Her Cowboy Inheritance

by Danica Favorite

  Funny, she hadn’t noticed it before. Though they’d cleaned this room well, she’d missed it. Based on the way everything sat, somehow this book must have gotten wedged in the chair and loosened when she’d knocked the chair against the table. As she looked at the book, her chest felt heavy and her eyes filled with tears.

  The Bible.

  And when she opened it, she knew it wasn’t just a Bible, but Helen’s Bible. Well-loved and worn, filled with highlights and notes and little pieces of paper stuck here and there, this wasn’t just a book. It was a treasure.

  And though she hadn’t given herself to such moments of fancy very often, she couldn’t help thinking that perhaps this was God’s way of answering her prayers. Letting her know that, even with all these ups and downs and moments of confusion, He was still there, watching out for her.

  Chapter Seven

  Even though Shane had given himself a stern talking to before Leah’s arrival about not getting attached, his heart did a funny little leap as her car pulled into his driveway. Dylan bounded out as Leah went around to unbuckle his brother. While Leah was busy with Ryan, Dylan ran to him and threw his arms around him in a big hug.

  “Mister Shane! I’ve missed you.”

  There was no way he could remain unattached to this little boy who clung to him like he was starving for attention. He knew that wasn’t true, because he’d seen Leah and her sisters with the boys and knew how much they loved them. But as Shane swung Dylan up into his arms, he realized that he was the only man these boys had. How often had this boy gotten a loving touch from a man? He gave Dylan a final squeeze, then set him down.

  “Are you ready for your cowboy lessons, partner?”

  Dylan nodded. “I am. My mom says that I have to be good today. And—” he pulled something out of his pocket “—I made this for you. I’m supposed to tell you I’m sorry for throwing a fit and breaking your mug.”

  Dylan handed him a drawing. Once again, Shane’s heart made a funny little leap. It was a picture of a family. A mom, a dad and two boys. All riding a giant horse.

  “That’s you, my mom, me and my brother. We’re going for a horse ride. Mom says that if we’re good, and we learn all the rules and we ask you really nice, maybe you’ll let us spend some time with your horse.” A sly smile filled the little boy’s face. “And I’m hoping you might finally let us ride your horse.”

  Of course Dylan wasn’t thinking of them in terms of being a family. Why was Shane foolish enough to let his mind go there? He was almost as obsessed with the idea of having a family as Leah seemed to be with her ranch. He just hoped that, as he’d been able to convince Leah of her foolishness in taking that path right now, he could convince his heart that this wasn’t the right time to be getting mixed up with Leah and her boys.

  Leah approached, holding Ryan’s hand. “Good morning,” she said, giving him a smile he wouldn’t mind waking up to every morning.

  Could he be any more pathetic? Hadn’t he just told himself not to do this?

  “Good morning. Dylan made me a nice picture, and I accept his apology.”

  He refolded the picture and put it in his shirt pocket. “At lunch, we’ll go inside and hang it on my fridge. But for right now, we’ve got to go make sure that my cows have enough water.”

  He gestured toward his pickup and turned to Leah. “I hope your car seat is easy to move in and out of the different vehicles.”

  She nodded. “It’s no trouble at all.” As Leah went to get everything situated for Ryan, Shane turned to the boys. “I’m glad you came to help. I’ll try to explain everything to you, and we’ll go over the rules as we ride to the cows. But the most important thing to remember is that you always need to stay where I can see you, and you shouldn’t touch anything without asking.”

  Dylan nodded enthusiastically. “That’s what Mom told us this morning. She said it’s just like at the house. If we see a snake, we can’t pick it up. We have to ask for a grown-up to help.”

  Shane couldn’t help laughing at Dylan’s visible disgust at having to seek an adult’s help. Dylan was all boy, and that was probably part of the problem. Not that boys couldn’t be raised by women, but, sometimes, they needed someone who could understand things like their fascination with snakes.

  “And she’s absolutely right. Some of the snakes here are harmless. But some snakes, like rattlers, they can kill you.”

  Dylan groaned. “I know. Aunt Nicole always tells us that. She used to have a pet snake. We got to play with it. But she says the snakes that live here aren’t like those snakes, and they aren’t to be petted or picked up.”

  The way Dylan said it, it was clear the little boy had been given that lecture multiple times. Shane had to give himself a mental kick for thinking that just because they were women, they wouldn’t understand certain things. Nicole having a pet snake surprised him, but in a way, he was glad to hear it. The sisters were unlike any group of women he’d ever met, and while he’d been thinking that they had much to learn from him, he realized he could probably learn just as much from them.

  “Your aunt is absolutely right,” Shane said. “The longer you’re out here, the more you’ll learn about snakes and other wildlife.”

  Dylan nodded. “That’s what my mom says. My aunts think it’s a good idea for us to learn about your cows for when our cows come.”

  He hadn’t expected them to teach the boys to look so far in advance, but it was good. It was nice getting them thinking about the future, because so few people did.

  “It’ll definitely be good. But you won’t be getting cows for a while.”

