by Woods, Emily
“Which is?” His lips pressed together, seemingly to prevent any more information from sneaking out. Maddie, without meaning to, leaned forward and touched his arm. “I won't tell anyone.”
A long sigh came out before he admitted what he wanted. “I want to build a horse ranch.”
She wasn't surprised. “That's the dream of every ranch hand,” she said quietly. “But you have to know that it's nearly impossible now. Land is so costly, even the less desirable pieces. You'll probably never earn enough here to pay for any, even if the bank were to give you a loan.”
As gentle as she tried to be, she knew her words could cause a lot of disappointment, but strangely, she didn't see any on his face.
“You don't understand. I-I have money.”
Now she was surprised. “But I thought you were poor,” she said before she could stop herself. “I mean...”
“No, I know what you mean. I grew up with my uncle and aunt, orphaned and an outsider. But my father had a trust fund for me that I'll receive when I turn twenty-one.”
“And when will that be?”
He blew out a breath. “A few months from now. I know that I won't be ready to move on at that point, but I was thinking I might be able to buy the land at least, stake it out.”
It was a lot of information to absorb, but then the pieces began to fall into place.
“So…you're here to learn what you can about ranching before becoming my father's rival?” Bitter gall rose in her throat, erasing every good feeling she had about him. “He trusted you…liked you, even.” As she understood what his plan was, the fun drained out of the day. He was there to find out her father’s methods and then use them to start his own business.
“And I haven't done anything to betray that trust. It's not like he's telling me trade secrets, you know. I'm just learning how to handle horses. Besides, I won't really be his rival. I just want to deal in horses, not cattle.”
She wasn't sure how that made a difference. “But you'll still be taking business away from him. You know he deals in horses too.”
“But there's enough business here for everyone. Don't you see that? Your dad can't meet the demand for well-trained horses.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So that's why you're here. I figured there was more to the story than you said.” She crossed her arms and glared. “I wonder what my father will think when I tell him.”
His mouth fell open. “Please...don't...”
“Don't what? Tell him that you're a liar? A sneak? That you took advantage of his good nature and are just using him? Huh. I'll tell him that and more.”
Dropping the washboard into the tub, she turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving him to stare after her.
* * *
Cole stared at Maddie's retreating back and couldn't move. What had he done? His carefully constructed facade was crumbling before his eyes. Had he really confessed his whole plan to her? And how had she made it seem ten times worse than it ever had in his mind?
He started to run after her, but tripped on the basket of clean clothes that they had been about to hang on the line. He tumbled to the ground and hit the pot of boiling water so hard that a large quantity sloshed over the side and onto his arm and hand. Quick as lightning, he dunked his hand into the cool water, knowing that he'd have to sit there with his hand in the bucket for several minutes if he wanted to avoid a serious burn.
After the initial searing sensation wore off, he took his arm out of the water and was about to go into the house when the pain resumed. Groaning, he thrust it into the water again and muttered to himself.
Within a few minutes, he heard a rider approaching. He hoped desperately that it was Luke so he'd be able to explain his situation before Maddie got to him. She was sure to make a bad situation worse.
However, it wasn't Luke, but Austin.
“I'm no expert,” he started, his voice laced with humor. “But I'm pretty sure there has to be some clothing in that bucket for you to do laundry.”
“It's a rinse bucket,” Cole grumbled. “And I spilled some boiling water on my hand and arm. I’m waiting for the pain to subside before I take it out.”
In a flash, Austin slid off his horse, face filled with concern. “Boiling water? Full boil? Can I take a look?”
Cole grimaced and raised his hand out for a second before plunging it back in the cool liquid.
“That looks real nasty, my friend. We need to get it treated right away. Come on. I'll hold the bucket while you walk up to the house.”
Awkwardly, the two of them half staggered and half walked up to the main house, the bucket between them. By the time they reached the door, it was being flung open by the ladies of the house.
“What on earth happened?” Kate asked in alarm as she rushed forward. “You're hurt?”
“It's just a bit of a burn,” he said bravely, trying to smile.
“From the laundry water? Oh no. I've done that many times. Come on in and let me put some egg whites on it.”
Austin helped him into the house and then stood by helplessly as Marge and Kate administered an egg white mixture to the angry burn.
“How did you manage to get it on this part of your arm?” Kate wondered, clearly mystified. “I've gotten water on the back of my hands more times than I can count, but never anything like this. It looks like you put your whole forearm in the pot.”
Cole cringed at the application of the egg white, but then the cool liquid started to draw away the pain. When it dried, it created a seal. He stared at the white film and wondered about the healing properties.
A short time later, Maddie entered the room and frowned at him.
“What's going on?”
“Oh! There you are!” her mother exclaimed, her face pinched. “How could you leave him with a pot of boiling water like that? He's going to have a nasty scar on his arm because of your carelessness!”
Maddie's angry expression faded and she blinked several times.
“This isn't Maddie's fault,” Cole quickly defended. “She, uh, left for a minute to, um, have a moment of, well, privacy and I tripped. It's all my fault.”
