Читать книгу The Cowboy's Christmas Proposal - Judy Christenberry, Judy Christenberry - Страница 6

PENNY marched back to the house, her teeth clenched. The nerve of the man! He thought she was hoping for a romantic picnic? He had the wrong idea about her. She would have to be on her toes to make sure he didn’t get that idea again!

When she reached the house, she went to Harriet’s bedroom. The lady was storing away her clothes.

“Is everything okay, Harriet?”

“Yes, ma’am. What time did the manager expect you to be ready?”

“He said seven. His name is Jake Larson, by the way, but don’t expect him to be friendly.”

“Oh? And you hired him anyway?”

“I was warned that though he’s honest, he has problems with thinking he’s a ladies’ man. When I asked him if I should bring a lunch tomorrow, he thought I was expecting a romantic picnic!”

“And that’s what he wanted?”

Penny looked at Harriet, frowning. “No,” she said slowly, “his question was sarcastic, as if that was the last thing he wanted.”

Harriet didn’t say anything.

“Maybe he’s changed his tune, but I’ll be on my toes anyway. I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”

“So you’re not taking a lunch?”

“I need something to eat that I can manage in the saddle. Do you know what I can take with me?”

“A sandwich will work. It won’t spoil in winter. An apple works okay, too, and what you don’t eat can be fed to your horse.”

“Good idea. Oh, rats. I didn’t think about bringing my horse to the corral. I’ll be back in a little while. You might want to check the supplies in the kitchen when you have time.”

“Right. I’ll do that.”

Penny hurried out of the house after pulling on her coat and adding a wool cap and gloves. She walked to the barn, collected a bridle and opened the gate that led to the pasture where the active horses were kept. She saw the horse she preferred to ride, a dark colored mare named Stormy that her father had given her when she’d first learned to ride.

It took a few minutes to reach Stormy and talk her into accepting the bridle. Then Penny led her to the corral where Apache was waiting. She got some hay for Stormy and settled her down in the corral. Then she removed the bridle and, after patting Stormy’s neck, replaced her bridle in the tack room and headed back to the house.

When she entered the house, she could smell fresh coffee. In the kitchen, she found Harriet going through the pantry.

“I’m going to have some of that coffee, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Harriet stepped out of the pantry. “You’ve got just about everything I can foresee for the immediate future. Your freezer is well stocked, too.”

“Good. I’ve got my horse penned up ready for tomorrow. I’ll need coffee in the morning and oatmeal with bacon and toast or eggs with bacon and toast. Either one, or you can rotate them. I like pancakes on Saturday morning and even Sunday morning when I can eat more leisurely.”

“That sounds good to me. Though I might suggest cinnamon rolls one of those mornings. I make them from scratch, and they’re quite good, if I do say so myself.”

“Mmm, I agree. They sound perfect for a cold morning.”

“Good. I’ll cook a couple of steaks for dinner because I can thaw them quickly, if that’s okay. And do you like salads?”

“Yes, I do. I’m willing to try most anything.”

“Then we’ll get along fine.”

“Thank you, Harriet. I’m glad things are working out well for one of my new employees!”

It was quite cold the next morning when Penny stepped outside. She had a wool cap on her head under the cowboy hat her dad had always worn. Leather gloves with wool lining were on her hands, and her jacket was snapped closed to her throat over a wool sweater.

She carried a package that held her lunch. She wasn’t going to try to be tough just to impress Jake Larson. She knew the day would be hard on her as it was. She was a good horse-woman, but she seldom rode more than three or four hours.

A canteen was strapped over her shoulder and would be added to her saddle. Also over her shoulder was a plastic raincoat her dad had always taken with him.

She had her dad on her mind today. He’d never expected her to be in this situation and never prepared her for the job. She had always been his little girl and no matter how many times she had asked, her father had always discouraged her from learning the ropes. Certainly learning about ranching now was important to Penny, especially if she was going to make a success of the ranch, but more important now was proving herself to her father, even though he wasn’t there.

When she reached the corral, after getting her bridle and saddle and saddle blanket, she found Stormy and got her ready for the day ahead. She added the raincoat, carefully tied it down so it wouldn’t startle the horse and placed her canteen in one side of the saddlebags. The other side held her lunch.

Swinging into the saddle just at seven o’clock, she was ready to go, she hoped, as the men came out to mount up. Jake was talking to several of the men and looked up in surprise when the others greeted her as Penny.

She spoke to the men, but she remained silent as Jake approached her. Nervous, she licked her lips and waited for his response.

