The Cowboy Code

by Christine Wenger

  “Um…good night, Joe.”

  “’Night, Maggie.” He headed down the path, then stopped. “The phone number to the bunkhouse is right by the phone. Call if you need anything—anything at all.”

  He gritted his teeth. That sounded like a proposition, and he hadn’t meant that at all.

  “I mean…uh…” He couldn’t think.

  “I know what you mean, Joe. See you bright and early.”

  She smiled, and the door closed.

  He caught himself whistling as he walked to the bunkhouse. He hadn’t whistled in ages.

  But sleep wouldn’t come. He kept thinking about Maggie, who had a wagonload of trouble she had to deal with. Her heaviest cargo was the smallest kid in Cowboy Quest.

  Would he be able to help her?

  Tossing and turning, he thought about his growing attraction to Maggie and how he had to resist. It would be unprofessional, and a huge complication.

  He had a highly charged program to run, loaded with high-risk juveniles with emotional issues and one interesting woman who was constantly intruding on his thoughts.

  How was he going to keep his mind on business?

  Chapter Four

  Maggie barely slept. She kept having dreams of falling off horses as tall as the Empire State Building.

  Four-thirty came way too early. She grabbed the clothes that she’d laid out last night and hurried to the shower.

  At five o’clock sharp, she was at the barn, shivering in her designer coat. She could see the cowboys and the kids walking in single file up the hill. Joe led the way, his long strides determined and purposeful. Danny lagged behind the group with Brandon.

  She hoped that the two of them didn’t get too close. Danny was a first-class follower. He was the type of kid that others liked to egg on, then sit back and watch him take the fall.

  Maybe Cowboy Quest would teach him how to be a leader.

  “Morning, Maggie,” Joe said, handing her a mug of steaming coffee.

  “Morning.”

  He also handed her a flannel shirt. “I brought you this. I figured you’d need it.”

  Judging by the size, it was one of his.

  “We might need to move up our shopping trip to after breakfast.” Joe said, nodding in Danny’s direction. “It’s cold here until about noon or so. You both need warmer clothes.”

  It looked as though Danny was wearing all the contents of his suitcase. The other kids were dressed appropriately. Obviously, they knew more than she.

  “I think you’re right.” She hurriedly took off her coat and slipped into Joe’s flannel shirt. It was so soft and comfortable, and she caught the scent of laundry soap and his spicy aftershave. She buttoned it up, rolled up the sleeves and put her coat back on. His shirt hung almost to her knees, but she was much warmer, and grateful.

  She looked at the horses milling around the corral. Now when she shivered, it wasn’t from the cold. It was pure fright.

  Quint took charge, and they all worked in teams of three to water and feed the horses and muck the stalls. Maggie, Danny and Ronnie were a team. She liked the big cowboy with the shaggy blond hair and the easy smile. While Maggie bit her tongue, Ronnie deftly deflected any negative remarks that Danny made.

  By the time they’d fed and watered their allotment of horses, mucked their fair share of stalls and turned out some horses into the corral, the sun was rising over the mountains.

  Maggie couldn’t stop herself from looking at Joe. His unique laugh and sense of humor never failed to make her smile. She watched as he swung big bales of hay as if they were nothing but a handful of feathers. She sneaked a glance as he patiently instructed one of the boys as to the correct way to lay down fresh hay.

  There was some grumbling, refusals to work, talk about slave labor and talk about how they were feeling punished. Joe took the worst complainers aside and had a heart-to-heart with them. Danny was the first to be invited to talk to Joe. He returned to the group a little quieter, more contemplative.

  Finally, they all headed to the bunkhouse for breakfast. One of the boys, Cody, held the door open for her, and she smiled her thanks. He smiled back.

  Danny was already inside and sitting at the table, but when Joe checked his clipboard and called Danny’s name to help Cookie, he got up with only a bit of eye rolling.

  Joe took a seat opposite Maggie. When Danny brought out platters of scrambled eggs, pancakes and sausages and laid them on the table, no one made a move to help themselves.

