Suited to be a Cowboy (8 page)

Brian assisted her to her feet. “We’ll go now and let
Starshine
bond with her baby. Did you need me for
something?”

“Yes, but it can wait,” she said, conscious of Jimmy being
within earshot. “I’ll go clean up and come back in a little while.”

“I’d better go clean up too,” said Jimmy as he ambled past
them on his way to the door.

“Thanks for your help, Jimmy,” Brian called after him.

“Any time. See you later.”

Jimmy hadn’t glanced her way at all, just walked on by
without even acknowledging her presence. So be it. He might be angry because of
what had happened, but so was she.

“Actually, Brian, I came to talk to you about Jimmy’s
horse.”

“Yeah, he told me about
Midnight
Rain, but I don’t see how he could’ve jumped the
fence. That’s a high one.”

“Has anyone ridden him today?”

“Just Aaron. Maybe he let him loose in the wrong corral.”

“Now that’s something I didn’t need to hear. Given the
circumstances, if Sherry is pregnant, who owns the foal?”

“Well now, that’s a tricky one. Sherry’s boarding here
with your permission, so if one of your stallions got to her, I’d say it’s Jimmy’s
babe.”

“Darn! What about stud fees? Can we collect on those?”

Brian scratched his head. “I don’t see how. Jimmy told me
she was in heat and I’ve kept her in the home paddock, away from the stallions,
for that reason. Hard to collect on nature taking its course, especially if it
had a little help.”

Melissa heaved a heavy sigh. “Right. I’ll go talk to
Aaron.” She cast one final look at the new colt nestled in next to his mother,
and left the barn to find her son.

*
* * *

For the horse’s sake, Jimmy was glad when Melissa arrived,
although those white shorts of hers would never be the same. He had to give her
credit. She’d jumped right in and helped out, uncaring of the time passing or
anything else as the three of them worked to save the mare and her colt.

He’d been slightly miffed when she’d ignored him, but
heck, avoiding her had been his exact aim when he went out to check on Sherry, so
he didn’t know why it bothered him so much. He had half a mind to move his
belongings to the bunkhouse, only why should he give up his comfort?

Frustrated at the current state of affairs, he ran his
fingers through his hair. They’d had a good working relationship going, were
well on the way to being friends, so why this? It’s a good thing his rooms were
comfortable. When not working or out riding, he’d be spending a lot more of his
time here.

He stripped on his way to the bathroom, showered and
dressed and made his way to the kitchen for a late dinner. Sheila was a real
stickler for mealtimes, so the most he hoped for was to raid the fridge for a
sandwich. He just hoped Melissa didn’t have the same idea.

To his surprise, Sheila was sitting at the table with a
cup of tea, her attention immersed in a book with a cowboy on the cover. Ah,
the lady had a cowboy fetish. Maybe he could charm her into making him a
sandwich. “Hi, Sheila. What’s cooking?”

She glanced up and laid her book down on the table. “Supper…about
two hours ago.”

“Sorry I missed it. Was helping
Starshine
birth her foal. Any leftovers?”

“Well, that’s all right then.” She hefted her heavy bulk
out of the chair and went to the stove, pulling a covered dish from the oven. “Had
a feeling to keep it hot for
ya
. You’re not one to
miss meals.”

He forced a grin for her benefit. “Not when you’re the one
doing the cooking.”

Sheila gave him a stern look as she reached for a plate. “You
rascal. You think you can charm me into serving you meals at odd hours?”

His grin widened of its own accord. Sheila always spoke
her mind. “I sure hope so. Is it working?”

Sheila smiled and placed a plate piled high with chicken,
baked potatoes, and mixed vegetables on the table. “Obviously. This plate isn’t
for me. I ate at five. Now sit.”

Jimmy sat and picked up his fork. “
Mmmm
,
this smells wonderful.”

She came back with a tall glass of ice water and placed it
before him, then went back and cut him a huge piece of lemon meringue pie.

“Sheila, you’re a doll.”

“Need anything else?”

Hmmm, was he pushing his luck? “Is there any decaf coffee?”

“Instant okay?”

“Instant is fine. Thank you for going to all this trouble.”

