Single In The Saddle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  He walked over to the window, fighting unexpected emotions as he gazed out on the ranch. His mother would have loved this place. She’d talked about owning a ranch some day, and it hit him this morning that he’d probably bought it with her in the back of his mind. And that was pretty stupid, considering she would never see it, unless he wanted to believe all that religious stuff about people looking down from heaven.

  He glanced skyward, feeling ridiculous for even doing it. A hawk circled in the clear sky. Yeah, sure. His mother had come back as a hawk and was scouting out the ranch her son had bought. What a bunch of bull.

  Still, he kept watching the hawk, an uncomfortable lump in his throat, until it wheeled out of sight over the granite bluffs on the far horizon.

  “Stony?”

  He turned and saw Daphne standing in the doorway wearing a sky blue summer dress. He tried to say something, but his throat wasn’t working quite right, so he just stood there like an idiot, staring at her. All the loving words she’d written in the letters came back to haunt him. She looked so sweet, so beautiful, that he would have given all his rodeo buckles just to be allowed to hold her for a few minutes.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He nodded and cleared his throat. “Rough night.”

  “I know.”

  He was afraid she did know—the terror that had made him drink too much last night as he was reading her letters, the fierce needs she inspired in him, the bottomless well of sadness he never wanted to tap. The expression in her dark eyes told him that she saw more than he’d ever revealed to another human being. With her, his famous stone face didn’t seem to stay put.

  “I...have some bacon ready.” She made a small gesture toward the kitchen. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want any, or how you like your eggs.”

  “Thanks. I think I will eat a little something.” He managed a crooked smile. “I didn’t smell broccoli, so I guess I’m safe.”

  Her answering smile took his breath away. He realized if he walked over to her now and took her in his arms, he might never have the strength to let go.

  He swallowed. “Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

  Uncertainty flashed in her eyes and was gone. “Okay.” She turned away and started back toward the kitchen. “Sunny-side up or over easy?” she called over her shoulder.

  “Sunny-side up. Cheerful-looking.” His mother had always said it like that. He’d eaten his eggs that way all his life, but he’d never repeated the phrase until this minute. He rubbed a hand over his face. He almost felt as if he’d been thrown from a bull and things were breaking up inside him. He needed something, or someone, to hang on to. But Daphne was not a safe choice.

  As DAPHNE DROVE INTO TOWN that morning, she wondered for the hundredth time if she’d made a mistake in not going over and putting her arms around Stony when she’d come into his room and seen the stricken look on his face. To comfort him had been her first instinct, but she’d been too afraid of rejection to act on it.

  She had no real idea what he’d been thinking about while he stared out the window. Maybe it had to do with the letters he’d read the night before, or maybe drinking last night with Jasper had stirred up memories of his unhappy past. He’d probably been able to shove those painful thoughts away as long as nobody disturbed his careful personal routine. But Jasper was determined to shake him up, and so far she’d been helping Jasper do exactly that

  Whatever had caused that haunted look in his eyes, he’d wiped it away by the time he came to the kitchen for breakfast. They had discussed plans for the day, both hers and his, and even what to cook for dinner. Through it all Stony had been polite but detached, as if she didn’t affect him one way or the other.

  He was behaving that way out of a sense of self-preservation, she knew. If he began to feel threatened enough, he might even send her away. She felt as if she were sitting on a smoldering volcano with no way of knowing when the thing might blow. If she wanted to avoid being hurt, she’d be wise to clear out soon. Unfortunately, her heart was now in a position to overrule her head.

  Using the map Stony had drawn, she found Agnes Farnsworth’s house, a white clapboard similar to several others along a tree-shaded street only two blocks from Rio Verde’s business district. Lawn sprinklers whirled in front of several homes, and with school out for the summer, children had gathered in one large yard to play tag.

