"Too anxious to eat any breakfast?"
"If I get hungry, I'll eat something later," she said. "I'm anxious to go roaming and see if any place inspires me. I remember when I used to stay with Daphne, there were places I thought were really pretty. I'm hoping to find some of those places still have that almost magical effect on me."
"I hope you find some places that speak to you, but I'm a little concerned about your outfit."
She looked down at her shorts and frowned. "Why? It's not real hot yet, but isn't it supposed to get pretty warm today?"
"Yes, it is, but I'm mostly concerned about your flip flops. If you walk through most of the meadows and pastures around here in those, you're going to get scratched up. It's up to you, but I'd rather see you wearing some tennis shoes or sneakers, and short socks would be good, too. They would protect your ankles."
"I'm used to flip flops. I wear them for everything. I'll be careful though and watch where I'm going. Thanks for warning me."
Dalton had a disappointed look on his face, but simply nodded. "Don't you eat breakfast?"
"Sometimes. I'm more interested in getting out there today, though."
"I thought Daphne was going with you today."
"She's coming over around 10:00 or 10:30. I thought I'd go out for a quick look this morning, and I'll be back by then."
"Okay. I wanted to make sure someone will be going with you the first time so we can show you where the boundaries are and things to be careful of. If Daphne's going with you, that'll be fine. Remember to stay within eyesight of the house when you're alone, and have a good time this morning."
"Thanks, Dalton," she said as she headed for the door.
"Oh, one more thing," he said as he put a hand on her arm to stop her. "Do you have your phone with you?"
"Yeah, I think so," she said, checking her shorts pocket. After checking other pockets, she found it in her shirt pocket. "Yep, got it," she declared proudly.
"Is it charged?"
She frowned, but looked at the phone a little closer. "I forgot to charge it last night, but it's got two bars. That should do for most of the day. Anyway, I'm not expecting any calls today so you don't have to worry about it."
"Lilly, I forgot, but that's one of the rules I meant to tell you about. Anytime you go out roaming on the ranch, I want you to have your phone, and I want it charged."
"Huh?"
"As cute as you look with that frown on your face," he said with a grin, "let me explain why. I want you to put my cell number in there. If you have any problem, call me."
Lilly sighed and in a very perturbed voice asked, "What kind of problem would I have?"
"I don't know but there are lots of possibilities. You could trip and hurt an ankle, or come across some cattle that have gotten out of a broken fence. Or God forbid, you come across a coyote or other wild animal that starts to follow you. If you do, I want you to call me. I'll be there as quickly as I can."
She became quiet, and looked down at her feet.
"What's the matter; did I scare you? I didn't mean to. I just want to be sure you're safe, and if anything happens, I want you to be able to call me."
"No, you didn't scare me," she said quietly. "I'm just not used to anyone—you're thinking of me; making sure I'm okay. I'm not used to that."
He didn't even try to hide his surprise at her words. He reached out and took one of her hands in his. "Lilly, I care about anyone who is here on my ranch. But you're more than just anyone. You're a good friend of my sister's, and so I absolutely care about you and your safety. So as long as you're here, get used to it. That's why I gave you those rules, and I'm sure there'll be more I'll be adding as time goes on. It's because I care about you and want to be sure you're safe and healthy and happy while you're here."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome. Now, let me add my number to your phone, and when Daphne gets here, I want you to check to be sure she has a charged phone with her before you go out again. She should. That was a rule she had to follow for years, so she'll probably have it, but if she doesn't, I want you to charge this before you go back out. Do you understand me?"
She narrowed her eyes and studied him a minute. When it was obvious he wasn't giving in a bit on the order he'd just issued, she gave in, assuming Daphne would have her phone. "Yeah."
His instant big smile had her feelings swirling in her head as he said, "Good. Have a good time and be careful. I'll see you and Daphne at lunch." He disappeared out the door, leaving Lilly standing there, staring at him. How could one man be so infuriatingly bossy one minute, and extremely kind and caring the next?
She looked down at her flip flops and considered Dalton's words, but only for a moment. She tucked her phone in her shorts pocket and headed outside.
Dalton watched her leave the house and look around in all directions before heading toward the pond. He was sitting atop Midnight, his large black gelding, as he headed toward the far north end of the ranch to check on a herd of cattle grazing. Yesterday, a neighboring rancher told him about some trouble he'd had in that general area with coyotes, so Dalton wanted to check his herd.
As he rode, slower than he normally did, his eyes kept moving back to watch Lilly. She still had her flip flops on, and he chuckled as he watched her bend down and grab her foot and rub it. He'd tried to warn her, but as he thought back on it, she always was a bit headstrong. She was the only one of Daphne's friends who had ever given him any grief. The others all respected him and listened to every word he said and followed his orders, or suggestions as he liked to think of them, to a tee. He knew they were a bit intimidated by his size and the no nonsense way he told them what he expected, but that was okay.
All except Lillian. She listened if it was convenient, but that didn't mean she'd do what he'd asked. She pretty much did as she wanted. He really couldn't say he was surprised by that. If her mother didn't always even know where she was when she was growing up, he felt sorry for her. He'd been very fortunate. His parents had loved both of their kids, and they showed it. They'd always known where their children were and who they were with. Both he and Daphne had been given curfews they knew to abide by.
