by Linda Bridey
Owl smiled at the boy and crouched so he was on the same level as Ryan’s face. He held out his hand and said, “Nice to meet you, Ryan.”
“You, too. Wow. Owl. That’s a neat name. Did you get it because you ate an owl?”
Owl laughed. “No. My full name is Great Owl in Night Sky. My family and friends just call me ‘Owl’ for short.”
Ryan reached out and felt Owl’s hair. “It’s soft. It’s long, but you don’t look like a girl, either.”
Joe got a kick out of that. “No, he doesn’t, does he?”
“Rick has long hair, but he doesn’t look like a girl,” Ryan told them. “He has lots of nice animals. I like the pot-boiled pig.”
“The what?” Owl said.
Joe said, “He means that weird looking pig Rick has. It’s a pot-bellied pig, Ryan, not boiled, although it might taste good boiled.”
Owl and Ryan laughed. “I don’t think Rick would want it to be boiled up,” Owl said.
“Do you scalp people?” Ryan asked.
Joe looked at Owl to see his reaction. He wasn’t sure how the brave would take that question.
“Not anymore,” Owl said.
“So do you have lots of ponies?” Ryan asked.
Joe was relieved that the boy hadn’t stayed on that subject. He knew about Owl’s past but wasn’t sure how many people Owl wanted to know about it.
“A few.”
“I’m new here. We came here ’cause Mommy was gonna marry Steve but Steve’s ticker stopped workin’ so now Mommy has to find someone else to marry. She could marry you,” Ryan said to Owl.
Owl said, “Well, I’m sure your mommy is a very nice lady, but I already have a wife who I love very much.”
“Oh. Ok. That’s good. Well, I have to go see if Mommy falls off her horse. She never rode a horse before and her butt might get sore,” Ryan said. “’Bye, Mr. Sky Owl.”
Owl and Joe laughed as the boy ran off towards the paddock.
“I thought Emily was bad with the stuff she comes up with, but that kid takes the cake,” Joe said. “Speak of the devil, here she comes.”
“Owl!”
Emily flew at Owl who picked her up and swung her around before hugging her. She kissed his cheek and said, “Ya’ll are just as handsome as ever.”
She was her father’s daughter and was already learning how to flirt.
“Thank you,” Owl said as he put her down.
He got a kick out of how much of Joe’s mannerisms and accent she’d picked up over the years. Joe had started almost constantly talking to Emily when she’d been in the womb and had never stopped, which accounted for it.
“Ya’ll bring Hannah and Bobby to see us. Ok?” Emily said.
“I’ll do that.”
“All right. This is my new friend, Chloe. Not the other Chloe that lives down the road. Ryan is her brother; Gina is their mama. Chloe, this is Owl. He’s a Lakota brave and our friend,” Emily said.
Chloe just looked at Owl and gave him a little smile. Owl smiled back and held out his hand. Chloe didn’t want to be rude so she shook his hand. He was so different from anyone she’d ever met and he made her a little nervous. But since Emily liked Owl so much and Joe was friends with Owl, she thought it must be all right to shake his hand.
“Any friend of Emily’s is a friend of mine,” Owl told her.
Chloe said, “Thanks. Emily’s right. You’re very handsome.” Then she blushed and ran away.
Joe laughed and said, “I think someone just got a crush on you, Owl.”
Owl said, “It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. I have that effect on women.”
“Get out of here,” Joe said.
“I do have to get back to the ranch or Dean will be mad. I’m supposed to finish a couple of things,” Owl said.
“It amazes me how he bosses all of you around out there,” Joe said. “He’d get more out of people if he were nicer to them.”
“Don’t start that again,” Owl said. “He can be irritating, but he’s a good man.”
Joe said, “All right. I’ll leave it alone. Thanks for the race. I’ll see ya’ll later.”
Owl mounted and trotted his horse back up the lane.
Chapter Eight
A week after Gina and the kids had been out to his place, Rick rode out to Joe’s house after work to see them. He had been thinking about her and the kids all afternoon. While he’d worked, he thought about how much fun they’d had last week. Rick also remembered how good it had felt to hold Gina.
