The Rancher's Homecoming (9 page)

In some instances, usually those involving smaller amounts and emergency situations, Stuart's terms were downright appalling. Rex sent those clients straight to Jackson, so many—seven in only days—that Tom referred several of them to other attorneys willing to take on Crowsen. It wouldn't take Stuart long to realize who was at the bottom of his troubles, so Rex reluctantly girded himself for a confrontation.

Meanwhile, Wes finally began to rally from his first chemotherapy treatment. Though company still wasn't recommended, he got out of the bed and came to the table for meals again. Over the course of the next ten days, the winter hay was finally baled. With the weatherman promising rain by the following Thursday, Rex took just enough of a break on Sunday for church before heading back into the field.

Now, with the remaining crew transporting and storing the fodder, Rex felt comfortable stealing Callie away for a couple hours. She'd worked as hard as he had. The hay had to be safely stored
today
, so Rex had even lent his, or rather, the ranch pickup to the task. He meant to ride horseback between the storage barns to make sure everything was in place and secured. With Soldier on the mend, Rex judged it an excellent time to give the old stud some much-needed exercise, and with Wes finally feeling better, Rex didn't see why Callie and Bodie couldn't accompany him and give Diamond a workout, too.

Even as he questioned the wisdom of having Callie to himself for a while, Rex couldn't deny the urge to spend some personal time with her. Besides, Bodie would be with them. She'd be as good a chaperone as they were likely to find. Now all he had to do was convince Callie.

“You ride, don't you?” he asked at the lunch table that Wednesday after Duffy had dropped him off at the house.

“Sure. Can't live around War Bonnet and not wind up on a horse at some time or other.”

Rex glanced at his father, picked up the second half of his sandwich and said, “Well, then, what's the problem? I have two horses that need exercise, a crew that needs checking on, and just one me, unless you come along.”

“What about Bodie?” she asked, as he'd known she would.

“My mom used to tie me to her waist and ride with me in front of her. Isn't that right, Dad?”

Wes smiled as if remembering. “That's right.” He waved a hand at Bodie, adding, “You used to try to hold the reins even before you were her age.” He shook his head, and Rex noticed that his hair was thinning. “Of course,” Wes said, “that was before kids had to wear helmets just to ride bicycles.”

“Helmet,” Callie echoed, her big green eyes widening. “I should've thought of that. I hope it fits.” She rubbed Bodie's head. “Wait here.” With that, she ran from the room.

Rex looked at Wes, who shrugged, then at Bodie, who gave him a flirty grin, showing him her teeth. By the time Callie returned, Rex had polished off the rest of his sandwich and nearly everything else on the table. She had in hand a small silver helmet and a bright yellow plastic square.

“Bo and I used to ride our bicycles all over the campground. As soon as I told him I was pregnant, he bought this so we could take the baby with us one day. It was the smallest one he could find.” She set it on Bodie's head. Bodie tilted her head back, looking up into the helmet. Everyone laughed, which only encouraged Bodie to try that again. Eventually, however, Callie got the chinstrap buckled. “It's still a little large, but I think it'll do.”

“What is that other thing?” Wes asked.

“Oh. Well, I bought that,” Callie said. “Living at the falls, I figured we'd have to take the baby swimming, so...” She unfolded the plastic square, revealing that it was actually a flotation vest.

After inflating the thing, they all realized that the helmet had to be removed so the vest could be slipped over Bodie's head. Callie belted the vest in place then went through the process of buckling the helmet again. Bodie wasn't happy with her strange new outfit, plucking and tugging at it, but the helmet and vest, which protected her front and back, would cushion her if she should fall from the horse. She'd be as safe as they could make her. Rex held her and laughed as she squirmed while her mom covered her arms and face with sunscreen. Then Callie packed up a small bag of necessities and another of drinks and snacks, and they were off, Rex admonishing Wes to call his cell phone if he had the slightest need.

“Don't worry about me,” Wes said, waving them toward the door. “I'm gonna watch a little TV and take a nap.”

“We won't be gone long,” Rex promised. “Couple hours, tops.”

“Take your time,” Wes insisted. “Callie's already got dinner in the slow cooker. Everything else can wait.”

Callie kissed the top of his head before carrying Bodie from the room. Rex noted the pleased, almost conspiratorial gleam in his father's eyes. Unless he missed his guess, the old man was indulging in a bit of matchmaking. Rex wished he could be wise enough
not
to enjoy it, but he had every intention of enjoying his time with Callie and Bodie, too.

