The Cowboy Code

by Christine Wenger

  Looking at Joe, she couldn’t help noticing the confidence in his stance—his muscular thighs, encased in worn denim. But she noticed more than his physical appearance. She admired his patience, the way he never spoke down to the kids, the way he was slowly winning over even the most angry of the lot, with the possible exception of Brandon Avery.

  There were many things about Joe that she liked, but what was the sense of flirting, or taking their relationship—such as it was—to the next level? The two of them were from different worlds, and they each had lives from which they couldn’t—wouldn’t—walk away. Maggie’s life was in New York, not in tiny Mountain Springs, Wyoming.

  But what was she thinking? She’d never have to make that difficult decision because she wouldn’t let her attraction get that far.

  As everyone entered the bunkhouse, Maggie turned to walk uphill to the ranch house, desperate to change her dirty clothes when Danny appeared next to her.

  “Some day will you show me that rope trick, Aunt Maggie?”

  “Sure. Whenever you’d like. How did your roping go?”

  “Okay. I did better than a lot of the other guys,” he said with pride.

  “Good for you!”

  Danny looked toward the rest of the group, then back at her. “Some of the cowboys are going to tell ghost stories at the campfire tonight. Are you going?”

  He actually wanted her company? Or maybe he didn’t want her to go to the campfire, so he could be alone with his pals.

  She chose to believe the former.

  “What would a campfire be without ghost stories? I’ll be there. I’m just going to change clothes and get a jacket. I’ll be down soon.”

  He nodded, then took off at a dead run to catch up with the others.

  This was sure a pleasant change from the sullen and surly boy he’d been for so long. Maybe their earlier conversation by the river had made a difference after all.

  Would it have made a difference if they’d had such a talk after Liz died two years ago? She didn’t know.

  Whatever it was, Danny was coming around, and she couldn’t be happier. She just hoped that things would keep getting better….

  “Tomorrow is going to be a full day,” Joe announced at the campfire. “There will be more riding lessons, another roping practice, and then we’ll pack for the cattle drive. The wagons have to be packed with tents, sleeping bags, food and other supplies. The bunkhouse will be cleaned and swept before we leave at sunrise on Wednesday.”

  A buzz of excitement traveled around the campfire, and then the boys caught themselves and the eye-rolling and elbow-nudging began again. Danny did smile, albeit briefly.

  He might be turning into a regular cowboy after all, Joe thought.

  Better yet, Danny was starting not to care about what the other kids thought. He’d overheard him tell Rick that he didn’t want a tattoo, no matter how cool everyone thought they were.

  He wondered if Maggie noticed that Danny was starting to be his own man.

  Maggie. She was always on his mind.

  She’d surprised him twice today—by hanging on to Lady and with the rope trick. He just might make a cowgirl out of her yet.

  Nah. Maggie was a city gal through and through, he thought regretfully. But even though the lights of Broadway might normally shine on her, right now she looked beautiful by the light of the campfire.

  He wondered if he could talk her into singing for them, but he didn’t want to single her out—she was just a participant in Cowboy Quest, after all.

  Yeah, right.

  He watched as she toasted a marshmallow, how she licked her lips after she ate it. He noticed her twinkling eyes and was attuned to her every laugh. And when she met his gaze, he was rewarded with a smile.

  But her face quickly fell when she looked over and saw Danny watching them. He stood up and walked away from the fire, heading for the bunkhouse.

  Dammit.

  They weren’t even doing anything, so why did he feel so guilty?

  As the campfire died out, everyone began to shuffle to the bunkhouse.

  “Hang on a minute, Maggie,” Joe said. “I’ll walk you home.”

  He snapped his fingers. “I have to remind Jake to feed Calico when we’re on the trail ride. Actually, I’d like you to meet him. We go way back to grammar school, and we were in the rodeos together for several years.”

  “What exactly did you and Jake do with the rodeo?”

