The Cowboy Way

by Christine Wenger

  The band kicked up a two-step and he swung Beth into position. “Let’s see what you’ve learned, or how rusty I am.”

  “But your leg—”

  “I’ll stop when I need to.”

  Beth Conroy was a quick study, and Jake tried to make it to the end of the song, but the band was carrying on with chorus after chorus. He finally knew he had to sit down.

  “My boots are still like new and I don’t have any broken toes. You can go back to Arizona and show them how you can do the Texas two-step, Wyoming-style.”

  She smiled. “I’ll do that.”

  He guided her back to their table. They both reached for their glasses of ice water and took a long draw.

  “Drinking water isn’t so bad, is it?” she asked, clinking her glass against his.

  He really wanted a beer. “It’ll do.”

  She ran her finger down the dewy glass. “I can’t help but notice that you’re in a lot of pain. If you are bucked off, will you be able to get up fast enough to get away from the bull?”

  He leaned over the table. They were mere inches apart. “Darlin’, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you cared about me.”

  He could see her struggling to find the right words. “I-I…don’t like to see anyone hurt. What does your doctor say?”

  He hesitated. “He said I should take more time off.” He rocked his chair back on its two rear legs and looked around. Wasn’t anyone going to rescue him from this conversation? No midriffs to sign? No autographs needed on cocktail napkins?

  “Then why don’t you do what the doctor says?”

  “If I can ride the bounty bull, Wheelchair Rodeo will be set for a long time.”

  “And if you can’t?”

  “Wheelchair Rodeo will continue to rely on contributions, and I’m going to ride in the Challenge because it’s my event,” he said simply.

  “Why?”

  “I’m the organizer. My name’s on it. It’s called the Jake Dixon Gold Buckle Challenge for a reason. I’m going to ride. I need to ride. I ride bulls. That’s what I do.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake! Do you want to end up in a wheelchair?” she shouted over the band. Her eyes widened with shock and she clamped her lips together.

  He pushed his hat back with his thumb. That was just the question his doctor had asked him.

  “I’m sorry,” Beth said. “It’s none of my business.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Just like when you say I’m overprotective of Kevin, it’s none of your business.”

  “Right again.”

  She gathered up her purse. “Shall we go now?”

  He’d upset her again. Wasn’t this the perfect ending to one hell of a strange night?

  She was quiet on the ride home. At one point she fell asleep, so he put his arm around her shoulder and tried to pull her closer to him, but he woke her instead.

  She grunted. “What?”

  “Lay your head on my shoulder if you want to sleep, so you don’t bang it against the window.”

  She rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter. “I’m fine.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Ah, yes. The Jake Dixon charm. He’d been goaded into taking Beth out. Then he couldn’t drink, couldn’t dance and couldn’t fight.

  What kind of cowboy was he?

  Jake walked Beth to the door of the Trail Boss Cabin. He couldn’t remember when he’d been such a bonehead on a date. First, there was the Great Beer Mistake, then the Harvey Trumble Fiasco. Finally, he tells her to butt out of his life.

  He was so tired, his eyes were burning from the smoke at the Last Chance and he could barely stand. But he wanted to set things right with her.

  Yet at her cabin door, he was at a loss for words.

  “It was a great night. Thanks,” he managed to mumble. He didn’t understand it. He’d been interviewed by all the sports biggies, but he couldn’t connect two worthwhile sentences in front of Beth Conroy right now.

  But he couldn’t stand the sadness in her eyes. He’d been too hard on her during the butt-out conversation.

  So he did what he’d wanted to do all night. He pulled her to him and kissed her.

  Her arms went around his neck, and he took it as a sign that she wanted more. He deepened the kiss. His hands itched to touch her, to discover her body, to feel her warmth. He inhaled her scent, which was like musky roses.

  She broke away, took a deep breath. He could feel her wrists pulse where he held her. She was as affected by their kiss as he. “Good night, Jake. Thanks for the evening out.” Beth hesitated for a moment. “I’d ask you in, but tomorrow is a big day. We both need to get some sleep.”