He remembered the time he was feeling a bit too big for his britches, and felt that at sixteen, he was old enough to stay out a little later if he wanted to. Several of his friends were going to take a midnight dip in a creek, so what would be wrong with him going with them? They weren't doing anything wrong, he reasoned, and it was a very hot night.
He got home at 1:15, forty-five minutes after his curfew. Relieved to see the lights all off, he went in and headed straight for the stairs and his bedroom, until the deep voice of his father behind him stopped him. "Everything okay, son?"
"Yeah, fine, Dad. What are you doing up?"
"Waiting for you. If everything's fine, why are you forty-five minutes late?"
He'd tried to explain how it was hot and a bunch of the guys went for a dip, and promised his dad they hadn't been up to any mischief. But not more than ten minutes after he got home, he found himself in his father's office, with his father's belt being applied to his backside. Dalton cringed as he thought of that night. It was the harshest episode he'd had with his dad's belt, but when he left the office, he completely understood how rude it had been to ignore his curfew and how much his parents worried because of it. It was also the last time his dad had taken a paddle or his belt to him.
Dalton shook his head and brought himself back to the present day, and watched Lilly as she again reached down to rub a foot. He again felt sorry for her. Without her mother leading her through life, or ever setting rules for her and making her mind them, Lilly grew up doing what Lilly thought best, or wanted to do. Apparently, she'd never actually grown up.
But looking at her, that wasn't exactly true. Lilly had grown up. She was now a beautiful young lady. She had her long chestnut hair pulled back into a ponytail. He preferred it flowing freely down her back as she'd worn it yesterday, but
it was beautiful any way she wore it. It was a beautiful color, with subtle streaks of a lighter brown running through it. A lot of women did this to their hair now, but he was pretty sure hers was natural. As he watched her, the sunlight seemed to pull out the lighter streaks, and seemed to emphasize the beautiful shades in her hair. They went nicely with her gorgeous brown eyes that were so full of life they seemed to sparkle.
She was a petite little thing. She was an inch or two shorter than Daphne, who was only five feet, five inches. Lilly wasn't at all heavy, but she wasn't one of those skinny little toothpicks that girls all seemed to strive for now, and he was glad. He liked a woman who had curves and looked like a woman. Well, he thought, Lilly certainly looked like a woman; a very attractive woman. That thought startled him a bit, as he hadn't really been out looking for a woman. He always believed that when the right woman came around they'd find each other. He chuckled to himself as he watched her rubbing her foot again, and wondered if that right lady had just come around. He certainly seemed to be attracted to her for some reason. He guessed time would tell.
Dalton put Lilly out of his mind and concentrated on his work until he went in for lunch. As he approached the barn, he saw Daphne and Lilly talking to Clay. The sight bothered him, though he knew it shouldn't. He didn't have any claim on Lilly, and Clay had every right to talk with the pretty new resident on the ranch. But that didn't mean he had to like it.
Daphne met Dalton at his horse's stall as he rode in. He slid off the gelding and gave his sister a hug and quick kiss on her cheek.
She returned his hug. "Hi," she enthused. She quieted a bit and leaned in closer to him. "It looks like Clay's taken an interest in your new house guest."
Dalton grunted his agreement. "It doesn't seem she minds the interest, either."
"She doesn't seem to," Daphne agreed.
Dalton made an attempt to look and feel as though that meant nothing to him, but Daphne could see through him. She thought better than to say anything, though, at least here and now. Instead, she moved toward the house. "I'm hungry. Is everyone ready to go have some lunch?"
Once everyone was eating, Dalton looked toward Lilly. "Did you find any spot you think would make a good picture?"
"Several," she answered quickly. "Daphne's going to take me out this afternoon further from the house. She thinks I'll find another place or two."
"That's good," he said. "How are your feet and ankles; are they okay, or are there any scratches that need looked at?"
Lilly looked shocked and simply stared at him a moment with her mouth hanging open, which he noticed but didn't comment on. Daphne answered his question. "There's one place that got scratched pretty bad. I put something on it and made her put socks and gym shoes on, but you might want to watch that one spot to make sure it heals okay without getting infected."
"Okay, we'll do that. Thank you, Daphne." He looked over at Lilly and saw her staring now at his sister. "Is something wrong, Lilly?"
She turned back to look at him, still looking lost. "No. Yes. I don't know."
Dalton chuckled. "I see. Want to talk about it?"
"How did you know I scratched my foot?"
"I suggested you not wear flip flops for a reason. I wanted to keep your feet and ankles safe. I saw you reach down to grab your foot a couple times and assumed you'd gotten scratched." He chuckled again as he added, "I also noticed you didn't go back to change shoes, so I assumed you're just as stubborn as you always were, and you probably wouldn't give up the flip flops until you got scratched good enough to get your attention."
