Mounting again, he urged Lightfoot to trot in Walt and Tara’s direction. When he caught up, Tara was alone and his grandfather was some forty feet away, gazing into the distance.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No, he just wanted to be alone for a while.”
“I stopped to mend a fence,” Josh explained unnecessarily.
“Right.”
“I promoted Clyde Hawes to foreman, so things are getting better. I, uh, should thank you for that. Until you pointed it out, I hadn’t realized that I was trying to wear too many hats.”
Tara fingered Ringo’s reins. “I’m sure you would have figured out what you needed to do before long.”
“It’s nice you aren’t rubbing it in.”
She laughed and Josh decided he should stop beating himself up for finding such a gorgeous woman attractive. The key was controlling how he handled it. Basically, while a no-strings affair would be pleasant, he doubted Tara was willing, and it probably wasn’t a good idea in any case. He should just privately acknowledge his response to her and accept that nothing could come of it.
“The Boxing N is probably one of the largest ranches in Montana, though a lot of the acreage doesn’t support many cattle,” he said, deciding to stick to something concrete. “We need a fair number of hands just to keep an eye on fence lines.”
Tara held up a hand. “Josh, we’re riding on a beautiful day through a stunning piece of land. Do you ever just stop and enjoy what you’re doing?”
It was a valid question, but she didn’t understand. “Look, I’ve been waiting a long time for this. I have goals for the ranch, which include raising cattle for the organic market. It takes years to get certified and earn a reputation, and I’m already behind the curve.”
“There’s more to life than ranching.”
Sighing, he gazed across the rolling grassland, the more rugged high country rising above it. This section had never been heavily utilized, and never for wintering cattle. Basically, it meant nonorganic feed had never been hauled in for the stock to eat. It was perfect for what he wanted, and in his mind’s eye, he saw herds grazing within well-maintained fences. The dividing fences would be necessary to keep organic stock inside, though it was possible the entire ranch could eventually become certified. He’d even designed a special brand for his organic herd.
If he could just get started, in ten years, Boxing N cattle might become a market leader.
Might?
There wasn’t any “might” about it. Nothing was going to stop him from making it a reality.
* * *
TARA SAT QUIETLY in her saddle, recognizing that Josh was lost in his vision for the future. Although she had goaded him about it, she respected his goals, and they sounded financially viable.
Her goals were important to her, as well. In addition to her travels, she wanted to work hard, helping companies organize their record-keeping in accordance with regulations. It was a challenge she enjoyed. Perhaps it wasn’t as lofty as growing healthy food, but her work could help people...perhaps a senior citizen with her life savings invested in a company’s stock, or a customer who relied on a product for their livelihood.
Yet unlike Josh, she wanted to explore the world along the way.
Tara glanced from Walt to his grandson. The two men were more alike than either of them could admit. Josh was fixated on the future, planning to devote his life to building the kind of ranch he’d dreamed of owning. She wasn’t sure he really even saw the beautiful view, only the number of cattle it would support. As for Walt? He was fixated on the past. He’d spent his entire life focused on the Boxing N instead of his family, and now he deeply regretted each of his lost opportunities.
She’d never realized how things could get passed down in families, including mistakes.
Maybe it was a good thing that Josh expected to wait on having a family. From what she’d picked up both from him and from things Walt had said, if he ever did get married it would be to a woman who shared his goals. Ultimately, that just meant there’d be another wife who got put last. If she loved ranching, perhaps she wouldn’t mind.
With no real experience of what family meant, Tara didn’t know what was right and what was wrong. It was hard enough figuring out how to be a sister to Lauren, so she didn’t have a prayer of understanding the complicated dynamics of extended clans such as the Nelsons and McGregors.
Tara’s mount snorted and tossed his head. “It’s okay, Ringo,” she soothed, “we’re just waiting for Walt.”
Josh glanced at her. “Did Grandpa say why he wanted to be alone?”
She bent and patted Ringo’s neck, trying to decide what to say. It seemed certain that Walt was thinking about his wife, but Josh probably wouldn’t believe her. The irony struck her. For once in her life she’d gotten insight into someone, and she couldn’t do anything to help. She was convinced the two men could meet on common ground—their love for Evelyn Nelson. But saying something about it would just make Josh more stubborn.
“Walt has gone through major changes in the last few months,” she said carefully. “I’m sure both the past and future are on his mind.”
“He could think about those things at home. He’s alone there, too, and it’s safer.”
“Maybe too alone,” she said, despite her resolution.
Josh’s sober expression seemed to dismiss the possibility. She didn’t get it. How could his opinion about his grandparents’ marriage be so different from her own?
“Why do you think your grandparents weren’t close?” she asked curiously.
“Any number of reasons. They never kissed or held hands. They didn’t talk with each other in a way that two people might if they were in love.”
“Which way is that?”
