“True,” Frank said, “but I hear from Gwen Garner over at the quilting shop that her granddaughter, Valerie Hunter, is coming home to take up the reins of running the place.”
Snorting, Curt muttered, “Buck Hunter was a mean bastard. He beat the hell out of his wife, Cheryl, and his daughter, Val. Cheryl’s dead now. And Val left for good. She hated her father and hated the ranch. I have a hard time thinking she’s leaving the Air Force to come back to the scene of the crime and try to save it.”
Shrugging, Frank murmured, “That’s what I heard. Gwen is never wrong.”
“Well,” Curt said with a frown, “I think I’ll go visit Old Gus and see what I can persuade out of her.”
Chuckling, Frank said, “You won’t get anything out of Gus. She’s a bona fide pioneer woman. Tough as they come.”
“Maybe. But Valerie Hunter will be more than ready to dump that broken-down old ranch into my hands two months after arriving home. I’ll just have to bide my time. In the meantime, my sights are set on Slade McPherson’s ranch. It’s mine. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
Looking around, the banker straightened and said, “It’s just a matter of time, now, Curt. I’m sure you’ll win this contest. You’re taking McPherson’s last chance to save his ranch away from him. You did hear that, because he got gored by his own bull, that Dr. Lawson is riding his stallion for him?”
“Yeah, I saw her out on the trail two weeks ago.” He didn’t add that Lawson was a helluva better rider than he thought. No sense in letting Halbert know anything. Curt didn’t trust the banker any further than he could throw him. His thoughts about Lawson and Thor were known only to him.
“And?”
Shrugging, Downing muttered, “She was fighting that mustang stallion all the way.”
Chuckling, Frank said, “I’m surprised McPherson let anyone on that mustang’s back. That’s a one-man horse.”
“Yes, Thor is,” Curt agreed. He switched topics. “Tell me more about Griff McPherson.”
“He came in last week and filled out a résumé to work at our bank. Of course, I have no openings.”
“Not for him you don’t,” Curt growled.
“I would never hire a McPherson,” Frank told him in a confidential tone.
“So, he’s looking for local work?”
“Yes. I interviewed him myself. He’s lost everything. His job, his millions he had in derivatives, and he has nothing but a dwindling savings account.”
“Really?” Curt said, his mind spinning. “Those two twins split up when my father killed their parents. I never did know where Griff went.”
“Back East. His uncle was a big-time Wall Streeter. Griff grew up, went to Harvard and got an MBA. He worked for his uncle’s company until it collapsed. Now, he’s destitute like thousands of other Wall Street brokers.”
“Too bad,” Curt murmured. “But that’s good for me. Griff can’t loan Slade money to save his ranch.”
Chuckling indulgently, Frank said, “You’ve got that right. When I interviewed him last week, he had two hundred dollars left to his name.”
Grinning, Downing said, “I saw a help wanted ad at McDonald’s. They’re looking for help.”
Joining in the laughter, Frank said, “Oh, I don’t think he’ll lower himself to that level. Too much pride.”
“Pride goeth before a fall,” Downing said, enjoying this piece of unexpected news.
“He’s got a lot of pride,” Halbert agreed. “You won’t find him working at a burger joint. He tried to come in and sell me on the fact he’s got an MBA from Harvard. And that he can make my bank a ton more of money. I told him if he was so good, why had he lost his entire job and livelihood?”
“Right on,” Downing said. His brows fell. “One thing I am worried about is Dr. Lawson. What if she loans McPherson money?”
“Oh, that won’t happen,” Frank consoled him. “Her account is at my bank. She’s got a thousand dollars in her savings and only two thousand in her checking.”
“She’s a doctor. I thought they were all rich.”
“I spoke to her two weeks ago. She did come in to try and get a loan. I knew it was for McPherson, but she didn’t say that. She said it was to build an addition on to her home.” Snorting, Halbert said, “She’s not a very good liar. You can read her face like a road map.”
Laughing softly, Downing said, “You’re full of all kinds of good news, Frank.” He clapped the banker’s rounded shoulder. “How much was she trying to get out of you?”