  Dylan shook his head. His face scrunched up into a scowl, like the ones he got just before throwing a fit. What had he said wrong this time?

  “We’re getting cows soon. Aunt Erin said so. She’s buying a tractor from Mister Ricky. And my mom is getting cows from one of her friends.”

  He took a deep breath. Tried to process what the little boy had just said. They were getting cows from her mom’s friend? Not Harold’s cows?

  Leah rejoined them, smiling. “All set. Anything else you need?”

  Shane turned and looked at her. “We’re good. Boys, climb into the back seat of the truck.”

  As the boys scampered off, he turned and looked at Leah. “Dylan says you’re getting cows. Did you find some other herd? I’m happy to take a look at them so you know you’re not getting into something you can’t handle.”

  He tried to keep his words casual, when what he wanted to do was ask her how she could be so stupid as to not heed his warnings.

  Leah sighed. “I told my sisters about Harold’s latest offer, and they felt it was one we can’t refuse. With Erin working at Ricky’s, she learned he was selling a bunch of his equipment for cheap. And she knew that the price Harold offered on his cattle was too good to pass up. I got outvoted.”

  She might have been outvoted, but judging by the boys’ excitement and her rather bland way of telling him, she didn’t seem too put out by it.

  “Do they understand the risk that you’re taking in getting those cows? Do they even understand what Bangs is?”

  Leah nodded. “Oddly enough, Nicole has been reading a book about animal disease. She thinks this herd will be manageable.”

  There she went with that crazy reliance on books again. It wasn’t that Shane had any problems with books. But there were some things about ranching you couldn’t learn by reading a book. You had to live it—experience it—to understand it.

  “And where are you going to keep them? I thought we agreed on my land lease.”

  Leah nodded. “You can still lease that land. We’ll put them in the other pasture, the one you said we would use for our herd when we got it.”

  Her words only proved that they were not ready to run a ranch on their own. “If you run a herd on both pastures, one isn’t going to have time to regro
w and develop for next year. That’s why you alternate pastures. While one is being used, the other has a chance to grow. If you run too many cattle on your land, it gets all eaten up, and then you have to supplement.”

  Her expression told him that she hadn’t considered that, and he was glad. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to end this madness.

  “I didn’t realize that,” she said. “I mean, yes, I’ve read about rotating pastures. But I guess I hadn’t realized why.”

  “That’s why I wanted you to spend some time helping me run my ranch. So you could learn. So that things you read in books make sense in a practical way. In theory, biosafety practices sound easy. But have you considered how you will keep your herd from infecting my herd when you go between the two?”

  The blank expression on her face told him she had no idea what he was talking about.

  “Let’s say, in the morning, you check on your cattle. Once you get done checking your herd, you will have to completely change clothing, including your shoes, before you come to my house. If you use one of your vehicles to go check on your herd, you can’t bring it to my house. Everything that touches your herd must be completely sanitized before it can come near me or my herd. And when I come visit you, I have to be aware of the same sanitary practices.”

  She looked like she was thinking about his words. “I didn’t realize that it was so serious. From what I read, the bacteria just has to be exposed to the air for a few hours and it dies,” she said.

  He nodded. “Here’s the trouble. Let’s say I step in manure from an infected animal. It gets on my boot. I go back to my place. The stuff from my boot comes off in my pasture, and my cow eats it. My cow is now infected.”

  Leah stared at him. “Your cow would eat it?”

  “Or my dogs. Cow dung is a dog’s favorite treat.”

  She looked puzzled. “So, if your dog comes to my house and eats something, he could get it?”

  “That’s why this is such a dangerous disease. It’s easily transmitted between a variety of different species, including humans. Did your book tell you that your sons could get it?”

  He turned to look at the boys, who were getting impatient in the back of his truck. Almost as if to prove his point, Ryan was picking his nose.

  “Look at Ryan. He’s picking his nose and eating it. What if he had just touched something that was infected? He’s now stuck it up his nose and into his mouth.”

  Leah’s face turned white. He was pretty sure he’d proven his point.

  He gestured to his truck. “I realize that as your employer, I can’t tell you what to do with your personal life. However, I do want to make it clear that if you get those cows, we’re going to put in some very strict rules about biosecurity.”

  She stared at him for a moment. “You’re not going to fire me?”

  No one would fault him for it. But if he let her go, the women would be stumbling about in even more ignorance. With his lesson right now, he’d been able to impress upon Leah the seriousness of her actions. The seriousness of biosecurity. Continuing to work with her was a safe and practical way to show her more of what she needed to know.

  He shook his head. “No. I need help, and you need lessons. And it’s as you said. You got outvoted. But, out of curiosity, has your sister told Ricky about the cows you’re getting? You make sure she does and lets him know all the details. He may want to put in some rules for the biosecurity of his own herd.”

  The concern on her face made him hopeful that she would rethink her decision. But was it enough to convince her sisters?

  As they drove out to his cows to water them, Shane tried working out how he would explain things to the other sisters. But what baggage did they have that would make it hard for them to trust his word?

