Protecting What's Mine: A Western Romance

by BL Craven

  “Do they know Tyler is dirty?”

  “After the first two times we complained, they quit taking those types of calls. They think we’re a bunch of nut cases.”

  “Is there anybody other than the three Barts I have to worry about?” I asked Jackson.

  “Yeah, as a matter of fact. Carl’s foreman, Dade, like the county. He’s a mean son of a bitch in a fight and a pretty good shooter. Comes from your kind of background.”

  “Yeah? He any good?” I asked, wondering if he meant Dade was military.

  “He worked here for a few summers until he went off to college. When he got out of the service, he went to work for Carl. More money I guess.” I nodded at his words.

  “Think he’ll join in the fight?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m worried he already has. You be careful out there tomorrow,” he said, finishing his cup of coffee. “I’m going to meet the equipment crew first thing in the morning. I already have some of the younger boys cleaning up after the party. Oh and uh, Alison… Sandy said she made a spot up for you, so your dad and mom can have some alone time tonight.”

  “I’ll grab the couch here if it’s all the same to you,” she told him, and the old cowboy stood up and put the cup on the counter.

  “Yeah, I don’t blame you. You know, I’m pushing sixty-seven this year; I’m not a young buck any more. Pretty soon, it’ll be time for me to retire and let somebody else take over running roughshod over these hooligans. I’ll leave word with Charlie to hold back in the morning; he’s going to be heading out to the equipment crew. Maybe you’ll take my job someday, Cam? What do you think?”

  “I don’t know about that, but thanks,” I told him, taking his hand and shaking it.

  I saw him out and returned to the table. Alison was drinking her coffee and looking into space. Her gaze was unfocused, and I knew she was thinking. I grabbed my cup and refilled it, breaking her concentration by refilling hers as well.

  “Not too much more or I’ll never sleep.”

  “Same here. I’m going to sleep soon myself; go ahead and get the bed, I’ll crash out on the couch.”

  “This is your house, I can get the couch.”

  “Naw, I’m not used to sleeping on a bed like this yet. Besides, last night I tossed and turned and ended up sleeping on the floor.”

  “Oh okay. You have blankets and pillows in the closet here.”

  We’d both stood, and she’d moved toward the closet. I wanted to follow, to put my arms around her. She was trembling, and I knew it wasn’t from too much caffeine. I wondered how much of this my parents knew… About the Bart clan and what she’d tried to do, to make life better. How much guilt she must feel, even after she’d almost been raped. I held back, even though my inner self was shouting my cowardice to the moon. It would be too close, and I needed to keep my distance. Seeing her vulnerable hit about every heart string I had. Keeping her safe and seeing the issues through, I could do that.

  “Thanks.”

  She just nodded and headed into the bedroom, closing the door.

  “Good night,” she said softly, once the door was closed.

  “Night,” I answered, wondering if she felt the need for the distance herself.

  I turned the coffee pot off, rinsed the mugs, and made a comfortable spot on the couch. Sleep didn’t find me right away, and I had too many things running around my head. Guilt and shame were big topics I tried to ignore, and not all of it because of the kiss.

  It was because I realized that, until now, I’d never known that I wasn’t the center of the universe and that notn everything happened because of me or around me. I’d spent so much of my life angry at everyone and everything, and had never taken a moment to wonder what the bigger picture was. I was an arrogant sort, and now my eyes had been opened.

  Chapter Seven

  My sleep was dreamless, and I woke up to a beautiful sight. Alison was standing over me, her hair almost covering her face as she gently pushed my shoulder.

  “Wake up, you big lump.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Six. We overslept.”

  “We just had a party last night,” I complained.

  “Yeah, well, you have to go to the stables and meet Charlie.”

  “I thought Jackson was taking care of that.”

  “Yeah, but Charlie texted me. He asked you to stop in so he could introduce you to Lightning.”

  “Yeah? Horse that skittish?” I asked, and she nodded.

  “Okay. Sounds good to me. You coming?”

