopped the golf cart next to a huge building that looked very old to Emma.

  Emma sighed as she looked up at the towering frame, and the sun glinted off stained glass windows on what looked the top of a huge room.

  As she stood to the side of the cart and gazed up, Chad’s voice filtered over the radio in the luggage cart. “Dani, the boys and I are going to play a round. Can you get Emma situated in the Copper Cottage? We won’t be long. Over.”

  “Roger that, Chad. Over,” Dani said after she’d picked up the radio.

  She set the radio back in its cradle and hopped out of the luggage cart. “Sounds like you got a break from him, Emma,” she said as she gestured for Emma to head up the wooden plank stairs into the main lodge of River’s End Ranch.

  “Whew,” Emma said. “Thank goodness.”

  Dani laughed as she reached for the broad door, holding it open for Emma. They walked inside and Emma inhaled deeply of the scent of pine and turned toward a stone fireplace, it’s chimney soaring up into the tall ceiling. She was drawn to the roaring fire and walked past rustic furniture and lush rugs to warm her hands next to its flames. It was chilly outside, and the warmth spread through her as she turned and gazed out over the room.

  “This is gorgeous,” she said as her eyes were drawn upward, the broad beams of the ceiling crossing between the small, stained glass windows that let in beautiful rays of color that rested on the couches and chairs in the room.

  “Hey, Simon,” Dani said to an older gentleman in what Emma had come to know as golf attire—wildly colorful pants and shirts that they all seemed to wear.

  “Hi, Dani. I’m off to caddy for Chad and the new guests. I hear they’re pros. Can’t wait to watch,” he said before he turned to Emma.

  “Hello, young lady. I’m Simon. I work with Chad Stanton, our golf pro here at the ranch.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Emma Jackson.”

  Simon’s eyebrows rose. “Oh! Then you know Brian, the famous golfer.”

  Emma laughed. To her, Brian was just the same older brother who’d thrown sand at her and put bugs in her lunch, but she was getting used to this kind of reaction from other people, after having toured with him.

  “Yes, I know him. He’s my brother. We’re here to visit Chad. Along with Skip Williams,” she added.

  “Oh, that guy. Huh. The one who’s always posing for the TV cameras, standing in front of everybody else. He may be good and all but heck—well, anyway, I guess I’ll see for myself,” he said as he headed out the door, a tip of his hat toward Emma.

  “I’ll go see if Wade’s here. At least get you checked in,” Dani said as she headed deeper into the large building, past what looked like a restaurant.

  Emma started to hum, and she closed her eyes and let the warmth of the room wash over her. Even though she loved all the excitement of the tour—the new cities, the media, the fancy parties—she’d needed this break, and just because Skip crashed the party, she wasn’t going to let it ruin her trip. She’d always wanted to come to a place like this, and when Brian mentioned he missed his friend Chad, Emma had jumped on the idea.

  “Would you mind passing me that cup of tea on the mantle?”

  Emma’s eyes popped open and she glanced around, trying to locate the woman who had spoken. Right in front of her, laying on the couch with her foot up was an older woman, with soft, lovely eyes and silky gray hair.

  Emma might still be an intern, but ever since her accident in high school, she’d been able to tell when people were in pain—and this lovely lady was definitely in pain. She could almost feel it herself.

  She glanced around quickly, spotting the mug on the mantle. She reached for it and smiled at the picture on it—it was a fairy, its translucent wings covering the side of the mug. She crossed the room and handed it to the woman, sitting beside her in an overstuffed, red velvet chair.

  “Thank you, my dear,” the woman said as she struggled to pull herself up on her elbows.

  Emma popped up, set the mug on the coffee table and grabbed some pillows from the chair. She helped the woman sit up before handing her the mug again.

  “Are you all right?” Emma said softly as she sat back down.

  “Oh, I have to be,” the woman said as she closed her eyes and took a sip from her mug. “I have work to do.”

  Emma leaned forward on her knees, squatting at the woman as she perused the foot that rested on a pillow on the couch. “I’m Emma Jackson,” she said. “My brother and I are staying at the ranch for a week or so.”

  “Oh, pardon my manners,” the woman said as she struggled to reach the coffee table with her mug. “I’m Jaclyn. I live here at the ranch.”

  Emma returned Jaclyn’s smile as she cocked her head. “Thank you.” She stood and walked over to the couch, kneeling by Jaclyn’s foot. “May I?”

  “Of course, my dear. I’ve been waiting for you,” Jaclyn said as she closed her eyes and held her hand to her forehead, leaning back on the couch.

  CHAPTER 4

  “I see you still have your swing,” Brian said as he clapped Chad on the back after a particularly good drive. It was a long hole, and Chad had made it onto the green in one swing.

