He hadn’t wanted to let her come along with him. But he couldn’t leave her to watch the barn burn. That would just be cruel.
“You sure?” he asked again when she didn’t answer.
“I’m sure.” She pushed out her lower lip in a childish pout while they wheeled up the driveway.
The truck rocked and jerked as it hit the potholes at twice the normal speed. The minute they arrived at the ranch Teague jerked the door open and hit the ground running, ignoring the girl’s exclamation of surprise and dismay. She could get out of the truck herself. He needed to find Troy.
He glanced toward the shed, but the space where Troy usually “stabled” Bessie the bicycle was empty. Teague swore softly, stifling the urge to run back to the truck and ask Courtney to confirm her Troy sighting one more time. The firemen had said Troy left the scene of the fire too. Courtney wasn’t the only one who saw him going.
One thing was for sure—when this was over, Teague was buying his brother a new bicycle. Troy was ridiculously attached to Bessie, but the old bike wasn’t exactly built for speed. Once Troy tried a newer racing bike, he’d probably like it.
And it would get him home faster.
Teague mounted the steps to the porch, figuring he’d watch the road from there. He’d give Troy ten more minutes to get home, and then he’d go look for him.
He’d pretty much forgotten about Courtney, and her voice from the porch swing in the corner startled him.
“Here comes somebody,” she said.
Teague squinted down the driveway. Sure enough, something was kicking up a cloud of dust. As it approached, he realized it was Jodi’s Ranger.
Well, at least he wouldn’t be alone with Courtney.
As the pickup neared, Teague could see Jodi had someone with her. He grinned when he realized it was Troy. Jodi must have seen him and picked him up. He should have thought to call her.
Without thinking, Teague ran down the steps and yanked open the passenger door. As Troy stepped out, he grabbed his brother in a hard embrace and blinked back something that felt disturbingly like tears. He let go and turned away, swiping at his eyes so Jodi wouldn’t see.
“Hey, buddy.” He tried to sound casual. “I was worried about you.” He turned back and realized Troy’s eyes were swollen and red. “You okay?”
“The barn burned down,” Troy said. “The horses got killed. They were locked inside. I could hear them. It was awful.”
Teague nodded and slung an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “I know. Sorry, bud. It’s awful.”
“I should have stayed to help, but I had to leave,” Troy said. “I couldn’t listen to it.”
“You couldn’t have helped.” Teague went around to the back of the truck and lowered the tailgate. Lifting Bessie out, he handed her over to Troy. “You left your backpack, though. I think it probably burned up.”
Troy shrugged. “There was nothing in it.”
“I saw it in the barn. I thought—I thought you were in there.”
“I was, earlier.” Troy looked puzzled. “Mr. Skelton said he needed me to make sure the stalls were clean. I don’t know why. The guys had already mucked them out.”
Teague watched Troy wheel the bike over to the shed. He couldn’t really figure out why Skelton had hired his brother, since he didn’t seem to give him much to do. Maybe he figured hiring the handicapped made him look good, or he got a tax write-off or something. Teague didn’t think for a moment the man had done it out of kindness.
Jodi rolled down her window as he approached the truck.
“Thanks for bringing him home.” Teague shoved his hands in his pockets. “I was worried.”
“He was upset about the fire and the horses. I saw him riding along and the bike was kind of weaving so I picked him up.”
Teague felt another rush of anger at Courtney. She’d seen the same thing and driven right on by. Sure, she’d been upset herself, but still…
“Could you do me a favor?” He gestured toward the porch. “Take Courtney home? She’s upset and she keeps crying.” He spread his hands helplessly. “Her horse was in the barn. I don’t know what to say.”
Jodi’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to comfort her?”
“Not really.” He met her eyes. “Honestly, Jodi, there’s nothing going on between us. I don’t even like her.” He hated to admit weakness, but he needed to make Jodi understand. “She’s after me, and I can’t seem to get away.”
Jodi grinned. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”
“You bet,” he said. “She’s a very scary girl.”
