Suited to be a Cowboy (19 page)

Jealous, that’s what. Jimmy had never
once asked her out and she felt cheated, an outsider. She’d been an easy
conquest…maybe too easy. It hurt thinking that she’d been used just because she
was convenient and willing. Then again, Marcus had wined and dined her until
he’d put that ring on her finger. In that respect, Jimmy was probably doing her
a favor with his “no strings, no regrets” mantra. And he was honest about
dating Amy tonight. Hadn’t tried to hide it at all. Her ex had never been truly
honest one day during their life together.

For all his faults, Jimmy hadn’t misled
her. But his taking another woman out after being in her bed didn’t show any
respect for her. Had he kept the date with the vet because she’d denied him
certain pleasures tonight? Surely not! The man had never struck her as being
sex-starved. So why?

Was it just an outing between friends?
Or had there once been more than friendship between them? Amy had certainly
stayed glued to his side all day, but Jimmy hadn’t seemed to mind. True, he’d
volunteered to search the river with the men, taking him away from close
proximity, but on his return, Amy gravitated toward him without wasting any
time.

That’s it! She’d been there and
overheard when the woman had coerced Jimmy into agreeing to a night out. Amy
had chased him all day, not the other way around. And Jimmy was too nice a man
to call her on it. But that left some big questions. How did Amy expect the
night to end? Had Jimmy told her about them?

Huh! What was there to tell? Their
horses mated and so did they. They’d slept together. Big deal. She and Jimmy
had no real relationship other than that of employer to employee.

And if she was pregnant? Well, she’d
encourage him to buy that ranch sooner rather than later. Once the accounts
were caught up, he’d told her she’d only need him one or two days a week. She
could disappear on those days. And maybe, once the child was born, he would’ve
already moved on and she wouldn’t have to see him or deal with him at all. That
thought brought more pain than pleasure. He’d come to mean so much in such a
short time. And he would make such a great father. Just look at the patience
and understanding he’d shown toward Aaron. Was she doing Jimmy a disservice by
not telling him?

She didn’t yet know if she was with
child, but she hoped so. She rubbed her belly. “Your daddy might not be big on
commitment, little one, but I’ll love you and care for you as long as I live.”

When her mind kept wandering to Jimmy
and Amy and what they might be doing, she finished her drink and went to her
room. Calmer now, she remade her bed with fresh linens and crawled in,
perversely wishing she could smell his scent on her sheets.

* * * *

After the hard day they’d put in
tending the sick horses, Jimmy was amazed at Amy’s energy. She danced to every
tune, fast, slow, or somewhere in between. It didn’t seem to matter. She was
totally uninhibited and her sexy moves put the local girls to shame.
Thankfully, not all the dances were with him. He wasn’t much of a partygoer.
Jimmy considered himself more of a people watcher, content to sit on the sidelines
and observe the goings-on.

Amy returned to their table to sit with
him during the band’s intermission breaks. She sidled her chair close to his…so
close he could smell the whiskey on her breath. At a guess, she was now
drinking it straight. He looked at her now empty glass, which didn’t tell him a
thing.

“Want a refill?” he asked.

“In a minute. Why did you bring me here
if you didn’t want to dance?” she asked.

“You said you wanted to sample the
nightlife around here and I obliged.”

“That’s it? That’s the only reason you
asked me out?”

She sounded petulant, so unlike her
usual self.

“Yes, that’s why we’re here. I’m afraid
I’m not much into night scenes of this sort.”

“I thought you liked me.”

Now she sounded downright whiny.

“I do like you. You’ve been a great
friend.”

“Ouch! Thanks for the slap in the face.
Do you know how many times I’ve drooled over you? Laid awake aching for you? I
waited for you to make a move, yet you never did.”

“I’m sorry, Amy.”

“You’re in love with
her
, aren’t you?”

Jimmy knew exactly who she was
referring to and didn’t even attempt to hide it. “Yes, I am. I love Melissa
and
her son, but there’s no future in it
for me.”

“Then join the club. I’m already there.
I’ll have that drink now. Jack on the rocks.”

