Joshua and the Cowgirl (13 page)

He didn’t even bother to ask how she’d known that’s where he’d gone. “No. There’s no sign of her.”

“It’s my guess that she rode out with Red and the men. There have been problems with the fencing.”

“Is that part of her job?”

“No, but she likes to ride when she’s thinking about something. My hunch is that you’ve given her a lot to think about the past few days.”

The thought of her out there with Red grated on his nerves. For the first time in his life he was afflicted with a nasty streak of pure jealousy. “Any idea which direction they were heading?”

“I know exactly.”

He glanced at her and found that her gaze was studiously fixed on the columns of figures in front of her. “Would you care to share that information with me?”

“No.”

“I thought you told me you were going to help me.”

“That’s what I’m doing. Chasing after her like a man who has the right to won’t win her over.” She looked up at him then. “Don’t threaten her independence, Joshua. She’ll only come to resent you.”

He sighed as he recognized the wisdom in her advice. “What should I do, then?” he said, wandering around the room, picking things up and putting them down.

“Wait and while you’re at it, you might take a look at my personal checkbook. It doesn’t seem to match the statement I got last month from the bank. Hasn’t for some time now,” she added.

“How do you expect to find signs of embezzlement, if you can’t even balance your own account?” he teased.

“Gut instinct, boy. Don’t you dismiss that so easily.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Joshua, seriously, if you’re starting to get restless here already, maybe Garrett’s not the woman for you.”

“Meaning you don’t think she’ll ever be a whither-thou-goest sort of wife.”

“Precisely. She went through a lot to get to Wyoming in the first place and as far as I can see, it’s given her something she very much needed. She’ll fight to keep it.”

Suddenly he was afflicted with the unexpected and confusing sense that he was in a situation in which he was absolutely helpless. He didn’t like not being in control. He hated the uncertainty. “Why does love have to be so damned complicated?” he growled, thumping an original Remington bronze back onto its pedestal.

“It’s not the loving that’s complicated,” Mrs. Mac told him. “It’s the details. If you think of it that way, the two of you should be able to work out anything. Now I think I’ll go take my nap.”

“If you can rest easily that must mean the books are okay.”

“So far,” she retorted. “So far.”

She struggled to her feet. Holding herself erect, despite the pain that was reflected in her eyes, she crossed the room and patted his hand. “Use this time that Garrett’s away to think things over carefully. Don’t start something that you can’t live with. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of you.”

“I’m not sure how much thinking I’ll be able to get done between now and dinner,” he told her. “It could take me longer than that just to decipher what you’ve scribbled in this checkbook.”

“There’s no rush. Garrett’s not likely to be back tonight. Chances are they won’t make it back for a day or two, especially if we get another snowfall tonight.”

Joshua’s eyes widened and thoughts of his own snowbound night with Garrett sent a dozen provocative memories racing through his mind. “A day or two,” he repeated, more disgruntled than ever. “I’m supposed to relax while she’s out on the range for a day or two with a bunch of cowboys?”

“If you can’t do it now, it won’t get any easier,” Mrs. Mac warned him. “That’s just something more for you to think about.”

“Well, hell,” he muttered when she’d left the room.

“I heard that,” she called back.

Chuckling ruefully, he shouted, “Sorry.”

When she’d gone, he continued to prowl the cluttered room restlessly, unable to rid himself of the image of Garrett riding off with Red. Again. Once more she’d chosen the company of the ranch foreman over him. Maybe it was a losing battle after all. He allowed himself ten minutes of thoroughly dispirited thinking, then snapped himself out of it. He picked up the phone and started making calls.

By the time Mrs. Mac came down to dinner, he’d had a fax machine and his own phone line installed. In the morning some of his most critical files would arrive by overnight express. If he was going to stay here and fight for Garrett, then he might as well stay busy. It was entirely possible that three-fourths of his jealousy problem resulted from not having enough to occupy his own time.

Mrs. Mac took in the new equipment and nodded in satisfaction. “Settling in, I see.”

“I hope you don’t mind.”

She grinned at him. “Not a bit. I was worried you might leave. I take it this means you won’t.”

“Not until she orders me away.”

“I thought she had.”

