Real Cowboys

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They ate quickly and on the drive over Danny talked nonstop about all of the things Clover had told him about the Rising Sun Ranch.

As Danny had said, the road ended at an iron arch with a replica of their brand. A half-sun with twisted wrought-iron rays. The house was tucked deep in a grove of pines, a long, low structure made of logs. As houses went, it was fairly plain. Kate imagined how it would look with baskets of hanging geraniums above the split-rail porch, or beds of blooms along the winding walkway.

She followed the road to where it dipped over a knoll, and took in the seeming chaos beyond the house. Three stock trucks were being loaded with bawling steers. Men on horseback swung ropes to cut certain calves out for branding at a smoking, portable forge.

Danny bounced excitedly on the seat. “Drive down there, Mom. I wanna watch those guys rope calves. Wow, they never miss.” He hauled his rope from under the seat. Goldie positioned her front paws on Danny’s knees and yapped, clearly as eager as Danny to join in the fray.

“Honey, it looks like a madhouse. Leave Goldie with me while you go find Clover and her dad to ask if it’s okay for Goldie to stay.”

“There’s Clover.” Danny spotted the girl riding the same palomino as yesterday, only without a saddle. He climbed out of the pickup and ran to meet Clover. The little mare was fast and the girl was glued to her back. The scene put Kate in mind of the erratic years she’d spent following Colton from rodeo to rodeo. Her stomach knotted. The memories were not happy ones.

AT THE FLAMING FORGE, one of Ben’s crew called his attention to a pickup and horse trailer idling on the slope above them. “Who’s the pretty woman, boss?”

Ben turned in his saddle to see who Justin Padilla meant. “What the hell? That’s Clover’s teacher.”

Padilla whistled through his teeth and cocked his flat-crowned hat to block the sun coming up behind the woman’s rig. “I might’ve stayed in school past tenth grade if my teacher had looked like that,” said the lanky buckaroo. “Bobbalou mentioned you had a conference yesterday. You must’ve made quite an impression.”

Scowling, Ben nudged his gelding with the blunt flower rowel of his left spur. They were a signature buckaroo piece, but a spur that didn’t hurt a horse.

He could have done without Justin, Zach Robles, his stock manager, and Enrique Quijada falling in to accompany him. Women were so scarce out on the range that a buckaroo crew could all spot a pretty one a mile away. Ben’s entire crew was single and loved the freewheeling life, even though they knew it was disappearing. To a man, they spoke of finding wives one day and settling down. Even Ben, at times, grew weary of the constant battle to save the land.

Just now he considered ordering his men back to their jobs, but that would’ve caused more ribbing and speculation.

Kate had her window rolled down, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun on her face as she surveyed the rugged beauty of the landscape. The clatter of approaching hoof beats pulled her attention away from lavender hills. The sight of four big men on horses bearing down on her had Kate grabbing Goldie’s collar with one hand and drawing her arm inside the pickup.

The retriever lunged across her lap, but Kate maintained a firm grip.

Controlling his uphill gallop, Ben stopped short of the vehicle. He tipped his hat, but didn’t remove it as his men did. “Are you lost, Ms. Steele?” He leaned a brown forearm across a sheepskin-wrapped saddle horn. Belatedly, he introduced his crew.

Kate ducked around the still-growling dog. “I brought Danny over to help. Well, it’s debatable how much help he’ll be.” She couldn’t suppress a smile, then noticed there was no sign of recognition on Ben’s face. “Uh…wait…you did invite him to chase strays today, didn’t you?”

Another set of hooves clattered up the trail, now blocked by three foolishly grinning males. The way they didn’t take their eyes off her made Kate nervous. Clover nudged her mare through the crowd. Danny, riding behind her, slid off over the palomino’s rump when the girl stopped.

“Mom? What’s up?” he asked, his face a mask.

“Suppose you tell me, Danny. Did you not lead me to believe that Clover’s father expected you here at sunup?”

His face fell and he hung his head.

The men guessed at the situation and clustered around the boy. “Ma’am, that would probably be Miss Clover’s doing,” said the burliest of the riders. He was also the one closest to Clover, and playfully slapped her backside with his hat.

