Single In The Saddle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “You’re dead wrong,” Stony said.

  At the harsh note in his voice, Daphne glanced up in surprise.

  “She just happens to be here, and with more training, she might even become a cattle dog. But she doesn’t belong to me, in the sense that she’s a pet. I don’t have pets. Don’t believe in them.”

  Daphne started to argue that by giving the dog a home, food and affection he’d turned her into his pet, but she had a feeling logic didn’t figure into Stony’s pronouncement. He was kidding himself that he hadn’t lost his heart to this dog, so he wouldn’t have to face his vulnerability if something should happen to Chi. But Stony was vulnerable, Daphne thought. More than he knew.

  He glanced up at an old kitchen clock on the wall. “We’d better get on down to the bunkhouse before it gets any later. The boys are probably pacing the floor wondering where we are.”

  “Wait. Let me get my feng shui book. That way I can show them there’s not a single karate chop in the whole thing.”

  “Personally I’d advise you to let them go on thinking you could throw them over your head if you had a mind to.”

  She frowned. “You want them to be afraid of me?”

  “The idea has a certain appeal.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Think about it, Daphne. You’re the only woman on a ranch with a bunch of cowboys. My men treat ladies with respect or I wouldn’t have them working for me, but they can hardly be blamed for having certain thoughts. If they’re afraid you could kick them into the middle of next week, they’ll think twice before acting on those thought.”

  She folded her arms. “Then maybe I shouldn’t have told you the truth, either.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “With me it makes no difference, because after the other night, I know what’s at stake. And Daphne, I’d risk getting kicked black and blue just to have the chance to make love to you one more time.”

  The magnetism of his blue gaze nearly drew her across the kitchen and into his arms. Using willpower she didn’t know she had, she started out of the kitchen. “Let’s go, then.”

  “All right.” Stony gave Chi a quiet command and the dog stayed behind.

  Daphne wondered if Stony realized how the dog loved him, or if he chose not to think about such uncomfortable things. Probably the latter.

  They had to pass the barn to get to the bunkhouse, and Daphne remembered how much she’d longed to get back on a horse again once she arrived. She’d pictured long sunset rambles with Stony as they toured the Roughstock property. That wouldn’t happen, but maybe he’d loan her a mount for an hour or two.

  “I realize it’s a lot to ask,” she said, “but I’d love to borrow one of your horses for a ride one of these days,” she said. “That is, if you have one you could spare.”

  “I reckon I do.” He glanced down at her. “I didn’t know you could ride.”

  “I suppose that’s one of the things that confuses me. I gave you my whole life history in those letters, but I keep forgetting that you didn’t read them. Jasper and the men did. They know how much I love riding, but you don’t.”

  “I guess there’s a lot I don’t know.”

  “Guess so.” She wished he’d read her letters. Of course, she didn’t even know if Jasper and the men had kept them. Maybe somewhere along the line she’d ask.

  The bunkhouse was a low, rambling wooden structure in need of paint. She might suggest that for starters. There was movement at one of the windows, and she imagined the curious men peeking out and ducking back, not wanting to be caught sizing her up.

  Stony gave a sharp rap on the door. It opened immediately.

  “Come in, come in,” Jasper said, his mustache twitching. “We’re all here.”

  “I’ll just bet.” Stony stood aside so Daphne could go ahead of him into the bunkhouse.

  A card game had obviously been in progress before she arrived. The men had stood up from the table so quickly that somebody had knocked over a chair. They all smelled of soap and shaving cream, and they whipped off their hats and stood shifting their weight uneasily.

  “So here are the guys I’ve been writing to for weeks,” Daphne said, gazing at them each in turn. She already knew Jasper and Ty, of course, and from Stony’s description she picked out Big Clyde, a hulking man with a kind face. Stony had failed to tell her how attractive Ramon was, even with the split lip he’d earned in the bar fight. Stony’s silence on Ramon’s sex appeal made her smile to herself. And then there was Andy, his green eyes wide and a cowlick sticking up from his carrot-red hair.

