Читать книгу Rancher's High-Stakes Rescue - Beth Cornelison - Страница 12
ОглавлениеWhen Josh and Kate returned to the welcome dinner, Dawn was seated at a long table with several people, including Josh’s twin.
Zane smiled as they approached. “There you two are. We were about to send a search party. People here are hungry and ready to eat.”
“I’m down with that.” Josh motioned to an empty chair. “Kate, shall we?”
“Come meet everyone, Kate,” Dawn called.
After she took her place, Josh helped her scoot her chair in, then sat across from her.
Josh motioned to the man to Zane’s right as he started around the table with introductions. “This is my father, Michael. And my sister, Piper. And her fiancé, Brady Summers, who’s another partner in McCall Adventures.”
She smiled, giving a wave of greeting to them all, and shook Brady’s hand when he offered his. Then Josh started down the other side of the table. “My mother, Melissa.” He skipped Dawn, moved on to a little boy with rumpled brown hair and barbecue sauce on his chin. “And...that little squirt is my nephew, Beelzebub.”
The boy frowned at him. “Connor!”
The adults laughed, and Josh held up a finger as if he’d just remembered. “Oh, that’s right. Connor.”
“Nice to meet you, Connor.” Kate winked at the little boy, who gave a shy wave back.
“And...” Josh scanned the other tables and people milling about. “Over by the grill, flipping burgers, is our jack-of-all-trades and foreman, Roy Summers.”
“He’s my grampa,” Connor added.
“So it really is all in the family,” she said, making a mental inventory of relationships and faces.
Josh removed his hat and hung it on the back of his chair. “It is.”
“I was just telling Zane about your ideas for the brochure,” Dawn said, lifting a glass of a fruity drink, “how we want to be sure to capture pictures of all aspects of the ranch and the adventures while we’re here.”
“Oh, right.” Kate nodded her agreement. “I brought a camera with me, professional-grade, to capture some shots. We’ll need permission to use images of any people in the photos, though.”
“We brought a waiver with us,” Dawn explained.
“Of course. Sounds great.” Zane passed a large plate of ribs, burgers and sliced beef down the table to Kate. “Dig in. This is all Double M beef. One hundred percent fresh, and the best Angus beef you’ll ever eat.”
Kate took the tray, but hesitated. Her stomach growled, affirming she was hungry. The last thing she’d eaten was the tiny packet of pretzels on the plane. But she thought of the sweet bull calf she’d just visited and balked. “I’m going to stick to the side dishes tonight, I think.”
Josh sent her a concerned look and lifted a pitcher of tea, filling her glass when she nodded that she’d like some, then his own. “Are you a vegetarian? We didn’t think to ask—”
“No,” she said, passing the tray of meats to him. “Just...thinking about my new little friend and...” She flashed a sheepish grin. “I grew up on a farm. I know where meat comes from. I just can’t go from fawning over the little baby to...eating his dad.”
Josh grunted and helped himself to a few ribs and a burger. “Trust me, this is not that little guy’s father. Papa is one of our best breeding bulls, and his life is safe as long as he keeps fathering prime offspring.” He set down the platter. “But I get your point, and I promise the rest of the dinner Helen made is pretty spectacular, too. Try this.” He handed her a pan of potato casserole. “She calls it potato supreme. I just call it delicious.”
“Helen?” Kate took the pan, savoring the scents of cheese and onion that wafted from the dish.
“Our cook. She used to be full-time, when we had more hands. Now she just does lunch for the family and hands along with special events like tonight.” Josh handed her another bowl, full of a mix of green vegetables.
“Can I have my pie now?” Connor said, drawing Kate’s attention.
“Finish your meat first, buddy,” said the guy introduced as Piper’s fiancé. She dug through her memory for the name. B... B...
“Aw, Brady!” Connor whined, flopping back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest with a pout.
Brady! That was it!
When she studied the boy and Brady closer, she saw the resemblance between them. While Dawn continued chatting up the plans for the travel brochure with Zane and Piper, Kate leaned toward Josh, whispering, “Connor is your nephew, you said? But he called your foreman his grampa. So that means Brady is...?”
Josh gave her a crooked grin and whispered back. “It’s complicated.”
She arched an eyebrow, intrigued.
“Well, not that complicated, but...” He rubbed a hand over his lips. “I’ll fill you in later.”
She leaned back in her seat, regarding Josh with a puzzled gaze. When she glanced toward the boy’s chair, she found it empty.