  “I have to go back to the house to change. Grab a shower and meet him. He said six-thirty.”

  “Sounds good. See ya, sis,” I told her, and she gave me a pained expression.

  “Alison or Ali is fine. After that kiss, hearing you call me sis doesn’t feel right.”

  “Fair enough,” I told her, my cheeks burning.

  She wasn’t gone two minutes and I was pouring a cup of coffee when I heard a rap on the screen door.

  “Mind if I stop in?” Bill asked.

  I turned and motioned for him to come in. He looked rested and decked out in his traveling gear, much like he had the other day when he picked me up from the airport. He stood in the doorway wearing khaki slacks, a blue polo that looked comfortable, and the cowboy hat that never left his head out of doors.

  “Coffee?”

  “Please,” he said, a man of few words. I poured him a cup.

  We sipped in silence for a few minutes. I knew he had something on his mind, and I was worried that he saw the kiss last night, or was told of it. I tried not to let myself blush in front of him and wondered what he’d think of things even if he did know about it. He finally broke the silence.

  “We’re going to be gone for a couple of weeks. Meredith filled you in?”

  “Yeah. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. I just wanted you to know. Your apology yesterday, you really meant that didn’t you?”

  “Yes, sir,” I admitted.

  “I didn’t make things as easy on you as I should have. Your father had spent a year wasting away from cancer, then poof, he’s gone and I…”

  “Ali said you always loved my mom.”

  “I did, still do. I loved Carol for a time too. Family; it’s what I’ve always wanted.”

  “Yeah, I understand. A lot has happened in a hurry. It’s hard for me to take it all in at once,” I told him, thinking it was coming soon.

  “It’s a bad time for me to leave, but I have to,” he said as he refilled his cup. “Timing on this has to be perfect or we start all over with the adoption again.”

  “Jackson’s got a plan on things while you are gone. I’m going to help and…”

  “Watch Alison for me,” he interrupted. “Don’t let her get hurt.” He finished off his cup of coffee, his eyes never leaving mine. He looked at me hard.

  We locked gazes for a long moment, him making sure I got the silent message. I had. I nodded finally, and he put the cup in the sink.

  “I won’t,” I told him as he walked out the screened door.

  My head and heart were a confused, jumbled mess. I shook it to clear out the mental cobwebs. Did he mean watch out for her, don’t let her get hurt, literally? Like, keep Tim away? Or was he warning me off? How much did he know or suspect?

  I grabbed my bag and headed to the bathroom. The water in the old cabin was barely warm, so I hurried in the shower. When I got out, I found a note on the door from Ali that she’d meet me at the horse barn. I smiled, surprised I hadn’t noticed it when Bill had come in.

  I pulled my boots on, grabbed the rifle and headed out, grabbing my hat at the last minute. I’d fled this life as fast as I could seven years ago; now I was jumping right back into it. I checked the mags before I left the porch, and went back inside, getting the box. I loaded all three, putting one magazine in the rifle, but I left the chamber empty. I put the extra shells in a breast pocket, knowing that any riding would be uncomfortable with those in any o
f my pants pockets.

  The walk to the barn didn’t take me long, and in the daylight, I could see that I could have easily parked my Jeep here. Note to self for next time.

  The ranch was already buzzing with activity. A truck took off from the bunkhouse with half a dozen guys sitting in the bed, their lunch buckets piled up near the cab. Only one or two people were mounted on horses, and it was probably because they were preferring to ride out, or riding fence the other way. Me? I was walking. At least for now.

  Inside the horse barn, the four-footed beggars were all waiting. The man I assumed must be Charlie was rubbing down a paint.

  “Charlie?” I held out my hand to the man, who grinned at me with white teeth through a dark complexion.

  He looked like he was of Spanish and Indian descent, and probably grew up right around here.

  “Yeah, that’s me. I heard you need to borrow a horse for some riding.”

  “Hi, I’m Cameron, yeah; I’m going to be riding fence on the Bart side.”