“Okay, not until she really means it.”

Mrs. Mac chuckled. “That’s the spirit,” she said, thumping her cane on the floor in approval. “Why don’t you go over and get Casey? I expect she’s doing her homework so she can play chess with you tonight. She’d probably like to help us plan that party, too. I think it’s time we got busy on that, don’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then get a move on, boy. These things don’t just happen, you know.”

When Joshua went outside he was surprised to discover that the night had turned foggy as a warm front moved in to push away the Arctic air of the previous days. Instead of more snow, it seemed they were in for a bit of Indian summer. Fortunately he had a solid sense of direction. He made it to Garrett’s house with only one slight detour into the side of a truck.

Still rubbing his bumped shin, he tapped on the door. “Casey, it’s Joshua. Mrs. Mac says dinner’s almost ready.”

The door opened wide and Casey greeted him with a grin. “Hi. I’ll be ready in a minute. I’m having trouble with my math.”

“Bring your books along. Maybe I can help you with that after dinner.”

“That would be great. Then we can play chess, okay? I was reading the book of rules you gave me today.”

“When did you have time to do that?”

“In study hall.”

“Maybe you should have been doing your math then.”

“Why, when I knew you could help me tonight?” she said, tugging on her jacket and gathering up a stack of books.

“What if I’d said no?”

“You wouldn’t,” she said confidently. “You’re trying to get on Mom’s good side.”

He certainly couldn’t fault her logic, except for one tiny thing. “Your mother isn’t so crazy about the idea of you and me spending time together.”

“That’s just what she says,” she said dismissively. “Don’t you know anything about women?”

“Apparently not. Would you care to enlighten me?”

“Well, I probably don’t know about all women, but I sure know Mom. She, like, says a lot of stuff she doesn’t really mean, when it comes to men.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I figure it’s because she’s scared. If she chases them away, then she can keep things just the way they are.”

“And how do you feel about that? Are things okay the way they are?”

Casey’s hesitation and the brief sadness that flickered in her eyes were answer enough. “Sure,” she answered loyally.

“Really?” he pressed.

“Well, they’re okay for me, I guess, but I’m pretty nearly grown up. I won’t be around here forever. What’ll happen to Mom then? I mean, sometimes I think she gets pretty lonely now. She doesn’t say anything. It’s just the way she looks.” She stared up at him hopefully. “She hasn’t looked that way as much since you came. Now she just looks scared.”

“And that’s better?”

She seemed to puzzle over her answer before finally saying, “I think so. Don’t you?”

“I think we’ll just have to wait and see.”

She snuck her hand into his and held on tight. Joshua wasn’t exactly sure who was reassuring whom.

* * *

During dinner Joshua was struck by the sense of family that crept over him. Here he was with a woman who wasn’t his own grandmother and a teenager who wasn’t his own daughter, yet he felt a contentment he hadn’t felt in years. If only Garrett were at the table with them, he was certain he would feel complete.

His own childhood had taught him the value of family and the warmth that came from shared meals like this. His mother had been the kind of woman who’d insisted that everyone be at the dinner table at the same time night after night. It had been the one time of the day set aside for catching up on everything from schoolwork to international politics. Even when he’d been sick, she had seen to it that he came to the table. On the rare occasions when he hadn’t been able to, she had insisted that the family gather in his room so he wouldn’t feel left out of the warmth and camaraderie. Tonight he realized how much he’d missed it.

That realization also gave him his first clue about why his relationship with other women had never felt right. Most of them had had active careers of their own. Dinners had been catch-as-catch-can affairs, sometimes coming at midnight and consisting of Chinese take-out. Maybe he was more old-fashioned than he’d ever realized. He really enjoyed long, lingering conversations over a home-cooked meal. The affectionate bantering between Mrs. Mac and Casey amused him and in no time at all the two of them had drawn him into it.

“Okay, you two, uncle. It’s not fair ganging up on me,” he accused.

“Sure it is,” Casey protested. “You just have to fight back.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever happened to showing respect for your elders?”

Mrs. Mac waved a finger at him. “That’s the last thing I expected to hear from you, young man. You haven’t given me a shred of respect since the day you arrived.”

