Best of Cowboys Bundle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Barbara White Daille, Judy Christenberry, Christine Wenger, Shirley Rogers, Crystal Green, Nina Bruhns, Candance Schuler, Carole Mortimer

  Merry got up and sat between Buck and Cait. “Sweetie, would you like me to read that book to you? It looks interesting.”

  She noticed that Cait loosened her grip on the sides of the book, and Merry slowly took it. She read the cover, “The Fairy Princess of the Flowers,” then opened to page one. “You know, Cait, your aunt Karen loves flowers. You have beautiful flowers all around your house.”

  She turned to see Buck smiling at her, and it just about curled her toes.

  He moved his arm and rested it on the top of the couch, his hand hung down, and she could feel his fingers lightly brushing her shoulder. The charge from his touch was so intense, Merry could barely concentrate on the fairy princess.

  She forced herself to move slowly away from his touch. They were in a public place, and some people in the hospital had already recognized her. If there were cameras or reporters around, she didn’t want her picture taken with him touching her, which would surely incite a tabloid frenzy. There was no need for Buck and Cait to be subjected to that kind of chaos.

  But if Merry was honest with herself, this was only half the truth. The other half was the fact that she was attracted to Buck, and there was no future in it for either of them.

  Chapter Six

  B uck was stiff and sore from sitting, but he didn’t want to step away from the waiting room and miss the doctor. Merry was curled up on the couch across from him. Cait was curled up on the opposite side of his couch, but wasn’t really sleeping. He had snagged a hospital blanket and pillow for both of them.

  Right now, the proper Bostonian was snoring, and his daughter was glancing at him from time to time.

  “Would you like me to read another book to you, Cait? I see one about a pony over there. He looks like your pony, doesn’t he?”

  Cait just closed her eyes.

  Buck’s heart sank. What would it take to get through to her? When would his daughter come back to him? Hadn’t he been punished enough?

  He was in the middle of peeling the wrapper off of a candy bar that Cait had refused when Dr. Goodwater walked in. Buck stood.

  “It went without a hitch. Karen will be fine.”

  As relief replaced worry, Buck grabbed the doctor’s hand and shook it. “Thanks.”

  “We’re going to keep an eye on her for a few days. Then she’ll need to do a lot of resting at home, but we’ll talk about that later.”

  “Can I see her?”

  “She’s still in Recovery. I’ll tell Cindy to let you know when she’s back in her room.”

  “Thanks again, Doc.”

  “Just wait till you get my bill.”

  He motioned for Buck to follow him to the hall.

  “How’s Caitlin doing?” the doctor whispered.

  “The same. She still doesn’t talk, doesn’t laugh. She still hides.” Buck looked away. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve gone broke taking her to psychiatrists, but if you have another idea, I’ll find more money.”

  The doctor gripped Buck’s shoulder. “I don’t, Buck. I’ll keep asking around, but maybe all she needs is more time.”

  “It’s been two years since Debbie left. How much longer?”

  “I just don’t know. It’s out of my field of expertise.”

  “I know. But thanks for asking.”

  Dr. Goodwater shook his head and hurried off.

  Buck needed to call Louise at school and get a message to Ty up at the line shack and tell them that Karen was going to be fine. He walked back into the waiting room to use the pay phone.

  Merry stirred and opened an eye. “Karen?”

  “She’s fine. The doctor was just here. We can see her soon.”

  “Wonderful. I’m so glad.” Sitting up, she pushed her hair back and squinted against the glare of the fluorescent lights.

  As disheveled as she was, she still looked beautiful. He had an urge to run his hands over her hair and smooth it back into place, but he headed for the phone instead.

  Louise answered right away.

  “Karen’s fine, Lou. She’s going to be in the hospital for a few days yet. You’d better stay put and take your bar exam or she’ll have your head. I’ll get a message to Ty. You take care and come home when you can. Later, Lou.”

  “What’s it like having brothers and sisters?” Merry asked when he sat back down.

