Sea Of Grass (12 page)

“Are you done for the day, Tess?”

“Yes, thank God.”

Jack came bounding up, then stopped short and slowly swaggered up to them. Claire and Tess exchanged quick glances.

“Tess, can I take care of Stella for you?”

“Sure. You know where to put the saddle and where the brushes are. Give her a good brushing and let her cool off. I had her running this morning. Got a few strays stuck in the thicket on the north pasture.”

“I’ll take care of her for you,” Jack assured her and led the chestnut mare to the stable.

“He’s a good young man, Claire. You should be proud of him,” Tess said as they watched him.

It was then Claire noticed blood on the collar of Tess’s denim shirt. “What happened?”

Tess followed her look. “I don’t know. What is it?” She strained to see her shirt. “God, it’s not a bug, is it?”

“You’re bleeding.” Claire walked into the kitchen and came back with the first aid kit. “Sit still.” She sat next to Tess on the step and gently pulled the collar of her shirt. “Geez, Tess. Where were you? In the thicket with the cows?”

Tess chuckled as Claire cleaned the deep scratch on the side of her neck. “Yes, I was. I had to get them out of there. Chuck was chasing down strays, and the boys were in the other pasture.” She flinched as Claire dabbed the cut. “Stinging, stinging,” she exclaimed and tried to pull away.

“It’s supposed to. Sit still.” Claire leaned in, gently blowing on the cut. Tess instantly shivered and Claire laughed.

“Now I know how Stella feels, trying to get a fly off her back.”

“So I remind you of a fly on your back?”

Tess looked up into her eyes. “No, not really.”

Claire said nothing for a moment. “There, keep it clean. That means no dunking your head in a horse trough.”
 

Tess laughed and flexed her neck. “Yes, ma’am.”
 

Claire smiled in spite of herself. She walked back inside and came back with a bottle of ice-cold beer.

Tess looked up and took the offering. “Join me. I don’t drink alone.” She waited until Claire came back out and sat next to her.

“Thanks for the first aid.” Tess touched the top of their bottles.

“You’re welcome.”

After taking a long pull from the bottle, Tess turned and leaned her back against the porch railing to get a better view of Claire. “Want to learn how to ride a horse?”

Claire stopped with the bottle up to her lips. She glanced at Tess, who was sporting a challenging grin.

“No.”

Tess laughed at the resolute tone. “Why not?”

“Because animals and I don’t get along. When I was a child, my dog bit me. My cat scratched me and the bird we had actually flew out of the cage and out the window,” she said seriously, and Tess let out a genuine laugh at the mental picture. “It’s not funny. I don’t have a way with animals like you and Jack.”

Tess let it go as she drank her beer. “Ah, this tastes good. Where’s Dad?” she asked casually.

“He said he was going into town. He seemed a little restless,” Claire said and drank her beer. She glanced at Tess. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course you can,” Tess said and closed her eyes.

“Why doesn’t your father go out with you during the day?”

Tess opened her eyes and took a deep breath and a long pull on the icy beer. “Doctor’s orders. A couple of years ago, Maria said he had a mild heart attack. He’s got to take it easy.”

“Was it because of your brother?” she asked, and when she saw the curious look from Tess, she went on. “Your father told me about your brother. I-I’m sorry,” she finished in a quiet voice. Tess nodded and sighed.

“Thanks. Yes, it was shortly after that. Dad took it very hard as you can imagine, having a child die so young and being the heir. He had big plans for Steve, being the only son. It nearly killed him when Steve died. He was all alone. I was in California at the time. I came back for the funeral, but…”

“You had your life in California.”

Tess looked out at the land in front of her. Claire took the unguarded moment and watched her. She had a strong, yet very feminine profile. The wind lightly blew her blond hair away from her face, and when Tess turned her head slightly, Claire nearly gasped when she realized how pretty Tess was. Tess continued to gaze at nothing in particular, and Claire was happy not to interrupt.
 
She gazed, too, but at Tess.

After a moment or two, Claire couldn’t help it. “What are you thinking?” she asked quietly as she picked at the label on the bottle.

Tess turned her gaze to Claire, who was shocked to see a tear well in her blue eyes. “Nothing, everything.” She took a long drink from the bottle before continuing. “I do have a life in California.
 
But I was wrong to stay away for so long. I can see that now. Dad’s getting older, a little forgetful. I don’t know if you see it.”

“I do. He called Jack Stephen the other day. But that doesn’t mean…” Her voice trailed off because she had no idea what to say next.

“I have to figure out what to do here,” Tess said.

“What do you mean? About your father?”

“No, about the ranch.” Tess put her head back and closed her eyes.

“You need to rest more.” When Tess didn’t respond, Claire grinned. “You’re not getting any younger.”