“Deep down I respect you,” he countered.

Chuckling, she retorted, “Maybe you could get it to the surface a little more often.”

“I’ll work on it,” he promised. “Now what about this party? How can I help?”

Casey’s eyes lit up. “We’re having a party?”

“I thought we might,” Mrs. Mac said. “Let’s get Elena in here and talk about food.”

“Can I invite my friends?” Casey asked.

“I don’t see why not. That’s the fun of a party around here, seeing all the generations together under one roof.”

“Will there be square dancing? I went to the party over at Rutgers’s last year and they had square dancing. It was fun.”

Joshua groaned as he saw his plans to hold Garrett close vanishing in a flurry of whirling and bowing. “I was kind of looking forward to an old-fashioned waltz,” he muttered.

Mrs. Mac’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “The last dance at my parties is always a waltz.”

“The last dance,” he repeated weakly. How the hell would he ever make it through an entire evening without taking Garrett into his arms? How would he be able to bear watching her with men like Red, who were bound to be more adept at the lively square dances he’d never tried?

“Seems to me there’s something to be said for anticipation,” Mrs. Mac said.

“If I anticipate any more, it’ll make me crazy,” he said just as the door leading to the kitchen burst open. He took one look at Red’s anxious expression and his heart plummeted.

“Where’s Garrett?” he said at once, his voice barely under control and only because he didn’t want to upset Mrs. Mac and Casey.

“There’s been an accident,” Red said, meeting his gaze head-on.

“Where the hell is she?” Joshua repeated, gritting his teeth together to keep from hurling accusations in the foreman’s face.

“At the hospital. She’s fine, really. It’s just a broken ankle.”

“Sit down,” Mrs. Mac ordered, casting a warning look at Joshua. She shouted for Elena. “Bring Red some coffee and a plate.” She turned back to the man who was sitting uneasily on the edge of his chair, warily watching Joshua. “Now tell us what happened.”

“Her horse stumbled. Must’ve been a hole under the snow. Won’t be able to tell for sure till the snow melts. Anyway, she was thrown. The snow cushioned her fall, but her ankle got caught in the stirrup. That’s what did it, I suspect. She’s got a few other bruises and a scratch or two, but she’ll be out in the morning, according to the doc. He put a walking cast on, but said she ought to stay off her feet as much as possible. He warned her if she didn’t, he might have to put on a hip-high cast and keep her on crutches. You should have heard her when he suggested that.” He shook his head. “Didn’t know she knew that many ways to cuss a man out.”

Casey was listening, her eyes wide. “I want to see her.”

“No need for that, honey,” Red said. “There’s no need to be driving in this fog. You call her on the phone if you want. She’ll be home first thing in the morning. I’ll get her myself.”

Joshua saw the worried look in Casey’s eyes and was certain it reflected his own. Deep in his gut he was convinced that Red was telling them everything, that if Garrett was blistering the air, she would be just fine. Even so, he knew he’d never rest until he’d seen her for himself.

“I’ll take you,” he told Casey.

“Let the woman get her rest,” Red argued, but fell silent at Joshua’s fierce expression.

“Come on, Casey. Get your coat.”

The drive to the hospital was the longest of his life, made worse by the thick blanket of fog that was every bit as treacherous as Red had suggested. Casey kept her eyes open for landmarks and was every bit as responsible for their safe arrival as he was.

“Thanks,” she said to him when they finally reached the door to Garrett’s room. “Thanks for bringing me.”

“I wanted to be here, too, sweetheart. Just remember, if your mother’s asleep, don’t wake her.”

Casey nodded and pushed the door open, then tiptoed in. Joshua stepped inside behind her. Garrett was lying on her back, her eyes closed, her hair spread across the pillow. With her cheeks almost as pale as the crisp white sheets, she looked beautiful and vulnerable. There was a faint scratch across her forehead and a bruise that shadowed the tender skin along the inside of her elbow. A white-hot rage churned inside of Joshua and he wanted to take Red and the horse responsible apart, bit by irresponsible bit.

Garrett’s left leg, with its cast up to her knee, was propped on top of a pillow. She had balled a fistful of blanket into one hand and tugged it up under her chin, like a child might hold a security blanket.