“I thought I’d meet you up at the house.”

“I assumed it’d be quicker to meet you here, ready to go.” She kept her voice crisp.

“Very well. I’ll be saddled in just a minute.”

He efficiently prepared his horse and swung into the saddle. She moved ahead of him and opened the corral gate. He followed her out into the pasture.

“I thought we might ride over the property to make sure I know the perimeters this morning. Are you up for that?” he asked Penny.

“Of course.”

“Do you know the perimeters?”

“Yes, I do.” She led the way and gave a good description of each pasture. She’d listened avidly to her father’s talk at the dinner table. They came across several of the other cowboys already at work. Jake told her he’d talked to the men about the assignments they had been given before the past manager had left. “I told them to continue with what they were already doing until I figured out what I wanted to change.”

“Did they all agree with that?”

“Yes, they did. If they hadn’t, I would’ve fired them on the spot.”

“I see.” She didn’t really have an argument against such behavior, but she didn’t want to say so.

She was able to answer most questions he asked, though he didn’t ask many.

Around noon, Penny took her lunch out of her saddlebag and quietly ate as she rode. She was feeling the strain of five hours in the saddle, but she didn’t intend to ask for a break.

Fortunately, after she finished her lunch, Jake suggested they stop. They dismounted by a mountain stream that ran through the property. Jake told her to stretch her legs after she had returned to her mount, they both walked in the direction of a nearby stream. She took both horses to the water and let them drink. Then she took her apple core and broke it in half, feeding each horse its share.

Jake gave her a quick look when she returned. “What did you feed the horses?”

“They each got half of my apple core,” she told him, a challenge in her voice.

“Okay. Thanks for sharing with Apache. He’s particularly fond of apples.”

“So is Stormy.”

“Ah. I wondered about her name.”

As much as she dreaded mounting again, she turned to do so.

“Mind if we walk a little ways along this stream? I’d like to see how full it is.”

“All right.” She took Stormy’s reins and walked along the stream, grateful for the chance to stretch her legs.

Much to her surprise, Jake began talking about the use of this particular pasture, noting what he’d read in a ranching journal about the treatment in vogue among ranchers. She asked several questions, hesitant at first.

Jake answered each of her questions calmly, not changing his manner if the question was good or bad. Then he asked some questions about her dad and how he had handled certain things. Some questions Penny couldn’t answer, but she suddenly realized she might have the answers at home.

“I’d forgotten about it until now, but Dad kept a journal in which he recorded what he did each year. Then he could look back from one year to another. Would you like to take a look at it?”

“I’d like that very much if you don’t mind. I promise I’ll return it in the same shape it is now. I assume you value things like that.”

“Yes, thank you, I do. I haven’t had much time—I haven’t gone through their things yet.”

“It can wait if you’re not ready,” he said gruffly.

“No, I can—I’ll look for it tonight.”

“I appreciate it. I assume your dad’s ranch was profitable?”

“Yes, but I hadn’t realized how much until I overheard my previous manager brag about collecting fifty thousand dollars each year without my father even realizing it.”

Jake whistled. “That’s a hefty sum not to be missed.”

“I know. I can only assume that my dad trusted him completely.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. One of the things I’ll teach you is how to recognize things like that. I did a lot of the paperwork for Dexter—I mean, Mr. Williams, so I can show you how to check over your accounts.”

“Good. I’ll look forward to that.”

“Okay, I think we should mount up and get under way. I’d like to get back to the barn by dark.”

The walk had helped Penny’s legs. She didn’t know if the break had been for her benefit or not, but she had appreciated it.

However, five hours later, when they’d still only covered half the ranch, she barely managed to hold on to the saddle horn as they’d reached the barn. The men were already in the bunkhouse, so she didn’t have to worry about an audience other than Jake. She slid out of the saddle hoping she could hold on long enough for her legs to bear her.

Much to her surprise, Jake said from right behind her, “You can go ahead to the house. I’ll unsaddle your horse.”

“No! I—I’ll do it.”

“Penny, you did well today, but I know you’re not used to riding for so many hours. After you get used to it, you can unsaddle Stormy, but today I’ll do it.”

She took a brief look at his eyes. They were warm and brown and something in them told her to trust in Jake a little. The feeling made her nervous. Then she nodded. “Okay, thanks.” She forced her fingers to release the saddle horn and almost fell, but strong hands caught her arms. A tingling sensation ran the length of Penny’s spine and she knew that the day had tired her more than she thought.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes, thank you.” She pulled away and stumbled to the gate and went through. Gradually the walking helped her legs unkink and she managed to get to the ranch house.

