Austin (New Horizon Ranch Book 8)

by Debra Clopton

  Ty’s lip hitched into a crooked grin. “Well, if you put it that way, then I’m not going to stand in your way.” He started to walk away and paused to turn back. Quietly he added, “And Jolene, I never said I doubted you.” With that, he tipped his hat and strode toward the arena fence, chaps swishing as he walked.

  She eyed her rough stock, figuring the best way to work with him. He eyed her right back, probably trying to decide what was the best way to not work with her.

  “You gonna ride him or make eyes at him?” someone heckled from the fence. Chuckles followed.

  “You fellas do have a job, right?” Ty drawled, warning in his tone. “There won’t be any riding today. The horse hasn’t even had a saddle on its back yet. So get to work.”

  He was right, and the men knew it; they were just messing with her and she understood it. They were just having a little fun. Not all of them but there were always a few in every bunch. Still, even those who weren’t taunting were wondering whether she was as good as she was supposed to be. And she was supposed to be good.

  She worked with Dimples for the rest of the morning. Walking him in the round pen, working him with her long pole that was used to reach out and direct the horse to react a certain way. She’d always been enthralled to watch the breaking process. The ten-foot long, half-inch thick pole had intrigued her as she’d watched the men on the ranch where her mother had taken a job as the cook.

  A cook. Are you the new cook? Austin’s words rang in her ears.

  She had run out of that kitchen as fast as her mamma would let her loose each morning. She had horse breaking to watch and eventually horses to break herself.

  Of course, it hadn’t been that easy.

  She still remembered the first time she hit the dirt after a ride. It had broken more things than she’d hoped but it hadn’t broken her spirit. And as soon as she was able, she’d climbed back on another unbroken horse and held on for dear life. And then she’d hit the dirt again.

  Today there would be no hitting the dirt.

  Oh, it happened. It was part of the job description but she wasn’t wet behind the ears gung-ho any longer. She was patient, kind, and persistent.

  Let them make their bets. There were going to be a lot of light pockets by tomorrow evening…that is, if they were betting she couldn’t break the horse. If they were betting she would hit the ground, then she didn’t plan on it but to her. The landing on her rump in the dust wasn’t the prize. It was getting a horse to submit to her authority so that she could teach it to be useful on the ranch. In the end, that was what she was after.

  She worked all day, taking quick breaks when she needed and then getting right back in the arena. Several times the horse reared and pawed and on the first incident, she saw Ty come toward her from the pen next to hers where he was working a colt.

  “No,” she snapped sharply. “I’ve got this. Let me do my job.” Maybe she should have been more diplomatic with the man who paid her salary but it was now or never. He let her have her way.

  By the evening, she’d moved in close to the horse and was using the saddle blanket instead of her pole. “You’re doing good, Dimples,” she said, calling the horse by the playful name. As she spoke, she rubbed the blanket on the horse’s flank and then gently laid it on its back. The horse flinched, but didn’t start sidestepping away in panic. Or worse, rear up again.

  And by this she knew she’d made progress. It had been a good day.

  It was nearing dark when she finally called it a night. Weary, she headed to her bunk to shower and hopefully find something to eat considering she’d skipped dinner.

  “Hey, you’re doing great,” Rafe called from where he and Ty had been watching her.

  She walked over. “Thanks. Tomorrow I’ll ride him.”

  Rafe grinned. “Tomorrow?”

  “Sure. I could have pushed for it today but I like to give them a little time to adjust.”

  Ty looked pleased but just nodded.

  “You train them similar to the way I do, from what I could see as we were doing circles.”

  “I do,” he said. “Makes them calmer than just green breaking them.”

  Jolene agreed. “Taking a wild horse straight off the pastures and hopping on their back for a buck out is more showboating than anything. It doesn’t teach it to trust me or any other rider. I do like to bring it to a point of mutual understanding and then give it the opportunity to toss me. But I look at that as a salute to its wildness. It should have the opportunity to fight to remain wild.”

