The Rancher Who Took Her In (The Bachelors of Blackwater Lake)

by Teresa Southwick

  “If you’re sure about this, I’d like very much to go.”

  “Yay,” Ty said. “I’m going to tell the other kids that Kate is coming with us on the campout.” He ran out of the dining room.

  “You know you can’t bring that fishing rod. The one you were holding on that magazine cover. Hiking in means traveling light.”

  “I left it at home anyway.”

  Was she blushing? he wondered. The next question was why she would be. Millions of people probably saw her in that bikini, but she was blushing for him. Which kind of made him feel good.

  But Cabot wasn’t at all sure this was a “yay” sort of deal. It could very well be a bad idea.

  * * *

  Kate gathered up pencils and paper in the dining room so that tables would be cleared and set up for the lunch crowd. To her surprise, Cabot stuck around to help her. He’d watched her closely during the presentation, which was both intimidating and thrilling. She’d given talks to outdoor enthusiasts lots of times, but there’d never been a man in the audience whom she’d been to bed with.

  “Where does this go?” he asked, pointing to the dry-erase board. “In the equipment shed?”

  She nodded. “I can get that. It’s not heavy. You must have more important things to do.”

  “Not just now. I’ll give you a hand.” He picked it up and headed toward the door where the kids had exited moments before. “You have a shed key?”

  “Yes. All the counselors do.” She followed him out onto the porch.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Aaron, Ty and Gina were standing around talking. The redheaded boy said, “The sun is almost straight up in the sky. How can we tell which way is south?”

  “Kate said she would show us,” Gina answered.

  “Better not get lost before she does,” Ty told him. “It’s pretty scary when you don’t know which way to go.”

  “If you were listening,” the other boy retorted good-naturedly, “you would know that it’s best not to go anywhere if you’re lost.”

  “STOP.” Ty held up his fingers to count off the letters. “Sit down. Think. Observe. Prepare.”

  Standing in the shadowy doorway where the kids didn’t notice them, Kate glanced up at Cabot. He looked impressed and very proud of his son.

  “What if you can’t find any food right where you are?” Gina wondered.

  “Mark your spot and keep it in sight so you can move around a little and hunt,” Aaron told her.

  “I didn’t think that kid was listening,” Cabot whispered.

  “Neither did I. But good for him.”

  Gina said, “We should find a bug and cook it.”

  “I thought that grossed you out.” Aaron raised his eyebrows. “Why should we do that?”

  “To eat it,” Ty said.

  “I dare you to eat it,” the other boy shot back.

  “It won’t kill you,” Gina told him. “Kate said so.”

  Cabot leaned down and said quietly, “Apparently your word is gospel.”

  The feel of his breath on her ear raised shivers that raced down her arms. Her voice was a little ragged when she answered, “Before they strike out on their own, we better schedule a follow-up class quickly to clue them in on what is and isn’t edible.”

  “Yeah.” Cabot moved out of the doorway and down the steps, stopping beside the trio.

  “Hi, Dad,” Ty said, spotting him. “Hey, Kate. We want to build a fire without matches and catch a bug to cook it.”

  “Hmm.” Laughter sparkled in her eyes, but she managed to stay as serious as the kids. “It is almost lunchtime. If you’re too hungry to wait, you could do that. But remember, bugs might spoil your appetite. And Caroline is making mac and cheese.”

  Aaron looked relieved to have an out that would allow him to save face. “Maybe we can do it on the campout.”

  “Are you going?” Gina asked Aaron.

  “Yeah.”

  “Me, too,” Ty piped up. “And Kate is. You can show us then, right?”

  “If you’re still interested,” she answered.

  “Let’s go skip rocks on the lake until lunch is ready,” Ty suggested.

  “Okay.” Gina looked at him. “Can you show me how again?”

  “Sure. Aaron’s really good at it, too. We’ll both help you.” He looked up at Kate. “Is that okay?”

  She could see from where she stood that there was a counselor with a group of kids by the water. They would be supervised. “Sure.”

  “’Bye, Kate. Last one there is a rotten egg. See you later, Dad.”

  Before Cabot could answer, the three were racing away to see who could reach the lake first.

  “What I wouldn’t give to have that much energy,” Kate commented.

  “I know what you mean.” He looked down at her, admiration in his gaze. “You did a good job communicating that information to them.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” Maybe her preoccupation with him hadn’t thrown her off as much as she’d feared.

  “As you know, it’s required for the kids signed up for the campout, but you made it fun and interesting even for the ones who are staying behind. You really had their attention.”

  That reminded her. Ty had been transparent in his eagerness for her to go along on the campout. She needed to talk to Cabot about his son. But first they had to stow the board and other supplies.

  “We should put that away,” she told him.

  He nodded and they walked around the building to the equipment shed. She reached into the pocket of her denim shorts to get the key and unlocked the dead bolt. She flipped the light switch just inside the door.

