“Hello, Miss O’Connor.” In addition to the San Francisco Giants baseball cap, she wore sunglasses. No fair. He wanted to look into her eyes. His hungry gaze moved lower.
Her Apple Grove Cougars T-shirt was boxy and loose, unlike the low-cut top she’d had on Saturday night. But her jeans were snug enough to make his breath hitch. He’d never seen her in boots, but she had them on today. No wonder she looked a little taller.
And, oh, by the way, he was staring. Not good. He focused on Valerie, who had her hand on Piper’s shoulder. “Miss Jenson, nice to see you again.”
“Same here, Mr. Lassiter.” Valerie’s outfit matched Nell’s except for the hat. Her straw Stetson was almost as beat-up as his. She flashed him a knowing grin.
Oh, right. Nell would have filled her in on Saturday night’s proceedings. He flushed and switched his attention to Piper, Riley and Tatum. Focusing on those girls settled him down immediately.
He had the privilege of giving Piper and Tatum their first horseback riding experience. Riley would only watch, but she’d be soaking up everything he told the other two. They were three sponges, just like Claire, and he was responsible for the quality of what they absorbed. He took that seriously.
They were beside themselves, stars in their eyes and smiles that took over their rosy-cheeked faces. Was Claire their fashion consultant? Could be, since they all had hats like hers, Roper boots, yoked shirts in different colors and Wrangler jeans. Mini-cowgirls, ready to ride.
His heart squeezed. “Riley, Tatum, Piper—I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too!” Claire gave a little bounce of joy. “I’m glad Miss O’Connor and Miss Jenson are here, too.”
“So am I.” He let his gaze rest on Nell for a second before turning to Valerie. “As you can see, I got the go-ahead for two more horses. I’ll put Tatum and Piper on Lucky and Prince, and you two on Butch and Sundance.”
Valerie nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
“What should I do, Mr. Lassiter?” Riley turned her freckled face up to his.
“You’ll be with me and Claire. Once everyone’s mounted, you can help lead them into the corral. Then you and Claire will sit on the fence with me and be my assistant observers.”
“Yes, sir!”
He tugged on his straw hat. “Piper and Tatum, your hats look terrific, but you’ll need to trade them for helmets before you get on those horses.”
“Awww.” Tatum made a face.
“Told you,” Claire said. “I have to wear one when I ride.”
Riley nodded. “Me, too. Before I got my horse, my folks made me promise I’d wear one.”
“What about us?” Valerie thumbed back her straw hat.
He grinned. He’d bet she’d been waiting to execute that move. “Since you’re an adult, you can opt out of the helmet, but you’ll have to sign a waiver.”
“We’ll wear the helmets.” Nell glanced at her friend. “Right?”
“Oh, absolutely. It’s the responsible thing to do.”
“Hey, Dad, you could take a picture of me and my friends with our hats on before Piper and Tatum have to take theirs off.”
“I could.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Scooch together.” He crouched down. “Smile!” He took the picture and glanced at the screen. “Perfect.”
“Let me see.” Claire hurried around to look. “Cute. Now let me take one of you, Miss O’Connor and Miss Jenson. You should be in the middle.”
Easier to agree than argue. He handed her the phone and walked over to stand between Nell and Valerie.”
“Get closer. Put your arm around their waists, Dad. That’ll look better.”
He sucked in a breath and did as she asked. Both ladies were warm to the touch but Nell made his entire left side and left arm tingle as if he’d touched a live wire. He let go the minute Claire took the picture, his mouth dry and his heart going a mile-a-minute.
He held out his hand. “I’ll take my phone back, now.”
“Yes, sir.” Claire exchanged a sly glance with Riley.
“Would you and Riley please go open the corral gate so it’s ready for us?”
“Yes, sir.” The two girls walked away, giggling.
Something had them going, but he’d be wise to ignore it. He led the procession over to the hitching post. “The horses are patiently waiting for us. Correction. Prince, Butch and Sundance are being patient. Lucky is dozing. He loves his naps. Have you two agreed on which horse you want?”
