The Heiress and the Cowboy Contractor

by Maggie Carpenter

  Climbing from behind the wheel she looked around for Beau but didn’t see him anywhere, so taking a deep breath, wondering just how ‘different’ the girl would be, she put on her best smile and walked up.

  “Hi there, one of these might help,” she offered.

  Turning around Nickie looked at the baseball caps and grinned.

  “Huh, I hardly ever wear a baseball cap. Sure, thanks, my hair is driving me crazy. Red I think, to match my shirt.”

  “I’m Gina.”

  “Oh, hi, you must be Beau’s-”

  “Chief, cook and bottle washer.”

  Both startled they turned in unison to see Beau walking quickly towards them.

  “Hey, Gina, thanks for comin’,” he smiled kissing her on the cheek. “I see you’ve met Nickie. A baseball cap, of course, I should’ve thought of that.”

  “Gina, I have to tell you,” Nickie declared, “that cheesecake you made, good grief, you should sell them.”

  “I do,” Gina grinned. “I don’t just take care of Beau here, I have a small bakery. Don’t have to do any of the grunge work now though, unless I want to, and sometimes I do.”

  “I don’t understand, if you own a business why would you want to work here?”

  “I love the horses, I love spendin’ my time in this place, but most of all I love Beau. He needs someone to take care of him, don’t you honey?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he smiled. “I’d be lost without you.”

  “Back at ya,” she said warmly, “and speakin’ of which, I’d best get inside and see what’s what. Good to meet you Nickie, hope the hat helps.”

  “You too, and thanks.”

  Watching Gina walk up to the house she put the cap on her head and pulled her hair through the space in the back.

  “Hey, this is perfect. That was so thoughtful of her, but I don’t get the whole house cleaning thing.”

  “I’ll explain later. Are you sure you’re not hungry, you don’t want some lunch?”

  “No, that breakfast was plenty, and I’m dying to get back on Trixie,” she beamed. “See, she’s all ready.”

  Beau had suggested a quick lesson on Trixie before the buyers arrived, and Nickie had been thrilled by the suggestion.

  “Looks good, go get her saddle.”

  “Me?”

  “Well, sure, you have to know how to saddle a horse if you’re gonna learn how to ride.”

  Watching from the bay window in the kitchen Gina was smiling happily; it was obvious Beau was crazy about the new girl in his life, and he’d been right, Nickie was different. She was polished and sharp, and while Gina sensed an edge, she also sensed a vulnerability.

  “You’ve got some sadness in those eyes,” she murmured. “I wonder what your story is.”

  Monday was washing day, and grabbing the basket from the laundry room she headed upstairs, scooped up the towels from the bathroom, stripped the bed, and was just starting down the stairs when the house phone rang. Dropping the basket she hurried back into the bedroom and answered.

  “Chapman residence.”

  “Is Beau Chapman available?”

  It was a male voice she didn’t recognize; rarely did someone call the house she didn’t know.

  “I don’t believe he’s available, can you hold a minute please?”

  Placing the receiver on the nightstand she moved to the window and looked across the yard; just as she’d suspected Beau had taken Nickie to the round pen, but she also noticed Ben and Jeb with two of Beau’s show horses in the riding ring, warming them up. The horses were gleaming, and she remembered Beau had said something about some buyers arriving early in the afternoon.

  Too much going on to get him back to the house. I’ll take a message. If it’s important I’ll run it out to him.

  Beau had just shown Nickie how to neck rein when a truck and trailer rolled into the yard; the buyers were early. He wasn’t surprised, it was something he did when going to look at a horse. Arriving early could sometimes result in seeing how a horse behaved while being groomed and saddled, or in its stall. He didn’t mind, except that he would have preferred to have had more time with Nickie.

  “At least you can steer now,” he grinned as he told her to pull Trixie to a stop. “Do you feel confident enough to walk over and watch from outside the arena while I deal with these folks and show the horses?”

  “Yes, absolutely. I never want to get off,” she beamed. “Great. You’ll be fine. I won’t introduce you though, it’s business. Just hang back.”

