Henry chuckled. “Finn might be five and small for his age but I’ve never seen a kid eat so much.”
“Tell me about it. I know better now than to try and keep up with him. He ate five pieces to my three.”
“He’s a nice kid,” Henry said.
“He is.” She paused to strip the huskiness from her voice. “I’m so lucky to have him for a nephew.”
Henry nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. “Clara mentioned you wanted to photograph wild animals while you’re here for the summer.”
“Yes, back home I have a blog where I post pictures of my farm life. I need something to keep me ... busy so thought I’d give my camera a work out.”
“You’ve come to the right part of Montana.”
“I know. I’ve already taken hundreds of pictures of the hollyhocks and wildflowers out at Zane’s ranch. He also has an elk herd that doesn’t mind me getting too close but what I’d really love is to get into the backcountry and that’s why I’m here.”
She sensed Ethan stiffen beside her.
“Zane suggested,” she continued, “that I ask if I could head into your mountains. Your high country hasn’t been grazed like some of the other ranches and Zane suggested I’d have more chance of seeing wildlife.”
“You will.” Henry looked at Ethan.
She turned slightly and this time she had no doubt something about her request didn’t please Ethan. He held his father’s gaze, his eyes hard with an unspoken warning.
Henry took no heed. He looked back at Bridie and smiled. “You’re very welcome to spend as long as you want up there.”
“Thanks.” The tension locking her shoulders eased. Soon she’d be in the mountains. Soon she could set her grief free. “I really appreciate it.”
Henry’s eyes danced. “Of course, you’ll need someone to take you there.”
She lost the battle to conceal her frown but when she spoke her voice remained casual. “I wouldn’t want to impose, everyone’s so busy and I could be away for a week at a time. I’ve been riding since I was little and know my way around a campsite, I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can but I’d still worry.”
“Henry ...” Ethan’s voice was quiet but embedded with steel.
“Humor an old man,” Henry said, not looking at his son, “and help your mother sleep at night. You know until you’re home safe she’ll also worry.”
Bridie pressed her lips together. She’d checked with her mother that she’d be comfortable about Bridie going into the mountains alone and while she said she’d be fine, Henry was right. Her mother did worry and possibly wouldn’t sleep while she was away.
“Okay. A guide would be a good idea, but for the first trip only.” She paused to glance at Ethan who sat rigid with his shoulders braced. Suddenly she knew the reason for his tension and what the twinkle in Henry’s eyes had meant. “There’s only one logical person who could come with me ...”
Henry sat back in his chair as if to say his work here was done.
She smiled sweetly. “Nick Ryan.”
Chapter Two
Ethan grinned. The slack-jawed shock on Henry’s weathered face was priceless. This feisty, straight-talking cowgirl with her unfamiliar Australian accent had got the better of him. Not only had she been savvy enough to work out Henry’s agenda but she’d also called his bluff. If he’d been at Grey’s, he would have raised his beer in a toast to her.
Their eyes met. Laughter lightened her grey-blue gaze and flushed her winter-pale cheeks. An unspoken understanding passed between them, an acknowledgment that a shared purpose united them. They might be polar opposites in temperament but in that moment a common denominator bound them. They both had reasons for not wanting to be thrown together.
“Nick Ryan?”
Henry’s words were low and gruff as he leaned forward in his chair and scowled.
“Yes.” Bridie’s sunny smile didn’t waver. “He said if I needed someone to show me around he was the man. How about I give him a call?” Bridie shifted in her seat to dig into her jeans pocket for her phone. “He gave me his number last night.”
“I bet he did.” Henry’s glower deepened.
Ethan’s grin slipped. Bridie’s movements caused her to lean toward him. Her heavy hair swung around her shoulders and he inhaled the perfume of roses. A dark strand caught on her cheek, and he looked away before he gave in to the urge to brush it away. Even without touching her, he knew her skin would glide against his fingertips like warm silk. Just like on the porch when she’d laughed, it was a fight to stop his awareness of how beautiful she was from breaching his self-control.