  It looked like a very conservative neighborhood, Daphne thought with a sinking heart. Stony had told her people wouldn’t take to feng shui in a small town like Rio Verde, and maybe he was right. Thanks to Jasper and some fast talking on her part, she had two appointments, but that didn’t mean the women would go along with her ideas after she explained them.

  But Rio Verde would be a good place to raise a family, Daphne thought. She’d visited the little town a couple of times when she’d lived on her stepfather’s ranch about thirty miles away. When she was a teenager eager for excitement, Rio Verde had offered her little. Now as a grown woman desperate to put down roots, she thought it offered just about everything she could want, if only some of the residents could be open to her decorating concepts.

  Her business success wasn’t the only consideration, though. And whether or not she could remain happily in Rio Verde if Stony rejected her was a question she didn’t have the courage to answer.

  Her feng shui book tucked into her small briefcase, she rang the Famsworths’ doorbell and took a deep breath. This was her first potential client, and she was nervous as a cat. She’d expected people to be excited and intrigued by her new concepts, but so far the reaction had been confusion and disbelief. Sure, the wranglers were going along with her ideas, but Jasper had probably threatened them with bodily harm if they didn’t. She knew there was a good chance Agnes would listen politely and send Daphne on her way.

  A slight, dark-haired woman of about fifty answered the door with a smile. “I’ve been so anxious for y’all to come, Daphne, honey, I almost couldn’t stand it! Now, get yourself in here and explain to me about this Chinese thing. I love Chinese food, especially the fortune cookies, so why shouldn’t I love this, too?”

  Daphne wanted to hug her.

  LATE THAT AFTERNOON, Stony and Big Clyde were supposed to be gentling a green horse in the corral, but Stony had a hard time keeping his mind on the job. He kept watching the dirt road, looking for the rooster tail of dust telling him Daphne was coming home.

  “If you keep looking down that road and don’t pay more attention than you been doin’, this horse is gonna throw you for sure,” Big Clyde said as he held the horse’s bridle while Stony eased his foot into the stirrup.

  “I just hope my truck didn’t break down on her,” Stony said. “I’ve been meaning to replace the water pump, and I’m just afraid—”

  “You know the folks around here,” Big Clyde said with his typical logic. “Nobody’s gonna leave a woman stranded beside the road in this county. A lot of them have those cell phones now, too. We’d have a call by now if she was broke down somewhere.”

  “I guess you’re right. Easy, Sunshine,” he crooned to the buckskin as the horse pranced sideways. “We’re gonna be fine.” Mounting gradually took more strength than swinging into the saddle, but Stony thought it was worth it not to startle a green horse. He moved almost in slow motion as he put weight on the stirrup and gradually hoisted himself up, bringing his right leg over the saddle. He started out by standing in the stirrups and then gradually settled down on the leather. The horse trembled.

  “Turn him loose,” Stony said in a low voice to Big Clyde.

  Big Clyde slowly released his hold on the buckskin’s head.

  The buckskin stood a moment without moving. In the lull Stony made the mistake of glancing toward the road again, and this time he saw the truck coming. He wondered how her day had gone, and if she’d landed the two decorating jobs she’d gone after. He wondered if she’d want to go riding when she got home, which had been his latest brainstorm, or if she’d be too
tired. He—

  With one spectacular buck, Sunshine threw him sky high. He came down hard on his butt in the dirt and sat-there cursing himself for being one mush-brained cowboy.

  Big Clyde, of course, was laughing his head off. “I warned you, boss. You can’t be breakin’ horses and thinkin’ about women at the same time.”

  Stony grimaced and stood, brushing off the seat of his pants as he went to retrieve his hat.

  About that time the truck pulled up next to the corral and Daphne hopped out. “Are you okay? I saw you on the horse, and next thing I knew you were sailing through the air.”

  Even worse than having Big Clyde witness his indignity was having Daphne see it. “I’m fine,” he said, although he thought he might have turned his ankle some in the process. He tried not to limp as he walked over to the edge of the corral where she stood. “How did things go in town?”

