Читать книгу The Rebellious Rancher - Kate Pearce - Страница 9

Chapter Two

Silver exited the hired Jeep and stared out over the lush green fields toward the towering bulk of the Sierra Nevada and let out her breath. It looked so empty out here and the sky was enormous. To her right there was the cutest little ranch house, and to the left a big wooden barn just like the one some enterprising kid in a musical would use to hold a show.

“This place has been here for over a hundred and fifty years,” her dad said coming to stand beside her. “Run by the same family as well.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Silver replied.

A dog barked somewhere, and a guy in a cowboy hat came out of the barn and walked toward them, his spurs jiggling like an old-fashioned gunslinger.

Silver’s dad stepped forward. “Hi! I’m Phil Meadows. Are you BB Morgan?”

“Yup.” The man shook her dad’s hand and then hers. He had such piercing blue eyes Silver wondered if he wore contacts. “Glad you found the place okay.” He gestured at the ranch house. “Come on in and meet my family.”

“I can’t stay long,” her dad said. “I’m leaving the Jeep here in case Silver needs it, and I’ve got a car picking me up in an hour to take me to the local airport.”

Silver frowned. “You didn’t tell me that you were going back tonight.”

“I had no choice, my love. Your sister’s got an audition tomorrow, and I promised to take her.”

Her dad sounded way too jovial, but Silver didn’t want to have an argument with him in front of the Morgan family. The fact that he was willing to leave her by herself for the first time in two years was amazing, and she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her freedom over something petty.

When she’d floated the idea of coming out to a ranch to do some research for the indie picture role, she’d expected him to immediately veto the idea like he had all her other attempts to regain her independence. When he’d agreed, on the proviso that he got to approve the place, she’d been thrilled, but suspicious.

It was her first chance to show him that she was more than capable of living her own life and picking acting roles that were serious and required her total commitment. If she got through this, she’d move on to phase two of her campaign to get her life back.

Silver paused at the door of the kitchen and surveyed the huge pine table and the elderly woman cooking at the stove.

“This is my grandma, Ruth Morgan,” BB said. “She runs the ranch and feeds the family.”

Ruth was as small-boned as Silver, and about the same height. She had the same bright blue eyes as BB and a very welcoming smile.

“My, you’re a little bitty thing, aren’t you?” She pointed at the table. “Now, sit yourself down and I’ll get you something to eat.”

“Just coffee for me, thanks,” her dad piped up. “I’ve got to go soon.”

Ruth Morgan placed mugs, cream, and sugar on the table while BB wrangled the coffeepot.

“Silver’s really looking forward to her adventure.” Her dad sipped his coffee. “She loves getting into a part and this will mean the world to her. When are you planning on ‘moving out’?”

BB sat at the table next to Silver who was wincing at her dad’s joke. “I’m not the guy who will be taking her; that’s my buddy Ben Miller. He’ll be here tomorrow morning to sort things out.” He looked at Silver. “You’ll like him. He’s really capable.”

Silver wanted to ask capable of what, but her attention was diverted to the huge peach pie Mrs. Morgan had placed on the table. She hadn’t seen anything like it since she was a kid at her grandparents’ house.

“Please help yourself.” Mrs. Morgan handed over plates and spoons. “I made it myself. Would you like a piece, Silver?”

Silver glanced warily at her father who was almost salivating at the fragrant sugary-spicy scent wafting from the pie. Like everyone in her personal team, he kept an app on his phone of the calories she consumed, and was usually quick to tell her everything she wasn’t allowed to touch, let alone eat.

Mrs. Morgan slid a plate over to her and then one to her father. For a moment, they shared a guilty look, and then he exhaled.

“One little bit won’t hurt us, will it, Silver?”

* * *

Silver woke up early to the god-awful sound of a rooster crowing outside her window. Even as she stuck her pillow over her head, the noise got worse as a truck pulled into the circular driveway and someone started whistling to the dogs. She’d met a whole houseful of Morgans at dinner last night, and still wasn’t sure of all the names. To her relief, after initially staring at her like she was some kind of exhibit in the zoo, they’d all gotten over themselves and treated her just like a regular person. She hadn’t even caught any of them trying to sneak a picture of her on their phone.

It had been weird to be surrounded by so much noise and laughter, which wasn’t directed at her. She tried to remember the last time she’d been out without her bodyguards, her publicist, at least one member of her family, and her personal assistant beside her. Here, she was just a guest on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, and, although she’d been included in all the discussions, no one had made them all about her.

As she sat up against her pillows, she realized she’d forgotten to close the drapes and that the sun was rising over the mountains to cover the pasture in soft, golden light. A group of horses ran past her window, like in a movie, tails and manes blowing in the breeze as they goofed off with each other. It was going to be a beautiful day.

