Counting on the Cowboy

by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

  “Like I said, you best get back before your grandpa misses you.”

  She gasped. “There’s the bus.” She waved, then bolted for the ranch house as fast as her little legs would carry her. Minutes later, he heard the bus stop at the end of the drive. It didn’t tarry long before driving past.

  Scarlet? Did he have a sister? But red had never been his mom’s favorite color. At least when he’d lived with her anyway. Maybe the child was confused? Or playing a game?

  A scream echoed through the morning stillness.

  Brock bolted in the direction it came from.

  Another shriek from Gramp’s old fishing cabin.

  He charged full force.

  On the porch, Devree held something small with pliers. She dropped both with a screech and did a little dance in her high heels.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She whirled in his direction, her business-style skirt slim-fitting at her knees. Wild-eyed, mouth open and pulled down at the corners, she looked ready to let out another blood-curdling shriek. She sucked in a breath, shuddered. “A mouse. Its tail was caught in a trap.”

  “Where?” He climbed the porch steps, tried to hold in his laughter.

  She propped her hands on her hips. “It’s not funny. I turned it loose.” She pointed to the end of the cabin. “It ran off over there.”

  He took in the trap laying nearby along with two sets of pliers. “You know,” he said, unable to control his grin. “If you turn it loose, it’ll most likely come right back in.”

  “I couldn’t take all that squealing.” She covered her ears with both hands. “From the moment I got here. Snap! Snap! Snap! And the poor little thing went to squealing.”

  “What’s wrong?” Chase sprinted in their direction still wearing his robe.

  “Nothing.” Her hands dropped away from her head. “I didn’t wake Landry did I?”

  “No.” His brows rose. “Why were you screaming about nothing?”

  She repeated her story, shrugged as if it was no big deal. “When I turned him loose, he darted toward my foot. I might have yelled a bit. Just a little adrenaline kicking in. But I’m fine. And the mouse is too.”

  “You should have killed him.” Chase tightened the belt on his robe. “He’ll only come back inside.”

  “I know, but he was crying. And he was kind of cute.”

  Chase cut his gaze to the sky, as if trying to keep from rolling his eyes. “Are there any dead ones in other traps?”

  She pulled in a shaky breath. “I think so.”

  “I’ll empty them for you.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Brock stepped up on the porch. “Just tell me where they are.”

  “Under the kitchen and bathroom counters, behind the trash can in the kitchen, living room and bedroom.”

  “I’m on it. What about getting some cats?”

  “Good idea.” Chase ran a hand through his bed head. “If you have any more live ones, call me.”

  “I’m fine.” She pulled on a brave smile.

  “And try not to scream. It scares the guests.” Chase strolled back toward the ranch house.

  Poor guy—completely stressed out.

  “Let’s just say I’m not the most serene person when it comes to rodents.”

  “I noticed.” Brock smirked. “Guess you won’t be helping me with the traps.”

  She shot him a look, then hung her head. “I think I’ll hide in the closet while you take care of things. Landry can do anything—help birth farm animals, decapitate a rattlesnake with a hoe, bait her own fishing hook. But I’m not like that. Not at all.”

  A definite understatement from what little he knew of her so far.

  “Sounds like it’ll be a challenge to keep Landry occupied for six weeks.” He peered down at her. “You really here for events? Or to help Chase babysit her without her knowing it?”

  “Chase called, wanted me to help out here. They happened to have the first wedding booked in the new chapel.” She shrugged. “It worked out perfectly.”

  “Kind of sounds like you were meant to be here.” He hooked his thumbs through his belt loops.

  “Except that I’m trying to go in a new direction as an event planner—company retreats, family reunions, conferences, corporate Christmas parties, that sort of thing. But my sister needed me, so I’m doing this one last wedding.” Bitterness edged her words. “And that’s it.” She stepped inside.

  Her distaste for nuptials didn’t detract from her beauty. Not at all.

  He followed. Several large white-tailed and axis deer preserved in taxidermy mounts hung on the wall. A large glass display box full of fish hooks of every size and style, from hand-tied fly to vintage wooden lures. It had always fascinated him as a kid when he’d come here with Chase and Gramps.

  “This place creeps me out.” Devree shivered, hugged herself tighter.

  “I always loved it. Gramps—he insisted everyone call him that—used to bring us here for early morning fishing.” The smell of Pine Sol and lemon cleaning supplies tickled his nose. Took him back.

  Since he always wanted to help when he made the cleaning rounds with his mom, she’d let him dust the guest rooms. He could almost feel the damp, worn terry cloth in his hand. The way he got two nightstands and a headboard dusted in the time it took her to clean an entire room and bathroom. But she’d never hurried him or reprimanded him for taking too long.

  He shook the memories away. But his brush with Ruby settled in his empty spaces. “Do you know a little girl named Ruby?”

  “Sure. She’s Ron’s granddaughter. She comes here to catch the bus some mornings and gets off here in the afternoon part of the time.”

  “I met her in the barn this morning. And Ron is?”

  “Your um—Becca’s husband. He’s a bellhop and wild boar hunting guide here at the dude ranch.”