“Ten thousand.”
“That’s a lot. But that’s exactly the amount McPherson needs to dig him out of potential foreclosure. It gives him breathing room.”
“Correct,” Frank murmured. “And I knew from that moment on, it wasn’t for any house addition.”
“Does she have a credit score to get such a loan from the other bank in town?” Curt asked, worried.
“No. She’s had plenty of debt and lost everything two years ago. Right now, she’s trying to rebuild, but it’s slow. Don’t forget, she’s still paying off loans for her medical schooling.”
Rubbing his hands together, Curt grinned. “You’ve really made my day, Frank. I thought those two were getting a little close. And I figured she might try to loan that bastard the money.”
“She can’t,” he said with finality. “No bank right now, in this recession, will loan her a dime.”
“Have you put out the word that Griff McPherson shouldn’t be hired?”
Frank, who had loans on every business in town, smiled. “Not to worry. I’ve already done that. Griff won’t find any job open to him except for a burger joint.” He snickered.
Curt liked using Halbert. He was a fat slug of a man, but he was wily and knew where money power was at. “Well, under these circumstances, I’m going to buy more stock in your bank, Frank.”
Eyes widening with pleasure, Frank mopped his perspiring brow with a white linen handkerchief. “Why, that’s mighty good of you, Curt. I didn’t expect that.”
Mouth lifting into a slight smile, Curt murmured, “You’re my eyes and ears on the McPhersons, Frank. And you’re doing a good job. I’m just showing my appreciation.”
Nodding, Frank stuffed the handkerchief in the back pocket of his gray pinstripe suit pants. “Good, good.”
“Wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch Griff McPherson squirm.”
“I heard that Slade kicked him off the ranch.”
“That’s even better. I like Slade in such a state. It will keep his mind off trying to win this endurance ride.”
Shaking his head, Frank murmured, “Oh, I doubt Dr. Lawson can even come in among the top ten riders.”
“I agree,” Curt said. “She’s never raced in a level-one event. I don’t care how good Thor is, it’s the rider who sets the pace and knows how far they can push their mount, and when.”
“My money is on you,” Frank chortled. “I’ll be there at the finish line to see you and your black stud coming in first.”
Downing’s mind was elsewhere. If Griff McPherson was in town, kicked off the ranch, he wondered what he was going to do. This had to weigh on Slade. And that was good. Very good.
GRIFF SAT IN McDonald’s nursing a cup of coffee. It was a busy place with plenty of tourists in town. Sitting alone, smarting under Slade’s rage, he tried to think of a way to get a job. The sky was a bright blue, but white clouds over the top of the mountain rose above the town. It looked as if it might rain later in the day. As he sat watching families, hearing laughter and seeing the smiles, he felt even more depressed. They had money. They had a home. They had family who loved them….
The coffee, although hot, tasted bitter. He knew it was him, not the brew. Yeah, he was damned bitter. After he’d been sent to his Uncle Robert, life had turned out well for him. At first, he’d missed his parents and Slade terribly, but his aunt and uncle had taken over as his parents. They’d loved him. Maybe not as he remembered his own parents doing so, but he’
d been loved. Slade had slowly disappeared from his life. Looking up, he saw a family of five sit down next to his table. All he could afford was a cup of coffee. With only two hundred dollars in his pocket, he had to be very careful how he spent what was left.
Would Slade let him back on the ranch or not? Smarting beneath the attack by his angry older brother, Griff turned the paper cup around and around between his long hands. What if he wouldn’t? What next? Going into the county welfare office and asking for food stamps? God, he didn’t want to do that! Shame flowed through Griff. He’d never thought he’d ever be poor. Not ever. Now here he was drinking a cup of coffee from McDonald’s and not from Starbucks. He never came to such a place. No, he’d eaten at the best five-star restaurants that New York City had to offer. The maître d’s had known him instantly and had always saved the best table for him.
