"Why is that so important?" Julie asked.
"Because he loves and respects her, and he would never bring a girl to meet her unless the girl was very important in his life too. I want to be that important."
Julie shook her head. "Honey, if you leave, and get a job, and he doesn't date you and introduce you to his grandmother, I'll take you over there myself and introduce you." Julie laughed.
Letty looked at her and laughed. "Promise?"
"Promise!"
Chapter Nine
But there was one more person that Letty wanted to talk to. She wasn't sure why, but the old man was someone that she had come to respect, and since her father was no longer here, she wanted his opinion: Caleb!
Being a non-emotional kind of worker, Caleb could look at her situation from a different angle and give her some perspective. She guessed she had gotten so used to talking with her dad about personal things, that she sought an older individual to confide in.
It was raining the day she walked down to the barn intent on hearing what Caleb thought. There were no cowboys out and about on this ugly day, but Letty had seen Caleb going into the barn and she thought it the perfect time to talk to him. She didn't expect anyone would intrude.
As she walked inside the barn, she was hit with the pungent odor of wet hay and horseflesh. It was an odor that she had smelled all her life and never paid much attention to, but today it hit her as unusual.
"Good morning, Caleb," Letty called from the doorway as she spotted him bending over a horse in one of the stalls.
The old man barely glanced her way; he was brushing down one of the horses that had been used this morning before the rain. "Miss Letty, haven't seen you in a few days. How you feeling?"
"I'm on the mend," she said happily.
"Good, glad to hear it. I guess you won't be riding that Thunder any time soon." He chuckled.
"No, I guess not. Not if Wade has anything to do with it." Letty felt a loss at the thought. She loved that horse and she wasn't even sure why. "But I still would like to make that horse mine one day."
"You're better off not trying to ride that one. Wade is right. There are some horses that are better free and wild, he's one of them," Caleb informed her when he saw her frowning face.
"I guess." She watched him work.
Caleb would tell her the truth, no holds barred.
"So, what brings you out, want me to saddle Whitey?" he asked. "It's not really a good day for a ride. Unless you like the rain."
"No, I like to sleep in when it rains. I wanted to talk to you, actually," she said brightly.
"Me?" He glanced over his shoulder at her once more.
"Well, feel you out about something, more than anything. You see, since my father died there is no older people to talk to around here. And I grew up thinking that older people had more wisdom than most. Most of the other cowboys are just too young to be sage." Letty almost laughed.
"I guess age has some value." Caleb nodded. "So what's on your mind?"
"What would you say if I told you I'm thinking of moving into town, getting a job and not taking my father's money?" she announced.
Caleb stopped what he was doing, and turned the biggest frown on her she had ever seen. The frown made him look mean, almost devilish. "You are giving up your inheritance?"
Letty flinched from his tone. "I'm thinking about it."
"Well, now." Caleb stood up straight, and moved the horse he was working on to his stall. Letty reached to pet the animal on the nose and then looked at Caleb.
He shot her a thunderous look, and shook his head.
"Well….You look like you've got a lot to say." His anger gnawed at her self-confidence.
He put the horse in the stall, wiped his hand on a rag and shook his head once more. "First, I'd have to ask if you'd lost your mind."
Letty looked down at the floor. Not that it held interest, but she couldn't quite face him.
She laughed nervously. She grabbed a straw and put it between her teeth. She hadn't planned on this shocking Caleb. But of course he wasn't her father, and he wouldn't explode like her father. He could see this from a distance and that's just what she needed.
"As far as I know, I haven't lost my mind, no…"
"Is there a reason for doin' this?" he asked, not looking at her.
Letty paused, not sure she was ready to confess this with a stranger.
"Yeah…there is…"
"And that bein'?" The old man's voice didn't vary. He thrust no emotions on her and this was the reason she knew she could talk to Caleb. He'd look at this from a distance and be able to make her see all angles.
"If I tell you, you'll think me foolish."
"Probably."
"A man…"
Caleb didn't move for a moment. He didn't stir. But the frown on his face didn't disappear. Did he think her foolish?
He just stood there.
"Well…" she encouraged."What do you think?"
"That's an awful female reaction. Not good thinking." He shook his head and wiped the sweat from his neck with a big bandana.
Letty pulled up a barrel and sat down. The barrels were used to catch rain water but this one was empty. "You don't understand. I can make my own money. I can support myself."
"But…from what I heard, the old man left you quite a bundle…" Caleb stated as he leaned against the barn wall and looked at her from a distance. "Can you make that much?"
"I don't think so. Maybe in a lifetime, but I doubt even that. And it's true, but I didn't earn Dad's money. I'm not a man; I haven't done enough around here to earn that kind of money anyway. I don't need as much as some women," Letty said. "I've got a nice wardrobe, a good car that's paid for, and I can live here as long as I need to."
"Have you looked at this from every angle? I mean, you could get sick, have lots of medical bills. You could have an accident or someone unexpected could happen to wipe you out. You could have all kinds of calamities in your life, ones you aren't expecting. Your old man left you enough to not worry over such things. That gives you a freedom a lot of people would never have," he explained.