  “We’re honored that you’re here,” Ramon said, flashing even white teeth.

  “No joke!” Andy said. “It’s like a visit from the queen of England or something! Except I don’t think the queen knows any fighting moves, so this is even better.”

  “I’m warning you boys,” Ty said. “You might not be so happy when she starts breaking up the furniture. Before y’all know it, you might not have a table to eat off of or chairs to park your butts in.”

  Andy looked excited. “Are you going to break the furniture? It’s just that Ty’s right about the table. It’s the only one we got. So maybe you could start with something else. Ty’s got an old nightstand that—”

  “Hey!” Ty said. “What about that wobbly shelf of yours, Andy?”

  Daphne smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to break anything.”

  “But she could,” Stony added. “You should see this woman in action.”

  “Has she tried some of her moves on you, Stony?” Andy asked.

  “A few. Impressive.”

  Daphne was sadly afraid she was blushing. Darn Stony, anyway. She knew he wasn’t talking about self-defense. In his subtle way, he was reminding her about what they’d shared, just in case she happened to forget.

  She cleared her throat. “I want to thank you, Jasper, for those two leads. I have appointments with both women for tomorrow.”

  “And Gloria Connelly should be calling,” Stony added.

  “Hot damn,” Jasper said, a grin appearing on his weathered face. “That’s great news.”

  “In the meantime,” Daphne said, glancing around, “would y’all like me to suggest some decorating changes in your bunkhouse?”

  “It’s gonna cost us plenty, right?” Ty asked. “I mean, you’ll have to start from scratch, because we ain’t got a thing worth saving, to tell the truth, so—”

  “Will you let the lady say somethin’ before you go rainin’ on the parade?” Jasper glared at Ty. “We’d love to have Daphne help us fix up the place, wouldn’t we, boys?”

  Everyone except Ty gave an enthusiastic response.

  “I want her to teach me some feng shui moves,” Andy said. “Might come in handy next time we go into town for a couple of beers.”

  “Next time we go into town, we’re leaving you home, amigo,” Ramon said, gingerly touching his injured lip.

  “Okay.” Daphne rubbed her hands together and assessed the room—bunks lined up military fashion and shelves and nightstands tucked in between them. She wished she could consult her book. She wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but the pressure was on to do something, and fast. “First thing we need to do is get rid of these right angles. The table needs to be in the middle of the room, and the beds arranged in a circle out from there, like spokes on a wheel.”

  The men all stared at her.

  “We’re promoting the free movement of chi,” she explained. “Chi is the Oriental word for the life force, and it likes curves better than straight lines.”

  Jasper recovered himself first. “Y‘all heard the lady,” he said, striding over to his bunk and tugging it toward the center of the room. “Start movin’ furniture, boys! We’re gonna get that chi circulatin’, by doggies!”

  9

  STONY HAD NEVER heard such nonsense in his life, but his men were acting as if they loved the idea of rearranging their furniture.

  Daphne edged over to him. “I was going to s
uggest painting the outside, but that might take a lot of time and money, huh?”

  “Yep.” He watched in amazement as the circle of bunks took shape. Big Clyde produced a tape measure and proceeded to make sure each bunk was the same distance from the table and the other bunks.

  “So how about if I just suggest painting the door?” Daphne said. “Would that be too wild?”

  “Just the door? I guess not. Somebody could do that in one evening, without taking daylight for it.”

  “Good. And while I’m in town tomorrow, I’ll look for some inexpensive material for curtains.”

  “Curtains?”

  “Something jaunty.”

  “What’s next?” Andy said, coming up with a huge smile on his face. “Are you gonna get up on the table and show us how you can stand on one foot, like they did in The Karate Kid?”

  “She’s not getting up on the table,” Stony said. “Not now, and not in the future.”

  “Aw, come on, Stony,” Andy said. “I’ve never seen a real expert.”

  “According to the expert,” Stony said, “you boys are about to get some curtains.”