  “Mostly good.”

  “As I understand it, the three of them want the dude ranch and you don’t. Right?”

  “Right as rain.”

  She raised a perfect eyebrow. “Then what do you want?”

  He thought for a while. It was hard to put everything into words, especially to someone who’d never understand. He wanted Cait to be the girl she used to be. And he’d love more kids. He’d teach them how to ride and to appreciate the land, but he wouldn’t make them feel guilty if they chose another path of life. He wanted the ranch to stay the way it was, but that wasn’t going to happen. He wanted a wife who adored him and loved the ranch, too. He wanted his debt gone and needed the capital to expand into rodeo-stock contracting. He wanted to hire more help.

  “I have a whole list.” He looked at Caitlin, now sitting up and looking at the pony book that she didn’t want him to read to her. His daughter was at the top of that list.

  Sure, there was a whole litany of things he wanted, but none of them were going to happen unless his gallery sale was a huge success or he decided to sell that big plot of land on the Rattlesnake River to a developer.

  But if he did that, the remaining part of his ranch wouldn’t support the stock he wanted to bring in. It was a no-win situation.

  Merry would never understand all this. She’d had a rich upbringing and now led a glamorous life. She could buy whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

  He saw Cindy motioning to him. It was time to see his sister.

  Karen was groggy. She mustered a smile and not much more. “Go home. Let me sleep. Come back tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll stay with you.” Merry looked up at Buck, wondering what he wanted to do.

  “Go,” Karen said, shooting her brother a frustrated look. “All of you.”

  “She means business when she has that look.” He put his hand over Karen’s, and she closed her eyes. “We’d better hit the road.”

  Looking at the monitors and IV drips, Merry remembered when she’d had her appendix out. She’d been seven, and her parents had her in a private room with no one to talk to. They had visited her briefly after work, but during the day she was so very scared and all alone. One of the nurses had felt sorry for her and would keep her company, but her parents hadn’t missed an hour of work from their brokerage. It was something that she’d never forget as long as she lived.

  They’d sent her a bouquet of daisies with balloons, but her mother had never pushed her hair back from her face or never wiped her tears. They’d given her a pretty blue satin nightgown and bathrobe that made her feel like a princess, but she would have traded it gladly for a hug and a kiss from them.

  “You ladies say your goodbyes. I’ll wait outside with Cait.”

  Merry held her hand out to Cait. “Don’t you want to say goodbye to Aunt Karen?”

  Cait slowly walked over to her aunt’s beside, but looked down at the ground.

  “Bye, honey,” Karen said. “You be good for your daddy and Merry.”

  Cait turned and walked to the door. Merry doubted if the girl had it in her to be bad.

  Merry kissed Karen’s cheek and whispered, “Don’t worry about a thing. The painters will finish up soon, and my camera crew and photographer are arriving tomorrow. I plan on using Buck for the commercial and a brochure.” She added with a twang, “With a little beefcake from Bucklin Floyd Porter, the city gals will be stampeding out to the Rattlesnake Dude Ranch in the hope of lassoing a cowboy hunk.”

  Karen’s eyes flew open. “Did Buck agree to that?”

  “Not exactly,” Merry admitted, “but I plan on asking him soon.”

  Ka
ren gave a weak half smile. “I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you do.”

  Figuring that meant she had Karen’s approval, she continued. “I just plan on interviewing Buck for the commercial clip. I figure we can walk around the ranch as we shoot it and show some of the beautiful scenery and, of course, the house. We can use my interview with him as a voice-over. Publicity should be our number-one concern right now.”

  “Whatever you do is fine with me. I just wish I could be there to watch.” Karen’s eyes darted to her brother, who was standing by the door talking to Cindy. “Um…about Buck,” she whispered. “When God passed out pride and stubbornness, Buck got in line twice.”

  “I already figured that out. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll treat him gently. You just get some rest.”

  “And Cait…” Karen’s eyes fluttered shut.