Tess’s eyes flew open then. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Hey, I can still take care of things. I’m not in a wheelchair yet. And I’m getting back to my fighting weight, so watch it.”

“I can see that.”

Tess raised an eyebrow then. “See what?”

“I can see you’re getting back in shape. Riding all day will do that. You’re looking fit.”

“I am?”

Claire laughed and finished her beer. “Yes, and that’s the last ego stroke you get. Now tell me about California.”

“It was eye-opening.”

“Really? How so?” Claire asked. “Trying to find yourself?”

“I suppose.”

“And did you?”

“Oh, yes, I believe I did.”

“Now you have to tell me. I’m intrigued.”

Tess turned her gaze toward Claire. For a moment, she looked as though she was sizing Claire up for something. “I found out I was gay.”

Claire blinked several times. “Really?”

“Really.” Tess leaned back and smiled.

“So that’s who Mel is?”

“That’s who Mel was,” Tess corrected her. She continued when Claire gave her a curious look. “We were planning a summer vacation to Hawaii before I got the call from Maria.”

“And I take it she was not thrilled with the idea.”

“In a word, no. In two words, definitely no.”

Claire laughed. “She didn’t want to come with you?”

“I didn’t ask.”

Claire said nothing and Tess now laughed. “You so want to know but don’t want to ask.”

The color rose in Claire’s cheeks. “I do not.”

“Well, I’ll tell you anyway. Mel is a city gal through and through. The idea of her here on this ranch would not appeal to her. And honestly? I’m not sure I would want her here.”

“Now I will ask. Why not?”

Tess gazed around the vast landscape; she could feel Claire watching her. “Can I offer an explanation?”

Tess looked at her. “Please.”

“I think this land is very special to you, and I think you’d want someone to appreciate it as you do.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“And it’s annoying you.”

“Oh, yeah.” Tess finished her beer and stole a glance at Claire. “Anyway, I settled into a comfortable life that I don’t think I could have had in Montana twenty or thirty years ago. It might be different now, but back then—”

“Twenty years ago?”

Tess laughed at the incredulous look. “Yeah.”

“How old are you?”

Again Tess laughed. “Forty-nine. How old are you?”

“Forty-one. You certainly don’t look your age.”

“Thanks. Neither do you. Must be clean living.”

Claire laughed then. “Must be. Didn’t you want to run the ranch?”

“It was never asked of me. Stephen was the only boy. Dad wanted him to run it. I can’t blame him. It was in Steve’s blood. He took to it naturally, so I can see why my father wanted him to run it.”

 
“You’re the oldest,” Claire pointed out the obvious.

“That doesn’t mean much. I’m not a man. It hasn’t been easy gaining the respect of ranchers. Women are frowned upon when we show our brains or our brawn… Or our differences,” she added and drank her beer.

Claire sighed heavily and moved to the opposite porch railing and leaned back, stretching out her shorter legs next to the tall ones of Tess.

“Why is that? What is the big deal? So many women in the world are businesswomen and leaders. God, look at Eleanor Roosevelt or Amelia what’s her name, the aviator. Hillary Clinton and…”

“Martha Stewart?”

“W-well…”

“Lady Gaga?”

Claire nearly fell off the porch in laughter. Tess joined her. “You know what the sad thing is?” Tess asked through her laughter. “I have no idea who the hell she is.”

Claire roared and slapped at Tess’s knee. Claire took a deep breath and stopped laughing. “Seriously, if that’s possible, what would your father do right now if it weren’t for you? My God, you handle this ranch single-handedly. You ride like a man, you work like a man. I bet you could stand up to any one of them and…” She stopped, knowing she was on her soapbox. Tess just watched her, smiling.

“Sorry, it just irks me to no end. Why can’t people just accept each other as they are? Why can’t it be all right for a woman to do a man’s work?” She snorted rudely as she drank her beer, realizing it was empty. “It’s okay to have the babies, keep the house, and I’ll bet your mother and grandmother had a big hand in keeping the Double R going. Don’t tell me they just sat in the house and cooked, cleaned, and bore children!”

Tess just kept smiling as she listened and drank the last of her beer. She got up with a groan, took the empty bottle from Claire, and went inside.

“I’ll bet your father and your grandfather were plenty glad they could,” she called to the back door. “And why can’t you be proud of who you are? You’re a strong, attractive woman who can do just about anything. Well, except cook,” Claire said thoughtfully, then realized she was alone.

She looked up to see Tess coming out with two more bottles of beer. Tess grinned and handed Claire the icy bottle. Claire took it, knowing she was blushing horribly.

“You turn a nice shade of red. It nearly matches the bandanna in your hair.”

Claire immediately put a hand to her hair and drank her beer.