His Favorite Cowgirl

by Leigh Duncan

She didn’t exactly sound like someone who was all fired up about returning to her job in the city. Hank raised an eyebrow. Was she having second thoughts about leaving? About going through with the sale that would earn him a big commission?

  “For five seconds there, when I was pulling that calf from the water, I considered not going back to Tallahassee. Considered staying here.” He felt the corners of his mouth head south. What had started out as a way to encourage Kelly to stick to the plan had turned into a conversation far more honest than he’d intended. Uncertain which one of them he was trying to convince, he continued. “It didn’t take me long to realize it’d never work.”

  “Why not?” Kelly asked as they neared a dozen head that had separated from the main herd. Hank sent the dogs in to get the cattle moving. Tail swishing, Kelly’s mount settled in beside him.

  “Not enough money in it,” he admitted, opening up in a way he’d never been able to with Ty. Or with his brothers for that matter. But then, Kelly had always had that effect on him.

  “I guess that depends on how much you need, doesn’t it?”

  She was right, but he gave his head a slow shake. “I’m pulling down a reasonable salary as the manager of the Circle P. The job comes with food and lodging so I can save some. But I’m only filling in for Randy and Royce till the New Year. Once they take over, it’s back to real estate for this cowboy.” He plastered a wide smile over his uncertain future. “I have Noelle to think about.”

  “You could buy your own place,” Kelly suggested. “Make a permanent home for her.”

  His laugh rose and quickly died. Land, enough land to ranch, cost a whole lot more than the spare change he had jingling in his pockets. Or the meager savings he had in the bank. Not that he’d ever admit how far he’d fallen. But once he used his portion of the Bar X sale to get back on his feet, maybe he could save for a spread of his own. It was something to consider, though there was no rush. For now, a beautiful woman rode at his side, soft breezes cooled his face, tack jangled and leather shifted, providing background music.

  He and Kelly soon settled into a once familiar rhythm of riding and talking. Kelly hadn’t forgotten a thing about roping and riding in her years away from the ranch. By mid-afternoon they had cleared their section of wandering cattle.

  “Let’s call it a day,” Hank suggested. “This was Noelle’s first day at school. I want to meet her bus,” he explained in answer to Kelly’s quizzical look.

  “You’re making some headway with her.”

  At the compliment, he sat taller in the saddle. “I’m trying.”

  He was trying to avoid Kelly, too, but helping her down from her horse seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do. And once she was in his arms he had to kiss her....

  * * *

  LEAVING THE gelding to his dinner, Kelly toted the mare’s feed bucket to the next stall. “Time to eat, Lady. You ready?” A slender equine head appeared over the Dutch door. Kelly lowered the pail to the floor and tugged a sugar beet from her pocket. She broke it into pieces, her eyes crinkling as soft lips politely lifted a chunk from her open palm. The good-natured horse nudged her shoulder.

  “Sorry we missed our ride today,” she murmured as she handed over another bit.

  The mare needed a good workout, one Kelly’d had every intention of giving her. But, thanks to Hank, her plans had changed. And while she couldn’t ignore the guilty twinge that stung her midsection whenever she considered her neglected chores, she didn’t regret a minute of the afternoon she’d spent with the handsome cowboy. Or the kiss that had followed.

  She rubbed her lips, which still tingled even though he’d left hours before. Get a grip, she told herself. The man could kiss the socks off a nun, but her delicious shivers probably had more to do with the Mexican takeout she’d brought home from Okeechobee and reheated in the microwave.

  She swept a look through the barn she and Hank had spent the better part of a week putting to rights. In his stall, the gelding nosed his feed bucket. Grain shifted. The mare lipped another piece of beet from her open palm, impressive molars sounding a muffled chomp. And for a while, Kelly simply stood there, soaking in the sounds of home.

  She’d miss this when she left, she admitted. The gelding’s stubborn streak was far easier to handle than her usual impossible deadlines. Her feet felt better in a pair of worn work boots than the ones with fancy stitching she wore on sales calls. Even after all the years away, she gripped a curry comb with more confidence than she did a cell phone or laptop.