  “I won’t interfere,” she promised. “Are you going to be riding?”

  “Yep,” he nodded as he opened the gate, “and I’ll put on a show just for you.”

  “I’m so excited,” she grinned, “I can’t wait.”

  They headed out, and she stayed in the background as he greeted the two cowboys, then followed them to the arena and took up a position a fair distance from the gate. She had no idea what to expect, and what she witnessed made her heart pump and her jaw drop.

  Beau blazed into the ring at a full gallop, then whizzed around two barrels, one set on each end of the arena. She couldn’t believe the speed of the horse, how it zipped around the obstacles, and how amazing Beau looked as he urged the horse on. When he climbed off, one of the visiting cowboys mounted up, and though he seemed to ride the horse well, Nickie could tell Beau was much better.

  There was a short break as Ben came to take the horse away, and Jeb removed the barrels, and while she’d been blown away by what she’d seen, she was even more stunned by what followed.

  Three heifers were released into the ring, and Beau’s second horse, positioned in front of the release gates, began darting backwards and forwards to keep one of the cows away from the other two; it appeared Beau was doing nothing but sitting in the saddle. The entire episode lasted only a couple of minutes, but when he’d finished and trotted over to the buyers, Nickie couldn’t believe what she’d just seen.

  My God, that was amazing. How did he teach the horse to do that? It moved so fast, how did he even stay on?

  She watched Beau hand the horse over to the other visiting cowboy, and a few minutes later the exercise was repeated; again Nickie was awed by the spectacle. When the rider was finished and climbed off, Jeb appeared and took the horse away.

  “That was incredible,” she muttered as she watched Beau and his two visitors move back to the truck. “Okay, Trixie, will you let me ride you back to the barn?”

  Feeling a little nervous, she used the neck rein technique she’d just learned and gave a little cluck, and to her delight Trixie turned around and headed towards home. Walking across the yard she felt a gentle breeze, and when she reached the hitching post she saw some leaves scurrying across the ground. As she climbed off, feeling very proud at having ridden there by herself, Ben stepped out of the tack room.

  “Hey, we haven’t been officially introduced, I’m Ben. Can I give you a hand?”

  “Thanks, I’m Nickie. I appreciate the help, this thing’s heavy,” she remarked as she unbuckled the girth. “The horse that was racing around those barrels, what’s his name?”

  “That’s Chester. Real good horse.”

  “He was amazing, they both were.”

  “Beau’s a great trainer,”

  “Do you think they’re sold?” she asked.

  “Those boys didn’t pull that trailer here for fun,” Ben chuckled, “but Beau’s real picky about who gets his horses. He’s not just a horse trader, he cares about ‘em.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me, but I’m still glad you told me,” she smiled stepping back to give him more room as he pulled off the saddle.

  “I’ll put this on the rack for you, then I have to go finish up,” he said, but as he turned to head into the barn another gust of wind whistled past them and he paused, staring up at the tops of the trees. “It’s comin’.”

  “What’s coming?” Nickie frowned not liking the tone of his voice.

  “The wind. Y
ou don’t know about the wind?”

  “Beau told me it can get real bad sometimes,” she replied following him inside.

  “Yep, and you’ll know what that means in just a couple of hours,” he declared as he put the saddle on its stand. “It’s called, The Devil Wind.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Cos it’s said to blow in trouble,” he grimaced. “Well, I’d best get back. Real nice meetin’ you.”

  “Thanks for the help.”

  “Any time,” he nodded, and turning away he headed out of the tack room and into the barn aisle.

  Peering after him she saw Chester tied up, and Jeb cleaning up the horse she’d seen managing the cows; there was a smell she couldn’t identify, but as it wafted around her she found herself inhaling it, loving the earthiness. Sighing, she picked up a carrot from the carrot bucket and started out the door; to her surprise and absolute delight Trixie nickered at her.

  “Ooh, Trixie, do you know me?”

  The mare stared back at her with large brown eyes, and Nickie felt her heart melt.