The lineup at the bar was three deep,
but Jimmy was glad for the respite. He was in no hurry to get back to Amy and
the conversation they’d been having. By the time he returned with their drinks,
Amy was back on the floor, dancing to a fast number, her skirt flying out
around her, showing the full length of her long, slender legs.

Men gravitated toward Amy and he didn’t
blame them. She was a knockout when she geared up for a night out. The cowboys
seemed to stand in line, waiting for one dance to end and the next to start. There
was no shortage of partners, for which his body was grateful. Amy was having
the time of her life and showed no intention of slowing down or stopping.

They’d been there for three hours
already and it was after
midnight
.
He hated to spoil her fun, but he was dog-tired. He waited for her to glance
his way, tried to get her attention to no avail. Finally, he crossed to where
she was dancing with a cowboy, intending to cut in and make it the last dance
of the evening. He tapped the man’s shoulder, earned a glare for his efforts,
and the cowboy whisked Amy away. Flabbergasted at the man’s rudeness, Jimmy
tried again. This time the man stopped dancing long enough to punch him in the
mouth.

Jimmy fell back and nursed his jaw. “Damn
it, man. What’d you do that for? That’s my date and that hurt.” The cowboy
raised his arm for another punch, but this time Jimmy saw it coming. He sidestepped
at the last minute and the fist flew by, along with the man.

“Come on, Amy. Time to leave.” He
grabbed her arm and half-dragged her off the dance floor.

“But
Jimm
-y-y,
I’m having fun.”

He turned to speak to her and got
sucker punched again. After that, chaos erupted and the bar had a full-fledged
brawl on their hands. A bottle flew by. He heard the sound of wood cracking and
glass shattering as it hit the floor. The lights came on, blinding him
momentarily with their brilliance.

Jimmy got a few more good punches in
and held his own, but as soon as he could get free, he grabbed Amy and made for
the door, not stopping until they reached his truck.

“You all right?” she asked, once they
were on their way.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He took one hand off
the wheel to rub his jaw, working it to make sure nothing was broken. “I’m not
sure what happened back there, but now I know why I prefer to go to dinner or a
movie.”

“Oh.”

He glanced her way. “Oh? That’s all you
can say?”

“
Weelll
, I’m s-
sor
-r-y you got hurt.” She hiccupped. “But why couldn’t we
have s-stayed? The club closes in half an hour anyway.”

Jimmy realized from her slurred speech
that she was more than half in the bag. “We worked hard today and I’m tired. I
was falling asleep at the table, so I figured it was time to head out. What I
didn’t expect was for that cowboy and his friends to gang up on me. Thank God
for the bouncers.”

“Well
sor
-r-
ry
I was having such a good time while you sat there bored.”

In the face of her sarcasm, he remained
quiet. Before they reached the ranch, she’d ceased mumbling. Her head lolled to
the side and she fell asleep against his shoulder. After he parked the truck,
he helped her into the house, not an easy feat. She stumbled and giggled,
leaning heavily on him all the way. It was as if a dead weight was hanging off
his shoulder.

He was glad when they reached her room.
He opened the door and picked her up, then crossed the room to lay her on the
bed. He slipped off her shoes and pulled the spread over her. She was already
asleep.

“Good night, my pretty vet. Sweet
dreams.”

* * * *

Unable to sleep, Melissa tossed and
turned, imagining all the things Jimmy and Amy could be doing. Where were they?
Was Jimmy even coming back tonight? Anguish filled her heart and her mind.
Anger had turned to jealousy and then despair. Why couldn’t she fall in love
with a faithful man for once?

Love? Yes, she’d fallen head over heels
for an employee. So what? They were both consenting adults. They hadn’t made a
commitment to each other. So he wasn’t really cheating on her. But it sure felt
like it. What kind of man leaves one woman’s bed to go out with another?

She wouldn’t cry.
She wouldn’t cry.
She turned on her side, hugging the spare pillow,
and cried like she’d never cried before.