  This time, Quint said the prayer. When it was over, everything was passed, and there was a minimum of talking. When the platters were empty, Danny got up from his seat and took them to Cookie for a refill. Clearly, he was already making some progress.

  After breakfast, Joe announced that it was time for classes and individual tutoring so they could keep up with their schoolwork, and that she and Danny would be going into town with him for supplies.

  This brought a couple of stupid grins from the boys in the program and the words “suck up” reached her ears. Danny’s face flushed pink with humiliation, and he was about to spew something back, but he held his tongue.

  Peers could be brutal, and Maggie wondered how Danny would be able to live with the taunts. Maybe he could learn to deal with them—with Joe’s help.

  Joe enjoyed watching Maggie as he drove into Mountain Springs. She seemed truly enthralled by the beauty of the surrounding terrain—the snow-capped peaks in the distance, the wildflowers along the road. Or maybe she was just having a nervous reaction to being so far out of her element, away from the hectic city she seemed to love.

  Danny wasn’t talking. He ostensibly slept in the backseat, but every now and then Joe could see his eyes flutter open. He was definitely watching them carefully.

  Oblivious to her nephew’s subterfuge, Maggie kept up a steady stream of chatter.

  “I’m really sorry that you have to take the time to take us shopping, Joe. I thought I’d brought the correct items.”

  “Danny just needs a couple pair of jeans that don’t drag on the ground. And you said that you bought dude ranch clothes for yourself. They’ll do, but they’re awfully fancy, so you might want to get some casual things. Plus, you both need warmer clothes for the cattle drive.” He rubbed his chin. “Didn’t you get a clothing list from Mrs. Dixon, Jake’s mom?”

  “Uh…I probably did. I have a pile of mail I didn’t get a chance to look at, but I brought it with me.” She paused. “I’m normally not this disorganized, but everything went just so fast, and—”

  “I understand.” But he didn’t. Who wouldn’t open their mail on a daily basis or bring the correct clothes for a Wyoming cattle drive in late spring? “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of getting you both some appropriate things to wear.”

  Once they parked in town and stepped inside Mountain Springs Feed and Sundries, Maggie was overwhelmed.

  “This is totally amazing! I’ve never seen a place like this.”

  It was indeed a mishmash of everything under the sun. Chicken feed was positioned near wallpaper, house paint was a step away from barbed wire and rodent traps were near barbecue supplies. Joe supposed there was some logic to the place, but it escaped him.

  Maggie seemed astonished that the clothing was in the middle of the store, right next to a restaurant that was doing a booming business. She was even more amazed that if she wanted to try something on there were no dressing rooms per se. She was directed to a display of tents in the back of the store doubling as dressing rooms.

  But Maggie didn’t complain. She sported an amused smile and good-naturedly tried on clothing inside the tent while Danny sat on a nearby bench, a sour expression on his face.

  “Are these jeans okay?” she asked Joe moments later, pulling open the tent flap.

  Joe’s mouth suddenly went dry. He’d seen rodeo queens with looser jeans. He took a breath. “They look…fine.”

  Rolling his eyes, Danny finally got up and moved to the six-person orange-an
d-tan tent opposite Maggie. Hopefully, he was trying on his jeans.

  “Dan? How are you doing?” Joe asked.

  “These jeans are lame,” came the muffled answer.

  “Mind if I have a look?” Joe asked.

  “Whatever.”

  Joe popped into the tent. The jeans fit him perfectly. Then Danny tried to tug them down low on his hips.

  “Look, Dan. I can’t have you dragging your pants. First, it’s too dangerous around here. I don’t want the cuffs getting stuck in the stirrups. Second, there’s no one here you need to impress. You can be yourself.”

  Danny nodded. He didn’t seem to fight it all that much, and Joe wondered about that.

  That’s when Joe saw the bulge in the pocket of Danny’s old pants. A black handle showed, and the knife had to be at least six inches long.

  Joe shook his head. “Did you intend to buy the knife that’s in your pants pocket there?” He whispered so Maggie wouldn’t overhear.

