Jamie threw his hands up defensively. He had expected a scathing retort that Cat deserved it, not a quick declaration of innocence. “It wouldn’t be the first time you’d done something like that.”
Jenny shoved her plate away from her. “Oh, and I suppose Cat is innocent of any wrongdoings in her lifetime?”
“Hey, all I know is what I heard. Ty said that Cat was devastated because you dumped a cup of punch down the front of her dress. He said she was more upset about the fact that you did it than missing the dance, or messing up her dress, or anything else. Ty said she was shocked that you would do such a thing after she and her father have been so good to you.”
“Yeah, that’s me, ungrateful Jenny. I just take and take, then throw it back in their faces.” Jenny folded her arms, and Jamie quickly recognized the stubborn set of her shoulders.
“Wait a minute, you haven’t given Jenny a chance to tell her side of the story,” Grace said calmly as she saw the storm rising before her.
“Okay, Jen, what happened last night?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
“Cat dumped the punch on herself and blamed it on me.”
“Why would she do something like that?”
“Ty, that’s why. She wants him and he doesn’t want her and she couldn’t stand it.”
Jamie shook his head, not understanding the complicated logic of the female mind. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Actually, it makes sense to me,” Grace put in. “Have you ever known Cat to let anything stand in the way of something she wants?” she asked Jamie. “She got Ty away from Jenny last night, that’s for certain, and now he’s not so sure about her, which has got to be in Cat’s favor. She’s just trying to eliminate the competition.”
“Well, I’ll make it easy on her,” Jenny declared.
“How’s that?” Jamie asked.
“I’m leaving.”
“You are not, you’re staying right here.”
Jenny got up and started out the door. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”
“Yes, you do. I’m your brother, and it’s my responsibility to take care of you.” Jamie followed her out the door.
“Oh, yeah? Well, you’ve done a fine job of it for the last five years.”
“Hey, you can’t blame that on me. It wasn’t my fault you were taken away. I was out trying to find us a place when that happened.”
“If we had left the mission when I begged you to go, none of that would have happened, now would it?”
They were standing toe to toe, nose to nose in the middle of the yard. Their voices had risen with each statement until they were fairly shouting at each other, bringing three sleepyheads out of the bunkhouse and Ty out of the barn. Grace had followed the two out of her cabin.
“That’s what it all goes back to, isn’t it? You have never forgiven me for staying at the mission,” Jamie said.
“Hiding there, you mean, just like you are hiding here.”
“Jenny, I was fifteen years old. What was I supposed to do?”
“Come with me now.”
“Where?”
“I don’t care, anywhere. Let’s just go.”
“I’m not leaving. This is my home—it’s our home.”
“It’s not mine, it’s yours.”
They were so loud now that they didn’t hear Chase ride up, his eyes wide and concerned as he heard the words spewing forth.
“You would spend your whole life running if you had your way,” Jamie spat, hurting deeply from her words.
“And you would spend yours hiding.” Jenny kicked dirt on the toes of his boots.
Jamie’s cheeks flushed, anger now over taking reason, his face the deep russet of his hair, which was hanging down over eyes that had turned dark and cold. He found that his rage was so deep, he couldn’t speak, so he scooped Jenny up and threw her over his shoulder. He dropped her unceremoniously, backside first, into the trough. Jenny came up spewing water, splashing, clawing, and he shoved her back under until he saw her eyes go wide with panic. He let her up and she sucked in great breaths of air.
“This is our home now, so get used to it.” He slowly enunciated every word. “We are staying here as long as Jason wants us to. I will let you know when it is time for us to leave. Meanwhile, you need to settle down and quit your whining. The past is over, so get on with your life. I have.” He turned and left her sitting in the trough, soaking wet and shivering.
