A Rancher for Their Mom (Rodeo Heroes) (12 page)

“Did I interrupt something?”

With her emotions still whirling, April wasn’t going to admit anything. “The boys wanted to help Joel with Spice and we thought it would be a good lesson for them to see how Joel cared for his horse, so the boys stayed and helped him. He brought them home.”

“We?”

“Kelly, you really do need to scale back this romance stuff. Joel just brought the boys home, and I fed the man since he doesn’t eat before he competes.”

“You fed him?”

April wanted to kick herself for making so sloppy a move. “It was leftovers, Kelly, which I fed to a hungry man.” Each word made things worse. “What else could I do?”

“You’re not hearing any criticism from me. I’m just glad that you took my advice.”

April took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “I enjoyed myself.”

“Good.”

“But the rodeo leaves Monday morning, and he’ll leave with it.”

“That’s your problem, friend. You’re too practical for your own good.”

“I know. But the last time I went with only emotions, it didn’t work out too well.”

“Shame on you, April. You’ve got three wonderful children, had great in-laws and a family ranch handed down through multiple generations. So what if your husband was— Uh, well, okay, I’m stopping.”

April couldn’t blame her friend. “I struggle with it, too.”

After saying goodbye, April walked out onto the porch and looked into the sky. Kelly’s suggestion to enjoy herself had been good, but when those fantasy times came to an end, she and her children would have to face a reality without Joel.

Could she steal one more day before facing that truth? Could she give the kids a few last hours to enjoy this fantasy?

It was only one day. Surely that couldn’t hurt. Could it?

* * *

Joel nearly ran off the road a couple of times driving back to the auditorium trying to sort out his feelings for April and what had transpired between them. He was getting way too involved with April and her children, but it just felt
so
right, as though he belonged with them.

The boys accepted his direction and eagerly sought it. Cora wanted him to hold her every time he was around her, making him feel ten feet tall.

But it was their mama who tied him up in knots.

He didn’t know what to do. When he looked into April’s eyes, he saw a different future than he’d imagined, which should’ve scared him. But it didn’t. He could see a family with April, her kids and more babies. Theirs.

He needed to chew on that idea.

Parking the truck beside his horse trailer, Joel just sat in the truck, thinking.

He’d had his life mapped out. Suddenly another road had appeared before him and it didn’t lead where he wanted it to go. Slipping out of his truck, he walked to his trailer and leaned against it.

“Congratulations, Joel, on your scores today,” Millie called out. Her husband, Mike, walked beside her as they moved to their trailer. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just thinking.”

“On what?” Mike asked.

Millie elbowed him.

“What?”

“Men. How are those little cowboys doing? Have they been practicing with their lariats?”

Joel knew Millie had read him perfectly. He opened his mouth to talk but looked at Mike, who appeared clueless and uninterested. Millie mothered all the cowboys and might understand.

Turning to her husband, she said, “Why don’t you go get yourself some of that sop cake I made the other day?”

Mike eyed Joel, then his wife, then turned and walked to their trailer.

“So what’s up?”

“A lot of confusion, that’s what.”

“They’re a ready-made family, aren’t they?”

Joel opened the door to the front compartment of the horse trailer, pulled out the camp chair and set it out for Millie. He parked himself on the trailer stairs.

“I wasn’t looking for a ready-made family, Millie. My goal was simply to finish my dream. I’m closer than ever.”

“True, and with the scores you got tonight, you’re moving in the right direction.”

The words were all the right ones, but the tone sounded as though Millie smelled something rotten. Resting his elbows on his knees, Joel shook his head. “Now tell me what you think and not what you think I want to hear.”

He raised his head and studied her.

“Are you ready for the truth?”

Pulling his shoulders back, he sat up. “I asked you, Millie.”

“But are you ready to hear it?”

“I am.”

“God sends us what we need. He also sends us precious gifts. That woman and her babies are a rare gift to treasure for a lifetime. Tell me who won the bareback-riding belt buckle in 1995. And if you know, how does it change your life? What benefit is it to you? To others?”

“But this dream was snatched away once before.”

Millie tipped her head and looked at him with one eye. “What price did you pay before? And what price would you pay this time? And is it worth it?” She stood. “You got some serious thinkin’ to do, Joel Kaye.”

