When Annette ran off with the Beast, it had come as no surprise to Trey. He’d found the truck, abandoned, and out of gas at a truck stop about fifty miles away. One of his former school friends had recognized the vehicle and called him right away. Nobody remembered seeing Annette, but he didn’t care. They would find her when she got good and ready to be found. Until then, he’d be there for his family.
He walked into the barn to find Carissa talking to Sterling, petting her nose and handing her sweets. “You ready to ride?” That was one beautiful woman, he thought to himself. She looked perfectly at home right here in the barn with the horses. He liked that too. He’d never be interested in anyone who didn’t or couldn’t appreciate his way of life.
“Yes!” Sterling nudged her playfully, obviously being a pig for sweets this morning. She laughed—it was a warm, pretty sound, not a girl’s giggle. He liked that too. “I think Sterling is ready too.”
“Alright, take her out of the stall, just lead her by the bridle and open the gate.”
Carissa bit her lip nervously. “Okay.” She grabbed the bridle and spoke to the horse in low tones and opened the gate. Sterling followed her obediently. Carissa smiled as if she were discovering horses for the first time. Without being told, she walked to the gate and picked up Sterling’s blanket and tossed it onto the animal’s back like a pro. He watched her reach for the saddle. Aunt Nancy’s saddle was a bit heavy and he could see that although Carissa was fit, she probably didn’t have the arm strength of the older woman. Still, he didn’t offer to help and she didn’t ask. He walked Sampson out of the stall and rubbed his sleek brown back.
“Hey boy, hey Sampson.” After watching her struggle for a few minutes, he brought her the step stool. “Try stepping on that. You’re a little shorter than Sterling.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Trey.” That did the trick; she had the saddle on the horse in no time.
Trey watched Carissa talk to her horse. She definitely looked nervous but determined. Trey wasn’t going to do this for her. She’d overcome her fear of horses fairly quickly but he thought he could see some reticence. Nothing to do but continue confronting the fear. He couldn’t help but admire her determination. She grasped the horn of the saddle, pulled, and hopped up and down on one leg, attempting to get on the horse like he had shown her earlier. After a few fails, she sighed and scratched her head. Still, he didn’t offer to help her. She could do this.
Carissa walked the horse to the fence, stood on the bottom rung and slung up on the horse easily. She grinned big, proud of herself while talking to Sterling. Trey grinned and slid onto Sampson. He eased up beside her. “Doing a good job, counselor. I think you’re a natural.”
“Really?” She seemed uncertain but happy to hear his compliment. “Thanks for saying so.”
“You don’t know me that well but I don’t hand out compliments too freely,” Trey admitted.
She matched his steely gaze with a serious look. “I believe you, Trey. Thank you.”
Trey reminded himself that he was on the job. “Okay, this is called Painted Rock Trail. As I told you yesterday, it’s not used much by the ranch anymore because there are too many places for cattle to get lost. There are some steep drop-offs and some washouts. You’ll be keeping to the trails so you can avoid these problems. If you get hurt, it will be probably an hour before you get help so don’t get hurt.”
“The first part of this trail is fairly easy, mostly a straight path with a couple of slopes. Once we get to the Painted Rock, it gets trickier. We’ll ride to the rock and then back to the ranch. There is a much longer trail that takes you across the canyon but this is a good start. I’ve got some lunch packed here because we won’t make it back by then. We’ll eat at the rock and then head back. Sound good?”
She nodded, so he led her toward the beginning of the trail. The first part was Trey’s favorite portion. He loved the trees around here; it felt like home. He shared some of the names of the trees with Carissa as they continued.
After thirty minutes, the landscape began to change. That’s the way it was out at the spread. If you didn’t like the scenery, travel down the trail a few minutes, you’d see something different. From forested areas to flat, sandy desert, this place had it all. It was a good picture of Canton County. He loved it.