Melissa heard the truck pull in during
the wee hours of the morning and rushed to the window. There was Jimmy, with
Amy clinging to him like a second skin as they walked toward the house—her
house. Surely, he wouldn’t have the gall to bed Amy while under her roof.

She let the curtain drop back into
place. She'd seen enough. She paced the floor in the darkness, watching,
waiting, for what she didn’t know. Then the lights came on in his room, drawing
her closer to the patio doors. He stood there…alone. Was he watching for her?
Wanting to know if she’d waited up for him? No way would she give him the
satisfaction.

Inhaling a ragged breath of relief that
he was back and in his own room, Melissa crawled back between the sheets. This
time, she slept sound, awaking to the cheerful chatter of birdsong at first
light.

She showered and took extra pains with
her appearance only to enter the kitchen and discover that Jimmy and Amy had already
ridden out to check on the horses. Disgruntled, knowing that he’d usurped her
place again, she downed a coffee and headed for the ranch truck.

Darn
it all!
She hadn’t remembered the truck being this high off the ground. It
was a struggle just to climb in behind the wheel. Used to being able to grab
the steering wheel with her right hand and pull herself up, she tried to do the
same with her left. All it did was twist her body the wrong way and get her
ribs aching.

Finally, she gave up and went around to
the passenger side, climbed in by holding onto the seat back with her left hand
and then crawling across the seat to get around the gearshift and behind the
wheel. Melissa slumped forward and rested her forehead on the steering wheel.
She was exhausted already and hadn’t even made it out of the yard. With a deep
breath for fortitude, she reached into her pocket for the keys and ended up
pounding the dash in frustration. Damn it all! This was not starting out to be
a good day.

She opened the driver’s door and
retraced her steps to the kitchen, grabbed the keys off the hook by the door,
and went back to the truck without exchanging a word with Sheila, although the
woman had to be curious as to what she’d been doing. Melissa groaned as she
pulled herself back into the cab. Behind the wheel once again, she reached
awkwardly with her left hand and inserted the key. The trouble didn’t end
there. The truck had a standard shift and she made a false start several times
before finally managing to get the truck in gear with her left hand. All that
jerking around had her ribs hurting big time, but she was determined to get to
that pasture.

She took the side road to avoid having
to stop and start, opening gates, and almost ran off the road while switching
gears. Finally, she arrived to see her wranglers working with the horses. Her relief
was genuine as her beautiful babies were all on their feet and moving around,
albeit sluggishly. Of Jimmy and Amy, she saw no sign.

“Mornin’ boss,” said Brian as she
stepped down from the cab and walked toward him. “We’re getting ready to move
the horses closer to the homestead. Did you need anything?”

“No, just came out to check on my
babies. Did we lose any?”

“Not a one." Brian smiled. "We
were lucky.”

She nodded. “Very. This could have been
fatal for the horses if not for you. Thanks, Brian.”

“Just doing my job, Missy. But yeah,
I’m glad I decided to ride out and check the fence lines. Given a few more
hours, this could have been disastrous. How are you doin’?”

“Sore, but hanging in there. Looks like
you have everything under control, so I’ll head back to the house.”

He tipped his hat in goodbye and she
returned to the truck. If he wondered why she climbed in from the passenger
side, he didn’t say a word. He didn’t even laugh when she stalled it…twice.

On impulse, she took the long way home
and drove by the pond, intending to sit and think a spell in the morning quiet.
The sound of water tumbling down over the rocks always soothed her, and today
she needed the calming effect.

Instead, she found her guest and her
accountant enjoying her hot springs
pool. Laughing and splashing each other, she saw Amy jump on Jimmy’s back and
they went underwater to come up cuddled close together, with Jimmy’s arms
around her waist and her arms around his neck. Immersed in each other, they didn’t
even see her.

Furious, she left them to it and drove
home. She’d given him permission to use the place, so she couldn’t very well
complain, but that reasoning didn’t help diffuse her temper. Not wanting to be
around when they came back, she treated Aaron to breakfast in town. She did
some shopping and, by the time they got back to the ranch, Amy was gone.

