Dusty Britches (7 page)

“
Ouch,
”
Ryder sighed, rubbing at the whiskers on
his chin. He shook his head and frowned
.

“
Oh, the smelly dog begged and groveled, sent
her gifts, cried…did everythin’. B
ut you know Dusty. She
’
s got a good head on her shoulders
,
and she wouldn
’
t have nothin
’
to do with him. Bad thing is,
”
Feller added, lowering his voice,
“
she wouldn
’
t have nothin
’
to do with nobody. Not for the longest time. She still ain
’
t got no use f
or men other than her daddy and,
I
’
m proud to say, me. Don
’
t trust
’
em.
”

“
Betray a woman
’
s trust
,
and y
a
murder her soul,
”
Ryder mumbled, looking up to where Dusty sat
,
having been joined by her father.

“
Yep.
”
Feller looked up to Dusty too. His own heart ached for the suffering endured by a young woman he loved like a little sister.
“
She cried and cried and cried off and on for weeks. And she ain
’
t shed a tear
—
that I seen, anyway
—
since. She
’
s hard, Ryder. Hard as stone. Works herself like a mule, won
’
t let nobody close…
’
cept
Alice
. You remember Alice Maxwell?
”

“
Oh, yeah. They were friends when I was here,
”
Ryder recalled aloud.

“Yep. But
A
lice
got married and has two babies and her husband to care for now. So she don
’
t get over much.
”

“
Banker
’
s son. Dirty yeller dog,
”
Ryder mumbled, shaking his head as he watched Dusty talking with her father and now Becca.

“
Yep. Wanted to shoot him myself. I think ol
’
Hank had a hard time not beatin
’
the waddin
’
out of him,
”
Feller told the man.

“
Why don
’
t
you
heal her heart, Feller?
”
Ryder asked, an unreadable expression on his face.
“
Y
a
said yourself she still takes to y
a.”

Feller couldn
’
t really tell whether the man w
ere
in jest or not.
“
Tarnation, boy! Even if I had the inclination
—
which I don
’
t
—
you think she
’
d fall for another cowboy?
”
Then pure determination drove him to his next statement.
“
I figure…that
’
s what the Lord, fate, or her daddy brung you back for.
”

Ryder chuckled, shook his head
,
and took a swig of water out of his beat
-
up old tin cup.
“
That girl don
’
t need the likes a me. I been around and back since I was last here, Feller. One thing a broken-hearted woman don
’
t need…it
’
s a man with a yoke
’
round his neck hitched up to a wagon and a
-
haulin
’
bricks.
”
Feller watched as Ryder Maddox inhaled a deep and grievous breath, exhaling long and hard.
“
But…I will say that this here
’
s the best meat I ever tasted!
”
He smiled and stood up.
“
Since I left here five years ago, that is. I
’
m thinkin
’
I need a bite more.
”
He walked away to where Becca was now serving up seconds.

Feller watched him go.
“
Yep. Fate or
h
eaven.
”
Then he looked to where Becca was feeding the men. He didn
’
t even realize a smile had
spread across
his face as he watched her fumbling around
trying to serve—w
asn
’
t even conscious of the wink he gave her when she looked over at him and sighed in frustration. He simply stood up and went to her rescue.



All evening Dusty had been quiet. She hadn
’
t felt like talking. Her conversation with Feller had squelched any desire she might have had to socialize.
He is such a nag sometimes
,
she thought to herself. But she loved him all the same. She had a powerful twinge of regret at the thought of him ever leaving the ranch.

“
Oh, Dusty!
”
Miss Raynetta exclaimed as she plopped herself down on the bench next to Dusty. One thing about Miss Raynetta
—
she didn
’
t sit down
;
she plopped. Dusty forced a smile, not really feeling
like a chat with Miss Raynetta—
mostly because Miss Raynetta always had a way of making her feel better, and Dusty wanted to wallow in her misery. It was how she stayed guarded.