He stopped on the path and turned around in his saddle slightly. “You’ll remember that this next stretch has a lot of sand and no trees so put any protective clothing you might need for sun protection. That’s probably going to be important to remind people you take on the trail.”
Carissa nodded. “Okay, thanks for the reminder.” She rode up to him and pointed out some spots in the landscape, asking him questions. He shared the information he had about any poisonous plants he spotted, non-poisonous berries, and interesting animals.
“It’s not like driving a car, you know.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When you drive a vehicle, you constantly have to keep your hands on the wheel. Cars can’t be trusted to stay between the lines. Horses can—well, most horses. At this pace, you only need to nudge her back to the left or the right. She doesn’t need constant tugging. As a matter of fact, it’s painful if you do that constantly.”
“I see.” She rested her hands on her saddle horn imitating Trey. “That’s a trust thing, right?”
“Yep, but that doesn’t happen overnight.”
She sighed. “No, it never does unless you’re a kid.”
They rode in silence for a few minutes. Carissa enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Could they have asked for a more perfect day? Fat, puffy clouds appeared on the horizon; scrubby trees were everywhere. This was such a different scene than the one that they began with. What a lovely place! “This is so different than living in Dallas. Do you live here all the time?”
“Yes, I do. My folks used to own a ranch near here but when they died my brother and I sold it. I live here now, just until I buy my own place.”
“You plan to raise cattle? Is that what you’ve always done?”
Trey laughed. “Is something wrong with that?”
“Gosh, Trey. I didn’t say that.”
“No you didn’t. Sorry.” He tilted his head apologetically and continued, “Yes, it’s what I’ve always done. I went to college for two years, studied engineering, but I always came back to the ranch.”
“Must be nice spending so much time alone. Do you ever get lonely?”
“It’s not as lonely as you might think. Modern-day cowboys do spend quite a bit of time riding; I mean you have to, but it’s not like it used to be.”
It was her to turn to chuckle. “What do you mean? They have plenty of Motel 6s on the prairies of Canton County? No sleeping under the stars or eating meals by the fire? Must be heaven being alone so much.”
Trey grinned and leaned forward on his horse. “Yes, we do sleep under the stars sometimes and we do have a trail cook. I spend a lot of time alone, but I don’t know how heavenly that is. I haven’t really thought about it.” Speaking of heaven, Trey noticed the gentle sway of Carissa’s body in the saddle. How long had it been since he’d kissed a woman? Held a woman? Made love to a woman? He suddenly wished he hadn’t quit smoking. “I guess you spend a lot of time with people, you know, in your sessions.”
“Yes and I’m on call a lot too. I’m not a first line counselor anymore. I work with families that are already in the system, that have made some progress. I love it. I like having the chance to help heal a family. It’s very satisfying personally.”
“I guess you see a lot of sad stuff though. I don’t think I could handle seeing hurting kids all the time. That’s just wrong to hurt a child or a lady.”
“People can come back though. I’ve seen it. You’d be surprised how resilient people can be. I’ve seen kids that were mute or practically unresponsive spring back and go on to be happy children. Sure, there are always memories to contend with but that’s nothing that can’t be managed. Well, usually
.”
“So no chance you’d give it all up to become a cowboy?”
She laughed again; he liked the sound of that. “I think you have job security. I don’t plan on putting in an application.”
They rode on, and Trey saw Painted Rock in the distance. They’d be there soon, have lunch, and then it was back to the ranch. He was enjoying his time with Carissa and was not looking forward to its ending this weekend.
“Hey, that’s Painted Rock, isn’t it?” She smiled proudly at Trey. He couldn’t help but smile back.
“You ready to trot a little faster?”
“You bet!”
“Okay, gently slap the reins and follow me. No falling!”
“You got it!” Carissa slapped the reins and followed Trey to the massive boulder. She hadn’t prepared for the speed, and it took her breath away. Her loose ponytail came unbound and her hair flew around her. What a rush of excitement! Oh no! She couldn’t remember how to stop. Pull on the reins? She tried, and thankfully that worked. She laughed, her dark hair swung around her flushed face.