“No trouble. Better to serve
ya
than to have
ya
making a
midnight
raid on my larder and leaving it in a mess.”

He snorted a laugh and almost choked on a bite of chicken.
“Much better,” he said once he’d swallowed and taken a sip of water. “No
complaints here.”

Sheila stayed and kept him company as he ate, for which he
was grateful. He didn’t particularly want to be alone with his thoughts.

“You’re being awful quiet tonight. Something eating at
you?”

“Just this mess with Midnight Rain and Sherry, my horse.”

“You can’t fault nature, boy. If it is meant to be, it’ll
happen.”

“I suppose.”

“No supposing about it.” She switched to speaking of
mundane topics and it helped keep his mind from dwelling on the heated exchange
he and Melissa had earlier.

He took his plate to the sink. “Thanks, Sheila. You’re the
best. Good night.”

“Good night, Jimmy,” she said as she picked up her book. “Breakfast
is at eight.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jimmy chuckled all the way to the front
door. He was on his way to meet Tippy and wrangle some horses. Maybe they’d get
to break one or two in tonight. He hastened his steps in anticipation.

*
* * *

Melissa returned to the house, showered and dressed to go
riding, then went looking for Aaron. She found him in the kitchen. It was way
past dinnertime and she hadn’t even realized it. Where had the day gone? She
must’ve spent more time in the barn than she’d thought.

“Hey, buddy. I was looking for you. Want to go for a ride
after dinner?”

Aaron glanced up but didn’t quite meet her eyes. Yep, he
knew he’d done wrong. What she needed to know was why.

“Yeah, sure.”

“You don’t sound too enthused.”

“I, ah, wanted to play my game.”

She shook her head. “Nope. We need to exercise the horses
and get some fresh air. I’ll even let you ride Midnight Rain. You like that
black beauty, don’t you?”

“Yep, next to Aaron’s Pride, he’s my favorite.”

“I see.” Sheila set loaded plates in front of them. “Where’s
Jimmy?”

“Served his a while ago. He ate and left.”

Ha!
He couldn’t
even face her. His loss, but what did that say about their working relationship
from here on out?

“Eat up and let’s get going, Aaron.”

“Okay.”

He ate so slow it was almost laughable, except Melissa was
in no mood for laughter. The boy usually gulped his food down and ran off. Not
tonight.

When he’d finally finished eating, they left to saddle
their mounts.

“I don’t really feel like riding tonight, Mom.”

“We own this ranch and we need to do our share, even if
it’s just exercising the horses.”

“But I rode
Midnight
earlier today. He doesn’t need more exercise.”

“Really? Then we’ll pick another horse for you.” Melissa
was determined to get him away from the house and question him. If he’d put the
horses together on purpose, no one else needed to know. She wasn’t out to
embarrass him. She just wanted the truth.

“Brian, we need two horses to ride. Any suggestions?” she
asked as they entered the barn.

Brian had been forking fresh hay into
Starshine’s
stall, but he paused to consider. “
Melborne’s
Mate
and Blade haven’t been ridden in a while. Want me to saddle them up for
ya
?”

“Please.” She waited with an antsy Aaron while Brian
saddled their mounts. Normally, she would’ve saddled her own horse, but she
didn’t want Aaron running off.

“We’re heading over toward the creek. We shouldn’t be
long.”

Brian nodded and gave them a leg up. “Off you go. I’ll be
here when you get back. I think we’ll have another babe before morn.”

“Oh, should I stay then?”

“Nope, plenty of time yet. Go on. Enjoy your ride.”

Melissa set off down the trail toward the creek. Fenced on
both sides, this route had no gates to open and close, making it a more
enjoyable ride. Aaron rode beside her and spoke not a word. When they arrived
at the creek, she dismounted. Her son hesitated, but soon followed suit. They
led the horses to the water and then sat on the bank.

“Why did you do it?” she asked as she stared out over the
water.

“Do what?”

She searched his face, staring at him for such a long
moment that he began to squirm. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, so
don’t pretend otherwise.”

His mutinous scowl turned into a trembling lower lip. “I
heard Jimmy talking about buying his own ranch.”

“And?” she prompted when he said nothing more.

