Claiming Her Cowboy

by Tina Radcliffe

  * * *

  Jack pulled the Lexus to the curb outside the traditional two-story redbrick house with black shutters. A bicycle lay on the front path. He got out of the car, ready to spend time shadowing Lucy.

  He’d give anything to be able to share the news that he’d gotten a great response from the local chamber of commerce regarding the Big Heart Ranch Retreat Center with Lucy. But the ranch director wasn’t ready to consider that good news. He’d wait until he had all his cows in a row before he shared everything with her. Maybe then she’d be able to see the big picture.

  Down the street, Lucy stood at the back of the Honda pulling grocery sacks from the trunk. He picked up speed and met her on the sidewalk outside the house. She glanced through him.

  “Let me help you,” Jack said.

  “I don’t need help,” she returned, rushing toward the house steps ahead of him.

  “Are you mad at me?”

  “Mad? No. I’m aggravated, irritated and annoyed.”

  “Fair enough. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  “I have sick house parents. They have the flu, as do two of the kids in the house.”

  “What can you do about that?”

  “I’m going to take over for them. Cook, clean and handle the kids until they feel better.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “You signed up to shadow me at the office.” She stopped and turned around, assessing his khaki slacks and polo shirt. “I don’t think you’re up for this particular assignment.”

  “I can handle anything you can, Madame Director.”

  “Have you had your flu shot, Jack?”

  “All up-to-date.”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Lucy offered an ominous chuckle and kept walking up to the front door, where Dub stood at the screen.

  “Dub,” Jack said. “What are you doing here?”

  The little boy laughed. “I live here, Mr. Jack.” He looked to Lucy. “Mr. Bill and Miss Lorna are resting. They have a fever and sick stomachs.”

  Lucy pulled open the screen. “Where’s your big brother?”

  “He’s upstairs getting ready for work.”

  “Work?” Jack asked. He followed her into the neat two-story home.

  “Yes. Many of our high school students have jobs in the community during the summer.”

  “Dub, whose bicycle is that on the sidewalk?” Jack asked as he stepped into the home.

  “Stewie’s. Mine is in the garage. I take real good care of the bicycle you gave me, Mr. Jack.”

  Jack grinned, foolishly pleased that Dub was riding his old bike.

  “Where are Stewie and Henry?” Lucy asked.

  “In bed. They’re sicker. They puked even.”

  Jack grimaced, and his stomach clenched. “So that’s the ripe odor around here.”

  Rue Butterfield came down the carpeted stairway with her medical bag in her hand. “Lucy. Jack. I see the cavalry has arrived.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. How is everyone?” Lucy asked.

  “Quite the flu epidemic we have going on at the boys’ ranch.”

  “Don’t tell me that. You offered the flu vaccine last spring. Didn’t anyone take you up on that?”

  Rue raised a hand in gesture. “The joys of modern medicine. Apparently, another strain has hit the ranch. The good news is that this seems to be a hard-hitting and short-lasting virus.”

  “Good news, huh?” Lucy returned. “I’m out of replacement house parents.”

  “We’ve isolated our patients. Hopefully, things will slow down. Remind everyone of the importance of good hand washing. Are you aware that the flu virus lasts up to twenty-four hours on hard surfaces?”

  “Ugh, I had no idea.” Lucy walked over to the counter and pulled two containers of antiseptic wipes from a grocery sack. “However, I did bring these.”

  “Excellent. Wipe down anything that isn’t moving.”

  Dub’s eyes rounded and he hid behind Jack. “Not me!”

  “No.” Rue laughed. “Not you.”

  “Thanks, Rue.” Lucy sighed. “This has been some summer, hasn’t it?”

  “I like staying busy,” Rue replied. “Retirement is for old people. This is much more fun.”

  “Still, this has been ridiculous and over-the-top busy.”

  “True.” Rue washed her hands and addressed Jack. “And look at you. You’re quite the volunteer. Trail rides, stall mucking, chicken coops and now house parent duty?”

  “Jack-of-all-trades. Pun intended,” he said.

  Behind him, Lucy scoffed.

  Rue eyed Jack as she rolled down her sleeves. “What is it you do when you’re back in your world?” She winked at Lucy.

  “I’m sort of between worlds right now.”

  “Between worlds. I like that, and how fortunate for us.”

  “Not everyone agrees.” He met Lucy’s gaze.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Rue said. “I can provide you with a list of folks around here who are very thankful you’ve been with us this summer. We couldn’t have done it without you, Jack. Especially with those budget issues hanging over our heads, stressing everyone out.”

  Again, Lucy met his gaze and the arrow of guilt pierced his conscience. Time to step up the work on the lodge.

  A small hand tugged at his shirt tail. “Mr. Jack. Can we have lunch now?”

  “Sure.” He smiled. “Will you excuse us, General?”

  “Absolutely. I need to head home to clean up and have lunch myself.” She saluted them on her way out the door. “I’m sure I’ll see you two soon.”

  “Thanks for stopping in,” Lucy called.

  “We gots pizza in the freezer,” Dub said.

  “How does soup and sandwiches sound instead?” Lucy dug into the grocery sacks she’d brought with her.

