Soon they were mounted again. This time Billy got on without a hassle and with a hand from Rhett. Then Rhett checked the saddle, girth and stirrups on his mount like he knew what he was doing, something she approved of. She tossed him an extra hat they kept on a rack in the barn.
“It’s hot out there. Best keep your head covered. Sunstroke would just add to your misery.” She had to smile at the way he was holding his reins gingerly. Acting tough wasn’t easy. His palms had to hurt.
“Thank you, ma’am.” He just shoved the battered hat on his head. He should have looked ridiculous. Instead, he grinned and she realized the old Stetson made him seem to fit in.
“Sierra, before you go?” Darrel, the ranch hand, stood close to her horse. “I need to warn you, found two more dead this morning. Not far from that pasture you were worried about.”
Sierra glanced at the children. “I saw the buzzards. We’ll talk about this later. Call the vet. We need to figure out the cause.”
“Yes, ma’am. If he can from what’s left.” Darrel flushed at her meaningful glance at Cindy. “I mean, sure. I’ll drive a truck out there and pick up the, uh, remains right now. Already called Doc Cibrowski.”
“Thanks, Darrel.” Luckily Cindy didn’t seem to be listening. She was too worried about keeping her horse under control. But Sierra could see that Rhett hadn’t missed a thing. He’d be full of questions; she didn’t doubt that. She had some of her own. Who or what was killing her cattle? She’d lost a half dozen head in the last two weeks, now two more. She suspected poison. But where were the cattle picking up anything poisonous? Time for her to pay for an autopsy. Which wouldn’t be cheap. She’d also call the sheriff again. Sheriff Myra Watkins needed to take her seriously.
The children were waiting and the horses were getting restless. She urged Ranger forward, Rhett and Billy falling in behind. She glanced back. Blanco was a big, steady horse and she was relieved to see Rhett handling him with ease. Rhett Hall was way too charming. Because otherwise she’d never have let a stranger ride out with her children. She would watch him every minute. Parents trusted her with these troubled kids. If he made one wrong move…
She almost turned back then and there. It would be the responsible thing to do. But for some of these children this outing was the one bright spot in their week. Thank goodness she’d gotten a phone call back while they’d been saddling up. Her contact had done a quick check on this guy. He really was a famous author. Clean record. So at least he wasn’t a pedophile in disguise. She shuddered. The very idea that someone like that could have climbed her gate made her glance over her shoulder again.
“So where are we going?” Rhett called.
“We have a pond in a pasture not far from here where a family of ducks makes their home. The kids like to feed them.” Sierra reached out to touch Cindy’s leg when she saw her trembling. “Cindy, are you okay? What’s the matter?”
“Billy’s gonna hit me again. I don’t like him. Who is that man? I don’t know him.” Tears filled her big blue eyes.
“Now Cindy, I won’t let anyone touch you. I swear it. That man is Mr. Rhett. He helped with Billy, didn’t he? You don’t need to be scared of him.” Sierra sensed Rhett listening to every word. She knew Cindy had been abused by her father, who was no longer in the picture. “But Mr. Rhett will stay far away from you if that’s what you want.” She gave Rhett a warning look.
“Yes, please,” Cindy said in a very small voice as she knuckled the tears from her cheeks.
* * * *
Rhett pulled back on the reins to make even more space between them and the girl and Sierra.
“You don’t have to worry, Cindy. Billy and I will stay away from you since that’s what you want. Won’t we, Billy?” Rhett turned to the boy. Billy just stared at Sierra and Cindy, his face unreadable. “What do you say?”
“Whatever.”
Rhett wasn’t happy with that answer but decided to let it go. “You ride very well, Billy. I’m feeling muscles I forgot I had. It’s been a long time since I sat on a horse.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Billy tried to move his horse closer to Cindy’s mount.
Rhett reached out and grabbed Billy’s reins, pulling his horse to a stop. Damn, that hurt. Maybe taking off the gauze had been stupid. “What’s your problem? Are you determined to start trouble? You heard what Cindy just said. We’re staying back. She doesn’t want me close and she sure doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
“What do I care what she wants?” Billy snatched at his reins. “My problem is you. Who are you, anyway? I never saw you around here before.”
