Читать книгу Rancher at Risk - Barbara Daille White - Страница 12

Chapter Four

“The supply sheds still need to get stocked,” Caleb said as he and Ryan stood in the horse barn, after their return from inspecting the western boundary. “The larger one first, since we’ll start off grazing the herd near there.”

Ryan nodded and made a mental note. “I’ll add it to the list.” He had spent the morning with Tony and a couple of the wranglers, hauling around all the new tack and equipment the boss had bought to outfit the barn. Close enough to the house that he could be ready to head out on his second tour with Caleb as soon as he was needed.

And far enough from the house to keep him out of range of Lianne.

Grimacing, his boss stretched. It was easy enough to see that another long afternoon in the saddle had him tired and sore.

“Getting to be an old man,” Caleb said.

Ryan laughed.

“Aw, you don’t know old,” said Tony from his stool beside the mare he was grooming. By the look of him, he was pushing eighty.

“Well, I do know I’m ready to head for home.” Caleb looked at Ryan. “You remember we’re having dinner tomorrow?”

“It’s number one on my list.”

“Good. Tess and Nate are looking forward to seeing you again—”

Lianne had said the same about them.

“—and the ladies are eager to meet you.”

“Are they?” How much had Caleb told them of his situation?

“Yeah.” Caleb looked over at Tony. “Roselynn—Tess’s mom—is a real Georgia peach. Roselynn’s sister...” He grinned. “Let’s just call Ellamae a chili pepper.”

“She hot tempered?”

“No, she just likes to spice thing up.”

Tony chuckled. “My kinda woman. I gotta meet her.”

“I’m sure you will one of these days. She’s bound to show up here to check things out.”

After a couple of other reminders for Ryan’s mental list, Caleb said his farewells. From the barn doorway, Ryan watched him head in the direction of the corral, where he had left his truck.

The back door of the ranch house opened, and Lianne stepped onto the porch. She called Caleb’s name, then hurried across the yard to him, her blond hair streaming in the sun.

She moved like a thoroughbred. He’d noticed those long slim racehorse legs of hers right away. Well, after he’d gotten past the angry glare in her blue eyes.

Tony had come up to stand beside him. He gave an appreciative whistle. “Whoo. Speaking of women. She’s a sight to behold, ain’t she?”

Ryan shrugged. He’d looked at women, even all through his marriage—hell, he was a red-blooded male. But he hadn’t often bothered to look twice.

He did want to work well with the men here. “She’s not bad.”

“Not bad?” Tony chuckled. “Boy, you must need glasses more than I do. I can’t hardly see the print in the newspaper anymore, but my long distance never lets me down. Even from here, I can tell she’s easy on the eyes.”

He had to agree.

They watched her leave Caleb beside the corral and make her way back to the house.

“Mmm-mmm,” Tony murmured. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet, but I’m looking forward to that. Maybe I’ll go chat her up sometime.” His grin turned his face into a mass of wrinkles. “Like while you’re off having your Sunday dinner with the folks.”

“She’s going, too.”

Tony’s face fell. “Well, dang. Now I’m disappointed Caleb didn’t invite me along.”

You can take my place.

A sentence Ryan surely wished he could say aloud.

Supper at the Whistlestop Inn might be all in a night’s pleasure for the boss, but it was going to be work for him. A command performance at the least, if not a test to see how he could handle himself. So far Caleb hadn’t put him in as manager. He hadn’t said anything about his job.

When it came to aging, neither Caleb nor Tony knew the true meaning of the word.

He was the one getting old, fast.

* * *

RYAN MADE SHORT work of his shower and didn’t waste any time getting dressed. Back in his room, halfway through straightening his cuffs, he stilled. It had been over a year since he’d dressed for a night out.

Only a week later, he had worn a plain long-sleeved white shirt like this one...with his dark suit....

One quick tug popped the snaps running down his chest. He pulled his arms free of the sleeves and shoved the shirt into his duffel bag. Whatever T-shirt he grabbed from the drawer would have to do.

At the dresser, he couldn’t keep from looking at the picture frame pressed neatly against the beveled edge of the mirror. Safe. Secure. Still facedown.