“Tell me about the calf, Kate,” Dawn said, drawing her attention. “We should definitely include pictures of the new baby in the brochure. What a precious way to bring home the point that this is a working family ranch.”
“Oh, he’s definitely precious,” Kate agreed. She was musing over the point that the Double M was a family ranch, a point brought home as she glanced around the table at the three generations gathered for dinner. Well, two generations...the third generation was still missing.
Something under the table bumped her knee, and she raised the edge of the plastic table cover to peek underneath.
Connor sat huddled at her feet and met her gaze. His eyes widened, and he placed a finger over his pursed lips in a shushing signal. She gave him a conspiratorial wink and returned her attention to the adult conversation.
“We can do a print run of one hundred thousand copies to start with,” Dawn was saying, “and print more as—”
“A hundred thousand?” Piper repeated, clearly aghast. “Why so many? Won’t that cost a fortune?”
“Well, we want a wide distribution of the materials,” Kate said. “You’d be surprised how few one hundred thousand really is, and with printed materials, the more you do, the less they cost per piece.”
“Where’s Connor?” Piper cut in, her face reflecting her alarm that the boy wasn’t at the table. “He was just here.” She looked around, clearly dismayed.
Brady covered her hand with his and gave her a calming smile, hitching his head toward their feet. “I don’t know,” he said in a stage voice, “but since he left, I guess that means I get to eat his pie.”
Under the table, Connor gasped, bumped Kate’s knees again, and cried out, “No! Here I am! I want my pie!”
Piper’s face reflected her relief, and a combination of amusement and irritation. “Connor, what are you doing under the table?”
While Brady and Piper leaned closer to talk in low voices to the boy, Zane waved a hand for Kate to continue. “Sorry. Life around here can be chaotic at times. You were saying?”
She shook her head. “Why don’t we save the business talk for later and just enjoy this pretty evening, the great dinner and good company?”
“I’ll drink to that,” Josh said, raising his glass of iced tea.
The rest of the meal passed with pleasant conversation about the history of the four-generations-old ranch, Piper and Brady’s upcoming nuptials, and Connor’s excitement over his friend’s dog having puppies. When they’d all finished eating, Zane, Piper and Josh excused themselves to mingle with the other guests who’d arrived just before dinner. Kate dawdled over the last of her slice of cherry pie and watched Josh greet one of two couples she’d met briefly when they arrived.
Dawn slid down to the chair next to Kate’s and leaned close. “He’s certainly charming and personable.”
Kate frowned at Dawn. “Who?”
Dawn’s returned look said, Like you don’t know.
Kate rolled her eyes. “The whole family is quite nice. It will be a pleasure to work with them.”
A peal of laughter drew her attention in time to see Josh lift Connor and drape the boy upside down over his shoulder. Connor laughed as Josh spun around, then planted the dizzy boy back on the ground.
“Yeah, see how funny it is when he throws up on you, Doofus!” Piper called to her brother.
After a few more minutes of racing around the yard with the boy, Josh jogged up, panting, with Connor on his heels. “Tag, man,” he gasped, slapping Brady on the shoulder. “You’re up. I’m dying here.”
“Thanks for wearing him out,” Brady said, pushing to his feet. “The kid is gonna sleep well tonight!”
“He’s not the only one,” Josh said, taking the chair Brady vacated.
“So the itinerary posted in the guesthouse says tomorrow we learn to saddle and ride horses and get a glimpse of other aspects of ranching life.” Kate ran a finger down the side of her glass, wiping off the drips of condensation.
“Yep,” Josh said. “Bright and early. We’ll start with a hearty breakfast, then gather up in the corral behind the stable.”
“I just remembered I never called Dean back,” Dawn said. “Will you excuse me?” Dawn rose from the table, wearing a smirk.
But Kate was having none of Dawn’s ploy. She already saw a battle with her attraction to him ahead and the day’s travel was catching up to her. “I’m going to call it a night, as well. Thanks for everything.”
Josh touched the brim of his hat and winked at her. “See you in the morning.”
Kate took her trash to the waiting receptacle, then headed into the guesthouse. Dawn wasn’t on the phone when she got there, lending more credence to her theory about her friend’s continuing efforts to play matchmaker.
Dawn grunted and frowned at Kate from the kitchenette, where she was pouring herself a glass of wine. “Why are you in here instead of enjoying Josh’s company?”
“Because, like I’ve said, this is a business trip. I’m not looking for a hookup.”
