by Amelia Rose
Cole gritted his teeth and shoved the phone back into his pocket. “You know, when you say stuff like that, you sound just like dad.”
“I didn’t know that was a bad thing,” Marshall stated dryly.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m saying we’re a new generation of ranchers and maybe we could change with the times. So what if soy fades out? Then we could plant something else,” Cole pointed out, trying even harder to keep his tone level. He didn’t want to argue in the small store any more than he’d wanted to argue in the parking lot. There wasn’t a lot of gossip to go around in a small ranching community and he wasn’t eager to provide any. “What do you think?”
“How expensive will it be?” Marshall asked in a long suffering tone.
“I could check,” Cole answered. He wanted to punch his brother for the way he’d said it, but at least he was thinking about the possibility. “I’ll be right back.”
Cole hurried back to the counter before his older brother could change his mind. “Hey, Daniel,” he said as he greeted the owner of the store. “We’re thinking about planting soy. What are your thoughts?”
“Don’t think you should,” the man answered shortly.
What kind of day was this going to be? Cole wondered. Maybe he should have just stayed in bed.
“Why not?” he demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest in preparation to defend his suggestion.
“Don’t carry it,” Daniel answered.
“Well, I guess someone does,” Cole pointed out.
“That ain’t the point,” Daniel reasoned. “Silver River has always stocked up here.”
“Yeah,” Cole shot back, “and because we’ve been such good customers I say you buy some soy.”
“It’s a fad,” Daniel replied, still unconvinced. “ It’ll all blow over.”
Cole held back a growl of frustration. What was with everyone lately? Darrell stepped up beside him and gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
“You hear about the Carson ranch?” Daniel continued.
“Saw that someone’s moving in,” Cole admitted as Darrell nodded.
“It’s a girl.”
“What?”
“A girl’s taking over that ranch,” Daniel clarified with a nod. “One of Hank’s grandkids.”
“A city girl?” Cole demanded. Everyone knew that all three of Hank Carson’s kids had headed off to the city as soon as they were able. He hadn’t had a visit from even one of them since Cole was about twelve.
“Yep,” Daniel confirmed. “About your age, I reckon,” he went on with a nod at Cole.
“Well, that’s just great,” Cole muttered. “What the hell makes some city girl think she can just waltz right in and handle a ranch?”
“No stock on it right now,” Darrell pointed out.
“And there never will be!” Cole said. “She can’t have the first clue what she’s doing up there. Betcha she won’t last a month and then she’ll sell the land and God only knows what kind of person will buy it.”
“Nice to have a vote of confidence,” a woman’s voice said from behind him.
Cole and Darrell spun around to see a young woman standing there with her arms crossed. Cole could have bitten off his tongue when he saw her face was red with embarrassment.
“I’m...are you...” he began, not sure exactly what to say.
“I’m Emma Carson,” the woman confirmed. “The empty-headed city girl who is going to be running Raven Branch into the ground and then running off as soon as I can.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried through the small store. Cole was a little bit relieved when Marshall stepped over and held out his hand.
“Marshall McKenna,” he said politely. “These are my brothers, Cole and Darrell. We run Silver River.”
“The ranch beside me?” Emma didn’t exactly look pleased. If anything, she looked a little confused. “You’re the McKenna boys?”
“Has our reputation preceded us?” Marshall asked in confusion. It wasn’t like Silver River was known for anything out of the ordinary and the only one of them who could even be considered remotely well known was Darrell for his rodeo riding.
“Grandpa Hank mentioned you,” Emma said. “But he didn’t mention one of you was a chauvinist.”
“Hey!” Cole said defensively. “I am not a chauvinist! It’s not just the fact that you’re a woman, it’s the fact that you can’t have any idea what you’re doing. I never even saw your family out at the ranch.”
“Well, luckily for me, my grandpa didn’t ask your opinion about leaving me Raven Branch,” she said hotly. “And you can’t have any idea what I know and what I don’t know. I’ve been reading up on all of this and I plan to take it slow. Maybe hire some ranch hands and...oh, why am I telling you all of this?” She stopped and sighed in frustration. “I’ve got shopping to do. It was nice to meet two of you.” She finished, nodding at Marshall and Darrell and sending a glare Cole’s way.
“Good job,” Marshall said, smacking Cole on the back.
“You knew she was there, didn’t you?” Cole asked, turning back to Daniel.
The man gave him a slow, easy grin. “Maybe next time you won’t bother me about what I decide to stock.”
“I’m going to the truck,” Cole muttered. “It’s been a long day.”
“It’s 9:30,” Marshall pointed out. “And where are you going?” he demanded when Darrell headed out after Cole.
“Long day,” Darrell repeated. “Call me when you’re ready to leave. I’ll help you load up.”