  Merry reached for her friend’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of both of them.”

  “I’ll make you an early dinner. You really haven’t had anything to eat all day,” Merry said as she got out of the truck.

  “You don’t have to bother,” Buck replied. “I’ll grab a sandwich at the bunkhouse later.” He started toward the barn. “Right now I have to take care of the horses.”

  “Please, let me make you both dinner,” she said. “I have something I need to ask you.”

  He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Give me an hour or so,” he said, checking his watch. “C’mon, Cait.”

  Cait didn’t move. Instead she walked up the steps to the ranch and waited at the front door for Merry.

  “Damn,” Buck mumbled.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll watch her. Maybe she’ll help me cook.”

  “That’ll be the day.” He pushed back his hat with a thumb. “But I’d appreciate you keeping an eye on her.”

  “I’ll enjoy it.” Merry hurried up the stairs, found the key under the flowerpot and opened the door.

  “Do you want to help me cook, Cait?” she asked. “I need someone who can show me where things are. I’d appreciate your help, if you don’t mind.”

  Cait proceeded into the kitchen, and Merry took it as a good sign. She wasn’t going to force the girl into anything, but maybe they could work together.

  Merry could create something fabulous in an hour.

  Merry stared into the refrigerator, calculating what she could make out of the contents. “Let’s see, Cait. We have lots of veggies in here. That’s probably your aunt Karen’s doing. She likes her veggies. I see some boneless chicken, too. How about if we make a stir-fry?” She turned back to Cait, who was sitting at the table, staring straight ahead. “Would you and your daddy eat stir-fry? You know, veggies and chicken, maybe over rice?”

  Cait got up, walked over to the refrigerator, leaned over and pointed to a pack of flour tortillas and some hamburger. Then she retreated back to her chair.

  Merry tried not to overreact, but it was the first time that Cait had really tried to communicate. “Okay. Burritos. I got it. You are right, Cait. Your dad isn’t the stir-fry type. Beef and bean burritos. Perfect.”

  Merry kicked off her sandals, began frying the meat and peeling and chopping onions.

  “How about setting the table, Cait? Can you do that? I just don’t know where anything is.”

  Cait got up, opened a drawer and took out rust-colored place mats. She positioned three on the table.

  Merry hummed as she fluttered around. She loved to cook and fuss, but this was even better. This time she was cooking for Buck and Cait.

  She froze and tried to analyze the difference. Maybe it was because Cait and Buck seemed to need a little TLC at the moment. Maybe it was because cooking for real people was so much better than cooking for a TV camera, or because Karen had asked her to take care of them.

  Merry suspected that it was because she could pretend that they were her family and this was her house for a while.

  She couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of her happiness, but she planned on enjoying it while it lasted.

  Merry clicked the radio on, and sang along with a popular country song. Cait looked at her, her eyes as wide as the plates that she’d just set the table with. Merry thought the girl was either ready to bolt or ready to scream.

  “Is my singing that bad?” Merry grinned and put her hands on her hips.

  Cait ignored her and proceeded to set out the silverware. Merry went over to the table and sat down. “How about if I showed you how to fold the napkins into fancy shapes?”

  Cait gave a slight nod.

  “I’ll show you how to make a pointy hat. First you fold the napkin in half, like this. Then you bring the two sides together and tuck them in, like this.”

  Cait’s eyes studied her every move as she folded the napkin. “I once did a dinner party for twenty people, and made swans out of the napkins. If you want, I can show you that sometime.” She was talking and Cait was listening, and she felt like she was making progress with the girl. “Now you try it. I have to check the stove.”

  Merry went back to singing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cait make another hat. It was perfect. She set it in the middle of the place mat in front of her.

  “Excellent hat, Cait,” Merry said, chopping another onion. “Maybe you could make an extra hat for Aunt Karen. You could bring it to her tomorrow at the hospital.” She started another song.

  Even over her singing, she could hear the mudroom door open and the thump of boots hitting the floor.

