“I am usin’ my brains. That’s why I think Captain Fredericks needs a good kick in the pants.”
Sully shook his head. “Don’t listen to him,” he said to Billy. “He’s been touchy ever since he missed out on the last cup of coffee this mornin’. Trust me—compliments. That’ll win ‘em over every time.”
Billy tried to hide his smirk. It had been far too much fun watching Sully and Tenny argue it out. “I think I’ll try Miss Margaret’s way first,” he said. “If that doesn’t work, Captain Fredericks will be next.”
“You’re probably doing the right thing.” Sully leaned over and clapped him on the back. “Good luck.”
Billy chuckled as he turned his horse and headed toward the wagon. His head was so filled with conflicting ideas, he didn’t know what he was actually going to say. He’d learned from Miss Margaret that it didn’t have to be anything too flowery or fancy, and that was a relief—he wouldn’t know how to talk like that in a million years, which was another good reason to toss Captain Fredericks out the window. It was all well and good to talk about moonlight if that sort of thing came natural, but it didn’t. He’d be best off sticking to what he knew.
And that was the thing about Rowena MacDonald. She did listen when he talked. He just wished he had more to say.
He pulled in a deep breath. He could do this. He was going to ride up to her, say hello, and carry on a conversation. One major stumbling block—overcome.
***
Rowena blinked her dry eyes. A horse and rider were coming toward her, and she thought it was Sully returning to check on her. Instead, it was Billy, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much dust she had smeared all over her face. He wheeled the horse and came up alongside her. “How are you gettin’ along?”
“I’m fine, I think, although Sully scared me to death when he told me I was supposed to drive.” She glanced at him suspiciously. “Did you know anything about that?”
“No, ma’am. I thought Sully was driving and you were the passenger. I was a bit perturbed to find out that you’d been made to do it. I have to say, though, that you’re doin’ a good job.”
“Thank you. As long as the road stays straight, we might survive after all.”
He grinned. “Looks like you’ve got a firm, but gentle hand—exactly what the horses need. They like you.”
“They do? How can you tell?”
He nodded toward the animals. “Look at their ears. They’re turned a little to the side, meaning that they’re relaxed. If they didn’t feel comfortable with you, they’d be on the alert, and their ears would be pinned back.”
“I didn’t know you could read a horse’s emotions like that,” Rowena said, genuinely interested. “Tell me more.”
“Well, if his ears are straight forward, he’s looking at something up ahead and probably feeling a little anxious about it,” Billy went on. “You’ll see that a lot when a horse is running or going someplace he’s never been before. He’s being careful about his surroundings. If his ears are too droopy, he’s likely falling asleep, and you shouldn’t sneak up on him or you might startle him.”
“How do you know the difference between relaxed ears and droopy ears?”
“Comes with practice, and also, you can tell from the way they’re holding their heads or rolling their eyes.”
“That’s an awful lot to remember.”
Billy shrugged. “It’s easier when you’re down on the ground with them and not up on a wagon seat. You’ll get to know ‘em over time—and you could ask Jack, too. He’s the horse expert on the ranch—I’m just a drag rider.”
“And what’s a drag rider?” Billy had never said so much to her at one time before—she didn’t want to jinx the magic by asking too many questions, but she was curious to learn more about this new world she was now living in.
“When we’re moving the cattle, I ride behind the herd and make sure we don’t have any stragglers. If we do, I give ‘em a little encouragement—usually cracking my whip in the air just enough to startle ‘em.”
“So, you don’t actually hit the animals with the whip?”
“Oh, no, ma’am.” He gave her a startled look. “Never. A whip’s just for makin’ noise. A man who uses one for anything else doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near animals.”
“I’m glad to know that, Billy. I’ve heard about cowboys and their whips, but I didn’t exactly know what they were used for.”
“Well, to be honest, there are some men who use theirs to strike their animals, but like I say, I don’t think that’s right. That’s one thing Wade and I got straight as soon as I came to the Lazy Q—I told him I’d never whip an animal, and he told me right off the bat that I was hired. He doesn’t want that on his ranch either.”
Rowena smiled, her heart warm. She’d never seen any of the animals being mistreated, but that didn’t mean much because she hadn’t spent time around them. She’d been doing laundry or helping with meals, not visiting the barns or corrals. Hearing this just confirmed what she’d already sensed—the Lazy Q was a good ranch run by kind people.
“I imagine that you’re fairly good with a whip, then,” she said.
“Oh, I’m all right.”
She shook her head, laughing. “Billy, just once, I’d like to see you own up to something.” She purposely lowered her voice. “Why, yes, Rowena, I’m extremely good with a whip. In fact, I’m considered the whip grand champion master of all Kansas.” She grinned, going back to her regular voice. “See? It’s not hard, and there’s nothing wrong with admitting your talents.”
“The whip grand champion master?” he asked skeptically.
“Well, I don’t know what you’d call it. You fill in that part. The point is, it’s all right to tell me you’re good at something.”
“All right, Miss Rowena, yes, I’m good with a whip. I’m not quite to ‘whip grand champion master’ status yet, but I’m working on it.” His voice held a tone of mocking.
