A Love of Her Own (21 page)

Jane stammered, “No, I haven’t.”

“But you told me—” April frowned as Wes interrupted her.

“I thought so . . . Jane, you have to do as I tell you, understand?” Wes studied her face.

“I will. Honest.” Jane placed her right hand over her heart, grinning at Wes.

“Then I have just the horse for you. I’ll go get her and we’ll be all set.” He stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

April waited until he was out of earshot before she spoke. “Jane, why did you tell me you’d ridden horses?”

“Because I felt like it,” Jane said with irritation in her voice. She pulled the blanket off her legs and draped it over the wheelchair in readiness to be lifted.

April knew what she wanted to say but didn’t reply. Besides, she’d promised God she would watch her words.

Wes came back leading a beautiful mare. “This is Cinnamon. She’s ’bout the gentlest mare around and will do whatever you tell her to do just by the touch of your knee or a gentle tug of the reins.” He led the mare into the corral while April pushed Jane’s wheelchair inside and stopped next to the horse.

“She sure is pretty! I hope she likes me,” Jane whispered to April anxiously.

“I’m sure she will.” April patted Jane’s shoulder.

“Okay, ladies. April, I’ll pick Jane up if you’ll go around to Cinnamon’s other side and put Jane’s leg over the saddle, then put her feet in the stirrups.”

April could feel Jane’s shoulder tense underneath her hand. “You’re going to be fine. See how still she stands waiting for you?” Jane bobbed her blonde curls in response with a nervous look. April knew that a horse seemed very powerful and big when one encountered it for the first time, and Cinnamon was
big
. April might have chosen a smaller horse to start with.

Wes scooped Jane up into his arms and carried her to the mare, and April guided her leg over to the other side of the saddle.

“How’s it feel?” Wes stood with his hands on his hips.

“Gosh . . . like I’m way up high.”

“Are you scared?” April asked, looking up at Jane.

“A little.” Her voice shook.

“Well, don’t be. I’ll keep hold of the reins and lead you around the corral,” Wes said.

“Hold on to the saddle horn, Jane.” April handed Wes the reins.

“What’s a saddle horn?” Jane looked down at Wes.

“It’s what we call the point sticking up on the saddle.”

Jane put both hands around the saddle horn and held tightly. April climbed up onto the top rung of the fence and watched as Wes led the mare in a walk around the dusty corral. When Cinnamon tossed her mane with a snort, it made Jane jump and nearly lose her seat, but Wes was right there to guide Cinnamon and reassured Jane that her movements were normal for a horse. A couple of times around the ring and Jane was smiling.

“May I hold the reins now?”

“If you want to. When you want to stop, just pull back slightly. If you want to go left or right, since you have no feeling in your legs, just give a tug with the rein in the direction you want to go. That’s all there is to it.” Wes handed her the reins.

“Will I ever be able to ride like April?” Jane’s eyes were shining like a starlit night.

“Could be, but we may have to tie your legs in place somehow. We’ll think about it.” Wes rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Not wanting to leave Jane by herself, Wes walked alongside the horse. April watched the pair from her perch on the fence. She was impressed that Wes showed so much patience with Jane. He was a calming presence, and his long fingers gently guided Jane’s on how to hold the reins. April also noticed how his jeans hugged his backside and long lean legs and were tucked into his black leather boots. His plaid shirt brought out the green flecks in his eyes, and as he neared her, April decided that no man should have lashes that long.

“Look, April,” Jane yelled, “I’m riding by myself!” Jane’s face was glowing with delight, and April was glad to see how much difference there was from the girl’s previously sullen countenance.

April clapped her hands. “I knew you’d love it! Would you like me to take a walk alongside Jane for a bit, Wes?”

“No, I’d rather be right here since Cinnamon knows me.” Wes paused and glanced over at April.

His look said he was pleased to be doing exactly what he was for now, and he gave her a small smile. “In a while we’ll stop and have some huckleberry pie.”