He ran his comb through his damp hair, tucked the comb into his jeans pocket and left the bedroom. Maybe left the bad memories behind long enough to face the uncomfortable evening waiting ahead.

Halfway down the stairs, he jerked to a halt.

Lianne sat on the couch in the living room, her blond hair trailing down to the cell phone in her hands, her thumbs a blur as they flew over the keys. They’d gotten through the day without seeing each other, except to haggle over the shower.

She’d dressed up for the occasion. Flat red sandals, a brightly flowered skirt and a red blouse that was all fluffy and soft with lace edging.

The kind of thing Jan used to like.

Would the damn memories ever stop?

He couldn’t speak, could only clear his throat, trying to get the woman’s attention. Trying to get them moving and out of there so he could focus on the road and the drive into town and forget everything else.

She didn’t look up or, as far as he could see, miss a beat from her texting. Ignoring him. No surprise.

He continued to the bottom of the stairs, wishing the quiet would last. Knowing with her around he didn’t have a chance.

She slid her phone into a small red bag and stood. “All set?” he asked.

He held open the front door and then followed her out to the yard.

“We can go in my car,” she announced. She stopped and looked back at him, her hand on the driver’s door of the Camry.

He shook his head. “I’ll drive.”

“I have a license, you know.”

“I’m sure you do.” He jerked his thumb toward his truck. “I need to gas up.” As he turned away, he tried to lighten the statement. “Since I don’t know where anything is, how about you ride shotgun.”

“What?”

After a deep breath, he turned back. “Ride shotgun,” he repeated. “It means—”

“I know what it means.”

And she hated the idea. This was one heck of a spot Caleb had put him in....

He’d put himself in.

He winced. “Listen, I don’t like the situation any more than you do. But there’s no getting around it now. Unless you want to take Caleb up on his suggestion to stay at the Whistlestop.” She lowered her head slightly to stare at him, reminding him of a headstrong mare he’d once known. “Okay, then. We’ll be sharing quarters. And we can agree to disagree, if that’s what you want. But things might run a whole lot smoother if we didn’t argue every time we opened our mouths.”

“I wasn’t arguing with you,” she snapped.

His turn. He stared her down.

“I didn’t mean to yell.” Now she kept her voice so soft and low, he could barely make out the words. “But I wasn’t arguing. I just couldn’t see what you said.”

He frowned.

Her face froze. Slowly, her eyes widened. “I don’t believe it. You don’t know, do you?” She shook her head in wonder. “You haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Figured what out?”

“I’m deaf.”

He opened his mouth and snapped his jaw closed again.

She stared at him, her eyes glinting in triumph the way they had when she had thought she’d one-upped him over taking turns with the meals.

Before he could respond, she opened the passenger door and climbed into the truck. He shook his head. Though he’d suspected she might have some hearing loss, it had never crossed his mind that she was deaf.

But she was right. He’d had enough clues to figure things out. She had jumped when he had walked up to help her unload her car. She hadn’t heard that gigantic crash in the office. And she had stared at Caleb the entire time he had talked to her yesterday.

Sometimes she even gave him her attention when he spoke.

Through the rear window of the cab, he could see her waiting, seat belt in place over her shoulder. She hadn’t wanted to ride in the truck, and now it looked as if nothing would get her out of it.

When he started the engine with a roar, habit had him reaching toward the dashboard. He froze, considered, then went ahead and turned the radio on. He always listened to the sports station.

A second later she reached out, too. Unlike him, she didn’t hesitate. Instead, she hit the scanner till whatever number she’d searched for popped up. A hard-rock station, judging by the screech coming out of the speakers. Nothing could irritate him more.

He was wrong.

She wasn’t finished.

She cranked up the volume till his ears rang and pushed the bass level to the max. He’d swear the danged windshield shivered. Clamping his jaw shut again, he rolled down his side window.

He fought not to look over at her. Why should he, when he already knew what he’d see? But to prove a point to himself for a change, he gave in and glanced across the cab.

Sure enough. Just what he’d expected. More sparkles in those big blue eyes and a wide smile on her pink mouth.