  Charlie gave a low whistle and put his hand on my shoulder a moment.

  “That may not be the safest job on the ranch right now.”

  “I’ve heard. I’d like to help, and I’m family now.”

  “Yeah, and you have to do what you can for family. I have a big one myself. What you need is a good, fast horse.”

  “Lightning?” I asked, breaking the grip and rubbing the paint’s nose.

  “Yes. She’s quick, but she has a temper. Don’t let her start steering on her own, or she gets a bit uppity. Might nip you. She’s only thrown me once, but that’s when she was younger. We get along good now,” he said, rubbing her neck.

  Lightning leaned her head my way, looking me in the eye and taking my measure. I reached my hand out to pet the other side of her neck and she stomped her hoof. I stepped back, giving her some distance. After a moment, she stepped forward and put her nose into my shirt, getting my smell. She shook her head side to side for a moment, and I scratched her between the ears. She gave me a gentle nudge with her head that almost had me stumbling. Charlie was laughing quietly.

  “That means she likes you. That’s a Lightning hug.”

  “Well, I’m glad I passed muster.”

  “I’d hate to see what would have happened if you’d tried to saddle her without me here.”

  “Bad?”

  “Yeah. You should be pretty good now. If you’ve ridden headstrong horses before, you know what they’re like when they test you.”

  “Yeah, Mom and I sold the ranch I grew up on when Dad died and…”

  “Yes. Good then. Feel free to use any tack, just keep her tied off on the lead, otherwise, she’ll try to sneak into one of the cans for an extra bite of feed. She’s a pig, that one.” Lightning shook her head up and down, chuffing air out of her nose at Charlie.

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Good, I have to go. I’m taking the last truck with a couple late starters this morning out to the field.”

  With that, he was gone, and I had a new friend to win over.

  I took Lightning by the halter and led her close to the tack room, clipping a lead to her and looking for a good saddle. I found it and grabbed a blanket. I put that down and started cinching the buckles around Lightning’s stomach and she stomped her hoof again. I figured that was her thing and not a sign like I’d taken it to be before, and as I reached for the furthest buckle, I had to kneel. I felt hot breath on my lower back and knew what was coming next.

  When Lightning bit me, it wasn’t a hard bite, more like a playful nip. Regardless, I yelped and started jumping up and down, rubbing my hands over my butt cheek. Damn horse had almost got a chunk. When I calmed down, I got close to the horse and was about to tell her what would happen next time when I heard feminine giggles behind me. I spun around, my eyes wide. Mom and Ali were there, holding onto each other and laughing as quietly as they could.

  “Very funny. I’m thinking about taking her to the glue factory already, and you two are over here yucking it up.”

  “The surprised look on your face when she bit you…”

  And they started all over again.

  “Okay, okay. I get it, fart jokes aren’t funny, but getting bit in the butt is?”

  “Pretty much,” Alison said, her giggles tapering off.

  “I wanted to say goodbye. Bill and I are heading out on a quick honeymoon, and then we’re flying to China. Alison says you’re going to help Jackson run things while we’re gone.”

  I looked at her, lifting an eyebrow for effect. Run things?

  “I’m going to do some riding. I need to decompress a little bit before I go job hunting.”

  “I understand, I do. Now you don’t go looking up any trouble while we’re gone,” she said, crushing me in a hug.

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  I saw Alison fade back so we could talk for a moment, but I was watching her. Mom was giving me her itinerary for their trip, but Ali was leading Blue to the lead by Lightning, hooking him up. I nodded in all the right places and confirmed the days they’d be calling in. I half listened, but I was watching as Ali saddled the horses the rest of the way. Mom turned to follow my gaze and gave me an odd look.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No, just surprised how easy it is.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked me, never turning away from Alison, who was pulling the straps tight on Lightning now that Blue was done. She loaded the saddlebags on Blue from a backpack she’d been wearing, but I couldn’t tell what it was from this far back.