“Lucky!” they said together.
“Looks like we’ll be drawing straws, then.” Leaning down, he picked up a couple of stray bits of straw from the ground and went through the ritual with them. Piper got the long straw and Tatum was a good sport about it.
He turned to Nell and Valerie. “Do either of you have a preference?”
Nell took off her cap and sunglasses. “Are they named for the characters in that old movie with Newman and Redford?”
“Yes, ma’am. Charley, Henri’s husband, had a fondness for it.”
“Well, since I’ve always been a Paul Newman fan, I’d like to take Butch.”
“Works for me,” Valerie said. “I’m Team Redford.”
“Alrighty, then. I’ll take everyone’s hats and stick ’em in the barn. I’ll be right back with your helmets.” A moment later he’d just finished distributing the helmets and was helping the girls put theirs on when Claire arrived with Riley close behind.
“Dad.” She sounded out of breath.
“Something wrong?”
She let out a dramatic sigh. “Wouldn’t you know, there’s a snake in the corral.”
Riley spread her arms wide. “A big snake.”
“Rattler?”
Claire nodded. “We saw the tail.”
“No problem. Everyone wait here. I’ll just get a rake and move it.”
Nell finished buckling her helmet and stepped forward. “I want to go with you.”
He turned to stare at her. “Why?”
“I’ve never seen one and I’m curious.” She looked at Piper and Tatum. “Have either of you seen one?”
They shook their heads.
“Want to?”
“Yes.” Piper’s jaw tightened and her eyes gleamed with determination. “Claire and Riley saw it. We want to see it, too, right, Tatum?”
“Right.”
“That’s the spirit.” Nell glanced at Valerie. “How about you?”
“I’ve had the pleasure. I’ll stay here and hold the horses.”
“They won’t go anywhere, Miss Jenson,” Claire said. “You can come.”
“Thanks, but I’ll take a pass.”
“Zeke, I’d like to take Tatum and Piper over there. It would be educational for the three of us to get a look.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. That’s fine. Just let me go get the rake.” Nell’s suggestion had caught him by surprise. Plenty of folks were leery of rattlers. She might be, too, but evidently she couldn’t resist the chance to educate herself and two girls she’d recently had in class.
He was damned impressed with this woman. What he wouldn’t give to be able to hug her and tell her so. The effects of their slight contact during the picture-taking lingered. Friday couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter Fourteen
Nell put herself in charge of keeping the girls outside the corral and away from the gate while Zeke did his snake-charmer routine. Her urban childhood hadn’t prepared her for encountering snakes in the wild, but she lived in Montana, now. She needed to learn about them and so did Piper and Tatum.
Her determination to maintain scientific detachment faltered as Zeke approached the snake armed only with a rake. A distinctly triangular head lifted to gaze at him, tongue darting out.
Piper sucked in a breath. “Ooo, your daddy’s brave, Claire.”
“Yep. I’ve seen him do this once before. The other snake was smaller.”
“Good grief, that is a big dude.” Valerie came up behind them.
“I thought you were holding the horses.” Nell kept her attention on Zeke as he scooted the rake slowly toward the rattler.
“I was feeling like the Cowardly Lion while you guys were over here being all Dorothy and the Tin Man.”
Tatum giggled. “You’re funny, Miss Jenson.”
“Funny and very brave.” Nell glanced back over her shoulder.
“Thank you. How do I look in my helmet?”
“Stunning.” She returned to watching Zeke.
“When we had a snake by our house,” Riley said, “my mom used this pole with a loop on the end to pick it up and put it in a bucket with a lid.”
“We have one of those.” Claire kept her gaze on her father. “But a rake works, too. My dad grabs whatever’s handy.”
“That snake sure is watching him,” Piper said.
“They’re watching each other, sizing each other up.” Claire sounded like the announcer at a sporting event. “My dad says snakes are necessary and we should respect them.”
