“Hey now, I am going to be fine. I just need a little rest,” he said, comfortingly. “I think I blacked out. The next thing I knew, I was looking up into your beautiful face and thinking I must be in heaven.” Jed’s charm reminded her of her grandfather. They truly were gentlemen back then.
“Do you live here?” AJ helped Jed onto the rocking chair, then sat down on the porch stairs like she had for many years.
“One of my ranch managers, the one who was looking after this place, up and left. We didn’t know it for some time. I just drove up here from southern Wyoming to check out the place and see how the cattle were doing.” Jed leaned over to see if he could see his horse. “I was about to go out on the range to find them when I had my accident.”
AJ stood up and spotted the horse on the other side of the barn, eating some hay. “She’s right over there. I’ll go corral her for you while you rest. What’s her name?” The horse was beautiful, and AJ could tell she cost a pretty penny. It wasn’t often you saw such well-bred animals.
Jed smiled. “Vixen. And now you can see why—she up and left me.”
AJ laughed as she walked toward the barn. She liked Jed, even though he was probably the man who’d outbid her when she’d tried to buy the ranch. He could have also been the one she outbid to get the ranch next door. She wondered what he would think about that. He had to know it by now since she’d told him she was the owner.
The horse was a beautiful chestnut mare with a black mane and tail. “Come on, girl.” She grabbed the horse’s reins and led her into the corral. “I’ll come back and get your saddle off in a minute.” She filled the water bucket up and left Vixen to run around the corral. It looked like they had at least kept up the barn with a new corral and head gate.
When she got back, Jed was still looking a little pale. He was at least six foot seven and lanky. You could see he’d been a very handsome man in his day, and still had his good looks at probably seventy-eight she estimated. His hair was peppered grey, and he had a full head of it which was unusual for his age. His clear blue eyes were not a bit dull. You could see this man was sharp.
He tried to get up from the chair. “I can’t get into this place to check it out. The manager didn’t leave any keys when he left.”
AJ walked over to the pot in front of the porch. What were the chances the key was still hidden under this pot? She lifted the end, and sure enough, there was the house key. “Well, look at this. I guess everyone puts the spare key under the porch pot.”
She wasn’t ready to tell him her history with this house. She was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check. Her memories were flooding her heart everywhere she looked.
The house looked like a wreck. AJ ran her hand along the porch railing, where the paint was chipping off. How she would love to come in and renovate the place. Her grandfather never left anything that needed repair for more than a day. Often he was on it the same day. “I guess that’s why this place is still standing after all these years,” she muttered.
“What’s that you said? I’m a little hard of hearing.” Jed leaned her way, turning his ear toward her.
“Sorry, just talking to myself.” She walked over and unlocked the door. As she went to help Jed inside, she noticed the sky was turning black—a big storm was on the way. The wind hit just as they reached the door and nearly blew the screen door off its hinges.
“This is going to be a big one. I should go get Vixen into the barn.” Lightning bolts crashed one after the other as the storm marched across the valley. “I’ll be back as soon as I get her settled.” AJ ran to the corral while Jed hobbled inside.
When she entered the barn, she gasped as memories of her mare, Stacy, hit her. Her grandfather had brought her into the barn on her twelfth birthday, with her eyes closed. He carefully guided her over to a stall and asked her to kneel down and reach out her hand. She’d opened them as she touched the velvety fur of a brand-new, little filly, just four days old. “Oh, Grandpa, is she mine?”
He chuckled. “Sure as shootin’ if you can take good care of her.”
She’d slept in the barn the first two weeks until her mother insisted she come in and bathe. The first night AJ had to sleep inside, Stacy whinnied at the barn door the whole night. Her Dad came to her room with a cot and said, “Follow me.” She spent the rest of that summer sleeping in the barn.
AJ sighed and grabbed the barn door as it banged in the wind, and securely shut it. When she got back into the house, she found Jed limping around the kitchen, opening cupboards.
“It looks like he left some canned goods. We might be stuck here for a while. When it rains, that wash yonder is impassable.”
“I know it, “AJ said and then clammed up. She remembered vividly being stuck in this house many times when they’d had downpours. Often she would have to miss school on the year they had all come to live with grandfather.
“How are you feeling now?” AJ asked. Jed was still looking very tired. “Why don’t you go lie down on the bed in the back bedroom and take a rest. We will be here for some time now, I think.”
“That’s not a bad idea. If there is a back bedroom and a bed.” He headed down the hall.
AJ headed for the kitchen and looked around for something she could make. There were some five-gallon water containers, so they must have water delivery out here now. She found some canned hash and Vienna sausages. “Perfect. I’ll make hash, then.”
As she rummaged through the cupboards and opened up the pantry, she found the old glass jars her grandmother and mother had used to can fruits and tomatoes. They were stacked on the top shelves, probably right where they had left them. She could still see her grandmother standing by the stove with her apron on, lifting scalding hot jars from the canner to the towel she had spread out on the counter. Her Dad would travel down to California and bring back loads of tomatoes, peaches, and pears. Everyone chipped in when it was canning time. For two weeks they were all happy to do their part. The reward was worth it. She could still taste the peaches and cream they’d enjoyed in the middle of January.