It had been a while since he’d had a relationship with a woman, mainly because he hadn’t come across anyone who’d interested him. Gina definitely interested him and he really enjoyed her kids. He frowned as he thought of Chloe’s guarded expression and knew that it came from losing her father.
Rick could tell that the little girl didn’t like the idea of her mother marrying another man. Ryan was small enough that Rick knew that, if the boy liked the man enough, it wouldn’t bother him. There was a part of Gina that still loved her husband, he knew, but if she had come to Dawson to marry Steve, it meant there was another part of her that was ready to start moving on.
How important was that to him? Rick knew he was attracted to Gina. She was beautiful, smart, and was a great mother. If only there wasn’t so much uncertainty in his life, it would be easy to start seeing Gina with serious intentions.
People wondered about his past, but Rick hadn’t been ready to divulge that information until the time was right. However, that time was close at hand. Would Gina get upset if there were things he wouldn’t tell her? Would she be patient about waiting? Sighing, Rick turned down the lane to the Dwyers and put all of that out of his mind. For now, he was happy just to see Gina again and he was going to let that be enough for the moment.
When he knocked on the front door, Rick was surprised to see Joe answer the door.
“Where’s Randall?” he asked.
“Nice to see you, too, Rick,” Joe said sarcastically. “He’s busy with somethin’. C’mon in. If you have whatshisname in your pocket just keep him there.”
Rick smiled as he stepped into the foyer. “He won’t come out.”
“Good. What’s going on?” Joe asked.
“I’m here to see Gina,” Rick replied.
Joe frowned and said, “Can I see you back outside?”
“Ok.”
Joe pulled the door shut behind him and asked, “What’re your intentions towards her?”
Rick’s eyes met Joe’s and he said, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I don’t know what my intentions are, Joe. We’ve only just met and neither of us have really had a chance to explore anything yet.”
“Rick, I like you, I do, but no one knows a damn thing about you except the strange things you tell them and no one knows if they’re even true. Don’t start something with her that you can’t finish. She deserves better than that and so do those kids,” Joe said. He felt protective of Gina and her children.
Rick smiled. “You’re a good guy, Joe. It’s nice that you’re looking out for them, but there’s nothing to worry about. I’m not going to do anything stupid. However, I don’t need you interfering, so if this is going to be an issue, then you and I are going to have a problem.”
Joe suddenly felt that edginess that Rick brought out in people. There was something about the man that made one very uncomfortable but it was hard to put a finger on it. He’d seen Rick intimidate men who were larger than him, such as Joe’s best friend, Luke. Luke stood six-three and weighed somewhere around two hundred, but even he had remarked that he had no interest in tangling with Rick.
Joe backed away from Rick a couple of inches and said, “We won’t have a problem unless you make one.”
Rick smiled. “Then there’s nothing to worry about. Now, I’d like to see Gina, if you don’t mind.”
Joe opened the door and they entered the house. Randall stood in the parlor.
“Randall, will you go tell Gin
a that Rick is here to see her, please?” Joe said.
“Certainly,” Randall said and left the room.
Gina hadn’t been expecting to see Rick. She’d thought about him quite a bit, but she’d had no idea when she might see him again. She had also wondered if the reason she hadn’t seen him was because he was no longer interested in her.
After Randall announced that Rick was there, Gina fretted over her appearance. To deny that she was interested in Rick would have been untruthful. She thought about how his announcement that he was going to kiss her someday had pleasantly shocked her.
She wondered if she would have wanted to kiss Steve the way she did Rick. What am I thinking? I just met him. Don’t be so silly, Gina. You’ve just been lonely. Don’t rush into anything. You don’t know him yet. Go slow, for yourself, but most of all, for your children’s sakes.
Checking her hair one last time, Gina went out to the parlor. She was struck again by how good-looking he was. She liked his duster and thought it suited him perfectly. He wore black pants and boots with a white shirt. Stubble lined his jaw and his eyes lit up when he saw her.
