Читать книгу Skylar's Outlaw - Linda Warren, Linda Warren - Страница 11

IN THE MORNING SKY carried Kira downstairs for breakfast. She placed her in a booster seat and Etta brought steaming oatmeal to the table. Fixing Kira a bowl, Sky prayed she’d eat it. Her child had very little appetite, and it was a struggle to keep her strong and healthy.

Kira played with the spoon and then glanced at her with those gorgeous blue eyes. “Can I play with Georgie today, Mommy?”

“If you eat your oatmeal and drink your milk.” That was such a lame bribe, but she’d take whatever worked.

“Do Georgie eat oatmeal?”

Sky kissed her baby’s cheek. “Every day. That’s why he’s so strong.”

“I wanna be strong like Georgie.” Kira shoved oatmeal into her mouth and swallowed.

Great!

“The devil’s gonna get you,” Etta whispered as Sky poured a cup of coffee.

“Don’t tell anyone, but he already has.”

The old lady grinned and Sky gave her a hug. Etta always reminded her of Granny on the old Beverly Hillbillies sitcom, except Etta had short permed hair.

Gran entered the kitchen already dressed for the day. Sky was still in her cotton pj’s, so she kissed her and said, “Please watch Kira while I get dressed.”

Gran took a seat by her great-granddaughter and Sky dashed upstairs.

In a second she had on her jeans and was stuffing the tail of a pearl-snap shirt into the waistband. She guided her braided-leather belt through the loops and buckled it. Sitting down, she slipped on her boots. Oh, yeah. Cowgirl up. She was ready to face Cooper Yates.

Then she turned and saw herself in the mirror. Crap! Her hair looked like a huge dust mop. She hated her naturally curly hair—another trait she’d inherited from her mother.

Grabbing a flat iron, her favorite tool in the whole world, she sat at the dressing table and went to work. Within minutes she had it in a manageable style, clipped back at her nape.

She took a second glance at the sprinkling of freckles across her nose. How many times had she cursed them over the years? Too many to count. Makeup would cover them, but she wasn’t taking that route today. She left her fair skin clean and natural. Now she was ready.

Pausing at the door, she reached for her cell phone to call Cait.

Brenda Sue, Judd’s secretary, answered. Sky groaned. The woman gave annoying a new meaning. “May I speak to Caitlyn, please?” She held her breath.

“Is this Sky?”

“Yes.” She choked back a groan.

“I thought so. You sisters sound very alike on the phone, if you know what I mean. I might be psychic that way, too. I’m very good with voices, and some people have said—”

“Is Caitlyn there?”

“What? Oh. I’m in the office, and when they don’t answer, it rings here, so I guess Judd and Cait are doing, well, you know what. Isn’t it great about the baby? Judd is over the moon and Renee is not even bitchy anymore. She’s finally getting a grandchild. I told Cait I’d give her some pointers, but you know Cait. She didn’t take that very well. She was quite offensive, actually, and—”

“Goodbye, Brenda Sue. I’ll try her cell.” Sky clicked off before the woman could get in one more word, then had to take a long breath to de-stress. Finally she punched in her sister’s cell number.

Cait answered almost immediately.

“I’m really surprised you haven’t killed Brenda Sue by now.”

Cait laughed. “Had a scintillating conversation with her?”

“More like mind-numbing.”

Cait laughed again, and then said, “I hope you’ve come to your senses.”

“Yes, and I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I can handle the ranch and Cooper.”

“That’s good news.”

“I tend to revert to my old selfish ways every now and then, especially when I want something.”

“So what changed your mind?”

“Gran. You know those talks where you think she’s on your side, and it’s like, oh great, she understands, but then you start to see how narrow-minded and wrong you really are?”

“Yep. I’ve had a few of those conversations with her myself.”

“I just wanted to ease your mind about Gran and the situation. I’m really happy about the baby, and I don’t understand why you won’t listen to any of Brenda Sue’s pointers on the topic.”

Cait clicked off with an expletive that burned Sky’s ears. On the way down the stairs, she called Maddie and apologized. Of course, there was no need to do so, as Maddie had already forgiven her.

Children’s voices could be heard in the background and Sky was delighted her sister was as happy as happy could be.