  “We did timed team roping. He was the header, and I was the heeler—he roped the head of a running calf, I roped the heels.”

  “I’ve never been to a rodeo.”

  “Then you don’t know what you’re missing.” He shoveled dirt onto the fire to smother it. “Someday, we’ll have to go.”

  It was as if he was asking her for a date. But that wasn’t his intent. Still, he’d like nothing better than to take her to a rodeo, show her Mountain Springs and hit the local honky tonks and dance with her. But would she even go?

  “Sounds like fun. I’d love to, Joe.”

  That was the reply he’d hoped for, but unfortunately, she’d be going home after Cowboy Quest.

  Looking up at the vast Wyoming sky dotted with twinkling stars, Maggie felt a pang of sorrow. “I’m missing my sister tonight.”

  “That’s understandable. You loved her, and she loved you—enough to trust you with her only son.”

  “And I’ve failed her,” she said, regretfully.

  “No, you haven’t. You’re here, aren’t you? And Danny’s coming around. Right?”

  She shrugged. “He does seem to be coming out of his shell a little.”

  “Excellent. Now don’t worry.” His deep, calm voice almost made her believe that everything would be all right.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked. “Big day tomorrow.”

  Maggie turned on her flashlight and started up the path. Even before she left New York, thoughts of the cattle drive were on her mind. She didn’t know if she had the pluck to ride a horse all day, camp out at night and keep up with her chores. But if it would keep Danny in her custody, she’d ride a horse to the moon and back.

  “It’ll be fun, you’ll see.” Joe put his hand on the small of her back to guide her over an uneven patch of land, and her mouth suddenly went dry.

  “The trail is pretty easy and straightforward,” he continued. “No surprises. As you already experienced, animals can be unpredictable, but all of my staff will be on high alert at all times. I want everyone back safe and sound.”

  “I second that.”

  They reached the front porch, and Maggie suddenly remembered the night before, when Joe seemed like he was about to kiss her. But that must have been her imagination.

  As she turned to unlock the door, his calloused hand wrapped around hers. She met his dark, smoky gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.

  His lips looked warm and inviting, and they curved up into a sexy grin.

  Her common sense was at war with her heart. She liked him—a lot—but that didn’t matter. There could be no future for their relationship. Even if they did start something, she didn’t want to be hurt down the line. Also, Danny and the rest of the participants were already on high alert waiting to catch them in a compromising situation, and the last thing she wanted was to do more damage to her already fragile nephew.

  She dropped his hand, and unlocked the door before she changed her mind. “Good night, Joe. I’ll see you bright and early.”

  He held her gaze, and she couldn’t ignore the heat in his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Maggie.”

  Escaping into the house, she closed the door and leaned on it, willing her pulse to stop racing.

  She had a feeling that things weren’t going to go exactly as planned.

  Chapter Eight

  Two days later, Joe stood next to his horse at the flagpole and smiled at the yawning boys standing next to their horses. Maggie was with Lady.

  “Hope you’re all well rested, because we�
�re about to start our cattle drive. We’re going to move the Silver River cattle from their lower winter grounds to their higher summer grounds. We’ll brand those that need to be branded and separate any Gold Buckle Ranch cattle that got mixed in and drive them to Jake Dixon’s summer pasture.”

  Quint had advised him about the high level of excitement in the bunkhouse last night. Even a couple of their least responsive boys were showing signs of life. Joe wanted to keep that excitement going.

  Danny looked like he was about ready to jump out of his skin. So did Maggie, though he suspected for different reasons.

  Maggie. He’d wanted to kiss her the other night.

  After watching her at the campfire, seeing how the moonlight and the firelight played across her face, he’d longed to feel her lips against his.

  She’d been the strong one before, the one who’d terminated whatever was happening between them, and brought him back to reality.

  She was probably worried about what Danny would think.

  As they all gathered and prepared to leave, Joe surveyed his crew. Cookie was at the one o’clock position, perched on his authentic chuck wagon with a team of horses. It was packed with provisions, first aid kits, water and extra gear.