  Danny’s eyes went to the object. Then he met Joe’s gaze, as if daring Joe to say more.

  Joe met the challenge. “I didn’t think so. If you need a knife for the trail, I’ll buy you one. Besides, stealing is against—”

  “The Cowboy Code,” Danny said sarcastically.

  Joe nodded. “So put it back.”

  The boy at least had enough sense to look embarrassed and maybe a bit sorry.

  “Are you going to tell my aunt?”

  “Should I?”

  “Nah. She’ll just yell, or cry. Sometimes I hear her crying.” He bit down on his lower lip, as if he said too much.

  “Why is she crying, Dan? Over you?”

  The boy shrugged. “I guess so.”

  Joe shook his head. “She cares about you. She loves you.” Danny gave a slight nod. “We’ll keep the knife thing between us as long as you don’t do it again.”

  “Are you going to send me home?” He raised an eyebrow, and Joe thought that the kid actually wanted to be sent home.

  “Not a chance, Dan. The only way that I’ll send you home is if you are a success. If you fail, you’ll go right into placement at a juvenile correctional facility,” Joe said, knowing that he would do his damnedest not to let that happen.

  Danny’s lip curled, but Joe could see the despair in the boy’s eyes. “My aunt must have told me a thousand times that I’m going to be placed if I blow this. I’m sick of hearing it.”

  “Than why would you do a dumb thing like stealing that knife?”

  He shrugged, but he took the knife and handed it to Joe.

  Joe flipped it around in his hand. “I’ll never mention placement again, as long as you don’t do anything dumb like that again.” Joe held out his hand. “Deal?”

  Danny shook his hand, but the pinched expression on his face told him that Danny didn’t like being forced into a promise.

  “Deal,” he finally said.

  “Good. Now let’s buy both you and your aunt cowboy hats.”

  Danny shrugged, but a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Seems like a cowboy hat wasn’t lame, but cool.

  Any of the guys could have taught Maggie how to ride, but Joe wanted to do it, so he put himself into the schedule.

  He knew he should stay focused on his program, and not Maggie, but he told himself that she was a member of his program and the one who needed the most individual training.

  They walked up the hill to the barn together. On the way, he explained the process, to make her more at ease.

  “We have two days to give you a basic knowledge of bridling, saddling and horse care in preparation for the cattle drive on Wednesday. Plus, we need to keep up with our regular chores.”

  “Who’s going to do the chores when we’re on the cattle drive?” Maggie asked.

  “A bunch of volunteers from Jake Dixon’s Gold Buckle Ranch. We help each other out.” He smiled. “Wait here. I’ll be right out.”

  Joe went into the barn and brought out Lady for Maggie. Lady was a gentle and patient soul who took the bit easily.

  Maggie backed up and gave Lady a wide berth.

  “That’s a big horse,” she said, eyes wide. “A really big horse.”

  Joe knew that Maggie was apprehensive about riding, but now he wondered if she was in fact afraid—which would make the cattle drive even more difficult for her. She was okay in the barn where the horses were secured in their stalls, but on the trail, her fear could be dangerous—unless he was able to help her overcome it.

  “Maggie, this is Lady. She’s a horse that we rescued from some very bad conditions.”

  He handed Maggie some sugar cubes. “Put them flat on your hand like I showed you. She’ll like you immediately.”

  The horse gently took the cubes from Maggie’s hand.

  “Lady wouldn’t hurt a flea. I picked her out just for you. The two of you will do fine.”

  He and Maggie shared a gaze. He saw the relief on her face, and he felt a stab of warmth deep in his gut.

  He wanted her to be happy and enjoy riding, but the importance he placed on both was a puzzle that he couldn’t figure out. Why was it so important to him?

  Her tried not to stare at her lush lips that made him want to kiss away any lingering fear. Cast his gaze away from her twinkling green eyes. He had work to do.

  As time went on, Maggie became more comfortable with Lady and mastered bridling and saddling the horse to his satisfaction.

