She looked toward the house and saw the shadow of her father standing at the window. She had some explaining to do, and she wasn't sure she could, because even she didn't understand what was happening. She was caught up in a situation that endangered anyone she might get involved with, and Jeremy's short sweet kiss was more like a seal of friendship than an invitation to take things to the next level, and there were times when she needed to talk to someone, anyone, who she could trust, yet she could never get close enough to anyone to open up. She also wanted to get to know some women, and a family. She was cut off from everything she once knew, and it was beginning to take its toll.
CHAPTER 6
Jeremy wasn't sure what to expect from the family on bringing Billy to the ranch. All Ruth and Matt knew was that Billy Bree Fitzsimmons, the woman who owned the bucking bull ranch north of Pine Grove, was new to the area and didn't know anyone other than the cowboys who showed up on buckout nights, and that she'd expressed a desire to meet some women.
As for Ryan, Annie, and Genie, it seemed Josh had already filled their heads with his impression of what was going on, and now there was no end to the teasing that the old jack rabbit was about to get his whiskers clipped. He laughed it off at first, but after a couple of days of ribbing from his brothers about remodeling his nest before feathering it, and teasing from his sister-in-laws about preparing himself for being toppled from his bunny pedestal, he'd about had it with the lot of them. The problem was, he'd been baiting his brothers for years about living their lives out with clipped wings because they'd all been one-woman guys, and he'd prided himself on avoiding that trap, so they were rubbing his nose in it.
The truth of it was, Billy was becoming important to him in a way that defied logic. It was as if she'd moved into his life and was now a part of it. He'd seen the changes in his brothers when they became involved with the women they married. What had been important before no longer mattered. Their entire focus had been on the women they loved. He was beginning to understand it. He'd also frequently caught Billy looking at him in a way that led him to believe she might feel the same.
For the moment though, he hoped his brothers and sister-in-laws would back off when he arrived with Billy, because she was as tense as a high wire, sitting with her hands clasped in her lap and staring straight ahead through the truck window. He had no idea why she was so tense though. Reaching over, he covered her clasped hands with his palm, and said, "The Kincaids, and my brothers and their wives, are the salt of the earth, so relax."
Billy looked askance at him and gave a little nervous laugh. "I guess I am a little uneasy about meeting women," she said. "It doesn't happen too often, so I'm out of practice."
His hand still covering hers, Jeremy said, "You must have had women friends back in South Dakota. Don't you keep in contact with them?"
"I don't have internet service, and cell phones don't work too well around here," Billy said, "so I've kind of lost contact."
"Then when we get to the ranch we'll go to my place and you can go online and send emails to all of your old friends and let them know you're still alive." When he looked at her she was staring straight ahead again, but she wasn't looking at the road. She had a far-away look in her eyes and was in another world, one he didn't seem to be reaching.
She also had her thumb hooked around his hand, like she wanted him to keep it there, which emboldened him to say, "I get the impression something's bothering you, and I don't think it has anything to do with meeting the Kincaid's or my family. I'm here if you want to talk."
She offered a smile that was more of a grimace, and said, "I'm fine. I've been so long around bulls and horses I guess I've forgotten how to communicate with humans."
"You're communicating," Jeremy said. "You're letting me hold your hand."
She looked down at their hands. "I suppose," she replied.
Jeremy smiled inwardly. It was a non-committal response, which made it a positive response because her thumb was still hooked around his hand. And next weekend, after a five-hour drive to Pendleton connected by hands, things could move pretty fast. He'd still stay by his word about the camper though. She'd sleep alone in his bed, while he'd be wondering why, with a line-up of buckle bunnies waiting on the fringes of the rodeo grounds for the cowboy studs to notice them, he'd rather be tossing around on a bedroll on the floor of Josh's rig than joining any one of those bunnies in their warrens.
Glancing over at Billy again, he said, "You look nice. You're okay when you're wearing chaps, boots and an old floppy hat and you're fresh from the arena and covered with dust, but you clean up well, and you smell good too."
