The Cowboy Code (10 page)

But he couldn't think of any other alternative than for them to meet secretly—and hope that no one would find out.

T
hey started to see stray cattle later the next day. The cowboys showed the boys how to slap their ropes gently against their thighs to get the cows moving together so they could take them to their summer grazing grounds. Most of the cattle were branded with SRR, for Joe's Silver River Ranch, though there were many yearlings without a brand.

And just when she'd thought everything would dry out, it started raining again.

She felt sorry for all the horses. They were slogging through the muddy mess, yet it didn't seem to bother them, or so she thought. Maybe they hated it as much as she did.

Over the slopping of the mud and the splattering of the rain, Maggie thought she heard a noise, almost like the loud crying of a baby.

“Whoa, Lady. Whoa.” The horse stopped, and she strained to listen. There it was again. Looking around, it didn't seem that anyone else had heard the pitiful cry.

“Joe!” she yelled, because he was the closest cowboy to her, but he didn't hear her. “Joe!” she yelled again. But the wagon train went on without her. She didn't dare go off on her own, especially in this weather.

She got a landmark fixed in her mind—a tall pine tree with a bent tip with a reddish-looking bush at its base. Then she coaxed Lady into a trot and hurried after Joe.

When she finally got to him, she was out of breath. “I heard this noise, Joe. Like a baby. Over there, Joe. Over there, in the trees.” She pointed to an area to the left of them.

Several cowboys and kids joined them in the search. Eventually, they found the source of the bawling: a calf stuck in the mud. It looked exhausted from the struggle.

“Okay, Annie Oakley, it's time for you to do your roping.” He turned toward her nephew. “Dan, how about if you lend a hand, too?”

“I'd like you both to see if you can rope the calf. Do you think you can do it sitting on your horse?”

Maggie nodded. Danny shrugged.

Maggie got her rope ready, made several circles and let it fly. It missed. There was a collective “Aww” from the spectators.

“Danny, you give it a shot,” Joe said. “Maggie, try it again.”

Maggie pulled in her rope. “Come on, Danny.”

Danny's rope hit its target. When she tried again, hers did, too. Everyone cheered.

“Now, both of you, ride close together so you can pull the little guy out,” Joe continued. “Go real slow. Let him get his footing. Slow.”

Maggie smiled at Danny. He gave a nervous smile back. She could tell he was concentrating and didn't want to fail.

“You can do it,” Joe said.

They walked their horses as slowly as possible, and a few moments later, the calf was able to walk out of the mud.

There were cheers all around and several high fives. Danny looked like he was sitting on top of the world. He needed this, Maggie thought.

She met Joe's gaze, and he winked at her.

Maggie gave her nephew a high five, and he returned it.

“Nice work, partner,” she said.

“Nice work,” he echoed, now grinning.

Joe took Maggie's rope off the calf, but kept Danny's on.

“Dan, slowly lead your new friend to the rest of the cattle. Maybe he'll find his mother.”

Danny nodded and did as instructed. When he got to the herd that they'd gathered, he got off Thunderbolt, took the rope off the calf and gave it a quick pat. It scrambled off to join the others.

Danny looked back at her and smiled.

Maggie's heart swelled in her chest. Now she understood one of the components of Cowboy Quest—teamwork. That was the obvious message. The not-so-obvious one was that this little task had given her and Danny the chance to work together and do something they wouldn't normally do. The two of them together could accomplish anything if they tried.

Now what she needed to do was to apply this lesson to their life back home, in New York.

Home. It seemed so far away, yet she knew they'd be heading back all too soon, and she had to make some serious decisions about what to do. The stage had always been her ultimate goal, but lately it wasn't making her happy—not with Danny on her mind, knowing he needed her, knowing he needed a real parent. Yet she had to support them, and New York wasn't cheap.

She wondered again if she could make a living teaching dance and voice. Maybe, but she honestly wasn't sure.