“You’re never going to stop teasing me about that, are you?” She let out an exasperated sigh. “You make up just one title, just one award, and suddenly, that’s all anyone can talk about. I’ll forever be known as the girl who made up the grand champion title.”
He looked over at her and grinned, and the sight made her grin as well. This was what she’d been craving—the chance to find out who Billy was on the inside. She felt as though she was learning a bit about his personality, and she liked what she saw. He was quick-witted, and he understood her humor as well. She didn’t know if they’d be talking this freely if they were seated somewhere quiet and not riding along side-by-side on a dusty road, but things were perfect as they were, and she’d even forgot about the aching in her arms.
She’d expected Billy to ride back up front after he finished checking on her, but he stayed with her for another hour, then showed her how to bring the wagon to a stop. “Time for lunch,” he said as the horses slowed. She was so glad—she was downright starving.
“What about the other men?” she asked. “How will they eat and chase the cows at the same time?”
“Oh, we get good at eating on horseback,” he replied. “Show me what’s in the basket and I’ll ride up with some things they can handle.”
Rowena was more than eager to climb down from the wagon seat. It had been three hours since she’d first gotten up there, three hours of being jounced around on a hard wooden bench and keeping her feet wedged just so to prevent herself from flying off, and a break was exactly what she needed. When she let go of the reins, she was surprised that her hands stayed curled into that shape as though they’d forgotten how to do anything else, and hoisting herself onto her feet seemed impossible.
Billy must have noticed her struggles because he dismounted from his horse and then climbed up the side of the wagon. “Wrap your arm around my neck,” he said as he braced his feet on the step. “You don’t have your sea legs yet, as they say.”
“Sea legs? Isn’t that for ocean voyages and things
like that?”
“Yeah, but ‘wagon legs’ sounded a little strange.” He grinned, and seeing that smile so close up, Rowena’s heart gave a little flip. For a moment, she forgot she was supposed to be climbing down from a wagon seat. Instead, she was staring into the eyes of one of the most handsome men she’d ever met, and he was staring right back.
“So, put your arm around my neck, and I’ll support you while you climb down,” he repeated after a moment, and she wondered just how long she’d sat there like an idiot gaping at him while he was waiting for her to move.
“Oh, that’s right. Of course.” Heat rushed to her cheeks. Sully and Tenny were probably starving by now, and every minute she delayed, they’d just get hungrier. She ought to do what Billy asked.
When she put her arm around his neck, she slid closer to the edge of the bench. At least that was some progress, but she still wasn’t sure she had the strength to get down. Maybe she should stay up here until they reached town, and then she could drive around until she found a haystack. Then she could jump into the haystack and avoid this whole climbing-down nonsense. But she didn’t think it was haystack season, and it was probably better to get down now and move around a bit before her entire body froze into shape like her fingers had done.
Billy tucked his arm around her waist, and she became very aware of how strong he was. “I’m going to support you while you climb down,” he said in her ear. “I can’t just lift you—the seat’s too high.”
“Oh, I’m sure I can do it,” she replied, her pride perking back up. But as she tried again to hoist her weight, she crumpled, and if it hadn’t been for Billy, she would have gone right down into the dirt.
“Now your right foot,” he said, and she did her best. It was hard to concentrate with him so very near.
Once she was on the ground, Billy grabbed the blanket from the back of the wagon and spread it out, then helped her sit. “You’re flat worn out,” he said. “You’ve never done anything like that before, have you?”
She shook her head.
“You did a good job, Miss Rowena. I wish I’d known you were getting tired—we could have stopped sooner.”
“I don’t think I knew how tired I was until I tried to stand up. I was enjoying our conversation too much to be thinking about things like that.”
He ducked his head and smiled. “Me too. Now, let’s see what’s in this basket that I can take to the men.”
Rowena helped Billy tie some bread, cheese, and dried apples into a bundle. While he was gone, she laid out the rest of the food so it would be ready when he got back. She hadn’t anticipated that they’d be spending any time together at all on the way into town, so this was a surprise, and a welcome one. When she heard him returning, her heart gave a few extra beats, and she had to pull in a breath. She knew it was just her imagination, but she could still feel his hand on her waist.
He slid to the ground and looped his horse’s reins over the back of the wagon, then sat beside her on the ground. “The men say thanks,” he reported. “They were able to stop for a few minutes while the cows grazed, so it looks like we’re all getting a nice break.”
“We’ll save some pie for them,” Rowena said. That had seemed a little too messy to send along with the bread and cheese.
They sat quietly and ate. Compared to the rain they’d had before, now everything seemed dry and dusty. “Coming from back east, I’m not used to such an arid climate,” Rowena said as she sliced off another bit of cheese. “I’ve never seen rain evaporate so fast.”
“It didn’t just evaporate—it got sucked into the soil.” Billy took a sip of water from his jar. “The land out here’s greedy. It takes whatever it can get.”
“But that’s good for wheat, isn’t it?”
“You bet it is. Where you’re sittin’ right now is one of the best places for growing winter wheat in the whole country.”