Again she thought she’d scored a mark on him.

Obviously, their situation meant only fun and games to her.

Let her play.

As he’d told her the other night, they both had jobs to do. And worrying about her didn’t make it onto any of his lists.

* * *

ELLAMAE STOOD IN the middle of the kitchen at the Whistlestop Inn and put her hands on her hips. The minute dinner was done, she and her sister, Roselynn, had had the good sense to shoo their guests and Nate out to the backyard.

Now the rest of them could get down to business.

“Ryan seems like a good man,” she stated, checking faces to make sure no one disagreed with her judgment.

“He is a good man,” Tess said.

Roselynn paused with the refrigerator door half-open. “Poor boy, he’s had a bad time of it.”

“Yeah,” Ellamae said thoughtfully. “And he’s due for a change.”

She and the other two gals looked at the only man in the room.

Caleb held his hands up as if to ward them all off. “You’ll get no argument from me, ladies. My point in bringing him down here is to give him a chance to pull himself together again. Whether he can do that or not, only time will tell.”

“Time is just what he needs,” Tess agreed.

“Being in a new environment will help,” Roselynn said.

He nodded. “That’s the whole idea.”

“I can’t imagine what he’s going through.” Tess rested her head against Caleb’s shoulder.

“Not something I’d even want to consider.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

His jaw had hardened and his eyes had gone tight. Ellamae frowned, knowing what thoughts must’ve run through his head. Caleb had gone through hard times and come out a better man for it.

His ranch foreman would do the same, with luck—and a little help from Caleb’s family.

When Tess and Caleb left the kitchen laden down with trays of mugs and the coffeepot, Ellamae glanced at her sister.

Roselynn looked back, her forehead wrinkled in concern. “He’s upset over the whole situation, El, and who can blame him? I told him he did the right thing bringing Ryan here.”

“Agreed,” Ellamae said. “All along, it sounded like the boy was a powder keg sitting up in Montana, just waiting for a match to light his fuse. But I’ve got a feeling the distractions around here are going to take him right out of himself.”

“I hope so. Although I don’t see much difference between one ranch and another.”

“It’s not the job that’s going to keep him—and us—busy.”

“Oh, no.” Roselynn shook her head. “Ellamae, he’s still grieving.”

“I didn’t say we’d get busy immediately.”

“You can’t possibly be thinking of getting up to anything.”

She gripped the damp dishcloth she’d just used to clean the counter. “For crying out loud, woman. It’s not me. Rose, sometimes, I swear you walk around with blinders on. You saw Lianne all through supper. Do you mean to tell me you didn’t see the sparks from her flying across the table?”

“How do you figure that? She didn’t say a word to him.”

“I rest my case.” She sighed. Sometimes Rose needed to be approached from a different angle. “Haven’t we said all along Lianne’s a wonderful girl?”

“Of course we have. And I want her to be as happy as Tess.” Roselynn’s face brightened. “What about Kayla and Sam’s foreman? You know Jack’s always been interested in her. And they get together whenever she comes to visit.”

She waved the idea away. “He’s a nice man but not good enough for Lianne.”

“Well, I don’t know....” Roselynn picked up the loaded dessert tray. “Ryan’s just arrived in town. He hasn’t even settled down yet.”

“He won’t get the chance to settle down.” She laughed and tossed the dishcloth into the sink. “Trust me—” And why wouldn’t anyone trust her, since she always knew what was what about everything? “—we’ll be taking things nice and easy on this one. Give those two a little time on their own out at the ranch, and Lianne will have that boy well and truly riled up.”

* * *

“WE’RE HAVING PECAN PIE,” Nate said, spinning a couple of napkin-wrapped forks on the table. “Aunt El’s best!”

Lianne smiled. Caleb’s wife, Tess, was on the quiet side, while their preteen daughter was exactly the opposite. Nate reminded Lianne of herself at that age—a bit of a tomboy and always willing to take charge.