When she opened the back door, she was almost knocked off her feet by a wave of warm air that smelled so good. She made it to the breakfast table and fell into a chair.

“Long day?” Harriet asked, sympathy in her voice as she sat a full mug of coffee in front of her.

Penny didn’t answer until she’d had her first sip of coffee. “Oh, my, that tastes good, Harriet. Yes, it was a long day. And we only covered half the ranch. We’ll finish the tour tomorrow.”

“Maybe it will get a little easier as you go along,” Harriet said. “Do you want dinner now, or do you want a hot shower first?”

“Mmm, do you mind? I think I might enjoy the food more after a hot shower.”

“Of course I don’t mind. It’ll be ready when you are.”

“Thanks, Harriet.” She stood and left the room, taking her coffee with her.

Half an hour later, she sat down at the table for a delicious meal. She and Harriet chatted a little, but Penny was too tired to talk about much. However, when dinner was through, Harriet suggested she go to bed at once.

“I can’t. I promised Jake I’d find Dad’s journal. He’d like to see what Dad was doing with the pastures.”

“Can I help you look?” Harriet asked.

Penny took a deep breath. “Would you mind? It shouldn’t be that difficult to find, but—but I haven’t been in their room since—since they died. It might help having someone else with me.”

“Of course I don’t mind. Let me rinse the dishes while you rest. Then we’ll go up together.”

Penny sat there finishing her coffee, fighting the guilty feelings as she watched Harriet work. “I feel bad leaving all the work to you, Harriet.”

“Nonsense, child. That’s why I’m here. Believe me, if I’d ridden a horse all day, I wouldn’t be able to walk.”

A few minutes later, the pair went up the stairs together. Penny felt her feet dragging and blamed it on her day’s activities. But she could feel the emotion building in her throat.

Her parents had been dead now for a number of months. It hadn’t been until recently that she’d thought about cleaning out their room, but she just hadn’t had the courage to go through with it. It had been impossible to face erasing all memory of her parents.

“Do you want a few minutes alone or do you want me to go in with you?” Harriet asked.

“No, I—I don’t want to go in alone.”

Harriet opened the door and walked through, letting Penny take her time.

“My, your mother was a good housekeeper.”

“Yes, she didn’t like to leave a mess behind.” Penny looked at the room that hadn’t changed since she was a child. The lavender print on the bedspread had faded with the years, but it still looked good.

“Do you have any idea where the journal would be?” Harriet asked gently.

“I think it’ll be in his bedside stand. Mom always complained about him writing in it when she was trying to go to sleep.”

Penny moved to the right side of the bed and opened the drawer. There it was. He bought the same brand every year. She took it out of the drawer, letting her fingers rest on the binding for a moment. Slowly she opened the book, looking for his last entry. Then she found the book that preceded that one, in case Jake wanted to go back any further.

“Is this room much bigger than yours?” Harriet asked.

“Yes, it is,” Penny answered in surprise.

“I could clean the room out for you, if you want to move in here.”

“Oh, no! I—I couldn’t do that.”

“It’s up to you, Penny, but your parents aren’t going to be able to enjoy the room anymore—it’s your home now.”

“I know, you’re right, but it still feels too soon—maybe in a week or two.”

“You just let me know, but the clothes could be put to good use, the ones you don’t want to keep. It gets cold up here in winter.”

“That’s true. I’ll come up tomorrow night and take out any clothes I want to save. Then you can clean out their closet for me. If you have time.”

“I’ll have time.”

“Thank you, Harriet.”

Penny donned her coat and wool cap and gloves and went back outside in the cold night air.

She knocked on the door of the bunkhouse. There was the sound of scrambling as men grabbed for clothes. She waited patiently. When the door opened, she recognized one of the men, Barney. “Would you tell Mr. Larson that I need to see him?”

“Yes, ma’am, Penny. Just a minute.”

Leaning against the wall of the building, she waited for the door to open again. When it finally did, Jake stepped outside. “Yes, ma’am?”

“I have my dad’s journals for this year and last. Take your time with them.”

Jake took the leather bound books and held them in his big hands. He turned the books over gently as though he knew their value and a sudden pain struck in Penny’s chest. “Thank you, Penny. I appreciate you loaning these to me.”

“Yes, well, good night Jake.” She didn’t wait for him to respond. She spun around and headed back to the house. In the distance she finally heard him say good-night.