  The windowless space was well organized with an area for office supplies to the right. Bins held soccer balls, basketballs and footballs. Hooks on the wall held bows and quivers of arrows. Paddleboards stood upright to the left. The equipment was kept under lock and key because kids were unpredictable. You didn’t know when they might take it into their head to try something. This way they needed permission.

  “The board goes over there with the office supplies,” she told him. “Just stand it against the wall beside the shelf with the computer paper.”

  Cabot did as requested and they turned off the light, then locked up the shed.

  Kate shoved the key back in her pocket and turned to find Cabot standing just behind her with a funny look on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” She brushed a hand down her ponytail. “Is there a spider in my hair?”

  “Are you afraid of spiders?”

  “Of course. Anyone in their right mind is afraid of them.” She shuddered. “To quote every girl in that room, ‘ew.’”

  He laughed. “So all that about catching and eating bugs is just talk?”

  “You did notice that I kept stressing that it’s only as a last resort?”

  “Yeah. But I think the kids are really intrigued by the thought of doing it.”

  She nodded. “But I’m really hoping they forget about eating bugs by the time we go on the campout.”

  The “we” part of that sentence reminded her why she was now included and what she wanted to say. “Cabot, I need to ask you something.”

  “Okay.” He slid his fingertips into the pockets of his worn jeans. “Shoot.”

  “Have you talked with Ty? About me, I mean? And not getting attached?”

  “Not yet.”

  “I didn’t think so.” It was important that he understood why she was asking. “I reminded him that I won’t be staying. But a little bit ago when he asked me to go along on the camping trip, I got the feeling it hasn’t sunk in for him just yet.”

  “I saw that,” he admitted. “And I think you’re right.”

  She had hoped to be wrong, but the man was T
y’s father and he’d noticed, too. “I think he needs to hear from both of us, especially you, that you and I will never be romantically involved.”

  “I know.” His mouth pulled into a grim line. “But I just had to break the news about his mother. It seemed like waiting a little longer was a good idea.”

  She nodded. “The reality of losing her for good could be part of the reason he’s still pushing me at you. On some level he feels that loss and wants to replace her.”

  “Maybe. I’m no shrink, but getting this out in the open is probably a good idea. Warning and preparation are both important. I know how it feels to be abandoned. And to be blindsided by it.”

  “Because of what your wife did to you.”

  “She’s not the only one. My mother did the same thing when I was a little older than Ty.”

  “Oh, Cabot...” Kate simply stared at him. She couldn’t believe this man had been left twice. No wonder he was so guarded. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m over what happened, but I do know how it feels to be left behind.” If possible, he looked even more grim. “I got through it by being angry. But my dad never got to that point. He never stopped loving her, making excuses for her behavior.”

  “And waiting for her to come home.”

  He nodded. “Until the day he died, at the sound of a car door unexpectedly closing, I saw hope live and die in his eyes. I’m pretty sure that didn’t do anything good for his health.” He shrugged. “One day his heart just gave out.”

  Kate read between the lines. As far as she knew, it wasn’t even a medically approved cause of death, but she would bet that his father had died of a broken heart. And being the good son that he was, Cabot had taken over the ranch even though he’d been considering another career. So a woman’s rejection had led to a turning point that had totally changed the course of his life. That would leave a mark on anyone—inside, where no one could see it.

  “I’m really sorry, Cabot.” What else could she say? “But not all women do that.”

  “Couldn’t prove it by me.” He met her gaze. “But I’ll have that talk with Tyler and make sure he understands that you’re not staying.”

  “Okay. Thanks. It would ease my mind because I’d never do anything to hurt him.”

  He nodded, lifted his hand in farewell and walked away without a word. That silence spoke volumes. He didn’t trust her even though he’d known from the beginning that she wasn’t staying. It was only ever going to be a summer job. Still, she couldn’t blame him for protecting himself. What he’d just told her underscored his deep resistance to commitment.

  He was dedicated to his son, but everyone else in his life was only provisional. He rescued people because it was safe and didn’t put his emotional well-being at risk. But that begged the question—why had he slept with her?

  The only answer she could come up with was that he’d done it because she was leaving and nothing could come of it. For him, even the most superficial relationship came with safeguards and conditions. Attraction had been simmering between them since the day they’d met, but he wouldn’t let himself act on it until he learned she didn’t need rescuing. And the only reason he’d let down his guard then was because she was temporary.

  But what if she wasn’t? She would give almost anything to be able to stick around permanently, just to see how he would handle her presence. See if he would run.

  Chapter Twelve

  Three days after giving her talk on wilderness survival, a couple of workshops on starting a fire safely and identifying edible forest plants, Kate followed Cabot into the woods with six children and camp counselor Diane Castillo, making it two children per adult. The whole merry band had just arrived at a clearing by the lake. Logs had been arranged in a square with a circular black scorched spot in the center where previous fires had burned. It was weird being off the trail; she’d been following her boss’s broad shoulders for several hours and would miss the view now that they were stopped.

  “This is a good spot.” Cabot slid his heavy pack from said shoulders and set it on the hard-packed dirt in the open area away from the trees and a short distance from the edge of the lake.

