* * *
Later that afternoon, after riding fence line for more than two hours, Isabelle returned to the ranch yard and was unsaddling her horse when an old red Ford truck barreled up the long drive and pulled to a stop a few feet away from the barn.
The vehicle wasn’t Holt’s and Emily-Ann drove a car. Since those were the only two people she knew well enough to make the long drive out here, she couldn’t imagine who this might be.
Swinging the saddle onto the top board of the corral, she walked toward the vehicle. She was halfway there when two men climbed to the ground, wearing stained straw hats, kerchiefs around their necks, and Sherpa-lined jean jackets that had seen better days.
The taller of the two lifted a hand in greeting. “Are you Ms. Townsend?”
She walked across the hard-packed dirt to join them. “I’m Isabelle Townsend,” she said a bit cautiously. “This place is a far distance from town. Are you guys lost?”
“We probably look like we’re lost, but we aren’t. We know this whole county like the back of our hand,” the shorter one said with a wide grin. “My name is Ollie and my partner here is Sol.”
Ollie had a stocky build with mousy brown hair and a mouth full of crooked teeth. His partner was as thin as a reed and what little she could see of his hair beneath the bent hat was snow-white. Isabelle gauged both men to be somewhere in their early sixties, but since the Arizona climate was rough on a person, they could’ve been younger.
“Nice to meet you. Is there something I can do for you?”
Sol decided it was his turn to speak. “We heard you needed ranch hands. We’re here for the job.”
Isabelle studied both men as her mind whirled with questions. The only people she’d talked with about hiring help was Holt, and the men who’d delivered her mares. So how did this pair know she was thinking about hiring?
“I haven’t advertised for help. Who sent you here?” she asked.
Ollie cast a cagey look at his partner. “Reckon we might as well tell her, Sol. She has to know.”
“Tell me what?” Isabelle asked, then decided to voice her suspicions out loud. “Did Holt Hollister send you over here?”
“Well, he didn’t exactly send us,” Ollie said a bit sheepishly. “It was like this, we were in the Broken Spur having a cup of coffee and he just happened to stroll in. The subject of work was brought up and he told us about you needing an honest pair of men to help you.”
“And that’s us, Ms. Townsend,” Sol added. “Honest as the day is long. Just ask the Hollisters. We’ve done day work at Three Rivers for close to thirty years now.”
Ollie nodded. “That’s right, Ms. Townsend. And we can do about anything you might need. Sol’s a damned good farrier, too. He can save you lots of money.”
Isabelle didn’t know what to say, much less think. These two were just the sort she needed here on the ranch. Older, polite, and experienced with ranch work. She wouldn’t have to waste time showing them every little thing that needed to be done.
“You men aren’t working anywhere right now?”
The two cowboys glanced at each other again as though neither one of them knew how to answer her question.
“Uh—no,” Ollie told her.
Sol shook his head. “Not steady. But we can be steady for you, Ms. Townsend. We’re ready to go to work right now. Got our gear in the truck.”
“Well, I’m going to have to think about this,” she told them. “I do need help. But there’s no way I can match the wages that Three Rivers pays you. And I can only afford to use you a few hours a day. You guys are probably looking for full-time work.”
Again, the two men looked at each other and Isabelle decided the pair were like twins; one didn’t make a move without the other.
“Oh, no. We aren’t worried about wages, Ms. Townsend,” Ollie assured her. “We’re happy with whatever you can pay us.”
Sol added, “We’re all set to work every day. We don’t have anything better to do. If you got some place we can bunk, we’ll be as happy as a bear in a tree full of honey.”
Isabelle stared at the two men in disbelief. “I must have missed something,” she said. “You two are willing to bunk here and work full-time for part-time wages?”
Sol grinned. “Why sure. That way we can sorta be your bodyguards. It’s not safe for a woman like you to be living out here alone. Any kind of riffraff could wander up here at night.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know what to say about any of this.”
“No need to say anything,” Ollie told her. “Except you might show us where we can put our saddles and our horses. We have two mares and two geldings between us. They’re in the trailer waiting to be unloaded. So you won’t have to worry about mounting us on working horses.”
Ever since Isabelle had moved onto the ranch, she’d been worrying and wondering how she was going to hire good, reliable help. The idea that it had practically fallen into her lap had left her a little dazed and a whole lot suspicious.
“I think—” Before she could go on, the cell phone in her shirt pocket began to ring. Annoyed with the interruption, she said, “Excuse me, guys.”
“You go right ahead, Ms. Townsend,” Sol said. “We’ll go unload our horses.”
The men walked away to tend to their horses and Isabelle tugged the phone from her shirt pocket. To her surprise, the caller was Holt.
“Hello, Holt. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today.”
His raspy chuckle immediately took her back to last night when he’d held her in his arms on the dance floor. She still hadn’t recovered her shattered senses.
“I couldn’t wait to hear your voice again,” he said.
He was teasing and she took his words in that manner. “Is that why you called me? Just to hear my voice?”
He chuckled again. “Partly. I also wanted to see if Ollie and Sol have shown up yet. I thought you might be concerned and want a reference.”