  “Pizza sounds really good,” Dub repeated.

  “I agree,” Jack said. “Frozen pizza is in my limited repertoire, too.”

  “Does that mean we can have pizza?” Dub asked.

  “It sure does.” Jack opened the freezer and assessed the box. “How many should I take out?”

  “One should do the trick. There’s just the three of us,” Lucy said. She leaned over to read the instructions on the back and then turned on the oven.

  “Don’t forget the baby,” Dub said.

  “Baby?” Jack looked down at Dub. “There’s a baby here who eats pizza?”

  Dub giggled. “She doesn’t eat pizza.”

  “The baby is sleeping,” Lucy said.

  “Wanna see the baby?” Dub asked him.

  “Not particularly,” Jack admitted.

  “The pizza will take twenty minutes,” Lucy said. “Maybe you can look in on the kids while you’re waiting. I’ll start loading the dishwasher.”

  “You mean the sick kids?” he asked.

  “Yes. Stewie and Henry. The baby isn’t sick.”

  “But you want me to check the baby, as well?”

  “Yes,” Lucy said.

  “What am I checking the baby for?”

  “If she’s awake, check her diaper.”

  “Check it for what? Its existence?”

  “Very funny.” She frowned at him. “Check and see if it needs to be changed.”

  He raised a palm. “Nope. Stop right there. I don’t change diapers.”

  “Jack, in a perfect world, no one would change diapers.”

  “Lucy, I’m willing to do a lot of things outside my comfort zone, and I think I’ve proven that over the last month, but changing diapers is not one of them.”

  “Someone has to do it, and you asked to shadow me today. In fact, you insisted.”

  He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Have you really thought this through? S
ending me in there is not in the baby’s best interest.”

  “Seriously, Jack? Are you making this up?” She stared at him, exasperation raw on her face.

  “I wouldn’t know how to make this up,” he said with a grimace.

  She dried her hands and faced him again. “Are you able to take out trash? Or is that outside your comfort zone?”

  “Trash?” He perked up. “Yes. Trash happens to be my specialty. I’ll handle all the trash.”

  “Terrific. When you’re done I’ll give you some chores from the children’s chart.”

  Jack assessed the chore chart with its little gold stars for a job well-done. “This day isn’t turning out quite the way I’d anticipated,” he muttered.

  “Tell me about it.”

  He grabbed the trash and headed outside. When he returned, Dub was waiting at the door.

  “Mr. Jack? I don’t feel so good.” Dub rubbed a hand over his stomach.

  What? Wait. No. This could not be happening. Jack whipped around. Where was Lucy? He picked up the baby monitor and yelled into the device. “Lucy!”

  She raced downstairs, her feet thundering on the steps, eyes frantic with concern. “What is it? Why did you do that? You woke up the baby.”

  “Dub doesn’t feel good.”

  She sighed and laid a hand on Dub’s forehead. “Get him into bed. I’ll be up to take his temperature.”

  “What are you going to do?” Jack asked.

  “I’m calling Emma to come and take the baby.” Lucy handed Jack a plastic bucket.

  He met her gaze and shook his head. “Is this for what I think it’s for?”

  “Yes. Take it, Jack, you may need it.”

  “I don’t want to need it.”

  Lucy jammed her hands on her hips. “Jack, get him up those stairs right now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grabbed the bucket, scooped up Dub and took the stairs two at a time. “Which room is yours?”

  Dub pointed to the first door. Jack peeked in. Stewie and Henry were asleep in bunk beds.

  “Are you going to be sick?” he whispered.

  “No, but my head hurts. Can you pray for me?”

  “I, ah...”

  “Please Mr. Jack?”

  “Sure, Dub. Get under the covers.” Jack pulled back the sheet and the blanket on the twin bed and handed Dub a stuffed turtle from under the pillow. When Dub was settled, Jack held his small hand. “Lord, please help my buddy Dub feel better, and everyone in this house. Amen.”

  “Amen. Thanks, Mr. Jack.” Dub’s lower lip quivered. “I don’t like being sick.”

  “It’s going to be okay. Close your eyes.”

  “Will you sit with me until I fall asleep?”

  “Absolutely, buddy.”

  Dub’s eyes fluttered closed, and Jack gently pushed the flyaway blond hair from his forehead. His little face was flushed, particularly high on his cheeks, with the emerging illness. Within minutes the regular rise and fall of the five-year-old’s chest said he was asleep.

  Jack was hesitant to leave. Finally, he tucked the covers carefully around Dub and eased off the edge of the bed.

  “Oh, Dub,” he whispered. “How did you manage to crawl right inside my heart when I wasn’t looking?”

  Jack’s steps were slow as he left the room.

  Lucy met him at the bottom of the stairs. “How’s he doing?”

  “Asleep.” He headed to the sink to wash his hands.

  “Good job, Jack. Gold stars for you.”

  “Yeah. Even though I’m diaper-phobic?”

  “We all have our proficiencies. And deficiencies. Did he...you know?”

  “Nope. I’m beyond grateful.”

  The oven pinged, and Lucy turned off the alarm and slid the pizza out. “Lunch.”

