“Don’t I?” He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. “Want one?”
She nodded. “Thanks.” She took a swig and then sat on one of the stools at the kitchen bar. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a girlfriend. Actually, I can’t remember ever having a friend like Darrow.”
“She makes you laugh.”
Wren smiled. “She does.”
“It’s nice to hear.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been the best company since I came back.”
“This is home. You can be any way you want when you’re here. Don’t feel like talkin’ or bein’ sociable, you aren’t gonna get any grief from me about it.”
“I appreciate that, Quint.”
“Look, you’re my baby sister, and I’d do anything in the world for you, and that includes not making a play for your best friend.”
“You want to, though, don’t you?”
When Wren smiled, he did too. “Who wouldn’t?”
“If you think she’s hot, you should see her brother.”
Quint laughed out loud. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Wren jumped off the stool, walked over, and kissed his cheek. “Goodnight, Quint.”
“’Night, Wren. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The beautiful woman sleeping in the bedroom on the other side of the wall from his was responsible for the abrupt yet welcome change in his sister’s outlook. No way in hell Quint would do anything to mess that up. As tempted as he was.
THE NEXT MORNING as he putzed around the kitchen, he found himself hoping that Darrow would come and join him before Wren did, like had happened yesterday. A few minutes later, he was pleasantly surprised when she did.
“Good morning,” she said, less sheepishly than the day before.
“Coffee or tea this morning?” he asked.
“I can get it.” She reached up to the cupboard from where he’d gotten her one the day before and poured a cup. “You’re kidding, right?” she asked, pointing to the bag of grounds sitting near the pot. “Rancher’s coffee?”
Quint smiled. “Yep, strong enough to float a horseshoe.”
“What’s on the board today?”
“Checking on water. With this heat, we need to make sure the cattle stay hydrated.”
“Is that all?”
“It’s a big job, but no. We need to do fence checks, and check on the health of some of the pastures to see if we need to move the herd.”
“What would you like me to do?”
“That’s Wren’s call.”
As soon as he’d said his sister’s name, she walked into the kitchen, looking as though she’d been put through the wringer.
“Actually, Quint. I’m not feeling very well. I think it might’ve been something I ate yesterday. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Go back to bed.”
She nodded and shuffled off in the direction that she came.
“I can just stay here, you know, in case she needs me,” said Darrow, not looking him in the eye.
“A minute ago you were asking what you could do, now you want to hide out in the house?”
Her eyes opened wide, and she glared at him. “That isn’t what I’m saying. I’m offering so I’m not underfoot. I know I’m not…”
“Not what?” he pressed.
“Never mind.”
“Finish your coffee. You’ll ride out with me this morning.”
“WE CALL THIS PASTURE RAPTOR RIDGE,” he said when they rode up a crest an hour later.
“Why?”
“Birds of prey.”
“I know what raptor means, Quint. What kinds are here?”
“Usually hawks. Every once in a while, we’ll see an eagle.”
“I’ve always wanted to see one in the wild.”
“You won’t this time of year. But you might when the weather turns. Depends on how long you stick around.”
“Are you asking?”
He laughed. “Seeing how you just got here two days ago, no, I’m not.”
She looked off in the distance at the view from the ridge. “I was telling Wren yesterday that it’s really beautiful here.”
“I agree. Not everyone thinks so, but I sure do.”
He showed her how the grass was getting bare in spots, before leading her over to check the amount of water in the tank.
“We’ll move this part of the herd next week and let this pasture revegetate. Probably time to think about separating the first-time calvers and get them ready to put in with the bigger bulls.” He waited for her to ask what that meant, but she didn’t. He couldn’t tell whether it was disinterest, or if she didn’t want to appear ignorant. He doubted she knew what he was talking about though.
“When do you start weening the calves?” she asked, surprising him.
“About another two to three weeks.”
“And when do they go to market?”
“Depends. Usually end of September or early October.”
Darrow nodded.
“You been studying up or something?” he asked, the curiosity finally getting the better of him.
“I was out here with Wren for two hours yesterday. What did you think we talked about, the latest Paris fashions?” She smirked and he laughed.
“Quick study.”
As she walked over to get back on her horse, her expression grew more serious. “I know you think I’m some silly girl, playing at running away from home, but I’m not, Quint. I don’t intend to return to England, and that means I need to figure out how to make my way here in America.”
“And you decided cowgirling was your dream job?”
“My real dream job isn’t realistic,” she mumbled, making Quint wonder if she was talking more to herself than to him.
“What is it?”
“Not important.” She urged her horse away from him even though he hadn’t yet told her where they were headed.
“Tell me, Darrow.”
“You’ll laugh at me,” she said over her shoulder.
“Hold up a minute.”
She did, and he rode up next to her.
“I won’t laugh.”
“I want to do what Z does.”
