A County Girl's Heart

by Dena Blake

  Virgil smiled widely. “But aren’t you having fun watchin’ her?”

  “Yes, I am,” Rebecca said with a grin. “But look at her.” Kat gained a new layer of mud with each attempt.

  “Believe me, she’s lovin’ every minute of it. Besides, maybe gettin’ thrown off the horse a few times will knock some sense into her.” Virgil gave Rebecca a wink, and she knew exactly what he was talking about.

  “It couldn’t hurt.” She laughed. The old guy was sweet and funny. Maybe having Virgil for a father wasn’t so bad after all.

  “She hasn’t called Danica yet?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Nope. Dadburn stubborn girl. Says she’s not gonna.” Virgil slapped his hand to the arm of the chair.

  Elizabeth pushed forward in her chair and looked over at Rebecca. “Have you talked to her?”

  “Till I’m blue.” And then some, but Kat was going to have to reach that decision on her own.

  “Well, she certainly won’t listen to me.” Elizabeth relaxed into the rocker and looked toward the corral. “Without Danica, Kat’s going to be miserable for the rest of her life.”

  Her mother seemed lost in thought, and Rebecca could tell she was remembering her own unhappy life with Charles Belmont.

  Rebecca let her gaze veer to the corral. “Is she going to stop now?” Covered in mud, Kat leaned against the fence to catch her breath for a few minutes.

  “Not yet. She’ll try a few more times ’fore she quits,” Virgil said as he unscrewed the top from the small round tin he’d taken out of his shirt pocket. He dabbed a bit of wax onto his fingers and twisted one end of his mustache up before swiping his finger through the wax again and twisting up the other.

  Kat walked cautiously to the filly and looped the reins in her hand.

  “See? There she goes.” Virgil popped the tin into his pocket and motioned to Kat in the corral, sliding her foot into the stirrup.

  Rebecca winced, watching the filly whirl around and throw Kat off again. “Damn, that has to hurt.” She jumped to her feet and shouted, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Kat waved her off and went back to the horse.

  “I can’t believe she doesn’t give up.”

  Virgil let out a chuckle. “Sit down and enjoy the show. It’s gonna get better.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Kat gave Rebecca a wave without turning her attention from the horse as she made another attempt to tame the filly. Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Virgil had been on the porch all morning, completely engrossed by the show Kat was giving them. She threw her leg over the filly, and it managed to throw her for the fifth time, knocking the wind out of her. Show over. Kat struggled to her feet in the slippery mud and calmly stroked the horse before leading it into the stable.

  “You could be a little more agreeable, you know,” she said as she slid her saddle from the filly’s back and led it into the stall. She secured the latch across the front and rested against it. “You’re really trying my patience today, and I don’t have a lot of that left right now.” She stared into the big brown eyes looking back at her. “I have the whole family out there trying to fix my problems for me.” She glanced down at her jeans. “And you’ve got me covered in mud from head to toe.” She reached in and stroked the horse’s face. “Yeah, I know. You have your own problems.” She tossed in a few handfuls of hay before she strolled out and headed for the house.

  Kat heard Virgil chuckle and shook her head. “Gotcha again, huh?”

  She tugged her boots off at the bottom of the steps. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do about her.”

  “Why don’t you call DJ.” Rebecca lifted her eyebrows. “I bet she could do it.”

  Virgil nodded in agreement. “That’s a darn good idea, young lady.”

  Kat looked over at her mother. “You have anything to add?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “I’ve already spoken my piece.”

  “I could think of a few more things to add,” Virgil spouted.

  “Me too,” Rebecca said.

  Kat flattened her lips and flashed Virgil a glassy stare before swerving it to Rebecca. “Let it go, you two.” She swiped a gooey glob of mud from her arm and threw it at them. The mud sailed past Rebecca’s head and stuck to the house behind her.

  “Hey!” she said as she wiped a few stray splatters from her face.

  Kat gathered another handful and threatened to throw it Rebecca’s way. “Say another word…” She was tired of having this conversation over and over again.