Letty glanced at the old man. For just an old horse wrangler the man had a lot of sense. But then she respected older people and knew they had seen more of life than she.
"Having someone give me the money, money I didn't earn, felt no pride in, wouldn't make my life better. I'd never think I earned it. That's a burden in itself."
"But that ain't why you are considerin' this, is it?" The old man's brow rose in question.
"No…I guess not. You see Caleb, I'm in love. For the first time in my life. And the man I love has high morals, very high morals. He doesn't think he's good enough for me. And it's all because of the money. So I want to show him I don't want or need the money."
Caleb rubbed his chin. "Does he love you?"
"I think so…"
"You don't know?"
"No…I don't know. I mean, not for sure. We haven't even dated. But I'm willing to gamble on it."
"Then why do something so drastic? I mean, if you don't know for sure how he feels?"
"Because I want to show him how much I'm willing to give up for a chance with him. I want him to understand that money is not what I'm all about."
Caleb shook his head. "I guess that would do it, alright. Either that or he'd think you crazy."
Letty's laugh was a soft echo in the muggy barn. Letty's nerves jangled in her laugh, she heard it, and bowed her head again.
Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the wood, and Letty stared at the small particles in the air. As a child she'd wanted to catch those, but never could.
"To be honest, I guess I am a little crazy. Julie and Wendy think I am."
"Tell me about this man…What's so great about this one?" Caleb sat down on another barrel that he placed a lid on that caught the rain.
"This one? You sound as though you think I've had many men. I haven't. He's just a regular cowboy. He makes a regular sa
lary. But that isn't all of him, Caleb. He takes care of his grandmother. He has a lot of old world values and morals. He wants me….but he'd never take me without commitment, I know that. And I want the whole thing, Caleb. I want the ring, and the big wedding and the little house on the prairie. You see Caleb, I have decided since I've returned to the ranch that the thing I want most is a family of my own."
"It just doesn't figure…" Caleb mumbled.
"What?" Irritation lined her voice now as Caleb seemed to refuse her thinking.
"Ain't you the one that models and is studying law?" Caleb asked, his brow going up again.
"Yes, I am the one."
"You gonna finish the law school?"
"I may…I'm not sure. But if I do, it won't be because I still have a real passion for it. I have a passion for a family…"
Caleb was quiet again as though thinking about what she said. "You change your 'passions' a lot, don't you? How long you been in love with Hank Silver?"
"How'd you know it was him?"
"It was a dead give-away when you said grandmother. He's about the only man I know that takes care of his elders."
"Do you approve?"
"Ain't my place to approve or not. That should only depend on whether or not he really loves you, and if he is worth giving up so much for."
"I guess. I know we have a chemistry between us. It would be hard not to notice that. But what I want is so much more. Do you think I'm crazy too?"
"It dawned on me…"
Letty nodded. "When my father was alive he encouraged me to seek my dreams. He encouraged me to go after it. Not settle. If I stay here I'm settling for an easy life. And Caleb, it doesn't matter if it's Hank or someone else. How would I ever know they really loved me and not all that money? If I inherit that money there will be many who will want to marry me. Only it won't be because of me. It will be the money they really want. I know that. I don't want that."
"Good point; that is a problem. But to give it up…"
"I know that sounds pretty drastic." Letty smiled sadly.
"Maybe you are right. Maybe you should take up law again and have that as a fall back. You could always marry a fellow lawyer."
"I doubt it. Most of them are interested in money. If they found out I gave it all up, they'd swear I was crazy. They wouldn't understand me."
"Then why would you take up law again?"
"Because I could I guess. Because it would make me a good living most of my life and it would be something I could fall back on if I didn't want to pursue it," Letty explained. "I mean, I don't have to be rich, but I do know how to make a living. It just wouldn't be my passion."
"Then," Caleb scratched his chin and glanced at her. "I think the best thing would be to get that job, but continue your studies. Finish what you started. That way you would always have a way to support yourself if you wanted it."
Letty nodded. "That makes sense…"
"It would mean a lot of dedication, maybe not much room for romance…" Caleb smiled.
"Yeah, well, I'm not planning on telling Hank about all of this."
"You ain't?" Caleb frowned again, studying her. "Why not?"
"Because, I need time to see if I can handle it. I mean, it all sounds good when I say it, but I've got to get back out there and make things work first. And give him time to think about who and what I am. I'm not just a McKay. I'm Letty."
"Well now, that sounds pretty smart. I'd say. Yes ma'am, I think you've thought this through. But I gotta ask…can you give all that money up…that easy?"
"Yes, I can…" she assured him. "I loved my dad, Caleb, more than he ever realized, but I didn't want his money then, and I don't want it now. I can make a living on my own. I would like to think I made it without help."
"Are you doin' all this for Hank?"
"I'm doing it for me, and the man I decide is right for me."
"You got guts, girl!" He chuckled.
"Thank you Caleb, coming from you that means a lot." She patted him on the shoulder as she headed for the door again.