He raised a brow, but the last thing he’d do would be to laugh. His sister followed in their father’s footsteps to a certain extent, albeit for the United States rather than the UK.
“Why isn’t it realistic?”
She sighed. “It just isn’t. Can we change the subject please?”
He had no intention of doing so, but he motioned to the west of where they sat on horseback. “We’ll head to Schoolhouse next.”
She nodded and coaxed Sage from a walk into a trot.
“You might want to follow me,” he shouted out to her.
“I was there yesterday. I know my way.”
Quint held Gunsmoke back a minute, marveling at the woman ahead of him. Every hour he spent with her, it seemed, led him to something else he liked about Darrow. She was almost too good to be real.
He continued to hold back, staying close enough that if she started off in the wrong direction, he could shout out and she’d hear him. He didn’t need to; she found the pasture completely on her own.
“You have a mighty good memory,” he said when they dismounted to check the Schoolhouse water tank.
“I’ve always had a good sense of direction, I guess.”
“Good? You were out here once, and yet you rode straight here.”
She shrugged, looking like she was about to say something but changed her mind.
“What?”
She shook her head.
He walked closer to her. “Come on, tell me what you were going to say.”
“I had a professor once who told me that while some of my innate abilities were of value, what I lacked in intellectual incisiveness and analytical skills would be my hindrance.”
“What does that even mean?”
She laughed. “Precisely.”
�
�Where did you go to school?”
“University? Oxford.”
“My mother went to Oxford. It’s where she met Z.”
“I knew that.”
“You remind me of her.”
Her mouth dropped open slightly, and her eyebrows went up. “I do?”
“Sure do.” He walked over to the tank. The water levels looked good, and so did the grass. This was where they’d move the herd that was now on Raptor Ridge. “There’s a line of fence not far from here that we need to check.”
She nodded and got back on Sage. They rode for about fifteen minutes, and she didn’t say a word.
“You okay?” he asked when they got to the area of the fence that needed to be fixed.
“Yes. Why?”
“You haven’t said much since I told you that you remind me of my mother. I hope you know it was a compliment.”
Her cheeks blazed a deep red, and she looked away.
“Come on, tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not thinking anything.”
“Liar.”
He climbed off Gunsmoke, but she stayed on horseback. He walked over to her and rubbed Sage’s muzzle.
“She was smart and beautiful, and she loved to laugh. That’s what I remember most about her.”
Darrow turned back to look at him; there were tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“What did you think I meant?”
She shook her head.
“If there’s any one word that someone might use to describe me, it’s stubborn. So if you think I’m going to back off on this, you’re wrong.”
Her cheeks flamed bright red again. “It wasn’t that I thought you meant anything. It’s just the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Then people aren’t saying enough nice things to you, and they should.”
He studied the horizon where Darrow’s gaze rested. More than anything, he wanted to pull her off of her horse, take her in his arms, and kiss away her insecurity. He couldn’t do that, but even if he could, it was the last thing she needed. How a woman like her could be so insecure baffled him, but the way to shore her up wasn’t through romance. He knew that innately. What she needed was someone who saw how capable she was and let her know it. “Let’s go.” He got back on Gunsmoke and rode toward the ranch house.
6
“Where are we going now?” she asked when he rode west.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting dang hungry. We also need to get you a better pair of gloves and some tools if you’re gonna help me fix that fence.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Quint.”
“You’re welcome.”
She wondered if he knew why she was thanking him, but it didn’t matter. He truly believed she was there to learn and do, and that’s all that mattered.
WREN WAS STILL in bed when Darrow checked on her. She came back into the kitchen where Quint had already started cooking.
“She’s asleep.”
“Probably the best thing for her.” He walked over to the refrigerator, opened it, and then closed it again.
“What do you need?”
“We’re out of eggs. I thought maybe someone put them in the fridge by mistake, but it doesn’t look that way. I’ll go out to the coop to get some. Tee-Tee usually does the morning collection, but maybe she needed more down at the bunkhouse.”
“I can do it.” She waited for him to say something snide, but he didn’t.
“Know where the coop is?”
“I don’t think it’ll be that hard to find. I heard the hens cackling when we rode in.”
“Have at it, then.”
Darrow stopped on her way out and grabbed her Wellies rather than her work boots.
She closed the door behind her and, with it, let herself smile. She’d proven herself to Quint this morning, at least a little bit. She assumed she had a long way to go, but since today was only her second day to ride out, at least he understood she didn’t expect to be waited on.
She made her way over to the coop, pushed the door open, and went in. “Hello, ladies. What have you got for me this morning?” She grabbed one of the wire baskets that sat next to the door and picked up the eggs from nests where no hens were sitting. Then, going one by one, she gently moved each hen sitting on a nest, quietly chattering at them all the while, pulling eggs, and then setting them back down.
