Dancing With Danger: Book 8: Dancing Moon Ranch Series (6 page)

"And I think
you missed because that intuitive gut thing you're talking about was telling you that a man in the room wanted to kiss you and your subconscious mind was telling you to go ahead." This time Josh took the cue stick from her hand and hung it in the rack.

"I thought you wanted to learn how to
run four balls," Genie said.

"I did," Josh replied, "but I can think of better things to do with our time right now."

When he started toward her, Genie backed away while saying, "I don't know what you have in mind but that was a pretty reckless thing for us to do."

"Reckless?
" Josh said. "We kissed."

"
Yes, but it's reckless when it doesn't mean anything."

"It meant something to me
."

"Sure, you're a man and men like getting things going with women, but I have a little sister to raise
, and going around kissing men can't be a part of it."

Josh walked up to her, and this time Genie didn't move when he
curved his hands over her shoulders, looked at her steadily, and said, "I don't go around trying to get things going with women. I kissed you because it's been coming on since I was in the hospital. I'm also aware that you have a little sister to raise, which is why I want to take her riding tomorrow and be the one to give her her first riding lesson. Can that be a part of raising Abby?"

"
I don't know," Genie said.

"
Then I'll answer for you. Right after dinner I'll have a horse saddled for you, and Abby will ride in front of me, and we'll ride to the box canyon so you and Abby can see the petroglyphs, but on the way I'll take you to a spot where you'll see a view you won't soon forget."

Josh
moved toward her, like he was going to kiss her again, but before he could, Genie ducked her shoulders from beneath his palms, and said, "I need to get back to the house."

"Then we're on for
tomorrow?" Josh asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose so," Genie
replied.

When she turned to leave, Josh called after her
. "Incidentally," he said, "that shirt looks good on you. You're beginning to look like a ranch girl."

Genie laughed. "At least you're not telling me I look like Nurse Ratched in western wear."

Josh smiled in amusement and said nothing more.

It wasn't until
Genie was approaching the house that the impact of what Josh had said a few minutes earlier hit her. He'd kissed her
because it had been coming on since he was in the hospital
, which made no sense. She'd thought she'd made herself clear, even while she'd wanted to do exactly what they'd just done, so it seemed he was an unusually perceptive man. He also wanted to be the one to teach Abby to ride and even asked if that could be a part of raising Abby, almost as if he was asking if
he
could be a part of raising her.

So, it seemed,
Josh was living the same pipedream as she, a pipedream that attempted to morph two diametrically opposed lifestyles into one, which wasn't going to happen. But she would allow Josh to teach Abby to ride. He was experienced on a horse, and it wouldn't be right to deny Abby that simple pleasure. Besides, she'd been curious about the petroglyphs since her last visit, she reasoned, and tried not to analyze beyond that.

***

After dinner the following day, instead of leading a horse, Josh arrived at the house with Ferdinand walking behind like a well-trained dog, except that Ferdinand was a Brahma bull with a saddle on his back and a bridle on his big gawky head. Genie hadn't mentioned anything to Abby about riding because she hadn't been around Josh enough to know if he was the kind of man who made promises in all sincerity but was subject to reneging if something better came up. Their father had a tendency to do that, though not because
he
had a change of plans, but because his agent did the booking and shows often conflicted with plans their father made with his kids, not being able to be with Abby on her fourth birthday being an example. But seeing Josh and Ferdinand heading toward the house, Genie poked her head into the kitchen, where Abby was helping
Gwama Ruuf
with the dishes, and said to her, "Abby, honey, Josh is coming to teach you to ride, and then he's taking us to a place where pictures are painted on a big rock."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah
!"
Abby cried, as she ran out the kitchen.

Genie stepped onto the porch,
with Abby right behind, and as Josh approached, she said, "I thought we'd be riding horses."

"We
will," Josh replied, "but I want to take Abby around on the lead line first and let her get used to being in a saddle." He turned to Ferdinand, who'd stopped when he stopped, then touched the bull on the rump and said, "Ferdinand, sit."

Ferdinand blinked a couple of times, slowly lowered his haunches to the ground
, and eyed Josh in expectation. Josh reached into his pocket and gave him an alfalfa nugget.

