A Rancher for Their Mom (Rodeo Heroes) (6 page)

She couldn’t blame Joel. He was the innocent victim in this scenario. He’d seen a need and worked to fill it. No one had to point out the situation. And Joel seemed to enjoy spending time with the boys, unlike their father, who had found excuses not to be with them.

Her children were crazy about Joel, and he actually got her to have some fun, too. It was all good, but what would happen when the rodeo moved on to the next city? How would the boys survive his loss? Cora? Her?

Joel wasn’t trying to worm his way into their lives, but he had.

Benefit versus cost. What to do? She’d already dealt with a man who had a wandering gene. She could pay the cost again, but could her babies? Would it be better for them all to pay the price of losing him, rather than never to have known the joy he brought to their lives?

She didn’t have an answer.

* * *

Joel walked by the horse trailer he called home since he had gone back on the circuit. The trailer belonged to his good friend and now brother-in-law, Caleb Jensen. After Caleb’s marriage to Joel’s sister, Brenda, the couple had encouraged Joel to pursue his dream of getting the championship belt buckle. They’d even insisted Joel use Caleb’s horse trailer. For twelve long years it had been Joel’s dream to finish out a year on the circuit, working toward that belt buckle.

After he graduated from high school, he’d wanted to follow the circuit for a year to get enough money so he could buy his own ranch, but after his high-school girlfriend and fiancée betrayed him with another man, Joel buried himself in the competition, and soon that drive transformed itself into the goal of winning a championship belt buckle. He’d been one of the top two contenders when his parents were killed in a car accident on New Year’s Eve. He drove home the next day. He’d never regretted leaving the rodeo, but now he’d been given a second chance. He didn’t intend to squander his opportunity.

Joel stopped by the corral where his horse, Spice, a dapple gray, made her way to the fence, butting his hand, wanting to be petted.

“You miss me?”

Spice lipped the sleeve of his shirt.

“I don’t have anything. Sorry.”

Spice butted her muzzle against his hand.

“Well, girl, what do you think of spending some time out in a pasture grazing in a field, getting to know a couple of little cowboys and their horses? You’ll enjoy yourself. Maybe see how I used to live on my family’s ranch. Who knows, you might like it and I’d have a hard time getting you back.”

When those boys hired him, it had resonated in his heart. Helping with the ranch work would make him feel useful. And able to give April and her family some relief. He knew he couldn’t walk away.

Spice turned and trotted back to the other side of the corral, mingling with the other horses.

“Those are quite some eager cowboys you brought here this afternoon,” Jack commented, coming to a stop by Joel.

“You remember when you saw the world with those innocent eyes?”

“Barely.” Jack shook his head.

“It’s been a while for me, too.”

“So, am I going to see you tomorrow, or you going to be out at the Landerses’ place?”

“The boys hired me to help plant those fields, but there’s work around the place that needs to be done that I doubt April can manage by herself.”

“April?”

Joel noted the smirk on Jack’s face. “You know what I mean.”

“Can’t help myself.”

Joel ignored the comment. “I’ll help at the ranch, since if I stayed here I’d have to look at your ugly mug. Out there, the scenery’s better.”

Throwing back his head, Jack laughed. “You got me there. If I was in your shoes, I’d want to look at the lady, too.”

Joel nodded. “If you need me for any reason, just call.”

“I doubt I’ll need you with all the other guys hanging around here doing nothing. I think you’ll be needed more out at the Landerses’ place.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Walking back to his trailer, Joel found himself eager to be back out at the ranch, which surprised him. Now the question he faced was, why was he so eager? Was it the ranch and the familiar work or the special lady and her children that he wanted to see?

Chapter Six

J
oel arrived at the Landerses’ ranch a little after seven. By the time he had his mare unloaded, the kitchen door had slammed several times and all three children stood on the porch, watching.

Todd wrapped his arms over the railing and stepped on the bottom crossbar to see better. “Why’d you bring a horse? You want to give us that horse?”

