The Cowboy Wins a Bride (The Cowboys of Chance Creek) (14 page)

Claire only managed to snatch an hour of sleep after breaking the news of her mother's duplicity to Ethan. Now, ready or not, she had to face another day of wrangling clients with Jamie, while trying to figure out the best way to handle the latest trouble her mother had brought to the family. She decided to check in at the Big House and find out from Autumn when the guests would be ready to ride, before heading over to the stables to help Jamie prepare. When she entered the Big House's kitchen, Autumn was hard at work. She looked just as tired as Claire felt. Autumn already had way too much on her plate, being pregnant and starting a business all at the same time.

“Can I help you?” Claire said. "You should be resting more." She crossed the room and pulled out plates from a cabinet. At the very least she could set the table.

“Just keep those women entertained and out of the house long enough for me to make up all the beds this morning,” Autumn said. “I couldn't sleep last night. Then Ethan got me up early. You know why.”

Claire didn't feel like talking about that. “Did your guests offer to pay you to line up some dates for them with the hot local cowboys?”

“Just about,” Autumn said. She sighed. “I can’t blame them, though. I can’t resist the local cowboys, either.”

“You better be resisting all the local cowboys except my brother,” Claire said lightly.

“You know it.”

“You two are sickening, you know,” Claire said, putting out cups and glasses. She hoped her voice sounded normal, because she sure as hell didn't feel like herself. She felt like she was walking a tightrope over a chasm so deep she couldn't see the bottom. How could she have a sister she'd never met?

“Just wait until you're married – you and Jamie'll be just like us. Now, come on, we can't ignore the elephant in the room any longer. Someone's got to go see Morgan and tell her the truth.”

"She can go right back where she came from, for all I care." Claire yanked open the silverware drawer and grabbed a handful of knives and forks.

"I'm sure she will go back where she came from, once she knows," Autumn said quietly. She was slicing potatoes methodically for home fries.

"It's not my job to tell her."

"Whose job is it? Mine?" The edge to her voice surprised Claire. Usually Autumn managed to keep her calm.

"Sorry. I know I'm being a bitch," Claire said, "but what right does that woman have to come here and make things worse than they already are? I don't need this right now." She surveyed the table. Napkins next.

"I know things have been hard for you."

"You don't know the half of it."

"You're right." Autumn put her knife down and leaned on the counter. Claire felt like a heel for being so cranky. "You hardly know me, so I don't expect you to confide in me, but I'm here if you need a friend, okay?" Claire appreciated the words, but the color of Autumn's face worried her. Although it was too early for Autumn to be showing, she'd suffered from morning sickness these last few weeks. Maybe all that energy she'd been projecting lately was entirely fake. She didn't look good this morning.

"Look, I'll handle it," Claire found herself saying. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll drive into town and see her at her hotel. I'll tell her about Mom and make sure she gets back on a plane and leaves us alone. Please tell me you'll rest this morning when breakfast is done."

"I need to do the bedrooms while you're out."

"Let me make a few calls. We need more help."

Autumn shook her head. "We can't afford more help."

"You might not be able to, but I can."

At least for now.

* * * * *

Jamie surveyed his future home with satisfaction. Now that the roof was done, the construction crew had begun work inside. The beautiful log cabin he'd envisioned had come into being, with a wide verandah and banks of windows to let its inhabitants drink in the view. It stood as one with the property, its log walls echoing those of the Big House, but it was far enough away from the main part of the spread to make a private home for him and Claire.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and let his gaze run over the portion of the Cruz ranch that was now his. Well, it was all his in a way, since he was co-owner with Ethan, but these hundred acres were marked as his to do with as he wished. And what he wished was to marry Claire and raise a family here. Maybe others would think he was foolish to bet on a relationship that so far had gone nowhere, but one thing he’d learned during the prolonged battle with his father for control of his own life was that if he fixed his goal in his mind, things had a way of arranging themselves so he got there. His goal was to marry Claire and settle down in this house, then run the ranch with Ethan and Autumn, his kids and their kids growing up together the way he’d grown up with Ethan.

