Ryelee's Cowboy (6 page)

Clint rubbed the back of his neck.
What was he thinking? His face grew warm as he realized he’d been
caught staring. Quickly he turned away, embarrassed that he had
been studying her assets.

* * * *

Ryelee kept busy hopping up and down
getting forgotten items such as napkins, salt, pepper, butter. She
couldn’t concentrate. Her heart beat faster and she had trouble
catching her breath. Clint kept staring at her, and she wondered if
he knew about her father’s visit. Thank God for Rheenie. Her
chatter was just what Ryelee needed.

Somehow, she made all the right
responses to Rheenie. Relief swept over her when all the evening
chores were done and she had finally gotten Rheenie to bed. She
needed time alone to think.

Ryelee wanted to curse and scream and
hit something, but she couldn’t do any of those things. Clint was
so invested in his pregnant mares, she wouldn’t allow anything to
sabotage his success. This breeding program meant the world to him.
Could she really provide information that could hurt the Dawsons?
Annie Dawson gave her the job. Burke Dawson loved his cattle, a
rancher down to his last breath. She didn’t want to betray their
trust. Telling Clint wasn’t an option, she decided. He’d probably
tell her to leave. If it was just her she’d tell him what her no
good, bully of a father planned. It wasn’t just her anymore, she
had her baby to think of now. What a colossal mess.

After a mostly sleepless night of
tossing and turning, Ryelee realized she had no choice. She had to
get the information her father wanted. She hoped it would be a
one-time thing and no one would ever find out.

* * * *

Ryelee smiled and turned as she heard
the front door open. She had Clint’s coffee all ready, and from the
look on his face, he needed it. Quickly she handed it to him, and
he gave her a brief smile of thanks.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Clint sat down at the kitchen table
and sighed. “One of the mares lost her pregnancy. She’s always been
a good breeder before. She’s never had any problems. It’s a big
loss.”

Ryelee’s eyes widened in alarm. This
had to be a warning to her. Damn her father. “Which mare was
it?”

“Sybil. I don’t know how to explain it
to Rheenie. She was so excited the other day when I explained that
the mares were going to be mamas.”

Ryelee laid a comforting hand on
Clint’s shoulder and was surprised when he put his hand over hers.
Her heart flipped in her chest as she looked at him. She would make
sure no other mare lost its baby. Sybil lost her foal because of
her. No matter what she had to do, she would get the information
for her father. Rheenie could be next on his list. God, she hated
him. He'd do- heck he already did anything to fund his gambling
addiction. Nothing was beyond him. She'd suffered enough beatings
to know. There was too much to lose. She had her baby to think of
too.

After some finagling and a lot of
lying, Ryelee found a reason to spend time at the old ranch house
where Jimmy and a few other hands lived. She knew they had a woman
who helped now and again, but she told Clint the house needed a
good cleaning, and the men needed a good meal for a
change.

The shame burrowed to the very bottom
of her soul when Clint simply took her at her word and warned her
not to overdo. In fact, he praised her generosity and kindness as
he drove both Rheenie and her to the old ranch house. Ryelee wanted
to confess. She wanted his strong cowboy arms around her telling
her everything would be all right. She gave him a shaky smile then
climbed out of the truck and helped Rheenie down.

Ryelee knocked on the front door but
no one answered. An empty house just might make things a bit easier
for her. She hoped she would find the information she needed in the
study.

The magnificent old ranch house had
wallpaper peeling in spots, but Ryelee fell in love with it
immediately. Although not as nice as the new house Clint had, it
had character. The wood floors and wooden counters were dusty, but
Ryelee knew she could make them gleam.

After finding dust cloths for both of
them, she set out to start dusting Jimmy’s desk. She tried to make
it a game for Rheenie while she turned on the computer. There was
everything on it except for the information she needed the most.
There was a feeding schedule, all kinds of spreadsheets. She found
out most of the cattle were in the upper pasture for a few more
weeks, and then they would be brought closer to the house as the
weather got colder. It all depended on the weather, she gathered.
She found no mention anywhere about guarding the cattle, so she
would have to find out some other way.

