by R. C. Ryan
Burke roused himself from his musings. “Probably out here.”
“Me too.” Reed walked to the range shack and returned with their sleeping bags.
Tossing one to Burke, he spread the other by the side of the fire before heading back inside. He stepped out a few minutes later with two longnecks and handed one to Burke before sitting down and stretching out his legs.
“A shooting star,” Burke called, pointing to the western sky.
“Yeah. I see it.”
“I remember how excited you boys used to get whenever I’d point one out. You’d scrunch your eyes shut and make a wish.” The old man was grinning when he turned to Reed. “You too old for that now?”
“Hell, no. I’ll do whatever it takes to make my wishes happen.”
“So, if you were to make a wish right now, what would it be?”
Reed tipped up his bottle and took a long pull before saying, “That my herd makes it to roundup without any problems.”
Burke kept his gaze steady. “I don’t think that’d be your first wish, son.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because”—he chose his words carefully—“it took you a couple of beats to come up with it. What was your first thought?”
Reed stared up into the sky. “That Ally and Kyle stay safe.”
The old man’s brow shot up. “You think they’re in trouble?”
Reed settled himself more comfortably before he began talking. For the next half hour, while Burke listened, Reed spilled everything he could about Ally, her son, the incident at the shop, her relationship with Archer Stone, her coworker, Gemma.
When at last he finished, he set aside his empty bottle and gave a slow shake of his head. “I can’t believe I just told you all this. I guess by now your ear’s been chewed clear off.”
“I don’t mind a bit, son.” The old man merely grinned. “Seems like you had a heap of information filling you up, and you needed some place to spill it. And you know your secrets are safe with me.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate it, Burke. What I appreciate even more is that you don’t bother offering me a lot of empty advice.”
“I’m happy to oblige.”
Reed rolled to his side and put his hat over his face. A short time later his breathing was slow and easy, alerting Burke that he was asleep.
The old cowboy made his way to the cabin and returned with a mug of coffee. While he sipped, he watched the night sky with its endless display of big orange moon and glittering stars.
This was the first time he could ever recall hearing Reed talk about a woman. Always before it had been the ranch, the family, the herds.
There had been plenty of pretty girls to turn that boy’s head. Hell, all three of the Malloy brothers had the women of Glacier Ridge, from sixteen to sixty, making eyes at them. And Reed, like his brothers, had sampled plenty of honey being offered. But until now, he’d never heard Reed express anything personal about a female.
Tonight it was all about Ally Shaw and her son.
There had been a look on Reed’s face and a change in his voice when he spoke of them.
This sounded serious, at least on Reed’s part.
But what about the lady in question? From what Reed had said, Ally had some serious, messy issues to deal with. Her son’s father. A coworker stalking her. An uncle bearing a grudge from his past.
That was a lot for one lone woman to shoulder.
Burke watched another shooting star dance across the sky and found himself automatically making a wish.
Reed and his brothers were special to Burke. They were like his own. Matt and Luke were now happily married, and their futures looked bright. He wanted that same happiness for Reed. But the old man had lived long enough to know that not all wishes came true.
“That was close. Good shooting, Reed.” Burke knelt beside the dead cougar.
Reed and Burke had been riding the perimeter of the herd when they’d seen a streak of color as the cougar leapt from its perch to attack a lone cow separated from the herd.
Reed dropped to the ground and studied the predator. “This is the first one I’ve seen in more than a year.”
Burke looked it over carefully. “Full-grown male. Probably far from his usual hunting ground. Drawn here by the herd.”
Reed returned his rifle to the boot beside his saddle. “He couldn’t resist an easy target. We’ll have to call up more wranglers. Just until roundup time. If there’s one cougar in the area, there could be more.”
Burke nodded. “I’ll see to it. I’ll have Fleming dispose of this while Finley heads over to the big herd on the south ridge to choose more wranglers.”
