Be My Guest (21 page)

Aurora’s voice betrayed her turmoil. "Oh,
Lily. I have thought about it. He's still in love with Nancy. I
never know where I stand with him. Besides, I'm on my way to
Colorado. I really am intent on having my own business and becoming
independent." Aurora twisted a paper napkin.

"Ha. You could make Will forget the pain of
losing his Nancy." When Aurora looked up sharply, Lily added, "I've
seen the way he looks at you. This is a man who cares deeply for
you. There are businesses in Post." She leaned forward as if
inspired. "What about this shop you're working in now? Already you
have made many improvements there. You could buy this place."

Aurora shook her head. "I don't know. I just
don't know." Could she live in Post if Will rejected her as a
businesswoman? As she had many times recently, she asked herself,
What should I do?

* * *

Aurora sat at what she had come to think of
as her desk in the little office at the back of the store. She
found it hard to believe that in only two weeks it would be
Father's Day. Lost in thought about the time spent in her temporary
situation, she jumped when a large hand set a bag on the desk in
front of her.

Will stood in the doorway separating the
store from the office and supply area. Aurora leaned back in her
chair to gaze at the handsome cowboy in the doorway. She leapt to
her feet. "You're not on crutches! You got the cast off your
leg."

Will held out his arms and pivoted slowly
for inspection. In one hand he held a cane. "I get to replace the
crutches with this cane, and the cast is replaced by this brace for
a while."

She grabbed his hand a squeezed. "That's
wonderful, Will." Then, hands on hips she scolded, "You didn't say
a word to me about getting the cast off."

He smiled and took her hand to pull her
gently toward him. "Nick wasn't certain until he saw me this
morning. I tried not to get too hopeful, just in case."

"What a wonderful birthday present for
you--getting your cast off in plenty of time for your birthday and
party in two weeks."

Aurora peered into the bag on her desk. "Mm.
Those chunky chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies I love." She
extracted a cookie from the bag, and bit into it. Her eyes closed
as she savored the taste of the treat. "Mm. This is marvelous."

"Ahem. I hoped you'd share." Will’s mouth
turned down in a pitiful expression.

"Oh, you did, did you? Well, I guess I can
spare
one
cookie." Aurora extended the bag of cookies toward
Will.

He took the bag from her and returned it to
the desk. "You have a smear of chocolate," he said as he pulled her
near.

With her hands resting lightly on his arms,
Aurora asked, "Oh? Where?"

"Right here." Will leaned toward her and his
tongue flicked at the imaginary spot on her lips before claiming
them with his.

Aurora responded to his kiss with an
intensity that surprised her. She pulled him closer and let him
edge her further into the corner of the office.

When at last she pulled away, Aurora rested
her head on Will's chest. "I think that Mrs. Barton who lives near
you saw that. She's probably about to burst with disapproval if she
did."

Will's low chuckle rumbled in his throat.
"You can count on the fact that she saw us. That woman has to know
everything that goes on in the county, you know."

Aurora peeked around Will to check the view
through the door. "It's the fact that she has to tell everyone else
what she knows--or imagines--that worries me."

He hugged Aurora to him again. "Aw, forget
her. I came by to tell you that Kelly and I want to celebrate
getting my cast off by taking you on a trail ride Sunday afternoon.
She can hardly wait to show you how Misty performs. She wants me to
tell you she has a nice gentle horse picked out for you to
ride."

A slight furrow appeared in her brow as
Aurora tried to remember the last time she had been on a horse. "I
haven't ridden much, and not at all in ten years. I'm not sure I'll
be a very good riding partner, Will. But, well, I'm game if your
are."

"Great." He kissed the top of her nose and
grabbed another cookie from the bag. "I have to get back to the
ranch but I'll see you Sunday. We'll leave right after lunch."

* * *

On Sunday, the weather cooperated to present
a day perfect for any outdoor summer activity. The ever-present
wind calmed to a gentle breeze that cooled the sun's rays. Clouds
like fluffy white cotton candy dotted the brilliant blue sky.