“I agree,” Nell said. “Live and let live.” And she hoped to hell Zeke knew what he was doing. Looked like it. She held her breath as the snake wound itself around the teeth and handle of the rake.
Lifting the rake, Zeke came quickly through the gate, biceps bulging. “She’s a heavy one, too.” He lengthened his stride as he moved past the barn and out into an open area.
Tatum stood on tiptoe. “Where’s he taking it?”
“See that jumble of rocks?” Claire pointed to an area about fifty yards away. “He’ll put it down out there. That’s where he took the other one. They like rocks.”
Piper turned to Claire. “Is that snake a girl? Is that why he said she?”
“Probably. Girl snakes are bigger than boy snakes.”
“You’re not scared of them?”
“I was a little bit with the first one. Then Dad showed me some documentaries that talked about how important snakes are. And I saw a few other kinds around here. When this one showed up, I wasn’t scared at all.”
Riley gave her a nudge. “Come on. You jumped back and grabbed my arm. You were a little scared.”
“Not as much as you.”
“It was a big snake. I mean she was a big snake.”
“I’m glad she came to visit,” Nell said. “It was a—”
“I know what you’re gonna say, Miss O’Connor!” Claire beamed at her.
“What am I going to say?”
“It was a teachable moment.”
She laughed. “Well, it was.”
“She says that all the time, Miss Jenson.” Claire glanced at Valerie. “Like at least once a day.”
“I see.” Val nodded. “Then you must have learned a lot this past year.”
“We actually did.” Piper adjusted her glasses. “Third grade was my favorite so far. Especially the greenhouse.”
“Yeah, that was awesome.” Tatum danced a little. “But the field trip was the best. Do we get a field trip in fourth grade, Miss Jenson?”
“Um… yes, yes, you do.”
“Cool!” Riley twirled around. “Where to?”
“I’m keeping that a secret.”
Nell managed not to laugh. Quite likely Val didn’t have one planned yet.
“Miss Snake is back where she belongs.” Zeke arrived, the rake balanced over his shoulder. “Time to saddle up.”
“Yay!” Tatum started off at a run.
“Walk!” Nell’s command brought Tatum to a screeching halt as she waited for the others. As the group started off again, the other three teased her for running ahead.
“Nell, I’ll see you and Val over there.” Zeke lengthened his stride to catch up to the girls. “I’ll put Tatum and Piper on first.”
“Nice job with the snake,” Nell called after him.
“Thanks.” He flashed her a grin over his shoulder.
“A greenhouse and a field trip to this ranch.” Val chuckled. “You’ll be a tough act to follow. I’d better be at the top of my game.”
“No worries. They’ll bring out the best in you. It was a blast teaching them.”
“I’ll tell you who’s already at the top of his game.” She tilted her head in the direction of Zeke as he walked with four adoring little girls, two on either side. “He’s a natural with kids.”
“I figured that out during the field trip. Don’t you just want to eat him up with a spoon?” She watched as the girls skipped along beside him, chattering away.
“I’ll neither confirm nor deny. A friend does not covet her friend’s man.”
“You can still agree with me that he’s appealing as hell—all those muscles and a nurturer, to boot.”
He stood talking to the girls for a moment. Then he used his cupped hands to give Tatum a place for her foot as she mounted Prince. He did the same for Piper.
Val moved off to the side and kept her voice down. “Since he’s a nurturer, do you suppose he wants more than one kid?”
“Maybe.” I hope so. Yikes, where had that come from? Fantasizing about having Zeke’s baby was way off-base. “Claire said she pretends the three-year-old who lives on the ranch is her little brother.”
“Georgie? The one she was talking about in the car on the way here?”
“Uh-huh.” Judging from Claire’s comments, she’d spent most of Sunday with Georgie, Garrett and Anna. Nell was willing to bet Garrett had set that up to give Zeke a break since he’d had so little sleep.
He’d likely be sleep-deprived again this weekend. “By the way, Zeke texted me this morning. The Buckskin gang’s heading to the Moose Friday night. You’re invited. We can pick you up.”
“I’d better drive myself.”