  Cait stopped working on the napkins and put her hands in her lap. Judging by her unfavorable reaction, it must be Buck.

  She finished her song and the onion and noticed him standing in the mudroom and leaning against the door-frame leading into the kitchen. He was in his stocking feet and his big toes were sticking out of holes in his socks.

  He, too, looked wide-eyed at her singing, and Merry decided that her voice must be worse than she thought.

  “Don’t stop on my account,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling.

  “If you value your eardrums, be glad I did.”

  He sniffed the air. “It smells good. I guess I’m mighty hungry after all.”

  “It’s ready. Please, have a seat.”

  His chair scraped on the floor as he sat down at the kitchen table. He held up a napkin hat. “Did you make these, Cait?”

  The girl was silent.

  He whistled. “That’s mighty clever. Looks like my cowboy hat, don’t you think?”

  More silence.

  Looking for a bowl in the cupboards, Merry found one she wanted just out of reach. Pulling over a chair, she stood on it.

  “Don’t fall,” Buck warned.

  She felt his hands on her waist and she jumped at his unexpected touch. She handed him the bowl she wanted, and he set it down on the counter.

  He lifted her down from the chair as if she weighed nothing at all. She backed away from him, stunned at the heat that flooded her body. She felt flushed and suddenly boneless, but she wanted Buck’s hands back where they were, and then some. The cheery kitchen became heavy with tension, each of them trying to decide what to do next.

  He returned to normal first, and sat back down at the table. After some light conversation—and his third helping of burritos—she decided the time was right to ask him.

  She didn’t like excluding Cait from the conversation, though. “I was going to make stir-fry, but Cait said you’d like the burritos better.”

  Buck leaned forward. “What?”

  Merry nodded. “Well, she showed me—in the refrigerator. So that’s what I made instead.”

  He seemed totally taken aback by the news, and his eyes brightened as he looked at Cait. “Thank you, Cait. I like burritos a lot.”

  Cait didn’t lift her head and kept on eating. Nevertheless, Buck seemed happy, so Merry decided that she might as well take advantage of his cheerful mood and jump right in.

  “Buck, I’d like to ask for a favor. My photographer and a cam
era crew are coming tomorrow. I’d like you to be the model for the brochure of the dude ranch and be in the commercial. Cait can be in the pictures, too, if she’d like.”

  Cait got up from the table and put her plate and fork in the dishwasher. Returning to the table, she took her little stack of napkin hats and left the kitchen. Merry heard the TV go on in the living room.

  She watched as Buck put his fork down, leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His body language told her that she didn’t have a prayer of getting his cooperation.

  She dove right in. “For the commercial, I figure the best approach will be just a brief walk through the ranch, with the two of us walking together, chatting around the property. We can cut it down to the best footage.”

  “Chatting?” He picked up his plate, walked over to the sink, rinsed it off and put it in the dishwasher. “I don’t chat.”

  “You’d be perfect,” Merry said, turning in her chair to face him. “I thought that the second I saw you.”

  He raised an eyebrow, obviously amused. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Your blue eyes are killer. And a couple of shots of you with your shirt off shoveling hay, well…” She suddenly realized that she’d said too much.

  He smiled knowingly. His eyes pinned her with a gaze so intense, she couldn’t breathe. “So, you’ve been watching me, Miss Turner?”

  His voice was throaty. Sexy. A shiver went through her.

  “Well, not exactly.” She tried to look anywhere but at him. “I was looking at you from a purely business standpoint.”

  “But you liked what you saw? From a purely business standpoint, that is.”

  “Yes. I mean no.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “I mean yes.” How did she get into this mess? “I just think you’d make a perfect model for the brochure and you’d be perfect for the commercial. That’s all there is to it. And it’ll save money if you’ll do it instead of me having to hire someone.”

  “You mean you were thinking of paying for a model?”

  “Of course.”

  “Damn. I’m not paying for a damn model.”