“Ben, you said Danny could come ride with me one of these days,” Clover protested. “What’s wrong with today? He doesn’t need a cavvy horse, ’cause he has his own. His daddy used to win rodeo buckles.”

“How many?” asked the youngest buckaroo. “Hard to win more events than the boss has.”

Kate’s heart dived. Colton’s mom shone his trophies and buckles weekly. Danny viewed them as the measure of a real man. And now, here was another… Mentally she withdrew and let the conversation flow around her. She heard Danny declare his dad was Colton Steele, and the men acted suitably impressed. Except for Ben.

“Clover, I don’t hold with stretching the truth to suit your fancy,” he said. “I ought to send you home and send your friend packing.”

Kate couldn’t have agreed more, except that Danny was fighting to hold back tears. And, darn it, her son shouldn’t have his day ruined through no fault of his own. Her mother’s instincts burned hotly. “Is that open for negotiation?” she said, shading her eyes.

The question gained her a closer inspection from Ben’s hooded dark eyes. The look sent hot prickles up Kate’s back.

“Justin, Zach, Enrique, quit ogling Clover’s teacher and go load that second stock truck,” Ben snapped.

“Look who’s ogling,” Zach Robles grumbled. But they tipped their hats to Kate and prepared to go. Only Justin rode right up to her window. “If you ever need anything done that takes more muscle than you or the boy have, sing out. Here’s our radio-phone number. Bobbalou keeps it in the chuck wagon, but we’re never far away. Won’t take but a few hours to mosey out your way, ma’am.”

Not to be outdone, Zach and Enrique underscored Justin’s offer.

As the last of his men finally rode off, Ben all but had steam coming out his ears. “What kind of negotiations? I wouldn’t have expected a teacher to condone Clover’s behavior.”

“It’s your call, of course, but Danny and I did get up with the chickens to come here, false pretext or not. Maybe I’d be less testy if I hadn’t missed my morning coffee.”

“What the hell,” Ben muttered. “Unload his horse. The kids can go search washes for strays. Leave your rig here. I’ll show you where to find Bobbalou’s chuck wagon. He keeps a coffeepot hot all day.”

Clover slid off the palomino and gazed up at her dad. “You’d better bring Ms. Kate’s coffee up here, Ben.”

“Do I look like a waiter?”

Clover stabbed a finger toward the Chevy’s roof where Kate’s wheelchair was usually connected to the hydraulic lift.

Ben nudged his hat back, but still had no idea what he was looking at.

Kate mentally cringed. She knew it was inevitable he learn of her disability, but she’d purposely left her wheelchair back in her driveway to await her return. Caught now by such vanity, she waited for the pity that was sure to follow.

“Is that some kind of newfangled winch?” Ben wrapped his gelding’s reins tighter around his wrist as he studied the apparatus.

Clover punched his chap-covered leg. “It lifts Teacher’s wheelchair on and off the pickup. Oh, but your chair is gone, Ms. Kate. Did it fall off on the way here?”

All the pity Kate had wanted to avoid rained down on her from Ben’s horrified expression. Instantly, she was back to feeling less than competent and her reaction was more curt than the situation warranted. “I don’t need backhanded hospitality, or your coffee or pity, Mr. Trueblood. I’ll be on my way as soon as Danny unloads Flame.”

Picking up on her tone, Goldie planted her feet in Kate’s lap and growled and barked at the man reining in his shifting horse. With some effort, Kate boosted Goldie into the backseat, before adding through gritted teeth, “All I need is a promise that a responsible adult will see to it my son and his horse get home safely.”

“We can work that out.” Ben sounded as brusque as Kate had. “I offered coffee with Bobbalou to be polite. I can’t waste time socializing if that’s what you thought. I have calves to brand and steers to get to market. I meant no pity, but I’m sorry I didn’t know what that contraption was.” Back stiff, Ben walked his horse a few yards down the trail then set off at a gallop and never looked back.

Danny backed Flame down the ramp. He handed the reins to Clover and they shared a mystified glance before he secured the tailgate.

Kate felt guilty for sounding shrewish, but she’d been stung. Call it pity or sympathy, what she’d seen in the man’s eyes magnified her physical limitations. And she’d be damned if she’d let him put himselfout for her. “Danny, I’ve changed my mind. Be at the arch at five o’clock sharp. I’ll return for you and Flame. Clover, tell your dad he won’t lose any work hours on our account.”