She examined her phone screen but didn’t move to dial Nick. Instead, she looked across at Henry. He stared back, gaze hooded.
“Before I call, I want to make sure I really do need someone to come with me. I promised Mom I’d be careful.”
Henry’s expression remained unchanging and then respect glittered in his gaze. “If you promised Clara to be careful, then no, I don’t think you need anyone, especially Nick Ryan. He wouldn’t know a bear track if he fell over the bear that made it.”
Bridie nodded and slipped her phone into her jeans pocket. But instead of triumph, relief softened her mouth. Ethan’s gaze lingered. He’d seen such an expression too many times. On his mother’s face when they’d arrive in a new town where her step-father couldn’t find them. On his brother’s face when Payton had stepped into his arms on the day he’d planned to leave. It was a relief born of deep desperation. It wasn’t just the cowgirl’s independent spirit that caused her to resist Henry’s efforts to have someone accompany her into the mountains. Something else was going on.
He pushed back his chair and stifled the need to help her. She wouldn’t appreciate a stranger meddling. Bridie was only in Montana for the summer. She had to have someone waiting in Australia for her and if not, she’d soon have more cowboys than Nick Ryan offering to show her the sights. Now it was settled she’d travel alone, he’d leave her and Henry to talk. His horse wouldn’t feed itself.
Henry cast him a thoughtful look that didn’t fit with his wishes being thwarted. Ethan withheld a sigh and remained seated. What was Henry up to now?
“Bridie ...?” Henry’s voice was as mild as a Montana spring. “Could you do me a favor?”
“Of course. You’re kind enough to let me traipse all over your ranch, it’s the least I can do.”
“Take Ethan with you.”
Ethan sat still and stiff and waited for Bridie to say no but the only word that passed her lips was a quiet, “Why?”
“Because Ethan needs to go,” Henry said tone earnest. “He’s come for the summer to babysit me and I don’t need help. He’s as bored as a barn cow in a blizzard. He’s even taken to doing crosswords.”
“I’m not bored,” Ethan said, voice firm.
The bunkhouse of his Colorado ranch might be filled with tough cowboys who listened to him but he may as well have not been in the room for all the attention Henry and Bridie now paid to him.
“Crosswords, huh?” Bridie said, head tilted to the side as though deep in thought.
Henry’s expression grew grave. “Yes. Every day.”
“That’s bad.”
“Yes, I know.”
Bridie pursed her lips. Seriousness sobered her expression. “It’s not an option for every trip.”
“I know.”
She nodded and the action was as binding as a handshake.
Satisfaction fired in Henry’s eyes. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime,” she said.
Ethan ground his teeth. He wasn’t going anywhere. He mightn’t have the don’t-mess-with-me edge his brother had but he could be just as stubborn. “Sorry to rain on your plans, but Henry you still can’t drive. I’m not leaving you isolated and housebound.”
Bridie’s gaze fastened on his. By putting his foot down he’d waved a red flag at the willful cowgirl. She’d told Henry she’d t
ake him with her and now she’d be determined to fulfill that promise.
She glanced at Henry. “How long until you can drive?”
“Three days.”
She faced Ethan again. “Perfect. We’ll leave Friday.”
Ethan stood, jaw set. “I won’t be leaving Friday or any other day.”
Henry stood too and in his eyes Ethan caught an emotion he’d never witnessed before – weariness. “Ethan, go, please. I see the way you look out the window when the sun shines on the Absaroka peaks. You’re a cowboy. You need to be out on the range. You’re not meant to be inside, anymore than I am.”
Ethan stayed silent. Henry spoke the truth. With every passing week it became harder to stay indoors, but he’d come to Montana to look after Henry and that’s what he’d do.
Henry spoke again. “Rosa comes every day, so I won’t be on my own. Cordell and Payton are just down the road. It will do you good and give me a chance to feel like I’m not ... so useless.”