  “I think I’m supposed to be around horses,” she mumbled feeding Trixie the carrot. “I take that back, I want to be around horses, especially you.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  Turning around she saw Beau behind her.

  “You have a very bad habit of sneaking up on people,” she laughed.

  “I know, I practice,” he chuckled.

  “So? Were they suitably impressed. I sure was.”

  “They’re goin’ into town, stayin’ over and comin’ back after the wind passes through. They wanna ride some of the trails around here.”

  “They didn’t know the wind was on its way?”

  “Nope, they weren’t payin’ attention and neither was I. At least I have an excuse, I was distracted by this crazy, short-tempered, sexy, gorgeous girl that came whistlin’ into my life.”

  “That’s what I am now, an excuse?” she giggled. “Fine by me, you can use me as an excuse anytime, but about this wind, Ben said it’s called The Devil Wind, and it blows in trouble.”

  “That’s what they say,” he nodded. “All the horses will be brought into the barn so let’s take Trixie in now. One less for the boys. Grab her reins and follow me.”

  Leading Trixie she followed him around the corner of the large barn, and walking inside she found herself at the opposite end of the long aisle from Ben and Jeb. Beau took her about half way down, stopping at a stall bearing Trixie’s name, and slid open the door.

  “Take her in, remove the bridle slowly like I showed you, then fetch her some hay, it’s right over there,” he said pointing to several bales stacked inside another nearby stall.

  “Beau, I’ve never been in a barn but I’ve seen pictures, and these stalls look really big,” she remarked as she carefully took off Trixie’s bridle.

  “They’re doubles. Bad enough for a horse bein’ inside, let alone in a space too small to walk around in. I just pulled out the partitions so they have more room. Stalls are usually twelve by twelve, these are twelve by twenty-four.”

  As she gazed into his caring smoky-blue eyes, smelled the aroma of the barn floating around her, and ran her hand along Trixie’s neck, she felt a deep emotional stirring.

  “Beau,” she whispered, “I…uh…need a hug.”

  Stepping inside the stall he opened his arms.

  “Come here, girl,” he breathed, you’re fallin’ in love. You’re fallin’ in with these animals and this life, and I kinda think you might be fallin’ in love with me. I sure hope so.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  They remained in the barn for over an hour. Beau worked with Ben and Jeb bringing in the horses, and Nickie helped by throwing them their hay and making sure their water buckets were filled. With the horses safe in their stalls, Beau and Jeb began securing the barn doors while Ben hurried to Nickie’s rescue; she was wrestling a hose that was doing an impressive imitation of a python.

  “What’s wrong with this thing?” she exclaimed.

  “It has a mind of its own,” Ben laughed, “the expensive ones do. It’s a trade off, the thin ones kink, and that’s a real pain, but these thick ones can be difficult to handle. There, that’s done it,” he sighed managing to get the last coil set right.

  “You done?” Beau asked walking towards them.

  “We are, and I had the best time,” Nickie grinned.

  “It was great havin’ another pair of hands,” Ben remarked. “You can come and help out any time.”

  “Okay, boys. I’ll check the horses around six and again at nine. You guys take the midnight and four a.m. shifts. My phone will be on if you have any problems.”

  “Thanks, boss. Stay safe.”

  They went their separate ways, the boys through the regular door at the end of the barn, and Beau and Nickie through the tack room and into the yard.

  “It seems so serious,” Nickie frowned as they headed to the house.

  “It is,” he replied, and as if on cue the wind made itself known with several short sharp gusts.

  “I assume this is how The Devil Wind starts,” she said staring up at the waving trees just as Ben had earlier.

  “Yep, this is how it starts,” Beau nodded. “In an hour or so it’ll be blowin’ pretty hard. Give it a couple more hours, right when the sun sets, and it really gets to whippin’ things around.”

  Entering through the kitchen door they found the table had been set for three, and smelled a delicious aroma of something cooking in the oven.

  “I thought we should have a hearty meal tonight,” Gina smiled, “prepare us for The Devil Wind.”