What was not to enjoy, after all? A beautiful woman, a cute kid who adored him, a good horse and time to kill on a glorious day. It occurred to him as he saddled the horses and listened to Callie and Bodie making friends with them that on a day like today he'd probably have hit the gym, trying to make up for all the days he'd missed. Then he'd have cleaned up and looked for someone to share a meal with him. Afterward, he'd have gone back to his empty condo alone and listened to the TV while he worked on some case file or slipped off to sleep on the sofa while trying to read.

Rex had to shake his head when he thought of all the good that lifetime gym membership had done him. A few weeks on the ranch had accomplished more for his general fitness than all the workouts he'd forced himself to endure.

Come to think of it, his mood seemed lighter lately, despite his dad's medical condition. Must have something to do with all this sunshine. Didn't hurt that lately he'd felt a real sense of purpose, either.

The law mattered; he knew that, believed it. Somehow, though, the bigger the case the less it seemed to actually impact real people. He'd felt more satisfaction telling A. G. Carruthers to sue Stuart Crowsen for a few thousand bucks than he'd ever felt negotiating multimillion-dollar settlements between corporations, just as he'd felt more satisfaction sitting down at Callie's table than he had dining at the most sophisticated restaurants in Tulsa. A.G. was real people; Callie's food was real food.

Maybe ranch life was real life, and he'd just been too blind to see it until now.

He looked at Callie Deviner and her precious little daughter.

He wasn't blind anymore.

Chapter Nine

R
ex's Diamond lived up to his name. Callie couldn't help admiring the animal. His black mane, tail and four black stockings set off a deep red coat relieved only by a small, white, diamond-shaped blaze on the forehead. His prancing gait proudly proclaimed that he knew he was beautiful, but he was just as beautifully behaved. The butternut sorrel stud by which Wes set such store, aptly named Soldier, was a taller, heavier horse, but age had mellowed his disposition. Unfortunately, Bodie literally screamed to go with Rex, holding out her arms and opening and closing her fingers in a grasping motion. Rex good-naturedly consented to parking her in front of him and allowing Callie to tie them together with the paisley shawl she'd brought for that purpose.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered to her daughter as she knotted the cloth. “How did you get so spoiled?” Bodie just kicked a foot complacently and rammed her fingers in her mouth, the chinstrap on her helmet being too restrictive to allow her to get her fist in. Rex snickered, and Callie sent him a quelling glance. “You're not helping.”

“Is it my fault if I'm irresistible?”

Callie rolled her eyes and went to mount her own horse. If he'd had any real idea how truly irresistible he was, she'd be in deep trouble. Bodie squealed with delight as they started off. Leaning forward, she grasped the saddle horn with both hands and tried to shake it. Rex kept an arm wrapped around her. She bucked and kicked and waved her hands, either trying to hurry things along or just enjoying herself. Then suddenly, several minutes into their ride, she seemed to look down and realize how far from the ground she sat.

Her little eyes went wide, and she fell back against Rex's chest with such force that he grunted. Her tiny fingers dug into his forearm.

“Ow. Her fingernails are sharp.”

“Stop. She's scared.”

He immediately brought the horse to a halt. Callie rode the bay up close to them and reached over to pat her daughter on the knee. Earlier, when Rex had donned a rather battered straw cowboy hat, he'd offered Callie an old baseball cap, which she now wore with sunglasses, her chin-length hair tucked behind her ears. She wanted to tell him just how well he wore his hat, but she didn't dare. Instead, she pushed back the cap and shifted the glasses to the brim before addressing her daughter.

“It's okay, baby. Mama's here. It's okay.”

She caught Bodie by the hand and started her horse slowly forward, Rex nudging his mount along with hers. Soon Bodie relaxed. Before long, she was kicking and squirming and grasping the saddle horn again. They rode to the first barn and found it tightly packed. Rex told her that the seasoned hay had been shifted to the front and the new cutting was stored in the back. They dismounted there and sat in the shade of a tree, sharing drinks and conversation.

“So how do you really think Dad's doing?” Rex asked after a few minutes.

“As well as can be expected,” Callie answered honestly. “It's tough, but he's handling it with as much grace as anyone could.”

“I worry his pride will keep him from asking for help when he needs it.”

“It may keep him from asking, but it doesn't keep him from accepting help when it's offered.”

“I guess that's good.”

Callie nodded. “I think so.”

“Well, I don't want to keep you away from him for too long,” Rex said, clapping his hands against his thighs, “so I guess we should mount up.”