Everyone stood with mouths agape. Jenny sat in the trough, willing the tears back but unable to control the trembling of her chin. As Chase walked over to the trough the others went inside, shaking their heads, graciously sparing Jenny more embarrassment. Chase extended his hand to her, and she stood with his help, the water running off her in great sheets, her hair plastered down around her face and neck, her clothes soaked through, clinging to her long lines like a second skin.
“Are you all right?” Chase asked gently, breaking through the red haze of anger that still possessed her. She looked up into his dark eyes, blinking droplets of water off her eyelashes, her deep blue eyes full of shock and disbelief.
“What did I say? What did I do?” she whispered to Chase. Chase looked over his shoulder at the departing Jamie, who was riding hard, away from the ranch.
“Made up for lost time, I’d say.” He steadied her arm as she stepped out of the trough, a puddle forming around her on the ground.
“I’ve got to talk to him.”
“Later. Give him time to cool off.”
“What if he won’t forgive me?” Jenny looked at Chase in panic.
“He loves you.” The look he gave her was tender, his eyes deep and shining, making Jenny’s heart melt. “He will forgive you.”
Grace came out with a blanket and threw it over Jenny’s shoulders. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”
Jenny didn’t know what to do or where to go, so she let Grace lead her into the cabin, water sloshing over the sides of her boots as she went. Chase watched as the two women went inside, Grace speaking soothing words the whole time, then he went into the bunkhouse, anxious to find out exactly what had happened the night before.
Grace got Jenny out of her wet clothes and sat her down at the table with a steaming mug of coffee. “Now why don’t you tell me exactly what happened last night, in your words, not Cat’s.”
“Cat pulled me into a hallway, I had a cup of punch in my hand, and she grabbed my arm so that the punch spilled down the front of her dress.”
“And where was Ty when all this happened?”
“I don’t know, my back was to the room, but he must have been close, because he was there right after it happened.”
Grace perused her own cup of coffee as she replayed the incident in her mind. “It sounds to me like Cat hoped to eliminate her competition while bringing Ty over to her side all in one night.”
“Well, she got what she wanted.”
“Don’t be so sure of that, Jen.” Grace gently placed her hand on Jenny’s forearm. “She’ll never get Ty by trickery. He’s too much of a gentleman for that. The thing I want to know is, how do you feel about Ty?”
“I don’t know. I guess I really haven’t thought about it that much. So much has happened since I got here.” Jenny pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and leaned back in the chair. “I used to think that when I found Jamie life would be perfect again, but I guess all I found was another set of problems. Please don’t think I’m sorry I found him, I thank God every day for that. It’s just that I had this vision of us going back home and working our ranch again with Dad and Momma looking down on us, while we lived happily ever after.” Jenny got up and walked over to the window. “Jamie is right, the past is behind us, and things will never be the same again, so I just need to get over it and get on with my life, like he has.” Jenny’s voice trailed off as she leaned her head
against the windowpane.
“But?” Grace asked from the table.
“But something is missing inside of me. I always thought it was Jamie, but it’s not.”
“Maybe it’s Ty?”
Jenny turned around. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. I just don’t know.” Jenny’s face tightened as a thought flashed before her. “I guess it isn’t. I mean, if Ty was for me, wouldn’t I feel as passionately about him as Git does?”
“Cat has been passionate about that boy since she first laid eyes on him, that’s for sure.”
“Do you believe in true love? I mean one man for one woman for all eternity?”
“I can’t say. If there is one man for me, I’ve missed him somehow.”
“Not even Jamie?”
Grace had the decency to blush. “Jamie doesn’t love me. He just loves being with me. I know he’ll leave me when he does fall in love, and until then, I’ll treasure him.”
“And when he does leave?”
“I’ll miss him desperately.”
“I believe that my parents were destined for one another. They lived for each other.”
“Jason told me that he loved a woman like that but he lost her, couldn’t find her, and he never loved another.”
“That is so sad, to love someone who is gone.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe it when he told me, but we had had a few brandies and he was feeling melancholy.”
