Comrade Cowgirl

by Yolanda Wallace

  “Calm down,” she said, trying to prevent his voice from rising any higher. She had made sure to close the office door behind them when they left. If they were lucky, Yevgeny hadn’t heard Andrei’s accusations. “Have you said anything to anyone?”

  “It isn’t my place. Plus I do not want to get into trouble. What if I spoke up and no one believed me? What if I’m wrong? I have a wife and two children. We have some money saved and my wife works at the hospital, but my family wouldn’t be able to survive for long on one salary. I would have to return to Moscow to find work. When I left, I vowed I would never go back. I want my children to grow up in the same town I did. My life is here.”

  He was just as passionate to stay as Anastasia was to leave. Perhaps she needed to give Godoroye a second look. She was going to be here for quite some time, so she might as well try to get used to it.

  “I might be able to help,” she said.

  “How?”

  “I used to—” She barely stopped herself from saying date. “I used to know a woman who’s really good with computers. She can hack into anything if given a chance. If I send her the IP address for Yevgeny’s laptop, I bet she can help us take a look at those files.”

  “How do you know you can trust her?”

  “I don’t, but what do we have to lose?”

  “If she turns out to be a bigger thief than Yevgeny? Millions.”

  “Then I guess I’d better come up with another plan.”

  One that didn’t involve a potential prison sentence. Perhaps it was time to give Mischa a call.

  “How would you like a chance to be a hero?” she asked when she got him on the phone.

  “Would I be able to wear tights and a cape?”

  “No, but you might be able to prevent someone from stealing your uncle’s money.”

  Mischa didn’t hesitate. “I will be on the next train.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Laramie stiffened when she saw the ATV speeding toward her. What had she done to piss off Yevgeny now? It was way too early to deal with his latest hissy fit. She blew out a sigh of relief when she realized Andrei was behind the wheel instead of Yevgeny.

  “That was fast,” she said as Andrei and Anastasia spilled out of the vehicle.

  “We checked entries twice to make sure they were accurate.” Anastasia thrust her chin in the air with a hint of pride rather than defiance.

  “You two make a good team.”

  Andrei sported an ear-to-ear grin as he grabbed a box of ear tags from the storage area in the back of the ATV.

  Anastasia opened the laptop and accessed the program Laramie had taught her how to use. “Are you ready to begin? I make entries while you and Andrei tag cows. I place name of cow next to serial number on list. Then you use other program to track its signal, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  Anastasia tied Krasota to a nearby tree and squeezed through the fence. A piece of barbed wire snagged her shirt, ripping a hole in her sleeve. She checked to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. If the rusty metal had pierced her skin, she would need to go into town and get a tetanus shot. Considering how much she disliked doctors, she wasn’t looking forward to the trip. Thankfully, her skin was unblemished.

  “Hand them over, Andrei.”

  Andrei handed her the box of ear tags and stepped over the fence, pressing down on the barbed wire so it wouldn’t jab him in the crotch on his way over.

  “He asks if tags will hurt cows,” Anastasia said.

  “Tell him the sensation will be no worse than getting his ears pierced.”

  Anastasia laughed as Andrei rubbed his ears with both hands. “He says he will have to trust you on that one.”

  Laramie pointed to the gate several hundred feet away. “Drive down there and come inside the fence. You can follow us in the ATV while Andrei and I hoof it. That way, those dazzlingly white tennis shoes of yours can stay relatively clean.”

  Anastasia rolled her eyes. “If I go on internet tonight and buy boots, will you stop making fun of me then?”

  Laramie kind of hoped she wouldn’t. She enjoyed teasing her too much.

  Anastasia sped down to the gate, maneuvered the ATV inside, and closed the gate behind her. Avoiding the piles of manure along the way, she drove back to where Laramie and Andrei were standing.

  Laramie pulled her work gloves out of her back pocket. “Call ’em over, Andrei, and I’ll show you what to do. Don’t rile ’em up too much, though. We don’t want a stampede on our hands.”

  Andrei cupped his hands around his mouth, took a deep breath, and shouted something in Russian. It didn’t sound like “Come, boss,” the phrase she used whenever she wanted to get a cow’s attention, but it worked just as well if not better.

  The cattle approached and began to circle, some sniffing curiously at the computer on Anastasia’s lap. Anastasia recoiled when one licked her face.

  “If I had known I would end up getting bath, I would have stayed in bed this morning instead of taking shower.”

  Laramie tried to focus on the cow she was trying to wrangle instead of imagining Anastasia slipping into a warm bath filled with scented bubbles.

  “Here’s how you do it, Andrei.” She held up the two-piece ear tag. “You place the visual panel on the back part of the ear and put the button on the front. A little squeeze on the applicator and it’s all over.” She held up a tool that looked like a pair of pliers. “Which cow is this?”

  “Ekaterina,” Andrei said.

  Laramie turned to make sure Anastasia had matched the cow to the correct serial number. “Got that?”

  “Yes, got it.”

  “Hold her head still while I put the tag in, Andrei. You’re supposed to immobilize them when you do this, but I don’t want to put them through that if we don’t have to.”

  “He says cows are well-behaved. They will not move if he tells them to remain still.”