This time, Bodie didn't protest when Callie took her onto the sorrel with her. Rex helped by continually engaging Bodie with smiles and funny noises. She liked that she could see herself in his mirrored sunglasses. They reached the second pole barn to find the men standing around scratching their heads, their trucks still filled with hay bales.

“What's going on?” Rex asked, leaning a forearm against his saddle horn.

Woody, the grizzled older hand, shifted a wad of tobacco from one side of his lower lip to the other with the tip of his tongue and said, “We've crammed hay into ever' nook and cranny we can find, boss, and now what're we s'posed to do?”

“Third barn's full?” Rex asked.

“I'm thinkin' we lifted her off the ground we stuffed so much under that metal roof.”

“A good harvest then,” Callie noted, smiling.

Rex calmly removed his sunglasses and pushed back his hat with his forearm. “I guess the rest of this better store up at the house barn then. Just remember not to feed it to the horses until it's aged. And ask Cam to check on Dad for me.”

“Yes, sir, boss,” Woody said, already turning away. He waved a hand over his head, shouting, “Y'all head to the house. I'll show you where to put it.” Spitting a brown stream, he looked back over his shoulder at Rex. “I used to wipe your nose,” he said, “
and
I shined your britches a time or two.”

“Only when I deserved it,” Rex admitted good-naturedly.

Woody grinned, showing teeth stained by the tobacco he used. “The old man's gonna be right pleased.”

Rex smiled. “Still have the oats and sorghum to get in. Dean Pryor will be here to get that started before long.”

“Yep.” Woody squinted up at him. “Dean Paul Pryor's a good cutter. But there's the planting to start, you know. The late sorghum goes into the ground now, and the rye sows in early September, the barley just after. Then there's the late alfalfa harvest.”

“We'll let Dad handle the rye and barley and what comes after,” Rex decreed, gathering his reins up short.

“If you say so.”

“That's how it has to be,” Rex stated flatly.

He couldn't have been clearer. He wouldn't even entertain the idea that Wes might not be well enough to handle the fall calendar, and he had no intention of staying on the Straight Arrow past the end of summer. Callie didn't know why that message pierced her; she'd known all along that Rex didn't plan to stay around War Bonnet. Still, some part of her, one of which she had not even been aware of, had apparently hoped that he would change his mind. Maybe it was seeing all those folks coming to him for advice these past couple weeks. Or maybe it was just her own foolishness.

The ranch hands drove off, bumping across the rough terrain in their half-loaded trucks. Rex let the vehicles get some distance away before swinging his bay toward a stand of trees at a little distance.

“There's a pond over here where we can water the horses before heading back to the house.”

“We're not going to inspect the third barn?”

“No need. I'll check it later just for form's sake, but I trust Woody.”

Callie dutifully nudged Diamond to follow in his wake. They reached the stand of cottonwoods in moments. Rex swung down, loosened the saddle girth and tethered Soldier's reins to a log at the water's edge, leaving the horse to drink before coming to free Bodie from her bonds. The baby immediately reached for the brim of his hat, babbling. Dodging her grasp, Rex returned the favor, releasing the chinstrap on her helmet. Bodie used both hands to shove the thing off her head. It hit the ground with a thud.

Rex laughed and again dodged her attempt to seize his hat. “No trades, sugar.”

Thinking that he was asking for a kiss, Bodie planted one on his chin. Laughing, Callie slid to the ground.

“Sugar means kisses to her.”

“Right.” He wiped his chin. “I should've figured that out by now. She's hot. Let's get this vest off her.”

He held her out at an angle, her feet planted against his belly. Callie unbuckled and removed the vest. Bodie clapped her hands.

“Let's have a drink,” Callie said, digging into Diamond's saddlebag.

She found a bottle of water and took Bodie, carrying her over to sit on an exposed tree root jutting out of the bank of the pond while Rex saw to the horse. Bodie greedily sucked down the entire eight ounces of water. Then she lay back on her mom's lap and idly kicked a foot, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

“Someone wants a n-a-p.”

“I shouldn't have dragged you both out here,” Rex apologized, carrying over two plastic bottles of sports drink. He'd removed his sunglasses, dropped them into the crown of his hat and left them both sitting in the fork of a leafy branch.

“No, it's okay,” Callie told him, taking a bottle after he twisted off the cap for her. She drank long and deep, though she really didn't care for the stuff. He drank as well, one booted foot propped on the tree root next to her. “Woody is right. Your dad's going to be pleased,” she told him after a few minutes.

Rex smiled. “Still lots to do.”