She grabbed her phone and took a quick picture of the scene before remembering that she wasn’t supposed to let anyone know where she was so she couldn’t post it to her social media accounts. There were several texts from her siblings, her mom, and her PA, all asking how she was settling in. She was just about to start answering them when she remembered that her bedroom had no attached bathroom and that she’d have to run down the hall to pee and shower.

Normally, when she traveled, she had a huge suite to herself, and didn’t share anything with anyone, but she had to pee and that had to come first. She opened the door and looked cautiously out into the hallway. Most of the doors were ajar, indicating that everyone else had already gotten up. She ran down to the bathroom and locked the door, took a quick shower, and spent half an hour on her makeup.

Someone tapped on the door and she went to open it, her gaze dropping to the level of the small boy smiling up at her through the escaping steam.

“Hey, you.” She couldn’t remember his name, although from his bright blue eyes he was definitely a Morgan.

“Granny wants to know if you’re coming down for breakfast. Ben’s already here.”

“Can you tell her that I’ll be down in five minutes?”

“Sure thing.”

She went back to her bedroom and lay flat on the floor to wriggle into her jeans, added an off-one-shoulder knitted top, and left her hair loose. She slipped her bare feet into some high-heeled sandals and made her way down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen, there was a man sitting at the table she was fairly certain she hadn’t met before.

“Good morning, Mrs. Morgan. Sorry I’m so late coming down.”

Ruth smiled at her. “There’s no rush, my dear. Ben and I have been catching up on family news while he waited for you.”

The man at the table rose slowly to his feet and looked down at her from his considerable height. “Ma’am.”

He had a tight beard with a hint of red in it, warm brown eyes, and the tanned face of a man who earned his living working outside. All in all, he lived up to what BB Morgan had promised—capable, if capable meant average.

“Hi, Ben.” She held out her hand and looked up at him through her lashes. “I’m Silver. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, likewise.” He took her hand in his big, callused one and gently shook it like he thought she might break.

He waited until she seated herself opposite him and then sat back down again. “You ready to go?”

He obviously wasn’t the chatty type, which was perfectly fine with her. “Well, I’ll need to sort out my baggage, but sure!”

* * *

Ben couldn’t quite believe he was sitting opposite Silver Meadows, the girl who had starred in his favorite TV show when he was a kid. She was older now, obviously, but she was still petite, and so fricking perfect that it almost hurt to look at her. When BB had told him about her “problems” and that her family was really worried about her, he’d been skeptical. Seeing her face-to-face literally glowing with health made him doubt them even more, but he’d seen drug addiction up close and personal, and he wasn’t going to make any snap decisions just yet.

Mrs. Morgan slid a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and skillet potatoes that he hadn’t asked for in front of him.

“Eat it while it’s hot, Ben.” She turned to Silver. “Now, what can I get you, my dear? The same as Ben?”

Silver looked from Ben’s plate to her hostess, her expression horrified. “That’s about a week’s worth of calories for me. Do you have any grain-free granola or acai berries?”

Ruth and Ben shared an equally puzzled look.

“Or an avocado, or some fresh fruit?” Silver looked down at her phone. “That’s what I usually have after my morning workout with my trainer.”

“I can go over to the guest dining room and get you some fruit,” Ben offered. “We thought you’d prefer to stay here away from the other guests.”

“I don’t want to put you out.” Silver put her phone away. “Can I just have one piece of bacon and an egg and save my carb allowance for later?”

Ben frowned. “That’s not going to keep you full until we make our first stop.”

She smiled at him and he almost swallowed his tongue. “I think I’ll be fine, Ben. I know my own body.”

Ben did his best not to look at her body to confirm that fact, and merely dug into his plateful of food while Ruth made small talk with Silver and fed her what she’d asked for. He finished his second breakfast and had another mug of coffee while his companion chewed every dainty mouthful a hundred times.

Ben stood and took the plate over to the sink.

“Thanks, Mrs. Morgan.”

“You’re welcome, Ben.” She patted his arm. “I’m packing you some lunch to take with you and a few extra treats to keep you going.”

“I appreciate it.” He put his rinsed plate in the dishwasher and turned back to the table. “You can ride, right, Ms. Meadows?”

“Please call me Silver.” Her smile lit up the kitchen. “I’ve done a bit, but I wouldn’t say I was good or anything.”

“I’ll get you to try out a couple of horses before we leave so I can match you up right.” He nodded at her plate. “When you’re done and you’re all packed and ready to go, come and find me down at the new barn.”

He retrieved his hat and boots from the mudroom and walked to the gleaming metal-roofed barn down the slope from the house. He’d always loved the old Victorian ranch house with its deep oak planked verandas and delicate lace trim. It was much nicer than his home, although he’d never say that in front of his dad.