“That’s a fair question. You saw my car, didn’t you? I had a wreck outside Miss Sierra’s gate. Hit a deer. She let me come in while I wait for a tow truck.” Rhett really wanted to smack some sense into the kid. But he knew better. Sierra had shown tremendous restraint when the brat hit the little girl.
“I didn’t notice. Had a game on my phone. What kind of car was it?” Billy looked him over.
Rhett told him.
“Aw man, my dad will be all over that. He loves Corvettes.” Billy suddenly looked worried. “He’s not coming out here to get it himself, is he?”
“Your dad is Will, right? Owns the Chevy dealership?” Rhett saw Billy’s face go pale before he nodded. “Your grandma said he’ll be here as soon as he can.”
Billy’s shoulders sagged. “Of course he’ll come. He thinks nobody can handle a Vette but him.” He jerked at the reins. “Can we ride on now? I’ll stay away from that stupid girl.”
“You promise? No more hitting. I can see Miss Sierra has a bad leg. You almost got a piece of it before.” Rhett didn’t know what he’d said, but the anger seemed to have gone out of the kid. Billy just nodded so he let him go. Sierra and Cindy were pretty far ahead now and he could always catch up if he needed to. Rachel’s grandson clearly had issues. The kid was what? Nine? He was acting out with violence and was big for his age. When he got to be a teenager, he could turn into a bully and become a real problem. Rhett hoped whatever this therapy was supposed to do worked, or young Billy here was headed for trouble.
“She doesn’t like me,” Billy mumbled, but Rhett heard him.
“Who? The little girl?” Rhett leaned closer.
“Miss Sierra. She chose Cindy over me.” Billy frowned as he kept his horse moving.
“She could have picked anyone. Cindy was lucky this time. Maybe next time it’ll be you.” Rhett didn’t know a damn thing about kids. Billy just glared at him like he was a moron. “Hey, I met your grandma. She’s cool.”
“Yeah. I come out here to see her. Otherwise, I’d be home playing games on my computer.”
“Oh? What do you like?” Rhett knew a few video games, and the boy began telling him about his favorites, all of them pretty violent. Soon they came to the pond. It was a nice spot surrounded by trees, and sure enough, a family of ducks called it home. When the ducks saw the horses and the kids, they swam to shore, eager for what apparently was a ritual.
“You like feeding the ducks?” Rhett pulled up close to a cluster of trees, away from Cindy and Sierra. He wasn’t taking a chance that Billy would blow up again.
“It’s okay. We each get a bag of corn to feed them. Wait and see what they do. It’s pretty funny.” He laughed when Rhett staggered as soon as he hit the ground. “You really are out of shape.”
“Told you. I haven’t ridden a horse in years.” He held out his arms. “I’ll help you down.”
“Back off. I can do it.” To prove it, the boy flung over his leg and leaped off the horse, almost knocking Rhett down. It was a stupid move, and Billy yelped when he landed funny.
“You all right?” Rhett tried to help him up from where he’d fallen.
“Back off, I said. I’m fine.” He got to his feet, limping as he headed to where Sierra was handing out small paper ba
gs she pulled from her saddlebags. “Leave me alone.”
Rhett followed at a safe distance. He was determined not to limp, but it took a moment for his thigh muscles to quit shaking. Of course his palms screamed. Man! He’d forgotten how much of a workout riding could be. Billy had taken his place in line, waiting his turn for a bag of corn. Each bag had a name written on it in marker.
Sierra smiled at Rhett. “See the names on the bags? We can’t have littering. Any one of them leaves a bag, it means cleaning out a horse stall before he or she eats lunch.”
“Wow. You’re tough.” Rhett shook his head when she offered him some corn.
“You have no idea.” She moved closer to where the kids had scattered, chattering as they threw corn at the excited ducks. There were some new yellow ducklings guarded by a big mama duck. Billy approached her and squatted down, holding out his hand to show her his corn. To Rhett’s amazement, she took it from him, then waddled away. The boy sat back on the grass and watched, not saying a word to the other children.