  A covered wagon sat at three o’clock, loaded with sleeping bags, tents, rain gear and other supplies. Quint sat in the so-called driver’s seat, holding the reins.

  Ronnie was the wrangler in charge of the remuda. He’d see that the horses were taken care of, along with their tack, food and water. Everyone would look after his or her own horse, but Ronnie would supervise overall.

  Joe stole a look at Maggie. She looked just like a cowgirl in her white hat. She was listening attentively to instructions from the various team leaders, while maintaining a steady grip on Lady’s reins.

  Everyone was fed, the horses were saddled and everything was loaded. It was time to go.

  Ronnie gave Joe the thumbs-up sign.

  “Westward ho!” Joe yelled, pumping the air with his fist.

  “Westward ho!” yelled the crowd, pumping the air in return. Though some of the boys snickered as if they’d just done the stupidest thing, their excitement was palpable, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

  Joe looked at Maggie. Her cheeks were pink, and she seemed ready for the challenge of a forty-mile round-trip cattle drive. He’d plotted out the easiest route possible for Cowboy Quest beginners, complete with swimming holes and some of the best scenery that Wyoming had to offer.

  Maggie mounted her horse with only a couple of hops, and he rode up to her on Checkmate. “You sure you’re ready?” he asked.

  She smiled. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. And I think Danny’s raring to go. I’ve never seen him this excited!”

  Joe laughed. “Good. I want to keep the excitement up and keep them busy. Then they won’t even have time to think about getting into trouble.”

  He slapped his thigh. “Well, let’s rock and roll. I’m going to ask Danny if he’d like to ride in the lead with me. Ronnie will ride next to you. Tell him if you need anything.”

  “Got it.” She hesitated—obviously she wanted to say something. He waited. “Joe?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you’ve done. You’re a great…um…”

  “Trail boss?”

  She laughed. “Yeah. A great trail boss.”

  He glanced down at her butt. “Thanks, but you might be singing a different tune after a day in the saddle.”

  Joe was wrong. Maggie was singing the blues after just seventy-four minutes in the saddle; she couldn’t imagine what a whole day would be like. She was using muscles that she didn’t even know she had.

  Thank goodness someone called for a break. It was a relief to be able to stretch her legs. She waved to Danny, and he slowly walked to where she was standing.

  “What do you think, Danny? Pretty cool?”

  “It’s cool.” His words were blandly delivered, but his eyes sparkled.

  “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

  “Joe picked me first to lead the way with him!”

  “I know. Another cool thing, huh?” Maggie asked, careful not to say or do something that would clam him up.

  “Danny, come over here,” Brandon called.

  Danny turned to walk away from her, but Maggie put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Danny, you don’t have to do what he says. We were having a nice conversation, and—”

  He moved away from her grip. “I gotta go.”

  She sighed. They’d been sharing a great moment, at least until Brandon called him over.

  If only Danny would stick up for himself. If only he’d realize that he didn’t have to be a follower, but that he had a mind of his own—a good mind.

  If only she knew how to reach him….

  Looking up, she noticed Joe walking over to the huddle of boys, and she wondered if he caught that little scene between Danny and her.

  “Any problems, cowboys? Any questions I can answer?” he asked.

  “Yeah, where’s the nearest mall?” one of the boys joked.

  “Over in Casper. If you get walking, you could make it there in a couple of weeks.” Joe laughed. “Time to mount up. Anyone want to take a turn leading the way?”

  More silence. Joe turned to Danny, “Dan, looks like you get to go again. How about it?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so.”

  They walked their horses for two more miles, following the Silver River. Maggie enjoyed the scenery—the vast blue sky dotted with cotton candy clouds, and the green grass peppered with wildflowers, their colorful heads bowing to the breeze. She noticed spots of the river where the current rushed and spun almost like a whirlpool, and she longed to sit right in the middle of the water and soothe her aching muscles.

