Saving the Soldier (Selkirk Family Ranch Book 2)

by Vartanoff, Irene

  They raised the garage door, and all choked on the sudden fierce wind.

  Baron pointed toward the stables, yelling. “Nothing in your way. Go as straight as you can. Then wait for us to do the bit right in front of the doors.”

  Baron had stated the obvious. No wonder the men found him irritating. Full of orders, then micromanaging the details. He hadn’t a clue how to get a subordinate to cooperate. Not that JD was a ranch hand.

  JD slowly headed out into the yard. As he did, the wind caught him full force and almost knocked him sideways. He’d better make this happen quick.

  It was slow going. He had to back and fill to get the path made. The snow was only a foot or two deep in some spots but other pockets were much higher. It was dry snow and didn’t pack well. Getting to the stable was easy enough, but with this wind, he’d have to re-plow the whole path to get them back to the house.

  They made it, and Baron and Addie dragged the stable door open. The sound of neighing horses greeted them once he’d switched the engine off inside and closed the door against the howling wind.

  “Oh, the poor things,” Addie cried. “Coming, loves, coming,” she said in a loud, soothing tone of voice. She turned to Baron. “Would you bring some hay?”

  Baron grabbed a bale and threw it on a sledge.

  JD carefully dismounted from the lawn tractor. His fake foot in its modified shoe appeared to be holding okay. “How many horses are there?” JD asked.

  “Only five here. Three she’s working, and two we ride.”

  “What about the horses in the other stables, in the compound?”

  “The hands will have taken care of them.”

  “Are you sure, with Hoot down for the count?”

  Baron shrugged.

  JD tightened his lips. He would have torn a strip off any recruit who couldn’t tell him exactly the status of whatever was his responsibility. Once again, his brother’s lack of understanding about what constituted leadership was clear. Checking that the ranch hands had made a similar trek and were feeding the other horses would not have been micromanaging. It was necessary, since there was no second in command who stood ready to assume the mantle of responsibility with Hoot so ill.

  Addie’s cooing noises at the horses were amusing. She talked to them like they were babies. She’d called herself a horse whisperer. This was a real demonstration of her art. The wild neighs had subsided. Now, the horses she hadn’t got to yet whinnied to claim her attention.

  He picked up a pitchfork. “Which ones am I safe to clean out?”

  “This one and that.” She indicated the stall she stood in, and one more. “Whitey is so gentle now. Not like he used to be,” she said, glancing at Baron significantly. He leaned over and kissed her lips. He had picked up a pitchfork, too. The horse, jealous, butted Baron gently.

  “I’ll do a stall with you,” he said, looking at her, not the horse.

  Lovey-dovey in a stable? JD rolled his eyes.

  He managed to clean out one of the stalls, the one with the white stallion. Nice animal. Addie told them not to get near the other three. When they were done with the first two stalls, she told them to back away to near the door. She led three horses, one at a time, into empty stalls, patting and stroking and talking softly as she did. The brown one gave her a fight and Baron looked as if he wanted to intervene. JD held him back. Addie prevailed, with soft coos and words.

  The men made short work of cleaning out each stall. When she led a horse back, she again talked to the animal softly the whole way, soothing, stroking, and scratching them under their manes.

  Addie knew horses. For a girl who’d spent her formative years acting in a sitcom, it was an impressive demonstration of mastery.

  Stalls clean, new hay and fresh water for all, the horses were set for another stretch. They’d been here a couple of hours, working hard the whole time. It felt surprisingly good. He’d even worked up a sweat.

  They donned their outer gear again, and made the trek back to the garage. He had to plow the path all over again, as expected. It was just barely doable. No way anyone could do this out where the cattle were. The land wasn’t level and graded like this yard. They’d done a solid morning’s work. Suddenly, he had a real appetite. It felt good.

  ***

  Paula came down for breakfast as soon as the commotion of the others died down.

  “You just missed ’em,” Miss Betty greeted her. “They all went to see about the horses.” She turned her sitcom down a little. Addie’s childish face in close-up in a cute pout made Paula smile.