“I don’t think we grow much at all in Pennsylvania.” She paused. “What’s the difference between winter wheat and regular wheat?”
“Winter wheat gets planted in the fall and harvested in the spring.”
“Oh, so I might be able to find a haystack after all?”
He looked at her curiously, and she blushed. “Um, I didn’t mean to say that aloud.”
“If you want, I can pretend I didn’t hear it. I’m still going to wonder, though.”
She shook her head. “All right, I’ll tell you, but only if you promise not to laugh at me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Well, it was while I was trying to get down from the wagon … I was thinking it would be lot easier if I drove around until I found a haystack and just jumped into it. Truth be told, I’ve never been so stiff and sore in my life, and I’m positive I’m going to be hobbling around like an old grandmother for a solid week.”
“That’ll make dancing at Miss Margaret’s party difficult.”
“Exactly.” She smiled at his joke. She liked this relaxed side of him—she liked it a lot.
“I’m sorry if I did anything inappropriate by helping you down,” he said, not meeting her eyes while he spoke. “Short of leaving you up there, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Oh, believe me, I was contemplating staying up there. I might even be up there now if it wasn’t for you—you did the right thing.” She looked away too, once again remembering his touch. There had been nothing inappropriate about it at all, but even a touch on the hand would have had the same impact. Something was building between them—it was becoming tangible, and she knew he was feeling it too. It was impossible to ignore.
Chapter Seven
Billy finished his meal and wiped his hands on the napkin that had been tucked in with the food, then stood. “Why don’t you let me take over the wagon for the rest of the day?”
Rowena looked up at him with those liquid chocolate eyes of hers. “Aren’t you needed?”
He shrugged. “The cows know Sully just as well as they know me. Besides, I like this company a lot better.”
She smiled, kindling a little fire somewhere behind his breastbone. “If you’re sure it’s all right, I’d definitely appreciate it.”
He reached down and offered her a hand, which she accepted as she clambered to her feet. “I’m sorry,” she said when she pulled him a little off balance. “I didn’t expect that I’d still be so stiff.”
He chuckled. “It’s hard work, being a wagon master. Why don’t you walk around for a few minutes? I’ll take care of the picnic food.”
She paused and looked up at him again. “Thank you, Billy. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
He was glad that she turned away before she could notice the heat rising to his face. He hadn’t realized that his offer would mean so much to her, but the genuine appreciation in her eyes was worth the moon to him.
He gathered up the dishes and the leftovers, packing them back in the basket as neatly as he could. It was easy to see this wasn’t a natural talent, but it looked decent and nothing should get broken. Then he put the basket in the back of the wagon.
When Rowena came back from her short stroll, he’d just tied the horse to the back of the wagon. “He’ll follow along behind us,” he explained.
“And he won’t mind?”
“Naw. He’ll probably be glad for the break from me.”
They walked around to the passenger side of the wagon, and Billy gave her a hand up into the seat. She laughed as she got settled in. “I can’t believe how much easier it is for me to get up from this side,” she said. “I think I was just turned around in my head before—and now I feel so silly.”
“Silly? Why?”
“Because I could have climbed up on the passenger side and scooted over instead of putting myself through all the hassle of climbing up over there. I’m so glad you weren’t here to see it—I’ve never been so ungraceful in my life, and I’m sure I had Sully in a fit of giggles.”
“Sounds like I missed some good entertainment.”
Billy took his seat and picked up the lines. “Well, Sully’s a gentleman at heart, even though he looks like an overgrown mountain goat. He won’t go spreading tales.”
“That’s good to know.”
Billy urged the horses onward, and they were back on their way. He didn’t much care for riding in a wagon—he always felt more comfortable on the back of a horse—but Rowena made all the difference. Her light chatter was pleasant to listen to, and when he responded, he felt as though his words were making a difference to her, too. In his heart, he thanked Miss Margaret over and over again for her counsel the night before. It wasn’t easy to talk this much, but the more he did it, the easier it became because he knew he wasn’t wasting his efforts. Rowena truly wanted to know who he was on the inside, and he’d never experienced that before.
He’d always thought he had to be wealthy or powerful for someone to care what he thought, and when the girls arrived and were disappointed to find that they wouldn’t be marrying ranchers after all, that only solidified his belief. Even a girl he’d paid to ship out here didn’t find him worth marrying. But now she was looking at him with curious eyes, asking questions about the things he said, and he realized that he must have misunderstood the situation. He’d have to ask her about it—later, much later, when he felt more comfortable. That conversation was too serious for this first day of real communication.
He’d been driving just a bit faster than Rowena had been, hoping to make up some time, and it wasn’t long before he saw Sully and Tenny up ahead. The cows were moving along again, moseying without a care in the world. A glance at the sky told him they were getting into the early afternoon hours, and that concerned him.
“Every so often when we come to town, we get held up, and we stay overnight,” he told Rowena. “We’ve got a deal with the Brody Hotel, and they give us discounts if they have available rooms. If we ended up having to do that tonight, is that all right with you? They’d find you a private room, I’m sure.”
A Rancher for Rowena Page 5