Kate didn't look convinced, nor did Marge. “It was still her responsibility to take care of you,” Marge affirmed. “You wouldn't leave a child in a barn, and she shouldn't have left you with the laundry. It could have been much worse. I'm just grateful you got up to the house in time.”
It wasn't hard to tell from the look on her face that Maddie was less than pleased with him.
“Since you are the one who could have prevented this, you can stay with him and apply the egg white to the burn each time it dries up,” Kate declared, pointing to the seat across from Cole.
“But, Mama, I...”
“Never mind the buts, daughter. Do as I say.”
She grumbled a little more but sat down and dutifully began to apply more of the egg whites to the burn. When her mother and great aunt had turned their backs to attend to dinner, she leaned forward and hissed, “I'm still going to tell my father all about you. You're taking advantage of him.”
“I'm not,” he returned quietly. “You know I'm working for practically nothing right now, right? When the month is up, if your dad still wants to keep me on, I'll tell him all about my plans, but I'd really appreciate it if I could tell him. Please, Maddie, let me do that?”
He watched a series of emotions play over her face. First, she looked angry, then exasperated, reluctant, and finally, grudgingly agreeable.
“What's that, one more week? Fine. I'll give you that.”
It was clear she wasn't happy about it, but her assent eased his heavy heart. That and her ministrations. She very carefully, and almost tenderly, applied the egg white to his burn.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I promise you that I'll tell him.”
She only gave a little grunt and nodded once to acknowledge his words. Then she blew on the egg white to make it dry.
“I suppose I owe you anyway, seeing as you probabl
y wouldn't have burned yourself if I hadn't run off.” A note of regret entered her voice, but he didn’t want to talk about that.
“Where did you go? I thought you would have gone straight to your father.”
Shaking her head, she kept her eyes focused on her task. “You'll think it's dumb.”
Now, he was really curious. “I don't know about that. You don't strike me as a stupid person.”
She glanced at his face and quirked an eyebrow. “I guess that's your idea of a compliment, so I'll tell you.” After taking in a deep breath and blowing it out, she explained. “I went to the barn to see Spark. Whenever I'm upset in any way, being with her calms me down. I, uh, tell her what's wrong and then...”
How endearing she suddenly looked, so unsure of herself. “And then...?”
“Well, it's not like she answers me or anything,” she replied hastily, “but I just calm down enough to see a solution. It works every time.”
He nodded. “I feel the same way about Knight. Whenever I'm with him, I feel more sure of myself. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to him.”
Now she looked full into his face, and he sensed that she felt a connection with him for the first time. He knew he felt it. No longer was she the spoiled daughter of a rich rancher, but someone he could relate to.
Her eyes looked so blue, so open, and her hair looked so soft and flattering that he had to look away. Falling for her was not in the plan, and, in fact, could ruin everything.
Chapter 12
Maddie was unsure if she was still angry with Cole or not. She certainly felt that he had betrayed her father's trust, but he seemed to believe that he hadn't. In her mind, he'd been hired under false pretenses. Of course, she couldn't be entirely sure since she hadn't been privy to the whole interview and didn’t know what conditions had been discussed.
Sighing, she applied another coat of egg white to the angry burn. Guilt bubbled up inside her. This man would have a permanent scar because she'd abandoned him. And for all her efforts, she hadn't uncovered as much of a mystery as she'd hoped. His story wasn't that exciting...or was it? Perhaps there was more to it. Seeing as they would be stuck with each other for at least another half-hour, she thought she'd make the most of it.
“So, did your uncle approve of you coming here?” she asked innocently, trying to look like she was just making conversation.
Cole released a huff. “He couldn't care less where I went, so long as I was out of his house.”
Drawing back a little in surprise, Maddie felt her heart hitch. How bitter he sounded.
“So, there's no love lost between you and your family, then.” That would account for wanting to get far away from them. “I guess I shouldn't pretend to understand that.” She knew beyond a doubt that her parents loved her beyond measure.
“Thanks,” he said gruffly.
“What?”
“For doing this.” With his free hand, he motioned to his arm. “It feels a little better.”
“Oh, well, like I said, I feel partially responsible.” Very carefully, she dribbled a little more over the burn and then lifted his arm to put a towel underneath. Every touch, every movement, was slow and tender, as though she was caring for a child rather than a grown man. However, when her fingers touched the sensitive part of his forearm, she found the skin on the inside was soft and much paler than the rest of the arm, and a shiver raced up her arms, giving her goose bumps.
Did she imagine that he also reacted to her touch? Did he actually breathe in sharply, or was that her? At this point, she couldn't be sure.
“One more coat ought to do it,” her mother said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and startling them both. In reality, she'd only been a few steps away the entire time, but for the past few minutes, Maddie felt like they were alone in the room.
“I'm so sorry for putting you out like this, ma'am,” Cole said humbly. “And for costing you so many eggs. I'd like to say take the price out of my salary...but I don't have one as it is. Still, I can pay you.”