  Rebecca clamped her lips together into a scowl.

  “Okay, then.” Kat tossed the mud into the dirt and swiped her hands across her shirt, which didn’t help much. “I need to shower.” She looked down at herself and decided it would be better to take her clothes off on the porch rather than drag the mess inside. Quickly surveying the grounds, she climbed up the front steps and began to unbutton her shirt.

  Virgil’s eyebrows rose slightly. “You gonna undress right out here in front of all the guests?”

  She frowned. “I don’t see any guests, do you?”

  “Looks clear to me,” Rebecca said.

  He skimmed the grounds from the corral to the barn.

  “Everyone has already left out for their morning details.” Kat continued with the buttons.

  He turned his head and scanned the grounds. “All right then. Go ahead. I’ll keep an eye out.”

  “Thanks.” She let her shirt fall to the porch, then slid her mud-covered jeans halfway down before sitting on the bench, peeling them off, and tossing them on the pile.

  Rebecca raised an eyebrow. “That’s a nice look.”

  “Shut up.” Kat clamped her lips into a tight smile and hurried inside.

  She flipped the knob on the shower and looked at herself in the mirror. It wasn’t one of her best days. She had mud streaks across her face, and the dark circles under her eyes had become more prominent than ever over the past few days. As she went into her bedroom, she took the hat from her head and dropped it on the dresser. She picked up the picture of her and Arizona and ran her fingers across the glass. Maybe I can’t do this alone. She hated the thought of needing anyone again as much as she’d needed her. Maybe I just don’t want to. She set the picture in its place on the dresser and then grabbed a towel from the hall closet. What’s so wrong about that? She stepped into the shower. DJ doesn’t want to do it with you. That’s what’s wrong. She ducked her head under the stream of steaming water.

  Kat had just stepped out of the bathroom when she heard Virgil and Rebecca’s voices trail down the hallway. They were still laughing at her. Her cheeks heated. They think I put on a good show for them, huh? Well, I’ll show them funny. She rushed into the bedroom and put on a clean pair of jeans and a red T-shirt before wrapping a towel around her hair and going into the kitchen.

  Kat narrowed her eyes and stood with both hands planted firmly on her hips. “I’d like to see either one of you try to break that filly next.”

  “Settle down, Kat. We were just havin’ a little fun.”

  “At your expense, of course.” Rebecca jerked the metal handle on the old refrigerator door and reached inside. The old metal shelf rattled as she searched through it. “Don’t you have any bottled water?”

  Virgil chuckled. “The only water we have in this kitchen comes from right here.” He flipped the faucet handle up, letting water stream out.

  Rebecca scrunched her nose, then reached into the refrigerator and took out a soda. “I’ll just have this.”

  “One of the boys came in from the trails while you were in the shower and said there’s someone up on the north-forty messin’ around with your new fence.”

  Kat unwound the towel from her head, tossed it across the chair, and let her wet hair drop to her shoulders. “What do you mean, messin’ around with the fence?”

  “Looks like they’re taking it down.”

  “What? Who the hell told anyone they could do that?” Kat let her stare bounce from Virgil
to Rebecca.

  Rebecca threw up her hands. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t give anyone permission. The sale hasn’t finished escrow yet.”

  “Damn. This would’ve never happened if you’d sold the land to me.” The screen door slapped against the house as Kat threw it open and headed for the stable. It had to be the new owner. Who else could it be? Victoria was long gone.

  Rebecca followed her out the door. “Hey, I tried to give it to you, remember?”

  “I wanted you to keep it. I didn’t think you were gonna sell it.”

  “You know I don’t have any use for it.”

  “Now I have to deal with a new frickin’ neighbor.” Kat shoved her foot into the stirrup, threw her leg over Minow, and took off up the trail. She couldn’t believe she was going to have to deal with this situation all over again.

