Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? (9 page)

“What happened?” Molly flopped down on the sofa.

“I think she got offended when I asked her if she could cook.”

“Hmmm. I wonder why. I mean, it’s not like you asked her without any explanation, right?”

Was that it? “You said I needed to find out how comfortable they are in the kitchen,” he defended himself.

“You just out and asked her?” Molly sat up straight, horror etched on her face.

“Yes. What’s the big deal? It’s not like I asked her to tell me her bra size or something.” He peered over at Jeanne, her face mirroring Molly’s look of mortification. “Don’t most girls cook?”

“Men do, too, you know,” Jeanne said, crossing her arms over her orange shirt.

Riley mulled that over. “So, you’re saying she thinks I only wanted her for her skills in the kitchen?”

Molly closed her eyes and leaned back, using one hand to rub her forehead. “Tell you what, big brother. I’ll get Mary Ellen to come back. We’ll tell her your nerves overtook you and made it hard for you to have a coherent conversation.”

“She’ll probably buy that I’m simpleminded and don’t know how to talk to a woman,” he said, meeting Molly’s narrowed stare with a blank one of his own. “Let’s just leave it where it is. You got any more ideas?”

“I’m idea-ed out. Lucky for you. I was on a roll when Jeannie and I came up with this big shebang.” He gave a mock shudder and Molly looked at her watch and stood up. “Don’t forget to eat something. You’re starting to look worn down.”

Thanks, Molly
, he wanted to say.
I don’t know how I survived living away from home without you being there telling me to eat
. “Where’s Seth?”

“Doing chores, I hope. I haven’t seen him all day, and he was supposed to be here tonight.”

His brother was missing again. Riley didn’t know if he should be concerned. Maybe he should talk to the school counselor or something.

“Oh, and don’t forget to write down bits about each woman to help you decide who you want to match up with.” Molly left with Jeanne trailing behind her.

He had no intention of writing down his thoughts and feelings. He’d wait until morning, and if he could remember any details, he’d tell her then. If he couldn’t, then it wasn’t worth it.

Two more women filtered in and out of the room. It didn’t matter. Riley stifled a yawn, checking his list to see who was next. Jewel. He recalled her lively brown eyes and how she didn’t stalk him at the brunch or bother him during Scarlet’s foal. She didn’t invoke the same primal reaction in him that Ainsley did, but she didn’t mess up his mind, either.

Molly’s nagging hung in the room around him, so he popped a meatball in his mouth. Right when the door opened and Jewel sauntered in. He gestured to the sofa instead of spraying her with food.

“Good evening.” She slid across the room, showing off her trim figure in a pair of tight black pants and a form-fitting red silk shirt, her lips as full and inviting as Riley remembered from that morning.

“I’m so glad we have this opportunity to be together away from everyone else.” She sat down and crossed her slim legs. Riley took his solitary seat on the chair. “The brunch was so crazy with everyone trying to talk to you. I tried to wait my turn but I was afraid someone else would snag your heart before I had a chance.” She laughed briefly, then fell silent and brushed the arm of the sofa with her fingertips, her face a picture of tranquil serenity.

He waited for her to say something else and started to say something when she remained quiet, but her gaze darted toward him so quickly and she leaned forward. He closed his mouth so she could speak, but a lengthy silence followed and he twitched in his seat. She kept her eyes on his, her brows raised and eyes wide open, as if to encourage him to talk.

“How are you with horses?” he finally asked to end the prickling stillness around them.

“I used to ride all the time. I was one of those little girls that begged and begged my parents for a pony when I was growing up.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and flashed her bright teeth. “My brothers teased me mercilessly about it.”

“Molly begged for an Arabian mare so she could pretend it was the Black Stallion’s offspring.” Horses. A conversation he could handle. “I’m sure I teased her, too.” The silence pressed down on them again and Jewel kept her eyes on his with an expectant look on her face. What was she waiting for? Finally he brought up the second subject.

“I love to cook.” She leaned in with interest and he got a hint of her subtle, flowered scent. “I’ve even taken gourmet classes. After long hours of student rotations and studying, nothing relaxes me more than cooking food with names I don’t know how to pronounce.” She laughed then, a light, airy sound that didn’t have any substance, like she was forcing it out. Ainsley’s amusement had been genuine, not this detached disposition.