  Aaron, Gina and Ty were there with three other kids from the camp—David, Samantha and Rob. All of them looked around, their eyes widening with excitement.

  All except Ty. He set his lighter pack down beside his father’s. “We always camp here, Dad.”

  “Because it’s a good spot.”

  “What makes it a good spot?” David was about twelve and wore wire-rimmed glasses—very Harry Potter. He’d never been on an overnight campout before. “Shouldn’t we be under the trees? For cover?”

  “Not a good idea for two reasons.” Cabot helped the boy slide off his pack. “Number one, this is a safe place to build a fire. There’s no nearby brush, bushes or trees to catch fire if a breeze suddenly kicks up. Number two, we won’t damage a fragile ecosystem on this hard, rocky ground.”

  “Cool,” David said, taking in the terrain around them.

  “Any more questions?” Cabot asked.

  Samantha, a quiet little brown-haired girl, raised her hand. “Why did you pick up trash when we were walking here?”

  “I should have explained that while we were on the trail, but I wanted to make sure we got here in plenty of time to set up camp and have some fun.”

  “I can tell her, Dad,” Ty volunteered. At a nod from his father he continued. “We need to leave everything in the woods the way we found it. Take only pictures, leave only footprints. That means don’t do anything that harms the earth or the animals.”

  “That’s right.” Cabot ruffled the boy’s hair. “Potato-chip bags, aluminum cans and other paper don’t occur in nature.”

  “When we find it,” Ty added, “we pick it up for someone else who forgot to or doesn’t know any better.”

  “If we take care of the land, it will take care of us,” his father added.

  Kate smiled. Ty had been well trained by a man who had a soul-deep connection to the land that had been in his family for generations. He was already training his replacement for the family’s ranching business and other interests, not just by what he said but by everything he did. This might have been Cabot’s plan B as far as a career path, but he was awfully good at it. Whether he would admit the obvious or not, this life was in his soul.

  “Okay, we have some work to do.”

  As Cabot was assigning two kids to each adult, Ty insisted on being paired with Kate. She met his father’s gaze and knew there’d been no father-son chat yet. Now certainly wasn’t the time for it, and selfishly she was glad. Ty was a great kid and she sincerely enjoyed hanging out with him.

  They broke into groups and set up tents, gathered rocks for a fire pit and arranged dry wood inside it for later. They positioned provisions in an area not too far from where the cooking would be done, and everyone refilled their water containers. Now it was time to have fun.

  “Who wants to go fishing?” Cabot asked.

  “We don’t have fishing poles. They were too bulky to bring with us,” Aaron reminded him. All the kids had been instructed about what to pack and what not to.

  “I can take care of that.” Cabot grinned at their clueless expressions. “Let’s go.”

  Kate smiled as the children eagerly followed him without question. The trust in him was obvious. Kate could understand that. She trusted him, too, which seemed odd after her fiancé’s betrayal, but it was a fact.

  Cabot showed them how to find a long stick and tie a piece of string to the end of it with a hook attached. From his backpack he’d also taken a container of bait. Aaron did his best to be macho, but in the end Cabot patiently put a worm on the boy’s hook. He was there to help whoever needed it. The other boys didn’t and looked awfully superior about it.

  K
ate knew that would just get worse when they grew into men and were smack in the middle of learning about girls. How she wished it would be possible for her to watch Ty grow up, evolve into the heartbreaker he showed signs of becoming. Girls were going to love him, and he would return the favor. If his father’s experiences didn’t taint the boy’s attitude about dating.

  As Cabot led the group down to the lake’s edge, Kate expected any second to hear a rousing rendition of “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go.” Diane stood beside her, observing everything. She was black-haired, olive-skinned and in her early twenties. A single teacher who lived locally, she taught at Blackwater Lake Elementary School. She’d been working at the summer camp even before graduating from college and starting her teaching career.

  “I’ve never seen him quite this involved before.”

  “Who? Cabot?”

  Diane nodded. “It’s interesting.”

  “Doesn’t he always come along for this outing?”

  “Yes.” The other counselor met her gaze. “And he’s always good with the kids. Patient, but distant. Something’s different about him. As if his mind isn’t somewhere else, distracted by a dozen different things. He’s really in the moment.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I guess it always felt as if he was just going through the motions because Tyler wanted him here.” Diane shaded her eyes with her hand and watched Cabot talking to the children by the lake. “Today he’s really taking his time with the kids.”

  “It’s obvious that he cares deeply about the environment.”

  “Yes, he does.” Diane looked at her. “But I’m not sure it’s only about the environment.”

  Kate’s heart stuttered and she wondered about the meaning of those words. “You’re not talking about me.”

  “What do you think?” She shrugged. “He looks at you a lot when he thinks no one is watching him.”

  “You’re imagining it.” Kate wasn’t sure whether she wanted the statement confirmed or denied.

  “I don’t think I am.” The other counselor met her gaze. “I’ve been working summer camp for six years. Female counselors have come and gone. I’ve seen him socialize in town and at church, talking to women, both locals and tourists.”