“That’s silly. We can—”
“Once I get there, I’d like to stay a while.” She grinned. “I doubt you and Zeke will last longer than one dance.”
Nell flushed. “No, we’re going to hang out with everybody.”
“Sure you are.”
“Val, we like dancing and spending time with the Buckskin gang. This is about more than getting horizontal.”
“Of course it is, but after exercising restraint all week, you’ll be a couple of powder kegs.”
An excellent description of her condition right now. “Change the subject, please.” She took a deep breath as Claire walked in their direction.
“Dad says to come on over. He’s ready to get you up on Butch and Sundance.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Claire glanced up at her. “Did you bring any water, Miss O’Connor?”
“I have a water bottle for each of us in the car, but I wasn’t sure when—”
“Maybe you should go fetch them before you get on Butch. You look a little overheated.”
A muffled snort from Val was followed by elaborate throat-clearing. “We probably should do that, Miss O’Connor.” Her voice quivered with suppressed laughter. “Wouldn’t want you to get too hot.”
Chapter Fifteen
When Claire informed Zeke that Nell and Valerie were going to fetch water bottles for themselves and the girls, he ducked his head to hide a smile. Most likely they needed time to recover from their laughing fit. If he had to guess, he’d say the hilarity had to do with him.
If any of the Brotherhood were around, they’d probably be laughing, too. His preoccupation with Nell had to be blindingly obvious.
He glanced at Piper and Tatum. “While they’re fetching the water bottles, we can go over the basics of neck reining. It’s the same idea as when you nudge a friend to get her to go in the direction you want. Only instead you lay the reins against the horse’s neck—on the left side to nudge them right and on the right side to nudge them left.”
Riley nodded. “I do that with Mister Rogers.”
“Your riding coach?”
“My horse. The person who named him loved that show. She was hoping he would be gentle like the guy on the show, and he is.”
“Sounds like you got a great horse, Riley.”
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Her face lit up. “I sure did.” She twirled around. “Wish you could see him.”
“I’ve seen him,” Tatum said. “He’s a nice brown color like Lucky. You should just ride him over here.”
“I’m not allowed to go on the road, but we have a horse trailer. Maybe…” She stood still, head cocked, expression intent. Then she gave a quick nod. “I’m gonna ask. They wouldn’t bring him every time, but maybe just once, as a special treat. Then me and Mister Rogers could ride with you guys.”
“Dad! I just had the best idea. At the last riding lesson in August, we should put on a demonstration for the parents and… anybody who wants to come. Riley can bring Mister Rogers and we can all be on horseback, even you. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
“Oh, yeah!” Tatum bounced a little in the saddle. “Let’s do that, Mr. Lassiter!”
“We’ll see.” He glanced at the shyest one of the bunch. “Do you want to do something like that, Piper?”
“Yes, sir. As long as I can ride Lucky.”
“He’s all yours,” Tatum said. “I’ve decided I like buckskins the best. I’m going to get one someday.”
“Then I’ll ask Mrs. Fox. She has the final word.”
“Gramma Henri will love the idea. She’ll invite the Babes. It should be on a Saturday, so everybody’s free. We can—”
“They’re coming back,” Riley announced. “Can we tell them? I know it’s not for sure, but—”
“You can tell them.” As if he could keep something like this quiet. “Just be sure to add that I haven’t asked my boss yet.” Henri would green light this in a heartbeat, too. He’d quickly learned that she loved nothing better than a celebration.
Nell and Valerie were met with a barrage of excited chatter as the girls talked over each other in their excitement.
“Okay, okay.” Nell held up both hands, palms out. “It’s a fabulous idea and if Mrs. Fox is on board, then so am I. But if we don’t stop gabbing and get busy, we won’t have much to show the audience at the end of the summer, will we?”
The girls all nodded and order was restored.
Nell handed aluminum water bottles up to Tatum and Piper, one blue and one green. Then she gave Riley a red one.
Single-Dad Cowboy (The Buckskin Brotherhood Book 8) Page 7