This time Billy smiled one of her pleased smiles, which revved up Jeremy's heart some. "I hope the suede vest isn't overkill," she said. "I rarely go out so there's not much in my wardrobe to choose from. This was a present from my si… that someone gave me, and I've never worn it because it's not quite me, but at least it's not dog-eared like the rest of my clothes."
Jeremy eyed the vest, which he'd taken at first to be a kind of body armor meant to cover her upper torso so he wouldn't keep focusing on her bust-hugging shirts, but now he figured she was wearing it for the reason she'd said.
Ten minutes later, and still keeping his hand over hers, Jeremy managed to turn the truck onto the ranch road with one hand and steer beneath the Kincaid Ranch gateway, but as the truck followed the long straight stretch of gravel road toward the ranch compound, he closed his palm tighter around Billy's hand, and with his thumb, began stroking her knuckles, and she made no move to pull free. Instead, she looked at him and smiled her approval.
All too soon they arrived at the ranch and he released her hand and got out. By the time he went around to open her door, she'd already let herself out and was standing and staring at the house. "It's made of logs," she mused. "There weren't any log homes where I grew up."
Jeremy eyed her, curiously. "Half the state of South Dakota's covered in pine," he said. "I'm surprised there weren't any log homes around you."
"I guess I wasn't thinking," Billy replied, while batting her eyes. "I suppose there were, but no one I knew lived in one so I've never been inside a log house."
Jeremy wasn't sure he believed that, but he wasn't about to start questioning either. Holding her hand on the ride over had chipped away a little of her outer shell, which was the first step in gaining her trust, and maybe more. She was a complicated woman who kept him guessing about a lot of things. "Okay then, come on inside and see what a log house looks like."
He took her hand as he walked with her up the front steps, but before he could let himself into the house as expected, the front door opened and Ruth appeared. She looked at him, then at Billy, then at their clasped hands, and raising her eyes quickly, said to Billy, "Jeremy's talked about you so we're all very glad you could come."
Jeremy knew Ruth didn't intend to do it, but from the rapid zigzag downward movement of her eyes, and the little twitch of her mouth, he knew she was checking Billy out. Ruth then focused on the boots, which had a hastily-applied coat of polish on them, like Billy tried to make them look presentable but didn't quite succeed. They were still a pair of working boots on a woman who was cowgirl through and through.
About the time he'd come to the conclusion that Billy didn't pass the Ruth test, Ruth smiled at her and said, "Honey, the girls are anxious to meet you so come on in and get acquainted."
Billy glanced at Jeremy, who winked and gave her hand a little squeeze, and she responded by looking away and smiling to herself. He also sensed that some of the tension of the ride over had dissipated. There was no question in his mind that she and Annie would bond, both being lifelong horsewomen, but he wasn't so sure about Genie, who had never quite adjusted to Josh's bullfighting. Genie could view a person raising bucking bulls as feeding into something she'd like to see done away with completely: bull riding.
Before entering the house, Billy pulled her hand from his, so he placed his palm at the base of her neck inste
ad, wanting to hold onto the bond they'd made, tenuous though it was.
After Ruth made introductions, there was a moment of awkward silence when everyone seemed to be staring at Billy—Genie and Annie from their position on the sofa, and Josh and Ryan, who were standing behind their wives. To fill the quiet, Jeremy said to everyone in general, "This woman's a champion barrel racer and I've seen her in action."
Ryan eyed Billy with appreciation, and said to her, "I'm impressed. You women defy gravity when taking those barrels. I don't know how you do it, but you'll have to meet our little sister, Maddy, when she comes. She's a champion racer too. Maybe you two know each other from some of the rodeos around. What was the last rodeo where you competed?"
"It's been a while," Billy replied. "I'm busy working with my bulls right now."
"She won a buckle in Cheyenne," Jeremy said, "and competition's tough there."
"It was just a lucky day," Billy replied. "My horse did everything right and all the rest of the competitors messed up."