Trey again thought Carissa was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He eased up beside her, his leg brushed against hers. He hadn’t intended on the physical contact but he didn’t regret it. Carissa swung her hair behind her shoulders, flashing a big, white smile. “That was amazing! Thank you, Trey.”
He steadied his horse and smiled back. He suddenly felt bold. “Only one thing would make this moment better, Carissa.”
“What’s that? A sunset?”
“No, that you let me kiss you.”
“Well what are you waiting for, cowboy?” Trey’s hand pulled her close, his hand was in her soft hair. She smelled like some kind of familiar flower, honeysuckle maybe? He didn’t lunge at her—he wanted to savor this moment. He paused close to her face, her lips less than an inch away.
“I guess I’m waiting for permission,” he answered her in a hoarse whisper.
“Permission granted, Trey.” His lips were on hers fully; he breathed in her sweetness. His thumb stroked the jaw of her face, and he finished his kiss, pausing a moment to look into her bright green eyes. What was he doing? He wasn’t the kind of guy who did stuff like this but he didn’t regret kissing her. Not one damn bit. As a matter of fact, if they weren’t on horseback in the middle of nowhere he’d be asking for a few more permissions. That was just his way. He didn’t like taking liberties. Some guys did. His own brother thought getting a woman drunk was all the permission he needed to get her in bed. Trey wasn’t wired like that.
***
That evening, alone in her room, Carissa hugged her arms and smiled at the memory of that kiss. It was certainly not that she had never been kissed before, but she couldn’t remember ever having been kissed with such tenderness, such spark, such anticipation.
Then, she frowned. But was it smart to let her heart rule common sense? It didn’t seem wise to get involved with Trey for the sake of Audrey House, but she was sure she couldn’t ignore her feelings any longer, not after that kiss.
She picked up her phone and dialed someone who always had the ability to help her see through the haze.
“Hey, cowgirl! How’s it going out on the range?”
“Hey, Clare. You sound like you’re feeling better.”
“I actually am. The doctors got me on a new med that is giving me more energy than I’ve had in months. I just might come on down there and jump on some horses too!”
Carissa laughed. “I’d love to see that! Actually, I’m calling because I could use a little of that famous Clare perspective on something.”
“Shoot,” Clare answered immediately.
“The Montgomerys have been absolutely great! They’re the perfect hosts and I really think our families are going to get a lot out of coming out here,” Carissa began.
After a pause, Clare urged, “But?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it was a ‘but’,” Carissa sighed. “It’s more of an ‘and’.”
“And?” Clare said without missing a beat, and with complete patience. Clare was the most patient person Carissa had ever met.
“And, there’s a guy.”
“Of course,” said Clare. Carissa could hear the smile in her voice. “What about Devon?”
“Oh, it’s not Devon that I’m worried about,” said Carissa. “I think that has run its course. It’s just a matter of having the conversation, and I don’t want to do that over the phone.”
“Wise.”
“I just don’t have the best picker when it comes to men, as you know.”
Clare didn’t respond.
“And I certainly don’t want to add any complication to this opportunity for the families of Audrey House.”
“Who’s the cowboy?”
Carissa sighed. “The Montgomerys’ nephew, Trey.”
“Ah,” said Clare. “Well, it’s certainly something that needs some caution, but I doubt very seriously that the Montgomerys would punish Audrey House, or even you, for that matter, if tension popped up between you and their nephew. But it could be uncomfortable for you and for him if it doesn’t work out. You have to decide if that’s something you and he could handle like adults.”
“Yeah …”
“It sounds like you think it’s possible for this to turn serious.”
“Or I’m more worried that it won’t and it’ll be too casual and possibly make it all even worse. It’s not like that’s out of the realm of possibilities, you know.”
“I think you need to give yourself more credit. You know you’ve come a long way, and you can’t avoid these kinds of relationships forever.”