After church and a quick lunch, Aurora
hurried to change into her blue denim jeans and a blue and white
gingham shirt, the only long-sleeved shirt she had with her. When a
couple of Will's cowboys eventually found her car half submerged in
sand, the clothes in the car had been beyond repair. The insurance
company declared the little car a total loss. Aurora replaced it
with a sturdy used Jeep Cherokee great for driving in the Colorado
mountains--or on a West Texas ranch.

Kelly knocked on the door and peeked in.
"Aren't you ready yet?"

"Almost. I guess I'll wear my little Keds.
Maybe the horse won't care."

Kelly’s grimace made it clear she thought
Aurora's shoes pathetic. "You really should get some boots. They're
much better for the stirrups."

Aurora slipped on the canvas shoes and
rapidly tied the laces. "I know, I know. For today, though, these
little shoes will have to do. One of the things I've noticed about
managing a store is that it doesn't leave much time to shop at
other stores." She gave her jeans one last tug over her socks and
followed Kelly downstairs.

Rose waited at the foot of the stairs with a
hat and a pair of riding gloves. "With your fair skin, you'll need
this hat. The gloves will help, too, if you can stand them in this
heat."

Aurora set the hat on her head and fastened
it under her chin. Rose reached to adjust the tilt of the hat
slightly and stood back to judge the effect. "Kelly has a hat
similar to this one"--she gave Kelly a pat on the seat--"and she
should wear her hat, too."

Kelly rubbed her seat and grinned. "I have
it in the truck, Aunt Rose. I'll put it on when we get back in the
truck and then Aurora and I will be twins."

Aurora checked herself in the entry mirror.
The well-used hat gave her the appearance of a real cowgirl. Her
face actually glowed, but with sun-block creme rather than any
natural condition. "I've lathered my face and hands in sun block,
but the hat will help. Thank you, Rose. I envy women with skin like
yours that tans. My skin goes from white to red to painful blisters
within minutes in the sun." She turned to Will and Kelly and
curtsied. "I'm ready kind sir and fair maiden."

Kelly thought her remark hilarious, but Will
just gazed at her with open admiration. She put her hand through
his arm and gave a gentle tug that set him in motion.

Kelly's chatter about her week at school and
stories of her horse Misty filled in the short drive. Soon the
ranch’s native stone entry pillars appeared in view. Will drove
through and bypassed the house to head directly to the barns.

In a manic mood, Kelly hopped up and down
with excitement then ran into the barn. Will's horse was a large
black gelding named Midnight. Kelly led a spry little brown and
white pony to show Aurora. "Here she is, this is Misty."

As if he sensed Aurora's apprehension, Will
brought Honeycomb up to her. "Pat her on the nose to get used to
her. She's a good horse and won't give you any trouble."

Aurora tentatively stroked the velvet nose
of the palomino. "She's not one of your cutting horses who's going
to turn sharply and leave me hanging in mid-air?"

"Not this one. I promise. Come on, I'll hold
her while you mount."

Aurora climbed into the saddle with moves
she hoped were more graceful than she suspected. Will retrieved
saddlebags and canteens from the barn where he and Kelly stashed
them earlier in the day. He put his cane in the empty rifle
scabbard hanging from his saddle. Soon, the trio were on their way
down to the creek.

Although she thought she recognized the big
cottonwood tree by the creek, Will confirmed her memory when he
pointed it out. "That's where you landed after your swim in the
flood."

Ages old, the tree stood so majestically she
could reach the bottom branches only because of the added height
the horse gave her. Water here had been this deep! Now the little
stream trickled with water only a few inches deep and a few feet
wide. What a change the storm made.

Will led the way from the ranch and stream
as they moved across rolling pastures. Aurora and Kelly engaged in
a contest to identify the myriad of wildflowers blooming along the
stream and in the grasslands, but Aurora was always conscious of
Will's presence. He seemed relaxed and at peace here.

Aurora sighed with contentment. What a
perfect day, so far, she thought. It was peaceful. Maybe she could
fit into this life style. "The growth on the bluffs is so nice and
green."

"Cedar, yuk." Kelly made a face as she
spoke.