Ethan’s heart squeezed. He knew how hard it was for Henry to accept that with age came a decrease in his independence. The past month he’d received more help that he’d had his whole life. He could understand Henry wanting the space to regain the autonomy he’d lost.
Ethan replied before he heeded the voice of reason in his head. “Okay. I’ll go with Bridie, but only once I know you can drive and after I’ve spoken to Rosa and Cordell.”
Henry’s gleeful smile appeared faster than a child let loose in Copper Mountain Chocolates.
“Great. Next Friday it is.” He turned to Bridie as she too came to her feet. “Clara mentioned you’d be calling in today so while Ethan was out yesterday I got the horses in. There’s a mustang mare you might like to take a ride on and get to know now before the rain comes? She’ll keep you safe in the backcountry.”
Ethan scraped a hand around the base of his neck. Henry’s vulnerability had been genuine but it’d disappeared quicker than raindrops in the desert. He risked a glance at Bridie and his thoughts were mirrored in her narrowed eyes.
They’d both been played.
“We didn’t stand a chance,” she said, smile wry as they left the ranch house to head to the barn and corrals.
“Tell me about it.” He turned to wave to Henry who’d accompanied them as far as the porch and now stood watching them. “As if I could ever be bored while here? Stopping Henry from overdoing things is a full time job.”
Bridie chuckled. “It would be. You’d have to keep your wits about you. Just as well he’s a lovable old rogue. Mom says he’s always been a hard but a good man.”
Ethan nodded and slowed to avoid Milo as the puppy dashed in front of him to follow Rocket. Ethan looked beyond the dogs to where a pasture usually housed three horses. “To think I was worried Henry would drive the truck while I was in town. Somehow he’s made it past the barn and brought the horses in.”
“It does beat doing crosswords.” Amusement threaded her words and she arched a fine brow at his unspoken question. “Unless you wear heavy tortoise shell reading glasses, I know Henry’s the one going stir-crazy and doing a crossword every day.”
Ethan matched her grin and led the way around the side of the large red barn. “If you knew Henry was doing the crosswords why agree to let me come with you?”
Bridie didn’t immediately answer. She stopped at the corral fence and gazed at the huge bay gelding who shuffled over to them.
“To be honest, I don’t know. Henry is very different to my father but there’s something about his eyes that reminds me of my dad when he’d been in hospital too long.”
Ethan nodded and rubbed Captain’s glossy neck. Henry had mentioned Bridie’s father had passed away last spring after a long illness.
“I’m sorry to hear about your father.”
She stroked Captain’s nose. “Thanks.”
She didn’t need to look at him for Ethan to perceive the grim hold grief continued to hold on her. Sadness thickened her voice. She lowered her arm and turned to look at the mountains. The breeze whipped her long hair across her cheek hiding her expression but all Ethan needed to see was the rigid line of her shoulders angled toward the peaks.
He’d been right. Something else besides taking photographs lured Bridie to the wilderness. After he’d lost his mother he’d headed into the Colorado Rocky Mountains to deal with his anguish. Bridie too must yearn to be amongst the mountains where the stars seemed an arm’s reach away and heaven even closer.
“It wasn’t so long ago that I worried about my own father.” Her words were so soft the wind reduced them to a whisper. “We don’t have to leave Friday if you’re concerned about Henry.”
“Friday will be fine. We both know Henry will drive the truck come hell or high water.” He hesitated. Bridie’s pride wouldn’t appreciate him being privy to the real reason behind her mountain trip but he could ease her pain where possible. It was solitude she needed, not company. “You mentioned being away for a week, maybe we could cut that down to two nights. That way I can be back to keep an eye on Henry and then you’ll be free to make a second trip alone sooner.”
She didn’t glance at him as her restless fingers braided Captain’s mane. “Good idea. Two nights it is, and then I’ll head off on my own for a week.”
The wind toyed with the wide brim of his Stetson. He scanned the sky. While still a clear blue above them, ominous clouds clustered around the peaks to their right. If Bridie was going to take a ride, she’d have to do so now.