“No. I brought my horse, Spice, to give her some time to graze out in the field with Buckwheat and Sammie. She doesn’t get the chance just to walk around and eat grass and be fat and happy.”

Cora clutched her stuffed horse. “My horsey.” She pointed toward Spice. “You horsey?”

“You’re right, Miss Cora. This is my horse, and she’s going to visit you.” Joel led Spice toward the paddock where Sammie and Buckwheat grazed.

April stepped out of the house. “Breakfast should be ready in twenty minutes, which should give you and the boys time to feed the stock.”

“Aw, Mom,” Todd complained.

“Do you want to eat?” Joel asked.

“Yeah,” Wes answered.

“So do your horses and the rest of the animals, so don’t you think we should feed them, too?”

Todd folded his arms over his chest. “Why can’t the animals wait?”

“Well, does Sammie have hands to open the grain bags or the barrel where the feed is kept?”

“Of course not.” Todd giggled.

“But you do.”

The boys nodded.

“Then we can open bags, scoop out oats and care for the animals the good Lord has given us. And if I remember my Sunday school lessons right, the Lord put us in charge of the animals, so it’s your job to care for them, just like it’s your mom’s job to care for you boys till you get grown.”

Both Wes and Todd thought about what Joel said.

“Make sense?” Joel asked.

Todd nodded. “I remember something Opa said when it was snowing hard and bad outside. He said the good Lord gave him a job and it’s our responsibility to do it. I guess that’s what he was talking about.”

“Your opa was a wise man. So let’s finish our chores so the workers can eat, too.”

* * *

As April put the last of the sausage patties on the table, the boys walked inside.

“Oh, that smells great,” Joel said, stopping, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. When he surveyed the table, he smiled. “Blueberry pancakes?”

“With homemade blueberry syrup and fresh-churned butter,” April added. She felt silly touting the goodies set out for them to eat, but the words tumbled out of her mouth before she thought.

“Is that Mrs. Johnson’s butter?” Todd asked, looking at the crock, then back at his mother.

April flushed. “It is.”

“Is this a special occasion?”

“I thought Mr. Joel might like to taste some of Mrs. Johnson’s butter.”

“Yes.” Todd made a fist and brought his elbow down and to his side.

The boys started to sit when Joel shook his head. “Hand washing.”

The two tromped to the bathroom behind Joel without a single complaint and returned in record time.

“Then let’s sit down and eat while it’s warm.”

Wes started for the pancakes when April said, “Wes, you want to pray for our food?”

“Lord, thank You for the good food Mama cooked and the extra special stuff she set for breakfast this morning. And thanks for Mr. Joel to help us. Amen.”

“Amen,” April whispered. Lifting her head, she saw the strong, handsome cowboy who took her breath away sitting across the table. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, because no one like Joel, a man in his mid-thirties whom her children adored and who spent the time to teach them, had ever sat there before. Their father never had. Sure, their grandparents tried, but it didn’t make up for their father ignoring them.

Not only did Joel connect with her kids, but he made her dream crazy dreams like the happily-ever-after kind of dream.

“Mom, I need some butter,” Wes announced, breaking into her silly thoughts.

April held up the crock. “And we say—”

“Please.”

She spent the next several minutes helping Cora fix her pancakes. When April checked to see if Todd had managed to fix his, she saw Joel helping her son. The man kept her off guard with his thoughtful little gestures. If he’d tried to flatter her or act like the big famous cowboy star, she could’ve ignored him. But he didn’t. Instead he did small, considerate things that slipped under the barrier she’d built around her heart.

Joel took the first bite of his pancake and paused. “Oh, that’s good. I haven’t had something that good since my grandma made her blueberry coffee cake for our Easter breakfast.”

“Mom, can I have more syrup?” Wes asked.

She handed him the bottle.

“What are you going to do today, Mr. Joel?” Wes asked as he poured the syrup.

“I saw some things in the barn that need tending. If you have anything you can think needs to be done around the house, April, I can do that—except those bathrooms we talked about. I’d just be sitting around doing nothing back at the rodeo. And I want the boys to get their money’s worth.”

