A Rancher for Their Mom (Rodeo Heroes)

by Leann Harris

  He shrugged. “It just shows that your friends and fellow church members care about you.”

  “The first time my in-laws took me to church, I found a home.”

  “What about your husband?”

  She looked at the ground. “I noticed Ross’s reaction to church but chose to ignore it. I told myself surely I was wrong. I wasn’t.”

  He didn’t ask any further questions, for which she was thankful. It had been painfully obvious Ross wasn’t interested in church. He’d found so many excuses to avoid going with them on Sundays. She should’ve known something was wrong, but in the first flush of love, she’d conveniently ignored those little warnings. It didn’t matter, she’d told herself.

  It did.

  Ross had only gone with them because his parents expected it, but she didn’t doubt when Ross was away on a job, he’d never seen the inside of a church or opened a Bible.

  Joel reached out and stroked Spice. “I love the evenings out here in the Panhandle. I didn’t realize how mild the nights are during the summer. At home, we can’t catch a break after dark, when it still remains hot after the sun goes down, but I could learn to love this.”

  Like musical notes, his words lifted her soul. “Then why are you on the circuit if you love ranch life so much? It seems inconsistent.”

  She sounded like a jerk after his wonderful rendition of spring.

  His hand closed over hers. “It seems contradictory, doesn’t it?”

  She couldn’t concentrate on what he said. Her mind focused on where his hand surrounded hers. As hard as she tried to understand, her brain had gone on overload. “Uh, yes.”

  His gaze locked with hers and he slowly lowered his head toward her.

  The screen door slammed, bursting the bubble surrounding them. The boys stood on the porch.

  “Could you come inside and say good-night, Mr. Joel, before you leave?”

  Saved by a screen door. Her heart beat so hard she thought it would jump out of her chest.

  His gaze didn’t move from her face for several moments. He broke the connection and looked at the boys. “Of course I’ll come in and say good-night.” He leaned down and whispered, “I’ll be back.”

  April watched as her boys waited on Joel. It stole her breath. They were so eager to have a man’s time and attention. And what would the boys do when Joel was gone? Would they pay the price?

  And she had allowed it.

  * * *

  “So what are you going to do tomorrow?” Wes asked as he settled into bed.

  “We’re going to get ready for the rodeo. It takes a lot of work.” Joel sat at the end of Wes’s bed.

  “Will you be able to come see us?” Todd asked. He pulled his arms out from under the covers.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to come out here, but you two and your sister and mom will get to see the different events on Friday and Saturday. That’s when all the excitement and fun happens. And when you come, I expect you to bring your lariats and show me your progress.”

  The boys sat up and nodded their heads.

  “I’ll practice every day after school,” Wes replied.

  “Me, too,” Todd promised, lying back down. His face clouded over. “I wish we had another week of vacation.”

  Joel pulled the covers up to his chin. “I’ll hold you to that promise, because it will show up in your skill on Friday if you’ve practiced every day.”

  Todd picked at his sheet.

  Resting his palm on Todd’s head, Joel smiled at the little boy.

  Wes scooted under his covers. “We’ll miss you.”

  Joel’s heart skipped a beat. “Well, boys, you should be proud of yourselves since you helped your mother. I know she’s proud of you. And I’m honored to have worked for you.”

  The mood in the room turned solemn.

  “I look forward to seeing you on Friday.” Joel winked.

  Todd smiled, but it was the saddest smile Joel had ever witnessed on a young boy. With a final good-night, Joel turned off the light and walked out of the room.

  Joel’s mood darkened as he walked outside. He wanted to help April and her family with the ranch and catching up on work around the property, but seeing the sadness in the boys’ faces, Joel didn’t know if he’d done the family any favors.

  * * *

  When Joel walked out of the house, the teasing romantic attitude he’d gone in with had evaporated, putting a damper on April’s giddiness. What had happened? Had the children said something? Had he responded back? The protective mother bear in her rose up.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Fine.” His tone called him a liar.

  After several moments of silence, he said, “I’ll load Spice in the trailer and head back to the rodeo.”

  The dreamy quality of the night evaporated as she slapped up against reality. She should be grateful he seemed so distant, because if things had continued on the road they were on, disaster would’ve been the only possible ending for them.

  “There’s lots of work to get ready for the rodeo. I won’t be out here this week, but if you have a problem, just call.” He walked to his horse trailer, retrieved his rope and peppermints.

  “Spice,” he called.

  The horse raised her head and trotted to where he stood. Unwrapping the candy, he offered it to the mare while he slipped the halter over her head, snapped on the lead rope and led her out of the paddock to the trailer. This time, the horse didn’t hesitate. After securing the doors on the trailer, he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’ll look forward to seeing y’all on Friday.” With a final nod he drove away.

  As she watched him disappear down the drive, she told herself it was just the fallout with the kids that unsettled her. That was all it could be. Nothing personal.

  Somehow she couldn’t swallow that explanation.

  * * *

  Once back at the auditorium, Joel went on autopilot, unloading Spice and putting her in the corral with the other horses. He pitched in and helped with evening chores.