“He looks sad, doesn’t he?” Sierra said quietly to Rhett.
“Yeah. Don’t know if that’s better than mad or not.” He turned and bumped into her. She smelled like fresh air, sunshine and horse. It was surprisingly pleasant and womanly. She didn’t back off and he stayed where he was, his arm brushing hers. “You having trouble with your cattle?”
“I can’t talk about that now.”
She nodded at Billy. “Billy’s a complicated kid. I don’t know if I’m helping him or not. I guess all I can do is try.” She limped over to the other children, stopping to talk to each one.
Rhett admired her shapely behind in her jeans before he walked to the edge of the pond. Watching kids feed ducks. Not exactly the excitement he’d been looking for when he’d left Austin, but it was okay. He was relaxing; that was something. And the place was pretty. This was a side of Texas he hadn’t seen before. He’d like to learn more about the ranch. Dead cattle. Sabotage? Disease? If he could stay here a while and pick Sierra’s brain, there might be a story in it. He saw cows in the distance and could hear the steady chug of those oil wells pumping. Lots of things to study here.
He noticed Billy had gotten up and had moved closer to the rest of the kids, including Cindy. Was that a good idea? The little girl stood next to the water. If that boy thought he could push her in, he was going to be very sorry. Rhett moved quickly, ready to intervene if needed. But to Rhett’s surprise, Billy just handed Cindy the rest of his corn. A peace offering. Maybe there was hope for the boy yet. Or was it a ploy? A way to lull her into trusting him until he could do something hurtful again?
Rhett decided to keep an eye on him. He stayed close to the group until Sierra announced it was time to head back for lunch. She’d made each child feel special and now stopped and praised Billy for sharing with Cindy. Oops. The boy frowned, not happy that his moment of weakness had been exposed. Rhett decided that was his cue to get involved.
“Billy, let’s see if we can beat everyone back to the barn. What do you say? Can you show me the way? I’m not sure I remember.”
“Yeah, let’s go. We’ll leave these suckers in our dust.” Billy made a gesture that had Sierra frowning before he limped over to their horses. He didn’t object when Rhett helped him mount this time. Sierra’s frown deepened. Did she think Billy’s limp mocked her? She probably hadn’t seen him fall off the horse. Rhett would explain it over hot dogs. The boy was already on her shit list for things he’d done deliberately.
“Wait for me. I told you, I’m not sure of the way.”
“Yeah? Then you’d better hurry, old man.” Billy laughed and wheeled his horse while Rhett was still finding his stirrup.
Well, hell. The brat was leaving him in his dust as well. But old Blanco knew his way back to the barn. Rhett nudged his horse faster while he cursed under his breath. Did he really want to learn more about Texas ranches? So far he’d been bested by a kid, had aches and pains in strange places, and a woman had made him feel like a fool when she’d almost shot off his foot. Not exactly stuff he could use as book material. But, then again, he had questions, lots of them. He sure didn’t want to move on until he got some answers.
Chapter Three
Sierra was furious as she watched Rhett take off after Billy. The man had no idea how she ran the therapy group and, galloping away in some kind of imaginary race wasn’t part of it. At least she was sure Billy had mastered his seat on a horse. But he had so many emotional issues, she didn’t like the idea of his being unsupervised anywhere on the ranch. Hopefully Rhett had figured that out.
By the time she got the rest of the children on their mounts and everyone paired up, too much time had elapsed. She dreaded what she’d find when she got to the barn. Caring properly for the horses was an important part of the therapy. If Billy had just left Charley standing after that run, she knew one of her men would see to him, but she’d have to make an example of the boy or the other kids would notice and get ideas. They were already restless, talking about going faster, testing each other. Not a good idea when some of them, like Cindy, were just getting comfortable in the saddle. Sierra breathed a sigh of relief when the barn came in sight.
Inside, she had to take a moment to adjust to the dim interior. She heard Rhett’s voice before she spotted him. He was working on Blanco, showing Billy how he’d been taught to brush out his mane. The boy was imitating him, and they seemed to have progressed to the point where the horses were cooled down and ready to be led into their stalls. She saw that the saddles and bridles had been put away.