Dawn set the wine bottle down and licked a drip of the merlot from her finger as she pinned a hard look on Kate. “Are you sure that’s all it is? Is everything okay?”
Kate blinked, a bit startled by the question. “Of course. Why?”
Her colleague twisted her mouth and gave her a narrow-eyed scrutiny. “You just don’t seem that excited to be here. You’ve acted rather reluctant since we landed this account and scheduled this trip. What’s wrong? What am I missing?”
Kate waffled briefly between telling Dawn the whole truth and brushing off her reservations. “I’m just tired.”
Dawn continued to stare at her.
“Really! This place is great. The people are super friendly, the scenery is awesome, and it’s an exciting account to be working on. I just...” Shoot. Why did she add the unfinished addendum?
“If something about this account is bothering you, if you feel we need to go a different direction on some aspect of the campaign, you should tell me.” Dawn strolled into the common area with her wine, obviously waiting for Kate’s explanation.
“No, no. It’s nothing about the account or our plans for the ad campaign. It’s me.”
Dawn raised her chin. “So there is something?”
Kate closed her eyes and let her shoulders droop. “Ugh. Okay, yes. I didn’t want to say anything because it’s my issue to work out. But...” She moistened her lips, then took Dawn’s hand and led her to the couch. They sat facing each other, and Kate rubbed her hands on the skirt of her dress. “I’m chicken. All these ‘adventures,’” she said, drawing air quotes with her fingers, “scare me.”
Dawn’s face split with a grin. “Seriously? That’s all?”
Kate straightened her back. “All? Dawn, day after tomorrow, we’re supposed to leave on a camping trip filled with all kinds of dangerous and death-defying stunts. I can’t do it! Just the thought of all those high places and steep drop-offs leaves me in a cold sweat.” She raised her damp, trembling palms to show Dawn. “Look!”
Dawn laughed and grabbed Kate’s hands, then clutched them against her chest. “Oh, Katie! You’re supposed to be a little scared. That’s part of the thrill, the adrenaline rush. Facing down that instinctive fear and conquering it is what makes these kinds of adventures so exciting!” She squeezed both of Kate’s hands, smiling her enthusiasm.
Kate shook her head. “You don’t get it. I used to be adventurous. As a kid, I did all kinds of stupid, daring, dangerous stuff.”
“Well, there you go! You’ve got the adventurous spirit in you. Just dig it out and wear it pr—”
“No.” Kate jerked her hands back and ran her fingers through her hair. Her gut quivered as memories of her days spent in the bottom of the silo, injured, scared, alone, reverberated through her mind’s eye. “I lost that spirit a long time ago. I almost died once. I fell—” She swallowed hard. “I shouldn’t have been climbing on that roof, but...” She paused and took a deep breath to calm the jangle of nerves.
Dawn’s forehead was wrinkled with curiosity. “You almost died? When? What happened?”
Kate balled her hands into fists and told her coworker the whole story in digest version. She finished by saying, “That’s why this whole adventure trip scares me so much. I don’t think I can do it. I still have nightmares about being in that silo, about falling, about being lost.”
Dawn leaned back against the cushions of the couch and shook her head slowly. “Wow. That had to have sucked.”
“To put it mildly.”
“But...” Her friend arched one eyebrow, and her gaze glinted with challenge. “What better time to get past those fears, huh? Face ’em down. Conquer them!”
Kate was shaking her head before Dawn even finished.
“Come on, Kate! Zane and Josh know what they are doing. You heard them out there tonight.” Dawn waved a hand toward the door. “They’ve been doing this stuff for years. They’ve taken every safety precaution, had the equipment inspected. It’s all perfectly safe. Josh and Zane are pros at this, and they will not let you get hurt.”
Kate worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She’d told herself all of the same things a dozen times, but nothing could calm the drumbeat of dread deep in her soul. Instead of arguing points that she had no good defense for, she aimed a finger at Dawn and said, “That’s another thing.”
Dawn blinked. “What is?”
“Stop pushing me at Josh and vice versa. I don’t need a matchmaker.”
Her friend’s grin turned smug. “But he’s so good-looking and so into you.”
“I know he’s good-looking. I’d have to be blind not to notice that. But I’m not in the market for a vacation romance.”
“Oh, girl...why not? If I weren’t with Dean—”
“Because I’m...not! I have my reasons!” she said in a tone sharper than she intended.
Dawn drew back slightly, and her face reflected a degree of hurt and remorse.
Lowering her voice, Kate continued, “I’ve been down that path before and it was a disaster I don’t care to repeat. So...please drop it. No matchmaking.”