  “Spectacular.”

  He leaned on the top rail and gazed at her. “You look like they did. You’re grinning all over.” He couldn’t help smiling himself, seeing the triumph shining in her eyes. “Agnes and Elmira went for the feng shui, then?”

  “They can hardly wait for me to transform their lives. They’re telling their friends, too.” Her voice quivered with excitement. “I’m a hit, Stony.”

  It was a good thing they had the corral fence between them, he thought, or he’d probably have picked her up in a bear hug and swung her around. He’d been worried sick that on top of all she’d been through at the Rough-stock, she’d also face rejection in town. “That’s great,” he said. “Really great. Say, I was wondering, after I finish up here, if you’d like to take a little ride, see some of the ranch.”

  If it was possible for her to glow even brighter, she did. “I would love that,” she said. “Just let me change out of my skirt. I’ll be ready in a jiffy.” She started back toward the truck.

  He stayed where he was for a minute, pleased as hell with the success of his suggestion.

  She turned back before climbing in the truck. “Thanks for asking,” she said, and her smile was as big as Texas. Then she got into the truck and drove over to the house.

  Stony felt a little dazed by her happiness, some of which had to do with him. He didn’t have much experience making women happy, unless he counted making them happy in bed. He’d thought that was all he was capable of. Apparently not. Who knew?

  11

  STONY DISCOVERED he’d made Daphne even happier by saddling Morning Star for her to ride. It seemed Daphne and the little mare had struck up a friendship the night before. Morning Star looked almost like a pony next to his big gelding, Jolly Boy, but she was the perfect size for Daphne.

  Judging from the sun, Stony figured they had about an hour of good daylight left, so he decided to take Daphne up to Lookout Hill, then down to Wayward Creek and back home, which should take up most of the hour. The edge was gone from the heat that had battered the countryside for most of the day. It was one of Stony’s favorite times. He whistled to the dog and they started off.

  “The range isn’t as green as it normally is this time of the year.” He automatically handed her his reins when he dismounted to open a gate leading into a meadow. “We keep moving the herd around to get the most of what grass there is. So far we’re not desperate. But like Big Clyde said, the cattle aren’t fattening up like they did last summer.”

  “I have a feeling your luck is about to change,” Daphne said. Without being told, she led his horse through the opening. She’d obviously been on ranchland before and knew how two riders got through a gate. “I picked up some premixed cement, a submersible motor and some PVC pipe while I was in town,” she said.

  “For the fountain,” Stony said, as he remounted and they started off side by side with the dog romping a few yards away.

  “Actually, it’ll be more like a waterfall. Jasper said he’d get me a truckload of rocks.”

  A waterfall in his front yard. Just what he didn’t need. “Daphne, I really don’t think—”

  “Don’t worry. I paid for the supplies with my own money. And the rocks are free.”

  “You shouldn’t be spending your money, either. We both know that a waterfall isn’t going to make it rain, so you’re wasting a lot of time and effort.”

  She smiled serenely at him. “You may know a waterfall in the front yard won’t work, but I don’t. You can’t discourage me today, Stony. I have two new clients and the prospect of several more. You may say that has nothing to do with my rearranging and cleaning the living room, which is in the career sector, or cleaning out the kitchen cupboards, which are in the wealth-and-prosperity sector, but I say it has everything to do with it.”

  “Well, however it happened, I’m glad you got those two jobs. To be honest, I didn’t think anybody would be interested in your feng shui.”

  “Jasper obviously picked the right person when he talked to Agnes Farnsworth. She loves new ideas.”

  Which put him in his place as a person who didn’t, thought Stony. And maybe that was the right assessment. Besides, believing in the feng shui stuff could be dangerous to his carefully guarded bachelor status.

  “Stop.” She held up a hand. “Do you see the deer?”

  “Where?”

  “Uh-oh. Chi’s going to scare them away. There they go, through the trees.”