First he had to get through the rest of this week, however. And pray the news about Aria's other child didn't send his intended into cardiac arrest. He urged Walter back around and galloped down the track toward the Big House. Time to get to work.

Back at the stable, he and a very quiet Claire helped their guests saddle up for a ride over to the eastern pastures for the age-old chore of checking and repairing fences. He’d argued that no lady guest was going to want to participate in that kind of activity, but Claire overrode him, saying, “They wanted a ranch experience, they’re getting a ranch experience.” He had a feeling that the women’s attempts at flirtation, combined with this latest development, were getting on her nerves and she wanted to punish them. That was all right by him; her jealousy told him she had some kind of feelings for him, even if she wasn’t ready to admit them.

The ride out to the pastures was calm enough. Even Liz seemed somewhat tired from the previous day’s activities, but as the sun climbed higher in the sky and temperatures rose, Jamie sensed dissension in the ranks.

“This isn’t nearly as pretty as yesterday’s ride,” Adrienne said, flipping her white-blonde hair over her shoulder.

“It isn’t a joy ride. We’re doing a job, right, Jamie?” Maddy said. “This is a working ranch, remember? We all agreed it’s what we wanted to do.”

“We’re just riding in a line,” Adrienne said.

“We’re riding in a line along fences,” Maddy said. “We’re making sure nothing’s broken. That’s an important job.”

“She’s right,” Jamie said. “Nothing cuts down a ranch’s profits like losing a few hundred head of cattle. One rotten post or broken wire can cost a rancher a bundle of cash.”

“And he can make it back by charging his guests a bundle of cash,” Adrienne said, just loudly enough he knew he was meant to hear the snide remark.

“Ma’am, if you’re feeling poorly, I can take you back to the Big House,” Claire chimed in from further down the line, her tone barely respectful. Jamie tensed, knowing she was already at the end of her tether and liable to snap at a problematic guest.

“I’m not feeling poorly,” Adrienne said. “I’m feeling bored.”

Jamie bit back the urge tell her exactly how he was feeling. “Well, you’re lucky, then, because here’s our first stop.” He dismounted Walter and gestured at a post that was bent so far over it would have scraped the short range grass if the wires attached to it weren’t holding it up. After a quick rundown of the correct way to repair such a problem, he let the women take turns using the tools and together they reset the fence post properly. All of the women seemed to enjoy the chance to get their hands dirty, so to speak, except Adrienne, who remained surly throughout the process. Jamie shot Claire a pleading look when they all re-mounted and breathed a sigh of relief when she managed to get Adrienne aside. Maybe the woman was having female troubles.

Or maybe she was just a spoiled bitch. Either way, he wouldn’t be hard pressed to keep from flirting with her. He couldn’t abide a whiner.

“Who wants to ride beside me and help spot the next problem?” he called and wasn’t surprised at all when Liz pushed forward.

“Bet I’m good at it,” she said. “I can spot a mistake a mile away.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” he said gallantly, and glanced back at Claire again. She and Adrienne were talking heatedly now, the blonde gesturing widely.

“I’m sorry this morning’s chore isn’t to your liking,” he heard Claire say. “I’ve already offered to escort you back to the lodge. I don’t know what else I can do.”

“Jamie! Claire! Good to see you.”

Jamie swiveled in his saddle to see Rob and Cab riding up.

“Hi, Rob. Cab. Good to see you again!” Claire rode forward, probably happy to shelve her conversation with Adrienne for the time being. “Ladies, let me introduce you to more of Chance Creek’s most eligible bachelors, Rob Matheson and Cab Johnson. Rob’s family owns the spread next door to the Cruz ranch and Cab is the county sheriff. Rob, Cab, meet our very first guests. This is Maddy, Adrienne, Christine, Liz and Angel. The ladies are helping us ride fences this morning, but I’m just about to ride back to the house with Adrienne. She’s not too keen on fences.”

“I’m fine with fences, Claire,” Adrienne spoke up swiftly, her gaze running up and down Rob’s body with open appreciation. “I told you, I was feeling a little poorly for a minute there, but I’m much better now.”