The front door of the guesthouse opened, and two of the other guests strolled in, holding hands and smiling warmly at each other. Both couples joining them on the adventure trip, Paige and Jake McCall and Brianna and Hunter Mansfield, hailed from Louisiana. They’d been invited because Brianna was a friend of Piper’s from college, and Jake McCall, a former navy SEAL, was Zane, Josh and Piper’s cousin.
“Beautiful evening for a walk,” Paige said. “The moon is almost full.”
“Oh, how romantic,” Dawn said.
“Exactly,” Jake replied with a wanton wink. “Well, good night.” He headed down the hall to their bedroom, towing his chuckling wife in his wake.
“That’s what I want,” Kate said, waving a hand toward the hall after the couple had closed their door.
“Sorry, he’s taken. Quite happily from the looks of it.” Dawn gave her a lopsided grin.
“I mean I want the happily-ever-after. I want to be taking romantic walks in the moonlight after years of marriage.”
Dawn lifted a shoulder. “Nothing says you can’t have that. But to find it, you have to be open to opportunities when they present themselves.”
“But it doesn’t mean I have to chase every wild goose that crosses my path.” She scooted to the edge of the couch, ready to head off to bed. “Especially if I know that a particular goose doesn’t offer any possibilities beyond a short vacation.”
“Gander.”
Kate gave Dawn a puzzled glance. “What?”
“A gander is a male goose. Josh would be a gander.”
Kate grunted, then rose to her feet. “My point is the same. Good night.”
“So...” Dawn said, following Kate down the hall, “no adventures and no fun on the path to Mr. Right?”
Kate stopped, bracing her hands on her hips as she faced Dawn. “That’s painting it in rather bleak tones. Just because I’ve learned to be cautious doesn’t mean I’m some kind of cowardly nun.”
Dawn wrapped her arms around Kate in a hug. “I know you’re not. That’s why this trip is the perfect chance to seize some of that passion you have just under the surface and let it out. Carpe diem, my friend. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to help you face those fears and grab life by the horns.” She kissed Kate’s cheek and gave her a finger wave as she disappeared into her bedroom.
Kate stood in the hall, staring at Dawn’s closed door for several seconds, speechless. She’d always known Dawn was pushy and direct. Assertiveness was helpful in business. But Kate didn’t so much like being on the receiving end of her coworker’s brass. Still... Dawn’s characterization of her, and the suggestion she could be letting opportunity pass her by, rankled. Maybe the root of the disquiet in her gut was the restlessness she’d thrived on as a child battling to be expressed again. Could she do it? Could she embrace that side of her nature once again and finally silence the doubt demons that had plagued her for twenty years?
As she headed off to bed, her pulse scampering at the thought of facing her fears, the image that fixed itself in her mind’s eye was not of the old silo, nor was it of a high bluff to be rappelled on a Colorado mountain. No, what she saw as she closed her eyes in search of sleep that night was a pair of sky blue eyes, a well-fitting pair of jeans and Josh’s sultry grin.
Early the next morning, Kate was roused from a deep, contented sleep by the clang of a bell and a male voice shouting outside her window. “Breakfast time!”
“What the...?” she grumbled, groping for her phone on the nightstand.
The door to her room opened, and Dawn strolled in. She grabbed and shook Kate’s toes through the covers. “Come on, sleepyhead. We’re on ranch time now. The day starts early around here.”
“What time is it?”
“Oh-dark-thirty.” Dawn moved back to the door, turning on a lamp as she departed. “Get a wiggle on. We’re here to get the full ranching experience, and that includes the morning chores.”
Kate groaned and pulled the covers over her head.
“Oh, and don’t bother showering yet. Zane recommends saving that until after the chores and breakfast. Meet me at breakfast in five.” With that, Dawn closed the door, leaving Kate to struggle out of bed.
Seven minutes later, she staggered down the hall to find the dining table bustling as her fellow guests passed bowls of fluffy eggs, platters of bacon, pans of fried potatoes and pots of fresh coffee to each other.
“Saved you a seat,” Dawn called, motioning to the empty chair next to her.
Kate moved stiffly to the chair and gaped at all the food. “Good grief. There’s enough here to feed an army.”
Beside her, Dawn poured coffee in the mug at Kate’s plate. “The foreman, Mr. Summers, is supposed to be by in about twenty minutes to show us where we can help with the morning chores. Then we’ll clean up a bit before we saddle up and ride out in the fields to check on the herd, ride the fence—”
“Ride the fence?” Brianna Mansfield paused as she added pepper to her plate of eggs.