His first impression of Silver Meadows was that she was okay. He cracked a smile at his own expense. Yeah, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in the flesh, and she seemed nice, which he hadn’t been expecting. He wasn’t one to notice online gossip, but he had paid attention when she’d been mentioned because she’d been his first crush, and he kind of foolishly wished the best for her.

“Hey!” BB Morgan stuck his head out from a stall. “Calder and the mules are ready to go. Did you decide which horse you were going to give our guest?”

“She’s coming down for some tryouts.” Ben patted Calder’s nose. He’d brought him over the night before and BB had given him a ride back home. “She’s got some riding experience, so who do you suggest?”

“Ladybug or Marilyn would be my best guesses. They’re both easygoing and should get on great with Calder.” He pointed at the mare he was about to lead out. “This is Marilyn.”

“She’s as pretty as her namesake,” Ben remarked as the honey-colored horse with a white mane and tail sashayed past him.

“So, she’ll suit Silver Meadows very well.” BB winked at him as he walked the horse out and tied her up. “Ladybug is smaller and a paint.”

“A paint what?”

Both men turned to see their ranch guest coming toward them. She still wore her jeans and off-the-shoulder top but had added cowboy boots to replace the sandals and tied back her blond hair.

BB was the first to recover his manners. “It’s a type of horse.” He opened up one of the stalls and went inside. “In this case, it’s a white horse that looks like someone threw cans of black or brown paint at it. This is Ladybug.”

Silver stood back as BB brought the black and white mare out into the paddock and tied her up. “She’s adorable. And who’s this?”

“Marilyn.” Ben stepped up his game. “I want to see you ride both of them, and then we’ll decide which one suits you best.”

* * *

Silver went back to the rented Jeep, opened up the rear, and started to take out her bags. Everyone at the ranch had been so nice that the prospect of her trip deep into the unknown was becoming more exciting by the minute. She found her heavy coat and cowboy hat and set them on top of her luggage. Ben might not talk much, but he seemed pleasant, and he wasn’t all over her, which she appreciated.

Ben appeared leading Ladybug and his own horse, which towered above the little mare. BB brought up two mules, tipped his hat Silver’s way, and wished her a good day before disappearing back toward the barn.

Eventually, Ben turned her way and looked at the pile of luggage.

“You can’t take all that with you.”

She glanced back at her five suitcases. “Why not?”

“Because we’re doing this on horseback.” He pointed at the two mules. “Bill and Ted have to carry everything we can’t get into our saddlebags. Typically, I put a seventy-pound pack on each side of the mule, and that has to include our camping gear, clothes, food, and fuel.”

Silver studied the mules. One of them was already carrying a full load, and the other had one side completely packed.

“So how much space do I have?”

He shrugged. “About seventy pounds max.”

“But that’s only about one big suitcase! Can’t they carry more?”

“They could, but deadweight is hard on their backs, so I prefer to keep it down to the minimum.”

“Then could we take the Jeep?” Silver asked hopefully.

“There’s no one here to drive it.” He raised his eyebrows. “I thought you wanted the ‘authentic ranch experience’?”

“I do, but”—she cast a harried glance over her baggage, which was the standard stuff her PA usually packed for her—“I need all this stuff.”

“Why?” Ben asked simply.

“Because I do!” For the first time, she glared at him. “I’m not used to traveling without my things around me.”

He held her gaze. “You’re going on a trail ride. You need basic clothing, a tent, a sleeping bag, some food, and a horse.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Well, what are you bringing clothingwise, and where are you going to stash everything?”

“My stuff is already on board.” He gestured toward his horse. “I’ve got a clean pair of jeans, five T-shirts, three shirts, a rain slicker, and this jacket, and that’s about it.”

“No underwear?”

His slow smile came as a surprise. “Maybe I don’t wear any.”

Before she thought it through, her gaze slid down to his jeans and then back to his face. His smile had gone and now he wore a patient look she hated when it was directed at her. Just because she was blond didn’t mean she was a complete idiot. She pointed at her smallest case.

“I have a ten-step Korean face care regime in there that I cannot do without.”

His lips twitched. “You’ve got space in two saddlebags and a maximum of seventy pounds to put on the mule.” He turned toward the guest center. “I’m going to speak to BB about the radio system. If you want to leave today, I’ll expect you to be ready when I get back.”

“But—” Silver watched in dismay as he turned around and walked away. “I don’t know how to pack! Someone always does it for me!”

He didn’t slow down or appear to have heard her, which was unlikely seeing as she was definitely yelling. She surveyed the two open saddlebags, noted that Ben had tied his rain slicker to the back of his saddle and started with that. To be fair, she didn’t have any idea what was in the majority of her bags because Ayla, her personal assistant, had packed them for her.