  He knew a brush-off when he heard one.

  “Good night, Beth. See you in the morning.”

  He watched as she closed the door, then he hobbled back to the ranch house.

  They just didn’t mesh. She could be fun, and they’d had a few laughs, but when they crossed some invisible border, one of them got their hackles up.

  He should just keep his distance.

  Beth took a quick, hot shower to get the odor of cigarette smoke out of her hair. She was exhausted, but instead of sleeping, she thought about Jake Dixon.

  It had been an unusual night, but there were a few things that had made a considerable impression on her. Jake had refrained from drinking because of her, and he’d handled Harvey Trumble with much more patience than she would have.

  One thing she never thought about much was Jake’s popularity—his celebrity, or whatever it was called. She remembered the group gathered around him at the airport, and the crowd that had supported him at the Last Chance Saloon. She remembered the woman, Trixie, who’d asked him to autograph her stomach, and how he didn’t want to embarrass Beth by doing it. Interesting.

  They lived such different lives. He was country; she was city. He was fairly rich; she rented apartments. He could have any woman he wanted; she was a widow coping with a lot of guilt and a son in a wheelchair….

  Kevin!

  She shot upright in bed. She hadn’t thought of Kevin in hours. What kind of a mother was she?

  She took a deep, calming breath and made herself relax. Kevin was fine. He was having fun. And so was she. There was nothing to worry about.

  But after years of conditioning, how could she stop?

  The next morning, after a fitful sleep, Beth shrugged into a sweatshirt and hurried out the door for the flag-raising ceremony. It was a foggy morning, but the sun would soon burn the fog away. It was going to be another lovely day at the Gold Buckle Ranch.

  By the time the Pledge of Allegiance, Dex’s prayer and the day’s announcements were over, the fog was gone.

  She scanned the crowd of kids for Kevin. He spotted her, grinned and waved. That little gesture made her decide that he was doing okay and wasn’t missing her. He turned, and she followed the direction of his gaze. His smile went even wider and his wave stronger. Jake Dixon was walking toward him.

  They exchanged manly handshakes. Jake ruffled his hair, and Kevin didn’t seem to mind it in the least. The two of them clicked. No matter what, she was glad that Kevin had had the opportunity to meet Jake and get to know him.

  And deep down, she was glad that she had had the same opportunity.

  “Is everyone having a great time?” Dex Dixon shouted.

  “Yeah!”

  The cowboys tossed their hats in the air. Beth loved how they got the kids excited. Their deep voices mixed with the high-pitched cheers of the kids echoed across the grounds of the ranch.

  “Today, we’re going to get ready for the big trail ride tomorrow. There’ll be more riding and roping practice and we’re going to hear about how the pioneers settled the West. There’s some other things planned, too, but first—” Dex pointed to several hay wagons coming down the lane “—first, we are going to take a hayride to breakfast. Cookie’s fixing up something special by the river.”

  The kids squealed.

  �
��Everyone go with your volunteer and they’ll take you to your assigned wagon. Of course, our other guests are welcome to join us. There’s plenty of room and plenty of food.”

  The cowboys and the volunteers began wheeling the kids away. Ramps were in place. Soon the wagons were loaded. Kevin was one of the first to get on.

  “Mom! Mom! Aren’t you coming?” Kevin yelled.

  “I think I’ll stay here today, sweetie.”

  “C’mon, Mom!”

  Jake appeared at her side. “What’s stopping you?”

  “I was giving Kevin some distance.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you’re taking some of my unwanted advice.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Good, but forget it this time.” He took her arm. “Kevin wants you to go.”

  Standing so close to him reminded her of the kiss they had shared last night. A kiss that had curled her toes and kept her up tossing and turning and thinking of him.

  “Scrambled eggs, country sausage, home fries and Cookie’s special biscuits on a blanket alongside the Silver River. Later, Clint Scully’s going to spin a story or two for the kids. What more could you ask for?” Jake asked.