Carissa rubbed her thigh and looked absentmindedly out the window toward Trey’s bunk.
“Given that you have only just been there a couple of days, you might want to not put too much thought into this right now. It could turn out to be nothing but some harmless flirting, right?”
“Right …”
“You’re a grownup. He’s a grownup. And the greater purpose here—the families we work with—is significant. Grownups tend to know how to work past awkward romantic events when something much bigger is at stake. Especially grownups like you.”
Carissa didn’t realize she was holding her breath and let it out in a sigh.
“And by the way, I’ve met that handsome cowboy before and can see why you might have a crush.”
Carissa blushed.
Clare continued, “So here’s my advice as a counselor … and a friend. It’s too soon to worry about this. And give yourself more credit for being a grownup.”
Carissa smiled. “You are absolutely the best, Clare.”
“I try,” she said with an exaggerated sigh.
***
Carissa took a rare moment to study herself in the mirror after stepping out of the shower and into a towel. She turned around and looked over her shoulder at the reflection of the yellow rose Trey had seen, and thought about Audrey. Yellow roses were her favorite. She remembered the night Audrey had cried so hysterically when a bouquet of yellow roses that she had gotten for her birthday had died. In hindsight she wondered if that was really why she was crying after all.
She dropped the towel and ran her hand over the ancient hieroglyphics on her upper thigh. “Strength.” Then she looked at the cursive phrase that snaked down her left hip and halfway across her belly, upside down so she could easily read it: “To thine own self be true.” Another yellow rose weaved through it.
She breathed slowly in and out for a few breaths and went to her bed to put on some clothes, the voice in her head repeating, Carissa, run!—the last words she ever heard from her sister.
***
In the dining hall, Trey’s eyes scanned the room, his gut clenching with the fear that Carissa had regretted the kiss, might be now crying on the phone with Devon, packing to hurry home. He furrowed his brow. Maybe he had been too forward. But she had reacted to it as strongly as he had. Hadn’t she?
He looked up expectan
tly when Melody sat next to him. He scowled and looked back at his food.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with a slightly mocking tone. “The social worker reject you?”
“Shut up, Melody,” he muttered quietly.
“Well, sounds like spending the day on the trail with that lady has made you a grumpy man indeed.”
Trey started to pick up his plate and leave the room when he spotted Carissa walking in. Her hair was damp and she seemed cheerful. He sat back down and watched her walk toward him. He hoped he had something to do with her good mood.
She sat next to him, and he heard Melody mutter something unintelligible but definitely malicious.
“Hey Miss Wood,” Melody said in a syrupy tone. She leaned over Trey, her breast touching his arm, to address Carissa.
Carissa’s blank expression gave Trey no indication if Melody’s gesture had made any impact. She smiled back. “Hey, Melody. Please, call me Carissa.”
Melody’s smile faltered, but she said as sweetly as before, “Alright, Carissa, then. How’d you enjoy the trail? I hope Trey was a gentleman. Sometimes, that can be hard for him.” She put her hand on his forearm. Trey pulled the arm back, trying not to bring too much attention to the movement.
“A true gentleman,” replied Carissa, looking at Trey. Could she see in his eyes how uncomfortable he was with Melody’s antics?
“So what’s good tonight?” She directed the question to Trey, apparently choosing to remove attention from Melody’s over-the-top flirting.
“All of it.” He grinned at her and turned toward her, putting his back to Melody. “Aunt Nancy particularly makes a mean cornbread. The best around.”
“Mmm.” Carissa began to fill her plate, as dishes were passed to her. Melody abruptly stood and left the room. Carissa and Trey did not look at her.
“What’d you think of the trail, today?” he asked, ignoring Melody’s departure. “Think you could take some people out there on your own?”
“I think I need some more practice out there first,” she said and put a bite of mashed potatoes in her mouth, an expression of enjoyment washing over her features.
Captivated By A Cowboy (Canton County Cowboys 3) Page 6