Not now. What am I going to do? Had it been a mistake to come West? Griff had already tried to get at least twenty positions along the East coast, but no one wanted a Wall Street has-been. After all, many interviewers reminded him, he was the reason the economy had crashed worldwide. His greed. His lack of care for what derivatives might do to the middle class of America, nevermind the rest of the world.
Mouth turning downward, Griff stared blackly into the steaming cup of coffee. Right now, he was a pariah. He’d found it an error to tout his resume. People blackballed him and saw him as part of the reason why the economy was failing. It was his fault.
His gaze fell on a sign in the window: help wanted for night shift. Moving uncomfortably, Griff didn’t want to try for a job that was so far below him. A hamburger turner? Was that the only job open to him? He opened his hand and looked at it. When he’d first arrived, he’d had soft palms. Now, there were a few calluses from working daily out at the ranch with Shorty. Ranch work, he’d discovered, was damned hard, always ongoing and never finished. Animals needed to be fed every twenty-four hours. There was no dispensing machine that could feed them. And he was exhausted after mucking out box stalls and hauling old hay and horse turds to the compost bins. Some of the horses, like Thor, hated him. The stallion would charge the box-stall door every time he walked past him. Shorty had to clean Thor’s stall, instead. There was no way Griff was going to get bitten by that ornery stud.
Even horses hated him, Griff glumly decided, sipping the coffee and feeling sorry for himself. Slade certainly hated him. How was he to know that by offering to throw in an extra packhorse that Charley considered the gesture a bribe? In his business, they were always wheeling and dealing like this. It wasn’t wrong; it was just the way things were.
Pulling over the local newspaper, Griff turned to the want ads. There were a pitiful few of them, as usual. And all of them were either for cleaning hotels, burger joints or janitorial work. There was nothing that appealed to him. Yet, as he sat there, he had no house to go to. Rents were high here, he’d discovered. Too high for the likes of him. So, where was he to go? At least at Slade’s he’d had a room at the main ranch house. What could he do about this?
Angry, Griff dropped the paper on the table. This was all Slade’s fault! He hadn’t meant to bribe Charley. It was all a misunderstanding. Obviously, they didn’t meet or agree on much of anything. How badly he missed his penthouse apartment. It was gone. Everything was gone. And his brother had kicked him off the property.
Just as he looked up, he saw Dr. Jordana Lawton enter. She saw him, waved and smiled.
Griff waved back, feeling at least she didn’t think he was a bastard as Slade did. He watched as she stood in line. Would she avoid him, too?
“Hey,” Jordana called as she got her salad and walked toward Griff, “can you use some company?” She felt sorry for the younger twin who looked terribly sad.
Griff stood and said, “Hi, Jordana. Come and sit down.”
“Thanks,” she said, smiling and sitting opposite him. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Griff.” Jordana unwrapped the plastic fork and poured the salad dressing across the salad. “How are you doing?”
Sitting down, he grimaced. “Not good, to tell you the truth. Is Slade still pissed at me?”
Jordan speared a slice of grilled chicken breast on top of her salad. “He didn’t say anything about you this morning.”
“I didn’t mean what I did as a bribe,” he said.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Jordana said. “You don’t strike me as a weasel, Griff.”
Feeling a bit of relief, he tried to explain his actions to Jordana. She nodded, ate and looked sympathetic. Just encountering someone who was at least neutral about the situation helped Griff a lot. He wondered what she saw in his dark, over-responsible brother.
“I don’t think Wall Street and the West can meet on similar ground,” Jordana told him after the explanation. “I’m sure you meant well, Griff.”
“Thanks, I needed to hear that.” He stared down at his cup. “Do you think Slade meant it?”
“What?”
“That I can’t come back to the ranch?”
Giving him a pained look, Jordana said, “I don’t know, Griff. That’s something you have to talk over with Slade.”
“I was hoping you could put in a good word for me.”
Jordana wiped her mouth with the paper napkin. “Slade and you have to settle this. I’m not getting between you.”
“Actually, a smart, strategic choice,” Griff told her, a slight smile hooking one corner of his mouth.