He was thinking way too much about that woman. “It’s nice that you have something that you enjoy so much.”

“Great for you, too,” she said, displaying her perfect smile. “I can cook you a meal that will knock your boots off.”

The door handle turned and Seth entered the room, and Riley's attention zeroed in on his brother. Sweat matted his hair and a thin film of dirt covered his chin and right cheek. What had he been doing?

“I can’t believe I have to leave already.” Jewel lightly squeezed Riley’s arm. “I hope you’ll be able to talk to me again later.”

“I will,” Riley said. Seth moved to follow Jewel out of the room but Riley stopped him with a hand on his arm. He waited until the door closed. “Where have you been?”

Seth shrugged him off. “Out.”

“Out where? Molly was worried about you.”

“Molly worries if my hair isn’t combed. It’s no big deal, Ry. I was out.” He stalked out the door. Riley didn’t stop him.

Moving back home had required adjustments, but Riley hadn’t counted on playing the part of the father or having to lecture his brother on his lack of respect for his family. His stomach twisted. Seth was nearly seventeen and wouldn’t get the paternal wisdom and friendship that had guided and helped Riley through adulthood. He could only hope to do half as well as their dad had.

“Riley, this is Leigh,” Jeanne announced.

Geez, he wasn’t done yet? He stole a glance at the list, his thoughts still on his brother. After this woman, Riley would be free to find him. “Good evening.”

“This is so different from home.” Leigh’s spiciness wafted to him as she passed him on her way to the sofa. “My family owns a vineyard, so the work ethic is the same, but raising sheep sure is different from raising grapes. There are several things I’m curious about.”

“Like what?” He settled himself down for ranch talk and crossed a booted foot over his other knee, thrilled that he had another opportunity to discuss something other than cooking and equestrian skills.

“I find it interesting that everyone does everything on your ranch. You could get much more work done if you assigned a person to a particular ranch location and had them responsible only for that part.” She took a small spiral notebook and a pen out of her purse.

She took notes in the one day she was at the Crescent Ridge? No wonder Molly the meticulous one chose her. Leigh’s eyes seemed almost purple, and he wasn’t sure if mother nature or her optometrist was responsible. She wore her blue suit with such sophistication she seemed like she was about to attend a business meeting, but he was sure she’d be real pretty if she let herself loosen up.

“I don’t want the hands to get bored with the same job every day,” he explained.

“Your workers would be more cost-effective focusing only on one job. That’s the way we handle things at the vineyard.” Leigh frowned at his apparent lack of understanding.

“A vineyard isn’t the same as a ranch,” Riley countered.

She frowned and chewed her lower lip for a moment. “I suppose there are some differences,” she allowed. She flipped to the next page. “I’m also curious as to why you go around on horses. I would think Jeeps would be much more efficient.”

“I suppose that’s how you go around at the vineyard?” He gripped the vinyl upholstery to keep himself planted in the chair. Her passion for her land was understandable, but he hadn’t expected the need to defend his lifestyle.

“Of course. We have shelter when it rains and can carry things much easier.”

“Of course,” he echoed.

“You don’t let your workers wear shorts, do you? And they have to wear hats? Well, of course, you’re cowboys, you have to wear hats. It’s really amazing how much work is lost due to overexposure of the sun.”

“I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll keep it in mind when we do our annual reviews.” He kept his mouth straight.

Leigh nodded in agreement. “That’s a really good idea. Annual reviews always keep everyone focused on their goals and objectives for the betterment of the company.”

Where were his sisters? He’d even welcome Ainsley back and fight with her some more instead of continuing this conversation. Leigh made notes on her paper, taking apart his business, until Jeanne freed him. As soon as she was gone, he tried to escape upstairs to change and slip outside before anyone saw him. He was done.

Didn’t happen. “Hey, Ry,” Molly called as he tried to sneak by her room. “Can I have your list? I’d like to start organizing the dinners.”

His body dropped in resignation and he stood in her doorway. “There’s no list. It’s mostly in my mind.”