She looked at him over her shoulder. "You don't think I'm nuts?"
"No, ma'am. I think you are quite a lady…." He smiled at her.
"Thanks." She smiled back. "If you weren't so old, I'd marry you."
"I'm not old, just well-seasoned." He smiled and grunted and went back to work.
That statement stopped Letty in her tracks. Her dad used to say that. She shook herself and walked back to the house.
Chapter Ten
Hank rewound the rope, hung it on a nail and turned to find Caleb staring at him.
"How's it going?" Hank asked for lack of anything to say.
"Pretty good. How about you?" Caleb asked, as he scratched his chin and eyed Hank.
"'Bout to wind it up for the day." Hank nodded.
Hank was not in the mood to talk today. It had been a week since he'd been with Letty and he hadn't seen her since. Despite the fact that it was better this way, it certainly didn't improve his disposition. He missed her. And the last time he remembered missing anyone was when his folks died.
This new hollow in his gut seemed to haunt him. Letty was way above his means. It would never work between them. But all those arguments didn't hold water when he remembered that last kiss and how aroused he had been. It wasn't the arousal either; it was the fact that she could move him to want her without doing a thing.
He wondered if he offended her. He wondered if she was mad at him. He wondered why she avoided him. He wondered why he cared so much.
There were no answers.
He had to admit; at least to himself that Letty McKay had got to him. Wanting something or someone this bad made him angry at himself.
Okay, he'd lost control. Okay he had to admit, he wanted her, but she was totally off limits and he knew it. Even if it was good between them, it would never be enough to fill up the gaps between them.
Maybe he should rethink his old fashioned morals and consider his feelings in this matter.
She was just like some volcanic ring of fire; every time she was around he fell into that circle of fire. And the fire consumed him.
A man in control didn't like to admit that there was no control where she was concerned.
"Something eating you, Hank? You sorta seem skittish this week," Caleb commented as he cleaned his brushes in the water barrel.
"Just haven't been getting as much rest I guess," Hank explained, hoping the old man wouldn't ask any more questions.
"How's your grandma?"
"She's doing better since I took her back to the eye doctor." Hank tried to smile.
"I been meaning to stop by and see her." Caleb smiled.
"She'd like that, she don't get too many visitors these days. She doesn't get out much."
"I imagine you got quite a load, taking care of her and your own work here." Caleb seemed to wait for his answer.
"I'm used to it. She's happy with a trip to town every now and then and going to church each Sunday." Hank glanced at Caleb.
"You know," Caleb ran a damp rag over his neck as he took his hat off then reset it. "I don't know of many men your age that would see to an aging relative like that. Most folks just put them in a home and forget them."
Hank paused for a minute, and then shot the old man a frown. "She's not a relative, Caleb, she's my family."
Caleb nodded with a smile. "I guess she is. But a young fella like you ought to be thinking about getting a wife…and a family of his own."
Hank stopped what he was doing and looked at the old man seriously. "I've thought about it. Guess I just haven't met the right woman yet."
"Would you know it if you had?" Caleb jabbed.
Hank almost laughed. "I'd know it…"
"What about the McKay girls? They are all pretty as pictures and gonna be rich as the dickens too."
Hank hung his head. "Mr. McKay set the rules a long time ago on this ranch. One of the first things Wade talked to me about. Rich women and ordinary co
wboys don't mix. Leave it alone. That's what he advised, and that is what I do."
"Wade could be wrong, you know. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Wendy McKay is crazy about him, little good it does her." Caleb nodded. "I heard he had some strict rules. I guess he thought I was too old to be chasin' any of them. But hey, the old man's dead."
Hank shook his head, and then eyed the old man with a scowl. "He may be dead, but the rules aren't. No self-respecting cowboy would mess with the McKay girls."
"Why not? What's wrong with them?"
"Not one thing as far as I can see. But…a man likes to think he can support his lady, in the style she's accustomed to. Those girls are going to be filthy rich, and every man in the state will be after them. Can you imagine a regular cowboy thinking he could tame one of them?"
"So you think money is more important than the way you feel?" Caleb scolded.
"I think." Hank paused. "They are off limits."
Caleb eyed him a moment. "You think you ain't good enough for them? Is that what you are saying?"
Hank frowned. "That's not what I said. It has to do with social class, of where you belong in life."
"That's malarky. If you love a girl, you tell her and marry her, no matter what her last name is," Caleb encouraged. "If she loves you back, that's all that is necessary."
Hank stopped his piddling around and faced Caleb with a real frown. The old man meant well but he didn't understand. "Every one of the McKay girls are good people. But what they are about to inherit will take care of them for the rest of their lives. It will be a fortune. The old man even laid down a stipulation for them getting it. And they are abiding. They are entitled to the money, the ranch, everything. They are McKay's. Good people. Ordinary cowboys don't belong in their world. We're just the hired help."
"I think you are wrong about that, Hank. If you love a woman, and are good to her, I think that is what all women deserve and want."
"It's not enough." Hank shook his head. "Not in their world…."
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