  Kat leaned down and patted Minow on the neck. “I’m sorry, baby, but we need to move fast,” she said as she bounced her heels against the horse. Except for a few spots where Kat had slowed to cross gulches, she’d had Minow in a gallop most of the way, and the horse was breathing hard. As Kat neared the fence line, the memory of the day she’d spent up there with DJ popped into her head. She tried to shake it, but it was clear that all of her memories of DJ would be with her forever.

  “There they are.” She saw a truck in the distance on the far side of the fence. “Come on. Just a little farther.” When Minow galloped closer, Kat found two men working on the fence, one removing fence staples and the other rolling the wire.

  “Hey, stop that. What do you think you’re doing to my fence?” she shouted.

  One of the men’s heads popped up. It was George, her bartender at the ranch.

  “Hi, Mrs. Jackson. I thought you knew about this.”

  “No, I didn’t. Who told you to take the fence down?”

  “Your new neighbor,” George said as he popped a staple from the fence post. “This here’s my buddy, James.”

  “Glad to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”

  “James.” She dipped her chin. “Don’t you still work for me, George?”

  “Yep, but your neighbor’s paying me pretty good for this.” George went to the bed of the truck, picked up a plastic cup, and put it under the tap of the water cooler strapped to the side. “Seems to be pretty well-off.”

  “Where’d you meet this new neighbor of mine?” Kat was curious. It seemed everyone had met this presumptuous ass but her.

  “Came into the bar last night lookin’ for you.” He took a big swallow, then splashed what was left in the cup to the ground and tossed it into the truck.

  “I was at the bar. I didn’t see anyone looking for me.”

  “It was pretty late. Close to midnight, I think. You’d probably already turned in.”

  “Yeah. I was gone by that time.” She’d worked hard moving hay in the barn yesterday and had turned in about ten.

  She mounted Minow. “Don’t take any more of that fence down until you hear from me, George.”

  “The boss isn’t gonna be happy about this.”

  “You know something, George? I don’t really care if your boss is happy or not.” Kat tugged at the reins, and Minow turned around. “And, George. You need to decide which job you wanna keep,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

  George tossed his pliers into the truck bed. “Pack it up, James.”

  Kat nudged Minow with her heels and headed down the hill. This guy had balls. She had to give him that. He was overstepping her boundaries. It had taken her weeks to put that fence up, and she wasn’t about to take it down again. When she got to the house, she was going to have a nose-to-nose conversation with her sister. She wanted to know who this guy was, and she wanted to know now.

  “Where is she?” Kat yanked the screen door open and let it slap against the house.

  “Inside washing her hands. We just came back from visitin’ with your new neighbor,” Virgil said.

  “My new neighbor?” Kat’s stomach knotted. “Where?” Finally, she was going to meet this pompous ass. She picked up the towel from the chair she’d left it on and peered out the window.

  “I think you might like this one a little better than the last.” Virgil smiled. “Had some remarks about the show you put on out there on the porch earlier.” Virgil held the screen door open, letting Rebecca lead the way out onto the porch.

  Rebecca stifled a giggle. “Very complimentary.”

  “What?” Kat followed them out the door, rubbing the moisture from her palms with the towel. All she needed was for her new neighbor to have seen her in the altogether before they’d even met. What an impression to live down.

  She stared across the grounds, where she spotted a shiny, new black truck parked next to hers. “Where’d he go?”

  Rebecca pointed to the stable. “Checking out the new filly.”

  “Virgil, you know I don’t like strangers left alone in there anymore.” She threw her towel over the railing and marched down the porch steps.

  Virgil raised his eyebrows. “Everyone who comes here’s a stranger. Seemed nice enough.”

  Kat turned and shouted to him, “What’s his name?”

  Virgil shrugged. “I didn’t catch it.”

  As Kat approached the stable, she caught a glimpse of the muscular figure, dressed in khaki shorts and a polo shirt, standing just inside the door. Her heart thumped.

  “DJ?” she said softly, but as her eyes adjusted to the lowered light, she could see right away it wasn’t her.

  “No, ma’am. I’m Matt Wilson.” He turned around to face her.