"Okay, so she's also modest. Trust me, she knows her horses," Jeremy said, while scanning the faces, which seemed to include a blend of interest in Billy and her ability with horses, and amusement with him because he was clearly both attracted and attentive to a woman on a level different than usual. Unlike the women he hung out with before, Billy was the kind of woman rodeo cowboys brought home to Mama…
"Speaking of horses," Annie said, addressing her comment to Billy, "Have you ever seen a Kiger?"
"No, but I've heard about them," Billy replied. "I understand they roam wild around here."
"Not so much anymore," Annie said, "but Ryan and I have a couple of stallions and several mares and four new foals. You'll have to come to our place and see them, and maybe we can take a couple of the horses into the mountains so I can show you the ranch. We have miles of trails and it's beautiful country out here."
Jeremy looked at Annie, whose expression showed her acceptance of Billy, and when Billy glanced up at him and smiled, he knew she was letting him know she was pleased because she and Annie had connected. He gave her neck a little squeeze in acknowledgement.
"I have a horse," Genie commented. Everyone looked at Genie, who had just stated her position. She would not be excluded from the outing.
"I'm sorry," Annie said. "I didn't mean to leave you out, and of course you'll have to come too." She again addressed Billy. "We'll stop in at the hot springs pool on the way back. There's a tub inside the spring house that's like a regular hot tub, except it's fed by a natural hot spring, and the water's the perfect temperature."
"It sounds wonderful," Billy said.
"Yeah, it does to me too," Ryan piped in. "I'll join my wife when the two of you leave."
Annie tipped her head way back and looked up at Ryan, who was standing behind her, and said, "Honey, every time you join me in the hot springs pool I get pregnant."
"I've only been with you there twice," Ryan said.
"I know, and Cody is the result of the first time."
"Then you're saying that…"
Annie bobbed her head. "Yep, you did it again. We'll either have to stay out of the pool or plan on a very big family."
"That's wonderful!" Ruth exclaimed. "So, when is the baby due?"
"About the same time Josh and Genie's baby is due," Annie replied.
Ruth looked at Genie, wide eyed. "Honey, you never said anything. Are you and Josh really expecting?"
Genie tipped her head back and looked up at Josh, who was standing behind her with a wide grin on his face, then said to Ruth, "We didn't want to say anything until we knew for sure, but since Annie-big-mouth let the cat out the bag, yes, the home pregnancy test says we're expecting, so Annie and I will be having spring babies, along with all the other babies that make their appearances on the ranch about that time."
Ryan bent over and kissed Annie on the forehead and said, "Just for the record, it's not the hot springs pool that's doing it, it's all the steaks."
Josh let out a short guffaw, and said to Billy. "That's Ryan's excuse for sneaking over here and eating steaks with Ruth and Matt. Annie's a vegetarian, who wants lots of kids, and Ryan's a carnivore masking as a vegetarian, and when he gets caught, he claims he eats steak because it raises his testosterone level."
Annie pursed her lips. "You guys joke about it, but scientific studies have shown that males on high meat-based diets have less virility because the fat and cholesterol in meat clogs arteries, reducing blood flow to their… umm… that is, blood tries to squeeze through… places… and when it can't, having sex is a problem."
"Anyone around here having a problem?" Ryan asked, eyeing his brothers in amusement.
"Maybe not yet," Annie insisted, "but studies have shown that male vegetarians are better in bed because high vegetable diets have 23% higher sex hormone binding globulin than meat diets, which in turn increases testosterone, which gives vegetarians the stamina to keep going… umm… longer."
"Longer as in, all night, honey?" Ryan asked, "or longer as until I'm a hundred, if I stick to the plan?"
"Well, I really don't know," Annie replied. "I suppose both."
"So then, if I promise to go completely vegetarian, are you willing to romp around in bed with me all night?"
"Okay boys and girls," Ruth cut in, while raising her hands. "I'm sure Billy isn't interested in this discussion." She turned to Billy and said, "Forgive my children. They can get a little outspoken and it gets kind of crazy sometimes, but luckily they don't do it when strangers or guests are around, only with family."
Jeremy gave Billy's neck another little squeeze, and said, "I guess that tells you where you stand around here. You're family now so you get to listen to all the frank talk."