“Good.” Reed pulled himself into the saddle and came to a decision. If he needed to be here another day or a week, or even more, so be it. The safety of the herd took precedence over comfort. “I’ll circle around and make sure the herd’s secure.”
“Well, look who’s back.” Yancy looked up from the stove as Reed and Burke trudged into the mudroom.
The two took their time, hanging their hats on hooks by the door before kicking off filthy jackets and boots and turning toward the big sink to scrub hands and faces.
As they stepped into the kitchen, Grace and Frank, seated across the room with Great One and Colin, broke into wide smiles.
“You’re both looking like wild men,” Grace called.
“Or maybe mountain goats,” Frank added with a wink.
“I feel like an old goat.” Burke accepted a mug of coffee from Yancy.
Reed saluted his grandparents and great-grandfather. “It’s been raining for two days and nights. I think the sky opened up last night. Burke said he thought he spotted cats and dogs falling. Before I do anything else, I’m heading upstairs to wash away the sea of mud I’ve had to eat along the trail.”
“Good.” Great One was grinning like a fool. “And then you can taste the special meal Yancy’s prepared. He promised me it will put any Hollywood restaurant to shame.”
“From Yancy’s lips…,” came a voice from the doorway. “That’s why we’re here. To sample Yancy’s finest.”
They looked over to see Matt and Vanessa, trailed by Luke and Ingrid, and her sister, Lily, as well as their ranch foreman, Mick.
Reed paused in the doorway. “I’m not surprised to see all of you. Mention a special meal, and everyone shows up hungry. But I wouldn’t care if Yancy served rattlesnake. Raw. After two weeks up in those hills, I’m ready for anything.”
He waved at the family before hurrying away.
The others chuckled among themselves as they began filing into the room.
“How bad was it, Burke?” Frank turned to their foreman.
“Let’s see. We woke in the night to find the roof in the range shack leaking and had to fix it before we got drowned. It rained so hard we were up to our knees in muck while tending the herd. Reed shot a cougar before it could take down one of his precious cows. Oh, and we ran out of food three days ago and had to resort to eating jerky and that canned stuff they call stew that’s stored in the cabin for emergencies. Reed and I decided it’s made with skunk meat.”
He drained his coffee and turned away. “Like Reed, I need a long, hot shower. If I’m running late, go ahead and start without me.”
When he was gone, the others gathered around and helped themselves from a tray of drinks and appetizers Yancy had placed on a low coffee table in front of the fireplace.
Frank turned to his wife. “All our chicks are back in the nest, Gracie girl.”
She nodded. “It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?”
The two held hands while their family gathered around to await Yancy’s feast.
“Well, sonny boy.” Frank looked over when Reed stepped into the kitchen. “You clean up real good.”
“Thanks. I try.” Reed snagged a longneck from a tray and joined the rest of his family gathered around the fireplace.
His sister-in-law, Nessa, touched a hand to his smoo
th chin. “You’re right, Matt. This is your brother, and not some itinerant cowboy fresh from the hills.”
“Not too fresh.” Reed pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You wouldn’t have wanted to get this close to me before that shower.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Luke drew an arm around his wife’s waist. “Ingrid hugs me even when I come in from the fields.”
“That’s because you’re still in the throes of newlywed bliss, bro.” Reed punched his brother’s shoulder. “We’ll see if you can brag the same way years from now.”
Luke returned his good-natured punch. “When a guy’s got it, he’s got it. And even when I’m old and gray, she’ll be greeting me with those hugs and kisses.” He turned to his grandparents. “Just ask Grandpop and Gram Gracie. Those two still have the spark.”
“You’re right about that.” Reed winked at his grandmother. “As for me, I’m just happy to be wearing dry clothes. For the last couple of days Burke and I have been drenched from morning to night, and everything, including our boots, was soggy.”
Luke deadpanned, “Ah, the romantic life of a rancher that writers have glorified for years.”
The others joined in his laughter.