  Joe was talking to Ronnie, who rode on his right, and Danny was listening to his friends, who had caught up with him. All around her, the cowboys and kids kept up an easy banter, with the possible exception of Brandon, Rick and Danny. Brandon’s scowl was becoming more pronounced as time went by, and Maggie noticed that most of the kids were giving them all a wide berth. Danny was nodding his head, looking as if he was agreeing with whatever Brandon said.

  Why can’t Danny stand on his own?

  Lunch consisted of hot dogs and beans and handfuls of potato chips and big McIntosh apples. Cookie fried the hot dogs in a big cast-iron pan as Maggie stirred the beans that she’d placed in two Dutch ovens set on the propane camp stoves they’d hauled in the chuck wagon.

  In between stirring, she set out the utensils, metal plates and paper napkins on the back of the wagon. Everyone could help themselves when they were ready.

  Maggie made up a plate for herself and went to eat in the shade of a maple tree. The leaves were a brilliant shade of green, and the air smelled fresh, clean—so different from the exhaust-filled air back home. Her butt and legs were killing her after four hours in the saddle, and she couldn’t imagine what she would feel like in the morning.

  Suddenly, Danny walked over to her, carrying his plate.

  “Hey, Danny. What’s up?”

  “Just thought I’d sit with you for a minute.”

  He flopped down on a patch of ground next to her, watching the action.

  They ate in strained silence until Brandon and Rick sat down nearby and began looking over at them.

  “What’s that about?” she asked Danny. “Why the laughing and the faces at us?”

  “They’re just fooling around.” He shrugged, obviously trying to play it down.

  “They don’t seem to like anything, but I know that you liked leading the wagon train with Joe. I’m sure you got teased about that.”

  “Yeah.” Another shrug.

  “Come on, Danny. No one’s listening, it’s just you and me. Would it kill you to admit that you’re having a great time?”

  “So you can remind me that I should be glad that I’m not
in an institution?”

  The hurt in his tone stunned her for a moment, and she struggled to find her voice. “Daniel Turner, I wasn’t going to say that at all. I just hoped we could have a few minutes together like we had the other day while we were picking up litter.”

  “Oh, please. That was just a bogus job made up by Joe so we could talk.”

  “Who said that?”

  Silence.

  She tried again. “So what if it was a bogus job? We did talk, and I think it was good for us. What happened between then and now?”

  Danny pulled up a clump of grass and shot it in front of him. “Nothing. Nothing’s happened. Why do you say that?”

  She’d bet a paycheck that something was up. He was too defensive, too secretive, even for him.

  He scrambled to his feet. “Anything else?”

  “No. Go back to your friends. Sorry that I bothered you.” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Two steps forward, ten gallops back.

  Disheartened, Maggie got up and went to the chuck wagon to help with the dishes.

  Cookie had put big pots of water on to boil. The dishes would be washed, dried and packed for the next leg of the ride. Cookie had explained that they didn’t use plastic or paper plates on the trail so they’d keep their trash to a minimum. Whatever trash was left, they’d bring back to the Silver Ranch and dispose of it properly.

  But she wasn’t needed to do the dishes. Two of the boys were assigned to that chore.

  She walked over to where Joe stood with Ronnie. She wanted to let Joe know that something seemed to be going on with the boys, but she didn’t have any hard facts or solid evidence—just a hunch.

  Besides, she had to admit that Joe could read the signs of upcoming trouble just as well as or better than she could.

  She was going to butt out. She ought to give Joe more credit for knowing what was happening in his own program. “Um…I just wanted to know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

  “Nothing, but thanks,” said Joe. “Just get ready to go. We’ll leave in ten minutes.”

  “Okay. See you both later.”

  As she turned, she noticed all the boys staring in her direction, shooting daggers at her. They thought she was a snitch—which was ridiculous since she didn’t have any specific information. But something was up, and her nephew was in the thick of it.