She’d pulled no punches, but that was what he wanted.

“Thanks, Millie. I needed someone who didn’t have a dog in this hunt.”

She arched her eyebrow. “We’ll see.” Now he needed to do some serious thinking, and consider Millie’s advice and make some decisions.

And prayer wouldn’t hurt, either.

Chapter Twelve

A
pril and the children arrived at the venue a little after eight o’clock the next morning. She parked close to Joel’s truck and trailer.

The boys had wanted to leave at seven this morning before doing any chores, saying that Joel had invited them for breakfast. She’d made them help with chores before she gave each child a glass of milk to drink. She’d had coffee.

“I don’t think Joel was talking about this early.”

Wes stopped, turned and held out his hand, striking a pose. “Mom, the cowboys had to feed the stock.”

Having her words given back to her made April smile. Apparently, her lessons and seeing Joel work had sunk in.

The boys hurried to the concession area. The voices of the cowboys drifted toward them. When they rounded the corner, the boys burst into a run.

“Hey, Mr. Joel, we’re here,” Todd called out.

In the concession area sat several cowboys. Joel was at the table with Millie and Mike, coffee mugs in their hands.

“Look who we have here,” Millie said. “Are you boys here to help with the rodeo chores or compete?”

Todd stopped. “No, I’m here to eat breakfast with Mr. Joel.” Todd turned to Joel. “Isn’t that true?”

“It is.”

“I tried feeding them something at home, but they insisted on eating here,” April explained. “I would’ve had more success holding back a dust storm than changing their minds.”

Millie patted the place beside her and smiled at Cora. “Would you like to sit between me and Joel?”

Cora nodded and Joel picked her up, settling her between Millie and himself. Millie’s eyebrow arched, making April wonder what was going on between Millie and Joel.

Hank appeared quickly with eggs, potatoes and biscuits for the new arrivals.

“I’m glad y’all showed up to begin the day with me.” Joel settled back with his coffee and watched the others eat. His gaze rested on April, making her want to smile and laugh. Giddiness bubbled out of her no matter how much she told herself she was way past the age of playing adolescent games.

“Good morning,” a tall man called out.

“Reverend Newman,” several people greeted.

“Am I in time for breakfast?”

“We just got here,” Wes answered. “And Hank brought us breakfast. He’ll get you breakfast, too.”

“Good to hear,” the man answered.

Hank appeared with a coffeepot. “Have you eaten, Charlie?”

“Nope, I wanted to feast on some of your cowboy eggs and biscuits. And drink your coffee. I think you are the envy of all the other rodeos. They credit you with the best coffee going.”

Hank cocked his head and his eye squinted. “You’re not just pulling my leg, are you?”

“Hank, you’re talking to a preacher. I tell the truth.”

“Well, I’ll be.” Hank smiled. “One cowboy special coming up.”

“Are you a real minister?” Todd asked.

April’s eyes widened. “Son.”

Charlie laughed. “I am a real preacher. You should come attend the cowboy church tomorrow morning and hear for yourself.”

Both boys turned to her. “Can we, Mom? Please?”

“I’ve heard about your ministry from Joel. He says he attends the service when you’re at the rodeo. That true?”

“Yes, ma’am, it’s true. I can count on Joel to be there.”

“Well, I’d like to try it out. But if my pastor questions us as to where we were, I’ll have him call you.”

Charlie laughed. “I’d be happy to vouch for you.”

April listened to the group gathered in the snack area. The good-natured teasing and talking about the day’s events warmed her heart.

As Millie and Mike stood to leave, Wes scrambled out from his place at the table.

“Miss Millie,” Wes called out.

She stopped and Wes reached into his pocket and pulled out his five dollars.

“Here’s the money for my lariat.” He held up his money.

Todd hurried to stand beside his brother and reached into his pocket for his money. “I have mine, too.”

Millie glanced at April, then back at the boys. Wes’s payment was in bills. Todd had a plastic lunch bag filled with coins and bills. He proudly handed his payment to her. “Thank you.”

The people who were left in the concession area stopped talking and watched the little drama unfold.