  “Rather them than me,” Paula said, hiding her relief about not having to face JD just yet, but feeling a little disappointed, too.

  Miss Betty served her some hot biscuits and coffee. “You don’t pretend you love this place, do you?”

  “I don’t like the isolation. I don’t like animals much, either, although I enjoy riding a horse now and then. Roundup was fun last summer.”

  Miss Betty nodded. “You did get into the spirit of the place. Yet you’re in love with JD, and he’s a born cowboy.”

  Paula couldn’t hide her shock. How had the older woman guessed? Not that she’d ever tried to keep it a secret, but she’d never outright told Miss Betty of her feelings for JD, either.

  “You’ve got me pegged. I’m not so sure about JD being a cowboy. Maybe when he was a brash teenager, barreling around these parts in his Jeep, impressing all the girls.”

  “All the Selkirks are tied to this land.”

  “But Baron may sell it, and JD isn’t jumping in to stop him, not really.”

  “He’s a born cowboy,” The older woman repeated.

  Paula raised an eyebrow. “Is he? I haven’t noticed him showing any interest. Addie’s the one who seems the most actively concerned about the animals. Baron cares about land because there are rocks he wants to investigate.”

  “Didn’t you hear JD askin’ Baron about how many head of cattle are at risk?”

  “I think JD’s more concerned with the profit and loss than the animals. Once a ranch operation gets to be this size, the management of it is what the boss has to concern himself with, not the animals themselves.”

  “You’ll encourage JD not to come back here to stay,” Miss Betty said, frowning.

  “I don’t have any influence on JD at all,” Paula said flatly. “If he asked for my advice, I’d tell him he should hire a good manager, and a good assistant ranch manager, too, and then maybe himself take over the executive management.”

  “You see him as a desk jockey because of his injuries?”

  “Because he has leadership experience from his time in the Army. JD could take over here if he wanted. He may not believe he’s up to the task. He and Baron both seem to feel they must model their father’s methods.”

  Miss Betty nodded. “Robert Selkirk is an unusual man. Shrewd businessman, but loves the land and the animals, loves the day-to-day, cares about the men and remembers every one by name.”

  “Not Baron’s style, but possibly JD’s.”

  But did JD have any interest here? He’d spent a year and a half in the VA hospital in Cheyenne never talking about getting back home to the ranch. Tess would have mentioned it if he’d said anything. Mostly he’d spewed vituperation and bitterness about his bodily losses. As he’d improved physically, his mental state had seemed to worsen.

  Today he was outside working with Baron and Addie. That was a miracle. Did it have anything to do with last night? Or was last night just a one-off to JD? She had to accept the unpleasant fact that sex with her might have meant nothing to JD except a soothing of the awkwardness of the aborted seduction scene downstairs. Sex might only be something to keep him from dwelling painfully on his losses. She hoped he’d had at least a few hours of surcease. Of course, what she desired most of all was that her love for him would pull him out of his funk and lead him to regain his sense of being a man among men. Give him a renewed purpose in life. Maybe even see her as someone he’d like to
spend his life with. Unlikely, but a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

  Chapter 14

  Addie and Baron went inside, but JD stayed out and did a couple of passes immediately around the house, clearing the access to the front and kitchen doors. After a while, he started thinking about whether the ranch hands were doing the same over the ridge. His brother had given up on running the ranch, and his father was too blind to see the catastrophe in the making if nothing changed. Even if JD blocked the sale, something had to give here.

  Too damn bad no one had thought to get a blade attached to one of the Jeeps. He could do a much better plow job in a quarter of the time with the right equipment. Another instance of Baron’s mind not being on running things here anymore.

  JD made a third pass in front of the house, then took the plow around the garage. As he came around the far side of the building, the wind hit him full force. The mower slid around the corner. On ice? He braked. Bad move. The mower stuttered and suddenly flipped up, its front wheels in the air. JD was thrown off.