The minute Burke stepped into the room, Yancy announced, “About time. I guess it took you longer than Reed to shower off all that mud.” He looked the foreman up and down. “But at least you look more human than mountain goat now.”
Grinning, Burke snagged a longneck from the tray just as Yancy announced, “Supper’s ready.”
The teasing and laughter continued as they gathered around the table. Frank held Grace’s hand as he escorted her to her usual place beside him.
Yancy circled the table, passing platters loaded with thick slices of prime rib, potatoes au gratin, and asparagus picked fresh from the garden.
As always, Great One took one taste before turning to Yancy with a beatific smile. “Perfection, Yancy. Absolute perfection.”
The cook was beaming. “Thanks, Great One. I was hoping it measured up to your memory of Hollywood’s best.”
“It doesn’t measure up, Yancy. It surpasses. I don’t know how you do it, but you always manage to surprise and please me.”
With a smile that rivaled the sun, the cook retrieved a basket of freshly baked rolls and began passing them.
While the conversation swirled around, both Reed and Burke ate in silence.
Finally, after his last bite of prime rib, Reed looked over. “If anybody here ever starts to forget just how great a cook Yancy is, I suggest we condemn them to time in the hills eating canned stew.”
There was a roar of laughter from the others, while Yancy merely grinned.
“The trouble is,” Burke added, “the hours are so long, and the work so draining, we’re never sure if we’re eating something out of a can or old shoe leather.”
Reed nudged Nessa. “That’s what I was doing wrong. I should have forgotten about those cans in the cabin and settled for a few slices of Burke’s old boot.”
When the laughter faded, the cook said, “If you think supper was good this far, wait until you taste the dessert Lily and I made just for Miss Grace.”
At that Grace’s head came up. “For me? What is it?”
Yancy shared a look with the little girl before shaking his head. “We’re going to make you wait. But we both know you’ll be pleased.”
“Oh, what terrible teases you two are.” Grace turned to her husband and batted her lashes like a teen. “Did they happen to share their secret with you?”
He shook his head. “They know me too well. If I knew, you’d find a way to get that secret out of me. You always do, Gracie girl.” He looked around at the others. “My girl has always been my weakness.”
“Really?” Luke gave an exaggerated shrug. “We never noticed.”
That had them all grinning.
Colin shoved away from the table. “I’m skipping dessert. I got a text from Anita. There’s a lull at the clinic, and we’re going to grab a drink at Clay’s Pig Sty before the next rush.”
At his mention of Dr. Anita Cross, looks were exchanged around the table. Despite his tight-lipped refusal to discuss his personal life, the family was convinced that their relationship had gone far beyond attraction.
Grace touched a hand to Colin’s. “Give Anita my love.”
He squeezed her hand. “Thanks, Ma. I will.”
When Colin was gone, Frank indicated the door. “I think we should take that surprise dessert in the other room. What do you say?”
Grace shot him an adoring smile. “I like the way you think, Frankie.”
Her husband scraped back his chair and helped her to her feet. The two led the others from the kitchen to the great room, where a cozy fire had been set. Despite the heat of the day, the evenings were always comfortably cool, chilled by the breeze blowing down from the highlands.
As they gathered around, Great One in his favorite overstuffed chair, the others on sofas and chairs arranged for easy conversation, Yancy pushed a trolley filled with a carafe of coffee, mugs, brandy, and assorted plates and forks for the dessert.
He beckoned Lily over, and the two of them, whispering like conspirators, stepped back into the kitchen.
Grace watched with avid interest. It was well known to the entire family that Grace Malloy had a sweet tooth and liked nothing better than to indulge it.
Yancy and Lily stepped into the room carrying a footed cake plate on which rested the tallest cake any of them had ever seen.
Luke winked at his wife. “Pretty fancy. Have the two of you entered some sort of TV cake contest?”
Lily covered her mouth and giggled, while Yancy explained, “This is a seven-layer strawberry cream torte. Lily and I picked the berries ourselves and made up this recipe as we went along.”