Josh looked at Walt, his face sad. “I’m not sure how to explain. Everyone could tell my oldest brother’s first marriage was hopeless from the beginning. But it’s different with Kayla. I’m sure they argue and have to work things out, but even after a couple of years, they still look at each other as if they’ve won the grand prize.”
Tara wasn’t sure if that was the only measure of a good marriage, especially for a man from Walt’s generation and upbringing as a tough, close-to-the-land rancher. “Some people are more public about their feelings.”
“Yeah, but Trent is the same with Emily, and Alaina is obviously crazy about her husband, Mike.” Josh laughed ruefully. “It’s annoying sometimes—they’re incredibly happy, so Mom is on a marriage kick, figuring my sister Maddie and I should find someone and skip down the aisle, as well. But I’m not interested, and I doubt Maddie is, either.”
The way Josh described his siblings’ marriages sounded terrific, but if Tara had learned anything in her travels, it was that you couldn’t judge by appearances.
“What kind of marriage do your parents have?” she asked.
Josh looked taken aback. “I’ve never thought that much about it. I’m not sure I know,” he murmured as if to himself. “I can tell they’re good friends, but I couldn’t even say that much about my grandparents. They seemed to live separate lives. Grandma would be tending the garden or painting while Grandpa was out working, either on the ranch or in his office.”
He dismounted, and Tara concentrated on the landscape instead of his muscles as he moved.
“There’s a spring nearby,” Josh told her. “The water is as clear and pure as it gets. Are you thirsty?”
“Um, sure.” She swung off her own mount and led Ringo as he headed toward a small rise.
“We shouldn’t get out of sight,” she urged. “Walt will worry.”
“That’s okay, it isn’t far.”
Josh tethered the horses to a branch. Beyond him, Tara saw a small spring bubbling joyously from a rocky opening. The water flowed down the hillside,
with wildflowers blooming along the wandering channel.
“How lovely,” she exclaimed. It had been a long time since she’d believed in fairy tales, but this was like something out of a storybook.
Josh shrugged. “It’s useful. This particular spring has never been known to go dry, even in drought.”
She knelt to scoop water into her mouth. In Australia she’d drunk water in the wild while on walkabout, but it had never been this cold and pure.
“Don’t you want some?” she asked, standing and looking at Josh.
“Yeah.” He turned abruptly, bent and drank heavily.
Walt had ridden closer. “Fill my canteen, will you?” he called. “This is much better than the water at the house.”
He tossed the canteen to Tara, who emptied the contents and handed it to Josh. Once it was filled, she carried it back to Walt.
“Mmm,” he murmured after taking a long swallow. “That’s the best water on the ranch.” He gestured to the meandering waterway. “Evelyn threw wildflower seeds out here every fall. I suppose nobody will do it now.”
Tara glanced around to see if Josh had heard, but he was still by the spring and she had a feeling Walt hadn’t intended him to hear.
She pushed the thought away and decided to get another drink. Walt was right—it was the best water she’d ever tasted.
* * *
JOSH TRIED TO LOOK away from Tara as she drank from the spring again, but her figure was too nicely displayed to make it easy.
Damnation, he didn’t want his libido controlling his actions.
To make things worse, his grandfather was watching him with a knowing eye.
“What do you say we head back to the barn?” he asked when Tara had finished and was walking toward them. The sunlight glinted off her honey-gold hair and highlighted her blue eyes.
Walt grunted in agreement. This time Josh was certain that the lines in his face were from pain. He obviously hadn’t dared dismount to get a drink.
Tara mounted Ringo and they started off, Walt leading the way, side by side with her. Josh rode fifteen feet behind. He told himself it was to give Walt and Tara space, but the view of her backside was also a powerful incentive.
She appeared to be an excellent rider, managing Ringo with no difficulty.
“When did the Nelsons first come to Montana?” she was asking Walt.
“In 1872. We were the first. The McGregors didn’t come until a couple years later, and even then they spent part of their time in Oklahoma.”
Josh smiled. The rivalry between his parents’ families would never be forgotten as long as Walt was around. Of course, his McGregor grandparents were also guilty of dredging up the subject. They disputed the date of their arrival, claiming it was a year before the Nelsons. However, at any gatherings where both families were in attendance, the subject was politely avoided.
“What was in Oklahoma?” Tara asked.
“Land and cattle. And later, oil.”
“I’ll bet there were plenty of people who wished they’d held on to their land once oil became so important.”
“Yeah, the McGregors just got lucky. The Nelsons earned their stake another way.”
“How was that?”
“It’s a family secret.”
Josh stared at his grandfather’s back in surprise. Was there a part of the Nelson history he didn’t know, or was Walt just spinning a story for Tara?
She chuckled, the husky sound making Josh shift uncomfortably. “Let me guess,” she said, “you don’t know the secret, either.”
Walt laughed outright, leaving Josh more stunned than he could remember. Had he ever heard his grandfather laugh so heartily?