“He's very proud of you already.”

Squinting into the distance, Rex said, “I know. Not sure why, though.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged and looked intently at his drink. “I sort of rejected the life he meant for me. Then I married poorly. Wound up divorced. And I haven't exactly been faithful with my church attendance. I let my career take precedent, and I've paid the price for that.”

“Maybe so, but at least you know it, and you're here now when he needs you most.”

“I just have to hope that's enough,” Rex said, tilting back his head and finishing off his drink.

In other words, he wouldn't be staying on the ranch and had every intention of going back to the career that had derailed him in the past. Callie trusted that he would be wiser now. But he would still be far from War Bonnet. He'd probably go back to Tulsa or maybe Oklahoma City.

“We should get back,” he said, nodding at Bodie, who drowsed in her mother's lap.

“I'm going to use the shawl to make a sling and carry her against my chest,” Callie decided. “She'll be safe enough that way, and she can sleep on the ride back.”

“Let me take her,” Rex offered. “The brim of my hat will give her some shade.”

Callie looked down at her sleepy baby. “All right.”

He tightened the cinches on the saddles again while Callie fashioned a sling for her daughter. Bodie whimpered a mild protest as they slung her sideways against Rex's chest, her head nestled in the hollow of his shoulder, but then she reached up a little hand and laid it against his throat, as if feeling the beat of his pulse was all she needed to lull her to sleep.

Callie heard herself whisper, “She loves you.”

“I love her, too,” Rex said softly. He looked up then, his blue eyes as pale and warm as the summer sky. “I'll miss the two of you if you leave the ranch.”

If,
not
when
. Confused, Callie dared not reply to that. Anything she said would lay bare her heart, and that simply was not wise. Neither was standing there as he shifted closer, lifted a hand to cup Callie's face and kissed her while her child lay slung across his body between them. Callie kissed him back, falling into the sweetness of it, her hands finding his strong shoulders. She wanted to smile but came closer to weeping. After several long, lovely moments, he broke away and pressed his forehead to hers, breathing deeply.

“I shouldn't have done that,” he whispered raggedly. “But Meredith will be here soon.”

Callie nodded. Meredith would come, and she would go. She already dreaded the day, but putting it off would only make it harder for everyone when he went away again, for when that happened, she and Bodie would not be going with him. Even if he should ask—and he wouldn't—they would not go. Callie knew herself well enough to know that she couldn't live the way he wanted to live.

She was a small-town girl with a small-town heart, and she wanted nothing else for herself or her daughter. Bodie might choose otherwise when she was grown, and that would be fine, but Callie wouldn't wish it on her. Like Wes, she would understand and endure the choices of her child, but she wouldn't participate.

Sadly, she fetched his hat and sunglasses. He put them on and carefully mounted the horse. Bodie struggled a little, then settled in to snooze. Rex smiled down at her.

“There's a cowgirl if ever I saw one.”

Chuckling, Callie climbed onto Diamond, the extraneous gear and empty bottles safely stowed. She took out her phone and snapped some photos, thinking it was too bad that Bodie wouldn't remember this. Then she pushed her sunglasses into place and turned the bay for home.

They ambled into the horse barn about half an hour later, chatting about the possibility of purchasing a four-wheeler to go where the trucks could not, and the horses were too slow to take a busy man. Rex passed Bodie to Callie. Bodie woke enough to protest noisily, then settled with her head on her mother's shoulder. Leaving Rex to deal with the horses, Callie carried her daughter and her wet diaper toward the house, only to draw up short when she saw her father's vehicle parked in the drive.

“Oh, no.” She turned back to the horse barn, calling, “Rex, come quick. My dad's here.”

He dropped the saddle he was carrying and jogged toward her. “How long's he been here?”

“I have no idea. Go to Wes.”

“Woody and Cam are still in the red barn. Ask them to take care of the horses, will you?”

She nodded. “Go.”

He went off at a run. She carried Bodie to the workbench in the red barn and called for Woody, who hurried to her.

“Was my father here when you got back?” she asked, quickly beginning to change Bodie's diaper.

“Nope. He drove in about ten minutes ago. I tol' him Rex wasn't around, but he and that idiot Dolent insisted on goin' inside.”

“All right. Will you and Cam see to our horses? Rex has gone to run interference, and I need to get in there.”

“No problem.”

“Thank you.”

He doffed his battered, sweat-stained hat. She picked up Bodie and prepared to leave, but he stopped her.

“Miz Callie.”

“Yes?”

“Rex has done good here, real good.”