  “I’m not hungry anymore.” He leaned against the counter. “So what do we do now? What’s Plan B?”

  “Jack, this is Plan B.”

  “Yeah? How do parents do this? I’ve only been here a short time, yet I can tell you this was harder than Mrs. Carmody and mucking out stalls combined.”

  Lucy smiled. “I know, but when you love someone you do anything for them. There’s a lot of love around these homes.”

  “Even though they aren’t their biological kids?”

  “That’s not even a consideration, Jack. Falling in love with a child has nothing to do with biology. It’s a choice.” She wiped the counter down with an antiseptic wipe. “There’s something to love about every child.”

  “I’m not sure I could do what they do.”

  “You did it today.”

  He paused at her words. “I did what I had to. For Dub.”

  “That’s the start of parenting. Common sense, love and putting their needs before your own.” She shrugged. “Nobody looks forward to cleaning up after a sick child. It’s part of the job description, offset by the moments when they look up at you like you’re Superman.”

  “Superman?”

  “That’s the way Dub looks at you.”

  “He does?”

  “You’ve never noticed?”

  “Maybe I’ve tried not to notice. Summer is more than half over. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what will happen to Dub at the end of summer.” He looked at her. “Have you thought any more about fostering?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure I’m suitable. My job is pretty demanding. I don’t know that I’m a good candidate.”

  “You raised your siblings, right? If you don’t want to raise another family, that’s understandable.”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I suppose that after my engagement debacle, I stopped thinking about my own family. I blocked out the idea. It was safer that way. Now I’m really doubting myself.”

  “Lucy, I can’t think of anyone who would be a better candidate than you. Look how you handled tonight.”

  “You helped, Jack.”

  He laughed. “I took out the trash.”

  She shrugged, obviously dismissing the topic. “What are you going to do when the summer is over?”

  “Who knows? I did sublet my place in the city.”

  “Not going back to New York?” Her eyes widened.

  He met her gaze, his own skimming over her brown eyes, her pert nose. “Oklahoma is growing on me.”

  Lucy shook her head. “Your lips were moving, but the words were all wrong. It sounded like you said Oklahoma is growing on you.”

  Jack laughed. “Funny.”

  “Look, Jack, um, I need to apologize. I overreacted yesterday. I promised you could gather information for your project and present it to me, and I intend to keep that promise.”

  “I appreciate that, and you’ll be glad to know I’m almost done.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded toward the laptop she had set up on the kitchen table. “Looks like you’re working on a project, as well. What’s all this?”

  “We’ve got another big milestone event at the ranch coming up a week from Saturday. The annual alumni barbecue and rodeo.”

  “Tripp’s been grumbling about it at the bunkhouse. Big deal, according to him.”

  “It is a big deal,” she said. “It’s the end of summer for the kids visiting from the Pawhuska orphanage, and at the same time, all the children who graduated and left the ranch return. It signifies the official end of summer is upon us. Another year is about to begin.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “Really? I was sure you’d balk.”

  “I like hot dogs and hamburgers as much as the next guy, Lucy.”

  “You and Dub will need to sign up for a few events, as well.”

  “Events?”

  “The usual. Three-legged race, tug-of-war, that sort of thing.”

  �
�What about you?”

  “Stewie and Henry are my buddies. We’ll be out there.”

  “Can’t wait for more of that healthy competition.”

  Lucy glanced at the wall clock. “Things have settled down here. You can go ahead and go. The worst is over. I’ve got work to do, so I’ll spend the night on the couch monitoring the situation. No doubt Lorna and her husband will be able to take over in the morning.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I am. And Jack?”

  “Yeah?”

  “About Saturday.”

  “You aren’t begging off, are you? My aunt is looking forward to your presence at her soiree.”

  “No. I’ll be there. In fact, I’ll meet you there.”

  “Lucy, I’m happy to drive you.”

  “There’s no need. We’re both attending, but it’s not like it’s a date or anything.”

  “Right. We wouldn’t want to take a chance on this looking like a date.” He glanced around. “Have you seen my keys?”

  Lucy lifted up a stack of papers on the counter.

  “Ah, there they are.” Jack reached around her and scooped up the keys at the same moment she turned right into him.

  Jack froze, waiting, watching. His heart kicked up its rhythm a notch as Lucy Maxwell stood very still in the circle of his arms.

  Her gaze dropped to his lips, mere inches away, and then moved to his eyes. “I...” She opened her mouth and closed it very slowly. “Thank you again for your help.”

  Her soft breath touched his face like a caress.

  Jack longed to lower his lips to hers. Instead, he nodded and stepped away with more regret than he would have imagined when he landed at Big Heart Ranch.

  * * *

  “In and out and no one gets hurt,” Lucy murmured. “Ask open-ended questions. Gather information, but share little.” She stood in the Brisbane estate foyer, handing the silver threaded silk pashmina that Rue had gifted her to a maid before pausing to review Rue’s soiree mingle advice one last time.

  “Lucy? Is that you?”

  She frowned and turned at Jack’s voice.

  “You know, I thought you ate, slept and lived horses and kids. Who knew there was a different Lucy outside Big Heart Ranch?”