Jake had learned several things about his new employer over the last day. One thing she wasn’t a flirt, and further she didn’t complain when the going got tough. Both of those won high marks in his book.

He’d worried about her asking for a lunch break, thinking she would complain about the hard day they faced. But it turned out he’d been wrong. She hadn’t made her eating any big production. In fact, she’d almost acted as if she were ashamed that she needed to eat. And although she clearly wasn’t used to riding such long hours, she’d never complained.

Now she’d delivered her father’s journals, trusting them into his care. They would help him a lot in understanding the workings of the ranch. He already had a lot of questions and he didn’t think she could answer all of them.

He took the books back inside.

“She assign you some homework, boss?”

“Yeah, she did. It appears her dad kept a journal about the place. I thought it could bring me up to speed quickly.”

Several of the cowboys sat up, staring at him.

“Journals? You mean he kept notes about everything?”

“Yeah. I take it you didn’t know?”

“Uh-no. You think he wrote things about us in there?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll let you know after I read them.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, you do that, boss.”

Jake went into his room and closed the door. It shut out the television the cowboys seemed to enjoy after a day’s work. He wanted peace and quiet for what he was about to read. After only half an hour, he had already found the journals immensely helpful. The man hadn’t wasted ink on poetry and the information he’d written had been detailed and to the point.

Settling back against his pillow, Jake turned back the pages and read to the day before the man died. Described there was just an ordinary day without a hint of the tragedy that was to follow. Penny’s father had written about the cattle in the top pasture and how much he was expecting to make for them at a sale. He’d also documented his concerns regarding Gerald and a number of the other cowboys that still worked on the ranch. Jake knew that some of them would love to get their hands on the books now in his possession. He put the journals in a lock box he took with him wherever he lived. After he locked the lid, he slid the box under his bed, out of view. He’d read more tomorrow night, but he wanted to guarantee their safety until then.

He’d noticed the reaction of some of the men when he’d mentioned the existence of the journals. He hadn’t taken a liking to one or two of the men right away. He might be wrong, but he’d thought those men might deserve a little extra attention.

There had been several comments in the book about some of them, but each time, Gerald assured the man he was wrong. Penny had been right—it seemed her father had trusted him implicitly.

Jake decided to tell Penny that her dad had been cleverly lied to by his manager, but that his instincts had been true. Maybe that would take away some of that pain he’d seen earlier in her blue eyes. He’d noticed how beautiful she was, but she was also young, and not to mention, his boss. He didn’t intend to give in to any urges.

Jake thought back to Dexter Williams’s wife. He hadn’t had any urges for her, even though a lot of people had thought her beautiful. But her beauty had been paid for by her husband. After the death of his first wife, Dexter had fell headlong into marriage with a woman thirty years his junior. He had never realized that he couldn’t trust her.

As far as Jake was concerned, he hoped Dexter’s marriage worked out. Dexter obviously still believed that his wife was to be trusted and although Jake hadn’t done anything to change that belief, Mrs. Williams had certainly tried.

Jake believed in honor, in a man or a woman. That was an attribute he looked for in everyone he met. It wasn’t often easy to see, but time would always tell.

It was way too early to tell about Penny. Her beauty was evident, but he still couldn’t be sure about her true character. What little he’d seen of her today had impressed him though and she was definitely from a good honest family. He was already forming a good opinion of her father’s character, and he had never had the opportunity to meet the man. He looked forward to reading more tomorrow night.

Now he turned out the light and climbed into his bed. He settled down under the covers and closed his eyes.

Again the next morning, Penny was waiting for him when he reached the corral.

He hadn’t slept well last night and was in a tetchy mood this morning. He looked at her, afraid his tiredness might be reflected on his face. “Are you wanting to start earlier than seven, ma’am?”

Penny stared at him, blinking her big blue eyes. “No, I just didn’t want to be late.”

“I can stand to wait a minute or two. Quit worrying about it.”

“Okay. Are you okay, Mr. Larson?”

“I’m fine.” Jake answered, angry at himself for losing his cool with her. She was his boss, even though she was only a young woman.

“Then let me know when you’re ready.”

“Did you bring your lunch with you today?”

“Yes. Did you want something?” Penny stared at him with her big blue eyes, determined not to be intimidated by him.

“I wouldn’t turn down an apple if you’ve got an extra one.”

“I’ll ride up to the house and get an extra one.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but she was already on her way. Maybe that was best. He’d get his horse saddled without her staring at him.

She was on her way back when he rode out of the corral to meet her. She handed over a big, red apple to him. “I’ll let you carry it in your own saddlebag.”