“Oh! I wouldn't dream of taking your money,” Kate exclaimed. “If anyone's going to pay for these eggs, it's going to be Maddie.”
Feeling her face flush, Maddie lowered her head and applied the last coat of egg whites. She didn't see Cole's eyes widen in dismay.
“Oh, no, ma'am! I couldn't let you do that.”
Kate smiled a little mischievously. “I said 'if.' I don't punish my daughter for her mistakes, only outright disobedience. I know she'll be more careful next time.”
If her face wasn't entirely red before, it was now. Why did her mother have to keep going on, increasing her already substantial guilt?
“There you go,” she said stiffly. “All done.”
“Not quite, young lady. Now you need to wrap it to prevent dirt from getting in.” Her mother handed her a roll of bandages. “Not too tight, but tight enough that it will stay.”
Keeping her gaze fixed on her task, Maddie gently wrapped Cole's forearm. Neither one said another word, but she thought that he was just as aware of her as she was of him. How had she let a simple attraction turn into something so...intense? Especially after what she now knew about him? This had to stop.
“Okay, keep it clean if you can,” she mumbled, rising from the table.
“Thank you,” he said softly, an undercurrent of something unidentifiable in his voice. When she dared to look at him, she saw pain in his eyes. Had she caused that?
Instead of responding to his comment, she leaned over and looked at him seriously. “One more week.”
And then she left the room.
* * *
Cole blew out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. What in the world had happened over the past hour? He'd gone from minding his own business, completely determined to reach his goal within the year, to a man bowled over by a young woman who, only three weeks ago, held no appeal to him whatsoever.
The fact that she currently despised him should have helped his situation, but like most men, he was attracted to what he thought he couldn't have.
“I'm such a child,” he muttered under his breath as he inspected Maddie's work.
“Aw, don't be so hard on yourself,” came a voice from behind him. He turned to see Marge giving him a bit of a grin. “Ranch work comes with accidents. Hopefully, you've gotten yours out of the way now.”
For a moment, he just looked at her, but in his mind, he was wondering who she was exactly and how she fit into all this.
“How long have you been on the ranch, ma'am?” he asked respectfully.
“Oh, I don't rightly know anymore. I guess it's about twenty-five years. My Walter and I came out here with big dreams, and I guess his dream has come true, but he never got a chance to see it.” She sat across from him, a mug of coffee in her hands. “I was never so keen on coming, but my husband was desperate. He felt he couldn't stand the city another minute, so one day, he asked me if I'd be willing to move, and I loved him so much that I said yes.”
This was a better story than he might have expected. “And did you ever regret it?” He thought she would say never, that living out in the West was better than anything else.
However, she gave a great, big laugh instead. “Almost every day for the first five years! Poor Walter. He was a good man, but no rancher. He made one bad decision after another until we were nearly bankrupt. The worst thing is, he died before he could see his dream come true. It took another ten years and the hard work of Luke and John to bring this ranch to what it is today. Without men who have practical knowledge of the business, a ranch is pretty much doomed to fail.”
That comment struck a chord with him and his stomach suddenly felt full of rocks.
“But can't a man learn the business and then make a go of it?”
She took a sip of coffee and then gave a little shrug. “I suppose a man gets lucky once in a while. If you look at Wesley Crawford, you might see such a thing, but even he wasn't savvy enough to keep his ranch out of t
rouble.”
He knew the man a few miles down the road had a large spread and a beautiful house. Had his ranch been in danger?
“What happened to him?”
A troubled look crossed her features. “Ah, well, I shouldn't be gossiping. All I'll say is that without experience, you can't expect too much. It takes more than money to make a business thrive.” She finished her coffee and rose. “Take care to keep that clean, young man.” She nodded toward his hand. “Worse thing you can do now is get an infection. Then it'll have to come off.”
Startled, Cole nearly fell out of his seat. “What will?”
A teasing look came into her eyes, but Cole didn't see it. “Why, the arm of course. And then what good would you be around here?”
If he'd been panicking before, he was practically having a full-on fit now. “No, ma'am. I mean, yes, ma'am. I'll take care of it.”
He held his arm aloft and stood up. “Just keep it clean.” There went the rest of his day. He'd been planning on helping Austin muck out the stalls and then taking a ride over to the south end to see if he could help with the fence there. Now it seemed he'd be stuck doing next to nothing for who knew how long.
Later on in the bunkhouse, Mark seemed to be bitter at him for something. He glared at him every so often, but kept silent.
“I guess that's what you get for messing about with women's work,” Charlie ribbed. “Keep to the fields, boy, and get out from behind a woman's skirt.”
“Thanks a lot,” he grumbled. “Where were you and your advice this morning?”
They all laughed, except for Mark. Cole suspected that the man's disgruntled attitude had something to do with Maddie, but he didn't know what to do to soothe him.
“Tell me again how it happened,” Austin urged with a concerned expression.
“What? No. I'm tired of explaining my stupidity.”
“But what made her run off? You never said.”