She narrowed her eyes at the big cowboy, and could feel her anger growing. But before she could say anything he spoke again. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt too badly before you listened to Daphne. I'd hate to have your stay here start with an injury that would keep you off your feet. I can tell how anxious you are to explore and start painting."
Lilly could tell his words were very sincere, and her anger seemed to dissipate. He wasn't yelling at her for not listening to him, or even laughing at her or saying I told you so. He seemed to really care about her and didn't want her to get hurt. For some reason she felt suddenly very emotional. She blinked quickly a few times and managed to say, "I am. There are so many beautiful places here."
"Good." He turned to his sister next. "Are you taking the Gator this afternoon?"
"Yeah, I think so. It's easier to get to a few places I had in mind on horses, but Lilly's not familiar enough with horses to do that, so I figured we'll take the Gator as far as we can and then walk."
Clay had been listening intently to the conversation. "Lilly, if you want to learn how to ride while you're here, I'll be happy to teach you."
"I think I'd like that," she said. "I've never been around horses, though, so I don't know anything about them or how to ride."
"We can fix that," Clay said with a big smile. "I'll show you everything you need to know."
Daphne caught the expression on Dalton's face. He didn't say anything, but what an interesting reaction. Her brother sure was acting protective toward Lilly. She thought about that during the rest of their lunch, and the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Dalton was protective by nature, and Lilly always told Daphne she was lucky to have two parents and an older brother watching out for her. This might just be the perfect match Dalton's been waiting for.
They finished lunch and the girls headed out to the shed to get the Gator. Daphne checked the gas tank and went to the driver's side. "Come on, Lilly, we've got lots of places to go this afternoon before I have to get home to fix supper for Brian." She leaned up and gave Dalton a quick peck on his cheek. "We'll talk later, big brother."
Dalton searched Daphne's eyes, knowing that meant she had something she wanted to talk to him about, but got no read from her. He nodded and said, "You two have fun, but be careful. Call me if you need me."
Daphne nodded and made sure Lilly was settled into the other seat before they took off, following the lane behind the barn. Once they were out of hearing distance Lilly asked, "What did he mean by that?"
"What did who mean by what?"
"What did Dalton mean by call him if we need him?"
Daphne shrugged. "Just what he said; call him if we need him." She looked over at her good friend and sighed. "Maybe this would be a good time to remind you of a few things about Dalton, and tell you a thing or two you may not know."
Chapter Three
Daphne had Lilly's full attention. "Okay, Daphne. What kinds of things don't I know about Dalton?"
"Well, for starters, he's very protective. I'm sure you remember that," Daphne said.
"I remember he was very protective of you, but you're his sister."
"He's overprotective of me because you're right, I'm his sister. But he's also very protective of anyone who's on his ranch. That includes any visitors, or anyone that works for him. I assume he gave you some rules to follow while you stay here?"
"Yeah."
"Follow them closely; he's very serious about them. He has rules for the hands that work for him, and they're regarding safety. He makes it very clear from the start to everyone he hires that not following his rules will get them fired. And he backs that up. He's fired several hands over the years because he's caught them taking shortcuts which could be dangerous. When the men see someone get fired for being careless, they're more careful themselves."
"So he's that serious about safety for everyone, not just for you?"
"For everyone, but I'll warn you, it especially applies to women. And before you get all upset, he's not being sexist. My dad was like that. He felt a man is naturally bigger and stronger and they should treat women right, which includes watching out for them, treating them like a lady, and protecting them. If you can accept his help as his truly caring, it feels pretty nice. It takes a little getting used to, though."
"I think I could get used to having someone care about me and what I do."
Daphne laughed. "Be careful w
hat you wish for. It's not always as easy as it sounds. Anyway, just remember what I said about following his rules."
"Okay, I will. Thanks for the heads up."
They spent the afternoon going from place to place, most of which Lilly thought would definitely make the perfect painting. She also had Daphne stop the Gator from time to time to get a better look at a spot Daphne never paid a lot of attention to. She was anxious to see Lilly's work.
When Daphne left, Lilly went back to a place she'd visited earlier in the day and took a few more pictures. Tomorrow morning, she'd bring her canvas and paints and start her first painting with the sun shining over her shoulder. She was more anxious to paint than she'd been in a long time.
Supper started much the same as it had the night before, with Dalton talking to Clay about what they accomplished, and what they needed to do the next day, and who would do what and which of the hands they'd take to help them. Lilly listened carefully, trying to pick up on some of the terminology. Watching and listening to the two big handsome cowboys discuss what they were doing was something she didn't think she'd ever tire of.
As soon as the men finished discussing work, Dalton turned to Lilly. "So how was your first day? Did you find any spot that caught your eye?"
"I did," she said enthusiastically. "Many of them, as a matter of fact. First thing in the morning, I want to take my paints and canvas and go to the side of the house towards the woods. Just over that knoll is an absolutely gorgeous, calming little spot."
Dalton thought a minute before shaking his head. "Just over that knoll, before you reach the woods?"
"Yes."
Dalton looked at Clay, who was also thinking, but shaking his head.
"I can't think of anything special about that spot," Dalton said, a bit confused.
A Beautiful Ranch Page 3