  “Curtains?” Andy’s smile faded.

  “Yeah, curtains!” Ramon said, coming up to clap Andy on the back. “You know, those things that civilized folks hang in their windows. Daphne is trying to give you a little class, sefior Andy.”

  “Curtains just get dirty,” Ty said. “And they never hang straight, and they usually don’t match nothin’. I tried havin’ curtains once, and they just hung there and got dirty.”

  “So you wash ’em,” said Big Clyde.

  “Exactly,” Jasper said, glaring at Ty. “We’d love to have us some curtains, wouldn’t we, boys?”

  Each of the cowboys, with the exception of Ty, tried to outdo the other in his enthusiasm for curtains. Stony had never seen the like. His men had gone loco.

  Big Clyde whipped out his tape measure again. “I’ll measure them windows for you, ma’am.”

  Daphne smiled happily. “Thank you. That way I’ll know how much material to buy. I also thought I’d pick up a small can of paint in town, so we can paint the front door. You can’t expect good fortune to find your door if it doesn’t stand out a little bit. What do you think of red?”

  “Red?” Stony almost choked on the word. “You’re gonna paint the bunkhouse door red? It’ll look like a cathouse!”

  Daphne gave him a withering look. “It will not. It will invite the chi inside.”

  “That ain’t all it’ll invite,” Stony mumbled.

  “Just watch. A red door will enhance everyone’s career.”

  “You reckon Stony’s gonna give us a raise?” Andy asked.

  “Don’t count on it, son,” Stony said. “After buying curtain materials and red paint, I may be broke.”

  “Nonsense,” Daphne said. “The ranch will start doing better economically as a result of the changes, so it all evens out.”

  “In order to do better, we need some rain,” Big Clyde said. “There’s not enough grass, and them cows ain’t gettin’ as fat as they should.”

  Daphne slapped her hand against her forehead. “I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this before. Y’all need a fountain.”

  Stony’s brain began to whirl. The woman was a runaway train.

  “Well, now, we mostly just drink out of the tap,” Jasper said. “A fountain is fine for parks and such, but I don’t think—”

  “Maybe she means a fountain for the cows,” Andy said, his eyes twinkling. “I mean, why didn’t we think of that? We could just put one of them drinkin’ fountains out in the middle of the pasture, and the cows could all line up, just like kids on a playground. And then—”

  “We don’t need no fountains with you running off at the mouth,” Jasper said. “I’m sure Daphne wasn’t talking about settin’ up some fountain for the cows.”

  “No.” Daphne grinned at Andy. “But what a picture. You have quite an imagination, Andy.”

  “See, that’s the chief trouble with him,” Ramon said.

  “Actually, I wasn’t talking about a drinking fountain, either for people or for cows,” Daphne said. “I was talking about a water feature.”

  Everyone looked blank.

  “For decoration,” Daphne said. “You know, an attractive display of running water.”

  “Ah,” Ramon said. “A water feature. Si, sefiorita. Like in the center of a village.”

  “Exactly. Only something elaborate like that would cost a lot of money. I’ll bet we could build one for next to nothing in the ranch house yard. We could just dig up some—”

  “Hold it.” Stony was beginning to worry. “Curtains and paint are bad enough, but now you’re talkin’ excavation.”

  “Oh, not much,” Daphne said. “And really, building a fountain is a marvelous way to coax the rain into coming. Leave it to me and the boys. In no time, you’ll have a lovely water feature right outside your front door. If you leave your bedroom window open, you’ll be able to go to sleep listening to the soothing sounds of water rippling over rocks.”

  He gazed at her. “I suppose I could use the distraction.”

  Daphne’s cheeks grew pink and she looked away. “Is everybody agreed on the fountain?”

  “I think it sounds real nice, Daphne,” Jasper said. “Just tell us what you need us to do.”

  “One thing for sure, we won’t have to split any of the rocks for it,” Andy said. “Daphne can just whack those rocks with her bare hand. Wham!”