  At length, she scratched the horse’s silky forelock. She frowned at the thought of leaving her grandfather’s horses behind when she headed back to Houston. Or worse, splitting up the pair. The gelding and the little mare should grow old in a pasture together.

  Could she take them with her? She brushed her hair over her shoulder, discarding the notion as quickly as it had occurred. Once she reported back to work, she’d plunge into a schedule so jam-packed she’d barely have time to eat and sleep, much less take care of animals that needed regular workouts and daily grooming.

  Outside, a door slammed. Kelly eyed the feed bucket she’d left on the cedar planks near the stall. “Give me a second to see who’s come to visit, will ya, gal?” She gave the mare the final piece of sugar beet and dusted her hands on her jeans on her way to the door.

  Hank? This time she couldn’t deny the thrill that raced through her. She ran a hand over her braid, which he’d loosened while treating her to a world-class kiss. He strode closer, making her wish she’d taken the time to shower and change clothes after a long afternoon of rounding up cattle.

  She gave herself a shake. Considering she still had stalls to muck and horses to tend to, that idea rated high on the ridiculous scale. Hank was her neighbor and her business partner. She lifted a hand to her lips, but caught herself and instead gave her braid a tug. Okay, make that a neighbor with kissing privileges, but nothing more.

  “Hank?” she asked, deliberately steering her thoughts to other reasons that might have brought him to the Bar X before sunset.

  He lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. “Noelle’s in such a foul mood I thought I’d better get her away from the Circle P before she wore out her welcome...permanently.” His downright sheepish look did funny things to her heart. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

  Kelly waivered, torn between reading Hank the riot act for assuming he could dump his problems on her and helping the girl whose saucy attitude reminded her of herself at that age. “She have a rough day at school?” she asked, her chest tightening.

  “Beats me.” Hank shrugged his massive shoulders. “She’s givin’ me the silent treatment.”

  Kelly pushed past, her focus honing in on the child in the front seat of his truck.

  “School?” she asked softly. She propped her folded arms on the window frame. Before her mom had left her in her grandfather’s care, she’d lost count of the times she’d had to walk into a classroom where everyone else knew each other. Being the odd girl out was never fun.

  “I hate it there.” Noelle’s chin wobbled in earnest. “The classes are dumb. No one talked to me. Or sat with me at lunch.”

  “Jimmy didn’t eat with you?” Ty’s son had promised to look out for her.

  “He’s second period. I’m first.” Noelle’s lips twitched. She plucked at her jeans. “He saved a seat on the bus for me.”

  “Well...” Kelly searched for reassuring words and came up empty. She pictured the girl alone at one of the endless cafeteria tables while all around her kids swapped milk for juice, chips for cookies and regaled one another with stories about their weekends.

  “I’m never going back to that stupid school again.”

  Hank edged closer, bringing with him memories of how he’d come to her defense when she was the new girl in town. “The first day is always the worst,” Ke
lly insisted. “It will get better.”

  Noelle mulled the idea over, her arms crossed. At last, she tipped up a tear-stained face. “You’re sure?”

  Rather than answer the child directly, Kelly asked, “You didn’t see anyone you might like?”

  Noelle picked at a spot on her jeans. “Riley Mattox lent me a pencil in Ms. Ellison’s class.”

  “That’d be Lester’s youngest,” Hank offered from over her shoulder. “You remember him. Couple of years older than us? He hung around with Garrett.”

  “Well, there you go.” Kelly leaned away from the window. The Mattox family owned a ranch on the other side of town. They were good people. “What do you want to bet that at supper tonight Riley told her folks all about the new girl in her class? I can practically see them talking about the good times her daddy had with your uncle Garrett growing up.”

  “And tomorrow Riley will ask you to sit with her at lunch,” Hank chimed in.

  “You think?” Noelle brushed the tears from her eyes.

  “That’s what your daddy did for me,” Kelly answered.