“Aren’t you gonna leave Goldie?” her son hollered to be heard over the grind of the truck’s shifting gears.

She was, oh, so tempted. Goldie did not like the owner of this ranch. And she should thank Trueblood for reminding her the feeling was mutual and extended to Kate. He wasn’t interested in being neighborly, and it was fine and dandy with her. Maybe after today Danny would recognize that Clover’s dad and other buckaroo types weren’t men worth emulating. “I’m taking Goldie.”

“She can stay next time,” Clover consoled Danny.

Kate nodded. But under her breath, covered by the noise of a revving engine, she said, “There won’t be a next time if I have anything to say about it.”

Still ticked, she drove the big pickup and trailer under the arch. With any luck, she would get through the school year without another face-to-face encounter with Ben Trueblood.

CHAPTER FOUR

BEN DISMOUNTED ON THE FAR SIDE of the forge. Partially concealed by smoke, he was able to observe the departure of Clover’s teacher in relative obscurity.

His first impression of Kate Steele had been that of a more fragile woman than her name implied. Today as he watched her turn her big pickup and horse trailer around on a dime and gun it up the road, she earned his grudging respect. He felt like a damned idiot for not figuring out what the device atop her vehicle was for. School board members, of whom he was one, had left it up to Marge Goetz to vet candidates for the job. True, they hadn’t had a stampede for the post. Still, what had Marge been thinking? And Clover? She should’ve told him.

The teacher was long gone before Ben found an opportunity to manage a word with Clover apart from Danny Steele.

“That scene this morning with your teacher was bad. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about her condition the day we rode to school for my meeting with her.”

“What’s her con-dition?” Clover slid out of her saddle and squinted up at her dad, all the while edging toward the chuck wagon.

Danny had ridden into sight and it was obvious Clover would rather join him than make time for this conversation.

“I’m referring to her not being able to walk and having to use a wheelchair to get around.”

“Oh. I guess I didn’t think it mattered.”

“It sure does. We…the school board, well, I probably wouldn’t have donated our line shack as a place for her to live if I’d known she couldn’t walk.”

“Why? Danny said his mom loves the cabin.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Can I go? Justin assigned Danny and me this lunchtime, and we’re both hungry as bears and thirsty. We’ve been running washes and it’s hot.”

It was hot at the forge, too. Ben wiped sweat off his forehead with his shirtsleeve. “Go on. It’s not you I should be talking to about the liability that woman could turn out to be for our town.”

“You’re using big words. What’s a li…lib’l…that word you said?”

“Liability is a big problem, Clover.”

Having started to mount her horse, the girl dropped back to the ground and glared at Ben. “Take that back! Ms. Kate’s not a problem. She’s the smartest, most beautiful woman in the whole world.”

Removing his hat, Ben slapped it against his hip until dust flew. He knew some of the crew heard Clover’s raised voice. Zach quit what he was doing to listen. Lately Ben had butted heads with Clover in private, which suited him because he was a private man. Marge Goetz would say he shouldn’t let Clover talk back. But kids were entitled to an opinion. It just took him by surprise that she’d developed such strong sentiments for the woman in only a week.

Too far away to hear the heated exchange, Danny hailed Clover from the chuck wagon. She acknowledged his wave, but before she joined him, she lowered her stubborn chin and idly dug her boot toe in a pile of cinders someone had dumped out of the forge. Almost shyly, it seemed to Ben, she said, “My teacher smells better than anybody and she wears pretty blouses and long skirts. I wish I looked like her.”

Surprised at such a thought coming from his little tomboy, Ben could only stand slack jawed as she mounted her horse in a flying leap and galloped the short distance to where the teacher’s son waited.

Ben wished he could say he hadn’t noticed how good Clover’s teacher smelled. The other day as he’d entered the schoolhouse for his meeting, he’d picked up on the usual wood oil, chalk and disinfectant—until he’d walked up to Ms. Steele’s desk and had been rocked by the seductive scent of cedar and cinnamon. It had hit him like a one-two punch.