Falling For The Cowgirl

So instead of drawing his fists, Travis braced himself as Jace pulled back his arm, ready to strike.

“Jace, stop!”

AJ pushed out the door of the police station with Rusty behind her. She jumped between Travis and Jace.

“What are you doing here?” Jace cocked his head, confusion all over his face.

“None of your business,” AJ said. “But if you don’t stand down and keep moving, I’m going to get Chief Daniels and then I’m calling Lem.”

“You’re defending this guy?” Jace asked. He rubbed his fist into the palm of his other hand, eyes wide with annoyance, steam practically rolling from the space between his ears.

“Mr. Maxwell is my boss.”

Jace’s eyes rounded. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Does Lem know?”

“I don’t report to Lem these days, but yes, he does know I’m back in Timber and working for Big Heart Ranch.”

“What about Gus?”

“I’ll come and get Gus when I’m able. Lem says he can stay.”

“Lem’s not in charge. I am, and Gus’s keep isn’t cheap.”

“I’ll pay you as soon as I can.”

Jace stared at her for a long moment and then shook his head. “So you’re telling me that you chose Maxwell over your own family? Over your future?”

She winced at the verbal jab, which opened a truckload of questions in Travis’s mind.

“We aren’t family, Jace, and you took my future years ago.”

At the words, Jace’s jaw tightened and he narrowed his eyes. “You think Maxwell has anything to offer but a temporary wrangler position? Wake up, Amanda Jane. No rancher with any sense is going to let a woman run his ranch. Your daddy did you no favors letting you believe that fairy tale.”

“The only mistake my daddy ever made was telling me that all cowboys are honorable men.”

The silence stretched as everyone froze.

Though AJ had paled, she stood her ground, her gaze unwavering as she looked at the big man.

Jace released a breath, his eyes steely with fury. “You’re going to regret siding with Maxwell.” The words were low and ice-cold. “Mark my words. He’s going down and you’re going to go down with him.”

“Easy there, McAlester,” Travis said as he gently moved AJ aside. “Those are pretty strong threats you’re tossing around.”

Jace McAlester looked him up and down, contempt all over his face, before he stalked off.

“You okay?” he asked AJ.

She offered a shaky nod and wrapped her arms around herself.

Travis glanced up and down the street, where several people had stopped to see what was going on. He had a hundred questions for his new assistant foreman, but he wasn’t going to ask them in the middle of the sidewalk in downtown Timber, Oklahoma.

Instead he turned to Rusty, who sported a black eye and a split lip. The man’s red hair stood on end and his wrinkled, pearl-buttoned, white Western shirt was buttoned all wrong. Drops of blood spattered the once pristine shirt and his Stetson was dusty.

Rusty’s eyes were wide and his mouth open as he stared at AJ.

Travis shook his head. “So, Rusty, I see you’ve met the new assistant foreman.”

“Uh, yeah.” He blinked and turned to AJ. “She bailed me out.”

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Travis asked.

Rusty bowed his head. “I let you down, and I apologize.”

Travis turned to AJ. “Did you—”

“She fired me.” Rusty looked at AJ and wiped his eyes. “You were right, ma’am. I’ve got to get my act together. I’m going to look into that counseling. I appreciate your concern.”

Travis’s eyes popped wide open when Rusty folded him into a bear hug. “Thanks for putting up with me for so long.”

“Ah, yeah. Sure, buddy.” He stepped back, far from Rusty’s reach. “No problem. You understand we’re between a rock and a hard place here?”

“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. AJ explained that I was endangering the ranch and the kids.”

“She did?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Stop by the office on Monday and you can pick up your last check and your personal stuff.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Uh, Rusty, I’ll need your keys and your gate security badge.”

Rusty dug into the pockets of his baggy Wranglers and pulled them out along with a pair of pliers, a barbed wire stretcher–cable puller and a roll of electrical tape. “Here you go.”

