Ryelee's Cowboy (9 page)

Ryelee sat quietly in the corner.
Clint didn't think she needed to be at the meeting, but she had
insisted. Mrs. Harvy volunteered to watch the children.

Ryelee almost smiled at Sheriff Bodin.
She remembered him as Bubba. He had filled out a lot since she last
saw him, and he still wore his dirty blond hair extremely short.
But it wasn’t Bubba staring at her in contemplation. It was Sheriff
Bodin.

Ryelee squirmed in her seat trying to
pretend she didn't notice his intense perusal. He studied her with
an expression she couldn’t interpret. She turned to Clint for
reassurance, but he looked busy making plans for the protection of
the rest of the cattle. Apparently, the rustlers took not only cows
and steers, but they also stole one of Burke’s prize
bulls.

“Miss Snyder, if you have a moment?”
the Sheriff asked.

“Call me Ryelee.” She tried to keep
her voice steady as the blood rushed out of her face, leaving her
cheeks cold.

“Yes, well, Ryelee, I need to speak to
you privately.”

Ryelee nodded as she stood then
followed the Sheriff into Burke’s study. She grew increasingly
jumpy when he closed the door behind them.

“Please have a seat,” he said,
motioning to the leather chair in front of the desk. He leaned
against the desk, hovering over her.

“What can I do for you,
Sheriff?”

Perching on the desk emphasized his
size, big and tall, and his lecherous smile made her shiver. She
couldn’t imagine why he smiled at her like that.

“Ryelee, are you listening to
me?”

“What was that?”

“I wanted to know when the last time
you saw your father?” he repeated, sounding annoyed.

“Why?”

“He bragged about a big payday coming
his way. He said he had a lot of outside help, and he was going to
be rolling in it.”

“It wasn’t at the Lite Up, was
it?”

“I can’t say.”

“Well, he’s always drinking and
running his mouth. I never knew what was true or not. I don’t know
what to think.” Ryelee looked away from his intense stare. He had
been ogling her ever since they were alone. He made her skin crawl,
and it had nothing to do with the rustling. She could tell he liked
to make her squirm.

“Okay, then, if you hear anything let
me know. Any time, day or night. I’m here for you,
Ryelee.”

“Yes, I’ll do that,” she said
uneasily.

“I have a lot to do. Take care,
Ryelee,” he said as he left the room.

The beating of her heart echoed in her
ears. Perspiration formed on her brow, and it left her dizzy. She
had faced down many things in her life, but this time it was her
own doing. The guilt overwhelmed her. Something was off with Bubba.
He seemed to be toying with her.

She put her hands over her stomach and
thought she felt a slight movement. A calm serenity filled her. As
she walked out of the study, she vowed she would do anything
necessary to protect this little one.

Rheenie came rushing at her. “Can I go
hunt rustlers, Ryelee? Please, Ryelee?” She cocked her head and
smiled while batting her eyelashes.

Ryelee wanted to laugh. Where had she
learned that? Clint was going to have his hands full when Rheenie
grew up. A sharp pain lanced Ryelee’s heart as she realized she
wouldn’t be a part of it.

“I think this is a grown-up
thing.”

“Oh, pooh! I never get to do
anything!”

“Rheenie Maloney! We do not talk that
way!” her father scolded.

Rheenie scowled at him and crossed her
little arms in front of her. “Pooh, pooh, pooh, pooh, pooh, pooh,
POOH!”

Clint picked her up and told Ryelee to
grab their coats. “I have something to take care of,” he told the
rest of the men. “I’ll be right back.

As the door closed behind them, they
could hear laughter. Ryelee knew Clint would have laughed, too, if
Rheenie wasn’t his daughter. He looked back at Ryelee as she tried
to keep up with his long legged stride. She was worried. She had
never seen Clint discipline Rheenie before. Although confident it
wasn’t a trip to the woodshed, as her father had done to her, she
hoped he would be gentle. She couldn’t bear it if he turned out to
be abusive.