Jenny came back to the table and sat down. “Sometimes I have dreams about a man.” Grace arched a delicate brow as Jenny continued. “I used to think they were just fantasies, like when Jamie read Arabian Nights and I dreamed about a handsome prince with dark hair and dark eyes, but the dreams just kept on coming.”
“Tell me about this handsome prince.” Grace had a delicious grin on her face that made Jenny laugh.
“Well, there’s not much to tell. I’ve never seen his face, but I know he’s there, close by. All I can ever remember is dark hair and dark eyes—long dark hair, come to think of it—”
They were interrupted by Chase bursting through the door. “Jamie’s horse just came back without him,” he announced.
Jenny jumped from her chair and grabbed her clothes, which were drying by the stove. She turned her back and dropped the blanket as she whipped her shirt on. Grace was panicked by his words, but not enough to miss the spark that lit Chase’s eyes when they caught the graceful length of Jenny’s legs as she pulled on her pants.
Long dark hair, dark eyes, close by .. . Jenny’s words whirled through Grace’s mind as she imagined all the calamities that might have befallen Jamie. He might be closer than you think, she thought as Chase and Jenny ran to mount their horses.
Chapter Twenty-four
“Have you ever not found anything you were tracking?” Jenny asked Chase a half hour later. He was on the ground, running his hand over some long grass.
“Just once,” he replied. He looked at the earth beneath the grass and then swung back up on his horse.
“Once?”
“Yes, once,”
“What were you tracking?”
“You.” Chase took off across the grassy field, leaving Jenny stunned by his announcement as she followed him. In another moment they heard a shot echoing before them. Chase pulled his gun out and answered by shooting into the air. Moments later they came across Jamie sitting in the middle of an ocean of grass.
“Damn horse stepped in a gopher hole and rolled over on me. My leg is broken,” he said as he looked up at the two of them. Jenny couldn’t help it—she took one look at his leg and started to cry. Jamie rolled his eyes at her, and Chase dismounted and ran his hands down the outstretched leg. “Watch it,” Jamie howled. “Like I said, it’s broken and I don’t need you grabbing it to tell me so.” Jenny laughed through her tears at the look of pure aggravation he bestowed upon Chase. “I don’t suppose you two brought a wagon with you?”
Jenny shook her head as she tried to compose herself. She dismounted and went to her brother, who was sitting on the ground with his hands propped behind him. “Jamie, I’m so sorry for everything I said this morning. Will you forgive me?” Her chin trembled as she looked down at the ground beside him. Jamie reached up and tugged on the braid that was still damp from the dunking he had given her. He flashed his grin, and Jenny flew into his wide chest, throwing her arms around him and knocking him onto his back with a grunt.
“I forgive you! Now get off me before I break something else.”
“I’m sorry. Oh my gosh, I’m such an idiot.” Jamie rolled his eyes again as Jenny started gushing all over him, and he finally put his finger to her mouth to stop her tide of apologies and self-incrimination.
“I just want to say one thing,” he said when she stopped. “I reserve the right to dump you in the trough any time you act as foolish as you did this morning.”
“Considering how big you are, I won’t have a lot of say in the matter anyway.” Jenny sighed.
Jamie pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “Now will you two get me up out of here?”
Chase got under one arm while Jenny got under the other and they pulled him up. Jamie teetered precariously above them, then dropped his head and threw up, splattering the ground in front of them with his breakfast. Jenny and Chase both turned their heads away while they held him until the heaving and gagging had stopped. Jenny went for her horse while he leaned on Chase.
“This is going to be the real trick,” Chase commented when Jamie leaned against Jenny’s saddle, his face pale from his endeavors. The only thing they could think of was for Chase to shove while Jenny helped swing the leg over the saddle.
“Just leave me out here to starve, why don’t ya? I’d be better off,” Jamie groaned when they finally had him settled on the back of the saddle. Jenny managed to squeeze in front of him, and he leaned heavily against her when she took up the reins. The horse snorted in protest at Jamie’s added weight but turned when Jenny told him to and began to walk towards home. The motion promptly set Jamie’s stomach off again, and he leaned over to the side and brought up more of the contents.