Knowing that she betrayed everyone on
the ranch made her sick to her stomach. She threw herself into the
house cleaning, trying to keep her mind off her misdeeds. Rheenie
looked adorable trying to copy everything Ryelee did. A little
exuberant with the feather dusters they’d found, Rheenie knocked a
few things over, but in the end, no harm done.

She let Rheenie skip her nap, and they
made a cake for the men. Ryelee laughed when she saw more icing on
Rheenie’s little face than on the cake. How she loved this child.
Her heart ached knowing she put that love in peril.

Jimmy came home in the early
afternoon. His eyes opened wide when he saw her in the kitchen, and
he treated her to one of his big grins. He reached down, scooped
Rheenie, and kissed her cheek. “How are my two Princesses today?”
he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“We cleandid your house,” Rheenie
replied proudly. She smiled sweetly at Jimmy, but then her face
became quite serious. “You men are messy. You have to keep it
clean. Right, Rye?”

Ryelee tried not to laugh. “You are
quite right, Rheenie. These men could learn a few things from us
girls, such as cleaning after themselves.”

Rheenie tapped Jimmy on his chin.
“See?”

Jimmy looked over Rheenie’s head and
locked gazes with Ryelee. “Yes, ma’am. I see the error of my
ways.”

Rheenie smiled broadly. “Let's have
cake! I made it almost by myself.”

Jimmy sat her down at the kitchen
table. “Well, in that case, make my piece extra big,” he told
Ryelee with a straight face.

“Coming right up.”

Ryelee cut the cake and handed each a
piece. She liked Jimmy. She didn’t want to have to ask him about
the guards, but she knew she had no choice. “So, how’s the cattle
business?”

Jimmy lifted his fork in salute to
Rheenie’s cake. “Better than ever. We have plenty of cattle, plenty
of land, and great men tending them.”

“That’s great. Did I hear you say that
they’re in the upper pasture? Where is that? I haven’t seen much of
the cattle portion of the ranch.”

“Do you know where the big bend
is?”

Ryelee nodded.

“It’s right around that
area.”

“Isn’t that a bit far away from here?
How do you keep track of them?”

“They’re fenced in of course, and the
men and I check on them daily.”

Ryelee hated herself having to ask the
next question. “What about at night? Aren’t you afraid that wolves
will get them?”

Jimmy laughed. “Boy, you sure are full
of questions. I’m glad that you’re taking an interest in what I do.
Burke doesn’t see the need for the men to pull night
duty.”

Ryelee went to the sink and got a
clean cloth to wipe Rheenie’s frosting covered face. “I have a stew
simmering on the stove, and I made biscuits.”

Jimmy winked at her. “Thank you.
Having you here has been the nicest surprise I’ve had in a long
time.”

His praise made Ryelee uncomfortable,
so she felt profoundly relieved when Clint’s truck pulled up. As
soon as he walked into the kitchen, Ryelee flew into the bathroom
with her hand over her mouth.

Rinsing out her mouth, she glimpsed
her reflection in the mirror. All she saw was a liar and a cheat.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember she was doing it so
Clint’s dreams weren’t shattered. Opening her eyes again, she still
saw a liar and a cheat. She knew Clint was waiting for her.
Gathering as much courage as she could, she left the
restroom.

The worry on both men’s faces made her
want to break down and cry. She wished she could confess, but she
didn’t dare. She mustered up a fleeting smile and said goodbye to
Jimmy.

Ryelee helped Rheenie into the truck,
and, to her surprise, Clint stood behind her to help her up into
the truck. The tender concern in his eyes was more than she could
take, and tears began to fall. Hurriedly, she wiped them away so
Rheenie wouldn’t see them, but she knew Clint had.