AJ sat down on the ratty, old sofa in the living room and sighed peacefully. Home, she was home.
Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. A loud crack of thunder woke her up. It sounded like it was right over the house. She got up and looked outside at the black sky. She stepped out on the porch to sit in her grandpa’s rocker and watch the storm. The old oak trees that surrounded the house and barn made a nice windbreak. The storm was passing quickly enough, but the wash wouldn’t be passable until tomorrow.
AJ wondered about this Jed Rawlins. She got out her phone and googled him.
He owned six ranches: four in Wyoming and two in Montana up next to the Canadian border. She bet they were beautiful. He was a widower; his only child, a daughter, had been killed in a car accident with her husband. He did not seem like a lonely man. He must keep himself very busy taking care of and managing so many cattle ranches. AJ decided she better go check on him and found him snoring peacefully.
The rain stopped, and she imagined the cows had taken refuge in the forested back canyon. She left a note on the kitchen counter for Jed and headed for the barn.
Vixen was stomping her feet when AJ came up. “Hello, beauty, you want to get out of here too, I see.” She was still saddled, so AJ walked her out of the barnyard and then leapt up onto her back. They cantered toward the canyon.
About three hours later, AJ came cantering back into the barnyard. She put Vixon back in the barn and headed to the house, feeling happier than she had for weeks. With the exception of her time with Stet.
“Hello, girl. You sure do look good up on that horse.”
“Hi, Jed! I found your cows up in the canyon, hiding in the trees. They’re fine. I estimate you have about 150 up there with about 40 of them calves.”
Jed nodded his thanks. “I smelled something pretty good and ate what I found in the frying pan. Thank you for that—it was good! I saved some for you.” H
e winked at her. “So you can cook, handle a good horse, and know ranching. I’m impressed.”
AJ’s grandfather used to wink at her when she accomplished something good, like the first time she broke a horse. She smiled at Jed, genuinely liking him.
Jed sighed. “I feel much better. But we are still stuck here.” He sat over on the old, worn sofa. “I found another bedroom back there; do you mind staying here for the night?”
AJ walked over to the coffee table and pulled the drawer open. There was an old deck of cards. “How are you at rummy?” AJ looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, girl, you have no idea.” He laughed.
Chapter 13
Stet had tried calling the Style Magazine offices several times over the last couple days, but the secretary would not divulge where Abby was. He tried every way he could think of to get her cell number, but Ruth, who he now knew by name, was not giving away anything.
“Could you at least tell me if she is in town?” Stet persisted.
“That is exactly what I am not supposed to tell anyone, Mr. Strasburg,” she countered.
“Do you have any idea when she will return, then?” Stet was pacing in his office.
“Sorry, sir.”
Stet was getting very worried about Abby and her business. He knew Morgan could be treacherous if he wanted to be, and he had friends. If they saw him making a rush for Style’s stock, they would jump on board. He needed to be able to purchase enough of the stock to stop him. He’d decided not to talk to Abby about what might happen. He would handle this for her—the less she had to do with Morgan the better.
There were several things Morgan could do to hurt her. He could buy up a ton of stock and then dump it, causing the price to drop and potentially causing a run of dumping the stock. He could try to buy enough shares to get a seat on the board and then work to push Abby out. Most small stock owners did not vote, so if you had thirty to forty percent of the stock, you had a lot of voting power. Either way, Stet just needed to buy more than Morgan and hold.
In the meantime, he was making a supreme effort to keep Sherrie happy, hoping Morgan would give up his plans. He’d almost lost it last evening with her complaining about everything and everyone. She was particularly nasty about Abby and Style Magazine. He’d finally said, “You have a Style magazine on your coffee table. Your friends use it to shop for gala events. You must like it.”
“It’s that AJ Bianchi. I saw her in her true form—a hick! Bianchi is probably a fake name so designers will take her seriously. Did you see what she was wearing around that stinky farm? It was deplorable.” Sherrie continued her tirade as Stet’s focus drifted.
He remembered pulling Abby out of the lake, how her clothes had clung to her in all the right places. It had been all he could do to keep himself from pulling her into his arms. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, and she’d noticed and flushed. He hadn’t laughed so hard in years.
“Stet, you are bright red. What are you thinking about?” Sherrie demanded.
He shook his head. “It’s hot in here. I better get going; your father has an early morning meeting before the stock market opens tomorrow.”
“When am I going to see you again?”
Stet walked to the door. “I’ll call tomorrow.” He slipped out the door and down the elevator of her apartment building. Sherrie’s dad had purchased the whole floor below his penthouse apartment for Sherrie.
Stet couldn’t imagine how horrible it would be to marry into that family. If anything went wrong, she would go running to daddy, and eventually her husband would have to abide by her wishes just to keep the peace. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to see Rob in that position. He could retire on Sherrie’s wealth, but marrying this woman would probably be the hardest work he ever did.
Stet answered his phone; it was Jared. “Hey, Jared, long time no talk.”
“Stet, I just grabbed a cab. Can I stop by on my way home?”
