Ryelee's Cowboy (8 page)

Rheenie gaped at Ryelee with big, sad
eyes. “She died and lives in heaven now.”

Ryelee’s heart tore. “I know she’s
looking down over you, Rheenie, every day.”

Rheenie smiled at Ryelee. “I know.
That’s why she sent you to look after me.”

Ryelee hugged the little girl. What
Rheenie said touched her profoundly. She looked over Rheenie’s head
to see Clint, but he had turned his head away.

“Well, that was the best story I’ve
heard in a very long time,” Ryelee said with false enthusiasm. She
pretended to yawn. “Boy, I’d better get some sleep. Good night,
Rheenie.” She kissed her on the cheek. “Good night,
Clint.”

Clint didn’t even look at her. He
carried Rheenie out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Ryelee knew it must be beyond painful to lose a spouse. Her heart
ached for all of them.

Sleep eluded her as she thought about
her day. She had sworn she would never allow another man to touch
her, but somehow she craved Clint’s caress. His kiss had been both
explosive and gentle, and she could still feel the kiss on her
lips. She could also see his pain-filled eyes as they had talked
about Jill.

She didn’t know what it all meant, but
she knew she didn’t deserve his regard. She was a fraud and a liar.
For her baby’s sake, she had to try to remain calm, but waiting for
the other shoe to drop was going to be agony. She had become too
enmeshed in this family to come away with her heart and soul
intact. Finally, she fell into a fitful sleep.

****

Clint put Rheenie to bed and walked
into his study where he poured himself a shot of whiskey. He needed
something. Talking about Jill had been difficult. He was glad
Ryelee had been there. Rheenie deserved to know about her mother,
and he didn’t know if he could have done it without Ryelee’s
support.

He drank his whiskey, looking out at
the vast darkness of the Texas sky. He missed Jill. She had been
his high school sweetheart. She was so beautiful with light brown
hair and big hazel eyes. They married young and had Rheenie right
away. A car accident had left her in a coma and Rheenie with her
leg brace. Somehow, their insurance had lapsed. Jill handled all
the bills, so he wasn’t sure how it happened. In the end, his ranch
went into foreclosure a year after Jill died.

He ran his hand over his whiskered
face and sighed. Had it only been a year? It seemed a hell of a lot
longer than that. He looked at his desk calendar and realized that
Thanksgiving was only a week away. Where does all the time go? His
sense of time had come unbalanced.

For Rheenie’s sake, he would have to
make Thanksgiving the festive holiday it was supposed to be. God
help him, he didn’t even know where to start.

****

Clint came home to make lunch and was
pleased to find Rheenie and Ryelee visiting with Annie Dawson.
Always a ray of sunshine, she had been a good friend to him and
Rheenie. He caught her gaze as he strode into the room and quickly
made his way to her side to give her a kiss on the
cheek.

“Well hello, cowboy,” she said
warmly.

“Fancy meeting you in a place like
this,” Clint replied with a huge smile.

“Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and I
was just inviting y’all over to the ranch house for
dinner.”

Clint looked at Rheenie’s excited
face. “Of course we’d be delighted to come. I do have to admit I
was wondering what we were going to do with Ryelee on bed rest and
all.”

Annie stood up and hugged Ryelee and
Rheenie. “Problem solved.”

****

The days leading up to Thanksgiving
were very confusing for Ryelee. Rheenie “nursed” her, and she
played along like a trooper. Rheenie so wanted to help, and Ryelee
adored her for it. There were no more Band-Aids. Somehow, they had
disappeared. Clint carried her upstairs every night, holding her
close while looking at her with desire. By morning, annoyance
replaced desire as he carried her back downstairs.

Ryelee didn’t know what to think. She
really had no experience with men. She didn’t count her father as a
man—he was just a disaster. By Thanksgiving, she was a bundle of
nerves. She wanted to yell and scream at Clint, but at the same
time, she wanted to kiss and hold him. Her emotions jumped all over
the map. Her eyes were quick to mist in the morning when he was
cold to her, but her smiles at night were just as quick when he was
gentle and sweet.

She looked in the mirror as she pulled
her hair back. She did look healthy. She hadn’t realized how gaunt
she looked before. Stepping back, she admired the black maternity
dress—the finest thing she had ever worn. She hoped for a good day.
She had much to be grateful for this year.

Rheenie insisted on dressing herself.
The plaid skirt didn’t quite match the polka dotted top, but
Rheenie seemed rather proud of herself, so Ryelee didn’t have the
heart to say anything. She grabbed Rheenie’s hand, and they walked
down the stairs together.

* * * *

Clint waited at the bottom of the
steps as Ryelee and Rheenie approached one-step at a time, and his
eyes fastened on Ryelee. She looked so sophisticated in her black
dress, he could hardly take his eyes off her. After fighting his
feelings for her all week, he didn’t think he could restrain them
anymore. Every morning he vowed to keep his feelings in check.
Every night he had a hard time letting her go, making him half
crazy.

He picked up Rheenie and kissed her on
the cheek. Then he leaned over and did the same to Ryelee. He
smiled as she blushed, the pleasure in her blue eyes making his
heart beat faster.

“You two look very lovely.”

“I know, Daddy,” replied
Rheenie.

Ryelee and Clint exchanged a special
smile. They got their coats, and off they went to the Dawson’s
house for Thanksgiving. Clint had wanted to drive Ryelee over, but
she insisted she felt fine.

Clint couldn’t get enough of her
apple-colored cheeks and twinkling blue eyes. The time had come to
put the past behind him and concentrate on his future, one that
included Ryelee. Somehow, she had not only lassoed him but had him
hog-tied as well.