***
Monday morning, Jodi cursed herself for promising Courtney she could volunteer at the clinic. She hadn’t known how else to shift the poor girl’s attention from the death of her horse on the ride back to the Skelton estate. She couldn’t imagine losing your horse in a fire like Courtney had, and she really did want to help—but why the hell had she scheduled the girl’s orientation session for first thing Monday morning? This was no way to start the week.
And why the hell had Courtney brought her dog? She was clutching her mini-pom in the crook of her arm and stroking his head with one forefinger, totally distracted from all the things she needed to learn. The tiny pooch grinned up at Jodi, his little pink tongue flexed as he panted. It was driving Luna nuts.
Because Luna still hadn’t gone home. She’d become Jodi’s shadow, following her everywhere, sitting and staring at her as if she had an urgent message to relay if she could only talk. But with Honeybucket around, the border collie paced and whined, circling Courtney as if she wanted to separate her from the dog the way she’d cut a heifer from the herd when she worked with Teague.
“What’s with your dog?” Courtney asked.
“I don’t know. I think she wants to eat yours,” Jodi said.
Courtney clutched Honeybucket a little tighter and looked up at Vegas, who had come over to the fence where they were standing.
“I think it’s so sweet that Teague still takes care of this old horse,” Courtney said, looking up at Vegas.
Jodi scowled. She’d just mucked out the animal’s stall, led him around the arena a dozen times like she did three times a day to get him used to the space before she actually put kids on his back, and fed him his morning ration of hay, plus a hot mash she’d cooked up in the kitchen. But Teague was getting all the credit.
It wasn’t worth arguing about, though.
“Yeah, that’s Teague. Sweet,” she said, struggling to keep the irony out of her voice. “Sweet” wasn’t a word she’d ever heard used to describe her childhood friend before. She thought back to that afternoon in his bedroom. Teague wasn’t sweet. He was more… savory.
“So as an equine therapist, what will my duties be?” Courtney asked, shifting the dog so it lay like a baby in her arms. “I just can’t wait to get started working with those poor kids. I hope we can make them all better.”
“Um, well, you won’t really be a therapist,” Jodi said. “That takes training and you have to be certified. And you might want to modify the way you think about the clients. They don’t want to be pitied, and they don’t need to be cured. They just want to be accepted for who they are.”
“Oh.” Courtney’s voice was flat. “I thought I was going to be a therapist.”
“Sorry. That takes time. What I need right now is another assistant. I’ve got Teague’s brother Troy, but…”
“I’ll be working with Teague’s brother?” Courtney’s eyes narrowed. “Well, I hope you’re not going to have me cleaning stalls and stuff. I have a lot more to offer than that.”
“So does Troy.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know. I just know that’s all my dad has him do. He doesn’t trust him with the horses or anything.”
“I’d trust Troy with my life.” Jodi paused by the barn door. “You kn
ow, he’s the reason I got into this field. He’s like my own brother, pretty much.”
Troy looked up as they approached. He was dumping a pitchfork full of horse leavings into a wheelbarrow, whistling as he worked.
“Hey, Troy,” Jodi said. “Here’s Courtney. Remember I told you she’d be working with us?”
Troy looked up. “Yeah,” he said, his tone flat.
Courtney trilled out a little laugh. “Well, this’ll be so nice, honey.” She touched Troy’s arm with one hand, her perfectly manicured fingernails bright against the faded blue of his denim shirt. “Now you can be my friend, just like your big brother.”
“He’s my little brother.” Troy squared his shoulders and turned back to his work. He had an unerring sense for condescension, and Courtney had spoken to him slowly, with exaggerated enunciation as if he was a child. “But I’m glad he’s got a friend. Mostly, Teague’s too grouchy to make friends.”
“Well, I think your brother is very nice,” Courtney pouted.
“Oh, he’s nice,” Troy said. “Just in a really grouchy way.” He glanced down at Honeybucket. “Hey, what’s that? Is that a puppy? Can I hold it?” He reached out for the dog, but Courtney drew back, covering the dog protectively with her free hand.