Marshall threw up his hands and went back to calculating prices as Cole stomped off full of a combination of aggravation and embarrassment.
Chapter Three
Cole sighed and leaned against the truck. He hadn’t made such a fool of himself in a long time. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if it hadn’t been for his breakup. He and Trish hadn’t ended well. It wasn’t really a surprise. They’d had too fast a start, and the on-again, off-again relationship had a tendency to burn like kerosene on a bonfire. A fitting metaphor as his life had felt a little cold without her. Or maybe it wasn’t that he still missed her. Maybe it was the fact that it had been nearly six months since he’d been with her, or any woman for that matter. He really hadn’t expected it to take so long to find someone else.
“You all right?” Darrell asked as he shouldered him out of the way and got into the truck.
“Yeah,” Cole answered automatically.
Darrell didn’t speak again, but Cole could feel his brother watching him. He sighed and shrugged.
“I might feel maybe a little bit like a moron,” he finally admitted. “Or, actually, a lot like a moron. And a chauvinist.”
Darrell gave him a quick smile.
“It’s not that she’s a woman,” Cole went on. “It’s just that she doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing and she’s either gonna get herself hurt or she’s gonna ruin that ranch.”
“It’s because you wanted it instead of seeing it go to waste,” Darrell said bringing the real point out in the open.
Cole shook his head, even though Darrell hadn’t asked him a question. Darrell raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, fine. Yeah. I mean, it’s pretty much perfect. It’s already set up for horses. It’s got that free back field...”
“You and your soy.” Darrell said as he rummaged through the overstuffed glove compartment.
“Nothing wrong with soy,” Cole said, as if still having to defend his opinion. “What are you looking for?”
“Food.”
“Oh, yeah” Cole said jokingly. “You didn’t get breakfast, did you?”
Darrell shook his head and kept digging.
“I’m afraid I’m fresh out, little brother,” Cole answered with a bit of humor mixed in.
“Not even jerky?” Darrell questioned.
“Not even jerky. Want to go to breakfast? We haven’t been to the Feedin’ Trough in a while.”
; “I guess that sounds good,” Darrell admitted hesitantly as he opened the door and slid back out of the truck.
“Where are you going now?” Cole asked.
“Marshall,” Darrell reminded him with a gesture at the store.
“Oh. Yeah, I guess we oughta get him.” Cole had been flustered enough by his encounter with the pretty blonde to forget his older brother was even there.
As they walked back into the store, his thoughts caught up to him. Pretty? He’d been too annoyed with her and himself to focus on her looks before. Now, calling her image to mind was all too easy. She’d been nearly a foot shorter than him, so she was probably about five foot three. Her hair had been as blonde as those pretty china dolls his mama had collected and her eyes had been just about as blue too.
She’d been too pale to pass as a rancher and she’d come to town dressed like she was going to a fancy dinner. Well, fancy in this corner of the world. She’d been wearing black slacks and dress boots with that pretty red top. There was that word again. Pretty. He’d definitely done without female companionship for too long. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like when she wasn’t scowling.
A burst of laughter from the back of the store told him it might happen sooner rather than later. She was still there. In the back of the store. With his older brother. Well, this day just kept getting better and better.
Cole stepped around the corner and the smile slid right off of Emma’s face. The split second view he’d gotten of it was nice though. He mentally smacked himself. She and Marshall seemed awfully friendly.
“Breakfast?” Darrell asked.
“We already ate,” Marshall said.
Darrell shrugged and walked away. Emma watched him go.
“The strong and silent type, I see,” she said to Marshall.
“Pretty much. He thinks it’ll help him get girls,” Marshall said, giving her a smile.
Emma was returning the grin when Cole said, “So, are we eating or not?”
“Sure, I guess we can,” Marshall said easily. “Feedin’ Trough?”
“Is there anywhere else?” Cole asked with a half smile. He’d made it sound like a joke, but it was the truth.
“There’s actually a place called the Feedin’ Trough?” Emma looked disbelieving.
“Sure is,” Marshall informed her. “How about we introduce you to it?”
“Do I have to know somebody to get in?” Emma asked curiously. Her smile, still directed at his brother, gave Cole a tight feeling in his stomach even without looking at him.
“It’s pretty exclusive,” Marshall agreed. “Feel up to it?”
“Sure, why not?” Emma agreed and the two of them walked up to the counter together.
Cole pushed away the feeling that it wasn’t right. He pushed away the thoughts of her smile and her laugh. He pushed away the memory of her small, firm breasts pushing at that red shirt. It had to be because he hadn’t had anyone in so long. He wasn’t a glutton for punishment, and he certainly wasn’t the type to go after someone his brother was interested in.