“Kira wants to play with Georgie. Can we set up a playdate?”

“Sure. I’ll call you as soon as I know what my day is going to be like.”

As Sky reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard rain pelting the windows. Oh, no. The weather affected Kira more than anything, but she had seemed fine this morning.

Sky hurriedly made her way to the kitchen, to find her daughter still yakking with Gran. But that didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t in pain.

Don’t ask! Don’t ask!

Kira glanced up with a childish smile that melted Sky’s heart. Her baby turned up her palms. “Oatmeal all gone, Mommy. Now can I play with Georgie?”

“Aunt Maddie will call.” Sky scooped her out of the chair. “Time to get you dressed.” She’d been planning to ask Gran to do that, but now she wanted to check Kira’s joints.

Upstairs, she removed Kira’s princess pj’s, finding her right knee still red and slightly swollen. After dressing her in jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers, Sky gave her some liquid Tylenol. As Kira bounced down the stairs, Sky wondered if that might have been a waste. Kira didn’t seem to be in pain, but on a day like this she couldn’t be sure.

In the parlor, she brushed her daughter’s hair into pigtails. Looking at Kira’s pixie face, Sky thought her baby had to be the cutest on the planet—the way every mother felt.

“Precious, Mommy’s going to work and you’re staying with Gran and Etta, okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

She kissed her nose. “You be good.”

“I be good.” Kira twisted her hands. “Is Georgie coming?”

Goodness gracious, the kid had a memory like an elephant. When the two had first met, Georgie had taken an instant dislike to Kira because Maddie was holding her. Once he realized Kira had a mother and wasn’t trying to steal his, they became good friends.

“I’ll call Aunt Maddie a little later.”

“Where’s my precious baby?” Gran called as she entered the room.

“I’m here,” Kira shouted.

Sky walked to Gran as Kira opened her case of Barbies. “Call me if you feel something is wrong. I’ll have my cell with me at all times.”

Her grandmother pushed her toward the door. “Go, and stop worrying.”

Sky grabbed a lightweight windbreaker on her way out. Flipping the hood over her head, she made a dash for the barn. She almost made it before Solomon blocked her path. The half-Brahman bull’s mother had died, and Cait and Maddie had raised him on a bottle.

He was now a huge pet—and a pest. Sky worried about Kira being around him, but Georgie loved him and led the bull around like a dog. Since Georgie was Kira’s hero, she followed him everywhere. It was almost impossible to keep her from doing things Georgie did. Solomon was a lovable creature, though, and hard to resist.

Rain peppered Sky’s face as she grabbed his halter. “Come on. I’ll feed you.”

Cooper and Rufus were in the barn, and they stilled as she entered with Solomon trailing behind her.

She tossed back her hood. “Morning.”

Rufus removed his hat and scratched his thinning gray hair. “Girl, this ain’t a day for you to be out.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Now, Ru, that sounds just like my dad.”

“Maybe he had a point.”

“I don’t think so. I run this ranch now and I will be involved in every aspect of it.”

“Mmm.” Ru mulled that over. Cooper was in the background, straightening bridles on the wall. In keeping with his infuriating habit, he didn’t look her way. “We were going to change the oil in the tractors and baling equipment, so we’d be ready for harvesting season.”

“That’s a good idea.” She glanced outside at the rain making puddles in the dirt. “Don’t know how long this is going to last, so let’s get started.”

Cooper glanced up, his eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his hat. “Do you even know how to change oil?”

She bit her lip. “Yes, I do.” Being on her own, she’d learned to do a lot of things, including changing the oil in her car. It was much cheaper. And she’d seen Cait changing the oil in the tractors, so she knew she could do it.

Solomon, tired of waiting, butted her. Not hard, just enough to let her know he was still hungry.

“Okay.” She took his halter. “I’ll feed you.”

“I’ve already fed him,” Cooper said in an icy voice.

His tone irritated her. Well, everything about him irritated her. “He’s still hungry.”

“He’s always hungry.” The statement was just as frigid as his first response.

“I’ll give him a little something to appease him.”

“Suit yourself. You’re the boss.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m glad we’ve settled that.”