  “He did?” Noelle’s gaze swung to Hank and back. “I guess I could give it one more day.” She reached for the door handle but hesitated. “All the kids were talking about some stupid rodeo next month. What’s up with that?”

  “The Junior Rodeo in Keenensville,” Hank put in.

  “Yeah.” Noelle nodded miserable. “Everybody’s riding in it.”

  Kelly folded her arms across her chest. She tapped one boot against the hard-packed dirt while she gave Noelle’s lean build a once-over. She snapped her fingers. “You ever think of barrel racing?”

  “Like you showed us the other day?” Interest glinted in Noelle’s eyes.

  Kelly nodded. Hank had created a make-shift course while she spoke with Ty on Sunday. When they were finished, she’d raced the gelding around the cans until the horse tired. “Want to try it?”

  Brightening, Noelle looked past Kelly’s shoulder to her dad. “Can I?” she asked.

  Kelly held her breath. Teaching his daughter how to barrel race would require Hank’s time and effort as well as her own. Was the rancher who’d had so little to do with his only child up to the challenge?

  The air grew still while he studied the sparkles in Noelle’s eyes. Whether he was unwilling or unable to break the connection, he spoke without lifting his head. “The barrels you used when you were training, are they still in the shed out back?” When Kelly reckoned they were, he continued. “I’ll set ’em up while you two saddle the gelding.”

  “Lady would be a better choice. She hasn’t eaten yet.” For Noelle’s benefit, Kelly explained, “I fed the gelding a little while ago. It’s not good to exercise a horse too close to a meal.”

  The girl caught on right away. “It’s like staying out of the water after you eat.”

  “That’s right.”

  Kelly added a helmet to the gear they grabbed from the tack room. “I don’t know this mare real well,” she explained. “I’m not sure she’s ever raced before.”

  But Lady settled that question as soon as they led her into the ring. Where the big gelding had done everything Kelly asked of him, the little mare practically chomped at her bit the minute she spotted the barrels in the corral.

  “Somebody’s done this before,” Hank commented. Eager to go, Lady pricked her ears forward.

  As surprised as he was, Kelly nodded. She’d have to check the records, but she’d bet money her grandfather didn’t even know Lady had trained for the rodeo when he bought the horse at the livestock auction. With a good grip on the chin strap, she walked horse and rider through the course. After the third trek around the barrels, she released her hold. “Okay, now you do it.”

  As Noelle took her place behind the imaginary starting line, Kelly climbed to the top rail of the corral where Hank waited. She gave his thigh a reassuring pat when he claimed he was too nervous to watch, but grinned when she caught him peeking. When he scooted close enough that she felt him hold his breath, she stayed put to lend support to the anxious father. She hid a smile at the way Hank flexed his fingers when, after watching Noelle walk around the barrels a couple of times, she gave his daughter the go-ahead to pick up the pace. When Hank slipped his arm around her waist, she denied the small thrill it sent through her, telling herself he was only reaching out for something steady and familiar.

  On their first try, the horse and rider trotted through the cloverleaf without knocking down a barrel. Kelly turned to Hank.

  “She got the hang of it quickly, didn’t she?” All the girl and horse needed was a little bit of practice and they’d be ready for the rodeo.

  “She’s a natural. Like you,” Hank whispered.

  For a second, she caught the flicker of something not at all connected with his daughter in his eyes. She practically shivered, but the moment passed as Noelle lined up for another run. Kelly forced her focus to the horse and rider in the corral. Offering pointers from her own days in the rodeo, she had Noelle and Lady chase the cans until they were both winded.

  “Okay, that’s enough for tonight,” she called, just as the sun kissed the horizon. “Lady needs her dinner and a good brushing before bedtime.”

  “I’ll do it.” Noelle volunteered without being asked. “Me and Lady have some plans to make.” She gave the horse a pat. “We’re gonna be in the rodeo. And we’re gonna win.”