Travis blinked at the sight. “How did you get all that in your pockets?”

“I don’t know. I was fixing fences when my girlfriend called yesterday. I shoved everything in my pockets and headed to town.” He shrugged and turned to leave. “Thanks again.”

“Ah, yeah.” Travis stared in stunned silence as Rusty moved down the sidewalk. When the wrangler was out of earshot, he turned to AJ. “Nice job.”

“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “So I passed the test?”

“First one,” he said without meeting her gaze.

“Mind if I ask how you know Jace?” she asked.

“Rodeo. Seems like a long time ago.” He cocked his head in question. “What’s going on between you two?”

“Going on? Nothing. Jace McAlester is my stepbrother.”

Travis blinked, digesting the words. “I did not see that one coming,” he murmured. “Jace McAlester is your...”

She nodded.

He shook his head. His new assistant foreman was kin to the man who considered Travis his arch enemy. Oh, yeah. This day just kept getting better.

* * *

“Where are you going?” AJ asked as she double-timed her steps to keep up with Travis. She dodged people and pots of geraniums, trying to keep up with the man’s long strides down Cedar Avenue and around the corner to Main.

“Back to the ranch. I had to park around down by the library.”

Suddenly he stopped and she rammed right into him. “Oomph.”

Travis turned and grabbed her arm, steadying her. “You okay?”

Dazed, AJ met his dark eyes and nodded. Yes, she’d be fine once her heart slowed down and breathing commenced. “Why did you stop?”

He pointed to the sign in the office window of the Timber Independence on Main Street. “Timber Rodeo. We can sign up here at the newspaper office.”

“‘We’?”

“One of the things the grant committee looks at is our community involvement.”

“You run a ranch for kids. Isn’t that overkill?”

“That’s our job. They want extra stuff, like volunteering for activities that support the citizens of Timber and participating in local events.”

“Are you and your sisters signing up?”

“Guess you hadn’t heard. Lucy’s pregnant.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” AJ said.

“Sure it is. But no rodeo for her. The really exciting news is that she’ll have four kids soon. My sister will be too busy with kids to mess with me.” He smiled.

“And Emma?”

“Her twin babies are almost two. They’re into everything. She’s doing well to maintain her sanity.” He reviewed the ad on the window listing the categories. “We’ll sign you up for barrel racing.”

AJ held up a hand. “Whoa, stop right there. I don’t have a barrel racing horse.”

“Emma does.”

“You can’t volunteer your sister’s horse.”

“Sure I can. Besides, she’ll be thrilled.” He gestured toward the door. “Come on. Let’s sign up.”

AJ moved back two steps. “I don’t have the entry fee on me.”

“Big Heart Ranch will sponsor you.”

Her mind began a frantic scramble for a way out of the situation. There was no way she was going to volunteer to make a fool of herself in public and in front of her new boss, too.

“Look, Travis,” she said, her voice low as she glanced up and down the sidewalk. “I haven’t raced since college.”

“Relax. The grant aside, the rodeo is for charity. The idea is to make a showing for the ranch.”

Travis pulled open the door to the newspaper office. “Hey, there.” He offered a greeting to the young clerk at the reception desk.

Her eyes rounded and she released a small gasp of surprise. “It’s you.”

Travis glanced around, praying she was talking to someone else. “Me?”

“You’re the guy on the cover of Tulsa Now.” The perky brunette reached for the magazine on the corner of her desk.

“You’re new.” He frowned with obvious annoyance.

“Yes. Avery Barnes, aspiring journalist. I’m an intern here for the semester.”

“Travis Maxwell and this is AJ Rowe.”

AJ smiled, but the young woman had eyes only for Travis. AJ could have walked in tarred and feathered and Avery Barnes, aspiring journalist, wouldn’t have noticed.

“Sooner or Cowboy?” Travis asked.

“Neither. University of Tulsa. May I have your autograph?”

“I guess so.” The words rode on a long-suffering sigh.