  “Whatever it is, it smells amazing,” Nickie commented guessing it was something rich and Italian.

  “Vegetarian lasagne, I didn’t know if you eat meat. So many people don’t these days.”

  “I haven’t had lasagne in ages, it sounds wonderful, thank you.”

  “I need to start shutterin’ the windows,” Beau declared. “Shouldn’t take more than half-an-hour. I’d better do it before the wind gets much worse.”

  “Before I forget, you got a message earlier,” Gina said. “Someone called, Joseph Pantera, said he’s staying at the Hollister and to call him back.”

  “What the f…?” Nickie exclaimed, catching herself before saying the forbidden word. “Wait, you don’t look surprised,” she added staring up at Beau.

  “I knew he was comin’ in,” Beau admitted, “but I didn’t know he’d arrived.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Would you have had such a fun day if I had? You were gonna know soon enough, and now you do. I’ll call him from my study.”

  “Wait! You’re not calling him back, are you? Why? All he’s going to do is-”

  “Hey, calm down, I don’t know what he wants, and after I talk to him I’ll tell you everything, absolutely everything. Trust me, Nickie, we’ve gotta face this thing head on.”

  “That almost got you killed when you tried it with Gerald,” she declared.

  “I don’t think your dad is gonna pick up a lead pipe and threaten me,” he said steadily. “Sit down, catch your breath, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Gina piped up.

  “Fill her in, Nickie. It’ll give you somethin’ to do while I call your father.”

  “I’m coming with you,” she argued.

  “No, you’re not, you’re gonna sit your butt down and tell Gina what’s been goin’ on.”

  Why would you tell your maid about your personal life, I mean, I get that you like her and everything but-?

  “Nickie!”

  “Okay, okay,” she frowned.

  As he strode from the room he heard Gina suggest they share a cup of coffee over the story, and satisfied Nickie was going to do what he’d asked he entered his study and closed the door behind him.

  Sitting behind his desk he picked up a pen and opened a pad of paper in case h
e wanted to jot anything down, then placing the call to the hotel he didn’t request the Holmby Suite, he asked to speak with Amy.

  “Hi, Beau. What can I do for you?”

  “Hi Amy, the bigwig in the Holmby Suite, is he travelin’ alone?”

  “No, he arrived in a big Mercedes driven by a chauffeur. The chauffeur is in a different room.”

  “Anyone else with him? Have you see the guy that was driving the black Mercedes and who checked out early this morning?”

  “No, just the chauffeur. The other guy, Harris I think his name was, I haven’t seen him since he left.”

  “Thanks, hon. Put me back to the switchboard, please.”

  “Sure, hold on.”

  Feeling somewhat reassured he waited while the operator connected him to Joseph Pantera, and the voice that answered took him by surprise. It wasn’t heavy and deep as he’d imagined; it sounded like the voice of an elderly man.

  “Mr. Pantera, Beau Chambers here, I’m returning your call.”

  “Thank you, may I call you Beau?”

  “Sure,” Beau replied slightly taken aback by the man’s impeccable manners.

  “I would prefer that we speak in person. Would you be so kind as to swing by the hotel. I’m sure you know it. Perhaps we could break bread, I’m eager to try the restaurant here. I’ve been told they have locally caught fish.”

  “When would you like to do this?” Beau asked.

  “Perhaps in about an hour? I’m tied up for a while, but let’s say 4 p.m., if that would be convenient.”

  “Sure, that would be fine. I won’t be able to stay too long, we have a windstorm comin’ and it starts to get real bad around five or so, when the sun starts settin’.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard about this. Sounds quite exciting. I’m sure an hour will be plenty of time for our chat.”

  “Then I’ll see you in the restaurant at four,” Beau replied.

  Ending the call Beau sat for a moment, pondering the man’s attitude and voice.

  Just because the guy’s polite doesn’t mean he’s not an arm twister. You don’t run a big company like Pantera, and keep it on top of the charts by bein’ a nice guy. Don’t let your guard down, not for a second.