  The dead man feature on the mower killed the motor, but the wind kept blowing fiercely at the machine, rocking it. In its unnatural upright position, the vehicle was like a tree about to fall. JD scrambled to get away. As he did, he encountered the same icy patch the mower had, and he went down heavily again.

  His own wind knocked out of him, JD felt something shift in his gut, and then a burning pain. He struggled to control it and get up again. There. He leaned against the building, adrenaline surging through him. He measured how far he was from the house. Wearing the wrong shoes, too. His boot didn’t provide enough insulation. He’d lose his other foot to frostbite if he didn’t get to shelter fast.

  He fell again, and this time something twisted between his stump and the socket of the fake foot. It shouldn’t have, but maybe he hadn’t seated it correctly this morning.

  Get up. Get up.

  He wrenched the prosthesis as best he could with gloved fingers made even colder by the biting wind.

  He tried again to stand, but it was no go. The attachment was crooked now and he didn’t dare expose his flesh to the frigid wind to adjust the socket properly. He was only a few feet from the garage wall. If he could make it to the wall, he could drag himself to the door and get inside, away from the violence of the wind.

  Only one problem. The downspout above him had sent water down that turned to ice on this side of the garage. He couldn’t get any purchase. Couldn’t even grab at the snow for leverage. It was the light powdery kind that didn’t pack.

  An intense pain in his gut made him gasp. Damn shrapnel. Needed to close his eyes for a second. It was so cold out here he was beginning to feel warm.

  Something warm licked his face. He opened his eyes. The dog was licking him. Phantom whined.

  He reached a hand out and patted the dog. “Good boy. I don’t think you can help me. Better go tell the family that Timmy’s down the well.”

  Phantom whined again and cocked his head. Then he grabbed JD’s sleeve in his teeth and pulled.

  “Hey! What’re you doing?” JD’s body slid a little. Then he got it. Phantom’s paws didn’t slip on the snow-covered ice as his feet did.

  “You’re giving me a tow? Smart boy.”

  While Phantom kept pulling on his collar, JD helped by making swimming motions on the ice. Sure enough, their combined efforts moved him along the slick surface. When he no longer slid easily, he could drag himself. Phantom kept pulling. They made it around the corner to the garage entrance.

  The overhead door had a handle. A couple of them, actually. JD hoisted himself up, leaning heavily on his real foot. But he didn’t have the stability in his wrenched fake foot to try to open the garage door itself. Only a few steps more and he could enter by a regular door.

  He paused for a second. “Okay, just a bit more.” He patted the dog again. “Lead the way.”

  Phantom paced back and forth, creating a path to the other door.

  JD took a breath and flattened himself against the overhead door, inching along toward the other entrance. His fake foot wasn’t at the right angle to work correctly, but at least it kept him upright. Sort of. He could feel it slipping. Sweat began to drip down his back. Just a few more inches…

  His gloved fingers were almost numb by now. They touched the door handle but couldn’t get a firm grip on it. He gritted his teeth and took another awkward step. At last he could get his whole hand around the handle. He pulled his weight after his hand, the final few feet feeling longer than a mile. Finally, he leaned heavily on the door.

  He turned the handle and heard the click as it opened. Good thing they never locked any doors out here.

  The door opened outward. He wedged himself through as small an opening as he could. Phantom followed behind him. The lights were on and the heat, too. He leaned against the wall and breathed in the warmth, felt it seeping into his extremities.

  He’d forgotten he had a clicker in his pocket. He could have opened the main door. Saved himself the last ten feet of suspense. He patted his jacket pocket. The clicker was gone. Must have fallen out in the snow. They’d find it in March at this rate.

  Once he’d dragged himself to the desk chair, he could drop his trousers and re-seat the socket. Damn fake foot. Maybe he’d go for a weld job someday after all.

  Was he really thinking about a future? Guess so.

  It only took a minute to get himself functional again. About ten to stop breathing like a runner and let the adrenaline subside. That had been close. As for the mower stuck outside, he’d need Baron’s help to right it. If the wind didn’t blow the machine over. A task for later.