She looked toward the old red Ford and faded white trailer hooked behind it. The men had already unloaded one horse and Ollie was tying the bay to a hitching ring. The men were the real deal and would be a great help. But she couldn’t afford them and, furthermore, Holt knew it.
“You sent them out here, didn’t you?”
“They needed something to do. Presently, Three Rivers is a little crowded with help and I thought this would be a solution for all three of you.”
Crowded with help? Maybe. But she had the feeling that he’d more than nudged them in her direction.
She said, “That’s hard to believe. Calves start to drop in January. It’s a busy time for cattle ranches.”
He paused, then said, “I didn’t know you knew about cattle.”
“I’m hardly an expert,” she admitted. “But I’m not green on the subject either. As for Ollie and Sol, they have the crazy idea that they’re going to stay here on the ranch. I can’t afford to pay them like round-the-clock ranch hands. I tried to make that clear to them, but they’re not listening to me. I think I’d better put one of them on the phone and let you explain the situation before it gets out of hand.”
“You really shouldn’t concern yourself about that, Isabelle. Ollie and Sol are just happy to be helping out. They’re not the type to worry about money. As long as they have a horse, a roof over their head, and something to eat, they’re happy.”
Isabelle was far from convinced. “What about their families? How do they support them?”
“Both men are widowers. No kids either.”
The information tugged on her heartstrings. “That’s sad. But it doesn’t change the fact that I can only use them for three or four hours a day. Would you please make that clear to one of them?”
“Okay, put Sol on the phone. I’ll set him straight.”
“Thanks, Holt.”
Is
abelle walked over and handed the phone to Sol, then waited a few steps away while the man did more listening than talking.
Finally, Sol said, “Yeah. I understand, Holt...No. No problems here. We’ll handle everything...Sure. You can count on us. I’m giving her back the phone right now.”
The skinny, old cowboy handed her the phone, then without a word to her, went back to work unloading the last of the horses.
Shaking her head, Isabelle put the phone back to her ear. “Holt, I don’t think you got the message across. Sol is unloading the last of the horses.”
“Sol knows what he’s doing. Don’t argue, Isabelle. You needed good help and now you have it. Just quit asking questions and be happy.”
“I am happy. But—”
“Good. Then maybe you’ll invite me over soon and show me some of your cooking skills.”
Totally caught off guard by the abrupt change of subject, she tried to assemble some sort of logical response. “You’re asking me to cook for you?”
He chuckled. “When I say cook, I mean just give me something to eat. A sandwich will do. I’d like to come over and see the mares you shipped down from New Mexico.”
Last night, when he’d brought her home, she’d very nearly made the mistake of asking him in for coffee. A part of her hadn’t wanted the time with him to end. But thankfully, common sense had won over and instead of inviting him in, she’d given him a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed into the house.
“Isabelle, are you still there?”
She mentally shook herself. “Uh—yes, I was just thinking. It’s foaling season. Aren’t you terribly busy right now?”
“I figure I’ll have a few days of peace until the next moon change. It comes on Monday. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Aren’t you being a bit pushy? We just went out last night.”
“And it was very nice, wasn’t it?”
Too nice, Isabelle thought. Now every little nuance about the man seemed stuck in her head.
“Yes,” she agreed. “It was enjoyable.”
“Then why shouldn’t we see each other again?”
Isabelle was smart enough to recognize that if she continued to see the man, she’d soon wind up in bed with him. And no matter how sexy or pleasant his company was, an affair with a playboy wouldn’t be a smart choice. Now or ever.
And yet, she was starting a new life here in Yavapai County. It was nice and helpful to have a fellow horse trainer to talk with.
“No reason,” she answered, then before she could change her mind added impishly, “I suppose I could manage to put some cold cuts between two slices of bread. Would that be enough cooking for you?”
He chuckled. “Sounds perfect. I’ll be there before dark.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Not giving him time to say more, she ended the call and dropped the phone back into her pocket. Tomorrow would be soon enough to worry about having Holt over for dinner. Right now she had to make two old ranch hands understand she couldn’t use them on a full-time basis.
* * *
The next afternoon, after finishing several chores in Wickenburg, Isabelle decided to treat herself to a short break. When she dropped by Conchita’s coffee shop for an espresso and frosted doughnut, Emily-Ann greeted her with a huge hug.
“If you hadn’t shown up soon, I was going to file a missing person report,” Emily-Ann said as the two women sat outside at one of the little wrought iron tables. “I haven’t seen or heard from you since the morning you went to Three Rivers and had it out with Holt.”
Isabelle carefully sipped the hot espresso, then lowered the cup back to the table. “The next day I went back to Three Rivers and things went far better with Holt. I ended up buying five mares from him.”
Emily-Ann smiled brightly and Isabelle decided the young woman looked extra pretty today wearing a canary yellow sweater with her red hair braided over one shoulder.
“Now that’s more like it,” she said with approval. “I was going to be truly surprised if he didn’t come through with a good deal for you.”
“The mares are exceptional. Their babies should fetch a good price,” Isabelle told her. “I’m thrilled to get them.”
