Lead Me Home (12 page)

“Tighten it, and wait till he lets out some air,” Matthew said. “Then tighten it some more. Don’t want it swinging around under his belly.”

Lester followed Matthew’s directions to the letter. “I think that’s got it, Mr. Tredway.”

“Ready to climb on?”

“Yep.”

“I think we could use another helper. Gary, how about you?”

“I’m on it, Mr. Tredway.” His chest puffed out with pride, Gary slipped through the rails into the corral. “Whatcha need?”

“Lace your hands together and give Lester a leg up while I keep a hold on Houdini’s bridle.”

He was so very patient. Aurelia couldn’t help thinking what a great father he’d make, but a wife and kids didn’t fit his current lifestyle. She’d be doing both of them a disservice if she started weaving fantasies about Matthew as a family man.

She had trouble not doing that, though, as she watched him work with Lester.

“I think it’s Lester’s voice, too,” Tucker said. “You see how Houdini’s ears are always going, picking up the sound. I don’t know what he’ll do once Matthew climbs on.”

“Is he going to do that today?” Aurelia felt a shiver of dread. She knew Matthew risked his safety all the time while working with horses, but she didn’t have to like the idea of him being thrown.

“Not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But eventually Houdini has to accept the weight of a grown man. He won’t always be ridden by a kid.”

“I just hope he’s careful.”

Tucker glanced at her. “You like him, don’t you?”

Aurelia felt a blush coming on. “He’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he is.” Smiling, Tucker looked away again.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that Matthew’s sleeping in Watkins’ old bunk, and Watkins was sweet on the cook. It’s just interesting, that’s all.”

“Hmm.” Aurelia had no idea how to respond. She wasn’t about to confirm or deny anything at this point.

“Yep.” Tucker nodded again, still smiling. “Interesting.”

* * *

“
I
’LL BE HEADING BACK
up to the house again tonight around eight,” Matthew announced as the cowhands sat down to eat the tuna casserole Danny had made.

“Is that right?” Tucker exchanged a grin with Shorty. “What a surprise.”

“Well, isn’t that what we agreed I’d do? Go up there and check out the menu plans for the next day?”

“We certainly did.” Shorty took a swig of his beer. “And you’ve done an outstanding job. The chicken today was recognizable and even tasted pretty good. I made a point to tell Aurelia about it, too.”

“Good. I’m sure she appreciated that.” Matthew dug into his tuna casserole but thought about the steak with shallot-red-wine sauce waiting for him up at the house, and the woman who’d offered to serve it juicy and hot. Tuna casserole didn’t stand much of a chance against that, but Matthew planned to eat enough to be polite.

“Apparently it takes a lot of discussion to plan something like that chicken dish,” Tucker said.

“I was thinking that, too.” Behind his wire-framed glasses, Bob’s eyes reflected amusement. “You must have to do some tough negotiating.”

Matthew shrugged in an attempt to act casual. “Not really. I mean, she suggests something, and then we figure out how to make it a little less gourmet. It’s a process.”

“A
long
process,” Shorty said.

“Unusually long,” Frank added as he forked up a bite of the casserole. “Hell, I think I could hammer out the Treaty of Versailles in the time it takes you two to come up with a roasted chicken recipe.”

“And dinner tonight for the kids. We had to discuss that.” He had an uneasy feeling about where this conversation was leading.

“You must really be into it,” Shorty said.

Tucker nodded in agreement. “Yep, that menu-planning must be absorbing your interest, big-time.”

“Not really.”

“Must be,” Shorty said. “I figure it’s on your mind 24/7.”

“Of course it’s not. That’s ridiculous.”

Shorty leaned back in his chair with a smile. “I don’t know how else to explain the fact that you were moaning and calling out Aurelia’s name in the middle of the night.”

Not much could make Matthew blush, but he felt his ears getting very warm. “You’re making that up.”

“No, he’s not.” Bob picked up his bottle of beer. “I heard you, too. At first I thought you were in pain, but then I realized it was a different kind of pain.” His lips twitched. “The pain of true love.” He took a drink of his beer.

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Matthew blew out a breath. “Okay, I find her attractive. I mean, who wouldn’t?”

“Hey, we totally understand,” Shorty said. “In fact, we’re only telling you this because if you’re going to keep us awake at night with your moaning and groaning, we’d like to suggest that you just spend the night with Aurelia. With our blessings.”