Her first inclination was to tell him to go back to the rodeo, they didn’t need him, but she knew that wasn’t true. Those silly dreams she’d been spinning worried her, but she needed all the help she could get—and she could ignore her fantasies.

“How long have you been a cowboy?” Todd asked.

Cora’s piece of pancake fell off her fork and she solved the problem by picking it up and stuffing it into her mouth.

“Cora.”

April’s and Joel’s hands collided over Cora’s plate. April sat back down, allowing him to wipe the little girl’s hand clean.

“Let’s see, you asked me how long I’ve been a cowboy.”

Wes nodded.

“A long time.”

“How long is that?”

“On my last birthday, which you know was the beginning of this month, I turned thirty-four.”

The boys, wide-eyed and mouths agape, looked at each other.

“Why, that’s almost as old as Mr. Moore,” Todd sputtered.

April’s fork stopped midway to her mouth. She fought a laugh.

Joel cleared his throat. “I think Mr. Moore is a little older than me. Of course, there are days...”

April read the rest of his thought—that he sometimes felt as old as Mr. Moore.

“You been with the rodeo
that
long?” Todd asked.

Joel laughed. “I didn’t join the rodeo when I was three.”

Snickers sounded around the table.

“This time I’ve been traveling with them a little over a year.”

“Done,” Cora announced.

April immediately stood and wiped Cora’s hands and face before taking her out of the booster seat.

“Well, I think it’s time to stop talking and start working,” Joel said.

After plates were put in the sink, the boys headed to the bathroom.

“April, if you’ll make a list of what else needs to be done, I’ll start on it and see how much I can get to over the next couple of days.”

She studied him, trying to decipher his motives. “Okay.”

“I’ll start in the barn, then check back with you in a bit.” He walked out of the house, leaving April gawking.

“Where’s Mr. Joel?” Wes asked.

“In the barn.”

Both boys raced out of the kitchen.

April’s legs gave way. Who was this man? And why was he here?

You prayed.
The thought popped into her head.

Yes, but—but what?

Joel had lived up to his word. His attitude confused her and challenged her assumptions about him. Wasn’t he a man who traveled with the rodeo and didn’t stay in one place long enough to let the dust settle around him? Didn’t he have a wandering gene, just like Ross?

But his attitude didn’t resemble her husband’s in any way. Nothing about Joel made sense.

Who was this man? She had no satisfactory answers.

* * *

The day passed quickly. After breakfast, April sat down and made a list of the things that hadn’t been done in a couple of years, due to Grace’s breast cancer and Vernon’s heart attack.

The boys stuck to Joel like glue, never letting the man out of their sight. Laughter drifted out of the barn, and as soon as Cora woke up from her morning nap, she wanted to join the boys, which meant April had to go out to the barn.

“Hey, Miss Cora, what are you doing out here?” Joel asked.

April followed with water and plastic cups. “Anyone thirsty?”

The boys hurried to her side.

She held up the jug. “Want any?”

Joel stared at the kid-size cups and his eyebrow arched.

April fought her giggles. “Sorry.”

“As long as you don’t tell the other guys on the circuit I drank water out of this—” he held up the kiddie cup “—I’m good.”

“I can do that.” She poured him a cup of water.

His hand wrapped around the kiddie cup, dwarfing it. He frowned but drank the water.

“Mom, that’s too small for Mr. Joel,” Wes explained.

“I’ll remember next time.”

Wes shook his head. “Girls.”

“Do you have a list for me, April?” Joel asked.

Hearing him say her name made her stomach jump.

She handed him the list.

After reading it, he added another couple of chores, with which she agreed.

The balance of the day, they all worked as a team with a pause for lunch.

It was the best afternoon April had had since—well, she couldn’t think of another afternoon.

How pathetic was that?

* * *

The day passed quickly and after dinner, the boys begged for Joel to join them in a game before he left. It had been a long time since he’d played a board game, but with April’s encouragement, he agreed.

