Somewhere Montana (8 page)

“That won’t make him friendly toward me,” murmured Jim. At the father’s quizzical look he added, “I drive a big rig.”

“You don’t have it here and he hasn’t seen you with one. Shouldn’t make a difference. By the way, I’m Graham Swindon and this is my son, Jarrett, and my daughter, Gina, the chatterbox and social butterfly.”

“JJ and GG,” corrected his daughter.

Sage smiled at the little girl, wondering what it would be like to spend time with the children. They were so opposite in their personalities and their response to the tragedy in their young lives.

“I could watch them for you,” she spoke up, before she could change her mind.

Mac threw her a worried look. “You sure you’ll have time?”

“I don’t have that much to do and we can entertain each other.”

“Who are you?” asked Graham. “You look familiar.”

“Susan Brown.”

“A friend of mine from Seattle,” added Mac.

“You like kids?” asked GG.

“Yes,” answered Sage. “I work with children at home.”

“She’ll do,” GG informed her father. That appeared to settle the question for everyone.

At lunch, GG insisted on sitting next to Sage. Max occupied the head of the table with Sage on his right. Two Feathers sat at the other end. The rest were spread evenly on both sides.

“After lunch, you can get settled into your cabins,” said Mac. “Take a walk around, if you’re so inclined. Just don’t wander too far. Keep the main buildings in sight. I don’t want to have to instigate a man hunt before the camp even starts. Be sure to dress appropriately. We’ll meet back here at six for supper, after which we’ll sit down with the lists I sent you to make sure you have everything necessary.”

“All the cabins have radiant floor heating,” added Two Feathers. “Each one also has a fireplace. In case you southern boys need a little extra heat. If you don’t know how to use one, ask. We’ll be glad to help you. Don’t need any ac—er, cause to call the fire department.” He shot a quick glance at JJ, but the boy was happily spooning up his stew.

“This stew is great and the biscuits are heavenly,” stated Alan.

“Thank you,” said Little Mouse. “Fresh herbs make a big difference. And it’s probably different than what you’re used to. This is elk stew. Dinner tonight will be roast venison.”

“Will we be cooking meals like this?” asked Buck.

“No. You will be doing trail meals. If you were out hiking, you wouldn’t have room in your backpacks to tote fresh meat and vegetables safely. Although, you will be taught how to garner fresh meat if necessary for survival,” answered Mac. “And Graham, if you take the children for a walk, keep them with you. Don’t let them wander off. This is a working ranch. There are large animals and machinery in use.”

“I see horsies?” asked GG, looking expectantly at Mac.

“Only if an adult is with you,” said Mac.

“I ride? I ride?” she squeaked, her eyes twinkling with anticipation, bouncing in her chair.

“Maybe,” answered Mac, smiling. “If you are good for Miss Susan.”

GG nodded her head enthusiastically, a grin from ear to ear. “I be bestest!” she vowed, leaning into Sage.

“What about you, JJ? Would you like to ride, too?” asked Mac. The boy looked at him warily, shrugged his shoulders and turned his eyes back to his plate.

“He’s not as venturesome,” spoke up Graham. “Not since—you know.”

“Okay, if we’re done here, I’ll take you to your cabins. Settle in. Relax. It will be a busy week,” said Mac. “Susan, may I see you in the office for a minute before I go?” She followed him out and down the hall. When they entered the office, he closed the door.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. His worried look bothered her.

“You going to be able to handle those two young’uns? GG’s a live wire. She’ll be a handful. And JJ? I just don’t know about him.”

“Don’t worry about them or me. We’ll get along fine,” she said, laying a hand on his chest. The sizzle she felt almost made her yank it away. She steeled herself to let it remain. “As for JJ, we’ll see. I had to take a couple psychology classes in college and you know the type of kids I’ve been working with. He’s out of his comfort zone. He’s scared.”

“Don’t take any chances with them. If necessary, keep them in the house.”

“We’ll be fine.” she stated. “You worry about the men you have out there. Don’t lose one of them. I think you might need to keep a closer eye on Hollywood.”

“Hollywood?”

“Buck. I named him that because he acts like he’s the star of the show. Reckless. More brass than brains. Thinks his good looks will get him anything he wants.”