“It worked for Watkins,” Danny said. “He got to where he just kept his clothes here but he spent the night up in Mary Lou’s apartment. And you’re in Watkins’ bunk, so why not follow in his footsteps?”

“Yeah, but Watkins ended up married,” Matthew said. “This thing between Aurelia and me is temporary. Neither one of us is thinking long-term.”

“That’s fine. Your business.” Shorty pointed his fork at Matthew. “But, that’s even more reason to spend the night up there. Make the most of the opportunity.”

Matthew picked at the label on his beer bottle. “I’ve been wondering something. She’s a beautiful woman, so how come one of you didn’t make a move before I got here?”

“I wouldn’t have,” Tucker said. “I’m engaged.”

“The rest of us talked about it,” Bob admitted. “But none of us felt like we could flirt with her and then turn around and complain about her food behind her back. It took somebody like you who actually
likes
her food to make any headway. So we’re happy for you.”

“And we’ll be even happier if we don’t have to listen to that lovesick caterwauling we heard last night,” Shorty said.

“Sorry about that.” Matthew’s ears still felt warm, but the guys had done him a favor. Assuming Aurelia would let him stay, he could spend the entire night enjoying her many charms. That was worth a little embarrassment.

As he had the night before, he played cards with the guys until just before eight. They kept getting in digs the entire time, but he didn’t care. The only person who could rain on his parade at this point was Aurelia, if she refused to let him occupy her bed.

He didn’t expect that, so when he excused himself from the game, he went over and pulled his duffel out from under his bunk so he could stuff several condoms into his pockets. He tried to be subtle about it, but apparently he didn’t succeed.

“Be sure you take enough,” Shorty called out.

“Yeah, it’s hell to run out,” Danny added.

The guys were still laughing when he grabbed his hat from the rack by the door and pushed through the screen door. Then he thought of something and turned around.

“What did you forget?” Shorty asked, pulling his cigar out of his mouth as Matthew came back in. “Your sex toys?”

“No. I forgot to warn you bozos that if a single one of you makes an inappropriate remark to Aurelia about any of this, I will personally wipe up the floor with you. You can kid me all you want, but leave her alone.”

“We’re all good cowboys,” Danny said. The laughter had faded from his eyes. “And a good cowboy doesn’t insult women. And while we’re on the subject of Aurelia, we all think she’s a nice person. Weird cooking, but a nice person. Don’t break her heart.”

“I don’t intend to do that,” Matthew said quietly. “We’re both going into this with our eyes wide open.”

Tucker gazed at him, his expression doubtful. “You may be, but take care with her, okay?”

Matthew bristled at the suggestion that he wouldn’t, but he tamped down that spurt of anger. They were being protective, and there was nothing wrong with that. He touched the brim of his hat. “Understood. See you boys in the morning.”

As he walked up to the house in the apricot glow of a midsummer twilight, with crickets chirping and an owl hooting from the top of a spruce tree, Matthew thought about what Tucker had said. Tucker and Aurelia had spent some time talking this afternoon beside the corral.

Matthew hoped to hell Tucker hadn’t told her about him talking in his sleep last night. Or more accurately,
moaning
in his sleep. Dear God, had he really been as pathetic as the guys had made him sound? Probably not. They were laying it on thick because they hadn’t been able to resist.

Surely Tucker hadn’t said anything to Aurelia. That would be breaking an unspoken code unless you had it in for the guy. Tucker had no reason to sabotage Matthew.

But Tucker had seemed sincere when he’d told Matthew to treat Aurelia well. Maybe he had noticed something in her behavior that indicated she was more vulnerable than Matthew thought. He needed to be alert to any signs that she was getting in over her head, because the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

So far, though, she’d seemed to be fine with the rules of the game. More than fine. She’d carried last night’s entertainment beyond where he would have. Thinking about it gave him an erection that made walking painful, so he did his best to push it out of his mind.

Pockets bulging slightly with the condoms he’d tucked there, he climbed the steps to the back door and rapped on the screen the way he had the night before. His heart beat a rapid tattoo as he remembered what had happened the last time he’d gone through this door. But if Aurelia was okay with it, they’d have all night to enjoy each other, so no laundry-room sex was called for.