“Pie? Yum!” Jane smacked her lips as she came close to where April sat. She tested her ability to stop the mare. Cinnamon obeyed and Wes stopped too, standing close enough to touch April’s leg.

April reached out to give the horse a loving pat on her withers. “Don’t you just love being on a horse’s back?”

“I don’t know about love, but I do like being way up here,” she answered. “Cinnamon is huge. I could get used to doing this every day.”

“Wait until you learn to let her trot, then it becomes more fun. But you’ll have to feel really confident in the saddle for that to happen.” Wes pushed back his hat to see the little girl better.

“Do you mean we can do this again?” Jane’s eyes were wide with delight.

“I think that can be arranged. Maybe April can help us out again,” Wes said as he curved a look at April.

April shrugged. “I have nothing else to do until my brother arrives, although I don’t see that I’m much help to you.”

“’Course you’re helping. We need your help, don’t we, Jane?” Jane gave April a sweet smile. “Yes, because I’d like to learn to ride like her. Billy told me all about you.”

“He did, did he?” April laughed. “Who knows, if you learn to ride well enough, I might let Billy ride Sassy with you and Cinnamon, if that’s okay with Wes.”

“Fine by me. Now go ahead and have a few more laps around and then we’ll have that huckleberry pie.”

Jane was only too happy to comply but didn’t know how to get the mare moving, so April told her to make a clicking sound with her tongue or say “giddyap.”

When the girl was out of earshot, April looked down at Wes. His shirt was open at the throat and his neck was tanned from long hours outdoors. When he smiled, she noticed that he had a slightly crooked tooth, but his lips were nice with a natural lift at the corners. She wondered if he’d ever kissed Natalie. It had been a long, long time since April had been kissed by Luke, and she found herself wanting to feel the taste of Wes’s lips against hers.
Am I crazy? He’s
just an average horse trainer. He owns a few measly unkempt acres,
and I’ll inherit a ten-thousand-acre ranch. He doesn’t have any family.
I have a father to answer to.
These thoughts jumbled her mind and she couldn’t think straight, especially with Wes standing so close.

“So, did you bake the pie yourself?” April asked.

“I did. Picked the huckleberries myself. Here, let me help you down,” he said, reaching for her. April slid down off the fence rail, his hands supporting her at the waist until she was touching him leg to leg. They were so close she could smell his soap and see his mouth twitch.

Wes backed away, turning to look at Jane on the other side of the corral. “One more circle and then we’ll stop for today, Jane.”

Jane made a face at him, and Wes just laughed. April stood next to him with sweaty palms, her heart thudding hard against her ribs. Was it just the September sun that made her feel so warm?

Wes ushered April and Jane into his sparse home and took them to the small kitchen. He knew his home was not like either of theirs, but it really didn’t matter to him. Material things didn’t impress him much. Still, he could see the disappointment in April’s eyes after they entered the house. As long as he was comfortable, had food and shelter and his horses, he felt like life was good. It wouldn’t hurt to have someone to share his life, but it would have to be a compromise. He always wondered why women wanted doodads and knickknacks in the first place. They were just another thing to keep track of.

He pushed Jane up to the kitchen table, still littered with a couple of plates and a glass from lunch. “I was just about to clean this up when you gals arrived,” Wes said, hurriedly picking up the plates and carrying them to the sink.

“Do you live alone?” Jane twisted in her chair to see him.

“Yep. My pa’s been gone now for about four years,” Wes answered as he placed a pie on the table.

“It must get pretty lonely here, then.” April stood next to the table. “May I help with anything?”

“Nope. You just sit there and act like company while I dish up the pie. I make good huckleberry pie and picked these berries just yesterday,” he bragged. He cut three slices and placed them on old rose china plates. “I’ll take the chipped plate. You gals get the nice ones.”

Jane giggled. “You’re funny, Wes.”

He looked at April, who was a little quieter than normal as she took her fork and tasted the pie. He waited for her reaction while she chewed.