  So Mom had remarried. The muscle in his jaw twitched. “And Scarlet?”

  “Ron’s daughter.”

  His stepsister. It all clicked into place. Well, Ruby was cute and all, but he had no intention of getting to know his blended family while he was here.

  “They’re really sweet people.” Devree settled on the plaid couch. “I need to get a feel for the space.” She must have sensed he didn’t want to talk about it. She tucked her feet up beside her. Probably trying to avoid varmints.

  He scanned the room. With the blinds open, sunlight streamed into the main living area. There were wood floors, ceilings and log walls with a dozen marble eyes staring at them.

  “It’s perfect as is for a hunting cabin. Why not take the personal items out, spruce it up a bit and use it for that?”

  “We need a honeymoon cottage up and running ASAP. And the guest cottages are all on the front of the property while the hunting ones are on the back of the acreage.”

  “But this is such a personal space. Why are they opening it up to guests?”

  “Chase doesn’t want it to go unused and eventually rot away. A ranch hand is coming sometime to take all these poor dead animals to the new house. Along with those.” She gestured to the fishhook display with another shudder.

  Snap! Another trap went off and she jumped. “Great. Another victim. Isn’t there any other way?”

  “I could buy some poison. But you take the chance of one dying in the wall. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.”

  “Ugh.” She closed her eyes. “Something humane?”

  “There are live traps that don’t hurt them. I’m going into town later to buy lumber. I could pick up a few.”

  “Say you do that and we catch them. Then what do we do to keep them from coming back in?”

  “I could feed them to my pet boa constrictor.”

  Her eyes popped open wide, revealing a hint of green amidst the blue.

  Captivating. �
��Kidding. I’d find some place deep in the woods.”

  “But what would they eat?”

  “Seeds, berries. Don’t worry, I’ll find a good place for them.”

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  He went in the kitchen, came back with two traps.

  She clasped a hand over her mouth.

  “Sorry. You might not want to watch.” He hurried to the door, emptied the traps several yards from the cabin and returned.

  She buried her face in a pillow, stayed huddled on the couch while he made another trip with the remaining traps. Finished, he returned to the kitchen and washed his hands.

  “You don’t want me to reset them?”

  “Definitely not.” She peeked from behind the pillow.

  “Okay, I’ll bring the live traps by later. Anything else I can do for you before I start caulking?”

  Her gaze darted to the glass display case hanging on the wall. “Could you do something with that?”

  “The fishhooks?”

  “Yes, please. If you laugh, I’ll die, but I’m terrified of them.”

  Seriously? But the terror in her eyes kept his humor at bay. He opened the case.

  “No!” She screeched. “Just take the whole thing.” She closed her eyes. “I mean, it would be awful if you lost one.”

  “Or if one fell out.”

  “Stop.” She pressed her face in the pillow again. “You’ll give me nightmares.”

  “Relax. I was only checking to see how it’s mounted. Have you been hooked?”

  She lowered the pillow. With a slow nod, she rubbed the skin between her thumb and forefinger on her right hand, a slight scar. “My father promised to take Landry and me fishing when we were little. But someone called in sick and he had to work in the Christian bookstore our parents own. I got a hook out and tried to put it on my line so we’d be ready when he got home.”

  “And hooked yourself.”

  She pinched the skin. “It went through right here. All the way through, barb and all. It had to be cut out in the emergency room. I can still feel it.”

  Her vulnerability tugged at him as he shut the display case, carefully lifted the brackets off the screws holding it up. “I’ll take it to the new house when I finish insulating. For now, how about I put it out of sight, maybe under the bed?”

  “Thanks.”

  “So, do you like to fish?”

  Her laugh came out ironic. “No. I’m afraid of hooks, worms are slimy and fish are stinky. I just wanted to be with my dad.”

  “Did you not get much time with him?”

  “He was great at setting up outings with us. But we’d have these awesome plans until someone called in sick and he’d end up at the store. Sometimes, I went to work with him, just to be with him.”

  She was way too charming when she showed this soft side. “My dad died when I was barely eight.”

  “I bet that was tough.” Her gaze met his.

  “It was. He was my hero.” The loss burned fresh in his heart. He tucked the display case under his arm and headed for the bedroom.

  “Thanks.”

  “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thought your cape was at the dry cleaners. And I’ll remind you, that despite circumstances, I’m not a damsel.” A small smile slipped out. “Just slightly out of my element.”

  “Got my cape back this morning and we’re in dire straits here. Mice and traps and fishhooks! Oh, my!” He mimicked the classic Wizard of Oz chant and got a chuckle out of her. And coming to her rescue might have its perks. She certainly wasn’t a chore to look at.

  “Just for the record, I’m afraid of flying monkeys too.”

  “Let me know if you see any of those.” He shot her a wink and stashed the display box under the bed. “Typical city girl.”

  “I may be a city girl.” Her tone turned sharp. “But there’s nothing typical about me.”

  Definitely overly sensitive. And now he’d offended her. Maybe that was a good turn of events. The last thing he needed was to develop a soft spot for her.

