The Cowgirl's Sacrifice

by Tina Radcliffe

  She turned to him, her expression both wary and questioning.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want my mother to get too attached to you.”

  Kate gasped, her blue eyes wide. “Excuse me?”

  “She’s a little needy right now. It’s probably the prednisone.”

  “Are you telling me that I shouldn’t be friends with your mother? Wow, the crab apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Like father, like son, right?”

  “No. That’s not it at all. I’m not my father, Kate.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I just don’t want her to get used to having you around and then have you disappear.”

  “You’re overstepping here, Jess. Way overstepping.” She looked him up and down and shook her head.

  “I’m only being honest.”

  “Which you do so well. I believe the saying goes that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Maybe you should practice that instead, or think before you open your mouth to spout whatever unfiltered honesty you feel needs to be said.”

  He shoved his hands in his pocket. “Okay, my delivery needs work. Fair enough, but I’m only trying to protect my mother.”

  “I respect that, even if you are off base. You do realize that you’re judging me based on our history, right?” She stared at him for a long moment, as if considering his words. “I suppose that’s why you retaliated against me with my brothers.”

  “The fact that you dumped me never figured into the equation.”

  Kate glanced around as if hesitant to continue the discussion. She released a breath. “I did not dump you. I turned down your proposal.”

  “You dumped me.”

  “Look, let’s be real. Your father didn’t like me. He took issue with me being a Rainbolt. You and I would never have survived that obstacle.” She sighed. “So let’s move on, shall we? Call a truce?”

  “I don’t need a truce. We both work for Reece and Mitch. We’re adults. End of story.” He stared at her for a few moments. “You know, maybe you need to get over yourself. I didn’t lie for you because it would’ve been the wrong thing to do.”

  Jess picked up his box and headed to his truck. He’d given Kate Rainbolt far more of his day off than he’d planned. He could guard his own heart, but now he’d have to protect his mother’s, as well. The situation had just gotten complicated.

  Chapter Five

  “Whoa, whoa, Mitch,” Kate called out as her brother strode past her office.

  He backed up and stepped inside the room, confusion on his face. “This is your office? I thought it was a supply closet.”

  “Same difference.” She looked at him. “How are the kids? Recovering?”

  “Yeah. Six cases of soda crackers and a dozen liters of lemon-lime sports drinks later.” He rubbed his head. “It was a long weekend.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “All part of being a parent. Your turn will come.”

  “Oh, I doubt that. I’m not mother material.”

  “Right.” He chuckled and offered his usual knowing, brotherly look that she found annoying at times like this.

  “How’s Bella?” he asked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “That well, huh?”

  Kate didn’t want to admit that Bella was growing on her. Cats were supposed to be aloof and distant. That’s what Tucker had promised. He’d also warned her this particular cat was all that and a horse trailer full of attitude. He was wrong. The gray-and-white animal desperately longed for love and affection.

  Bella hopped onto Kate’s lap every chance she could and even snuggled next to her in bed at night. Bella had a routine too. She’d knead the comforter and then walk in a slow circle, finally curling up in a ball, her green eyes at half-mast until Kate turned off the light.

  The situation had gotten so bad that Kate couldn’t fall asleep unless Bella had settled in. How pathetic was that? She didn’t need a cat. Or a reason to stay in Rebel. Now she had both.

  Mitch glanced at his phone. “Staff meeting in fifteen minutes.”

  “On my schedule. I want to show you something first,” Kate said.

  He slid into the only chair in her office. “What’s up?”

  Kate grabbed her tote bag from under her desk and pulled out an envelope with the pictures from Susan McNally. She handed them to her brother, anxious for his reaction.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Mitch said. A soft smile lit up his face. “Where did you get these?”

  “Jess’s mom. Yesterday.”

  “This is great, Bug. We don’t have many pictures of the old days.” He went through the pictures one by one. “Mom in high school. Wow. Look at those bell-bottom blue jeans.” Mitch laughed and held up a photo. “That’s TJ with Mom. They couldn’t be more than seventeen.” He turned the picture over. “Yeah, I’m right. The date is on the back.”

  “Why is it that you always call him TJ?” she asked.

  “Tucker James. That’s his name. He preferred to be called TJ. Said dad made him feel old.”

  “I called him dad.”

  “That was different. You were his little girl.”

  “Then why did he leave me?” There it was. Out there. The words she’d held bottled up inside of her for so many years.

  Mitch released a breath and stared at her. The pain in his eyes mirrored the same pain in her heart. “TJ’s leaving had nothing to do with you. I’ve told you that before.”

  “That’s like telling me it wasn’t personal. It was personal, Mitch. He was our father.”

  “TJ was a country boy who wasn’t prepared for the responsibility of being a husband and a father. Think about it. He was eighteen when I was born.” Mitch stared at the picture on top for a long moment. “Unless he was sidelined for an injury, the man was a guest in his own home, at best. He was in and out of our lives as fast as an Oklahoma tornado.”