As guests, she and Ryan had been sent outside with Nate to sit at one of the picnic tables scattered across the Whistlestop’s backyard. The girl hadn’t stopped talking since they had left the house. A good thing, since Lianne wasn’t sure she wanted to be left alone with Ryan.

“Gram’s bringing the pie.” Nate looked at him. “Aunt El wouldn’t let me carry your piece because she said I’d snitch some of your pecans. But I wouldn’t do that. Not the first time, anyhow.”

All through dinner, Lianne had managed to keep up with the conversations—except when they involved much input from Nate. When she was excited, which was often, she talked right over others. Her exuberance, combined with how fast she spoke, made lipreading next to impossible.

She gave Nate a lot of credit for wanting to learn how to communicate with her and Becky, especially because many people never made the attempt. But now, as the girl moved on to tell Ryan a long story about a rodeo, she seemed to have forgotten she knew a single sign.

Lianne looked away, giving her eyes a rest. She made sure to keep her gaze from going anywhere near Ryan.

On their ride to the inn, he had done the same.

In the truck, she’d noticed he had shaved after his shower, closely enough for her to see the small muscle tic in his otherwise smooth jaw. She knew what that telltale tic meant. He’d had no idea what to say to her.

Though they had left the ranch house hours ago, she could still recall the way his eyes had darkened when she told him she was deaf. From shock, probably. Surprise, for sure.

She was used to both, and worse. Over the years, she’d had to explain to hundreds of people that she couldn’t hear. She had built up a thick skin, an armor that protected her against any reaction.

But today, for the first time in her life, she hadn’t felt ready to hear a response. And she didn’t want to think about what that meant.

Nate patted her arm. “Lianne, did you tell Ryan all about the school?”

“Yes, I did.” She’d better not miss a word of this conversation now. Not in front of the man sitting across from her.

Nate looked up at Ryan. “You’re gonna help Daddy with the wranglers, right?”

“Right.”

“And Lianne’s running the ranch.”

“Is she?” he asked.

“Yep. She’s helping Daddy build the school. It’s gonna be a camp, too. Isn’t that great? But don’t worry, it won’t be like a dude ranch or anything.”

Recalling her conversation with Ryan about that, Lianne couldn’t keep from looking his way. He was watching her.

His hazel eyes had changed, chameleon-like, picking up the color from his T-shirt. The green of an impending storm had given way to the brighter shade of grass after the rain. The sight sent a rush of pleasure through her.

Nate patted her arm again. She tore her gaze away from Ryan.

“There will be lots of horses at the ranch, right?”

She nodded at Nate. “Right. The boys will have plenty of chances for horseback rides.”

From across the lawn, Caleb and Tess approached, each carrying a tray.

“This is how you say horse, Ryan.” Nate rested the tip of her thumb against her temple with her index and middle fingers together and standing straight up. She tapped both fingers in the air twice the way Lianne had taught her.

He nodded.

“Try it,” she insisted.

“Nate,” Caleb said, “why don’t you give Gram and Aunt El a hand with dessert?”

“Okay,” she agreed, bounding to her feet. “So long as I get the biggest piece of pie.”

“We’ll give that to one of our guests,” her mother said. “And later you and I will have another talk about sharing.”

As Nate ran off, Caleb set his tray on the picnic table. “Coffee’s ready.”

“Can I pour for you?” Lianne asked.

“Thanks, but I’ve got it covered,” Caleb said. “Tess is training me.”

“Yes, and it’s a slow process.” Tess smiled at Caleb to take the sting from her words.

Lianne smiled, too. Like Kayla and Sam, these two were lucky to have each other.

Tess turned toward Lianne. “I hope you found things okay over at the house.”

“Everything’s great.” She spoke firmly, trying to convince herself as much as Tess. “So far I’ve seen everything I could possibly want in the house.”

And one person she didn’t want there at all.

She tried not to look at the man across the table as she reached for the mug Caleb held out to her.

She owed Caleb so much. The job. The chance to prove herself. Even the house she was living in rent-free. The big ranch house, with lots of rooms to get lost in.

Growing up with so many other kids around, she’d never had the luxury of a room to herself. Unlike Nate, she’d also never had a problem with sharing.

Before now.