“Breakfast is gonna be real pleasant,” Cole muttered to himself as he shouldered several bags of cattle feed and headed for the door. He missed seeing Emma’s eyes scan him quickly and he certainly didn’t see the flush that started at the neck of her shirt and went to the roots of her hair.
Chapter Four
Emma followed the McKenna boys out to the parking lot. Cole recognized the big black truck he’d seen headed down the driveway yesterday. It looked too big for her. He was tempted to ask if she needed a hand getting in, but Marshall beat him to it so he just walked to his own truck and cranked it up.
After his brothers had gotten in, Cole pulled slowly out of the parking lot so Emma could follow him. They all heard her grind a few gears before she got up the small incline out of the lot.
“Maybe I should show her how to drive that thing,” Marshall mused as he tilted the side view mirror to make sure she was keeping up.
“Put my mirror back,” Cole snapped. “You’re in an awful damn helpful mood today, aren’t you?”
Marshall looked at him in surprise.
“And you’re in a foul one. What’s your problem?” he asked as he tilted the mirror back into its original position. “Is this about the soy? Hell, I can’t buy it if they don’t have it, Cole.”
“Would you forget about the soy?” Cole demanded. “ It’s not the soy! Even though I am right about that.”
“Is it the fact that you made a fool of yourself in front of Emma?” Darrell asked inquisitively.
“Emma,” Cole repeated. “You’re already on a first name basis with her.”
“Well, it’s not like this is the Wild West,” Marshall informed him. “What do you want me to call her? Miss Carson?”
“I don’t give a damn what you call her,” Cole growled, pushing his foot down a little harder on the gas pedal.
“Do you know what his problem is?” Marshall asked Darrell, who’d been sitting quietly in the backseat.
Cole glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Darrell shrug. He also saw blue lights. The word he chose made even Darrell’s eyebrows go up, and he worked with professional cowboys, who generally cussed like professional sailors.
“What now?” Marshall asked tiredly.
“I’m getting pulled over, that’s what now,” Cole snarled as he pulled onto the wide shoulder. He saw Emma also slow down as if she was undecided about what to do, and then pull over in front of him so she wasn’t in the officer’s way.
“Hey there, Cole,” the officer called as he approached the truck. “In a hurry?”
“Just a little bit,” Cole answered while forcing a half-smile at his friend. “Hey, Jake. How’s the wife?”
“Eight months along and not to be trifled with,” Jake answered seriously. “Never would have thought having a baby would make a woman lose sleep before she even had it. Anyway, you were going along at more than a little over the limit. What’s the rush?”
“Got a little ahead of myself, is all.,” Cole admitted. “ We’re headed to the Feedin’ Trough.”
“Who’s the girl in the truck?” Jake asked inclining his head toward the black Dodge idling on the shoulder in front of them.
“Emma Carson. She’s Hank Carson’s granddaughter. She’s gonna take over Raven Branch,” Marshall offered.
“All of three of ya’ll are showing her around then?” Jake gave them all a wide grin. “Gonna be a tough decision, I guess.”
“Yeah,” Cole said with a nod; he didn’t want to tell Jake that he’d pretty much removed himself from the competition very early in the game. “So, am I getting a ticket or not?”
Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then sighed. “Cole, I don’t want to do it, but I think I’m gonna have to.”
When Cole sighed in annoyance and frustration, Jake’s tone hardened.
“Now, don’t give me any attitude” Jake lectured Cole. “I’ve let you slide a few times lately.”
“Lately? I haven’t even been down here in a month!” Cole defended himself.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Jake said firmly as he took the drivers license Cole grudgingly handed over before walking back to his squad car to write up the ticket.
“Pretentious, ego-inflated jackass,” Cole muttered.
“Jake’s just doing his job,” Marshall insisted. When Cole glared at him, Marshall went on. “Well, you were speeding, and if you had been paying attention to your driving instead of chewing me out over Emma, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Yeah, thanks for pointing that out,” Cole muttered. “Why can’t you be more like Darrell? He hasn’t said a word in ten years.”
Darrell snorted. “Said at least five things just today.”
“A new record.” A few minutes passed before Cole reached out and took the ticket Jake handed him and then sat quietly and politely through the obligatory lecture on safe driving before pulling back onto the road a
nd moving exaggeratedly slowly. With Cole doing the exact speed limit, it took a little longer than usual to get to the diner.
“Feeling better now?” Marshall asked as they got out of the truck and watched Emma park her huge vehicle jerkily.
“Yeah. I’m feeling just peachy,” Cole lied as he watched Emma walk over to meet them. “I’m going to go get us a table.”
Darrell gave him a confused look, but he didn’t mention the fact that the Feedin’ Trough was never too full to seat people. The building was huge and the town was small. It didn’t matter. He hoped that separating himself and doing something constructive might give him the opportunity to burn off some of his bad mood.