  After taking a few minutes to warm up completely, he carefully walked across the breezeway to the house, Phantom at his side. The house was quiet. None of the desperation of his last few minutes had been noticed by anyone inside. Was that good or bad?

  He could have called someone on his cell. Asked his brother to come rescue him. Glad he hadn’t thought of it. At least he’d kept his dignity. Dignity was important, wasn’t it? Bet he’d looked dignified as hell with the cattle dog towing his sleeve and him making like Diana Nyad on the ice. He began to chuckle.

  Instead of going into the main part of the house immediately, he opened the door of the office. Empty. He sat for a while. Phantom wandered around the office and then settled down next to JD. The dog whined and put his head on JD’s one real foot. He leaned down and stroked the animal’s head. Dog deserved a big bone. He’d ask Miss Betty to provide one.

  JD phoned the ranch hands, checking on who was caring for the other horses. Addie had looked upset when Baron shrugged off their situation.

  He eased back and contemplated the room. If he took over the place, this would be his office. He’d make phone calls, hop on a Jeep or an ATV to check up on things in person from time to time, and then come back here and strategize. A business this large and complicated required serious strategy. Given what had just happened, was it reasonable to think he could do the job in the condition he was in?

  ***

  Paula was in the kitchen having coffee when JD came in with Phantom trailing him.

  Miss Betty said, “There he is. Don’t know why that dog insisted on goin’ outside. He whined and scratched at the door until I let him.”

  JD’s face took on a mischievous expression. “He thinks he’s Lassie.”

  Miss Betty snorted.

  “Got a treat for him?” JD asked. “He deserves something very good.”

  “Now why is that? I wouldn’t even let Baron and Addie have an extra snack. Lunch is in a few minutes.”

  “Let’s just say he rescued Timmy from the well,” he said.

  Miss Betty’s expression went slack for a second. Then she leaned down and patted the dog. “Well, then, I’ll find you somethin’ nice, boy.”

  Paula was confused. “Wait, what?”

  Miss Betty said, “You don’t watch enough television, girl. He means the dog helped him out of
a jam, right?” She looked at JD for confirmation.

  JD nodded. “Got it in one.” At Paula’s sound of concern, he waved it away. “No biggie. I’m okay.”

  She wanted to ask him more. Baron and Addie had come in nearly an hour ago. What had happened outside that sent the dog whining to the door? How much danger had JD been in?

  She shouldn’t have forced him to come here. He wasn’t safe in this wild ranch. It wasn’t like a city, where they could always call 911 and get help. She shivered. She hated the isolation of the ranch.

  JD actually seemed cheerful, a first for him. Perhaps whatever happened had brought him more confidence rather than convincing him he couldn’t hack it out here in the wild. She wanted to ask him if that was so, but she didn’t. She also wanted to ask how he felt about last night, but she didn’t ask that, either.

  ***

  JD carefully didn’t look at Paula when he was in the kitchen, and he left as soon as he could. Best say nothing about last night. Best not even think about it.

  He caught Baron in the den and told him an edited version of what had happened with the mower. They returned to the garage. Baron found a substitute clicker to open the main door and they used a rope to pull the mower back to a normal position with all wheels on the ground. The ice made an easy surface to pull the mower closer to the garage, which they’d shoveled a path to yet again. A couple more maneuvers got the mower inside, none the worse for wear.

  JD and Baron worked together without arguing. JD told him what to do and Baron did it without questioning his younger brother. Another proof Baron wasn’t boss material. When he didn’t think he was supposed to run things, he was quite willing to follow his younger brother’s lead.

  ***

  By the afternoon, the winds were still high, and the temperature low. The inhabitants of the surprise house party had separated once again to far corners, to obtain some space and privacy. Paula and JD were never alone together and she suspected that was deliberate on his part. During lunch, he hadn’t sent her any nasty looks the way he used to in the hospital, but his silence had not been encouraging.