“You must be tired,” he said, putting
the truck in drive.

Rheenie looked at her father with
pride in her eyes. “You betcha, Daddy! We cleandid the house, and I
made a cake, and we ate some with Jimmy, and and um—oh yeah, I’m
tired.”

“Sounds like you were a big help!” He
put his arm around her and gave her a slight hug.

The guilt made Ryelee ill. Clint had
insisted on making dinner and cleaning up afterwards. He put
Rheenie to bed and ran a bubble bath for Ryelee. She just wanted to
die. She was such a fraud. How could she look him in the eyes
again? Her emotions tore her up inside, and being pregnant didn’t
help matters. With a heavy heart, she put her hand in Clint’s and
allowed him to lead her to her bath.

When she saw the bubbles, the clean
towel, and the nightgown all ready, her heart skipped a beat. She
didn’t deserve his kindness.

Clint smiled down on her and pulled
her to him, holding her tight. Ryelee wanted to stay cocooned in
Clint’s arms forever. She felt so safe, almost as if he cherished
her, but she knew the score. He was just being kind. She whispered
words of thanks and scrambled into the bathroom to her waiting
bath.

The hot water became a soothing balm
to her heart. She knew she couldn’t afford to have deep feelings
for Clint, but she had an inkling it was too late. In a perfect
world, Clint would be her husband and Rheenie her daughter, and the
child she carried would have a family.

She smiled sadly as the dream slipped
away. As the water went down the drain, she realized it was exactly
what she had done. She’d poured everything down the drain today.
She wished she had a way of contacting her father, wanting to be
done with it. She couldn’t stand having it hanging over her
head.

She felt like a fool for letting
herself become so attached to both Rheenie and Clint. She knew what
she was and where she’d come from. Somewhere in the back of her
mind, she had known her father would eventually ruin it for her. So
what else was new? She would just have to remember the feel of
Clint’s muscular arms around her, comforting her. It was a memory
worth reliving. She just hoped it would be enough because it was
all she would ever have.

Chapter Four

Ryelee had turned into a nervous wreck
by the time her father finally contacted her. It had been a little
too cold to hang out sheets to dry, but Ryelee did it anyway. She
hoped it would somehow signal him. Sure enough, before she knew it,
he showed up looking as scruffy as ever.

“Do you have the information, girl?”
He grabbed her upper arm, causing her to wince.

Ryelee wanted him gone as soon as
possible. He squeezed her arm in a vise-like grip, and she tried
unsuccessfully to shake him off. She quickly told him all she
knew.

“You better be on the up and up, or
some other poor horse is going to suffer.”

“I gave you what you wanted, so just
go. I hate you and I never want to see you again. I have my own
life now, and it doesn’t include you.”

“Tsk, tsk. You shouldn’t talk to your
ole pappy like that,” he admonished sarcastically.

“Just go, and don’t even think about
coming back.” Her stomach rolled at the smell of his fetid
breath.

“We’ll see.” He released her arm and
walked away.

Ryelee fervently hoped that she’d seen
the last of him. She didn’t know what she would do if her betrayal
became known. Her nerves stretched so taut, she thought she might
snap.

Over the last few days, Ryelee had
felt slight cramping, and she wasn’t sure what it meant. She wasn’t
even sure how she felt about it. When her pregnancy became public
knowledge, she had begun to love the child. It wasn’t an abstract
thing anymore—it was her baby.

Ryelee took two steps toward the house
when a slicing pain went through her abdomen. She doubled over in
pain and dropped to the hard ground, pulling her legs up to her
chest, moaning. Dear God, she thought, please don’t let me lose my
baby.

* * * *

Clint was working with one of the
cutting horses when Ryelee fell. He jumped off the roan and ran as
fast as he could toward her. He saw the pain reflecting in her blue
eyes as she stared at him.

“Is it the baby?” he asked, out of
breath.

“I, I, think so,” Ryelee answered, her
voice trembling.