Billy glanced at Jeremy and smiled yet again, like she was genuinely pleased, and it came to him that she looked truly happy for the first time since he'd met her, and he wanted to keep that look on her face, forever. It didn't seem such a farfetched idea now, having Billy in his life on a daily basis, and making her happy.
Abby, who had been playing with Cody on the floor at the back of the room, stopped what she was doing and walked over to Billy, and looking directly at her, said to her, "I know who you weally are."
Billy's face sobered immediately. "And who are you?" she asked.
"Abby," she replied. "Josh is my daddy and Genie's my mommy and I know you have a monkey."
While Billy was pondering that, Genie said to her, "Abby's talking about Billy Kidd. She's a female magician who performs with a giant monkey that has a very close resemblance to a man with a monkey mask."
"Can I see your monkey?" Abby asked.
"Abby, honey," Genie said. "This is a different Billy. This Billy has bulls and horses, but no monkeys."
"Daddy plays tag wiff bulls," Abby said to Billy, "and I have a pony named Fancy."
Ruth raised her hand to get everyone's attention. "Why don't you young people show Billy around? Abby, you can show her Fancy, and Annie, you and Ryan can show her your Kigers, and Genie, maybe you could show her a magic trick, and I'll go check on things in the kitchen and as soon as Dad gets back from town we'll have dinner."
Jeremy liked the idea of showing Billy around. He'd make a point of taking her to see his cabin and maybe test the waters a little more with another kiss. She was warming up to him and he wanted to keep the momentum going.
As they started out to the stable so Abby could show Billy her pony, Annie and Genie crowded around Billy, leaving Jeremy dropping back to walk with Ryan and Josh.
Josh, who was on Jeremy's left, looked askance at Jeremy, and said, "You seem pretty cozy with Billy. You've made yourself scarce all week renovating her place so you haven't said anything, but did you get the report on the brand yet?"
"I got the report," Jeremy said. "Everything checked out." He was annoyed that Josh brought it up in front of Ryan. The less the family knew about Billy's questionable circumstances, the better. His family was a great family, but the
y had a way of "circling the wagons" with their advice when one of them had a problem, especially Ryan, who assumed his opinion was more valid than the opinions of his younger brothers.
"Then the brand wasn't altered?" Josh asked.
"I'm not saying that," Jeremy replied, "only that Billy is legal owner of the bull."
"So we're still on to see the breeder in Nevada?" Josh asked.
Jeremy nodded. "Can we drop it now?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Ryan asked.
"The bull over at Billy Fitzsimmons's place," Josh replied. "He's a dead ringer for Little Yellow Jacket and Jeremy thinks his brand was altered."
"Little Yellow Jacket's dead, in case that's what you're implying," Ryan said.
"I know he's dead," Josh replied, "but this bull's a pro-quality bucker that could have been stolen before Billy Fitzsimmons bought him." Josh turned to Jeremy. "What about the guy in the black SUV. Did you find out anything more about him?"
"What guy in the black SUV?" Ryan asked, looking at Josh.
"He drove up while Jeremy and I were there," Josh replied. "The guy looked like a hit man."
"Maybe he was," Ryan said. "The place was supposed to have been owned by a mobster. It's common knowledge around here because the guy went to town on occasion, and he had the Italian-Brooklyn accent smattered with mama mias and wore pin-striped suits and black western boots. Not your average Harney County rancher."
"Look," Jeremy cut in. "Everything you two are saying is speculation. The brand on the bull checked out and that's that."
"Then you must have seen the ownership papers on Billy's cattle," Josh pressed on.
"She hasn't found them yet," Jeremy said. "Now, can we just drop it?"
"What's really going on?" Ryan asked.
"Nothing," Jeremy replied. "I happen to have found a woman I like and I want both of you to back off."
Ryan rapped Jeremy on the shoulder, and said, "Calm down. We know you like Billy, and from what I've seen, she's about as close to your soulmate as a woman can be, but what's the deal with the breeder in Nevada, and what does that have to do with the bull?"
Bucking The Odds (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 9) Page 7
