Rocky Mountain Cowboy (18 page)

It was the leaving without saying a word that hit her the hardest. Eli tried to make excuses; to tell her it was just the work; the need to find the missing cows. But Jenny was hurt that Hawk hadn’t wanted her help. How could she blame him, though? She wasn’t a very competent cowhand, and he needed real help.

It didn’t hurt any less to think about him and Cindy Caldwell together, either. But she reminded herself firmly and finally that it was a business partnership they needed to establish, not a romantic one. She should never have let herself get carried away by his very adept kisses. She’d have more control from here on out. Unfortunately, none of her self-admonishments and logical analysis did a thing to temper the regret she felt at
being apart from him for the rest of the week.

∞∞∞

The land Brad Caldwell wanted was northwest of the ranch house, just above Chester Creek and the Rocky Cliff Hot Springs. Bypassing the spa and pools, Hawk continued onto a paved road that wound past a few homes in the area. At the end of the canyon, he took a rutted dirt road that ran along a sturdy
interlocking split-rail fence until it dead-ended at a cattle gate. He got out, unlocked the gate, then drove through, into the pasture beyond, finally stopping near a large tree.

They got out of the truck and walked a few feet until they reached a
big flat-topped rock. Hawk helped Jenny onto the boulder, then hopped up and sat next to her, drawing one leg up to rest an arm on.

“This is what Brad Caldwell wants from us.”
He began, sweeping his hand in an arc. “This piece of property winds around the base of that mountain and down to the hot springs below us. There are over three hundred acres of prime grazing land here that we use for winter pasture. We could even use it for summer pasture if we lost our federal grazing permit. Chester Creek winds through the acreage, over there,” he pointed out, indicating the meandering stream that didn’t have much water in it at this time of the year. “We have good water rights to it, too.”

“Is this pasture connected to the ones near the house?” Jenny wondered.

“Yep, by horseback. We can move cattle in and out fairly easily.” Hawk laid a forearm on his bent knee. “Brad wants this for condo development, time-shares, and an eighteen-hole golf course. His resort would start at the hot springs and extend up to the foot of the mountain, there,” he pointed out again. “The county owns the hot springs now. It’s open to the public. But if Brad can get them to sell it to him, and he’s got enough influence with the county commissioners to make that happen, then he’ll renovate Chester Creek Hot Springs and make it a private, very exclusive resort. Without our property, he’s got nothing to attract big investors. The hot springs aren’t enough for what he wants. He needs an 18 hole golf course to make this a major destination resort,” he laughed sardonically. “I’ve heard he is even in negotiation to buy some government land on the northern face of the mountain for a ski run.”

Jenny remembered the men she had met the other night. “Did you see those two men with him Tuesday evening, after the
cattleman’s meeting? They reminded me of some of the big money men I see hanging around the movie studios, talking to the producers and directors. Very intense, rather dangerous looking.”

“I caught a glimpse of them. Cindy said they were from out of town,
East coast businessmen, investors. They’d been out to the house. She said they made her nervous.”

“Is it too melodramatic to think he could be involved with organized crime funding for his project?”

Hawk tipped his hat back and rubbed his forehead with a couple of fingers. “I don’t know. Maybe not. Brad would do anything to get his project going. He needs lots of money— major backers. Knowing Brad, he’s probably made big promises, taken some money up front, and now finds himself in a bind to deliver the whole package. He’s probably running out of time, too, since he first asked us to sell six months ago. Desperation can make a man dangerous, and Cindy said he’s getting real edgy.”

Mentioning Cindy twice was too many times for Jenny to ignore. It was time she asked a few questions about his relationship with the woman if he wasn’t going to enlighten her voluntarily. The women she’d met at Becky’s wedding shower the other night said his relationship with Cindy Caldwell wasn’t going anywhere, and that it had never interfered with either one of them dating other people
. It had sounded rather loosey-goosey.

She was uncertain of how to begin, so she just jumped in with both feet. “Hawk, I saw you and Cindy Caldwell
in your truck after the cattlemen’s meeting the other night. Are you and she romantically involved?”

He looked at her
for a long moment, then shook his head negatively. “We’re nothing anymore.” It was hard to tell what exactly was going through his head. “We haven’t been much of anything meaningful for a while.”

Short and straightforward, but not too detailed. “But I saw the two of you in your truck.” She had to pursue this, but she felt uncomfortable pressing the issue. “It’s probably none of my business. I’m probably way out of line, but…. the other night, the two of you looked....”

“Yeah, I know how it must of a looked to you.” He flashed her a crooked half-grin that was full of self-depreciative humor. “It probably looked ‘bout as bad as Brad having his arm around your shoulders.” She started to defend herself, but he stopped her with a raised hand. “The Caldwells are experts at setting up a scene. We got played, Jenny. I was dumb enough to fall for it. I regret the way the evening ended.”

“
You have a long history with Cindy Caldwell.” It was more observation than question.

“Yeah,
it started in high school,” he admitted with a rueful shake of his head. “We got pretty serious our senior year. I even asked her to marry me when I started making some money on the pro rodeo circuit, but she wanted a whole hell of lot more than I could offer.”

She searched his face and wondered if he’d ever been in
love with Cindy Caldwell. Almost immediately she concluded that he would have had to have been in order to ask her to marry him. He didn’t impress her as the kind of guy who made half-commitments. She wondered if he truly was done with the blonde, but decided only time would tell. And at this point, it really wasn’t any of her business. At least that’s the line she tried to feed herself.

“That business with Brad
that night was really nothing,” she told him, reciprocating with her own admission. “He approached me. I didn’t seek him out.”

“Are you going to sue me for incompetence?” he asked, with an enigmatic smile.

It was hard to tell if he was offended or amused by looking into his eyes. “Cindy reports well, doesn’t she?”