She waited for a retort, but none came. With a frown deep enough to hold water, he strolled to the door that led to the lean-to equipment shed.

She stuck out her tongue at his back. Damn. She couldn’t help it.

Shaking his head, Ru followed Cooper. She reached for a galvanized bucket and went into the supply room for sweet feed. Solomon followed her to the trough under the overhang of the barn, and she dumped the feed into it.

Rushing back, she grabbed a pair of denim overalls from a hook. They were Cait’s, and Sky knew she used them for dirty jobs. She slipped into them and quickly joined Rufus and Cooper.

Several tractors and other pieces of equipment were parked in the lean-to. Ru was working on the hay baler, while Cooper squatted and looked at the underbelly of a John Deere.

She knew she was going to have to prove herself. Another thing that irritated her, but she was trying to be nice and get along. A little cooperation on Yates’s part wouldn’t kill him.

“I’ll change this one,” she said.

He stood and they were inches apart. A woodsy outdoor scent tickled her nose and a long-forgotten heat tempted her senses. Golden curls of hair peeped out of the V in his western shirt. He was too close for comfort. Too close without touching…Was she insane? This man hated her and she’d do well to remember that.

“By all means.”

Cooper tried not to look at her in the overalls, but he failed. He didn’t want to notice one thing about her, but her fair, clean skin, devoid of makeup, was a shock. That host of freckles spread across a pert nose was hard to miss, as were the curves of her body outlined by the denim. How did she manage to look sexy in those things?

“What do you put the old oil in?” she asked.

He pointed to a five-gallon bucket and a funnel, but made no move to hand it to her. That wasn’t like him. He helped Cait and Maddie all the time, but with her…

She reached for a crescent wrench from the toolbox on the ground and pulled the bucket forward as if she knew what she was doing. This could be entertaining, he thought, stepping back.

Locating the drain plug on the underside of the cylinder block, she applied the wrench. No luck. The plug was tight with grease and gunk.

The pouring rain hammered the tin roof of the lean-to with a soothing metallic rhythm as she worked on the plug. Suddenly, it popped free and dirty oil squirted everywhere. On the ground. On the tractor. On her.

With a quick reflex, Coop shoved the bucket forward to catch the oil. Oil splattered her face, her overalls and her hair. She looked shocked and he wanted to laugh. He didn’t. Instead he handed her an old rag.

She pushed herself to her feet, wiped her face and then made sure the bucket was still catching the dripping oil.

“I’ll finish,” he offered, for no other reason than to get rid of her.

“I can finish it.” She rubbed oil from her cheek, only managing to smear it. He thought she’d go running to the house, since the girl he’d briefly known wouldn’t get her hands dirty. Had she changed?

He knew she had a child; he’d seen the little girl playing in the yard. But there wasn’t a husband. Seeing her as a mother was a stretch. Seeing her as a responsible, caring woman was a stretch. Seeing her as much of anything besides a social piranha was an even bigger stretch.

And he was being judgmental—like so many people had treated him. He’d sworn he’d never do that. But with her…

“Thank you.” She handed him the rag, and he looked at this woman with the oil-smeared face. Why did he hate her? She really had nothing to do with his situation. She’d only been a bystander.

Keeping up this barrage of anger was eating at him. She was Dane’s daughter, and Coop had to shake whatever was driving him. Taking the rag, he turned and hurried into the barn.

He whistled for Rebel and the horse responded, galloping into the corral, his coat wet. In a matter of minutes, Coop was saddled up and bolted out into rain, needing to put distance between them.

The rain stopped after lunch, but still he didn’t return. He would finish the tractors that evening. Most nights he didn’t sleep, anyway.

He blocked out thoughts of her and concentrated on the ranch. The rain was good for the corn and the hayfields, as long as they didn’t get too much. If that happened, he’d have to figure out some sort of drainage. One way or another, High Five was going to have a successful crop this year.

Old boards tossed into the grass by the side of the main house caught his attention. He dismounted to check them out. They’d probably been blown around by the hurricane that had come through last September.

Squatting, he saw it was an old hand-dug well shaft, abandoned years ago. He picked up the boards. A cow could step in the hole and break a leg. Tomorrow he’d fill it up with dirt. That would be the safest way to avoid any injuries.