  “Should be interesting,” Rafe said. “Hey,” he called just as a beautiful woman walked into his arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey yourself, cowboy.” She wrapped an arm around him and held out her other hand to Jolene.

  Rafe smiled. “Jolene, meet my wife Sadie. Sadie, meet Jolene, our newest equine specialist.”

  Jolene almost chuckled at Rafe’s teasing. “Equine specialist, good one. It’s nice to meet you, Sadie.”

  “So, you’re breaking horses. You are as tough as Maddie.”

  “Thanks, I take that as a compliment.” Jolene smiled at Sadie and decided she liked her.

  “Oh, it is. I’m okay on a horse but there is no way I could do what you girls do. But I admire you. And you love it. It’s written all over your face.”

  “Behind my grit and grime makeup?”

  Everyone laughed and Jolene wiped her cheek with her dusty fingertips. After being in the round pen with the horse stirring up dust as it made circle after circle, she was a walking dust bunny. “I think it’s time for me to take a shower and scrounge up something to eat before lights out.”

  “There’s food in the bunkhouse kitchen. Cook always keeps stuff in there for y’all to warm up if you’re hungry,” Ty offered.

  “Shoot,” Sadie cut in. “I wish I’d cooked something at the big house. If I had, I would have brought you something while you get a shower.”

  Jolene didn’t miss Rafe’s grimace and that Ty’s gaze dropped to his boots.

  “Hey.” Sadie elbowed her husband. “It’s not that bad. Y’all ate my cooking for a while.”

  “When we didn’t have a cook,” Rafe pointed out.

  Sadie directed her humorously indignant glare on the overly quiet Ty. “Ty, tell my husband it wasn’t that bad.”

  Ty inched his chin up and his gaze beneath the brim of his hat was apologetic. “It wasn’t too bad.”

  Jolene bit back a chuckle. “So you cooked for the ranch?” she asked, taking the heat off Ty.

  “I did. Not for too long. I’ll admit when I took the job I didn’t know how to cook. Never done it a day in my life.”

  Rafe chuckled. “And boy did it show. But you tried, honey. I’ll give you that.”

  Two days later, Austin strode into Sam’s Diner for breakfast after having worked the night shift. The place was buzzing with business. He scooted into a booth and cupped his hands on the table as he waited for Sam or the new waitress to get a moment to take his order.

  He recognized a few of the cowboys from New Horizon Ranch.

  “Deputy Austin, you’re looking a little tired this morning.”

  Austin nodded at the older man at the table beside the window. Applegate Thornton and his buddy, Stanley Orr, were fixtures in the diner every morning at breakfast. They liked to play checkers all morning while keeping up with everything going on in town.

  “It was a slow night, App,” he said. “Kind of wears a man out when he’s just sitting around. But then, I wouldn’t trade the quiet of the country life for the hustle and bustle of the city.”

  Applegate hitched a brow. “Boy, ain’t that the truth,” he boomed.

  The man was very hard of hearing and obviously had his hearing aids turn down. Stanley was just as bad off and Austin wondered whether he’d even heard their conversation because he was being so quiet. Then he realized his balding head was bent over the checkerboard as he studied it intently. He was either conflicted about
his next move or he was about to make a big jump. When he picked up his red checker and slammed it decisively over two of App’s black checkers, Austin had his answer.

  Applegate glared. “What did you go and do that for?”

  His buddy chuckled. “I’m supposed to beat you.”

  Applegate scowled. “No, I’m supposed to beat you.”

  That brought chuckles from everyone in the diner.

  Austin laughed, too. The men were always entertaining.

  “Hey, Austin.” BJ slid into the booth across from him.

  “Hey, yourself, kid,” Austin said. He was practically a kid, not much more than twenty. Austin was twenty-nine and he figured nine years was enough years for him to be able to call BJ “kid.” Surely he hadn’t been as wet behind the ears as this kid was when he was twenty. If he had been, it was a miracle he was still alive.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked as the kid grinned at him.