Will grimaced. "Yeah, it's a job to keep
cedar, juniper, and the mesquite under control and out of the
pasture land. We have to fight them constantly. Otherwise, they'd
take over and cover the land. That ruins the grazing."

"You mean the settlers had to clear the
grasslands of all those trees?" The enormity of that task seemed
impossible to Aurora.

"No, those three trees were inadvertently
brought in by the early explorers and settlers. They've ruined
ranches in areas where ranchers let them run rampant. They're
pretty, but I consider them major pests."

They rode across the rolling pastures and
down into one of the many ravines that cut through this part of the
world. The beauty and variety of the landscape she saw amazed her.
"Your land has a little of every kind of terrain, doesn't it?"

Will beamed, and his love for his land
showed clearly. "This is a good ranch. I can't think of anywhere
I'd rather be."

He climbed down to open a gate blocking
their access to a narrow road of sandy soil. Kelly led Aurora
through the gate and they waited while Will led Midnight through
the open space and closed the gate behind him.

They had ridden for over an hour. Aurora
wiggled in her saddle to revive her numbed seat. “I'll bet I won't
be able to walk tomorrow, but I'm having a wonderful
afternoon.”

Will led off again and Kelly and Aurora
stayed close enough to him to converse amiably without having to
shout. They passed through several other barriers, leaving them
open or closed as they found them. At last they arrived at an
iron-pipe gate bearing a large chain and padlock. Will produced a
set of keys from his pocket as he dismounted and opened the lock.
He closed the gate behind them but did not lock it.

At the top of a nearby hill sat a tiny
building all alone in the large pasture. Aurora tried to guess the
purpose of the little structure. "You know, from here that building
resembles a tiny church."

Will smiled. "Because it is a tiny church.
It's a cowboy cathedral."

Aurora was astonished. "Here? In the middle
of nowhere?"

"Yes, it's for cowboys who can't get into
town to attend church. It used to be open and unlocked all the
time. Recently, it was vandalized several times, probably by a few
local teens. Now it's locked except for special events"--he smiled
and patted the keys in his pocket--"or a neighbor who borrows the
keys."

"How sad. It's terrible that a few rotten
apples ruined such a nice tradition." What a surprise to learn that
vandalism loomed as a problem even here in this land which seemed
so far removed from all the problems of the city. Perhaps the life
here was not quite as idyllic as it first appeared. Overall, it
seemed a much healthier environment in which to raise children like
Kelly.

The picture of other children sprang to her
mind, children she and this handsome man might have together. Would
they have red hair or sandy brown, green eyes or gray? She shook
her head to clear away the images.

She was a fool to even let herself think
such things. She could not prevent the depth of the attraction
growing inside her. Attraction, or something deeper? Soon, it would
be too late to leave this place and this man unless she restrained
herself sharply.

Kelly rubbed her stomach area and showed a
pitiful face to her father as she whined, "Daddy, I'm so hungry my
stomach thinks my throat's cut. When are we going to eat?"

Will chuckled at the old joke, "Okay, honey.
We'll eat under that tree and then tour the chapel." Will led them
to a large tree standing several hundred yards from the chapel at
the crest of the hill.

Aurora clung to the saddle a few moments
after dismounting. Her legs, unaccustomed to straddling a horse for
hours, wobbled. She watched with a twinge of envy as Kelly and
Will, seemingly unaffected by their long ride, set up for their
early supper. With a deep breath and grim determination to prove
herself as capable as her companions, she helped Kelly spread a
blanket on the ground in the shade of the massive live oak. She
caught Will watching her stiff movements with pity and not a little
amusement.

"Please, Aurora, you're our guest. Sit down
and make yourself comfortable."

Her independence burst to the surface again.
She opened her mouth to argue that she could certainly do her
share, guest or no guest. The retort that sprang to her mind never
reached her lips. As she bent to straighten the corner of the
blanket she gasped when her protesting muscles resisted
painfully.

Will chuckled with good humor as he helped
her straighten the blanket and settle herself onto it. Grateful to
stretch out and remain immobile, she sat on the blanket with her
legs stretched out in front of her while Kelly and Will readied
their meal.