“Will it?” asked Mac, his hands at her waist. “He’s been very attentive to you.”

“No!” she scoffed. Her now-who’s-being-stupid look had him pulling her to him for a brief, but reassuring, kiss. Under her hand, she felt his heartbeat increase in sync with her own. When he lifted his head, she was looking into eyes, the brown of aged whiskey, which contained questions she couldn’t answer.

He turned and left without a word. She stood there in the middle of the room, her fingertips to her lips, analyzing Mac’s actions. Did he want her to admit she loved him? She couldn’t.

* * * *

Once he had deposited the men at their cabins, Mac felt the necessity to work off the excess energy. He always developed hypersensitivity just prior to starting one of the camps. This time it seemed tenfold. Maybe it was having Sage there again, although she wasn’t taking part. She would be working behind the scenes. Was her knee healed well enough to be chasing after two small children?

He made for the stable and saddled the young leopard stallion that showed great promise. He had high hopes for the animal and the advancement of their breeding program. This was the one he had been striving for, the culmination of selective breeding, the one in a million that showed all the ideal characteristics of the Appaloosa breed. Mac was justly proud of the four year old and continued to bring him along slowly.

As he led him into the arena, the stallion moved calmly, yet with eyes alert, showing the white sclera, ears forward, head up, eager to begin. His muscles rippled under the white coat with the black spots, the mottled skin evident. The striped hooves moved steadily forward, making no attempts to kick or stomp. He was a gentle creature with an unexcitable nature.

Mac mounted and started to put him through the workout, warming up the muscles first like any good athlete. Then he worked the horse through the basic gaits, using elementary leg aids, on to several reining patterns.

He had started maneuvering through a series of figure eights at a moderate lope when something ran across in front of them. The horse stopped short, almost unseating Mac. He looked down and there stood GG grinning at him. He felt his eyes going wide with shock, his face paling and hands shaking at the thought of what could have happened.

Stretching down from the saddle, Mac grasped her by the back of her jacket, rode over to the fence, and reaching across, deposited her in her father’s arms. The angry glare he fixed on father and daughter would have made any of the Marines in his unit cringe. It didn’t seem to have any effect on Graham.

“I told you, when you have them outside, you hold onto them,” said Mac, using his command voice.

“She got away from me. By the time I caught up to her, she had already scooted under the fence,” explained Graham in an it’s-not-my-fault tone.

“If you can’t control them, lock them in the cabin,” answered Mac tersely. “I’ll not have them, my men, or any of the animals hurt because of a preventable accident.” He saw the boy’s reaction, but at that point he didn’t care, his anger fed by the apprehension of the near catastrophe. Even the little girl’s tears didn’t deter him. “Now get them out of here and start being a parent.” Without another look, he turned the horse to the center of the arena where he sat gently stroking the spotted neck until he had settled them both down.

Mac walked into the office and straight to the mini bar in the corner. He hadn’t noticed Sage at the computer comparing two of the stallions on the list of foundation bloodstock for the Appaloosas. He was thorough, listing the strengths of each stud and mare. But he didn’t wear blinders. He had also listed what he perceived to be weaknesses of each one.

Pouring a shot of Jack Daniels, he downed it in one swallow. He set the glass down with a grimace and leaned on the bar.

“What happened?” asked Sage softly.

His head snapped around. Without a word, he crossed to the couch and sat heavily, his elbows on his thighs, hands dangling between his knees, and head down. Sage came over and sat beside him.

“We need to add a line to the camp brochure. No children! We’ll keep the teen camps, but anyone taking part in a camp cannot bring their children with them. This is not a family picnic in the park!”

He could hear the frustration in his voice loud and clear. She started to massage the back of his neck. He shivered and turned to face her, taking both her hands and holding them in her lap. Her gentle touch had spirals of electricity tripping along his nerve endings. Her closeness alone upped the heat in his veins a few degrees.

“I don’t think you having to take care of those two kids is a good idea,” he opened. Then he proceeded to tell her what had occurred. He finished with, “I can’t have you getting hurt.”

“GG is only four. She has no concept of danger. It appears there are several learning experiences lacking for both JJ and GG. Maybe the au pair was more interested in the father than the children. We will get along fine. I promise I won’t get hurt.”