“And I thought if Sherry had
Midnight
’s baby he’d
hafta
stay
here…with us.”

She put her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.
“I thought it might be something like that. But you know, Jimmy is an employee,
the same as the wranglers. He’s not family. He’s free to stay or go as he
pleases.”

“I don’t want him to go. He’s not like the wranglers. He
lives with us.”

“He has a suite of rooms in the house because he works in
the ranch office, which is also in the house. What you did today caused trouble
between Jimmy and me.”

“It did?” His face creased in a frown of puzzlement.

“Yes, it did. His horse is a purebred Arabian. Ours are
thoroughbreds and our stallions are worth a lot, but they aren’t purebreds.
Normally, when one of our stallions goes to a mare that’s not ours, I collect
money for that. So if Sherry is pregnant, I think he owes me money. But on the
other hand, he thinks I owe him money because my stallion got loose.
Understand?”

“But, I thought we’d share the baby.”

Melissa shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way, honey.
The foal will belong to Jimmy.”

“Rats!”

“Exactly, so don’t go playing horse matchmaker any more.
Okay?”

“Okay. I’m sorry, Mom.”

“It’s all right. I have my lawyer checking into the legal
issues involved. I’m sure we’ll work something out. Ready to ride back?”

He scampered to his feet and grabbed Blade’s reins.
Melissa gave him a leg up and then mounted
Melborne’s
Mate for the return trip. “Ready?” Aaron nodded. “Let’s ride, cowboy.”

They galloped toward the ranch yard and home. Brian
offered to take care of the horses so she ushered her son into the house for a
bath and tuck him in for the night. Then, she would find Jimmy and explain what
had happened.

After his bath, Aaron jumped into bed and pulled the
covers over him. “Good night, Mom.”

“
Nite
, honey. See you in the
morning. Sweet dreams.” Melissa tucked the blankets around her son and left the
room, closing the door quietly behind her.

She knocked on Jimmy’s door, but when there was no answer,
she went to the living room, wondering what to do for the rest of the evening.
She’d never had this problem before Jimmy’s arrival. Had he and Tippy ridden
out to the BLM stretch of land
hoping to lasso a mustang or two? Or had he just gone riding? He sure loved his
horse.

I wonder what he
thinks of me.
Ha! Not much after
today’s tirade.

Most evenings she’d spend time in the courtyard, mulling
over the day’s events or making plans for the future of the ranch, but tonight
she didn’t feel like being alone. Since Jimmy arrived—had it already been two
weeks?—her routine was non-existent. And she felt a loneliness deep inside that
bordered on pain. Restless, she paced the floor, back and forth to the window,
hoping to catch a glimpse of him on his return.

Added to that, Marcus was becoming a downright nuisance.
He’d called at all hours, whining at being arrested, trying to reassure her that
he would never steal from her, begging her to drop the charges, and to give him
another chance.

As if on cue, the phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Melissa, darling. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Marcus. What do you want?” She was feeling a
little testy this evening and in no mood for his false charm.

“Now what kind of greeting is that?” he asked, his voice
silky smooth.

“The only one you’re going to get. I’m busy.”

“I’ve missed you, honey. I’d like to come visit you and
the boy. He needs both of us.”

Ooohh
! This man really knew how
to ruffle her feathers. “The boy’s name is Aaron. I don’t miss you in the least
and I don’t want you here. Give up, Marcus. A reconciliation is not going to
happen.” In that moment, she made the decision that had been troubling her so
much of late. She couldn’t even stand talking to him, so why would she even
consider living with him again? “Goodbye.”

Melissa hung up the phone and took a deep breath, relieved
to have spoken her mind. Maybe he’d quit bugging her now. Finally, he’d mentioned
Aaron, and how he deserved to have both parents.
What a bunch of bull!
He’d never been a father to their son, so
having him around for Aaron’s benefit seemed a moot point.

She paced the floor again, always returning to the window.
Melissa wanted, needed, to watch for Jimmy to come home. She tried telling
herself it was because he could easily be hurt trying to catch wild horses, but
she wasn’t in the habit of lying to herself. The truth was, she worried, but
she missed him too. He was easy on the eyes and good company…as long as they
didn’t talk about their horses.