“Miles and miles of fences are part of this and every ranch. They get worn out and damaged regularly. We’ll be helping look for that damage and fix it.” Dawn smiled at their fellow guest. “Pretty routine stuff, but a great way to see the land and practice our horsemanship before we hit the adventure trail tomorrow.”
Brianna glanced at her husband. “When you said we were going to be helping with the ranch chores, you weren’t kidding.”
“It’ll be fun. Just stick with me, kid. You’ll do great.” Hunter gave his wife a peck on the cheek.
When Roy Summers arrived, Dawn, Kate and the two couples followed the foreman out to the stable. “You’ll each work one-on-one with one of the ranch staff, learning how to care for your assigned horse and prepping for the day ahead.”
The group assembled in the main alley of the stable, where the ranch crew was waiting for them. Kate spotted Josh immediately, leaning casually against the gate of the first stall. Her stomach swooped when he met her gaze and sent her a wink and a lopsided grin.
The other guests were paired up with the hands, Piper McCall and Brady Summers. Then Roy turned to Kate and Dawn.
“You two will work with these bozos.” He aimed a thumb over his shoulder to Zane and Josh. “That way you can discuss promotion biz while you learn the ranch.”
Dawn jerked a nod and stepped over to slip her arm through Zane’s. “Perfect.”
Which left Kate paired with Josh. She gave Dawn a withering glance, and her friend mouthed back, “Carpe diem.”
Josh sauntered over to her and waved a hand down the alley toward the back end of the stable. “After you.”
Kate rubbed her palms on her jeans and fell in step behind Josh, trying not to notice how his T-shirt hugged his broad back and biceps. She’d rather hoped that in the light of a new day she’d discover she’d exaggerated in her mind how handsome he was, how good he smelled, how affecting his lopsided grin could be. But if anything, she’d minimized him in her mind as she tried to dissuade herself from the attraction she couldn’t deny. Her pulse pounded out a staccato rhythm as she entered the stall with him, where a bay horse swished its black tail and nuzzled Josh with its white snout.
“Hey, girl,” Josh cooed to the animal, stroking her neck and nose. “How are you? Good girl.” The soothing, low rumble of his voice as he talked to the horse caused a fluttering in Kate’s core. The purring, intimate quality of his voice conjured images of rumpled sheets and late night pillow talk. Sweet nothings. Sexy whispers.
She put a hand low on her belly as if she could quash the tingle of lust coalesced there.
“This is Lucy. Come say hello,” Josh said, meeting Kate’s gaze.
She stepped deeper into the stall and reached a hand out to pat the mare’s neck. “Hello, Lucy. Nice to meet you.”
Josh ducked out of the stable for a moment and came back with a few slices of apple in a zip-sealed baggie. He gave her one. “Put this on your open palm and let her eat it off your hand. She’ll be your best friend forever after.”
Kate fed the treat to Lucy and grinned as the mare’s ears turned forward, showing her delight. “Good girl, Lucy.”
“She loves apple slices, but don’t give her too many.” Josh took a bit with a harness from a hook on the wall. “They are like candy for a kid. Just treats. Too many mess with her diet.”
“Right,” she said, still stroking Lucy’s nose. “I grew up on a farm. Remember?”
Josh paused from loosening the knot tied in the reins. “Oh, right. So you know horses? This lesson is moot?”
She raised a shoulder. “Refresh my memory. It has been quite a while since I saddled a horse.”
“You got it.” He handed her a currycomb. “Let’s see how much you recall.”
Zane walked up to the door of the stall. He smiled a greeting to Kate, but she sensed tension in him that tightened the edges of his mouth. “Josh, can I borrow you for a few minutes?”
“Um...” Josh glanced at her, and she gave a nod.
“I’m good. I’ll be grooming her until you get back.”
Josh touched the brim of his hat. “Good deal.”
Kate began brushing Lucy with long strokes, slipping the mare another apple slice almost as soon as Josh was out of sight. “Yeah, I take care of you, and you take care of me. That’s how it works. Right, girl? You’re gonna be good to me?”
The horse nickered softly and nuzzled Kate’s shoulder.
Outside, Kate could hear men’s voices joining Josh’s. Low at first, then growing louder and more angry. She stilled, then edged nearer the stall window, shamelessly eavesdropping. What was wrong? What could have made her dimpled cowboy so upset?