Chase arched an eyebrow at the mess. “The way he eats, this could take all day.”
“Don’t say a word,” Jamie warned Jenny, “or the next load is going straight down your back.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, and Jenny felt the shudder of his stomach down her spine as he swallowed back bile that had risen in his throat. He managed the rest of the ride without incident, much to Jenny’s relief.
The three of them arrived to find a concerned group ready to go out in search of their fallen comrade. Jamie was greeted with several teasing comments until his friends realized that he was hurt and reached up to help him into Grace’s cabin. The boys carried him in, only hitting his leg once on the door jamb and another time on the bed frame before they deposited him in the big bed in the room that Grace slept in.
“Geez, Jamie, you look right at home there,” Zane commented as Grace bent over to pull a boot off the uninjured leg.
“Zane, will you shut up?” Grace snapped at him. “Chase, hold his leg so I can get this other boot off.”
“Zane, go to town and fetch the doctor,” Jason commanded. “The rest of you, get out of here and give Jamie some air.” The men filed out, leaving Grace, Jason, Jenny and Chase, who was helping Grace strip Jamie of his clothes.
“I guess we’ve come full circle now,” Chase commented as he held his friend up while his pants were pulled off.
“Don’t even think about trussing me up with my leg hanging from the rafters,” Jamie ground out between clenched teeth. “Why don’t you just smack me upside the head with something and be done with it.” Grace shook her head as she realized how difficult a patient he was going to be.
“Go ahead, Chase, do it. You’d be doing all of us a favor,” Jenny said.
“That’s it. As soon as I can walk, you are going back in the trough.”
“You might want to think about that,” Jenn
y said as she squeezed a toe on his healthy foot. “You might be lying in this bed a long time, wanting food, water, company, a trip to the outhouse.. . .” She smiled sweetly at him as Jamie flopped his head back on the pillow and groaned.
After many complaints and much moaning and groaning, the doctor arrived and announced that, just as Jamie had said, his leg was broken. Jamie took some satisfaction in knowing that he was right, but turned grouchy again when his leg was put in a splint and firmly bandaged, and he was given instructions not to walk on it for at least a week. The tide of sympathy began to turn towards Grace as the list of her patient’s requests became long and tedious. The rest of them decided to leave before Jamie demanded something of them. They escaped to the crisp air of the front porch, where Grace soon joined them.
“Jenny, I’m going to need you to fill in for Jamie this week,” Jason said.
Jenny was almost jumping at the chance to get away from her brother’s whining, but she knew she was no physical match for Jamie. “I’ll do whatever you need me to if I can,” she said.
Jason laughed at the look on Jenny’s face. “I need you to go down to Denver and pick up some mares for me. Jamie knows the blood lines better than anyone, so I’d planned to send him. Since he’s laid up, you’re the next logical choice.”
“You need these mares for breeding?”
“Yes, there’s a breeder down there who has some good stock. I was hoping to breed the mares with Storm—that is, if you think they would be worth it.”
Jenny felt overwhelmed by the responsibility, but also honored to be asked to undertake it. “I’ll do the best I can for you,” she said.
“I don’t doubt it for a minute.” Jason smiled kindly at her. “Oh, by the way, I’m going to send Ty with you. You’ll need some help bringing them mares back, and it doesn’t hurt to have an extra gun on the trail. You can leave first thing in the morning. Maybe by the time you get back, your brother will be in a better mood.”
Taken aback by the announcement that Ty would be accompanying her, Jenny didn’t know what to say. Grace, however, caught the flare of pain that showed in Chase’s eyes before he stepped wordlessly off the porch and went towards the barn. “I guess I’d better get ready to go,” Jenny said, almost to herself, and went to gather the supplies she would need for a week on the trail.
Chase the Wind Page 34