She shook her head, her hair grazing her shoulders as it moved. “I need it tonight. How do you expect me to organize the horses if I don’t know who to put where?”

Riley bit his tongue and entered the room, for once cursing Molly’s need to organize everything. It worked well for the ranch finances and reservations, but it needed to stay out of his personal life.

“I have work to do, Molly.” A cabin had a leaking sink and he wanted to look at a ewe that may have a sprained foreleg. Plus he had to check his stock and order supplies. But apparently these things could wait in the all-consuming quest for love. She opened her notebook, pen poised and ready to write.

“What do you need to know?” He leaned against the pale pink walls and folded his arms across his chest.

“Tell me what you thought about each woman,” she demanded.

“Shouldn’t Jeanne or Seth be here?” Riley swung his head to observe all corners of the room. “Isn’t it a rule to tag team me for this?”

“No, it’s just you and me,” Molly said. “Jeannie is finishing homework, and Seth is…I don’t know what’s going on with him. When he came back tonight he lied and said he’d been in the house the whole time except for going to the stables in the time I was looking for him. I’ve seen him skulking around, like he’s trying to sneak away.”

“Have you asked him about it?”

She shook her head. “I keep hoping that if I ignore the problem, it will go away. He’s been so upset since Dad died, Riley, and I don’t know what to do.” Her voice cracked.

His sister’s pain was so much more real now than in the kitchen earlier. He couldn’t blame her, though, when he felt much the same way. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll talk to him,” he said. Again. “Maybe it’s a guy thing. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable talking to you.”

Molly nodded and brushed the unfallen tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath before picking up her pen again. “Tell me about Jewel.”

“She’s okay. She can ride and she can cook.” As much as he wanted to find Seth, he welcomed his sister returning to what passed these days for a normal conversation.

“Just okay, huh? What about Leigh?” She studied her list again.

“Impassioned but bossy,” Riley said. “She understands working the land, though. A vineyard, anyway.”

Molly tapped her pen against the table, but he offered nothing more. “Okay, then. Robin.”

“Who?”

She sagged in the wooden chair. “Brown hair, brown eyes, slightly upturned nose?”

He shook his head.

“What do you remember about Daisy?”

“She was probably a stripper in a former life,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes to block out the vision.

“What was that?”

“She likes to dance,” he said.

“Oh, that’s nice. I think she’s a dance teacher.” She flipped through her notebook and read Daisy’s entry. “Yeah, she teaches at a fitness center. Maybe she could help me get into shape.”

She better not.

“Ainsley?” Molly asked.

He wasn’t prepared for the heat on his skin when his mind recaptured the spirited woman in the greenhouse, but it was doused as soon as he remembered the unsettled, out of control way she left his insides. “I don’t know about her.” He stood up and raised his arms above his head while he stretched, yawning so his jaws creaked.

Molly quirked an eyebrow at his performance. “You can tell me that you’re tired, you know. I won’t keep you up past your bed time.”

“Good night.” He kissed her on the cheek and eased into the hallway with no intention of going to bed. He had his real work to do. Plus he wanted to talk to his brother, really talk and find out what was going on. Muted music escaped from under Seth’s door and he rapped softly but heard no answering call. He waited a bit and tapped again but there was still no response. He hoped Seth was sleeping. At least then he’d be free from his guilt and grief, at least for a few hours. Riley went to his own room and pulled on a pair of well-worn jeans and changed into a blue cambric shirt.

Five minutes later, he cracked his door open and peeked down the hall. Molly’s door was closed and no light shone from underneath. He took the back stairs to go outside.

Ainsley strode onto the walkway back to the cabins with several other women at the end of the so-called interviews. Small lights staked in the ground provided illumination down the dark path. Nighttime creatures chirped and skittered around her, but she couldn’t identify the sounds.

“Who else here thought Riley was one of the most unsuave men in existence?” Mary Ellen asked. She rubbed her arm like she was trying to remove something unpleasant, like a cobweb.

Ainsley wanted to agree, but a tiny seed in her head told her she was a big fat liar. Despite the fact that she wanted to dislike him, his hidden vulnerability aroused her protective instinct. Among other things.