  Laramie turned to Andrei. “I kinda like having a cow whisperer on staff. I’ll let you watch me do the first few, then you can take over for a while.”

  The cow didn’t budge when Laramie applied the ear tag, but Andrei jumped as if he had been goosed.

  “See? It isn’t so bad.” Laramie slapped Ekaterina on her rump to shoo her away. “One down, four hundred eighty-nine to go.”

  “This will take all day,” Anastasia said.

  “If we round ’em up fast enough. If not, we’ll be back at it tomorrow.” Laramie tagged another cow and sent it on its way. “Is there something else you would rather be doing than dodging cow pies?”

  Anastasia wrinkled her nose. “The smell of these pies makes me never want to eat real one again.”

  “If you feel that strongly about it, you’d better tell Elena to drop pies from the dessert menu. Make sure she keeps that chocolate cake she made last night, though. That was one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

  The mischievous twinkle in Anastasia’s eyes hinted she was tempted to ask Laramie a follow-up question on the subject. Instead, she dropped her gaze to the computer screen and prepared to make the next entry.

  When she was growing up, a slip of the tongue had gotten Laramie nothing more serious than a box on the ears. Here, she reminded herself, the punishment could be much worse.

  “Your turn.” She handed the tag applicator to Andrei. “Show me what you can do.”

  She held the next cow’s head while he tentatively put the pieces of the tag in place.

  “There you go. You’re doing fine. Now finish the job.”

  Andrei closed one eye and screwed up his face as he slowly applied pressure to the handles of the applicator. Anxious to be set free, the cow mooed and bobbed her head. Andrei reflexively squeezed his hand, securing the tag.

  “That’s the way. But try to do it a little faster next time, okay? These cows are a hell of a lot stronger than I am. I can’t hold them forever.”

  “You are stronger than you look,” Anastasia said.

  “Thank him
for noticing.”

  Anastasia looked up and met her gaze. “He was not the one who noticed.”

  Wrangling the cows had already made Laramie start to work up a sweat. Feeling Anastasia’s eyes bore into hers caused her body temperature to spike even more. She tipped her hat. “In that case, thank you.”

  * * *

  Anastasia didn’t know why she had said what she had to Laramie. Because it needed to be said? Because it was true? Perhaps, even though they couldn’t act on it, she wanted Laramie to know the attraction she felt was mutual so she wouldn’t have to endure this torture alone.

  Yes, torture was a strong word, but it was the only one that could appropriately describe how it felt living and working in such close quarters with someone she was starting to desire. Starting to? No, she was already there. How much longer would she be able to hide the effect Laramie was having on her? Every time Laramie looked at her, she felt a flood of moisture pool between her legs. And that was before Laramie’s sweaty work shirt started clinging to her skin.

  Anastasia imagined peeling the damp shirt off her. Dragging her into the shower, turning on the spray, and rubbing soap over her tight, toned muscles. She couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend the day. Or the night.

  “I invited Mischa to visit us,” she said, trying to banish the images she had conjured up from her mind.

  Laramie dragged her arm across her forehead to dry the sweat on her brow. “Are you feeling lonely already?”

  “I thought he could help you. Help us.”

  “Help how?”

  “He works in accounting office. He would be able to tell if ledgers are in order.”

  “I know what to look for,” Laramie said defensively. “I can tell if the ledgers are in order.”

  “Yes, I am sure you can,” Anastasia said, trying to appease her, “but Yevgeny is not giving you chance to look. He can say no to you, but he cannot say no to Mischa. It would almost be like saying no to Sergei, don’t you think?”

  Laramie was quiet, which compelled Anastasia to fill the silence.

  “Mischa should arrive later this afternoon. He can look at books tonight. Or maybe tomorrow if train is delayed. If we do not tell Yevgeny he is coming, he will not have time to undo anything he might have done. To—What is expression Americans use? Cover his tracks.”

  She forced herself to stop talking so Laramie could have a chance to respond.

  “That’s a good plan,” Laramie said. “So good I wish I had thought of it first.” She broke into a grin. The suddenness and brightness of it took Anastasia’s breath away. “You’re right. We do make a good team.”

  In a perfect world, Anastasia thought as she watched Laramie sprint after a runaway calf, they could be a whole lot more. In Russia, that world didn’t exist. At least not for people like them.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Determined to finish tagging the cows before the end of the day, Laramie decided to work through lunch. By the time she handed Andrei the final tag and Anastasia entered the data in the computer, the sun was starting to dip toward the horizon and all three of them were dragging. But at least she was finally able to cross off one of the many items on her to-do list. She was so happy to complete something she had set out to do instead of running into another brick wall, she felt like turning a cartwheel. She didn’t want to spook the cows or her new co-workers, though, so she convinced herself to remain upright.

  She looked around. In the distance, she could see Shorty and his crew start to pack up their tools so they could head in for the day. They had made substantial progress on the fence repairs. They were by no means done, but the weakest parts had been shored up and the rest would be fixed in a few days. After that, they could mend the barn roof and start sprucing up the bunkhouse. A fresh coat of paint and a new set of shingles and both should be as right as rain. There was only so much that could be done to the bunkhouse’s drab décor, but she doubted Shorty and his roommates would feel the need to call an interior decorator to spruce the place up.