Once inside, he placed a dining room
chair in the corner then sat Rheenie on it. “You stay here and
think about what you did.”

Ryelee finally caught up and had to
seal her lips together to keep from laughing. All her worries were
for naught.

“When can I get down, Daddy?” Rheenie
asked, once again cocking her head, smiling and batting her
eyelashes.

Ryelee had to turn away. She couldn’t
look at either one of them without laughing. “I’ll make coffee and
fill a thermos for you to take with you. It’s a cold one today,”
she called out, hurrying to the kitchen.

“You sit there ‘til I tell you,” he
said as he went to the kitchen.

“Where did she learn that little act
of batting her eyelashes?” he asked Ryelee.

“Today’s the first time I’ve seen it.
It’s strange-looking on a girl her age.”

“You’re not kidding.”

Rheenie’s little footsteps interrupted
them, and they both turned toward the doorway. Ryelee put her hand
on Clint’s arm as he started toward his daughter. A grim expression
crossed his face, and she could feel the tension in his
muscles.

“I’ve thunk it over. All better.
Right, Daddy?” She put her little arms around his legs, hugging
him.

Ryelee handed him his thermos of
coffee. “Go. I’ll take care of this. It’s time for girl talk.
Right, Rheenie?”

Rheenie smiled. “Yep.”

“All right, but you and I are having a
long talk when I get home, young lady.”

“Ryelee, Daddy’s going to talk to you!
Isn’t that nice?”

Clint groaned as he walked out the
front door.

* * * *

The men rode hard and fast to where
the barbed wire fence had been cut. They could see tire tracks, but
the roaming cattle had destroyed any other tracks. Every man out
there was outraged and hot for revenge.

Burke Dawson whistled through his
teeth, trying to gain everybody’s attention, and waited for
silence. “There isn’t anything we can do right now except fix the
fence. Nash, I want you and Jimmy to come up with a night patrol
schedule. I’ve had cattle rustled in the past but nothing of this
magnitude. Let’s all keep our eyes and ears open. Hopefully the
thieves are braggers.” Burke looked at each of the hands that
worked the ranch. “Don’t take the law into your own hands. It will
only lead to trouble. If you learn anything, tell me or the
Sheriff.”

Burke turned his horse and signaled
for Clint to join him as they rode toward home.

“Of all days,” Clint said. “Both
Rheenie and Ryelee had been looking forward to Thanksgiving for
over a week. That’s all they talked about. I was surprised at how
much Ryelee knew about the Pilgrims. She really taught Rheenie a
lot. I have to admit I was surprised by Rheenie today.”

Burke chuckled. “You had your hands
full.”

“Did you happen to see her batting her
eyelashes? I wonder where she learned such a thing.”

Burke looked away for a minute. “Well,
old friend, I’m afraid the blame lies on my shoulders. I taught her
how to flirt to get her own way. It seemed like fun at the
time.”

“Thanks.”

Burke laughed. “She’s adorable. I’m
sorry that you’re upset about it.”

Clint shook his head smiling. “No, I’m
not mad. Ryelee said they were going to have a girl talk. Hopefully
she’ll set her straight.”

“So that’s the way the wind
blows.”

Clint couldn’t seem to keep the stupid
smile off his face. “I’m hoping so.”

“I wish you luck, Clint.”

“No advice?”

Burke laughed whole-heartedly. “I’m
lucky I still have Annie, so no, I have no advice.”

“Call me if there’s any news. I need
to go see my diva of a daughter now.”

A warm reception greeted him from both
Rheenie and Ryelee. The smell of beef stroganoff made him hungry.
Before he knew it, he was sitting at the table with a big
plateful.

“So, Rheenie, what’s been going on
around here?” he asked.

“We had a girl talk,” she
replied.

Clint cocked his eyebrow. “Oh? What
did you talk about?”

“Daddy, you are not a girl. I told you
it was girl talk,” she explained with exaggerated
patience.