  “Less grease.” Beth laughed.

  He laughed. “Never. Cookie wouldn’t know how to cook without grease.”

  “So I’ve discovered.”

  “What do you say?”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  He motioned with his hand. “Let’s go, then.”

  She walked with him to the wagon, where Kevin was already in position. Jake helped her up the ramp. She sat on a bale of hay beside Kevin, and Jake sat next to her.

  “Are you having a good time?” Beth asked her son.

  “Awesome! It’s just so cool here, Mom. I wish we could stay forever.”

  “I have a job. You have school. When our vacation is over, we have to go home. You know that.”

  “But you can get a job here, and I can go to school here. I can have my own horse and…and…”

  “Kevin…” Let me worry about the future, she thought. She was good at it, since she worried about it nearly every day of their lives.

  “Hey, Kev, how’s your roping coming?” Jake asked, and she was glad for the change of conversation. “I think you’re a real contender for the Gold Buckle.”

  “Really, Jake?”

  “Really.” Jake nodded. “I think your competition is Haley Jo and maybe Alex, but I think you can win it with a little more practice.” He winked at Beth. “Besides, you have the official Jake Dixon rope.”

  Beth winked back. “Well, that decides it. Haley Jo and Alex don’t have a chance.”

  Clint Scully pulled out a guitar and started singing “Home on the Range,” which seemed to be his anthem. Everyone joined in. More songs followed, along with good-natured joking among the cowboys and kids.

  Beth laughed loudly and frequently, sang at the top of her lungs and clapped along with the kids. It was a beautiful day, made even better by Kevin and Jake’s company.

  When they arrived at the river, Kevin wheeled away to listen to Clint Scully’s story.

  Beth smiled at the cowboy next to her. “Jake, I’d like to thank you for changing the subject back there. Kevin gets so carried away.”

  He looked out at the distant mountains. “I can’t blame the boy. It’s beautiful out here.”

  “It’s beautiful in Lizard Rock, too.”

  “In an apartment building?”

  “Well, no, but we can drive to one of the local parks.” Actually, lately she hadn’t had the time to take Kevin anywhere except to doctors’ visits and to the hospital for tests.

  “It’s not the same as all this, is it?”

  “Not for a little boy with rodeo and horses and bulls on his mind, but it’s the best I can do. Sometimes I feel like it’s just not enough, no matter what.” She sighed, then blurted, “And Kevin should be walking, but he’s not. I have to take him to Boston.”

  It shocked her that she had just divulged her big worry to Jake Dixon without a moment’s hesitation.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m babbling and whining and I can’t stand myself about now. Maybe you should just go join the others while I walk this mood off.”

  “You can tell me what’s on your mind. Of course you’re worried about Kevin not walking.”

  He took her arm, steadying her as she stumbled on uneven ground. They continued walking.

  “You know, there’s something about this place that’s making me crazy. I never tell anyone my business or my worries. What is it about you?”

  “Maybe I’m a good listener.”

  “Maybe I have too much time to think here. Back home, I never have this kind of time.”

  “Let me get this straight—you don’t like having too much time to think?”

  “Correct.”

  Jake picked up a small stone and skimmed it across the river. “It’s bad to think?”

  “It is for me. I start to obsess.”

  “Just keep in mind that usually you can come to some kind of resolution when you have time to think about a problem. Then you can start to work on a plan. But obsessing doesn’t do any good.”

  “Do you get a lot of problems solved here, Jake?”

  “Usually, but lately I haven’t had time to think.”

  She laughed. “You have time now.”

  “Okay. I think that I’m starving and need some coffee. So let’s go and visit Cookie.” Jake motioned for her to come with him. “There. Now, wasn’t that easy?”

  “That was a cop-out, Jake Dixon.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jake took a seat in the picnic pavilion and stretched out his right leg. He enjoyed the sounds of laughter, good-natured teasing and shouting that drifted on the breeze. That’s what he liked to hear at the Gold Buckle Ranch, the sound of children being children and having a good time.