With smiles and their heads held high, Wes and Todd returned to their breakfasts.

“I’m glad you remembered,” April told the boys. “I’m proud of you.”

“I forgot yesterday, but I wanted to pay Miss Millie,” Wes explained.

Joel winked at her. “Nice job.”

His encouragement made her proud that her boys had learned the lessons she’d been trying to teach them.

* * *

As the morning wore on, her kids followed Joel like little ducks following their mother. He introduced them to everyone in the rodeo who hadn’t already met the kids.

About ten-thirty, as the boys took another lesson in throwing a lariat, Cora lay down on a bale of hay and fell asleep.

Joel nodded to the little girl. “Let me put her in my trailer, which I think she’ll find more comfortable than that prickly bale of hay.” He didn’t wait for April to okay it, but scooped up Cora and walked to his trailer. He nodded toward the door. “Want to open that for me?”

April complied and Joel laid Cora on his bed. The clean compartment didn’t surprise April. Cora clutched her horsey in her arms as she curled into a ball.

“I’m worried if she wakes up in a strange place, she’ll panic.”

“No problem.” Joel pushed the door open until it clicked into place. “This way when she wakes, she can see outside. If you put your chair in her line of sight, there won’t be a problem.”

The man seemed to have an answer for everything. She didn’t have to worry. It was such an unusual experience for April that she didn’t know how to act.

“While Cora’s napping, I’ll keep the boys busy.”

His offer made her smile. “Thank you.”

The boys quickly disappeared, leaving April in a unique situation with nothing to do.

“Those boys of yours are a dynamic duo,” Millie said, walking toward April.

“I didn’t know they wanted to be cowboys so bad.”

Millie nodded toward a chair by the next trailer. “Mind if I sit with you?”

“Please do.”

Millie pulled the chair close and settled in it, saying nothing.

“I want to thank you for giving Cora the stuffed horse. That horse is with her at all times.”

“My granddaughters like it, and your little one had that same look in her eye that my granddaughters had.”

“Where do they live?” April asked.

“Santa Fe. My son there works for the city, bringing in more visitors and business. I only get to see them when the rodeo is in New Mexico.”

“So you raised a son who wasn’t a cowboy?”

It looked as if April had pinched the older woman. “No, he and his brother are cowboys, raised in the culture. Our daughter does barrel racing. We lived in a small city south of Santa Fe. My husband owned an auto shop and worked on all the cowboys’ trucks and rodeo vehicles. One day a vendor came to the shop to have his truck worked on. He wanted to retire. Mike bought his business, and we sold the auto shop.” She shrugged. “It’s been fun.”

April didn’t understand the woman’s attitude. “Doesn’t the constant moving wear on you?”

“No. We stayed in the same place to raise our kids, so they were all grown when we changed our lives. Doing this job seemed like an adventure. During the summer, our granddaughters travel with us and have the time of their lives.”

April couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

“I take it you don’t want to travel.”

“It’s the last thing on my mind.”

“It takes a certain kind of person. But I think if I’d done this when my boys were young, it would’ve been harder with their schooling and them having friends. I know Joel had a time of adjustment when he first came on the circuit. He isn’t like the young’uns who want to party and brag.”

“You mean he isn’t serious about winning that belt buckle?” Maybe there was hope.

“No, that isn’t what I said. That man’s dead serious about his competition. The championship belt is important to all these cowboys, but they play on the way. Joel is single-minded. I know he was on the circuit when he was young. This time, it’s almost like he knows this is his last chance and he’s not going to miss it.”

“I see.”

Millie looked in the trailer. “I’m glad your little one likes that horse I gave her.”

“She hasn’t let it out of her sight. At bath time, the horse has to watch from the counter. If Cora had her way, he would’ve taken a bath with her.”

“Good.”

“And the boys have practiced with their lariats every moment they can. We’ve gone to trying to rope each other.”

Millie laughed. “You’ve got boys. What else can you expect?”

Seeing her boys through Millie’s eyes made her smile. It also made her realize how they’d come to life after Joel showed up at their ranch. “Good point.”

Joel had brought them all a renewal.

Millie continued to chat, but April’s mind concentrated on how Joel had changed them all for the better.