“
Oh, Dusty! I am so sorry that I nearly ran right over you with the team! I can
’
t even think on it
.
I just start to feelin
’
like I
’
m gonna upchuck right here and now!
”

Dusty smiled. The woman was an angel. Her sincere dramatics were also far too amusing not to smile at.
“
I know it wasn
’
t your fault, Miss Raynetta. I shouldn
’
ta been daydreamin
’
.
”

Raynetta McCarthy smiled.
“
Well…if
’
n I was nineteen and Ryder Maddox came a
-
ridin
’
up again one warm May afternoon with my daddy…I
’d
a been daydreamin
’
too!
”
She winked
,
and Dusty shook her head, delightedly irritated.
“
Actually, even now if Ryder Maddox came a
-
ridin
’
up…I
’
d be a
-
daydreamin
’
!
”

“
Now
,
Miss Raynetta…you know I don
’
t
—”
Dusty began.

“
I know, I know,
”
the woman sighed. Then tactfully, Raynetta changed the subject.
“
I thought I was gonna meet the Maker, Dusty. Right here on your daddy
’
s ranch. My heart
’
s a
-
beatin
’
like a hammer on a nail just thinkin
’
about it!
”

“
But Daddy saved you,
”
Dusty reminded her in an effort to calm her down once more.

Instead, Miss Raynetta
’
s excitement and smile disappeared in one breath as she said,
“
Yes. He did.
”

Dusty frowned. The woman seemed oddly void of her usual zest.
“
What
’
s the matter, Miss Raynetta?
”
Dusty was genuine
ly concerned. It was unlike the
woman to
look
so
defeated.

But Raynetta just shook her head
.
“
I
’
m just weary, sweet thing. Just weary. I been in town most all the day
,
and then comin
’
home the team got away from me. Your daddy
’
s always tellin
’
me that I should stop in and get one of the boys
here to take me in to town. But
I don
’
t need that, Dusty. Now do I?
”

Dusty smiled. Here was a true kindred spirit
—a
woman who understood what a man could do to a woman
’
s life!

“
No
,
you don
’
t!
”
Dusty agreed wholeheartedly.

Raynetta smiled understandingly at the girl, yet Dusty did not favor the look of pity
accompanying
her smile.

“
You best be gettin
’
on, Miss Raynetta,
”
Hank said as he
sauntered toward them
.
“
That team may be a bit skiddish yet
,
and I think somebody oughta go with y
a
…make sure you get there safe.
”

“
All right, Hank. I
’
d appreciate it,
”
Miss Raynetta agreed.

Dusty frowned and looked to Miss Raynetta, puzzled. Hadn
’
t she just said she didn
’
t need a man
’
s help?

“
Ryder says he
’
d be more
’
n happy to see y
a
home,
”
Hank offered.

“
Oh. Okay.
”

Miss Raynetta seemed disappointed. Dusty wondered how she could possibly be disappointed that it was Ryder who was going to go with her. After all, she
’
d implied she found him attractive.

“
Ryder,
” her father shouted.
“T
ake ol
’
Red with y
a outta the corral. I figure h
e ain
’
t been ridden much since I
’
ve been gone.
”

“
Yes, sir,
”
Ryder called, rising from his place near the fire and heading toward the corral.

Dusty watched
him go—watched him walk—
noticed the way his shoulders moved in rhythm with the rest of his body. Ryder Maddox didn
’
t walk, she remembered then. He swaggered. And as her mind began to linge
r—
began to drift back to the days when life was happy, full of ad
venture and flirting and dreams—she stood
.

“
I
’
m done in, Daddy,
”
she managed to
say
.
“
I have to turn in if I
’
m gonna be up to feed this bunch breakfast in the mornin
’
.
”

“
All right, darlin
’
,
”
Hank said, hugging his daughter
. He kissed
her adoringly on
one
cheek.

“
Good
night, Miss Raynetta,
”
Dusty offered
. In the next moment,
she fled.

Hank
watched his daughter walk away—
the ache in his heart
for
her own pain almost unendurable.