“No. He’s delicate,” she said. “You might hurt him.”
Troy turned away, a flash of emotion crossing his face. Disappointment, Jodi thought, and hurt, mixed with a dash of anger. Courtney and Troy were definitely not getting off to a good start.
“Troy’s my number one assistant,” Jodi said, earning a smile. “He’ll help you learn the ropes. You’ll be cleaning out stalls once in a while, and raking the arena. But don’t worry,” she hastened to add as Courtney’s smile faded. “You’ll be participating in therapy sessions too. Leading the horses, helping the kids tack up—that kind of stuff.”
“Here’s how we clean the stalls,” Troy said slowly, dumping a forkful of dirty straw into the wheelbarrow with an exaggerated motion. He held out the pitchfork toward Courtney. “Here. Now you try it.”
“Um… in a minute.” Courtney backed away. “Jodi, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.” Jodi tried to suppress a smile. Well, that was easy. Courtney was going to quit before she even started.
***
Teague shut down the tractor and hopped off, mopping his brow with a bandanna. He was in the last phases of clearing extra acreage for pasture. It was past time for a break, and he just happened to be at the part of his property that bordered Jodi’s. He glanced across the road. The Brand ranch house was surrounded by trees, a green oasis in the flat landscape, and it looked cool and inviting. He just bet she had a glass of iced tea in there somewhere. Shoving the bandanna in his back pocket, he hopped the fence and crossed the road, patting his thigh when Luna ran down the driveway and fell into step beside him.
“Hey, girl,” he said. “Remember me?”
She whined and trotted toward Jodi’s, then stopped, looking back as if urging him on.
“Coming,” he said. “Hey, who’s here?”
He didn’t really need to ask the dog who owned the silver SUV parked in Jodi’s driveway.
“Courtney,” he said. “Shit.”
He stopped, then trudged onward. He needed something wet and cool so bad, not even the prospect of dealing with Courtney could stop him. Besides, he wanted to know what she was doing at Jodi’s. Hopefully she hadn’t gone there looking for him.
But maybe this was an opportunity. Maybe if she saw how he felt about Jodi, she’d back off.
As he approached the house, the two girls walked out of the barn together, so deep in conversation they didn’t even see him. Wonder of wonders, Courtney was wearing normal, everyday clothes—jeans and a T-shirt. The jeans were pretty much pasted onto her body, and the shirt was decorated with a rhinestone silhouette of a pair of crossed six-guns that glinted in the sun. It was an outfit that just might scare the horses into a stampede, but it was a step in the right direction.
He’d caught Jodi flashing a few hostile looks at Courtney during the Rotary luncheon, and he’d flattered himself that she was jealous—but judging from her body language now, when she didn’t even know he was approaching, her feelings about Courtney didn’t have a thing to do with him. He paused near the porch while they were still absorbed in conversation.
“I’m just a little concerned,” Courtney said.
“About what?” Jodi sounded wary.
“Well, you told Troy he would be training me to do some of my tasks as a volunteer,” Courtney said. “And I’m worried about how that’s going to affect our relationship.”
“What do you mean?’ Jodi asked. “It’ll be fine.”
“But if he trains me, it might be hard for him to mind me later on.”
“Mind you?”
“Well, yes, You know, accept my authority.”
Oh, man. This was going to be good. Normally, Teague would have jumped in to defend his brother—but he had a feeling Jodi would do just fine on her own.
“Trust me, Troy doesn’t accept anyone’s authority.” Teague could hear the smile in Jodi’s voice. “Not even mine.”
“Well, that might be something I could work on with him.”
“Sure,” Jodi said. “Maybe smack him around a little. Show him who’s boss.”
Teague had to stifle a snort at that one. Jodi was definitely taking care of business.
“Well, I didn’t mean that. I meant…”
“Listen,” Jodi said. “Let me explain this before you piss me off. Troy is my assistant. My number one. My right hand. When it comes to the kind of things you’ll be doing as a volunteer, he’s perfectly qualified to train you.”