“Let’s introduce you to Molly and Socks and see which horse might suit? Henry mentioned the mustang, Molly, but she’s young and spirited; you might find Socks a better mount for riding where there are no trails.”
Bridie nodded and without a look across to the gun-metal grey clouds, she strode toward a corral where three horses stood. Milo and Rocket bounded in front of her, Milo nipping at Rocket’s neck. Ethan remained still. Captain blew a warm breath on his cheek but he didn’t move.
The rhinestones on Bridie’s cowgirl belt shimmered and danced. Ethan’s gaze focused on the neat curves filling out her tight denim below the leather but his thoughts remained on the sparkle of light.
He was a plain and conservative belt guy. A steady and boring guy who’d scan the sky every ten minutes to make sure they avoided the approaching storm. Bridie was as beautiful and as unpredictable as the light that flashed from her belt. Impulsive and spontaneous, she’d leap before she looked. It was no surprise she wasn’t content taking photographs of safe ranch animals. As for the incoming rain, not once had she checked the weather to decide whether or not to saddle up. She’d ride even if the sky was about to rip apart over their heads.
He settled his Stetson more firmly on his brow. Henry’s matchmaking plan was doomed to fail. He and Bridie were as compatible as oil and water. He should have suggested a one night trip, because even after just two days together he had no doubt they’d need to agree to disagree. He’d be the one taking the safe path and she’d be the one taking the trail less travelled.
Bridie blinked away forbidden tears. Please don’t let Ethan have seen her relief when he’d suggested they cut their trip short. When her father had fallen ill she’d vowed to stay strong – for him and for her mother. And she had. No one was now allowed to see her collapse in a spineless heap. She could only hope Ethan had offered to cut short their trip so he could return to Henry sooner, not because he knew of her desperation to be by herself.
Ethan had a way of looking at her with a quiet and serious intensity that made her fear he could see into her soul. His intelligent blue gaze would miss nothing, least of all the mask she wore. Beneath all her confidence and bravado, she was just a lost child missing the father she adored and trying to make sense of a changed world.
She blinked again and the three vague shapes in the corral resembled horses. She didn’t need to glance at the sky to know the storm drew near. The smell of rain had intensified and the temperature of the wind had dropped. A pair of magpi
es flew by, intent on out-flying the storm, but the sun remained warm on her shoulders. There was time to take a ride and to decide on a horse. By doing so, it meant they’d get to the mountains sooner on Friday. She’d also see how her mount acted in windy conditions. At the higher altitudes, she could expect four seasons in one day.
Rocket and Milo deviated from their path toward the corral. Noses to the ground they zigzagged across the yard, tracking a scent.
Two horses approached the corral fence. A sturdy iron-grey gelding that would make a perfect pack horse stopped beside a chestnut gelding with four white socks. Both horses pricked their ears forward, their bright eyes trained on her. The third horse, a small buckskin mare, remained at the back of the corral, her attention focused on the scent-tracking dogs.
A wind gust buffeted the corral and the buckskin tossed her head. Her black mane rippled and nostrils flared as she swung around to gaze at the high country backdrop. Bridie felt the pull of the mustang’s spirit. It didn’t matter if the horse was young and aloof, she would be perfect. Savvy and fearless, the mare would know her way around the mountains.
Bridie moved to pat the grey and the chestnut as they jostled against the corral fence for her attention. “Yes, you’re both gorgeous.”
Ethan walked past and to her surprise the mustang whinnied softly and headed for him. She lowered her head over the wooden fence and he smoothed a gentle hand over her creamy neck. Tension leeched from the mare’s muscles and she sighed, leaning against the fence to get closer to him. It was as though his calm touch had provided an antidote to her restlessness.
Bridie gave the grey and chestnut a final pat and walked over to Ethan, careful to not spook the mare.
“She’s beautiful.”
“She is. Henry adopted her from the Pryor Mountain horse range. She’s the full sister to Payton’s mustang, Gypsy.”
His Outback Cowgirl (Wildflower Ranch Book 4) Page 2