This beautiful country did make her think. So
did the butt-numbing days on Lady. What else was there to do but move the cattle and think? Now if she could only make some decisions as to their future as a family…and whether or not she could continue performing. Then all would be well.

Wouldn't it?

 

They rounded up a good number of cattle throughout the afternoon. Joe thought that it would be a nice treat for everyone to stop early and take a dip—albeit a cold one—in a shallow branch of the Silver River. At least the water would be warmer in the spot that he'd picked.

He just didn't know what to do about Maggie.

“That's okay,” she said, when he explained that the cowboys and their charges would be in a state of undress. “As long as I get my turn some time.”

That would probably be at night.

Maggie stayed at the chuck wagon preparing the evening meal so even Cookie could go swimming.

Joe made it a point to try and talk to Brandon. Unfortunately, Brandon did everything in his power to avoid him. According to his records, Brandon's father was the chief of police in a small town in Montana, and Brandon was a constant embarrassment to his father. Brandon resented all authority, and acted out at every opportunity.

Nevertheless, Joe pressed on with the boy, almost resorting to hog-tying him to get him to stay put and
listen. Finally, Brandon excused himself and went to be with his friends, including Daniel Turner.

And Joe couldn't help but think that they'd all have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool him. He knew all the tricks. He'd done them all and more.

Ronnie found a football and everyone had a great time diving and splashing through the water for the throws.

“You and your Aunt Maggie did a great job this morning,” Joe said to Dan when the boy leaped for a clean catch. “That was fine roping and nice teamwork.”

The boy's eyes scanned the crowd, probably noting who was watching him talk to the enemy.

“Thanks. It was…cool,” Danny said. “Wait till I tell my homies.”

“I thought you might decide not to run with your former pals when you get home. You know, the ones who got you into trouble in the first place. If you get probation, you won't be allowed to hang around with them. It'll be one of your probation rules.”

Danny raised his arms and moved his hands in circles. “Are you telling me that I might get probation even after all of this?”

“Yeah, Dan, that's what I'm telling you. It all depends on what Judge Cunningham thinks. He might decide that you need the extra supervision that a probation officer can provide. You'd get an extra set
of rules, and if you violate any of them, you could still be placed. You'd lose your aunt—and she'd be devastated.”

Danny swore under his breath. “I'm screwed if I do good or not.”

“That's not what I said. I said ‘might' and ‘maybe.' And remember that I have to prepare a report. Judge Cunningham will be looking at that. Can't you just be yourself? Can you be the person you were before you started stepping out and getting into trouble?”

He couldn't meet Joe's gaze. “I don't know if I can.”

“Your aunt loves you very much, Dan. She really does. She'd do anything for you. Maybe some day you'll realize that, and give her a break.”

Danny didn't say anything, but stood still and listened in spite of the fact that Quint threw the football an arm's reach away. The boy ignored it, but Joe scooped it out of the water.

“Think about what I said. Okay?” Joe asked, then pulled his arm back. “Now, go long, Dan.”

He shot the football, and Danny leaped out of the water and caught it.

“Nice one!”

The dinner bell rang, and Joe motioned for them to dry off and get dressed. Everyone hated for the fun to end, but all the activity had made them pretty hungry.

When they got back to camp, the two boys who were on punishment for fighting were reminded that they had to put up the rest of the tents.

“I'll help you,” said Mickey.

“Me, too,” chorused Troy and Nick.

Fairly soon, all the other boys volunteered to help—with the exception of Brandon and Rick. Joe was happy that the boys were learning to work together, and made a mental note to give Brandon and Rick more cleanup duties.

Maggie had made chili and a salad, both of which went down well with the group. She beamed at the praise and Cookie even tried to pry the recipe out of her, but, laughing, she wouldn't budge.

Joe liked the fact that Maggie was getting the opportunity to cook. He remembered that she'd told him how much she enjoyed cooking, but never had a chance to do it.

And he loved to see her laugh. The worry lines disappeared from between her brows, and her whole face glowed. She was laughing more often, too.