“He’s under a lot of pressure right now,” Jordana gently offered him. “I can’t believe he really means it, Griff, but now is not the time to test the waters. If I can’t win that ten-thousand-dollar purse on this endurance ride, he’s going to lose the ranch.”
“Our ranch.”
“Okay,” Jordana said, frowning, “but Slade doesn’t see it that way and you know that.” She felt sorry for Griff. He was literally like a fish out of water here in Jackson Hole.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he muttered unhappily. “I’ve been trying to find a job ever since I got here. I’ve been on fifteen different interviews here in town. I never told Slade that because I know he’s worried about our ranch. I can’t seem to get a job,” Griff said, frustrated. “If I could get a job, I could help Slade pay that mortgage.”
Sympathetic to Griff, Jordana said, “Maybe you should have kept Slade in the loop and told him you were interviewing for jobs. If you don’t tell him what you’re doing, Griff, how can he know any different?”
“I know, but I was hoping to surprise him. A good surprise, for once.” His voice fell in disappointment.
Seeing the sadness in Griff’s eyes, Jordana said, “Look, I think if you offered to come and help him at the race, he might look upon that favorably. Slade needs a team of people. He’s got Shorty, but he’s a person short. If you could run errands, fetch water, towels and brushes, I think Slade would jump at that. Right now, his leg is hurting him, and he’s not as fast and nimble as he hoped to be.”
“You think he’d go for that?” Griff knew he could run errands.
Shrugging, Jordana picked at her salad. “It’s worth a try. But, Griff, I’d give him a few days to cool off. He desperately needed that bid contract.”
Nodding, Griff said, “I get it—now. I just thought I was helping….”
“Easterners have a different mindset, I know, because I came from New York City myself. This is the first time I’ve been out West. And in the two years I’ve been here, I’ve seen remarkable differences. Stunning, sometimes.”
“Yeah, it sucks. But I need a real job, Jordana. I’m really frustrated. No one wants me….”
Sipping her coffee, she offered, “Griff, I can go to our human-resources department and see if they need a medical orderly.”
“I don’t know anything about medicine,” he protested.
“You don’t need to. Nursing assistants do a lot of clean up. They mop, sweep and change bedcovers and such. It’s a good wage, too.”
Griff looked at work
ing at a hospital as slightly above flipping burgers. “Could you? I’d really appreciate it. I’m not afraid of work, Jordana.”
Hearing the hope in his voice she said, “My shift is tomorrow morning. I’ll go see Cary and find out if she has any openings, Griff. If she does, I’ll give you a call on your cell phone?”
Embarrassed, Griff admitted, “I’m losing my cell phone coverage in a month. I don’t have the money to pay for it any longer.” It hurt to admit that to anyone. He saw Jordana’s blue eyes go soft with understanding. No wonder Slade was in love with her. Jordana was special.
“Okay,” she murmured, giving him a slight smile, “I’ll do what I can. In a hospital, people are always coming and going. And assistants are always needed.”
Relief started to trickle down through him. Griff whispered, “Thanks a lot, Jordana. This means a lot to me.”
“I know it does. Let me see what I can do.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE ENDURANCE CONTEST was only one day away. Slade felt a twinge in his thigh where Diablo had gored him. Watching Jordana as she walked out of the training barn after putting Thor away, he felt his heart open. Her hair was mussed, and she looked beautiful in her jeans and yellow tank top. He ached to hold her, kiss her and most of all, make slow, exploratory love to her. Such were his dreams that were mixed in with nightmares of losing his family homestead.
Jordana smiled and tucked her damp, thin leather gloves into her belt as she approached Slade. The sun was starting to set. Tomorrow was the big day. Her heart raced as Slade’s eyes revealed raw desire for her. When had their relationship changed? She wasn’t sure. All Jordana knew is that she wanted to get past this race and see where the chips would fall. Her desire for Slade was visceral.
The last rays of the sun slanted across the wide, oval valley, the peaks of the Tetons turning pink.
“I have a surprise for you,” Slade told her as she came to a halt.
The Last Cowboy Page 21