Chapter Thirteen

“Thank you for helping with the
horses,” Jimmy said to Amy as they returned to the ranch house. They walked
through to the kitchen where Sheila was busy at the stove. “Hi, Sheila. Have
you seen Melissa?”

“Yep. She and Aaron went out for
breakfast and then they were going shopping. Did you need something?”

Sheila didn’t turn to acknowledge their
presence and her voice was cool. Weird that. “Nothing I can’t handle.” Seemed
like an odd time for Melissa to go to town. He’d seen her pull up by the pond
and was about to wave when Amy jumped him and pushed him down in the water. By
the time he surfaced and looked for her, she was gone. Hmmm
. Was she jealous?
Jimmy smiled to himself thinking of the possible
reason for her jealousy. Amy sure was a pretty girl, and in a swimsuit,
delectable, although not for him. Still, it was rude of her not to be here to
see Amy off, particularly after the vet had made a special trip to help.

He took Amy’s arm. “Come into the
office and I’ll settle your bill.”

“I haven’t made one up yet. I can mail
it to you,” she said.

“Not a problem. I know what you charge
per hour, unless that was a friend rate I was getting?” He smiled and tilted
his head to look at her questionably.

“That works for me.”

“How much was your airfare and other
expenses?”

“Six hundred and twenty for the round-trip
fare. Forty-five for the taxi to get here. That’s it.”

Jimmy totaled it up and wrote out a
check, then passed it to her. “Here you go.”

Amy glanced at it and then back at him.
“This is on your personal account. What gives?”

“When Melissa isn’t around, we do
things this way and she reimburses me.”

“I can wait for the money, Jimmy. I’m
not destitute.”

“Neither am I, so quit arguing.” He
rose from the desk, escorted her out into the hallway, and locked up. “Are your
things packed? We have to leave shortly if you don’t want to miss your flight.
We might even have time for a coffee when we get there.”

“Yes, I’m packed. My suitcase is by the
front door.”

“Then let’s go.” Jimmy picked up her
suitcase and took her arm as they headed for the truck. It was a half-hour
drive to the airport, but by the time she made it through the line and checked
her luggage, she had to board.

“I’ll take a rain check on that coffee,
big guy.”

“Sure thing. It was nice seeing you
again, but next time, no bar.”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about your
black eye, but I haven’t had so much fun in ages.”

“Fun, yeah, right.” Jimmy chuckled. “I
can do without that kind of fun, my dear.”

Amy giggled. “Yes, I suppose so. Tell
Melissa thanks for inviting me. I’ve enjoyed this chance to work on a ranch.”

“I’ll do that. Take care of yourself.”
He hugged her goodbye, just a friendly hug, but she reached her arms around his
neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he
hugged her back, but the kiss didn’t faze him a bit. Amy’s lips weren’t the
ones he wanted to be kissing. He extricated himself from her hold just as they
announced the last call for boarding.

“You sure there can’t be an us?” Her
eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

He shook his head. “I value your
friendship but…”

“That’s okay. Don’t say it. I gotta
run.”

She turned on her heel and went through
the gate and with one last wave, she was gone. He stood in thoughtful silence as
he watched her go. Maybe it was best that Melissa hadn’t been with them. But
then, if she had been, he could’ve avoided that final scene.

He returned to the truck, paid the
parking fee, and decided to go for that coffee. Melissa was still gone when he
returned to the ranch, so he went straight to the office, put in a bill to
cover what he’d paid out, then locked up and rode out to work with his Mustangs.
Sheila, bless her heart, had packed him a lunch, but her attitude was still
cool. He wondered what was bugging her, but it was none of his business. He
thanked her and went on his way.

* * * *

Jimmy looked out over the vastness of
the terrain as he rode toward the mustang corrals. All this open space made a
man feel small. It was a moment to sit back and ponder the wonders of life. The
horizon was painted in colors of pink, orange, and blue with tinges of purple,
but to his eye, it was the greatest painting ever put to the canvas. Out here,
he could breathe and know he was one with the land.