After dinner, he assigned more duties. Cleanup and dishes to Brandon and Rick. Sleeping bag distribution to Matt and Alex. Cot distribution to two others. Then everyone would take care of their horses.

The whole camp would be busy, so Maggie could take a dip in the river.

He was afraid that she'd be too cold. “Are you sure that you want to do this?”

“Of course! I can't let you guys have all the fun.”

“Okay then. I'll walk you there,” he told her, leading the way through the trees.

When they reached the river, she sat down on a fallen tree, took off her boots and socks and waded gingerly into the water. “It's just as cold as I thought it'd be.”

“Remember, this is Wyoming. I think that the snow just melted up here,” he chuckled.

“Turn your back, please.”

“Of course.” The sun was setting, and he wanted to be closer to her. He sat on the fallen tree with his back toward the water, heard the rustle of clothes as she undressed and tried not to picture her naked.

He heard her gasp, and assumed that she'd gone deeper into the water.

“Yikes, it's cold,” she said. “But it's really beautiful. Here I am, at sunset, wading into a spring-fed river with horses grazing in the distance… Life doesn't get any better than this.”

“Oh?” He snickered. “What about the Met, Times Square, the lights of Broadway, Rockefeller Center?”

“Smog, concrete, noise, traffic, wall-to-wall people,” she added.

He was surprised that she countered him.

“The New York Public Library, the museums, the restaurants, the—” He paused. “Hey, wait. Why am I praising New York City to you? I've been there all of…wait for it…
twice.
”

“Really? What brought you to New York, Joe?”

“Madison Square Garden. I contracted with the Professional Bull Riders to supply some bulls for their event in January. That was a treat, driving my eighteen-wheeler full of my best bulls to the Garden and unloading right in front of the place.”

“I didn't know they have a bull riding event at MSG.”

He nodded. “Full house. You New Yorkers must love your bull riding.”

“Next time you come to New York, I'll have to take you out on the town,” she said.

“Next time I'll let you.”

He heard more splashing, then footsteps and clothes rustling behind him once again—she must have gotten out of the water.

“You can look now.”

She had changed into a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. Her feet were back into the boots, but her teeth had started to chatter from the cold. She shivered.

“It's too late in the evening for this,” Joe said. “I should have known. You're freezing.” He pulled her to him in an attempt to warm her with his body heat.
His hands traveled up and down her back, trying to rub some more warmth into her.

She looked up at him with her big emerald eyes and a smile that made her eyes twinkle, and that was his undoing. He gave her some time to tell him to stop, but she didn't.

His lips touched hers gingerly, and then harder. When he heard her softly say his name, he pulled her even tighter to him.

All the while, he was moving his hands over her body—to help warm her, he told himself. He shouldn't have let her swim this late in the freezing water, in the coolness of the setting sun.

Maggie's hands moved over his arms, his chest and his back. When her palms settled on the sides of his face, he thought he'd melt. She stared at him, smiling, happy.

It was Maggie who pulled him to her this time, her soft lips that touched his, gently, tentatively.

Exquisite torture, that's what this was, Joe thought, letting Maggie explore to her heart's content. It was all he could do to stop himself from finding a soft spot along the riverbank and making love to her.

But all too soon, he remembered all the reasons he couldn't.

He moved Maggie away from him, and dropped his arms. “Sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Forgive me.”

“T-there's nothing to forgive,” she said, her eyes opening in alarm.

“Yes, there is. I've overstepped my bounds—again.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We should go—its getting dark.”

He told himself that it was just kissing. But he knew that he wanted more from her—a lot more. He wanted her heart, body and soul.

But that didn't make any sense. He had experience with women who wanted more than he could offer, wanted more than hard work and long hours on a ranch.

He had absolutely nothing to offer a woman like Maggie.

But why was he even thinking about a long-term relationship? Why couldn't he enjoy her company now and forget about tomorrow?

Deep in his soul, he knew the answer to that. He wasn't a one-night stand kind of guy. When he gave his heart, he gave it forever.