  He was the most content when the campers arrived at the ranch. All his work throughout the year, along with the help of his moth978-14592-2475-9 er and father who believed in Wheelchair Rodeo as much as he did, paid off whenever he looked at their happy faces.

  “How’s the leg, Jake?”

  Shoot. He’d been hoping not to run into Trot, known officially as Dr. Michael Trotter at Casper General Hospital.

  “It’s doing better,” he lied.

  “Doesn’t seem much better the way you’re favoring it. I want to check it and check your back. Stop in at the infirmary and let me take a touch and feel. I also want updated X rays. You can go to Casper Gen and get them done.”

  “Sorry, Doc. No time.”

  Trot took a gulp of coffee and raised a dark eyebrow. “Make time. I’ll bet my diplomas that your fracture isn’t healing right and your back is… Hell, we’ll cross that bridge later.”

  Jake opened his mouth to say something, but the doctor held up a hand. “Dammit, Jake. You’re not invincible.”

  “I’m doing okay.”

  “Doesn’t look it, and it’s only going to get worse if you don’t let me operate on you.”

  “Are you nagging me, Trot?”

  “Whatever it takes. Are you still planning on riding in the Challenge?”

  “You know I am. Plus I’m riding a bounty bull before that.”

  “You’d better buy a wheelchair of your own, then. I’m advising against it.” Trot drained his coffee. “Out of curiosity, who’s the bounty bull?”

  “Twister.”

  “Great.” Trot raised his eyes to the sky. “While you’re at Casper Gen, we’ll have your head examined, too.”

  Beth took a sip of coffee to wash down the fried potatoes that had caught in her throat. She hadn’t meant to listen in, but they were sitting right behind her.

  She knew how much riding the bounty bull and riding in his own event meant to Jake, but heavens, he certainly didn’t want to end up in a wheelchair himself. Beth didn’t know if the doctor was talking about a p
ermanent injury or a temporary condition if he rode. But either way, why would Jake want to take that chance?

  Because it meant a million dollars to Wheelchair Rodeo.

  And the Challenge had his name on it.

  Those were pretty important reasons to Jake. Important enough for him to put his health and his life on the line.

  It was none of her concern. Whatever Jake Dixon did was his business, not hers. He’d already told her as much.

  Beth helped some of the kids get their breakfast. Special picnic tables had been made so they could wheel their chairs right up to the table. No doubt it was Jake’s idea, and he and his friends had probably done the work. If he could make a drawing for her with the measurements, she could get one made for Kevin back in Lizard Rock and put it outside on her small patio.

  A dull ache settled in her chest. Kevin should be walking, but since he wasn’t, she really needed to take him to Boston so another specialist could evaluate him and figure out what was wrong. She’d do that the minute she got home.

  Home.

  She had to admit that she wouldn’t mind moving to Wyoming, but what she could afford in Wyoming was pretty much what she could afford in Arizona. Nothing much. So far, the only business-type places she’d seen in Mountain Springs where she could get a job were the Last Chance Saloon and the gas station next to it. She’d love a job at the Gold Buckle Ranch, but from what she could tell, it was entirely run by volunteers.

  She’d have to get a job in a nearby city like Casper. That would defeat the purpose of Kevin moving here.

  He also wanted a horse, and she’d love to give him one. She didn’t know the first thing about horses, other than that she could saddle one—well, kind of. A horse was a major expense. So was the care and feeding of one.

  While the kids ate and talked, Beth noticed they all had much more color in their cheeks than when they’d arrived. They were more animated, and they’d made new friends. It was good for them to get outside more, socialize with kids in the same situation, forget that they had problems—and be cowboys for a while.

  She was glad that Kevin was participating in Wheelchair Rodeo. So far everything was going well. Any earlier fears about Jake’s drinking had been banished to the back of her mind, but she was still going to be vigilant.