A
bby giggled, then said to Josh in an excited voice, "Can I get on Ferdan now?"

"
You can as soon as we put a helmet on your head." Josh lifted a child's helmet off the saddle horn and slipped it onto Abby's head and fastened the chin strap. "You look like a real bull rider now," he said. "They wear helmets too."

Abby glanced back at Genie and smiled, and when Genie looked at Josh, he winked
, which had Genie's heart accelerating, while at the same time suppressing the comment she was prepared to make about him glorifying bull riders in Abby's mind.

"
Okay, up you go," Josh said to Abby. He lifted her onto the saddle and positioned her feet into the stirrups. "Hold the saddle horn while Ferdinand gets up."

After
Abby grasped the horn with both hands, Josh said, "Ferdinand, up."

Giving a low, throaty grunt, Ferdinand raised his haunches and stood.

Abby looked at Josh, eyes bright with excitement, and said, "I did it! I'm widing Ferdan."

Josh
looked at her in amusement. "Okay honey, now we're going to play Simon says. Do you know that game?"

Abby looked at Josh,
brows drawn, and said, "Is it like Hawwy says?"

Josh glanced over at Genie, who shrugged
, and replied, "Dad's version of
Simon Says
, but instead of Simon it's Harry Houdini."

Josh got a little half-s
mile. "Okay then, Harry says, stretch your arms out like an airplane." He splayed his arms out, and Abby released the horn and did the same. "Good job," Josh said, drawing a wide grin from Abby.

While Josh continued playing
Harry Says
, Abby followed his instructions by twisting her waist with her arms out, and touching Ferdinand's rump and his neck, and making scissor kicks with her legs, and swinging both feet forward then backward.

Genie watched the expressions on both faces. Abby was clearly enthralled with Josh
, and from her intense look, she was listening carefully to what he was asking her to do. And Josh's face showed a combination of amusement and affection, like this little girl who'd wandered into his life was important to him now.

"
Okay, honey," Josh said, "I want you to pick up the reins, which are these leather straps, and hold them so they're in a straight line from Ferdinand's mouth to your hands, and we'll take a walk, but you have to listen carefully to what I say."

"
Is Hawwy gonna tell me things again?" Abby asked.

"No, I'll be telling you
from now on because I'm going to be the one to teach you to ride, so you'll need to forget Harry and listen to me, okay?"

Abby bobbed her head and waited.

"Okay, give Ferdinand a little kick and tell him to walk," Josh instructed.

Abby looked at Ferdinand's big head, and said, "Walk."

On command the bull started off, or maybe he did because Josh was walking in front and holding the lead line, Genie figured. But for a huge, hump-back bovine that weighed upwards of two-thousand pounds, he was amazingly docile, and she wondered at the incongruity that this same breed, by nature, could easily kick, gore, crush, or trample a person to death.

After Josh led Abby around a few more times, he said to her, "Y
ou're ready to ride a horse, so let's head for the barn and turn Ferdinand out and go get saddled up."

"Am I a cowgirl now?" Abby asked.

"You're on your way," Josh replied.

In the barn,
Josh removed Ferdinand's tack, and after he'd turned him out into the pasture, they headed to the stable. With Abby running ahead, Josh said to Genie, "She's got good balance and she's smart. Given a couple of months and she'll be riding like she was born on a ranch. They learn fast at that age."

"That's all
well and good," Genie replied, "but we're leaving here in three weeks."

"Then you're going back to work," Josh said, in a
glum voice.

"I don't know
," Genie replied. "I'm still trying to decide."

"Would you consider going to a
rodeo?"

Genie eyed
Josh with curiosity. "What made you bring that up?"

"
The Pine Grove Rodeo's coming up in three weeks. Jeremy's entered in bull riding and I'm one of the bullfighters. I'm also entered in the freestyle bullfighting competition and I'd like you to be there. You've formed an opinion about rodeos but you've never been to one. They might not be as bad as you make them out to be."

"I've been to a rodeo," Genie replied
."

"When?"

"Last week."

Josh looked
askance at her. "Why?"

"I, umm… went with friends. They talked me into it
," Genie replied.