He used one of the small boards to scoop out indentation to lay the boards in so the wind couldn’t move them. He then kicked dirt on top with his boot. That would do for now.

Darkness fell like a heavy cloak, the moon hidden beneath its folds. He headed for the barn and rubbed Rebel down and fed him. The dogs whined at him, not liking that he’d left them behind.

Stepping out of the barn, Coop saw the lights were on at the house, but he didn’t turn in that direction. He marched purposefully toward the bunkhouse, his private space.

First, he fed the dogs and played with them for a while. They licked his face and wagged their tails, forgiving easily. He needed to find that emotion somewhere inside him.

His clothes were still damp, so he took a quick shower. Drying off, he heard a knock—no doubt Rufus, bringing supper. Coop grabbed jeans and hopped, skipped and jumped into them as he made his way toward the door. He’d have to tell Ru to stop bringing food. He could cook his own meals.

In the hallway, he shouted, “Come in.”

Sky opened the door, to find the dogs looking at her with an expectant gaze.

She forgot about them as soon as she saw Coop standing in the doorway, buttoning his jeans. And that was all he had on. His blond hair was wet from the shower and tousled across his forehead. Tiny beads of water glistened on his shoulders. A wide span of chest was covered in golden hairs that disappeared into his jeans. Her heart rate kicked into overdrive at the sight of him.

She must have been without a man too long. She wasn’t attracted to Cooper Yates. Was she?

He yanked a T-shirt from a chair and jerked it over his head. The muscles in his arms bulged from the movement. Oh, yeah. That helped to ease the tension. Not.

Focus.

For a split second Sky was caught by the simplicity of the bunkhouse. Years ago the sisters’ teenage curiosity had gotten the best of them, and they’d sneaked in to get a peek at where the cowboys lived. Of course, they were caught, and their father was not pleased. After a stern lecture, they promised never, ever to be so bold or so foolish again. Maddie was the only one who’d paid attention.

The bunkhouse was the same as it had been back then. Hardwood flooring worn by years of cowboys boot-scooting across it. Dark paneled walls. A large living area—kitchen combo highlighted with a huge stone fireplace charred by use. The hallway led to two oversize bedrooms that slept eight cowboys each. A bath separated the rooms.

“Nothing fancy—just a place to live.” Her father had said that many times.

What surprised Sky was the computer sitting on a small desk. And the TV in front of a recliner. All the comforts of home—Cooper’s home.

The warm plate in her hand reminded her she was standing there staring like that teenage girl of long ago. She walked over and set the plate on the homemade wooden table.

“I brought your supper, and for the record, this will be the last time anyone brings you food unless you’re sick. Even if you don’t care about anyone else, please respect my grandmother’s wishes and eat at the house.”

He just stared at her and then said, “You got the oil out of your hair.”

“What? Oh. Yes.” Her hand went to the freshly washed curls around her face. “It boggles my mind the tricks Etta knows to remove stains. I’ve never had my hair washed with Lava soap.”

He just kept staring.

“In case you’re wondering, running away didn’t help a thing. Rufus and I changed the oil and filters in every tractor.”

“No kidding.”

“No kidding,” she shot back.

Silence intruded and she thought it was time for her to leave. She’d said what she’d needed to. But being a true Belle, she could never leave well enough alone. “Are we clear on the meals thing?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She wanted to smack those words back at him, but instead, she turned to walk out the door. Since throwing caution to the wind seemed to be her trademark, she pivoted and said, “I’m not leaving this room until you tell me why you don’t like me.”

He took a step toward her, the green of his eyes overshadowed by some dark emotions. “You don’t remember, do you?”

“Remember? Have I met you before?” She couldn’t have. She wouldn’t have forgotten someone like him.

“Yes. Several times.”

Shocked, she gaped at him. “Where? When?”

“The name Everett Coleman ring a bell?”

A sliver of alarm slithered up her spine. “Of course, he was my mother’s fifth husband.”

“Four years ago I was his foreman at the Rocking C Thoroughbred Farms.”

“What?” Suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

“Everett Coleman was the man who framed me.”