  “I have my days,” he said as he smiled at his friend. It sure was good to see him. They’d kept in touch over the years, certainly more than he had with anyone else on the tour, and they’d mentioned getting together. Chad had resisted, as the tourist season had him busy every day with lessons, his weekends booked with guest tournaments. Now that things were winding down was the perfect time and it had been a very pleasant surprise to see them hop out of the helicopter. Well, not all of them.

  “Well, you hit the green, but it’s not that hard a hole, seems to me,” Skip said as
he eyed his ball on the tee he’d set and took a practice swing. “Plus you’ve played this course how many times? About a million?”

  Brian leaned forward on his golf club and cursed under his breath to Chad.

  Skip pulled back, ready to swing, and it was all Chad could do not to laugh as Simon, sitting behind them as driver of the golf cart, coughed loudly just as Skip started to swing forward. He connected with the ball—and it headed straight for the sand trap.

  He turned toward Simon, his hands on his hips. “Thanks a lot,” he said as he glared at the older man.

  “Oops, sorry. Allergies,” he said as he reached for a handkerchief and winked at Chad.

  Chad frowned at Simon—he knew better than to disturb a player’s swing, but some part of him was grateful that Simon had his back. Skip had been making small digs like that all afternoon. Thank goodness they were on the last hole of the day, and he almost wished the sun would set faster. He’d beaten Skip plenty of times back in the day, but since his injury he hadn’t been quite so keen on beating anyone—but somehow, Skip’s mere presence made him a little more competitive, and he was grateful that his shoulder was cooperating. At least for now.

  Skip strode off toward the sand trap, club in hand.

  “Guess he doesn’t want a ride,” Simon said as he shrugged his shoulders.

  Brian laughed and dropped his club into his bag in the back of the cart. “He’s a tough one, that’s for sure. I’m almost sorry I suggested Emma work for him.”

  “She works for him?” Chad asked, his eyebrows rising. Her smile had crossed his mind several times since he’d watched her climb into the luggage cart with Dani, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to find out much. She’d been so young—still in college—when he and Brian were playing together that he’d never had the chance to meet her.

  “Well, sort of,” Brian said as he glanced around the cart, spotting Skip out of earshot at the sand trap.

  “That Emma you’re talking about? I met her at the main house.” He whistled and wiggled his eyebrows. “That’s some looker, there,” he said as Brian and Chad both turned to look at him.

  “What? I may be old, but I’m not dead,” Simon said as he hopped out and secured the golf bags.

  Chad laughed, and said, “I have to admit, she’s beautiful. What’s she doing with a guy like him?”

  “Like I said, I kind of made it happen. She’s been in sports therapy school and ready to get her certificate. Had been helping at a rehabilitation home for older folks in the town we grew up in. She needed internship hours and I suggested we find someone on the tour so she could travel with me a bit. See some sights.”

  “And you picked Skip?” Chad said, his smile wide. “I thought you liked your sister.” He remembered the picture Brian had always carried in his wallet when they were touring together—a lovely, freckle-faced girl with red hair. She sure had grown up.

  Brian rubbed the back of his neck as he looked across the green to where Skip was practicing his swing.

  “I do. I love her. I’m closer to her than just about anybody, but I didn’t think he’d be such a jerk to her as he always has been to us.”

  “Because leopards change their spots, given their company?” Chad asked as he sat in the cart.

  Brian sat beside him and Chad headed toward the sand trap, Simon following behind.

  “Yeah, I know. Big mistake. I tried to tell her she could quit, but she’s not a quitter. Said she’d stick it out until her hours were finished. She actually has helped him quite a bit with his wrist. Guess he hurt it in a pool game.”

  “A pool game?” Chad asked, wondering how that could have happened.

  “Guess so. Didn’t affect his game, it would appear. He’s still top ten in most tournaments. I suppose it didn’t hurt that he’d met her a couple of times and—well, you know.”

  Chad sure did know. Her smile was still niggling in his mind. He sat in the cart quietly, his arms folded over his chest as they watched Skip wiggle his wrists.

  “Just give me a second. I have exercises I’m supposed to do when my wrists get sore, Emma says,” he said before he took up his club for his final swing.

  Chad sighed. He’d been glad that Emma wasn’t Brian’s girlfriend, but now it appeared that she had some sort of relationship with Skip—whatever that looked like. Whether it was client/therapist or something more, Chad couldn’t know. It would probably be better just to invoke the “bro” code now, before he got in any deeper. As Skip lifted his club to swing, Chad pushed the thought of Emma—and her gorgeous smile—from his mind.