Emily-Ann leaned eagerly toward her. “Forget the horses. I want to hear how you got on with Holt? You were mighty angry with him.”
Isabelle could feel her cheeks growing warm. “We, uh, got on fine. Actually, we went on a date—to dinner.”
Emily-Ann’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding, right?”
“It was against my better judgment, but I did go,” Isabelle admitted. “And frankly, I had a lovely time. It was nice to be out and away from all the work on the ranch for a few hours.”
“Wowee!” Emily-Ann exclaimed. “You actually went on a date with Holt! I’m stunned. Not that Holt asked you out. But that you agreed to go!”
Isabelle shrugged. “I couldn’t very well refuse. From what he told me, he had no intentions of selling any more mares this year. I was fortunate that he agreed to part with those five. The least I could do was show him my appreciation.”
Emily-Ann giggled. “Sure, Isabelle.”
Frowning, Isabelle picked up her espresso. “You act as though he’s some sort of rock star in a cowboy hat.”
Emily-Ann shrugged. “I admit I sound silly. But he’s one of the most eligible bachelors around here. Doesn’t it make you feel special that he’s interested—in you? It would me. But then nobody of his caliber is ever going to take a second glance at me.”
The frown on Isabelle’s face deepened. “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard you putting yourself down, Emily-Ann, and I want you to stop it. You’re a bright, lovely woman. You’re just as good as me or Holt or any person.”
She smiled wanly. “If you say so.”
“I do say so.” Isabelle popped the last of the doughnut into her mouth and savored the taste before she swallowed it down. “I’ve got to be going. I have the truck loaded down with groceries. Oh, I almost forgot—I have two hired hands now. Ollie Sanders and Sol Reynolds. Do you know them?”
Emily-Ann shook her head. “I’m not familiar with either name, but I might recognize them if I saw them. Are they the sort to stop by here for coffee?”
Isabelle laughed at the image. “No. This pair is a little rough around the edges for Conchita’s.”
Bemused, Emily-Ann gestured to the small building behind them and the simple outdoor tables. “This place is hardly fancy. What kind of guys are they?”
“The sort that drink plain coffee at the Broken Spur. Ollie’s sixty-one and Sol is sixty-three. Neither has a family and ranch work is the only job they’ve ever had.”
Emily-Ann frowned. “Are you sure you can trust these guys? Where did you find them anyway?”
“Holt sent them over. They normally work at Three Rivers. Now they’re staying on Blue Stallion with me. I’m helping them turn one of the feed rooms into a little bunkhouse so they’ll have a comfortable place to stay. I already had a hot plate for them to use and today I bought a small fridge. Next I need to purchase a couple of single beds and some linen. Last night they slept on cots and sleeping bags.”
Emily-Ann frowned thoughtfully. “Are you sure these guys are going to be worth the extra money they’re costing you?”
Isabelle nodded. “They’ve already done more in one day than I could do in ten. And don’t get the idea that they’re too old to be useful. Both of them could work circles around a man in his thirties.”
“Sounds like you’re happy with these guys,” Emily-Ann remarked.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Isabelle told her. “But there is something nagging at me. When I told them the amount I’d be able to pay for a monthly wage, I expected them to turn tail and leave. Instead they seemed indifferent. It’s weird.”
Emily-Ann
drummed her fingers thoughtfully against the tabletop. “Interesting that Holt sent them over. If I didn’t know better, it sounds like he’s trying to take care of you.”
Isabelle reacted with a sound that was something between a grunt and a laugh. “That’s ridiculous. Holt is only being a helpful neighbor.”
The smirk on her Emily-Ann’s lips said exactly what she thought about Isabelle’s explanation. “None of my neighbors have ever been that helpful.”
Isabelle didn’t want to get annoyed with Emily-Ann. She was the closest friend she had here in Wickenburg and she genuinely liked her. Even though she did get these silly notions.
“Look, Emily-Ann, I’m sure you’d be the first person to advise me against getting serious about Holt Hollister,” Isabelle told her. “So let me assure you. He’s a friend and that’s all he’ll ever be to me.”
Emily-Ann rolled her eyes. “How funny, Isabelle. Me giving you advice about a man. But I happen to think it would be fitting if you’d give Mr. Holt Hollister some of the same love ’em and leave ’em medicine he’s dished out over the years.”
Isabelle crumpled the wax paper that her doughnut had been wrapped in and dropped it in her empty cup. Thank goodness she hadn’t mentioned to Emily-Ann that Holt was coming over to the ranch this evening. She’d really be having a field day with that tidbit of information.
“I thought he was an old family friend of yours,” Isabelle remarked.
“He is. But it’s past time he met his match.” She smiled cleverly. “And I happen to think you’re it.”
“Oh, no. Not me.” Isabelle rose to her feet just as a customer pulled into the parking area of the coffee shop. “Time for me to go. See you, Emily-Ann.”
Emily-Ann waggled her fingers. “Drop by soon. I can’t wait to hear what you’ll have to tell me then.”
Rolling her eyes, Isabelle pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder. “The next time I stop by for coffee, you’re not going to hear one thing about Holt Hollister. And that’s a promise.”
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