  Kelly chortled. Hank’s daughter had no shortage of confidence, she’d give her that. One practice session, and the girl was already dreaming of gold belt buckles. Not that it should have come as any surprise. After all, she was her father’s child, and Hank had always known what he wanted.

  She eyed Hank. Oh, he wanted her, no doubt about it. And she wanted him, too. But what was the point? They had no future together. In less than a week, she’d be back in Houston, while...

  “So, I can ride her in the rodeo next month, can’t I?”

  Kelly stared at Noelle’s glowing face. Her stomach dropped. What had she been thinking, getting the girl’s hopes up? A month from now, Lady would be munching grass on someone else’s ranch. Some other child might be putting the horse through her paces, but it wouldn’t be under Kelly’s watchful eye because she’d be gone.

  Hank must have noticed the stricken look on her face, because the rancher stepped in front of her, buying her time to regain her composure. “We’ll see about the rodeo, Noelle. Let me make sure there’s still time to register. If we miss out on this one, there’ll be others. Lots of them.”

  Turning to Kelly, his expression grew solemn. “Looks like my daughter is in need of a horse. Preferably one trained for barrel racing. You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone who has a horse like that for sale, would you?”

  “You’d buy Lady for her?” Kelly’s heart stuttered. As a child, she’d known better than to even hope for such a gift. Instead, she’d competed on horses borrowed from the Circle P. “But she’s only going to be here for a couple of months.”

  Like lightning on an open plain, a frown flickered across Hank’s face. When it cleared, he shrugged his pair of impressive shoulders. “There’s only one Lady, and there are a lot of summer vacations between now and the day Noelle goes off to college. I plan to spend every one of them with her. I’m going to save up to buy a place of my own, but till I do, we’ll spend summers and school breaks on the Circle P. Meantime, if my piggy bank takes a hit, so be it. Seeing that smile on her face is worth more than all the money in the world.”

  Kelly stared into Hank’s clear blue eyes. Was it possible he loved his daughter enough to sacrifice his own dreams for her? Her childhood sweetheart was turning out to be quite different from the man she’d always thought he was. True, he’d let her down once upon a time. And his parenting skills still needed some work. But just when she thought she had him nailed down,
he did something she didn’t expect. Something that forced her to see past the years he’d spent away from Noelle and gave her a glimpse of the caring father he was trying to be.

  Careful, she warned herself. You don’t want to make the mistake of falling for him again.

  But would it really be a mistake?

  And in that minute, she knew. Knew that while she’d been focused on her grandfather and Hank’s daughter, the man she’d sworn she’d never love again had stolen her heart.

  Chapter Eight

  Hank straightened, rolled his shoulders and resettled his hat. Man, what he wouldn’t give for a long, hot soak. He massaged the achy spot in the center of his back while he swept a look over the unwavering flatness of the Bar X. Despite a gray sky, heat shimmered, creating distant mirages in the open fields. His gaze landed on the woman who leaned down from her saddle to open the gate into the ranch’s southernmost pasture, and his gut tightened.

  How could Kelly look so damned cute? Didn’t she realize what misery she was putting him through?

  After five long days rounding up cattle, Kelly’s muscles had to be crying out the same way his were, didn’t they? Maybe more, considering the years that had passed since she’d done any serious riding. Though she hadn’t voiced a single complaint, he wondered how she’d react if he invited her to join him in the hot tub on the Circle P after they gathered the last of the strays that afternoon.

  “What’s the head count now?”

  Hank blinked away the daydream. Heat pressed down on him. Humidity and dust stirred by several thousand hooves thickened the air. Grit coated his hands and face. Still, the image of him and Kelly separated by nothing but bubbles and water lingered. He blinked again, trying in vain to loosen his tight hold on the all-too-pleasant picture. Behind him, she hauled the gate closed.

  He should have asked about the hot tub earlier. Regret whispered through him for not coming up with the idea before their time together had grown short. Once they began the long trek to the Barlowe ranch in the morning, it’d be days before he’d have another chance. By then, she’d be packing up and leaving again. This time, to head back to her life in the big city.