  He squinted in the direction she was pointing and finally made out the pair of white-tails disappearing over a ridge. The buck had a pretty nice set of antlers on him. “Hey, Dog! Get back here!”

  The retriever reluctantly returned, her tongue hanging out from the run.

  “Do you hunt?” Daphne asked as they continued riding.

  “Never took the time.”

  “I’m not much of a fan of it, myself, especially killing something as beautiful as deer. I guess once I saw Bambi, that did it for me.”

  He remembered the movie, although he hadn’t thought about it in years. He remembered his mother taking him to see it one winter afternoon, and how he’d been ashamed of crying when Bambi’s mother was killed. His mother had said it was okay to cry when something was really, really sad, but he’d been around rodeo cowboys all his life, and he hadn’t believed her. He still didn’t. A man just wasn’t supposed to cry. But he’d never taken up hunting, either.

  “I’m...I’m sorry,” Daphne said.

  He glanced at her and started to speak, but he had to clear his throat first. He wondered if he was coming down with a cold. “About what?”

  “That was thoughtless of me, to bring up Bambi.”

  “You mean because of the mother?”

  “Of course because of the mother.”

  “That was a long time ago, Daphne. I hardly think of it anymore.” At least he hadn’t until the past three days. And he didn’t want to start thinking about it now, either. “Come on. We have a lot yet to see.” He pushed Jolly Boy into an easy canter across the meadow, checking to make sure Daphne stayed with him.

  She did, sitting the little mare like a pro. He felt sorry he’d waited until now to offer her the chance to ride. She obviously loved it.

  Their pace slowed as Stony led them up through an oak grove toward Lookout Hill. Even the trees looked a little stressed by lack of water, he thought, and the wildflowers were few and far between. Yet his worries about the drought couldn’t ruin the sense of peace and satisfaction that came over him when he rode out here in the evening after a hard day’s work.

  As they topped the hill, his cares slipped away as they always did when he gazed out on his land. Well, his and the bank’s, to be perfectly accurate, but as long as he could make the payments, he considered the Roughstock his.

  “Oh, Stony.” Daphne’s voice was hushed, almost in awe.

  She couldn’t have responded any better, as far as he was concerned. If she’d just said the view was pretty, or started asking him where his property ended, or something like that, he’d know she didn’t understand how special this spot was. But somehow she did und
erstand, which is why she stayed silent and just looked, the way he always did.

  Only this time, he found himself looking at her. The sun hovering just above the horizon gave off an orange glow, and Daphne seemed to be surrounded by it. It ignited flashes of fire in her hair and tinged her cheeks the color of nectarines. She just might be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, he thought Logically that didn’t make any sense. He’d dated a rodeo queen once, and a professional model another time. But in his mind they didn’t hold a candle to the picture Daphne made wrapped in the light from the setting sun.

  Then it occurred to him that in looking at Daphne, he was seeing more than a pretty woman, more than just surface beauty. After reading her letters he knew more about her than he had about any of the others he’d dated. Her letters had revealed her grit, her wacky creative side, her generous and trusting heart—too trusting, sometimes.

  She turned to him, her eyes alight with wonder. “Thank you for bringing me up here.”

  He merely nodded, unable to form a reply to save his soul The reply he was thinking of—climbing off his horse and hauling her down into his arms—would have serious consequences. Yet making love to her here, on top of this hill, seemed like the right thing to do. More and more, making love to her seemed like the right thing to do under any circumstances. He was afraid he was becoming obsessed with the idea.

  “You must enjoy showing this to people,” she said. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “I... never have.”

  She stared at him.

  “Not like you mean, anyway, showing it to a ranch visitor. The boys and I ride up here when we’re scouting for missing critters, sometimes, but as a pure pleasure ride, I always come by myself. And bring the dog, of course. She loves it up here, too.”

  “You didn’t even show this to your father?”