“You’re too smart, young lady,” Walt told her. “You’re also right. My great-grandfather kept changing the story, and I never got the skinny on it. When I was a lad, I had visions of daring bootleggers, but the money predates Prohibition, so it wouldn’t have been profitable enough for a stake in the 1800s.”
Josh grew envious as the two continued chatting. He loved his grandfather, but the old guy wasn’t the easiest person to know. Grandma Evelyn was the grandparent he’d been close to, and he’d always wondered how a woman with her natural warmth and charm had ended up with Walter Nelson.
When he’d gotten older and understood how it could be between a man and a woman, it had seemed a terrible loss. Evelyn must have been capable of great passion, something that had appeared lacking in her marriage. Nonetheless, she’d been the sort of person who made the best of things, getting active in community affairs and devoting herself to her daughter and grandchildren.
And all the while Walt had been there, putting the ranch first and everything else dead last.
So how had Tara gotten through to Grandpa? It didn’t make sense.
Josh regretted the thought as soon as it formed, because he was instantly riveted on her jeans and the way she filled them out. While he’d decided it was okay to be attracted to Tara, provided he didn’t do anything about it, it could be a difficult decision to keep.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TARA WAS BUSY every possible minute over the next week, which was the way she liked to be.
Between party preparations, she finished shifting boxes and other miscellaneous stacks in her search for current paperwork. It was amazing the spots she found things tucked out of sight, old mixed with new. Of course, the most intriguing items were the documents and ledgers from over a hundred years ago, including a Bible with a singed cover. Walt’s eyes had gleamed when she’d told him what she’d found so far.
“I wonder if my great-grandfather’s journal is around anyplace,” he’d mused. “My mother thought it was lost when the first house burned.”
Tara had winced, thinking of the history that might have gone up in flames, but she was eager to explore whatever had survived. Both she and Walt had discussed whether they’d find information about the sapphires and what to do if they did.
By Saturday everything was in good shape for the big event. Huge tents had been erected, and the largest barn would be used for dancing. In addition to the pasture prepped for parking, another had a softball field laid out in it. Horseshoes, croquet and volleyball were also available, along with portable bleachers for people who just wanted to watch the various athletics.
Lauren hadn’t wanted to go, but Tara convinced her to attend. They arrived before the official starting time, and her sister’s eyes widened as they wandered around. The serving tables in the food tent were weighed down with platters and bowls from the caterer and partygoers, the barn was strung with Japanese lanterns, and a country band was already playing.
Tara grinned at her sister’s wide-eyed surprise. “Pretty good, isn’t it, to get this together in such a short time?”
“No wonder you were busy.”
“To be honest, everyone was so enthusiastic about this event, there was practically a stampede of people getting involved.”
A tall cowboy immediately claimed Lauren for a dance, and Tara went looking for Walt, only to see Josh talking with a couple of women. She instantly turned the other direction and found Walt sitting with his daughter along the barn wall.
He struggled to his feet. “Here’s the gal who pulled this all together,” he announced.
“Nonsense,” Tara declared. “I simply did what you said. Everyone else was just waiting for the okay.”
Sarah McGregor pulled her into a huge hug, and Tara caught her breath; it was warm and sincere, and for a split second it was the way she’d always imagined a mother’s embrace might feel. It was a foolish, sentimental fancy, something she usually avoided.
“Thank you,” Sarah murmured. “You’ve been good for Dad.”
Unexpected emotion filled Tara’s throat, but before she could say anything, Sarah straighten
ed and waved at her son approaching them.
“Josh, take Tara for a dance. She deserves it after all her hard work.”
“That’s what I came to do.”
Tara couldn’t tell whether he was sincere or if a hint of sarcasm tinged his voice.
Together they joined the crowd of couples.
“You don’t need to dance with me,” she said, trying not to remember how strong and hard his arms had been when they’d kissed. “I’m sure you have other women you want to ask.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I saw you chatting them up when I got here, two of them, anyhow.”
He frowned. “Chatting them up?”
“Did I get the idiom wrong? I’ve spent so long working with people who speak English as a second language, I sometimes get mixed up myself.”
“No, I just don’t appreciate sounding like a guy on the prowl.”
“Isn’t every single man on the prowl?” Tara asked lightly.
“Not necessarily.”
“Don’t tell me you live as a monk.”
His mouth tightened. “I haven’t done much socializing since I moved back to Schuyler—I’ve been too busy. But that won’t last. I enjoy dating as long we understand each other.”
“And by ‘understand each other,’ you mean they need to accept you aren’t looking for anything permanent, just a good time.”
“I’m not shallow. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay single.”
“I agree. I’m not interested in a relationship, either, though for different reasons. It doesn’t mean we’re shallow.”
Tara hoped that was true. At times she felt terribly limited because she avoided getting too involved with people. But that surely meant she was careful, not shallow.
* * *
JOSH TRIED TO QUELL the heat settling in the lower half of his anatomy. Tara was a delicious armful, and she danced remarkably well. In fact, as the music picked up, they whirled and did a number of fancy steps he rarely got a chance to try.
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