He wasn’t foolish enough to try to
break horses on his own, but he could work with the mares that Tippy had
already broken to the saddle. He tethered Sherry to the fence post and removed
her saddle and blanket. After placing them over the rail, he slipped inside the
corral. His aim was to visit with each horse, speak a few words of
encouragement, then saddle up and ride each one around the paddock. He needed
them to be used to him…for the horses to know that he was in charge when in the
saddle.

The horses behaved beautifully and he
was having a grand old time. It wasn’t often that he had time to spend all day
in the saddle. That made his enjoyment so much more intense. And to know that
these were
his
horses, what a coup.

Suddenly the sky darkened and he looked
up to see thick, heavy, black clouds moving across the sky. He moved fast to
get the saddle off Black Bounty and onto Sherry, but it wasn’t fast enough. A
torrential downpour, the like of which he’d never seen, had him soaked to the
skin in mere seconds. Lightning flashed, lighting up the sky in chains of mass
proportion. Thunder rumbled and crashed all around him. He hated to put the
saddle over Sherry’s wet blanket, but uncomfortable or not, it was still better
than having the heavy saddle on her bare back.

He had to find shelter—and fast. The
western line shack was closest to the mustang pastures, so that’s where he
headed. Rain rolled off the brim of his hat in rivulets and slashed across his
face making it difficult to see. Hard, cold rain. He shivered uncontrollably as
the water streamed down his torso. If he didn’t find shelter soon, he was
likely to catch pneumonia. And it wasn’t good for Sherry either.

Cold, wet, and miserable, he finally
found the cabin. He’d almost missed it in the heavy downpour. He led Sherry
into the dubious shelter of a lean-to around back, removed the saddle and saddle
bags, gave her some fresh water, then went inside.

Before long, Jimmy had a fire blazing
in the wood stove, ever so thankful for whoever laid in dry wood and kindling,
and started another in the fireplace. He grabbed a thick heavy blanket and a
towel and went back outside to care for his horse. Sherry whinnied her thanks
as he removed the wet blanket, rubbed her down briskly, and covered her with
the heavy one he’d found in the cabin. “There you go, girl. That’s the best I
can do for now.”

The bucket beside the sink was upside
down to keep rodents out, so he made a trip to the spring for drinking water,
put a kettle of water on to heat, then removed his wet clothes and hung them up
to dry. Wrapped in a blanket, his teeth chattering from the cold dampness, he pulled
the armchair into position and sat in front of the fire, staring into the
flames as he waited to get warm.

When the kettle boiled, he rose to find
a mug and coffee fixings. The hot beverage did a lot toward warming his
insides. His stomach grumbled and he remembered the lunch Sheila had packed for
him. He found a pan and placed the fried chicken on it and put it in the oven
to heat. He sure wasn’t in any mood to eat something cold. There was also a ham
and cheese sandwich with mustard, which he toasted in a frying pan. Once he’d
eaten, he realized the cabin had warmed substantially and his teeth had ceased
their chattering.

Rain still pounded the roof and he
wondered how Sherry was faring. He crossed to a back window where he could just
barely see out for the streaming rain, but there she was, asleep on her feet
and seeming none the worse for the ordeal. Relieved and relaxed, he lit the
lamp on the table to ward off the darkness of the stormy night. It was the only
light other than the fire blazing in the hearth. A quick glance around the cozy
cabin revealed a radio, a stack of books and magazines, and a deck of cards. He
turned the radio on, but with the storm outside, all he got was static. A
magazine on ranching caught his eye and he brought it to the table to read.

After the rowdy way the evening ended
the night before, he truly enjoyed the peace and quiet. The only sounds were
the crackling of the fire, the rain beating on the roof, and Sherry’s
occasional whinny. Life was good.

Glad to have hot water at the ready, he
found a package of dry soup in the cupboard, and fixed that too. Chicken soup
was always good for getting the chill out. With his body warm and his stomach
full, he yawned. He filled the stove and, having nothing better to do, curled
up on the bottom bunk and fell asleep.

Morning dawned bright and sunny and he
went back to working with the stock. He rode the ones Tippy had broken until
they’d gotten used to him. By the time he’d called it a day, none of the horses
shied away from him. He was pleased with his success, but his sore muscles
protested the long day in the saddle as he saddled up Sherry to return to the
ranch house.