She came to the door with a much louder greeting than she’d given him the previous night. “Matthew! We were just talking about you.”

“I hope it was good things.” So she wasn’t alone in the kitchen. He reined in his disappointment with the thought that he didn’t have to go back to the bunkhouse tonight. If they couldn’t be alone now, they’d be alone later.

“All good things. Sarah and Pete think you’re doing a terrific job with Houdini.” She drew him inside and squeezed his hand. “Come on in and have a little steak, and then we’ll discuss tomorrow’s menu.”

He took heart from that little squeeze. She was going to be as happy to see Sarah and Pete leave as he was. But it was Sarah’s house, and Pete was her fiancé, so they had more right to be here than he did. He just hoped the bulge of extra condoms in his pockets wasn’t too noticeable.

As he passed through the laundry room, he took off his hat but kept hold of it instead of tossing it on the dryer. But he’d never be able to look at another clothes dryer again without thinking of having sex with Aurelia on top of it. He didn’t dare think about it now, though, when he was about to walk into a brightly lit kitchen and make small talk with the people who had hired him to train their horse.

Sarah and Pete sat at the same small table Aurelia had slipped underneath the night before in order to provide him with a wonderful sensual gift. He’d be better off not thinking about that, either.

Tonight a bassett hound was under the table, his head on his paws. Matthew had heard that Sarah had a dog, but he’d never met the pooch. He said hello to Sarah and Pete before crouching down by the table. “And who’s this?” The hound gazed up at Matthew with sad eyes and his tail thumped the floor in greeting, but he seemed content to stay where he was.

“Rodney Dangerfield,” Sarah said. “He believes in economy of movement. He’s not the sort of dog who races to the door when you come home, or scrambles to his feet to say hello to a visitor, especially after his dinner.”

“I see.” Matthew held out a hand for the dog to sniff. He got a lick in return. “Nice to meet you, too, Rodney.” He scratched behind Rodney’s big floppy ears, and the dog sighed in apparent contentment. But he still didn’t move. “No, please don’t get up. Don’t trouble yourself, Rodney, really.”

Sarah laughed. “I wanted a tracking dog, and I found Rodney listed in a shelter in Colorado. Pete and I took a drive down there and picked him up.”

“He’s a good tracker, too,” Pete added, “once he gets moving. And if you ever want to wake up the neighborhood, Rodney’s your guy.”

“I’ll keep those things in mind.” As Matthew rose to his feet again, he noticed Sarah and Pete each had a glass of wine, but the glasses were nearly empty. Good. He hoped they didn’t decide on a refill, although it really wasn’t his place to wish something like that. This was Sarah’s kitchen, after all.

Pete stood and offered his hand to Matthew. “I wanted to officially thank you. Apparently you’ve managed to combine training that horse with helping the kids. That’s impressive.”

Matthew shook Pete’s hand. “It wasn’t planned, believe me. Lester gets the credit. He finished his work early yesterday so he could come and watch me, and the more I looked at him, the more I thought Houdini might accept the weight of a boy his size. I had no idea Houdini had fond memories of a teenager who’d been nice to him. That was pure luck.”

“Well, it’s all those kids can talk about, and Lester has become the mascot of the group.”

“He has the potential to be a talented trainer when he’s a little older.”

Sarah nodded enthusiastically. “I so agree. I told Pete we need to keep track of that boy and hire him at the Last Chance once he’s of age.”

“He’d be an asset.” Matthew couldn’t help feeling proud of his part in Lester’s blossoming, although as he’d said, it had been partly by accident.

“As for the other boy, Jeff.” Pete shook his head. “I didn’t do a good enough job vetting him and I apologize for that.”

Sarah reached over and squeezed his hand. “Don’t blame yourself. Jeff has learned how to charm people when it suits his purpose.”

“The boys were asking this afternoon if Jeff will come back,” Aurelia said. “Tucker mentioned that the Last Chance doesn’t give up on people or animals, and they wanted to know if you’d given up on Jeff. Tucker said something about counseling.”

“That’s right,” Pete said. “I’ve set him up with a top-notch counselor and talked with his foster parents. I’m going to monitor his progress for the next few months and see if we can give him another shot next summer, but he’d be here on probation if that even happens. One screw-up and he’d be gone for good.”