  “This—the ranch, family. I ran from this life when I could. Now I’m back, and I don’t know if I want to ever leave again.”

  “Then don’t,” she told me matter-of-factly.

  I turned to her, puzzled. Her smile hadn’t changed over the years. Her eyes lit up, and she rubbed my arm. With just a touch, she put me at ease a bit.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t have to go job hunting. Work here if want. If you don’t, I’m sure you can find work in about anything you put your mind to.”

  “Thanks. If we didn’t have such a douche bag for a sheriff, I might apply to be a deputy. I was originally going to be MP… but I don’t even know if that’s what I want to do.”

  “Give it time. You’ll figure it out.”

  “Thanks, Mom; tell Bill bye for me, would you?”

  “You bet.”

  I watched my mom walk out of the barn, and I had to smile. Soon I was going to have a new little sister in my life. I had enough cash stashed away that I could probably loaf around for a while, and I’d figured on using that money to buy a car… but having my Jeep, that took a lot off me financially. Having a place to stay was a bonus, and I just hoped the cabin was free for a little while.

  “You coming or what?”

  “Or what,” I called back.

  I put the rifle sling over my back, unhooked, and climbed on Lightning. She just turned her head to look at me, but Alison had put the bit in while I was talking to Mom, and the reins were within easy reach. I turned her toward the door, and Alison and I rode out into the chilly morning. For a few minutes, all we could hear was the hooves of the horses.

  “What did you and Jackson talk about?” She broke the silence.

  “Not much. Guns.”

  “Oh? I thought I heard a little more.”

  “Sandy talked to him, after they left the party.”

  “About what?”

  “You’re about a nosey little girl, aren’t you?” It came out a little harsher than I had intended.

  “Yes, especially when I think it was about me.”

  “It was, a little.”

  “Oh?”

  “Apparently, Sandy saw you making eyes at me and wanted to make sure that I was on guard, to preserve my virtue.” The last word coming out falsetto. Two could play this game of picking on the other.

  “She what? Your virtue?” Ali breathed an exasperated sigh; she actually sounded a
little pissed.

  I laughed and made Lightning bolt ahead. I didn’t stay in front of Ali and Blue for long, as I dropped Lightning’s speed to a fast walk. I was still smiling when they pulled in beside me, Ali’s face looking furious.

  “She didn’t.”

  “Nope.”

  “Good, because I’d have to…”

  “I was just kidding.”

  “Hey, we’re coming up on the fence now.”

  “Shit, I forgot fence pliers. I don’t even have a Leatherman on me if we find any breaks or cuts.”

  “Already have them. Some cowboy you are turning out to be.”

  “I’m not a cowboy.”

  “You’re looking like one. Denim, flannel, a nice hat and…” Her gaze went up and down, and it was all I could do to keep a straight face. “Boots. Nice, are those from yesterday?”

  “Yeah, it was either my combat boots or these.”

  “Black goes with everything.”

  Uh huh, my boots. The truth is, we left a lot unsaid there. The attraction seemed mutual, and last night I’d tried to head things off. I’d tried to voice the guilt I felt when we’d talked about that kiss. Looking at her hair coming out of the back of her hat, the wind blowing it around, I had a hard time finding that guilt. I knew if I let myself dwell on it, it’d be there. That was why I couldn’t think about it.

  “Already?” I asked as I saw a crazy coiled roll of barbed wire. “I forgot to ask, do I need to hobble Lightning, or will he stay close?”

  “She’ll stay close to Blue, and he will stay close to me.”

  “Good enough.”

  I slid off the horse warily, not wanting a bruise on the other butt cheek, and then pulled some heavy gloves on that Ali had put in her pack. She dropped Blue’s reins by Lightning and followed me with the pliers in her hand. I found one end of the wire, still attached to the post, and frowned.

  The shiny gleam of metal showed through a cut in the rusty wire. The outer surface had corroded, but the flat pinched metal with the shiny core showing could only be from a deliberate cut, not a break. I walked to the other end, praying the wire had some stretch in it.