The kids laughed when Joel tried to sit on the floor.

“These boots weren’t made for sitting cross-legged.”

“I can,” Todd announced, plopping down in front of the coffee table.

“Well, I’m not as young as you, so my bones won’t move as easily as yours,” Joel teased.

April solved the problem when she pushed the leather ottoman close to the table, which Joel sat on to play the game.

After several minutes of play, Joel spun the spinner to see how many blocks he should move. The next move fell to April, but she only got a two, much to her sons’ delight. She shrugged off the bad move. Joel admired her teasing attitude. Here was a woman who wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, as she’d demonstrated earlier by pitching in with the hard work in the barn. His mom and grandma were like that. Lately, he’d run into too many ladies who enjoyed playing cowgirl, but if it affected their nail polish, well, forget it.

“Dinner was mighty good, April. When you cook for yourself, you appreciate when someone else does the cooking.”

“So, did you cook for yourself?” Wes asked as he took his turn.

“When Gramps and I had to do the cooking ourselves, we used a Crock-Pot, but it’s nice to have someone else in charge. And your mom does a good job.”

Both boys grinned at their mother.

“When my sister came back to the ranch, well, she refused to be the only one responsible for dinner. She’d been in the army for over ten years.”

The boys’ eyes widened.

“We each had days when it was our turn to cook. ’Course, if you didn’t cook, you cleaned up. No one got away without pitching in. So when you help your mom with the dishes, remember that a captain in the army did the same.”

It took less than five minutes to conclude the game.

“We need to check on the horses and finish any chores that need to be done before I leave for the night.”

The boys grew somber as they put away the game.

“Thank you,” April whispered as he set the game box on the coffee table.

“No problem. Seeing dinner through the eyes of the person preparing it gives you a different perspective.”

“I like that. Your sister sounds like a great gal.”

“She is.”

“And you’ll make some lady a great husband, thanks to your sister.” April stood there for a moment, her eyes wide, her Freudian slip echoing through her mind. “Uh, what I meant was—”

He chuckled. “Like I said, I’ve been the cook. Any help is welcomed.”

“That it is.”

“C’mon, boys. Let’s go feed the animals and check on things out in the barn before I load Spice in her trailer and drive back to the rodeo.”

The words burst the pleasant mood, reminding everyone that he had other obligations at the rodeo that he needed to do.

* * *

The boys proved to be a help with the chores, with less direction required each time. They were learning the daily routine of the ranch and understanding what each animal required. After finishing, they went inside to get ready for bed. Joel called to Spice, wanting to load her into her horse trailer. Her ears perked up, she looked over her shoulder, then went back to grazing.

“It appears she’s not listening to you.”

Joel turned in the direction of April’s voice. She walked to where he stood beside the pasture fence.

“I think the charm of your pasture outweighs anything I could say. I bought Spice from a friend who was retiring from rodeo when I started back out on the circuit. Spice was used to the traveling and working the rodeo shows, as opposed to my horse I used on the ranch. She knew the ropes. Now, suddenly, she wants to just hang out in the pasture.”

“I guess even horses want a few days off.”

“I could leave the trailer here, but my bed is in the front compartment.”

“It seems you’ve got a dilemma.”

Todd appeared on the porch. “Mr. Joel, could you stop by my room before you leave and say good-night?”

April pressed her lips together.

“Do you have an objection to that?” He didn’t want to upset her family rituals.

“Yes.”

He opened his mouth to respond when she answered, “He’ll be there in a couple of minutes, Todd.”

The lady sent mixed signals, confusing him.

“What just happened here?”

She folded her hands over her chest. “I know when I can’t stop a sandstorm.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Living out here, when you see a sandstorm on the horizon, there’s nothing you can do but take cover. I feel like I’m watching as a storm comes my way and I can only ride out the aftereffects. When you leave, there won’t be a man to tuck my boys into bed at night. They’ll have to settle for their mom.” She sighed. “Vernon always kissed the kids good-night.”