“When it suits her.”

Jenny could imagine how well Cindy Caldwell used that tool to manipulate Hawk. “Brad offered me a lot of advice the other night— both he and Peter. It’s true that they’d like to see me sue or buy you out. They suggested I could also wait you out, letting the courts resolve the issue at the end of ninety days by forcing a sale.” She met his look of gathering anger with a pacifying smile. “But I’m not going to do any of those things. Dad wouldn’t want me to, and I’m not heartless enough to take away your home, or risk mine to satisfy Brad’s need for our property. Whatever agreement we come to will be mutual, okay?”

“Agreed.”
The anger evaporated into a broad smile left little doubt about its intent this time. “Thanks for the honesty.” Hopping down off the rock, he turned and plucked her off, too. “Ready to go soak some sore muscles?”

“I don’t think….” she responded dubiously as she walked
beside him to his truck.

“You went into town with Eli to get a bathing suit, didn’t you? You bring it with you like I asked?”

“Yes, but….”

“You’ll enjoy this. We could both use a good hot soak. It’s great for sore muscles.”

“Am I going to freeze in this outdoor pool? It’s a bit cold for a swim.” It was sunny, but it was still a crisp fall day, with that Colorado nip in the air.

“You’ll stay warm,” he assured her as he opened his truck door and assisted her inside.

Jenny wondered if this qualified as a date, and decided it didn’t. The idea was a bit crazy, but she thought she might enjoy it. It was probably worth it to see him in a bathing suit. It surprised her that a mountain cowboy would even own one.

The
Chester Creek Hot Springs was one of the geothermal mineral springs that ran through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. There were several in this region alone. This one sat on a bluff that overlooked the valley, nestled against one of the collegiate peaks.

They entered through a
cedar planked building that branched off into men’s and women’s dressing rooms. The teenage clerk took the small fee to use the pool, handed each of them a large towel, and rented them a key for the lockers.

This time of the year, she’d only been able to find one type of bathing suit in the only department store that carried them— a competition suit of turquoise blue nylon spandex. After changing into it, she put her personal belongings in one of the lockers, wrapped the big white towel around her waist, then clipped her hair atop her head.

There was one large swimming pool in the center of the outdoor patio, plus four smaller, circular pools around it. The outer ones were more like large in-ground hot tubs. There was no roof above any of the pools. They were open to the sky and the elements. Only the changing rooms had been enclosed.

Jenny spotted Hawk in one of the larger hot tub pools. He was reclining on the underwater seat that circled the pool
, his arms extended out on either side of him, braced on the lip of the pool. His head was thrown back, his eyes closed. He looked thoroughly relaxed. Steam billowed around him, while the water gurgled and swirled in powerful eddies from his waist down. Amid the vapor, he was nearly invisible.

Jenny stood for a moment and stared at him simply because he was so damned handsome. His
muscular shoulders, bare arms, and broad chest rose above the water, their dark teak color contrasting sharply with the pale color of the cement. His large long fingered hands were curled over the tile rim of the pool. He had very competent hands, strong hands that had moved over her body tenderly, gently. The memory brought back a shiver of deep pleasure.

A couple of young women were in the pool with him, staring at him. When they started to scoot closer, she draped her towel over one of the redwood patio chairs, slipped out of her sandals, and stepped into the pool. The water eventually rose to her waist. It was deliciously hot and smelled faintly of sulfur, which in her opinion, was much better than hot tub chemicals. It was also wonderfully warm and inviting. Waving the steam aside, she waded over to Hawk. He opened his eyes and greeted her, his gaze making a long slow sweep over her
figure. The two women trying to inconspicuously move closer to him, frowned at her. She gave them a smug little smile, then sat down next to him, in the crook of his out-stretched arm.

“You look g
reat in that swimsuit,” he commented, tucking her close.

“It’s a competition suit. It was all I could find this time of the year.” But it was almost the same color blue as his eyes, and that had been reason enough to choose it
.

“Nice— very nice.” The husky timbre of his voice generated even more heat than what she was soaking in.

Her eyes dropped below the water line to look at the swim trunks he was wearing. “You surprised me with this suggestion. I wouldn’t have thought of you as the swimming pool type.”

He grinned in that engaging lopsided way of his. “I come here when I can to soak all my old rodeo injuries. In the six years I
competed, I probably came close to breaking every bone in my body. Bull riding really took a toll.”

Jenny shook her head. “It sounds awful.”

“It’s the original extreme sport— a real kick, sometimes literally. There’s nothing like being on top of a ton of gyrating bull, but you pay for it, eventually.”

“You were pretty good,
from what I heard. Cindy said you and Scott were Team Roping champions, and that you ranked in the top three a couple of times for All-Around cowboy.”

Hawk raked his fingers through his wet hair, slicking it back off his forehead. “Cindy does like to let you know how much she knows.” He sighed. “I did okay on the circuit. I made good money for a while— enough to buy my airplane, a new truck and horse trailer, and put some aside, which I later invested in the Bar F.”

“But your body paid for it.”

“Yeah— hence my regular trips here.” He lifted a corkscrew tendril of wet hair out of her eyes. “Did you ever come here with Tom as a kid?
”

“I don’t think so. Dad used to take me to the indoor public pool over at Concho Springs.”

“This is more pleasant. Do you like it?”

“I do. It’s very European— very charming.” The mountains behind the pools made it look like a spa in the Swiss Alps she’d been to once. She wondered what it would look like with snow on the peaks. “Is it open all year?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll bet it’s beautiful in the winter, when it’s snowing.”

“It is. I’ve been here when the frigid air makes the steam so thick you can barely see, and the snow falls straight down to the water. It’s spectacular. We’ll come back then.” He turned to look at her. “If you’re still here.”