“Wes . . . your skill as a cook surprises me.” April licked a crumb from the side of her mouth. “A horse trainer who can cook. Now there’s a story for you. I wonder what other skills you have hidden.” Her blue eyes seem to flirt, and Wes’s heart thumped. He swallowed hard.

“I’m a man of many talents, but I try not to show off too much,” he replied. Her nearness earlier at the corral had made his hands shake, but he pretended she had no effect on him now as her gaze flittered back to him across the table.

Jane finished off her pie. “I can’t wait to tell Mother what a delicious treat we had. I love huckleberries.”

Wes shuffled toward the sink with his empty plate, his spurs jingling, then walked to the cupboard to take out a jar. “Here, Jane. Take this jelly home for your breakfast. It’s my mother’s special recipe. It’s mighty fine on hot buttered biscuits.”

April rose and took the other dirty plates to the sink. Wes liked the way she looked in her jeans, but he’d liked the soft feminine side of her in the calico dress too. Not to mention the beautiful gown she’d worn to Josh’s wedding. His throat went dry just remembering how she’d looked that night with her shoulders bare. But maybe it was the pie that made his throat dry.

“Would you ladies care for some water now? I’ll go draw some cold water from the well.” He walked back to the cupboard to retrieve the glasses. As he reached to open the cupboard door, his hand brushed against April’s. Wes felt a sudden rush of heat. “Sorry.”

“Excuse me, but . . . er . . . Wes, I need the necessary room.” Jane looked around.

“All I have is the outhouse, Jane. Maybe April could help you.” Wes felt the heat rising in his face. He sure didn’t want to offer her the slop jar in his bedroom.

“Not a problem,” April said, grabbing hold of the arms of Jane’s chair. Wes led the way back outside.

“April, I’ll pick her up if you’ll just push her chair down the back steps.” He reached down and picked Jane up. “Girl, you’re light as a feather.”

Once they got Jane to the outhouse and opened the door, Wes sat her inside. When Jane told them she could take care of the rest, he was relieved.

“Give us a yell when you need us, Jane,” April said. She followed Wes to the well. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking about dealing with that aspect.”

Wes wanted to change the subject. “I thought Jane did all right on her first lesson. What’d you think?” They’d reached the well and he dropped the bucket down, then let his eyes travel to April’s.

“She seemed like a natural and caught on very quickly. You were very gentle and calm with her. Another side of you I hadn’t seen,” April replied, pushing the hair back from her brow.

Wes pulled the bucket back up and handed her the dipper and a cup that sat next to the rim of the well. “Thank you. It’s what I enjoy most—being outside doing what I love to do.” His eyes swept over her, and her eyes skittered away as she brought the cup to her lips.

April drank the entire cup in one gulp, then handed it back to him. Wes wished his own thirst could be so easily satisfied.

“I guess I’d better go see if I can talk Sassy into coming back with me,” she said, looking at the pasture.

“I’ll walk with you. It looks to me like the horses are at the farthest end of the pasture with the other horses. But do you think Jane will be all right by herself?”

April gave him a half smile. “She’ll be fine. A minute or two will teach her patience.”

As they walked with the sun beating down on their backs, Wes resisted the urge to hold her hand. A gentle breeze floated through the cottonwoods and rippled past through the high grassy meadow. When a jackrabbit hopped across April’s foot and ran away in the tall grass, she grabbed Wes’s hand and gave a nervous giggle. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

They were nearly under a tall shade tree, and he pulled her out of the sun, still holding her hand. “It’s cool under here.”

“I’m not complaining. It’s a lovely day,” she said, her gaze searching his.

Wes’s gaze bore through her. “It is now with you here,” he said hoarsely, watching her face flush. She lowered her eyes, and he noticed how long her lashes were. Her small nose had a little tilt to it that he thought was charming, and when she smiled, a dimple formed near her mouth. Wes couldn’t resist the urge to touch it and ran his thumb across the side of her face. He couldn’t tell if she was shocked or pleased from the look she gave him, but she didn’t let go of his hand.