He cut into the giant torte and began arranging slices on plates while Lily scooped strawberry-vanilla ice cream on top of each slice.
Grace was given the first slice.
She lifted a bite to her mouth, chewed, swallowed, gave a deep sigh of pleasure, and then looked around before giving a thumbs-up. “Oh, wait until you taste this. It just melts in my mouth.”
“Okay. Time’s up.” Matt nudged his wife before signaling to Lily and Yancy. “Stop the torture and pass that around so we can taste it for ourselves.”
For the next few minutes there was silence as the dessert was handed out and everyone began devouring it. Then the room was filled with the oohs and ahs of murmured pleasure.
Even Great One, who preferred his coffee and brandy after dinner to anything sweet, was persuaded to give it a try. After several bites, he looked over at Yancy. “My man, if you ever decide to leave Montana, you, along with your able assistant, Lily, could make a fortune baking this decadent splendor in the Hollywood hills.”
“Not on your life.” The cook winked at Lily, who was too busy eating to say a word. “My assistant is really my intern. It’s my intention to train Lily to one day be my replacement.”
“It’ll never happen.” Luke helped himself to a second piece. “First of all, you’re not replaceable. And second, Lily has already told us she wants to follow Gram Gracie into a career in photography. You’ll have to find another intern for your cooking and baking business.”
Grace and the little girl shared a knowing smile. “Speaking of which, we need to make time for another photographic safari before the summer is over.”
“Better wait until this rain lets up,” Reed muttered.
“That’s true.” Grace looked over at her grandson. “Seeing the way you and Burke looked when you got home earlier, I intend to give those hills plenty of time to dry out before I tackle them.”
“Now, Reed.” Frank set aside his empty plate and picked up a cup of coffee. “Tell us about how your special herd is faring.”
It was all the encouragement Reed needed to talk about his favorite subject. Now that he’d had his fill of dinner and dessert, he was feeling replete
and content. For the next hour they discussed the weight of the cattle, the health, the feed, and even the amount of range grass being devoured.
From Reed’s tone of controlled excitement, they could see the depth of his devotion to this project. Over the years, his enthusiasm for the future of their ranch hadn’t dimmed but had, in fact, grown even stronger.
“I’m glad the herd is thriving, son.”
Frank drained his coffee and turned to his wife. “Ready to go upstairs, Gracie girl?”
She nodded. “
Reed got to his feet. “I’m not ready to turn in yet. Think I’ll head into town. Anybody care to join me?”
One by one the others around the room shook their heads.
Reed gave them all a lazy grin. “Okay. I guess there are no takers. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Minutes later they heard the truck door slam and watched the headlights play across the windows before disappearing along the driveway.
Frank turned to Burke. “You’d think, after all that time in the hills, he’d be eager for his own bed. Unless, of course, there’s a stronger magnet in Glacier Ridge.”
When Burke simply sipped his coffee, Frank plowed ahead, hoping to get the old man to open up. “I’m thinking you’re the logical one to ask, since you just spent the last two weeks with Reed. You think Ally Shaw is his reason for heading into town tonight?”
The old man grinned. “You have to ask?”
“No.” Frank shot a look at his wife. “But we’re more than a little curious about just how much she means to him.”
Burke studied the toe of his boot before looking up at the faces watching him. “I figure Reed would have answered that if you’d asked him.”
Luke drew an arm around Ingrid. “No need to ask. Our boy’s hooked. Only a pretty woman would have a cowboy heading to town at this time of evening. Especially when he hasn’t slept in his own bed in weeks.”
The others were nodding and smiling as they got to their feet and began calling their good nights before making their way upstairs.
When they were alone, Great One turned to Burke. “You’ve spent a lifetime knowing everyone’s secrets around this place and keeping them to yourself. I wouldn’t expect you to change now. But I’m willing to bet you already know a hell of a lot more about Reed than you’re letting on.”