Claire’s expression spoke volumes as Adrienne nudged her horse forward through the crowd to where she could shake hands with Rob and Cab.

“What’s your spread like, Rob?” Christine asked brightly. “Is it as nice as this one?”

“Much nicer,” Rob said and seemed gratified to get a chuckle from his feminine audience. “And about twice the size. We know how to run things right on the Double Bar K.”

“Is that so?” Jamie said. “Rumor has it you know how to run a video camera, anyway.”

“Keep your mouth shut, Lassiter,” Rob growled and Jamie nodded, but smiled. Rob was still trying to live down the bad reputation he’d gained as a result of Ethan’s last practical joke on him – the joke that had spurred Rob to place the video Wife Wanted ad on the internet for Ethan, and which had resulted in Autumn coming to Chance Creek and falling in love with him.

Ethan, knowing Rob was a ladies’ man, had waited until he was out at the local bar one night and sneaked into Rob’s house to set up a video camera, back drop, and lights in his bedroom, so that when he brought his date home later that evening it looked like he’d planned ahead to make a sex video. The poor young lady took one look and made a run for it, but not before spreading the gossip far and wide about what a sleaze Rob was. He’d been hard put to get a date ever since.

Jamie figured Rob thought this new crop of women were ignorant of his sordid past. No wonder he managed to show up in the east pasture out of the blue. Adrienne seemed more than willing to bite, and as far as Jamie was concerned, Rob could have her. Heck, he could have the whole damn lot of them. Although it served him right if he never got laid for the rest of his life. After all, it was Rob's fault Claire still didn't believe he really wanted to marry her.

It's your own damn fault, too, for being such a flirt.

Well, he was doing everything he could to remedy that.

“We’ve got some time to kill,” Rob said. “Mind if we tag along?”

“Not at all,” Liz said.

“I’d sure like to hear what it’s like to be a sheriff,” Maddy said, taking a place next to Cab.

Jamie smiled. Cab wasn’t often the center of attention when it came to women, and he deserved his fair share. Maddy had just raised her position in his books, but then she seemed much more down to earth than her friends.

“Cab’s got lots of good stories. Just keep pressing him until he tells you one or two,” Jamie called to her, then waited for Christine and Angel to move after the others before joining Claire in the rear.

“Just in time,” she said, nodding at Cab and Rob. “Adrienne was about to flip her lid. She wanted us to reroute the whole morning’s ride somewhere to a “scenic vista” as she put it. Can you believe her?”

“Maybe we should start telling the women our plans the night before so they can opt in or out,” Jamie said.

“What if they opt out? Then Autumn will be stuck with them all morning while she’s trying to clean up.”

“I guess we’d better discuss that with Autumn and Ethan. At least we should be good for now. You all right?”

"I'm fine," Claire said and urged her horse past him.

And they were. In fact, they managed to cover more of the fencing than Jamie had even hoped for, with Rob and Cab moving the group along swiftly from post to post. Rob flirted openly with Adrienne, Liz, and even Christine. Cab regaled Maddy and Angel with stories of various Chance Creek criminals’ exploits, and everyone helped out when they found a downed post.

Afterwards, Rob and Cab rode all the way back to the Big House with them and seemed more than happy to join the crowd for lunch when Autumn asked them to.

“You have enough food?” Jamie asked her when everyone went in to wash up. “I can always feed Claire back at my place.”

“I’ve got plenty,” she assured him. “Ethan warned me they were coming. They stopped by to talk to him before riding out to find you guys.”

“Got it.”

Inside, Jamie was surprised to see Tracey Richards behind the half wall that divided the kitchen from the rest of the great room. She was dishing salad into bowls and arranging them on a tray to bring to the guests. He nodded at her and took a seat next to Claire at the Cruz’s huge dining room table. The great room was two stories high, with floor to ceiling windows that framed the most spectacular view he’d ever seen from inside a building. He hoped to reproduce the effect in his own house when it was done, but he had to hand it to Ethan and Claire’s parents – they really built a beautiful home.