Jeans ... she needed jeans. Silver set the biggest case on its side and opened the lock. To her everlasting gratitude, Ayla had placed a list of contents on the top of the carefully folded tissue paper. Silver read through the contents and extracted what she needed before turning to the next bag and then the next. By the time Ben returned, she had all the bags open and a pile of things to take stacked haphazardly on one side.

He hunkered down beside her and surveyed her work. He smelled like leather, hay, and sun-warmed man. “Looking good.”

She offered him a haughty stare as she added ten pairs of socks to her pile.

“Would you like me to help you load it onto the mule?”

She wanted to refuse, but she wasn’t that stupid. “That would be very kind of you.”

He efficiently sorted, rolled, and packed her clothing, and stored it inside the pack. “Weight’s okay.” He paused. “You got any sunscreen in that ten-step Korean foot care thing?”

“Face care. I have sunscreen.” She held it up. “And I’m only taking steps one and ten with me.”

“Great. Don’t forget your toothbrush.”

There was a suspicion of a smile in his voice that made her want to stamp her foot. She sat back, collected her now-minimalist skin and makeup collection, and put everything in her saddlebag. Ben stood, murmuring to the mule, his capable fingers buckling straps and settling the pack.

Silver rammed her hat on her head and marched over to him.

“I’m ready to go when you are.”

He cast a long look back over his shoulder at the open bags and then studied her from under the brim of his Stetson.

“What’s wrong now?” Silver asked.

“Who do you think is going to put your stuff away?”

Silver looked vaguely around the deserted yard and flung out a hand. “Someone will. . . .”

“You want Mrs. Morgan cleaning up after you?”

“No, of course not!” Silver said hotly and then grimaced. He must think she was a completely spoiled brat. “Okay, I get it. I’ll clean up.”

She rushed around, randomly stuffing clothes and shoes back into the cases, and loaded them back into the Jeep while Ben continued checking the horses and mules. She finally shut the rear door and turned to face him, only to find he was staring down at his phone, his brow creased as if she didn’t even exist.

“Are we good to go now?” She advanced toward him.

He put his phone away and considered her. “If you’re okay with having a bra hanging off the back of your hat, then sure.”

She snatched at the pink lacy bra, threw it on the ground, and stamped hard on it.

“Satisfied?”

“Seems like the waste of a perfectly good bra to me, but it’s not my call.” He nodded toward her horse. “Can you mount by yourself?”

She stalked over to Ladybug, who seemed to get bigger and bigger the closer she got. When she’d tried the two horses out earlier, she’d used the mounting block and BB had settled her on the back of each horse. Silver tried to remember how the heck to get up from the ground, and almost jumped when Ben’s calm voice sounded right by her ear.

“Left foot in the stirrup, reach up and grab the pommel or a handful of mane, bounce off your right foot, swing your leg over, and you’re good to go.”

“Why can’t I use the mounting block?” Silver asked.

“Because there won’t be any where we’re going. I need to know that you can mount up from the ground if we have to move fast.”

She tried, she really tried, but ended up looking like a demented, one-legged grasshopper. She had paused for breath, her face pressed against the side of the horse when Ben spoke again.

“Can I help you?”

For a second, she wished the ground would just open up and swallow him, but she wasn’t a quitter, and she wanted to be on that horse.

“Sure, thanks.”

Before she could get another word out, his hands came around her waist and she was airborne. He lifted her like she weighed nothing and settled her gently on the saddle.

“Put your feet in the stirrups and then stand up for me so I can check the length, okay?”

He fussed around by her leg, shortening the leather straps; his head was lowered so that she couldn’t even see his face. She wiggled her toes experimentally. She’d asked Ayla to buy her new cowboy boots and this was the first time she’d worn them.

Eventually, Ben stepped back and looked at her appraisingly. “Do you remember how to hold the reins?”

Seeing as he’d already watched her ride around the paddock, she gave him a haughty stare. “Weirdly, I haven’t forgotten how to do that in the last hour.”

He passed them over to her. “Like an ice cream cone, right?”

“I know.”

He nodded and set off for his own horse, mounting with such fluid grace and power that Silver actually gawped at him.

“What’s up?” He straightened and met her stare, his brown gaze steady.

“Nothing.” She found a smile. “How far are we going this morning?”

He glanced at his steel-faced watch. “Seeing as it’s almost lunchtime, not as far as I’d hoped. We’ll be lucky to make it to Morgansville.”

“I suppose that’s my fault.” Silver sighed sweetly and waited for him to contradict her.

Instead, he nodded and picked up his reins.

“Yeah, you’re right. It absolutely one hundred percent is.”