Clint shared a smile with Ryelee. It
hit him right in the gut. He wanted to share smiles, dinner,
Rheenie, and, hell, everything with her.

“Is there anything we need to talk
about? Maybe your behavior at the Dawson’s?”

“All taken care of,” Ryelee informed
him.

“Yes, Daddy, that was a part of the
girl talk.” She looked at him, her bow-like lips turned into a
frown. “I’m not allowed to do this anymore either.” She smiled,
cocked her head to one side, and batted her eyelashes.

“Good.”

“I still think it makes me very
beautiful, but Rye said that real beauty comes from
with-in.”

Clint eyed Ryelee. His gaze
intensified. Ryelee was beautiful inside and out. He smiled and
winked at Rheenie. “Ryelee is very wise in these
things.”

Clint decided to talk to Ryelee
tonight. He had to know if she felt the same. She responded to his
kisses, but he wanted to know what was in her heart. It took
forever before Ryelee was free. Clint paced in his study as he
heard Ryelee finally kissing Rheenie goodnight.

He stopped short when she walked into
his study. Her red hair cascaded down over her shoulders, and he
wanted to run his hands through the luscious locks. It shimmered
like a bright red halo around her. He hoped to God she had feelings
for him. He usually could read people, but he couldn’t get a good
read on Ryelee.

“Your daughter sure is special. Where
did she learn that eyelash thing?” Ryelee asked, moving closer to
Clint.

Clint took her hand and led her to the
green sofa. He smiled at her curious. “I want to talk to you about
something.”

“It looks serious.”

Noting the concern on her face, he
said, “Hey, it’s good talk. At least I hope you think so.” He took
both of her hands in his. “I’m not a poetic type of man, and I
don’t exactly know what to say.”

She leaned in and kissed him on the
lips. Clint drew her closer, running his fingers through her hair.
He deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue in her mouth. She
tasted like heaven. He wanted more, much more, but he pulled
away.

Clint looked into Ryelee’s eyes. He
had never had a kiss like the one they just shared, and it humbled
him. She looked so sexy with her mussed hair, cherry red lips, and
hooded eyes.

“I think we should talk.” He took her
tiny hand in his and pulled her down next to him. The contrast in
their size made him smile. Ever since Ryelee came into their lives,
he had started smiling again. It had been a long time—a long,
lonely, sad time. His heart raced and his palms became clammy. Part
of him wanted run out the door. What if she didn’t return his
feelings?

He had never been in this position
before. With Jill, it had been so easy. It seemed as if they had
always been a couple, and they naturally got married. It was love,
a strong love. With Ryelee, it was an exciting kind of love. There
was no predicting her.

She loved Rheenie. Maybe she could
love him too. Fear shot through him. He could be mistaking her
responses. Clint didn’t want to make a fool of himself. He had to
know.

“I feel as though we have something
good here between us, Ryelee, and I want to know how you
feel.”

Ryelee smiled into his eyes. “Well,
cowboy, I’d have to say you’ve lassoed me.”

Clint scowled.

Ryelee’s brows furrowed together. “Did
I say something wrong?”

“I don’t want the same pat answer you
give every other guy you make out with. I’m serious. I’m trying to
have a serious conversation, and I don’t enjoy you making light of
it or my feelings.”

Ryelee’s eyes widened. “Every other
guy?” She disentangled her hands from his and hopped up from the
sofa. With a cry of distress, she put her hand to her mouth and ran
from the room.

Clint felt pole-axed. What just
happened? He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair,
trying to think of what went wrong. She overreacted to his comment.
Oh, hell, his comment! He groaned remembering what he had said and
how she probably perceived it. He had jumped to the wrong
conclusion, and he knew better. She’d been a virgin until recently.
She must think the worst of him. Why was it always so difficult
with women?

Clint didn't know what to do. He had
hoped to propose to her, but right now he would be lucky if she’d
even talk to him. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he decided to
go after her. He couldn’t let her believe he thought any less of
her because she was pregnant. He knew what had happened to her, and
it wasn’t her fault.