She handed him a marker and he scrawled his name on the cover of the magazine.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Maxwell,” Avery gushed.

“Now, may I please have a couple of applications to the Timber Rodeo?”

“You’re participating?” Her eyes lit up.

“Yeah. So is my assistant foreman here.”

“There are some really nice sponsor prizes this year,” she said as she collected the paperwork.

“We’re here to support the event. If we win, we’ll donate the funds back to the community.”

“May I quote you?” Avery asked.

“This isn’t an interview.”

“It could be.” Her eyes rounded with hope. “The paper hasn’t gone to press this week yet. This would look great on the front page with your picture.”

“The ranch director could help you out with that. In fact, she could give you a tour of the ranch. That would make for a nice feature article.”

“But you’re the Bachelor of the Year.”

“That’s old news,” Travis said.

“But—”

“Here’s my card. That’s the ranch number on there. Call and ask for Lucy Maxwell Harris.” He glanced around. “The paperwork for the rodeo?”

“Right here.” She handed him two packets. “Turn everything back in by the end of the week.”

“Will do. Thank you.”

AJ followed him out the door.

“Was it just me or was that girl plain irritating?” he asked AJ.

“She was crushing on you.”

Travis groaned. “I blame Lucy,” he said as he strode toward the truck.

“How is that Lucy’s fault?”

“Trust me, it is, but, generally, even if it isn’t her fault I blame Lucy. That’s how it works. You blame your big sister.”

“I don’t have a big sister,” she murmured.

“Brother?”

AJ shook her head.

“You’re the oldest?”

“I’m an only child.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. My sisters do come in handy at times.” He grinned.

Travis got in and closed his door. He stared at the newspaper office and shook his head. “That just rubs me raw.”

“That I don’t have siblings?”

“No. I’m talking about the clerk in the newspaper office. You know, the way some folks act like it’s all about the package. What’s on the outside and not on the inside. Judge me by my merit, not my face on some magazine.” He paused and turned toward her. “Know what I mean?”

AJ met his gaze without blinking. You have no idea, cowboy. The words nearly escaped before she bit them back. “I think I might,” she said instead.

Travis stared for a moment before his eyes widened. Then he lowered his head and focused on putting the key in the ignition. “Yeah. I guess you do,” he murmured.

Silence filled the cab as he backed up and headed back to the ranch.

“Did I mention that you did a nice job with Rusty?” Travis said minutes later.

“Pardon me?” She turned to look at him.

“Rusty. Nice job. Did I say that?”

“Yes, you did. Thank you.”

They drove in awkward silence until Travis glanced over at her, a question on his face.

“What is it?” she finally asked.

“You’re an only child and Lemuel McAlester is your stepfather?”

“Yes. When I was in college, my mother married Lem and they renamed my father’s ranch. Lem is a good man, but he never really knew what to do with a grown stepdaughter. He takes care of Gus for me and I try to stop by or call when I can. Not as often once Jace left the rodeo circuit and moved to the ranch.”

“Lem turned the spread over to Jace?”

She nodded. “Jace is his only child. Our parents married after we both had left home. Me for college and Jace for the rodeo circuit.”

Travis shook his head. “Bet that was a surprise. Finding out Jace was your family.”

“It wasn’t so bad when my mother was alive. She provided a buffer. Once I lost her, my entire world was turned upside down. Jace made it clear everything would be his when Lem retired, so I never looked back.”

“I’m sorry, AJ.” His dark eyes were warm with concern.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“I don’t understand why Lem didn’t step in. After all, that ranch was yours, as well.”

“My stepfather is no different than most of the old-timers in Oklahoma. He believes a woman’s place is in the kitchen.” She shook her head. “He forgets that, besides cooking, I can also mend fences, rope and brand cattle.”

Travis offered a solemn nod. “How long ago since you left?”

“Nearly ten years, though it turned out the joke was on Jace. His father didn’t trust him enough to retire until this year.”