“Hi, Gina. How are you?” he said as she came closer.
“I’m fine, thank you. I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight,” Gina said and smiled at him.
“I can be a little impulsive, so I thought I’d come over and take a chance that you’d be interested in going to the Watering Hole with me. I have to work, but we’ll still be able to socialize and there’s a bunch of people I’d like you to meet,” Rick said as he looked her over. A small pang of desire passed over him as he took in her beauty.
Gina noticed his scrutiny and could tell that he liked what he saw. It was wonderful to have a man notice her like that again.
“I’d love to,” she said and then her enthusiasm was dampened. “But I don’t have anyone to watch the children.”
Rick said, “I’m sure someone here would.”
“I don’t want to trouble anyone like that,” Gina said. “It’s such short notice.”
Lacey came into the parlor and said, “Oh, there you are, Gina. Can I talk to you just a minute? I’ll bring her right back, Rick.”
Rick smiled. “Ok.”
Lacey took Gina out into the kitchen. “If you want to go with Rick, we can watch the kids. Joe’s going to sing tonight, but I’ll be here with them along with Callie and Rita. There’s plenty of people here to look after them.”
“How did you know?” Gina said.
“Joe told me Rick was here to see you and I had a hunch he might want you to go out for the evening,” Lacey said.
“I don’t know. I want to, but I’ve only just met him.”
Lacey smiled. “If he wasn’t someone I knew and liked, I wouldn’t be telling you to go. He’s trustworthy, Gina. Besides, it’s just a chance for you to have a little fun.”
Gina was torn. She wanted to go, but felt guilty about leaving the kids so suddenly. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere tonight.”
“Sometimes the best things are those you don’t plan on,” Lacey said. She could tell that Gina really wanted to go with Rick.
“I suppose you’re right, but…”
“But nothing. Go tell him you’ll go,” Lacey said.
“But this is an old dress. I don’t want to go like this,” Gina said.
“Go tell him you’ll go and then meet me in our room,” Lacey said. “We’ll get you fixed up. This is so much fun!”
Gina laughed as Lacey trotted away. She tried to calm her nerves. It had been so long since she’d been out with a man, but she tried to remember what she’d been like with Tony when they’d been courting. She’d been saucy and vivacious according to Tony.
She’d certainly been more confident, but that was before she’d lost a husband and had been caring for two young children largely by herself. But she decided that, for tonight, she was going to be her old self and have a little adult fun. She put aside her anxiety and went back out to the foyer.
Rick wasn’t sure what had changed about Gina, but he felt it immediately. There was a new assuredness in her body posture and in her gaze. His male nature responded.
“I would love to go, but I need to change. Is there time?” Gina asked.
Rick’s easy smile flashed. “Certainly. Go right ahead.”
“I won’t be long,” Gina said and gave him a smile.
As she went to change, Rick smiled and was looking forward to the evening even more than before. When Gina reappeared, Rick’s eyes widened a little as they roamed over her. The deep blue dress emphasized her curvy body, which he had been privileged to hold for a short while that day. The color was the perfect foil for her slightly dusky complexion, dark eyes and sable hair.
“Well, don’t you look lovely, Miss Gina?” Rick said.
“Thank you, Deputy Westlake,” Gina responded as she walked over to him.
Lacey ran into the parlor, pressed a coat into Gina’s hands, smiled at Rick and ran back out.
Rick laughed softly. “I think Lacey’s enjoying this.”
“She’s not the only one,” Gina said as she held up the fine black coat Lacey had given her.
Rick took it from her. “Allow me,” he said and held it for her.
Tony used to do things like that and Gina thought it nice to have a gentleman do it for her again.
When they went outside, she saw that he’d brought a buggy.
Gina enjoyed riding under the moon with Rick. He coaxed her into telling him about her upbringing and amusing stories about the kids. At one point, she asked him about his formative years and Rick grew silent for a moment. He opted for the truth.