  “You’re my new neighbor?” Kat’s voice rose as she gave him the once-over. This guy was no rancher.

  “No. I’m just here for a little rest and relaxation.”

  A loud burst of laughter came from the other end of the stable. “I’ll tell you right now, buddy. You’re in the wrong place for that.”

  Kat’s breath caught, and the voice sent all kinds of crazy sensations through her. She knew in an instant who it was. She swung around quickly, and there was DJ, just standing there, grinning. Kat’s stomach made the familiar bounce. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a teal V-neck shirt, she looked as good as ever. Her mind raced. Why was she here? Had she changed her mind? Had she given up her life in the city and come to be with Kat at the ranch? She paced herself, trying to slow her thundering heart as she walked slowly toward her.

  “Back for another stay, Ms. Callahan?” She cocked her head and somehow managed to keep her self-control as a jumble of uncertainty and pure happiness deluged her.

  “Would that be so bad?” DJ said, giving her a smile that blew right through her cool composure and melted all her defenses.

  “That depends.” Kat moved closer, and a familiar jolt zapped through her.

  “On what?” DJ reached behind her for the bridle hanging on the gate.

  “On how long you plan on staying.” Kat waited for the answer she needed.

  “I just came by to see how this little filly’s doing.” DJ slid the bit into her mouth and tied the reins to the railing.

  “Oh.” Kat’s voice deflated, and she let out a sigh. She knew better than to think DJ’d left her life in the city just to be with her.

  “You didn’t seem to be having much luck with her earlier.”

  She dropped her shoulders. “You were watching?” She didn’t understand. “How long have you been here?”

  “All morning.” DJ stroked the horse’s neck.

  All morning? What the hell? Why hadn’t she shown herself earlier?

  “You mind if I give it a try?”

  “You can if you like, but those hundred-dollar jeans of yours are gonna get mighty dirty.”

  “I went with a different brand this time.” She twisted around, showing her the letter stitched on the back pocket.

  Kat took a look and realized DJ had slipped her perfect ass into Wranglers this time. “Well, it won’t be any different with those.” Kat turned to walk away.

>   DJ took her arm and swung Kat hard against her. “One more thing.”

  Kat eagerly threatened to subdue the heat of DJ’s breath as it rolled across her lips.

  “While I’m here, we need to get the boundaries straight.”

  “Boundaries?” Kat’s thoughts clouded as she watched DJ’s shifting green eyes flicker with impatience.

  “That is, unless you’re open to a merger.” DJ pressed her mouth to Kat’s.

  At that moment, everything went hazy for Kat. Merger? What the hell is she talking about?

  DJ broke away momentarily and smiled. “I’m your new neighbor.”

  Epilogue

  DJ shoveled the last pile of manure from the horse stalls into the cart and drove it around behind the barn to the compost pile to be picked up by a nearby nursery. Her life had changed dramatically over the past few years. She hadn’t expected to ever live in the country again.

  Rebecca had given DJ a great deal on the land neighboring Kat’s, and she’d sold her penthouse apartment in the city to afford the down payment. She’d decided to change her life to be with Kat. If she hadn’t been in Kat’s future plans, she’d prepared to build a small one-bedroom cabin on the land and do her best to make amends. She’d hoped Kat would find a place in her heart to forgive her, and when DJ had returned to the ranch close to two years ago, she had. Kat’s voice had been decisive when she’d told DJ she wanted to live life with her together on the ranch. She’d moved in that week and hadn’t had a second thought since.

  They’d rebuilt the stable and added a nice apartment on the side for Virgil. Having him living in the house made the honeymoon phase of their relationship an adventure. They’d managed to find special places around the ranch to spend intimate time together and camped out frequently near the river. The countryside was a beautiful backdrop for the intimacy involved in cementing a relationship. Skinny-dipping and making love in the moonlight was the most breathtakingly magnificent honeymoon they could’ve ever imagined.

  DJ had just brought her horse out of the stable and was getting ready to check the trails when she heard the screen door slap shut.