  Based on Helen’s stories, it wasn’t just Leah who’d come from a bad place.

  Maybe it was time to stop trying to convince them and find another solution.

  Tending the cows always brought him a lot of peace. Even with the distraction of a pretty lady and her rambunctious boys, it gave him the chance to chew on an idea. By the time Leah and the kids left, Shane knew what he had to do.

  Leah wasn’t going to like it, and he didn’t much like it, either. But someone had to buy those cows before she made a terrible mistake.

  When Leah and the boys left for the day, he called Harold and made arrangements to buy the cows. Poor Leah thought Harold was just trying to be nice, selling them the cows at a good price, but Shane had managed to talk him down even further.

  That still left the problem of where to keep the herd. But Shane had an idea he hoped would work.

  Shane entered the café and walked to the table where he knew fellow rancher Larry Mathieson would be sitting. Larry always spent Tuesdays at the café, having a cup of coffee and pastry in honor of his beloved Myra, who’d passed over a year ago.

  Before Shane got to the table, Larry stood. “Shane. Just thinking about you. I hope you’ll join me for a cup of coffee.”

  At least now he didn’t feel so bad. But why had Larry been thinking about him? Before Shane could sit, Larry waved at Della and said, “Get Shane here a cup of coffee and one of them bear claws.”

  Then Larry turned to him and let out a long sigh. “My daughter has been bugging me to leave the ranch and move to Denver. I just don’t know if I can take the city life. But it’s also lonesome here without Myra.”

  The old man’s eyes filled with tears, and Shane wondered what it must be like to lose the love of your life like that. To have loved and been loved so deeply that you are struggling with living now that the person was gone. He hadn’t felt that way when Gina had left; instead he’d been mostly sad at losing Natalie and disappointed that his only chance of a relationship had ended.

  He liked Leah. Sometimes he thought he more than liked her. But was he setting himself up for failure when she found ranch life too difficult? If his plan came to fruition and she found out, she was bound to hate him. But would she forgive him when she realized what he’d saved her from?

  He was willing to risk losing her if it meant saving her from ruin.

  “What does your going to Denver have to do with me?” Shane asked.

  Larry cleared his throat. “I was hoping you would look after things for me. Watch my place. Tend the few animals I have left.”

  Shane nodded. “Of course. I was always happy to watch your ranch when you and Myra went on vacation, and you had a lot more stock back then. This will be no trouble at all.”

  And him doing Larry a favor made it a little easier to ask Larry the favor he’d been seeking him out for.

  “Truth be told, I’m here to ask for your help. You know those cows Harold is trying to unload?”

  Larry made a noise. “Don’t tell me some fool has agreed to buy them. I don’t have a herd anymore, but if the wrong fellow buys those cattle and they’re infected, upstream from the wrong ranch, it could devastate this community.”

  Shane nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking. I don’t know if you’ve met the women who inherited Helen’s ranch or not, but they’re eager to buy those cows.”

  Larry looked disgusted. “Someone’s got to talk them out of that. Where they’re located, if the rest of the herd ends up with it, it could easily spread to neighboring ranches. Do those women have any idea what they’re doing?”

  The old man’s opposition to their plan made Shane feel a little bit better about what he was going to do. Or at least hoped to do, with Larry’s help.

  “I’ve tried explaining, but they believe Harold’s optimistic view that, since it hasn’t turned up in any more of his cattle, his herd is disease-free.”

  “Fool. He never did have a lick of sense, and I can’t believe those women are under his influence. What do you want me to do about it?”

  Shane took a deep breath. “I’m going to buy the herd. Th
e trouble is, I don’t have a place to keep them, and I was thinking about that south pasture of yours. It’s far enough away from any neighboring ranches since it borders on national forestland, and you don’t have any water going through it.”

  Larry nodded slowly. “It’s definitely an isolated spot. But can you afford to take on such a burden?”

  Shane shook his head. “No. But I don’t think this community can take on the burden of any more cows getting sick. If this thing spreads, a lot of good families will lose their livelihoods. I know the sisters mean well, and they’re desperate. If they won’t listen to reason, I’ve got to find another way to stop them.”

  Larry leaned back in his chair. “And you knew my land was available. I won’t be running cows on it for a while, maybe not ever. It’s a great place to quarantine the animals.”

  Shane nodded. “I hope you’ll give me a good price on the lease. I’m already paying them more than I paid Helen for their land. But I know they need it, so I’m trying to do right by them.”

  Larry chuckled as he shook his head. “You’re doing us all a big favor by isolating those cows. I’ve no use for the land right now, and since this is just you doing your part to help your neighbors, I can’t accept money for it. Besides, you’re already helping me out by looking after my place.”

  He felt like a heel for what he was doing, but he was running out of options. Even though he’d thought he’d talked some sense into Leah, she also seemed to be just as easily talked out of it.

  With arrangements made for the land, Shane went to pick up the cows. On his way to Harold’s place, he stopped by John Hansen’s to see if he was free. It would be helpful to have the vet with him to give him some idea of what he was getting into.