  Besides, he wouldn’t be here long. And she wouldn’t either. They were just biding their time stuck here together. Both itching to get back to their real lives.

  Chapter Three

  Devree drove past the ranch house and pulled into the cabin parking lot. Maybe she could do this. Once the ranch hands had removed all the dead animal heads yesterday, ideas for the cabin’s decor took shape. A mix of rustic and shabby chic. This morning, her visit to Rustick’s Log Furnishings had been productive.

  Resa—store owner, neighbor and friend—had been extremely helpful. And, so Landry wouldn’t feel useless, Devree had texted her pictures of her choices. With her sister’s approval, she’d purchased a back seat full of curtains, pillows and a bedspread while the furniture would arrive next week.

  Arms laden with goodies, she stepped up on the porch and reached blindly to insert the key into the lock. But the door opened.

  Brock. “Here, let me help you.” He tugged the bags out of her hands.

  “Thanks.” Why did his accidental touch send a shiver through her? Even after he’d called her typical just yesterday.

  “You’ve been busy. Me too. I caulked all the plumbing and popped all the trim to seal the joints. Where do you want this stuff?”

  “On the couch. New furniture will arrive next week. Will it be in your way?”

  “I should be done with the messy stuff by then.” He stashed the bags, then grabbed a putty knife, scraped a spot on the log wall and wiped the area with a cloth. “What about the old furniture?”

  “Chase is sending ranch hands. Most of it will go in his man cave at the new house. What doesn’t will go to charities. Will you be doing any work in the bedroom or bathroom? I thought I’d put curtains up in there.”

  “Go for it. Need a screwdriver?”

  Why did he have to be so helpful? And appealing? “Come to think of it...”

  “Have you ever hung curtains?”

  “Hello? I have my own apartment.”

  “Just offering my help. And a step stool.”

  “That might be useful.”

  He picked up a small stool from the corner, dug around in his toolbox. “Flat or Phillips?”

  “Phillips.”

  “You know your way around a screwdriver.” He handed it to her.

  “I have a dad, you know.” When she saw his gaze drop, she wished she could take that back. She hadn’t meant to hurt him; it had just slipped out. “Thanks.” She grabbed the bag, hoofed it to the bedroom.

  Brock followed, carrying the stool. “Sure you don’t need any help?”

  “I’ve got this.” She turned to take the stool from him. Something scampered across her sandaled foot. She screamed, dropped the screwdriver and the stool.

  “What?”

  But she was too busy clambering onto the bed. Safely off the floor, she stood in the middle, scanning for movement.

  “What?” His tone exasperated.

  “I think—” she did a whole body shudder followed by a heebie-jeebies dance “—a mouse just ran across my foot.”

  “Okay.” He reached for her hand. “Just calm down. Sit and relax before you fall off there and break your neck.”

  “I’d really like to get out of here.” She gingerly sat down in the center of the bed, keeping her eyes on the edges, half expecting a mouse to come climbing up the bed skirt.

  “Maybe that’s best.” He gestured toward the door.

  “I’m afraid to put my feet on the floor.” She squeezed her eyes closed. Great. She’d just proven every city girl notion he had about her to be true.

  “Do I need to carry you?”

  Her eyes popped open, surveyed him for a moment. Feet on the floor with the mice? Or carried out by
the handsome cowboy she barely knew? Which was worse? Definitely rodents. With a slow nod, she scooted toward him.

  He scooped her up.

  With no choice, she put her arms around his neck, tried not to cling too tight.

  As he stepped out on the porch, an elderly couple hand in hand rounded the walking trail thirty feet away.

  “Look, Henry, newlyweds.”

  “In my day, you carried her inside, young man.” The man frowned. “Not out.”

  “Thanks for the advice.”

  As her cheeks flamed, she felt the deep rumble of Brock’s laughter. “You can put me down now.”

  He bent to lower her. “You know it was probably the same mouse you let go yesterday.”

  “Not funny.” She smacked him on the shoulder.

  “That little dance you did sure was.” When she didn’t smile, he sobered. “Once we get the furniture out, it’ll be easier to get this place mouse-free with fewer places for them to hide.”

  “I’ll be back post-evacuation.” She headed for the ranch house.

  “Watch out for flying monkeys.” His chuckle echoed across the field.

  What she really needed to watch out for was Brock.

  He’d carried her out as if she weighed nothing. His strength had felt too comforting. Too safe.

  And she knew from experience, the least safe place she could be was close to a man.

  * * *

  With a thousand things on his mind, Brock had awakened early. He strolled toward the fishing cabin with only birdsong and horse whinnies to greet him.

  Past the cabin, he could see the chapel in the distance. The wood on the exterior was grayed with age. One of the hands told him it had come from an ancient barn a windstorm had toppled on the property a few months back. With a high peak in the middle and slanted roof on each side, the structure was a cross between a rustic chapel and a barn. Church always soothed him, no matter what was going on. He looked forward to attending services there.

  But for now, he needed to focus. Maybe he could get some work done before Devree showed up to distract him. Two full days of working with her and he felt as if he’d barely gotten anything done. At least she’d held up her end of the bargain. She hadn’t tried to talk about his mother anymore.