  Kate shook her head at the words. Math or not, she couldn’t wrap her head around the notion that a father would leave his family. There had to have been something she could’ve done to make him stay.

  Mitch shrugged. “He bolted when Mom went into hospice. It was as if her diagnosis threatened his mortality.”

  “Do you think that was it?”

  Mitch gave a slow, thoughtful nod. “TJ Rainbolt was terrified, and that wasn’t something any of us could fix.”

  A rap at the door had both Kate and Mitch turning.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but Reece is bellowing for you two,” Violet said with a grin.

  “We’ll be right there.” Mitch handed the pictures back. “These are priceless. Maybe we’ll make copies for everyone. What do you think?”

  “Yes. That’s a good idea.” She stood, and Mitch put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Bug, there was absolutely nothing you could’ve done to stop him leaving. You were a kid.”

  “Where is he, Mitch?”

  “TJ? I have no idea.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “You haven’t been looking, have you?”

  Kate shoved the pictures in her desk drawer and grabbed her phone and a notebook. “Uh-oh. I hear Reece. We better hurry.”

  “Reece always bellows on Mondays,” Mitch said. “It’s part of his creative process.”

  She followed Mitch’s long strides down the hall to the conference room where Reece sat at the head of the table. Mitch slid into the chair next to Reece.

  Kate glanced around the table. The only empty chair was next to Jess. Lovely, because what she needed was another opportunity to interact with a guy who thought so little of her that he’d warned her away from his mother. She’d been chewing on his words for the last twenty-four hours, and they’d just served to sour her stomach.

  When she sat down, her notebook slipped from her hands. They both reached for it, fingers colliding a
s their heads banged together.

  “Great, now I’m giving you another concussion,” Jess murmured.

  “I’m fine,” Kate muttered. “And with your hard head, I’m sure you’re fine too.” She snatched the notebook from his fingers and inched her chair away from his.

  Jess offered a low chuckle. His gray eyes sparkled with mirth as they connected with hers. “Touché,” he whispered, his voice low and husky.

  Kate’s gaze moved from his eyes to his mouth and then she quickly glanced away.

  “First on today’s agenda is the hoedown,” Reece said. “We’re three weeks out from Memorial Day, and then it’s practically showtime.” His gaze spanned the table, and he grinned. “First year in a long time that all the Rainbolts can participate. Tucker and Kate are both with us this year.”

  Kate had to admit she was excited about the event. Held a week after Memorial Day, the hoedown kicked off Rebel Ranch’s summer. In the years since they’d established the guest ranch and started the tradition, Kate had missed only one.

  Reece looked at her. “Kate, do you want to liaise with Chef Luna on the menu? Handle anything she needs.”

  “Me? No, thank you. Food is way out of my comfort zone.”

  Violet raised a hand. “I would love to do that this year.”

  “Done,” Reece said while jotting on his laptop. “The band has been confirmed. Tents are on order.” He looked up. “Willard, you’re handling the generator and sound system?”

  “Yes, sir. All confirmed.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.” He smiled. “We have guests joining us from Ballard Farm B&B this year, so I’ve rented a few golf carts to take them back and forth between properties. Mitch, do you have a few wranglers who can handle that?”

  “Consider it done.”

  Reece’s phone rang, and he grabbed the cell from the table and stood. “Excuse me a moment, folks. Be right back.”

  Kate stared out the window at the blue May sky. While everyone checked their phones and laptops, she sat entranced by the wind dancing through the lush green leaves of the maple trees. It was the first week of May already. She’d been here almost three weeks.

  Where was Franny right now? Probably still home in Texas, practicing and getting geared up for the summer rodeos. She’d start out slow and then hit it hard during Cowboy Christmas, the big-prize-money period at the end of June and beginning of July. That meant endless stretches of highway.

  Kate missed her rodeo life, though not the miles of empty road. Or the loneliness. But she sure pined for the freedom. Getting accustomed to a desk job was a lot harder than she’d thought it would be.

  She stood, walked over to a window and cranked it open. Immediately, a breeze kicked into the room. It smelled like hay and sunshine.

  “That’s nice, Miss Kate,” Willard said. “Just what we needed.”

  She slipped into her chair without glancing at Jess.

  “It’s always something, isn’t it?” Reece said minutes later when he returned to the room. He looked at the open window, perplexed, and then opened his laptop again.

  “Everything okay?” Mitch asked.

  “It will be. Willard, I need you to put out another fire. The manager over at Ballard Farm has had to leave. His father is ill. I’m going to need you to take charge of things there. Meet with Asa and Nan Turner and ensure they have enough help in the orchards and at the produce stand. Then check in with my wife and see if she needs any assistance with the final stage of the renovation. The first guests check in next weekend.”

  “I can do that. What about the guest stable?” Willard asked. “I’ve stepped in to assist Jess until Miss Kate is ready.”

  “It’s a real problem that you’re so talented,” Mitch said. He stood and poured a cup of coffee from the back counter.

  “Ain’t it the truth,” the old cowboy said with a laugh. “I was scheduled to go to look at a couple of horses with Jess tomorrow.”