  Finally, Joe knew that he had to end the lesson. It was getting too damn difficult to ignore the pull of awareness when his hand touched hers, to watch her worry her bottom lip when she was concentrating.

  Those lips. The lips that he wanted to kiss.

  Maybe it would be better for him to assign Maggie to another one of the cowboys… No. He had to do it. He’d taught several people who were nervous to ride a horse, but she was by far the jumpiest of the bunch. He wanted to personally make sure that she didn’t startle Lady—she had to learn to control the animal, as well as her anxiety.

  Soon it was time for lunch. After lunch, he’d give Maggie her first riding lesson.

  He’d teach her to ride, no problem. But he didn’t know what to do about the attraction that was threatening to distract him from his goal.

  Chapter Five

  “Let’s get back to the corral, Maggie,” Joe said after lunch. “We need to work on your fear of riding.”

  And she’d thought she was doing such a good job of hiding her fear today.

  Busted.

  She glanced over at Danny. Judging by the scowl on his face, he hadn’t missed a word of Joe’s invitation. She’d have to talk to him later, reassure him that nothing was going on.

  “Sure,” she answered.

  Joe didn’t say a word until they walked to a wooden bench along a slight bend in the Silver River. He gestured to the bench and she took a seat. He sat down next to her.

  “You’re more scared of riding than I thought,” he said bluntly. “You worked around them just fine, but being too nervous about riding increases your chances of getting hurt. We’ve got to help you control your fear.”

  “I actually thought that I’d be okay. But seeing them up close and personal, without them being in a stall—” She shivered.

  He took a seat next to her. “All the horses have been especially picked out and trained for Cowboy Quest. So put your mind at ease. With practice, you’ll get better and better and more relaxed. Okay?”

  His voice and demeanor were so gentle, she wanted to be successful for him…er…for Danny and for herself.

  “I’m not one to back away from a challenge. I’m giving this my best shot. Just let me have a moment before we start so I can do my breathing exercises. That always helps me.”

  “What else are you afraid of that you have to do breathing exercises?”

  “I get pretty bad stage fright—stress, actually. And this is stress personified.”

  “I’ll give you whatever time you need, Maggie. And I never thought y
ou’d back away, not for a moment. If you can perform on Broadway before a huge crowd and go on TV to accept your Tony and make a speech, then riding Lady should be like…uh…”

  “Riding the carousel in Central Park?”

  “Easier.” He took her hand, studied it and then released it. He was gentle, then his face became impassive. She’d love to know what he was thinking just then.

  “I’m okay now. Go ahead,” she said, inhaling and exhaling deeply. “I’ll meet you at the barn.”

  “If you’re sure.” He stood and headed back toward the barn.

  “Joe?”

  He turned back and waited.

  She exhaled loudly. “Thanks.”

  He gave her the thumbs-up sign, along with a sexy wink.

  But she wondered what he thought about her weakness, needing breathing exercises to cope with stress. Then it hit her. What if he thought she couldn’t cope with Danny?

  She couldn’t let her defenses down like she had. From now on, she wasn’t going to reveal any more of herself than necessary.

  Maggie studied Lady in her stall. She looked harmless, even cute. Okay. This was girl-to-girl, mano a mano, ladies’ night out, happy hour.

  “Just don’t throw me, Lady. I have a brilliant career going—or at least I had a brilliant career,” she whispered. “I can’t afford to break anything. I’m a dancer.” She did a little two-step, humming to accompany herself.

  Someone laughed, and she spun around. It was Joe. Her heart did a little leap in her chest at the sight of him.

  “Lady likes it when someone sings to her.”

  “Good. I’ll do Phantom of the Opera. Or maybe something from Oklahoma!” She chuckled.

  “What about something from Hearts and Flowers?”

  Her heart sank at the mere mention of the musical that she’d never get to do.

  “How did you know the name of the show that I was—”

  “The probation report.”

  “Ah…yes. That document is as comprehensive as the Declaration of Independence, isn’t it?” she asked.