  “Man, you should have seen Jolene yesterday. She was working a wild horse all day long and looking about as pretty as a butterfly roping colts.”

  Austin thought about that for a minute. It didn’t quite make sense, but he had a feeling that BJ was trying to be poetic. Austin didn’t have the heart to tell him poetry wasn’t his thing. Besides, it was the “working a wild horse” part that had his attention. “What was she doing with the wild horse?”

  “Working with it. You know, breaking it.”

  The kid cocked his head. “Breaking horses is what she was hired for. She’s supposed to be one of the best. That’s why she was hired on. You didn’t think it was just so she could help us herd cows, did you? And besides, if you and her hadn’t been so ornery with each other, you might have already known this bit of info.”

  Austin shot the kid an annoyed look that had him hiking a shoulder and grinning.

  “It’s none of my business why she got hired on at the ranch,” he grumbled, wishing Sam would bring him some coffee. He thought of Sydney and Julie and wondered whether Jolene knew exactly how dangerous breaking broncs could be.

  “Well, you should have seen her moves. She didn’t ride the mustang today, though. She worked it, and worked it and she worked it. She was all nice to it and all that good stuff, though. That wild pony just eyed her and snorted and pawed but did what she asked eventually. I mean, he’s as wild as it gets and doesn’t take kindly to having a halter on him. He fought Jolene, rearing up and pawing and even charged her a few times but she’s tough. And quick as lightning. I’m thinking several of the cowboys are wishing they’d switched their bets.”

  Austin thought about that for a minute. The thought of Jolene climbing on the back of a wild horse didn’t sit well with him. He was still thinking about it when Sam walked over with the pot of coffee in his hand.

  “Mornin’, Deputy.” Sam grinned. “I know you want a cup.” He set a cup on the table and filled it up.

  “Thanks, much appreciated.” If the tiny, little man had known what was going through Austin’s head at that moment, he’d have just given him the pot to chug down. As it was, he held back and took his time picking the mug up and taking a drink. It did not help the dark cloud forming inside Austin.

  “What do you want for breakfast? You don’t look so good.”

  “Just give me the regular, Sam.” Austin had lost his appetite actually but didn’t want to just get up and storm out. Because if he walked out that door right now, he knew he’d hop in his vehicle and drive straight to that ranch and get Jolene out of that horse pen.

  And it’s none of your business, bucko, so stay put.

  BJ stared at him. “She’s good—you saw that the other day,” he said, as if realizing Austin was not as thrilled as he seemed about the situation.

  Austin had seen her ride in a roundup. Nothing spectacular, and then she’d been administering vaccines. A nice, safe spot for a woman. “She rode a broke horse all two days, BJ. Then vaccinated cattle. Hardly compares to being in a pen with a wild horse.”

  “Did you say someone was in a pen with a wild horse?” Sam asked.

  Immediately, App and Stanley looked across at him.

  “What for?” Stanley scratched his head. “Breaking them?”

  “I always did love to ride an unbroken colt,” App barked louder than needed.

  “It’s a pure wonder you didn’t get your bones broke,” Sam grunted.

  “That’s right.” Stanley laughed. “You had your fun but you and me both know Sam was the bronc buster back in the day.”

  Startled, Austin looked at the tiny man who looked more like a jockey than a bronc buster.

  “You broke horses?” BJ asked in awe before Austin could remark.

  “Yup, it was in my blood. Not that I did it as a living all the time. I just did it for the heck of it. But, I was fond of my mobility and the thought of retiring without being in a world of pain every morning when I woke. So the diner was a smarter option fer me.”

  “Smart man,” Austin grunted.

  “Well, Jolene’s tough and looks like she’s got a plan where this wild pony is concerned.”

  “Huh?” App muttered. “Y’all are talkin’ about a woman?”