He liked the way she laid her hand against his cheek. He turned his head to place a kiss in her palm. Her gasp of desire made him smile inwardly.

The sounds of others entering the house broke the allure of the moment. Mac stood and drew Sage up in front of him, his whiskey eyes clear, assessing. He could see the blush creeping up her cheeks as he lightly rubbed his hands down her arms. He wanted to place another devastating kiss on her parted lips. Instead, he stepped aside and, with a hand at her back, escorted her from the room.

* * * *

At the dinner table, Sage noticed GG was very subdued, occasionally slipping a wary glance at Mac. Maybe the young lady had learned a valuable lesson that day. Time would tell. When Sage subtly brought Mac’s attention to the child, his lips twitched in the suggestion of a smile and he gave a short nod of his head.

Conversation among the men generally concerned the ranch, the survival camps, and the vastness of the area. When one would broach the subject of Mac’s service to his country and the areas to which he had been deployed, he skillfully steered the topic in a different direction.

Dinner over, the men adjourned to the living room to go over the lists and the first order of business for the morning. They all thanked and complimented Little Mouse on the excellent meal. Buck flirtatiously tried to entice her to agree to move to Florida as his cook, until he saw the look on Two Feathers’ face. Then he quickly swallowed what else he was going to say and followed the others.

Sage kept the children with her, giving them small jobs in helping to clear the table. GG beamed at being allowed to carry the salt and pepper shakers to Little Mouse. JJ was more serious about carrying the empty vegetable dish, walking slowly and carefully across the floor. Sage and Little Mouse praised them for their efforts.

When the cleanup was done, Sage brought out the checkerboard and set it up on the kitchen table. She undertook teaching the children to play checkers. Tomorrow she would hunt up some of the other beginner board games and easy picture puzzles she knew were in the house. While keeping the kids occupied, especially GG, she kept an ear open to the meeting in the living room.

As the group appeared to be winding down, she took in a tray of coffee. She allowed JJ to carry the plate of cookies. Not to be outdone, GG proudly brought the small sugar bowl, balancing it carefully in two hands. She gave her father a big grin after placing it beside the coffee without spilling it. He hugged both children, then gave Sage a look that said he didn’t appreciate her making his children work.

How could he belittle their sense of accomplishment? To them it wasn’t work. They were able to do something they had never done before. Sage was ready to set him straight. Then she thought better of the idea. He was raising them to be part of the privileged set. They were still young enough to mold. She had a whole week. Maybe she could change that sculpture even just a little bit. At least plant the seed. She had learned a lot working with the kids in Bayview-Hunters Point.

“That seems like an awful lot of extras to be carting around,” said Jim, waving his list. “I never pack that much, even on a cross-country run.”

Sage couldn’t help but think of him as Rooster. He had a take-charge attitude. And she was sure if he ever married, he would rule the roost.

“Depends on where you’re traveling and what season,” stated Mac. “This is for winter. Summer has a slightly shorter list.”

“I suppose,” Jim reluctantly agreed. “Considering some of the winter trips I catch, some of these items look downright attractive. Two places I learned to stay away from in winter are the Donner Pass, up outside Truckee, CA, and Wolf Creek Pass in southwestern Colorado. I give them both a wide berth, especially if snow is in the air.”

“It must be interesting, traveling all over the country like you do,” spoke up Alan.

“I wouldn’t say it’s all interesting,” countered Jim. “I could tell you some real horror stories. Long haul trucking is not an easy life, especially if you have a family. That’s one reason I’ve chosen not to settle down.”

“Yeah. Plus all the ladies you get to meet along the way,” suggested Buck with a lecherous leer.

Jim threw him a quelling look, then proceeded to entertain them with humorous occurrences. Buck would jump in with an amusing event at his bar. Even Dave added his bit about hapless campers and hikers.

Sage noticed GG had fallen asleep in her father’s lap and JJ was curled up against him trying to stay awake. She caught Mac’s eye and tapped her watch with her fingertip.

“I think we best call it a night,” interrupted Mac. “We have an early start tomorrow and we need to be well rested. Graham, you need help getting those two sleepyheads back to the cabin?”