A taxi pulled up to the curb and Stet jumped in. “Where are you? I just grabbed a taxi. Want to meet at that restaurant downtown, next to the Times?”
They met up and caught up while they enjoyed a light dinner.
“Are you still interested in Abby from the Rio Lago Ranch?”
“I can’t stop thinking about her. But I’m not interested in moving to the country, and she made it pretty clear that is where she is going to end up.” Stet called the waiter over for another Coke.”So, why did you want to meet up?”
“You know that jerk, Rob, who we put up with in college? I ran into him the other day, and he says he and Abby are planning to get married. He went on and on about it and said they had not announced their engagement yet so no one knew except a few close friends.” He stopped and took a drink, looking at Stet. “I think it’s another one of his lies. Apparently, she’s his retirement plan he used to brag about. Anyway, I wanted to check it out with you.”
It was probably a lie. But, since the Met benefit, he had been googling Style Magazine. Apparently Rob’s photographers did a lot of work with the magazine, and Rob did work with Abby a lot. But, still, he couldn’t believe she could tolerate someone like Rob. It made him sick, actually. “If she would marry someone like him, then she is not the person I think she is,” Stet declared.
Jared ate the last of his shrimp, dipping it in the butter sauce. “I saw you out with Sherrie again. I couldn’t believe it after hearing how much you dislike her. What’s up there?”
Stet made a sour face as he drank his Coke. ”It’s a long story. I’m trying to keep several balls in the air at once.”
“I’ve been hearing some bad stuff about her father and his business. You really don’t want to get hooked up with that family.”
“I am just trying to keep her dad happy until I can leave the firm.”
Jared gave the waitress his credit card. “How is that deal going for your grandfather?”
“Great! I’m almost finished. I’m about ready to start my own firm—something I should have done years ago. How would you like to go in on it with me?”
Jared laughed and patted Stet on the shoulder. “I have been looking for something to do with my inheritance funds. We’ll have to talk about it.”
Stet’s phone rang. It was his grandfather. “Hey, Grandpa, what’s up?”
“Oh, I’m sitting here with a beautiful woman, playing rummy.” He laughed. “If you saw her, you would envy me. Besides your grandmother, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And she has a heart of gold.”
Stet laughed. “What? Grandpa, are you getting married?”
Jed laughed even harder. “No, this angel is your age, son.”
Stet shook his head, not even trying to understand. “I should have that deal done in a couple weeks. I tried to call you at home yesterday.” Stet had been concerned when he hadn’t been able to reach him. “Where are you?”
Stet stood up and started pacing near the table.
“I’m at the ranch near Cody, don’t you worry. And great work—I really appreciate everything you’re doing. Diversifying will be great for the business. Remember, if you change your mind about ranching, this will all be yours one day.”
Stet sighed. He knew his rejection of ranching crushed his grandpa. It was like rejecting his life’s work.
“I know, Grandpa. It’s a wonderful legacy. Did I tell you I just spent a week at a dude ranch? I found an angel of my own there. I don’t think anything will come of it, but it’s the first time I’ve thought about settling down.”
“That’s good to hear.” Stet could hear the smile in his voice. “But I would challenge you to find a woman as gorgeous as the one sitting on the sofa with me right now. She’s a neighbor, and we got rained in together. She reminds me a bit of your mother.”
Stetson sat back down, smiling. His grandpa was such a character.
“Do I need to get out there to save you from money-grubbing neighbors?” Stet hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but he
was on the defensive when talking to his grandfather. There was always that question hanging in the air of whether he was coming back to the ranch.
“She just stepped into the kitchen, so I’ll tell you this woman has money of her own, son. She outbid me for her property by a million. I figured if she wanted it that bad, she could have it. It’s a beautiful property, though. I thought you might want to build up there sometime yourself.” They said their goodbyes, and Stet hung up.
He had to laugh. His grandfather really was a great man. Most men these days would be planning to take advantage of a situation like that, but that woman was with a true gentleman. He thought of Abby and her comments about the gentlemen living in Texas. “Well, they have them in Wyoming too.”
“Have what?” Jared asked.
“Oh, Grandpa got rained in with a neighbor who he says is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, besides my grandmother.” Stet replied.
“Sounds like he’s having a great time, then. Your grandpa is a great judge of character and beauty. I wouldn’t discount anything he says in those departments.” Jared stood up to leave. “Let me know about starting our own brokerage. Life is short, and it would be more fun to work with people I respect and enjoy.”
Stet and Jared hailed cabs outside the restaurant and headed home. On the ride home, Stet couldn’t stop thinking about Abby. She was feisty. And, even though she gave him a hard time the first few times they’d run into each other, he’d been immediately attracted to her. He remembered the anger in her eyes when she’d pulled him into the lake with her. He laughed. He couldn’t deny he felt complete around her—that was the best way to describe it, complete. Could he live in the country? What if his new company was located somewhere close to the country? That might be a possibility.
***
Jed won nearly every game they played. “AJ, you wouldn’t be letting me win these games, now would you?”
Her Billionaire Cowboy Page 6