"Which rodeo?"

Genie looked at Josh with a start. She hadn't intended to bring it up. It just slipped out. "The… umm… one near where you live."

"St Paul?" Josh asked.

Genie nodded vaguely.

"How
did you think I did?" Josh asked.

Genie looked at him, baffled
. "Your name wasn't on the program and I didn't see you anywhere."

"
That's because I wasn't there," Josh said.

"Then why did you ask what I thought
of you?"

"To see what you'd say."
Josh eyed her with amusement. "The only reason you went was to see me."

"
That's just not so," Genie replied. "I told you I went with friends."

Josh
grinned. "If Abby wasn't around I'd kiss you, and we'll pick this up later."

"No, we won't," Genie
said, but Josh had already stepped up his pace and was catching up with Abby, who he scooped up from behind and lifted onto his shoulders.

Giggling,
Abby grabbed his head and turned and gave Genie the widest grin yet, and Genie knew there was big trouble ahead when it would come time to leave, and maybe the trouble wouldn't just be with Abby.

It was a sobering thought, not wanting to leave a man
whose profession tempted fate, while her profession picked up the pieces when fate turned on such men, men like Cal, who'd promised her the world and ended that world by flipping head over cycle in front of her eyes, a scene that replayed in her mind for months. It wasn't until she was caring for Josh in the hospital that she was finally able to put Cal aside. But then, another scene began to emerge, one of a bull goring a man who was slowly making his way into her heart, and she didn't know what to do about it.

CHAPTER 6

Josh
sat on his horse with Abby in the saddle in front of him. From his vantage point lay a wide canyon with steep-sided buttes, and a view that stretched as far as the eye could see. Looking at Genie, who sat on her horse beside him, he said, "So, what do you think?"

"
It's breathtaking," Genie replied. "I had no idea it was so beautiful here."

"It took me a
couple of months to get used to this country," Josh said, gazing across the vast openness. "Back home we have mountains covered with evergreens so you have to get to the top to see the view, but here, every turn in the trail brings a new vista. I guess I have the wanderlust in me because I have the itch to see what's around every bend and over every butte. There's a lot of open land out there to explore."

"Would you want to keep
moving and exploring if you could?" Genie asked.

"If I didn't have to make a living, yeah, I'd probably want to do that," Josh replied. "I guess we males would
just keep wandering aimlessly around if you females didn't plant our boots in the soil and force us to put down roots."

"Then you have no desire to settle down?" Genie asked
, looking askance at him.

Josh met her gaze.
"I don't think any man does, except maybe my brother, Adam. His boots are planted firmly in Dancing Moon soil and it would take a bulldozer to pry them loose."

"And Ryan? Do you think he still has the wanderlust?"

Josh laughed. "Not any more. Annie clipped his wings but good."

"And
you just want to trail along after rodeos, no wish for a home or family?" Genie asked.

Josh eyed her curiously. That
question coming from most females meant they were nest building and the guy the question was aimed at better set things straight or find himself trapped. He'd been there twice, and each time, the woman he thought was right for him because she didn't have issues with bullfighters or following the rodeo circuit, dumped him for bull riders. But Genie made it clear that rodeo cowboys need not apply. "Maybe after I've run out of bends and buttes and rodeos I'll be ready to settle down," he said.

"
Then it's good you're single so you can follow your dream." Genie returned her attention to the panorama, and as Josh looked at her firm profile, he could imagine having her in his life on a daily basis, something he hadn't expected. The thought was a little disconcerting.

Feeling a small hand on his
chin, he looked down at Abby and saw her peering up at him with big trusting brown eyes that told him he was important to her, and he felt a strong sense of protection, the way Adam said it was when he'd first learned that Jesse was his son.