  “So you decided to show up,” Shortie McGraw teased. “We were thinking that you might not want to come back to the rodeo after spending time on that ranch.”

  “I was working. I went to church this morning. Did you?”

  Shortie blushed. “Well, Charlie Newman wasn’t here. So what gopher hole did you step in to make you so cranky?”

  Joel couldn’t fault the man. But keeping Shortie diverted benefited Joel. He didn’t want to talk about his time with April and the kids. Joel hauled back on his emotions. Shortie didn’t mean anything. The men around them all stopped and looked at them.

  “Sorry, Shortie. I didn’t mean to snap.”

  “No problem.”

  But it was. Joel hadn’t realized it would hurt so much to leave the family. The look in the boys’ eyes had cut straight across his heart, making it nearly impossible to walk out of their bedroom and out of the house, and after next weekend, out of their lives.

  When he’d gone back outside and seen April with her soft smile and sparkling eyes, he’d known he’d skated too close to an edge that neither he nor April were ready to fall over. Helping this week was the deal he’d made with the boys. That was all. Nothing more.

  Other cowboys showed up from their time away from the rodeo and unloaded their horses. As they joined in, the talk turned away from Joel’s week to the jobs that needed to be done. The facilities manager and his employees would work with Jack and some of the cowboys to help with the setup.

  After all the animals were fed, several of the cowboys drifted over to the concession area for coffee and anything sweet that Hank had on hand.

  Joel didn’t feel like shooting the breeze.

  “Hey, Kaye, you coming with us?” Shortie asked.

  “Naw, it’s been a long day, and I think I did all my socializing with the church crowd this morning.” Joel didn’t have enough energy left in him to keep a running volley with the other guys.

 
“I understand.”

  Joel walked back to his trailer and hooked it up to the electricity outlet. He opened the door to the front compartment, where there was a bed, a tiny closet and a dresser. This had become his home. He could easily touch each side of the compartment. How Caleb had lived in this space for more than ten years Joel would never know. If he wanted running water for a shower or bathroom facilities he had to find a truck stop. At least here, the coliseum provided nice facilities for their contestants.

  Hanging his cowboy hat on the hook on the door, he used the bootjack by the bed and took off his boots. He lay back on the bed ready to unwind when his phone rang. The first thought that popped into his head was something was wrong at the ranch.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, bro, how are you doing?” Brenda asked.

  “Sis.” It took a moment for him to realize there wasn’t an emergency he’d have to deal with at April’s ranch. “How’s it going? Everything okay?” His heart sped up, worried something was wrong. “Gramps—”

  “Everything’s fine. How are things on the circuit?”

  “Great.”

  “You sure? You sounded like you’re ready to charge somewhere.”

  That bad? Joel needed to rein in his reactions if he didn’t want every cowboy on the circuit making fun of his—

  His what?

  “I thought you might have been someone else.”

  Brenda didn’t say anything for several moments. “Must be someone important.”

  “Just the rancher I helped out this week.”

  “I thought you were doing rodeo.”

  Sometimes his sister could drive him crazy. “You called just to hassle me? Isn’t your husband target enough?”

  “Ah, that’s the brother I know and love.”

  Her cheerful teasing made him smile. “What did you call about, brat?”

  “And to think I pulled your bacon out of the fire by organizing that charity rodeo.”

  She’d come through by taking over the charity rodeo their church and other churches had given to help the financially strapped ranchers in their hometown and surrounding counties. That rodeo had put his sister on the right road for a career after she left the army, and she’d collected a husband to boot. “I owe you, sis.”

  She went silent. “I called with news.”

  “Oh, and what is that?”

  “You’re going to be an uncle.”

  Joel sat up. “Really?”

  “That’s what Caleb’s reaction was, too. Do you think I go around pulling jokes about being pregnant? None of the men under my command thought I had a sense of humor.”

  “It’s just such good news.” He felt himself grinning. “So how’s your husband?”

  “He’s gone weird. You’d think I couldn’t walk across the room without his help.”

  “Not true,” he heard Caleb yell.

  “It is, but I find it charming.”

  Joel snorted. He asked about the due date and other important information about the newest member of the family. “How’s Gramps taking it?”

  “He’s loving it. Another generation of Kayes—well, sort of. He’s wondering when you’re going to get with the program.”

  “I didn’t say that,” he heard Gramps complain.

  “I’d hoped you would’ve come home while there was a break in the rodeo schedule, but that didn’t happen.”

  “Well, there was a rancher around here who hired me to help with planting.”

  “A rancher?”

  The way his sister said rancher made him squirm. “Yes, a rancher.”

  “You could’ve come home and helped Caleb with our fields.”

  “The circumstances were unusual and I was needed here.”

  The line remained quiet. Finally she said, “I’m glad you’re keeping your hand in ranching. Someday I’d like to meet this rancher.”

  He didn’t doubt it for a minute. “Someday you might.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  He needed to steer this conversation in a different direction. “So are you going to continue on with your counseling certification?”

  “I am. I’m only pregnant, not crippled.”