“Thank you, ladies,” she said, walking back out with over three dozen beautifully colored eggs. She stopped in the mudroom where she saw egg cartons sitting by a utility sink, cleaned each egg, and then put them into the containers. The scent of bacon wafted in her direction, making her stomach growl.
“How’d it go?” Quint asked when she came back in.
She set the cartons on the counter and opened them.
“Wow! Look at all those. Did you clean them?”
Darrow put one hand on her hip and glared at him. “Of course I cleaned them.”
“I know, I was just kidding. Deck came in a little while ago and told me you were singing to the hens. Is that how you got them to give up so many?”
“I wasn’t singing to them. I was talking to them. They’re a friendly bunch, actually.”
Quint laughed, pulled one carton over to the stove, and began cracking them on the griddle. “How do you like them?”
“Any way you fix them. I’m not fussy.”
THEY ATE IN COMPANIONABLE QUIET. Darrow finished before Quint did, so she got up and began cleaning the dishes.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, shoveling the last of his breakfast into his mouth.
“I’m happy to. You cooked.” Seeing his plate now sat empty, she walked over and picked it up.
“You don’t have to come back out with me either if you’re not feeling up to it. It’s hot as blazes out there, and it’s only going to get worse.”
“I thought we were going to mend the fence.”
“We are. Or I am. I’m just saying I can do it on my own if you’ve had enough for today.”
“I’d rather go back out,” she said softly, wondering if maybe she was more of a pest than a helper.
“Better get those dishes done, then.” Quint smiled and winked.
THEY SPENT all afternoon checking more water tanks and mending more fencing as Quint taught her about the cattle. He also told her when they’d cut their last hay for the season to make sure they were sitting well for the colder winter months when there wouldn’t be grass for the herd to feed on.
“That ain’t your mama,” he said as they watched one calf approach a cow who pushed it away.
“How do they know?” Darrow asked.
“They just do, or in that case, they just don’t. Her mama will find her, though.”
Within seconds, she saw it happen. “That’s amazing.”
“I suppose to us, all cows look alike, and to them, all humans do.”
“Exactly.”
“SHOULD WE CHECK ON WREN?” Darrow asked a few minutes later.
Quint shook his head. “I sent Tee-Tee a message earlier, and she said she was headed to the house then.” He took out his insulated water bottle. “Make sure you stay hydrated,” he reminded her.
“You don’t have to keep babysitting me. If there are other things you should or want to be doing, I’ll understand.”
“I don’t. To be honest with you, this is a pretty boring time of the year. The heat doesn’t help a whole lot. There are afternoons I’d just as soon take a nap than be out here.”
“Can you?”
“I suppose, but by the time I got near the barn, I’d probably talk myself out of it. Plus, I’d never hear the end of it from Deck.”
She rode just slightly behind him, but far enough away that Sage and Gunsmoke wouldn’t get into it. She watched Quint’s head survey everything in front of him, and tried to guess what he might be looking for before he turned around to tell her.
“Who do you look like?” she asked at o
ne point, noticing that he didn’t favor Z.
“I supposed my mother, or at least I did when I was younger. I got her blonde hair, although as you can see, that’s long gone.”
“THANK YOU FOR TODAY, QUINT,” she said when they returned to the barn and the horses were cooled down and back in their stalls.
“I enjoyed myself.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to lie.”
He put his hand on his heart. “Ouch.”
She laughed and slugged him like she’d seen Wren do.
“I’d invite you down to the bunkhouse for dinner, but those fellers get pretty wound up at the end of the day.”
“It’s okay, I can just find something on my own.”
“Since Wren is under the weather, why don’t we head over to the Branch? They have pretty good food.”
“Is that where I’ll find out why Deck calls you Fish?”
Quint laughed. “Sure won’t.”
“You are never going to tell me, are you?”
“We’ll see. You might figure it out one day.” He looked at his watch. “Meet you back on the porch in thirty?”
“Sounds perfect.”
DARROW CLIMBED into the shower and stood under the cool water. Even though her muscles were stiff, it was too bloody hot to consider warmer water.
When she was finished, she stood in front of her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. They were just going to get something to eat since Wren didn’t feel well. It wasn’t a date, and she didn’t want him to think she thought it was.
Her first choice was a loose-fitting sundress, but she decided that was far too date-y. It was too hot to wear trousers—or jeans—and the shorts she had seemed a little too sexy.
“Bugger it,” she said, pulling out one of the dresses.
7
Q uint grabbed a beer before heading out to the porch. He was ten minutes ahead of schedule, not that he’d rushed. In fact, if he were going to the Branch with Deck, he would’ve been ready ten minutes earlier still.
He’d peeked in on Wren, who said she was feeling better, but added that the idea of food would make her turn green again.
He took a long swig, hoping that Deck wouldn’t show himself tonight, at least while he and Darrow were there eating.
He heard her footsteps, turned around when she came out the door, and almost dropped his beer.
Shadow (Military Intelligence Section 6 Book 4) Page 4