A
s they rode along the high range, Josh found himself thinking about his brothers and their wives and what they'd gone through to become a family. Adam wanted Emily above all else and would have given everything he owned to have her. He'd even staked his life on getting her and was prepared to fight to the death a man who was trained to kill, a man far superior in strength to Adam because he'd trained himself to be that way. And Marc, who'd been following digs into the jungles of Mexico and had his heart set on uncovering mounds in Central America, quit it all for a woman, and seemed content living in a house with Kit and an imp of a little girl who Marc would lay down his life for in a heartbeat. And for Annie, Ryan quit his dream of making it to the National Finals. Yet each time his brothers gave up their dreams for women, Josh lost a little respect for them. Now, he could understand it some. Not completely—with his brothers and their women it seemed an all-or-nothing choice—but having done that, his brothers seemed happier and more fulfilled than ever…

Something crawling on
his chin had him swatting at it, only to hear Abby giggling. He looked down to find her palm up and her fingers wiggling, like an upside-down crawly bug had just tickled him. He grabbed her hand, kissed the tip of each little finger, and said, "I kissed the big bug's feet this time but next time I'll gobble then down."

Abby laughed and
rested back, and when Josh felt her small body against him and saw her little hands wrapped around the saddle horn, he realized how completely helpless she was. Impulsively he curved his hand over hers and kept it there.

After crossing
over the high rangeland, Josh said to Genie, "Ahead is a break in the rim and a trail that takes us down through a number of switchbacks. It's easy going, and Dewey's a good trail horse. Are you okay with it?"

"I'm fine," Genie
replied. "Maybe by the time I leave here I'll know what I'm doing."

"
You'll know," Josh said. "I'll make sure of that." In fact he had some long-range plans for these two sisters, plans that included a pony, one Abby could ride and groom. At the Dancing Moon was the perfect fit. Fancy was a cross between a miniature horse and a Welsh pony, and she stood thirty-eight inches at the withers. Grandma Maureen gave her to Maddy for Maddy's third birthday so she'd have a kid-size horse. At the time, their dad was opposed to the idea, insisting Maddy learn to ride on a standard horse, but before long, Fancy was a member of the family, and Maddy brushed her, and groomed her and all but took her to bed with her.

Fancy was still there for kids to brush, but the Dancing Moon could do without her
for a while. He'd talked to Adam about it the night before, and Adam agreed to bring Fancy the morning of Abby's birthday and pick up a bull their father bought from Matt. Adam would have Jesse with him too, and Seth and Gabe and Deke's wives could bring some of their younger grandchildren. He'd also buy Abby a cowboy hat and her first pair of boots. Maybe Abby's father was too busy to be there, but Abby would have a party with kids and presents and balloons and a clown. He couldn't help smiling, just imagining Abby's face…

"What's so funny?" Genie asked.

Josh looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You were riding along and smiling. I'm curious to know why. Or maybe I shouldn't ask."

"It's okay," Josh said. He gave Abby's shoulder a little jiggle. "We're going to have a birthday party for Miss Abbydabby, and there will be kids and balloons, and a clown, and Abby and Grandma Ruth can bake the prettiest birthday cake in Harney County."

"Yeah!" Abby cried. Tipping her head back, she looked up at Josh, and the grin across her face said it all.

But when Josh looked at Genie, he didn't see the response he'd expected. Instead, she looked disturbed. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"Not intentionally,"
Genie replied, "but you should run things past me first before making plans for Abby. I have some concerns, which we need to talk about, in private."

"Suit yourself," Josh
replied. "I'm just trying to fill in where someone else in her life isn't."

"That's what we need to talk about," Genie said
.

Josh had no idea what this was all about. Filling in for
Sebastian the Illusionist
, or whoever the man held himself out to be, wasn't something that should ruffle Genie's feathers, though he decided to err on the side of caution and not say anything about the pony or Abby's hat and boots and let them be part of a birthday surprise.

"
Can Ferdan come to my party too?" Abby asked.

"Sure," Josh replied. "He'll be bringing the clown."

Abby clapped excitedly. "It's gonna be a weal party."

When Josh looked at Genie, she too was smiling. He didn't know if she was coming to terms with him as a substitute father for the day, or if it was because Abby's joy was contagious, but man that smile had his heart revving up some. It also had him wanting to pull Genie into his arms and have her kiss him the way she had at the lodge, something that could become addictive, just as having the little half-pint cowgirl in front of him in his life could become addictive.