  BJ nodded. “Just hired on at the New Horizon. She’s supposed to ride it this afternoon and most all of us cowboys have bets going. Some of them, most of them are betting she gets bucked off on the first go-round. I’m not going to bet against her. I mean, she rammed me in the ribs the other day in the truck and my ribs still hurt. She’s strong and I think she can ride it.”

  Austin pulled money out of his pocket. “Sam, thanks for the coffee but I need to be heading out.”

  He knew it was time. Either that or he was going to say something he’d regret. He said his quick good-byes and then headed out. It was time to get some shut-eye.

  Or at least a shower. All the way home, he fought the urge to head out to New Horizon and forced himself to stay the course toward home. His hands gripped the wheel tightly. There were men who rode and broke and trained unbroken horses every day. And women, though not near as many. The fact that his brother-in-law had been one of them and had had a freak fall shouldn’t weigh in. But it did. A man, or woman, could ride all their life until they got bucked off for the last time. Charles had never thought it could happen to him and now he’d left behind a family who missed him something fierce.

  Austin got out of his truck and stalked into the house. He wasn’t going over there. It was best if he stayed away because his inclination was to go over there and make sure she didn’t get on the back of that wild horse. He figured if he dragged her out that round pen, he’d be the one getting the elbow to the rib that BJ had talked about.

  Shedding his clothes in the bedroom, he climbed into the shower and let the hot water run over him. It eased some of the tension and unclouded his head a little. When he was done, he lay down on the bed. All he could think about was Jolene.

  And of course, he had Dolly Parton’s sweet, little country voice stuck in his mind singing: Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.

  He did not sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Jolene work with Dimples till about noon and training was going good. Yes, the far from calm horse had charged her a few times and she’d had to do some quickstepping to get out of its way but that had been yesterday and only a couple of times today.

  She stopped for lunch and to let Dimples calm down. Of course, all the guys who were around in chow hall were teasing her—testing her. They wanted to see what she was made of and she knew it.

  “Lookin’ good out there, Bartee,” hunky Riley Calhoun drawled as he shot her a sexy grin.

  Jolene was sure that grin had sent many a female heart racing but she was immune to cowboy charm. “Why, thank you, Calhoun.”

  He crossed his arms on the table and leaned toward her as she finished off the last of her peach cobbler. “You sure you’re not afraid to get on the little pony’s back? Or are you just planning to walk it and sweet-talk it until it asks you to throw
a saddle on its back and ride?”

  She laughed and stood. “You’re a real comedian, Calhoun.” She headed casually toward the door. “I’ll be progressing to a saddle about mid-afternoon, boys,” she said, speaking in general to anyone who was paying attention to the conversation and then she left.

  She had a few more things to do before she saddled him or she was in for a lot of bucking. And she’d rather prove to everyone that she could do this without riling up the horse too badly. That wasn’t good for it or her.

  She had him accepting the blanket without throwing a fit, so now she brought the saddle out and he watched every move she made. The process began of getting Dimples somewhat comfortable with it. She went through several steps and finally she placed it on his back and got it girted up. That process had him rearing up and a bit irritated. Jolene noted in her peripheral vision that the round pen railing was becoming crowded. She preferred no audience but today it couldn’t be helped.

  She took hold of the saddle horn and placed her boot in the stirrup; then she stood in the stirrup. Dimples instantly sidestepped and nickered loudly with a snort thrown in here and there as he danced around the arena with her standing straight in the stirrup. She was giving him time to absorb her presence. He bucked his hind legs, showing no signs of calming down.

  She held on. And then threw her leg over. Not exactly the way she’d wanted it but she’d learned in all of her years of doing this that one horse was never completely like another with training.

  Good to know and be prepared for…because Dimples—he did not like having her on his back.

  Unable to stop himself, Austin gave up on sleep finally and headed to New Horizon. He made it to the ranch about the time he saw Jolene stand up in the stirrup. He knew that was what she was doing because as he parked his truck, she popped up and could be seen past the crowd of cowboys circling the round pen.