They were well greeted by Annie,
Burke, Seth, and Mrs. Harvy. Clint had expected to see their
friends Ted and Sherry, but they had just brought little Melissa
home, and he was glad to hear that both mother and baby were doing
just fine.

As everyone prepared to sit down at
the table, Jimmy McKeegan showed up. Rheenie and Ryelee were happy
to see him, and somehow he ended up seated next to
Ryelee.

Clint couldn’t help the glare he sent
their way. He didn't like the way Jimmy made Ryelee smile and
laugh. His frown grew so pronounced that Annie kidded him about
it.

“Is that jealousy I see on your
face?”

Clint smiled at Annie. “I believe
you’ve hit the nail on the head.”

“You going to do something about it,
cowboy, or are you going to let Jimmy have the prize?”

Clint finally caught Ryelee’s glance
and held it. “No way in hell,” he replied while smiling at
Ryelee.

“I can rope him for you. I still
practice. I love excitement.” Annie kicked him lightly.

Clint grinned. “You would!” He glanced
up into Burke’s frowning face. “I think your husband is in need of
your attention. His frown is enough to curdle the milk.”

Annie laughed and gave her husband a
loving smile and a wink, which he returned in kind.

A knock on the door interrupted the
feast, and Mrs. Harvy got up to answer it. Nash, one of the cowboys
Burke employed, took off his Stetson and nodded politely to Mrs.
Harvy. “I need to talk to Burke.”

Burke pushed back from the table and
walked over to Nash. “What’s up?”

“Seems like someone rustled some of
the cattle last night. Me and the guys found out an hour or so ago,
and we tried to trail them, but they used a truck. It must have
been a couple trucks.”

* * * *

Everyone stood up at the table and
began talking all at once as the blood drained from Ryelee’s face.
The other shoe had finally dropped.

Jimmy led Ryelee into the study and
had her sit down in one of the plush brown leather chairs. “Are you
okay, darlin’?”

“She’s just fine, McKeegan,” Clint
growled. “I’ll see to her, if you don’t mind.”

Jimmy smiled. “So it's like that,” he
remarked as he left the room.

Clint squatted down and took both of
Ryelee’s hands in his as he studied her face. “Are you all right?
Is it the baby?” he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

Ryelee wanted to die. The concern and
tenderness in Clint’s eyes would be fleeting at best if he found
out what she’d done. It sounded like more than a couple head of
cattle had been taken. Damn her father anyway. Consumed with shame
and sorrow, she tore her eyes from Clint’s gaze, unable to look at
him. “I’ll be fine,” she whispered. “It’s all the excitement, I
guess.”

“I’m taking you and Rheenie back home.
The sheriff is on his way, and you don’t need to be here for that.”
He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Burke was just
starting to make a sizable profit this year. Who knows what’s going
to happen now.”

He paced back and forth a couple
times. “What a dirty, low down thing to do, on Thanksgiving of all
days. God help the rustlers when we find them.”

A shiver ran through Ryelee’s body.
Yes, God help her. Somehow she managed to say all the appropriate
things to Annie and the rest of the guests. She held on to Clint’s
hand as he led them home.

“I have to go back and help,” he told
her.

She nodded absently.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Will
you be all right here?”

Ryelee snapped out of her musings when
she realized Clint was concerned about leaving her and Rheenie
alone. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wasn’t in any
danger—that much she knew. “We’ll be fine, Clint. Don’t worry.
Okay?”

Clint smiled at her and opened the
front door.

“Clint?”

“Yes?”

“Please be careful.”

“I will, honey,” he said, putting his
Stetson on his head.

Both Rheenie and Ryelee watched from
the front window until he marched into the Dawson’s
home.

“Now what?” Rheenie asked.

“We wait,” Ryelee replied and led her
upstairs.

Chapter Five

Ryelee got Rheenie to sleep, but it
eluded her. Eventually, she got up, pulled on a bathrobe, and
headed downstairs. It was hell not knowing what was happening out
there. What if they caught her father and he spilled his guts? It
was something he would do. He would throw her under the bus so fast
and never give it another thought.

She paced back and forth along the
front of the house, peering out into the moonless night from each
window she passed. The darkness swallowed everything in its
path.

Ryelee nearly burst with regrets. She
should have told Clint about her father’s threats. Maybe it wasn’t
too late. She bit her bottom lip until it bled. Finally, the men
rode back in.

She held her breath and grasped her
hands together to hide the fact that they were shaking. She tried
to find a smile for Clint as he walked through the door. He looked
tired and cold, and it was all her fault. Slowly she walked to
Clint as he took off his hat and coat. She stepped into him,
putting her arms around his cold body, and relief flowed through
her when his arms wrapped around her, holding her.

“It’s late,” he whispered into her
ear.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She snuggled
closer to him.

“Worried?”

“Yes, very worried.”

“It’s been a long time since anyone’s
worried about me.” He kissed the top of her head. “Thank
you.”

Ryelee loved his deep voice. She could
feel his heart beating as she laid her head on his chest. He
smelled of coffee and horses. “Of course I worried.” Looking up at
him, she hoped he could see the love in her eyes.

“I’m glad.” He searched her eyes. “You
need your rest. You and the little one.” He caressed her protruding
belly.

It seemed the most intimate act to
have him touch her like that. His touch made her tingle. In fact,
her whole body tingled. She smiled at him before she turned and
went upstairs.

****

The next day proved hectic as the
search for clues of the rustlers continued. All employees were
called to the main house, Dawson’s Haven, for a meeting held by
Sheriff Bodin. He wanted to know if anyone had seen anything
suspicious on or around the ranch. He also wanted to know if anyone
had heard any rumors.

He eyed the men carefully. “If you
remember anything that you heard at the Lite Up Saloon, let me
know.”