  By this time next week, they should be in position to stop playing catch up and start trying to get ahead of the game. She looked forward to being able to establish a routine. One she hoped would take the ranch from so-so to successful. If she did, Duke had promised her a substantial bonus in addition to the base salary they had agreed on.

  The extra money would be nice, but it wasn’t her main incentive. Turning the ranch’s fortunes around had become a point of pride. Shorty had told her on numerous occasions that she had what it took to run her own ranch. Now she just had to prove it to everyone else. Starting with herself.

  She untied Krasota and climbed into the saddle. Perched in the driver’s seat of the ATV, Anastasia watched her as she did so.

  “Want a ride?”

  Anastasia eyed Krasota warily. “I already have one.”

  “You sound like Yevgeny.” Laramie patted Krasota’s neck. “Are you sure you want to miss out on a chance to ride a creature as magnificent as this one?”

  “She is beautiful animal.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  Anastasia continued to hold back, even though she seemed tempted to give in. Laramie could already feel Anastasia’s arms wrapped around her waist as they slowly made their way back to the main house. She would make sure to take the scenic route so she could prolong the trip as much as possible. Then Anastasia’s cell phone chirped, breaking the spell.

  “I just received text from Mischa,” Anastasia said, staring at the phone’s display. “His train is half hour from station. If I take van and leave now, I should arrive same time he does. Would you like to come with me so you can help me explain what we need him to do?”

  Laramie didn’t relish the thought of taking another bumpy ride in the smelly van, but she loved the idea of spending time with Anastasia away from prying eyes. So they could bond in a way they couldn’t with everyone else around. Like they had last night.

  “Give me a few minutes to wash the dust off my face and hands and put on a clean shirt.”

  “I will follow you. I need to change shoes.” Anastasia’s once-white tennis shoes had turned a dusky gray. “Whatever you do, do not say, ‘I told you so.’”

  Laramie held up her hands as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her because it hadn’t. She had already made her point. There was no need to go rubbing it in. She liked to tease, but she knew when to pull back. Picking at a sore spot only caused the pain to get worse, not better.

  “I’ll race you to the main house,” she said. “The loser has to sit in the back of the van.”

  That was the area where the smell had been most potent during their ride from the airport.

  “Contest is only fair if you know how to find way into town. If you do not, you will have to sit in back of van anyway because I will refuse to give you directions.”

  Laramie wasn’t deterred by Anastasia’s humorous threat. “I’ve got a GPS app on my phone. As long as I have a signal, I can find anything. Even way out here.”

  Anastasia secured the laptop in the ATV’s storage area. “I take bet. Try not to be sore loser, okay?”

  Laramie started to say she didn’t intend to lose, but Anastasia put the ATV in gear and stomped on the accelerator before she could get the words out. She dug her heels into Krasota’s haunches.

  “Come on, girl! Get after ’em!”

  Krasota snorted and took off after the ATV. She managed to close the gap but couldn’t erase it completely before Anastasia reached the stables. By the time Laramie and Krasota arrived, Anastasia and Andrei were exchanging high fives to mark their victory.

  “You don’t play fair.”

  “No,” Anastasia said, “I play to win.”

  Laramie dismounted and led Krasota into her stall. “Good night, girl,” she said, rubbing Krasota’s nose. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She turned to Anastasia, who had followed her inside. “I’ll keep that in mind before I consider making another bet with you.
”

  “Why? You do not like odds?”

  Anastasia handed her the laptop. Their fingers grazed as they exchanged possession of the device. The contact was brief, but Laramie felt it in her whole body. Like the horseback ride they hadn’t had a chance to share, she wished she could have made it last longer.

  “If I keep betting on a long shot, I’m bound to win eventually.”

  Provided she didn’t crap out before her bet finally paid off.

  * * *

  Anastasia grabbed the keys to the van and lingered in the kitchen while she waited for Laramie to finish washing up.

  “Where are you going?” Elena asked. “It’s almost time for dinner.”

  Anastasia noticed the meal wasn’t nearly as elaborate as it had been the night before. Meat dumplings, buckwheat porridge, and sushki for dessert.

  “The train station,” she said, grabbing one of the crunchy, mildly sweet bread rings usually served with tea.

  She hadn’t thought about food once while she, Laramie, and Andrei were working. Now she couldn’t stop. She reached for another sushki.

  “Stop snacking or you’ll ruin your appetite.” Elena didn’t have a mixing spoon this time so she shooed her away with a dish towel instead. “Who’s at the train station?” she asked after Anastasia moved away from the stove. “Are we expecting someone else to join us?”

  “In a manner of speaking. Mischa is on his way from Moscow.”

  Elena put her hands on her hips. “I feel like I’m cooking for an army as it is. Now I have another mouth to feed. How long will he be staying?”

  “A few days. Maybe a week.”

  She didn’t reveal any details about the reason for Mischa’s visit so Elena couldn’t slip and say something in front of Yevgeny. She didn’t want him to see what he had coming to him until it was too late for him to do anything about it.