Had Melissa missed him? Then again, had
she even noticed him gone? She and Sheila had both acted rather strange
yesterday. Maybe he should spend another night at the line shack. Enjoy a
restful, quiet night before returning.
Darn!
Brian would be bringing the payroll over tonight and he had to be on hand
to get it done. That’s why he was here—what he was getting paid for. He mounted
up and headed home.

* * * *

The storm hit shortly after Melissa got
home and when Jimmy didn’t come back, she worried. What if he’d gotten lost out
on the range? The poor visibility made it easy for a person to lose all sense
of direction. She’d paced the floor at first, running from window to window,
watching for a glimpse of him. Should she go looking for him? Send some of the
men out searching?

No, he had probably found shelter by
now. He knew where two of the line shacks were. Surely he’d holed up in one.
Appeased with that thought, she settled in to watch a movie with Aaron. They’d
spent most of the day together, just the two of them, and he cuddled up next to
her on the sofa. There was something about a rainy day that made her feel
drowsy and content to have him near.

If only she wasn’t so worried about
Jimmy. The movie couldn’t even capture her attention and it was a new release.
Her concentration was focused on the sound of a horse and rider
approaching—something she should’ve given up on hours ago. She couldn’t help thinking
that he was out there somewhere being battered by the high winds and rain.
Thunder and lightning scared her senseless. Always had, ever since a tree got
struck by lightning one summer and killed eight of their horses that were
sheltering beneath. She remembered riding out on the tractor with her grandpa,
digging a huge hole in the pasture, and dropping the beauties in one by one.
That scene had haunted her for years. Still did when storms raged like this
one.

She shouldn’t be worried about Jimmy
though, not after the way he’d run out on her to spend time with the lady vet.
Ha!
Some
lady!
The woman had been dressed like a tart. Melissa stifled a giggle and
shook her head. She was jealous. The green-eyed monster had reared its ugly
head and she’d succumbed.
What a hoot!
Served her right for expecting more than Jimmy had to give. He’d warned her
from the beginning—no strings, no regrets. So be it.

After the movie, she tucked Aaron in
bed and ended up pacing the floor in the living room. Where was Jimmy? He
hadn’t returned. She hoped he was all right, as it was too late now to send out
a search party. Exhausted, mentally and physically, she finally went to bed,
only to toss and turn and worry until she fell into a fitful doze.

Sheila had breakfast ready and waiting
when she surfaced the following morning. “Good morning, Sheila.”

“Good morning. Aaron’s already eaten.
Said to tell you he’d be in the barn with that colt of his. I think he said
something about kittens too.”

“Yes, didn’t we tell you? Marmalade had
her first litter. One of them is pure white.”

“And I suppose the little gaffer wants
to bring it in here.”

Melissa smiled at Sheila’s knowing
glance. “Yes, he did ask. I haven’t given him an answer yet.”

“
Harumph
! A
puppy would suit that boy better. What’s a ranch without a hound dog?”

Melissa pondered the thought for a
moment. “I think you’re on to something there. Maybe I’ll take Aaron to the
pound this afternoon, see if there’s one ready to be adopted that he likes.”

Sheila beamed a matronly smile at her. “Good
idea. And don’t forget to pick up food and stuff for it before you come home.”

“Yes, ma’am.” After Melissa refilled
her coffee, she went out to the courtyard, walking until she reached the
gazebo. She hadn’t been out here in days. When she rounded the bend, she got
quite a surprise. In the center of the gazebo sat a pristine white garden
swing. She hurried her steps and was soon rocking back and forth, enjoying the unexpected
gift. Jimmy told her he would but had never said another word. Now it was here.
When had he had time to make it?
And
where? The barn? He did spend a lot of time out there with Sherry.

She couldn’t wait to see him, to thank
him. She went back inside so she wouldn’t miss his return, but her numerous
trips to the window were to no avail, as he never returned. It was time to
round up her son and head for town. Tonight…surely he’d be back tonight.