  “It’ll attract bugs,” Ty said. “And the water will turn green and slimy before you know it. I vote we don’t build it.”

  “Well, you’re outvoted,” Ramon said. “There was a fountain in the plaza of the village where I grew up in Chihuahua. I used to play there all the time. It’s a good idea.”

  “I’ll help dig,” Big Clyde said.

  “What about the water for it?” Stony asked, figuring he was the only man here with a working brain. “Is it smart to use water for a fountain when we’re in the middle of a drought?”

  “Maybe she’s right, though,” Ramon said. “Maybe a fountain will end the drought. You never know.”

  Stony sighed. Once again, control seemed to be neatly taken out of his hands. Oh, sure, he could refuse to cooperate. He was the owner of the Roughstock, and his men wouldn’t cross him if he really put his foot down. But Stony believed in a more democratic working situation than that. If painting the bunkhouse door red and building a fountain in his front yard would make them all happy, he’d go along.

  “Okay,” he said. “I guess the Roughstock is about to get a water feature.”

  DAPHNE CHOSE NOT TO COOK broccoli for dinner that night. She recognized a man strained beyond the bounds of patience, so she suggested they pan-fry a couple of steaks. The evening was too warm to turn on the oven. While Stony tended the steaks, she made a salad and set the table with the chipped dishes from the cupboard.

  She had to make do without either placemats or a tablecloth, and there was certainly no centerpiece unless she brought in one of the vases of flowers from the living room. Longing for some atmosphere, she considered setting a candle or two on the table, then decided against it. Creating a romantic setting was just asking for trouble.

  “Steak’s ready,” Stony announced from his position in front of the stove.

  “Salad’s ready.” She moved past him with the brimming salad bowl. She’d been careful to keep a reasonable distance between them, although it wasn’t easy in the kitchen’s close quarters.

  “Then let’s eat.” Stony served the steak.

  Daphne sat down quickly so he didn’t have to decide whether or not to hold her chair. He’d done that at the restaurant the night before, and she’d been charmed with his manners, but perhaps it would be better if he didn’t perform those little courtesies for her anymore. They could lead to interludes she wouldn’t be able to control.

  When Stony joined her at the table, he picked up his napkin and lo
oked around at the table setting. “You know, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you if I even had two plates that match.”

  “I can see why. The dishes are in the cupboard every which way. The whole setup needs to be revamped.”

  He shrugged. “It never mattered to me. I only use a coffee cup and a glass now and then. I don’t sit at the table except to do paperwork. This is the first time I’ve actually eaten a meal here.”

  “According to what I know about feng shui, you could be sabotaging the success of the ranch by not using this kitchen much.”

  He cut into his steak. “Should I leave the water running in the sink and pretend that’s a fountain?”

  “I realize you don’t believe a word of this, but as for the sink, you should keep the drain closed so wealth doesn’t flow away. Same thing goes for the bathroom, which is in the creativity-and-children area of the house.”

  His gaze snapped up to hers. “I’m a rancher. I don’t need to be creative. And as for children, I’ll never have any.”

  Her first thought was that he had a medical condition that would prevent him becoming a father. That would explain a lot about his reluctance to marry. Men were often skittish about such things. “I’m sorry to hear that, Stony. But you know, lots of people adopt these days, so I wouldn’t rule out—”

  “I didn’t say I couldn’t have children. I just said I will not have them. I don’t want a wife, and I don’t want kids. Simple as that.”

  His matter-of-fact announcement startled her. Men often said they weren’t ready for a commitment, but they usually left the door open for marriage sometime down the line. Stony had just quietly closed and locked that door.

  “Why?”

  He continued eating his steak, but he wouldn’t look at her. “Just don’t.”

  A dark lump of misery settled in her stomach. “Do you dislike women and children so much?”

  “Nope.” He swallowed a bite and glanced up at her. “Kids are okay, as long as they’re somebody else’s. And I happen to like women a whole lot, as you might have been able to tell the other night. I like dogs, too. That doesn’t mean I want a pet or a wife.”