Seeing the break in the rim
of the butte, he said to Genie, "We're about to start downhill so heels down, and brace your feet in your stirrups. About two-thirds of the way down we'll tie up and hike the rest of the way. There's a foot path that winds its way down to the main canyon, and from there it's only about a five-minute walk to the box canyon with the petroglyphs."

Genie glanced up at the
early evening sky, and asked, "Will we be back before dark?"

"Sure," Josh replied. "We still have a couple hours
of daylight left and we're less than an hour from the ranch."

A few minutes later they
started down the trail. Josh frequently looked back to see how Genie was doing and saw that, not only was she keeping her balance in the saddle, she seemed at ease on the horse as they made their way downhill. After tying the horses, they headed down the foot trail, with Abby ahead, picking stalks of wild rye and other weeds along the way.

When
Abby was out of earshot, Genie said to Josh, "I know you meant well in planning a party, but you need to talk to me before making plans that include Abby. She's getting far too attached to you and it will be hard on her when we leave. Just last night she said she wants to stay here with you and Ferdinand forever."

"
I don't see a problem," Josh said. "Annie's your half-sister so you'll be coming back."

"Abby's not talking about staying with Annie
," Genie said. "You're starting to fill the void left by our father because of unforeseen circumstances. When Mom was alive, Abby had a fulltime father. Dad loves her and she loves him, but that life's no longer an option. Dad and I promised Mom we'd do right by Abby by my settling in one place so Abby can attend a regular school instead of travelling around the country on a bus."

"It's just a birthday party," Josh
groused, but realized it was much more than that. He
wanted
to fill the void left by Abby's father. He had no idea where he'd go from there, but at this particular moment in time it was important to him that a little girl who'd just lost her mother, and had an absentee father, have a smile on her face that one important day.

Genie looked at him, and said,
with concern, "I didn't mean to get after you for doing something nice for Abby, and you're right about it just being a party, but after that, please run things by me first."

"After the party it won't matter," Josh said
, "because my off hours will be taken up with conditioning for upcoming rodeos and going to buckouts at a ranch near Pine Grove."

Genie eyed him with curiosity.
"What's a buckout?"

"It's where bucking
-bull stock contractors rent their bulls to bull riders and bullfighters for practice sessions," Josh replied. "The upcoming rodeo's an NPRA-sponsored event, so I want to make a good showing in the freestyle bullfighting competition."

"
Freestyle bullfighting competition?" Genie said, looking at him blankly.

"
Basically what it boils down to is spending seventy seconds with a bull that's intent on killing you while you egg him on so you can get as close as possible without getting hooked," Josh replied, then realized he'd just set off a keg of Nurse Ratched dynamite.

"
That's absolutely insane," Genie said, as predicted. "And it's exactly what I said before about you and your brothers having no sense of self preservation."

"
Maybe it's insane from your viewpoint," Josh said, "but it's not to the committee of bull riders and stock contractors that selects the bullfighters for the National Finals and other pro rodeos. They watch the way we work around bulls and judge us on how we protect the riders. At the upcoming rodeo there will be a bull named Trouble Ahead that's one of the rankest bulls on the circuit and I want a crack at him. He's also a bull Jeremy's hoping to draw."

Genie looked
miffed with the whole conversation, but she also looked confused, which she affirmed when she asked, "Why would either of you want to face a smelly bull?"

Josh laughed. "Rank doesn't mean smell
y, it means the bull's an aggressive, mean-tempered bastard who comes out of the chute like a spinning top and doesn’t wait for his hind feet to hit the ground before he’s already pushing off his front feet for the next buck. "

"
I'm sorry," Genie said in an impatient voice, "but I can't help thinking that the lot of you have death wishes."

"
None of us what to get hooked," Josh replied, "but a rank bull like Trouble Ahead would give Jeremy the best chance for a high score and me a chance to do some serious bullfighting, which helps my standing with bull riders."

Genie gave him one last Nurse Ratched look, then pursed her lips and said nothing, but the perturbed look on her face said it all. She would
not
be hooking up with a bullfighter. And he didn't intend to give it up.

The rest of the hike down was in silence, but on
approaching the mouth of the canyon, Josh said, "The canyon borders the Double J Ranch so if fences are down somewhere there could be a few stray cattle."