“We moved around a lot. My stepfather was a missionary and we travelled all over the world,” Rick said.
“That must have been so exciting!” Gina said. “Seeing all those different places and experiencing a lot of different cultures.”
An image flashed in his mind and Rick pushed it away. “It was sometimes. I’ve been on every continent except Australia.”
“Do you have a favorite place?” she asked as she rode a little closer to him.
Another flash. “No. Too many to count. Although I did enjoy Asia quite a bit.” Rick silently took in a slow breath and released it.
“What do they eat there?” Gina asked. She’d always wanted to travel so to talk to someone who had actually done it interested her very much.
“A lot of fish and rice dishes and various vegetables.” Flash! Rick knew he had to stop this conversation. “So what’s your favorite Italian meal?”
Gina laughed. “You’re going to find this strange, but I don’t care for a lot of Italian dishes.”
“What? But you’re Italian,” Rick said. “You’re right; I am surprised.”
“I know. I was such a disappointment to my parents because I preferred to eat other ethnic dishes like bigos. In fact, I love anything made with sauerkraut. My mother hates it and refused to cook it. I would go next door to Mrs. Majewski’s and eat dinner with her family a lot,” Gina said.
Rick laughed. “An Italian who prefers Polish food. That’s funny. Bigos is a wonderful dish. Some people know it by Hunter’s Stew, though. Do you know how to make it?”
“Yes. Mrs. Majewski gave me a lot of recipes. She was a great woman and I miss her,” Gina said.
“I’d love to eat some again. I haven’t had it since I was in Poland,” Rick said.
“Then I’ll make some, if I can find all of the ingredients,” Gina said.
“Tell you what; you get out that recipe and we’ll see what we can do about getting it all together. I know what’s available around here and what’s not,” Rick said. “It’ll be like a scavenger hunt.”
“That’ll be fun,” Gina said.
“Yes, it will,” Rick agreed.
Gina hadn’t been in a place like the Watering Hole for a long time and had forgotten how noisy it could be. Rick introduced her to Jake, who poured the drinks they ordered, and they moved i
nto the barroom. Though he put his hand on the small of Gina’s back to guide her, Rick still stayed slightly in front of her to shield her from any danger. As he approached the table that had unofficially become the ‘bouncers’’ table, he noticed that Ben Walker sat at it.
As he helped seat Gina, Rick introduced her to Ben.
“So you’re one of the doctors in town?” Gina said.
“Yes, although I’m trained as a surgeon, I still see general ailments,” Ben said in a Georgia accent.
“That sounds interesting,” Gina said.
Ben’s green eyes twinkled. “Some days yes; some days no.”
Gina thought him an attractive man with his black hair and well-muscled body.
Rick said, “Ben used to be one of our bouncers until he hurt his hand a while back. He was a damn good bouncer, too, from what I understand. I didn’t get to see you in action really, so I wouldn’t know.”
Ben flexed his left hand. It stiffened up on him from time to time, but on the whole, he’d had a good recovery. He didn’t like to think about that dark time very much so he said, “Yes, it was a lot of fun. I enjoy fighting, but I have to modify it now so I don’t have to use that hand much. I can’t risk breaking it again. I don’t want to lose the ability to perform surgery.”
“Well, we may have lost a bouncer, but we gained a talented piano player,” Rick said. “Ben and his sister, Rebecca, Jake’s wife, play piano beautifully.”
“Thank you, Rick,” Ben said. “You’re being nice. What’s wrong with you?”
Rick said, “Can’t I just give you a compliment?”
Ben gave him a deadpan look. “You know that’s not your normal personality. Where’s your pal?”
“Where do you think he is?” Rick said.
Ben called Curtis and the ferret bounced onto the table. However, he never got a chance to hold Curtis because the chair was knocked out from under him. Gina let out a cry of surprise, but Rick laughed. Ben got up and faced Reckless whose black eyes danced with mischief.
“Damn you, Reckless!” Ben shouted and held his left hand against his chest.
“Oh, Ben, I am sorry,” Reckless said, suddenly contrite.