  Reece’s gaze landed on Kate. “Kate, do you mind going with Jess?” He paused.

  “Me?” She tamped back her excitement at this turn of events when she realized Jess figured into the equation. “Why not send Finn with Jess?”

  “He’s teaching at OSU with Tucker all week. Besides, this will give Jess some time to bring you up to speed on what’s going on with the equine program.”

  “Because?” she prompted.

  “Because if you’re good with it, you can oversee behind the scenes—inventory, supplies, scheduling, staff training—until Willard is back or you get a medical clearance. Assign the staff to handle the hands-on aspects with the animals.”

  She didn’t point out that she could have been doing that all along if Jess hadn’t convinced them that she’d start running with scissors the first chance she got. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and bit back excitement as she flipped through her notebook. She didn’t want to seem too eager or they might change their minds, and she desperately needed an opportunity to spend more time out of her closet office.

  “Um, sure, I can move a few things around and do that if it will help you out.”

  “Jess, that work for you?” Reece asked.

  “You’re the boss.” His voice gave nothing away. Kate didn’t really want to know his opinion on the subject, so she kept her gaze focused on her brother.

  “Kate, that reminds me,” Violet said. “The forms from human resources have arrived for you to sign. We need to get your insurance coverage started.”

  “I’ll have medical insurance?” She looked from Violet to Reece.

  “Of course. All full-time employees receive benefits after thirty days. Even a 401k plan,” Violet said.

  Kate grinned. The morning was definitely looking up. She’d gotten a pass to leave the bookkeeping closet as needed, and she had benefits coming if she decided to stick around. The only downside was Jess.

  When the meeting was over, Kate stood and stretched. When she turned, Jess stood in her way. “Was there something?”

  “Yeah. Tomorrow. I’ll drive.”

  Kate opened her mouth to argue and decided against it. His vehicle had all the bells and whistles. It would be silly to protest, though she longed to on principle. She nodded.

  “Six o’clock work for you?”

  “Six? The sun will be pouring its first cup of coffee at six. What’s the rush?”

  “We have two stops. The first one is a two-hour drive from here, and I don’t want to lose the entire day. You can always sleep in the truck.”

  “Fine. I’ll be there.” She wasn’t happy about getting up so early or being cloistered in a truck cab with Jess for four hours minimum. But she’d be there, saying a prayer of thanks and doing her best not to expect the other boot to fall.

  * * *

  “Beautiful horse,” Jess said. He dismounted the paint and handed the reins to the stable manager. “Thank you. I’ll send our vet out of course, but we’d like to purchase those two if the vet check is good.”

  The other cowboy nodded and shook Jess’s hand. Then he walked across the yard to where Kate leaned against the split rail corral fence. The breeze whipped her long dark hair across her face, and he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. His chest tightened, and he looked away.

  “Did you see that view?” she asked when he joined her.

  He followed her gaze to where a line of tall conifers in the distance reached so high that they seemed to meet the azure sky.

  “You can see forever from here. I guess it’s because the town is on a small plateau.”

  Jess was surprised by her words. She’d been almost monosyllabic since he’d picked her up this morning. His penance for Sunday at his mother’s, he figured. He regretted his harsh words, though he hadn’t found an opportunity to apologize.

  She plucked a blade of sweet grass and put it in her mouth while
looking around. “I wouldn’t mind running a stable,” Kate said.

  “You’ll be doing that at Rebel Ranch if you decide to stick around.”

  “I mean my own place.”

  “Rebel is your own place.” He dug in his pockets for his keys.

  “It’s Reece and Mitch’s place.”

  “Only because you haven’t claimed it as your own.” He nodded toward the truck. “Ready?”

  “Yes. Let’s get going.”

  Once they’d settled in the truck, Jess pulled out the paperwork on the horses they’d seen today from a folder on the dash and handed the sheets to Kate. “What did you think?”

  “The paints were very calm, approachable. That mare especially. Notice how she put up her ears when you entered the corral? She likes people. That’s just what we need with the number of nervous riders that check into the guest ranch. I have a solid gut feeling about the place too.”

  Jess agreed. He’d taken time to ride the horses at both stables, but his instinct said the registered paints at this second stop checked off all the boxes. They’d be a good addition to Rebel Ranch. Once they passed a vet exam, he’d recommend the sale proceed.

  “Looks like we agree.” Jess pulled on his seat belt and checked his phone for messages. It was nearly noon, but they’d visited both stables, and he was happy to return to the ranch as soon as possible instead of sitting in a truck cab with a woman who smelled like mangoes and messed with his mind and his disposition.

  “Mind if we stop in town for something to eat before we head back?” Kate asked. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re hungry?”

  “Yes. It’s lunchtime.” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “You know lunch. The meal between breakfast and dinner.”

  “Yeah, sure. I suppose so.” He slipped on his sunglasses, backed up the truck and headed for the main road through town.

  “If it’s going to be a hardship for you, then maybe we can stop at the 7-Eleven for some donut gems and a frozen rainbow Slurpee.”