“I don’t think you understand.” Courtney’s condescending tone made him bristle. He could just imagine how Troy felt. “I have a lot of experience with horses. My Hanoverian, Double Dutch, won the Fendi Cup at the Hampton Classic and was considered for the Olympic team.” Her lower lip began to tremble. “He’s gone now, but…”
Jodi tossed her hair. “Your horse won it? Where were you?”
“I was there,” Courtney said. “I always oversaw Dutch’s handlers. Like I said, I’m quite experienced.”
“Well, Troy grew up ranching,” Jodi said. “I’d say that makes you even at best. He did a lot more than watch somebody else ride his horse.”
“Well,” Courtney said. There was a long silence, but she broke it with an exasperated little huff. “But I don’t want him touching Honeybucket. He’s delicate.”
“This isn’t Of Mice and Men, and Troy’s no Lenny,” Jodi said. “He’s perfectly capable of handling your… dog. And if the animal’s that delicate, you shouldn’t bring him here.”
Teague couldn’t help laughing, but he figured he’d better intervene before there was an all-out catfight and somebody got hurt. He knew Emmett had written up releases for the clinic, but he doubted Jodi was covered for murdering volunteers.
“Teague!” Courtney spotted him and posed against the railing. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was just talking to Jodi about your brother Troy. I’m a little concerned she’s not monitoring him closely enough.”
Teague narrowed his eyes. Had Troy hurt himself again? When he’d overheard Courtney talking about his brother, it had gotten his back up—but maybe she’d had a reason to think Jodi wasn’t giving Troy enough supervision.
“What happened?”
“Nothing, as far as I could see,” Jodi said. “Why don’t you explain your concerns to Teague while I get us some iced tea?”
She flashed a murderous look at Courtney, then tossed Teague the same baleful glare and stomped into the house, her jaw set. Teague made a mental note to watch his step. She was liable to get out her daddy’s shotgun and shoot her new volunteer, and judging from her expression, anyone in a three-mile radius might
end up as collateral damage.
***
Jodi washed her hands, then slammed three glass tumblers down on the counter and clinked a handful of ice into each, almost enjoying the cruel bite of the cubes on her hands. She muttered a few curse words as she pulled a pitcher of iced tea and a lemon out of the refrigerator, then scanned the lit interior.
Man, she was hungry. She hadn’t had breakfast, and it was practically lunchtime. But if she made herself lunch, she’d have to invite Courtney to eat, and Teague too. Glancing over her shoulder, she fished a piece of ham out of a deli bag, rolled it up, and ate it in three quick bites. That helped, but she needed something more.
Pickles. Belle Arnold had brought her a big jar of homemade baby dills as a housewarming present. Hauling it out of the fridge, she grabbed a fork and speared one, then stood at the counter, crunching it happily. Ham and pickles. That was a balanced meal, right? Protein and a vegetable.
The floor creaked behind her and she whirled to see Teague walking in the door. She quickly dropped the fork, pickle and all, in the sink and tried to look casual.
“So did you ease Courtney’s worried mind?”
“Yeah. It was nothing,” he said. “She just likes to stir up trouble.”
“No kidding.” She poured the tea, almost sloshing it over the edge of the glasses, then slapped the lemon onto the cutting board beside the stove and got a knife out of the drawer below. She turned to face Teague and he backed away, his hands palms out at chest level as if warding her off.
“Easy, there,” he said. “Watch the knife.”
“Sorry.” She sighed and he lowered his hands as she turned and sliced the lemon into wedges. “I just hate to see you getting involved with somebody who doesn’t understand Troy. I mean, you heard her. Talking about making him ‘mind.’”
“I told you, I’m not involved with her.”
Jodi tossed him a disbelieving glare.
“Why? You jealous?” He was giving her that sneaky grin again—the one that said he’d caught her looking at him, or thinking about him, or being jealous. But he was wrong this time. She gave the lemon a final whack and he flinched.
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