  Caleb and he needed to walk a fine line between being concerned and letting her do her thing. Brenda had achieved the rank of captain in the army and was used to ordering folks around. At least with him being out on the rodeo circuit he wouldn’t have to worry too much about dealing with her on a daily basis. “Thanks for calling, sis.”

  After he hung up, Joel’s mind raced over the conversation again. Brenda had sounded joyful and excited. Full of life, literally and figuratively. He didn’t begrudge her that happiness. It had been a long, hard road for her, but she’d made it.

  Taking a deep breath, he listened to the muted sounds of the cowboys talking. He could open the door and join the others in seeing who could spin the largest story, but he’d still feel alone, and when he came back to the trailer, he’d still be alone.

  The time with April and her children had touched him in a way he hadn’t expected. He’d had eager young minds looking to him and a baby girl who sought shelter in his arms every time she was near him. Just remembering warmed him, making him feel ten feet tall. He now understood why his father would stand out on the porch in the evening, surveying the land as far as he could see, and smile, saying life couldn’t be sweeter.

  But it was the strong woman whose smile made his heart ache and want more that haunted him the most. He didn’t want to confess to his sister that the rancher was a woman. He wasn’t ready to talk about his week before he could wrestle it down.

  If he kept on the pace he was on now, winning in the summer and throughout the fall, adding points to his total, he’d be in the finals in Las Vegas again. When he went back out on the circuit, it had just been a dream, and now it was looking mighty good for a win.

  But with his sister’s announcement she was pregnant, he suddenly had an ache for babies of his own.

  He slipped under the covers and tried to go to sleep. He might as well have tried to wrestle down every bull the rodeo had—it wasn’t happening.

  When he closed his eyes, he saw April smiling at him, as she had earlier in the evening. The look in her eyes had said stay. But he knew that stay came with a price—no more rodeo.

  That couldn’t be. He’d lost this dream once before, and although he didn’t resent going home to help care for the ranch and be with his sister her senior year in high school, it left some unfinished business hanging over his head, which he’d like to finish this time.

  Chapter Nine

  “C’mon, boys, the bus should be out on the road in a few minutes.”

  The boys dragged out of their bedroom. The first day after vacation was always hard, but today seemed particularly bad especially after the whirlwind week they’d had. Their faces were so long, April was surprised the boys didn’t fall over them. She gave each boy his backpack and lunch pack.

  “Thanks, Mom,” Todd replied.

  Wes simply grunted.

  She opened the back door and shooed them outside. Scooping up Cora, April followed the boys down the drive to her mailbox. Before they got to the end of the drive, the bus stopped.

  “Hurry, boys,” she encouraged.

  The bus driver opened the door and waved at April. “Did you have a good vacation?” the driver called out.

  “We did. You?”

  “Went to Galveston.”

  “We got tickets to the rodeo,” Wes told the bus driver as he passed her. “And it was so exciting to have Mr. Joel here.”

  “Mr. Joel?” The driver threw April a puzzled look.

  As if a switch had been thrown, her two draggy sons found their voices going from sluggish and depressed to excited and bragging, which startled her.

  “No, let me tell her,” Todd said as he stepped on the bus. “He’s with the rodeo but helped us all vacation.”

  The driver’s eyes widened. “Our drive to school will be
interesting. See you this afternoon.” She closed the door and drove off.

  April realized that by the time the boys got home, everyone in the school and probably for twenty miles around would know about Joel Kaye. She’d better be ready to talk.

  It didn’t take until the kids came home. By eleven-thirty, she’d gotten five calls. When the school secretary called, April knew the boys had been working overtime.

  “Are you getting married?” Sandra Grayson asked.

  April nearly dropped the phone. “No. Why would you ask?”

  “Well, the way Todd and Wes were talking, I expected to attend your wedding this weekend.”

  Scrambling to come up with an answer, April took a deep breath. “We’re going to the rodeo this weekend. That’s all.”

  “Really?”

  “I promise, Sandra.”

  “So there’s no Mr. Joel you’re marrying?”

  There it was. “Uh, there is a Joel Kaye who works for the rodeo. He picked up some horses last week, but there’s no marriage in sight.”

  “The boys talked about how they hired him to help at your place. So that’s not true?”

  “Well, that’s true. After Mr. Moore got hurt last week, the boys came up with the idea of hiring Joel to help out with the planting and chores.”

  “And you’re not getting married?”

  Oddly enough, April wanted to cry. “I assure you, Sandra, Joel only helped me plant my hay and sunflowers. My sons have a promising career in writing fiction if they don’t want to continue to ranch.”

  Sandra laughed. “I understand. My daughter told all the neighbors that her parents were getting divorced. We were discussing my cousin’s problems. I had to field a lot of calls from my family. I’ll put the kibosh on the rumors here at school.”

  “Thanks, Sandra.”

  After April hung up, she called Kelly. “I’m going to need your help.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, apparently my sons are talking about Joel being here last week, and somehow it’s morphed into me getting married to Joel this weekend.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  April blinked, wondering when she’d fallen down the rabbit hole.

  “You there?”

  April didn’t know how long she’d been silent. “Yes.” She sounded as though she’d swallowed a frog.