  CHAPTER 5

  Emma’s head spun as she settled herself in the beautiful cabin Dani had eventually shown her to. It was beautiful, the copper pots and pans hanging from the rack over the kitchen island shimmering in the remaining sunlight streaming in from the picture window. She stood for a moment and watched the shadows on the soaring mountains turn from pink to purple, and finally fade with the setting sun.

  As she watched and waited for her brother to return from golf, she ran over in her head what had transpired with Jaclyn. The older woman was quite sweet, and as surprised as she’d been to hear that Jaclyn had been waiting for her, she’d brushed it off and gotten straight to work on her foot.

  It had been a childhood injury, she’d told her, that acted up when the weather turned—and apparently, the chill in the air had been recent and fierce. Soft, goose down comforters covered every bed and wood was stacked beside all the fireplaces, something that came with the season. Jaclyn had even told her that they were serving pumpkin spice lattes in the saloon—fall had arrived.

  Emma had worked on Jaclyn’s ankle a little while when Dani had returned, telling her that Wade was out but he’d made reservations for them for supper at the ranch’s restaurant. They were able to get Jaclyn standing and Dani insisted that they drop her off at her house beside the RV park before they took Emma to her cabin. The boys would still be golfing, and Emma wanted to help. They had plenty of time.

  Emma and Dani situated Jaclyn on the sofa of her quaint cottage—rabbits covered the front yard and were even inside, but Emma didn’t mention it as it seemed perfectly natural to Jaclyn and Dani. Neither one of them even seemed to notice. She’d told Jaclyn she’d be back later with some of her special salve that she’d developed, especially for this type of arthritic pain.

  Emma headed into the kitchen to heat some towels for Jaclyn which would do for now. She looked up and around the kitchen, stopping for a moment as sunlight streaming in the kitchen window flashed on the wings of dozens of fairies hanging from the ceiling with fishing wire. They were beautiful, and Emma closed her eyes for a moment, feeling like she was really in a swarm of the ancient creatures rather than glass reproductions.

  The warm towels did their trick and Jaclyn seemed to be much better by the time they’d left, even standing and wiggling her ankle, a big smile of thanks shining wide.

  “Thank you, my dear,” she said as she saw them to the door. Dani went ahead and hopped in the luggage cart. As Emma turned to follow, she felt Jaclyn tug on her elbow.

  “Thank you for coming. I’ve been waiting for you, you know. You’re supposed to be here.” The woman nodded, her kind eyes soft.

  “I’m so glad I could be helpful to you,” Emma said. She’d enjoyed working with older patients, and was glad she could be of some help to Jaclyn.

  “No, not for me, silly. You’re here for you.”

  Emma had taken a step back, her eyes wide. “Me? Well, yes, I guess I could use a vacation.”

  Jaclyn chuckled and shook her head slowly. “Not for a vacation. To learn to play golf.”

  Emma stood stock still. Brian had been bugging her to learn to play for years. She had absolutely no interest in it—never had—and with a brother who was a professional, and a very good one, why would she even want to enter that arena?

  She held up her palms and took a step back, toward Dani who waited patiently in the golf cart. “No, I have no
interest in playing. None whatsoever. I’m just here to relax.”

  “Relax, sure. Golf, too, though. You’ll see,” Jaclyn said as she winked at Emma and waved at Dani.

  Emma turned away from the window and shook her head. She’d never in a million years wanted to learn to play golf, and she certainly had no intention of doing so now. Just a vacation. That’s all it was.

  She looked up as Brian bustled through the door, Skip right behind him.

  “Wow, this is beautiful,” he said as he crossed into the living room, turning around as he looked about the place.

  “It sure is,” Skip said, and Emma groaned and turned away as his eyes were trained on her. When Emma had settled in, she’d taken the bedroom with its own bathroom on the opposite side of the cottage, just in case Skip would be staying in the same cabin with them. And it appeared that he was—and even that room didn’t feel far enough away.

  She tried to shrug off the feeling. He was technically her employer, after all, contract and everything. She’d happily signed it before she’d met him, excited at the prospect of the internship her brother had arranged for her. She’d talked with Brian about it shortly after it had begun, and he’d apologized—said he hadn’t realized what Skip was really like. They’d been friendly on the tour, but not close, and he’d been trying to make it up to her ever since.

  With only a few months to go, she’d managed to keep her distance the best she could. But now, especially since Brian knew of her struggles with Skip, she wanted to knock him on the head for inviting him. What had he been thinking? Well, knowing Brian the way she did, he hadn’t really been thinking at all. He was just too nice for his own good—or hers.

  “Dani said they’ll be bringing in supplies later but tonight there’s nothing for me to cook. They made reservations for us at the restaurant at—” Her eyes widened as she looked at her watch. “Now. I’ve already showered,” she said as she reached in her purse for some lip gloss and lightly put some on her lips. “I’ll head over and get our table and you two can follow.”