“Gentlemen.” Sierra walked up to Billy. “Billy, you know I don’t approve of taking off like you did.” No answer.
“I’m sorry, Sierra. My idea.” Rhett nodded toward the boy. “I was showing Billy what I remember from my summer camp days. We always put our horses away properly after cooling them down, making sure they were groomed and watered.” Rhett shook his head when Billy just kept brushing his horse and didn’t say anything.
“Charley does seem to be enjoying your attentions, Billy.” She was careful not to touch him. He didn’t like it, and that was too bad. If ever there was a child who needed a hug, it was this troubled boy.
Rhett filled in the silence. “You think Billy can go see his grandma now? Maybe he can help her in the kitchen. Get lunch going.” Rhett winked at her. “I’ll put Charley and Blanco away.”
“Can I, Miss Sierra?” Billy whirled around, suddenly coming to life. “Granny can’t haul all that stuff out to the pool without help.”
“Sure, Billy. Go ahead. Mr. Rhett can put Charley away for you.” Sierra laughed when Billy raced past her. But he was running awkwardly. “What’s with the limp? Did he hurt himself?”
“Yeah. I think he twisted his ankle jumping off his horse. He was showing off and wouldn’t let me help him down. Nothing serious. I looked at it and didn’t find any swelling. I told him to let his grandmother see it.” Rhett glanced at the other kids, who were busy working with their own horses. “I really am sorry about that racing thing. I was afraid he was going to go after Cindy again. What I know about kids wouldn’t fill one of those paper bags you use for corn.” Rhett patted his horse. “Forgive me?”
“You shouldn’t have taken off like that. All the other students were hot to race after you.” Sierra looked away from the appeal in his eyes. When was the last time a man had tried to charm her? Too long. She was letting him get to her. She stepped back. “No harm done. Darrel will show you where to put those horses. I’ve got to help the other kids. I’ll see you out by the pool.”
She walked away, very conscious of his eyes on her. If only she didn’t look so damned awkward when she walked. But there was no help for it. Four surgeries and she’d called it quits. If it had been up to her daddy, she’d have gone on, trying specialist after specialist until even the doctors would have had to admit she was a lost cause. She had learn
ed to live with it, stuck with a limp that reminded her of one of the worst days of her life.
She got the group organized and the horses put away. She was very aware that Rhett hadn’t gone on to the pool but was helping some of the other boys with their horses. It was good to have the help. She’d had to cut back on labor recently, and now they didn’t have one-on-one therapy like she wanted. Her family had offered her money to continue some of her special projects like this. She should probably accept it. Helping children filled a hole in her heart.
“Miss Sierra, can we go see the new foal again before lunch?” Cindy had just put her horse in its stall.
“Sure, let’s check on it. We need to name him. Think about that.” Sierra led the group to the back of the barn where the mare and her baby were kept.
“You have a lot of horses here,” Rhett said as they walked.
“Yes, I’m part of a horse rescue organization. What can I say? I can’t bear to see a horse abused. If a horse needs a home, no matter what shape it’s in, I take it.” It was another expense she couldn’t afford. But some of the horses were so pitiful…
“Are you crying?” Rhett stood very close.
“Of course not. Hay allergy. It’s a real problem when you run a ranch.” Sierra backed away from the stall once they got there so the kids could see the foal.
“I don’t know. Looks like tears to me.” He surprised her by handing her his wad of gauze. “Use this. Very absorbent. I know from experience.” He patted her back.
“Yuck.” But she looked it over and saw no sign of blood, so she did dab her cheeks with it. “You don’t know how rough this mare had it before we rescued her. She came in so malnourished it was a miracle the baby survived to term. Now look at the foal, standing there next to its mama on spindly legs, such a sweet sight. I—I can’t stand the way some folks mistreat animals. It makes me so damned mad.”
“Language, Miss Sierra.” Cindy looked up at her wide-eyed. “I have a name for the baby horse.”
Texas Reckless Page 3