* * *

The morning passed in a whirlwind of activity. Joel made sure the boys talked to the cowboys who specialized in various events, telling them what was required. They also shared how they’d gotten into rodeo. Amazingly enough, every man encouraged the boys to finish school and try college, much to April’s obvious surprise, judging by her face. She and Cora joined the groups after Cora finished a short nap.

“Several colleges offer rodeo scholarships. And those colleges also offer courses in animal husbandry, crop rotation and farm and ranch management,” Ty Newsome said. “That’s what I’m going for.”

Joel stepped behind April. Her fragrance—vanilla—made him lose track of what he wanted to say.

Glancing over her shoulder, she frowned.

“Makes you see the guys in a different light, doesn’t it?” he whispered. He nodded toward the cowboys gathered around her boys.

“Yes, but if you’re going to be on the circuit, you have to travel, and not stay in one place and develop roots.”

“True.”

“And what of their families and loved ones who are waiting back home?”

“What about the four years an average student is away from home to get a college degree?” he replied.

She frowned and turned back to listen to Ty talk to the boys.

Those young minds didn’t run out of questions.

After about twenty minutes, Cora tugged on April’s jeans. “Go see horsey lady.”

“Apparently Cora’s not interested in the finer points of bull riding. We’ll be with Millie.”

Joel watched her and Cora make their way to the souvenir stand. He could understand her objection to the traveling, moving one place to another. It had taken him some getting used to, but couldn’t she see the short-term discomfort for a long-term goal?

Had she been that burned by her husband being away? Could she accept a man who traveled?

After the last cowboy finished, the boys and Joel walked to the holding pen housing the calves for the calf scramble.

“I did this event last year,” Wes informed him.

An idea formed in Joel’s head. “Todd, have you done the calf scramble?”

“No, but Opa said I could probably do it this year.”

“Why don’t you stay here with Ty? I’ll be back in a moment.”

Joel went in search of April and found her talking to Kelly at the souvenir stand.

“So how’s your husband feeling about having to buy all new baby things since you got rid of everything after your youngest outgrew them?” April asked.

Joel paused. He didn’t want to barge into the conversation.

“He’s a little shell-shocked still, but the things we have to get cost less than the new tractor he wants, so he’s okay with it. Really, he’s getting excited.”

Joel cleared his throat.

“I guess you overheard,” Kelly said.

“I did. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Kelly’s eyes widened, then she rushed off to the ladies’ room.

“Is she all right?” Joel asked.

April shook her head. “Looks like she has a case of morning sickness.”

“It’s eleven.” Joel frowned.

“Babies don’t tell time, as you should well know, dealing with foals and calves, puppies and kittens.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. He didn’t want to cause a scene if April refused to allow the boys to participate. “Would you object if your kids entered the calf scramble?”

“Both boys?”

“According to Todd, their grandfather thought he would be able to do it this year.”

“Do you think he could do it?”

“Yes. I don’t know if either boy would catch the calf, but they’d have fun trying.”

“They aren’t registered.”

“I can take care of that,” he reassured her.

“But—”

“Let your boys try it and have some fun,” Millie said.

Both Joel and April turned to Millie.

“You’re both terrible at whispering.” She grinned. “And my hearing is exceptional.”

“I’m being ganged up on here,” April complained. After a moment, she nodded.

Joel brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Your boys are up next.” He took two steps and stopped. “They’ll have helmets.”

As he rushed back, he saw Millie grin and say something to April, which made her smile.

What was going on there?

* * *

The balance of the day seemed like a wonderful dream. Neither boy won the calf scramble, but their laughter and joy made them both winners.

Joel added points to his two event totals, and the boys yelled so much for Joel that they lost their voices and only could whisper by the end of the evening.

As they left the auditorium, April carried a sleepy Cora, while Joel carried a tuckered-out Todd. All her children’s energy levels registered empty.

“Can I go in Joel’s truck?” Wes asked.

April stopped and turned to Joel. He didn’t offer an opinion or objection as much as he wanted to. He wanted to know if she’d welcome him after the closeness they’d experienced last night and their day together.

“Joel would have to drive out to the ranch, and he’s tired, too, son.”

“I don’t mind.” He wanted to spend more time with the kids.