Travis rolled down the window. “You mind?”

“Not at all.”

His fingers tapped out a beat on the steering wheel in time to the country-western song on the radio.

“Funny our paths haven’t crossed before now,” he finally said.

“How long have you been in Timber?”

“A little over five years.”

“How did you end up here with the ranch?” AJ asked.

“After we were fished out of foster care, by a cousin of our mother’s, we lived in Pawhuska. My sisters and I didn’t even know about the land in Timber until she passed on and left it to us.”

AJ nodded and watched the tall prairie grass out the truck window.

“So what’s your plan?” Travis asked.

“My plan?” She looked at him.

“Yeah. I’m guessing you aren’t here for the long haul.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Big Heart Ranch obviously is not the last stop on your trail.”

AJ stared at him, suddenly bone-weary. If only he knew how much she longed to be in it for the long haul, as he put it. She took a deep breath, shoving back the emotion burning behind her eyes. The emotion she could never reveal because every time she did, she was disappointed. Again.

“I’ll stop when I know that I’m where God wants me to be. Then it will be time to put down roots.”

“What’s if that’s Big Heart Ranch?”

“I’m not ruling it out.”

Silence hung in the air as AJ considered his words. Her plan? God’s plan? She’d take either at the moment, praying one of those plans included an end to her drifting, and finding a place where she was actually wanted. Needed.

“Mind if I ask a personal question?” he finally said.

“I won’t know if I mind until you ask.”

“Fair enough.” A small smile lifted his lips. “Who’s Gus?”

“My horse. A gift from my mother.”

“Why don’t you move him over to Big Heart?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I understand complicated. Why don’t you try me?”

“Look, I’d rather not move Gus and have to move him back if this job doesn’t work out. Besides, Gus had a pretty big vet bill a while back and I’m still paying Lem for that.”

“This is your call, but I’m happy to help.”

“I’d rather do things my way.”

“Understood.” Travis cleared his throat. “Any idea how Jace knows that we’re applying for the grant?”

“What?” Her head jerked up at the quietly spoken question and she met Travis’s gaze.

“How does—”

“I have no idea.” She paused, struggling to read between the lines of his question. “You don’t think I told him, do you?”

“Just asking.” Travis took a deep breath.

“‘Just asking’ sounds an awful lot like an accusation to me.”

“Whoa.” He raised a hand. “I’m just doing the math.”

“You can subtract me from your equation.”

“I apologize,” Travis said.

AJ was silent, uncertain if he was sincere.

“Look,” Travis said. “You don’t know me and I really don’t know you. All I’m doing is trying to figure things out.”

Trying to figure things out. She turned to look out the window without answering. What was there to figure out? In truth, she and Travis were alike in many ways. Maybe too many ways. The thought was far from comforting and it wouldn’t secure her position at Big Heart Ranch. Not if her boss didn’t trust her.

“We sure have our work cut out for us,” Travis mused aloud minutes later. “Take tomorrow off to study the grant material. On Monday we hit the ground running. You’ll go to Tulsa with me to look at starter calves. There’s a special sale going on at an auction house near Sapulpa and then we can pick up the supplies I ordered in Pawhuska on the way back.”

“What about hiring? And who will do Rusty’s work in the meantime?”

“I have confidence you’ll figure it out. That’s what days off are for.”

“You just said—”

“Welcome to my world. You’ll be juggling saddles from this point on. And remember, that grant is my number one priority. We’re competing against Jace McAlester and he’s going to do everything he can to see that he wins.”

Juggling saddles she could handle, but why did she feel like she was caught in the middle of a tornado and the chance she’d make it out untouched was slim to nothing? She was a woman of her word, though, and was willing to pledge her heart and soul to Big Heart Ranch for the next ninety days with the hope she wouldn’t regret the decision. Once the grant was behind them, she’d reevaluate her position on the ranch. That was unless she didn’t last ninety days.

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