Her Cowboy Reunion

by Ruth Logan Herne

  “They’ll deliver him Thursday with all the appropriate testing and paperwork attached. He’s already in the money with his foal lines, so unless something unexpected happens to him, we’ve got a perfect match for those next broodmares.”

  Zeke tugged her arm. “What is that?” he asked when she looked back down.

  She made a face of question. “What is what, sweet thing?”

  His smile deepened again as he tightened the grip on Lizzie’s hand. “A brood thing.”

  “Ah.” She squatted to his level, and Zeke’s eyes lit up. “It’s a horse who’s going to have a baby. A foal. Some of the horses are pregnant and that’s what we call them. Broodmares.”

  He clapped his other hand to his forehead, astonished. “We’re going to have baby horses?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “And more baby sheep?”

  “Lots of them,” Heath said.

  “And we have baby kittens and sometimes puppies and now Rosie-Posie is going to have a baby, too! Everyone is having babies, Dad! Isn’t that so cool?”

  He was about to say yes. But the pain in Lizzie’s expression paused him, then he answered his son’s question. “It is cool, Zeke. Having a baby is a wonderful thing, but we’re going to be working like crazy for a while which means you’re going to have to be a super good boy.”

  “Because Rosie-Posie will be busy with her baby.”

  “But Justine will be here to take care of you,” Heath reminded him. “Jace’s sister. Until Rosie’s had time to recover.”

  “I don’t even know her a little bit, Dad.” Zeke sent him a glum look. “She’s not like my friend or anything.”

  “You know Jace.”

  Zeke scrubbed a toe into the dirt.

  “And you met Justine last year.”

  Zeke didn’t look impressed. “I was little then. I don’t even remember her and she might not know what I like to do.”

  “Can we tell her?” Lizzie directed the question straight to Zeke. “Can we tell her all your favorite things to do and eat and where you like to explore?”

  “I can explore?” His brows lifted high. “For real?”

  Lizzie stood and nodded. “Every little kid should explore things. Right?”

  “Except every little kid isn’t on a working ranch with animals and heavy equipment moving from dawn to dark, and sometimes after. So exploring is kept to a minimum unless you’re with a grown-up.”

  Zeke didn’t hear his father’s warning. Or he chose to ignore it. “I can’t wait to tell her we can go exploring! I’m gonna tell Miss Corrie and Cookie!” He raced into the house, leaving them alone on the graveled yard.

  “His enthusiasm is contagious.” Lizzie smiled after him.

  “But unbridled enthusiasm can get him into trouble. And around here, trouble can mean danger, so please don’t encourage him to test his boundaries. Usually he’s tucked at Rosie and Harve’s house with a little fenced yard and safe borders. Being here during a busy season will open up way too many temptations for him. Keeping him safe is my number one priority, Liz. He’s all I’ve got.”

  She didn’t raise her gaze to his. She kept it averted, then firmed her jaw. Swallowed. And only then did she look up, and when she did, it was to change the subject. “They’ll be delivering Red by the end of the week. We might need help unloading. It’s a long ride for a horse that’s been a ranch cornerstone for six years with mares being brought to him. Not the other way around.”

  Images of rogue stallions running amok in the movies took control of his brain because when it came to Zeke and safety, worst-case scenarios always seemed to prevail. “Is that why they’re selling him? We don’t need a horse with behavior problems on the ranch, and why else would an established setup sell off a moneymaker like him?”

  “Because too many of their horses are related to him now.”

  Of course. He didn’t run into that problem with sheep because they were market animals. Animals bred for longevity and breeding operated on a whole different cycle.

  “And,” she went on, “they liked Uncle Sean. Everett Yost called him one of the good guys, and we’re far enough north that we’re no threat to their sales numbers. He made it clear that they liked the idea of a solid Quarter Horse operation up here.”

  Three good reasons. Just then, the dinner bell sounded. She turned toward the house and he went with her. “The rest of the horses look all right?”

  It was a lame question. He knew they looked all right because he’d been doing double duty the past six weeks. “They’ll be fine once they’re back on a regular grooming schedule. Stable help is in short supply, I guess. Brad’s a nice guy, but he’s uneasy in the stable. And that’s not good,” she answered.

  He flushed. “Help is scarce across the board right now. It will get better once full operations are down here in the valley, but having two bands of sheep in the hills cuts us down by six men. I thought hard about sending them off.” He paused on the middle step and she did, too. “But we’d paid for this year’s rights, we weren’t prepped for that amount of hay or pasture and it ended up really being no choice.”

  “Then don’t second-guess it.”

  She’d nailed it completely because that’s exactly what he’d been doing.

  “We can limp along for a few weeks, can’t we?”

  Lambing, hay production, decreased help and a shallow pool of available people as the local population moved away in search of jobs that no longer existed in Shepherd’s Crossing since Boise and Sun Valley had mushroomed in size and popularity. “Don’t have much choice.”

  “Then that’s what we do. Is that steak I smell?” She breathed deep, and there was no missing the appreciation in her eyes.

  “We send the shepherds off with a steak dinner and welcome them back the same way. Tradition.”

  “Well, that’s a tradition I can get behind,” she said. “I haven’t had a wood-fired steak in a long time.”

  “Too busy to cook?” He followed her up the steps and tried not to notice how nicely she moved. The natural grace and curves he remembered so well. Too well.

  She turned at the top step and he was pretty sure she read his mind. She paused, folded her arms and held his gaze tight. He expected a scolding. But she surprised him once again and kept to the topic at hand. “Reduced circumstances put steak dinners out of reach. Lawyers don’t come cheap and while a lot of the fallout rained down on the publishing company, Char, Mel and I fielded our share. So yeah, the steak smells good. Real good.”

  She turned and walked inside, leaving him on the step.

  He glanced at the horse barn, then the house as reality hit. Sean had said Tim’s girls had suffered a mighty financial blow, but Fitzgerald News Company was worth millions. Billions, maybe, for all he knew. It wasn’t like he paid attention to such things. Rich was rich and the rich always seemed to get richer, one way or another.

  Evidently not this time, and shame on him for assuming things. And now she was camping out in an unfurnished stable apartment that held nothing but an old bed.

  He used to be a nice guy. When had he gotten so angry that he forgot how to just be a nice guy? A few phone calls and not too much money could have taken care of that little apartment, but he hadn’t done so. Why? To punish her? Or because he never expected her to bunk in the barn?

  The kitchen gong rang again, Cookie’s signal to come now or go hungry.

  He went inside, feeling a little smarter and a little stupider than he’d been before, and when he saw Corrie beam a smile at Lizzie—while she held up a bite of steak—he realized the magnitude of the family financial issues.

  And then he recognized something else.

  Lizzie wasn’t complaining. She wasn’t whining or throwing her father under the bus. She was dealing with the situation as best she could and for the second time that day he wonder
ed about her strength.

  Clearly she was no longer the teen who caved in to family pressure to keep the Fitzgerald name pristine. In light of Tim Fitzgerald’s total ruination, the irony hit him fully. Tim had sent his daughter off to terminate a pregnancy to protect the family reputation, and less than a dozen years later he’d shattered that reputation beyond repair.

  Zeke took a seat next to Lizzie at the wide-planked farmhouse table. He peered up at her and grinned.

  She grinned back, and for just a moment, he wondered if it could always be like that.

  His thumb moved to the wedding ring he still wore on his left hand, a reminder of his wife’s sacrifice, and when Lizzie leaned down and whispered in Zeke’s ear, making him laugh...Heath’s heart slowed.

  It should be Anna teasing their son. She should be here, being a mom, a wife. When Lizzie reached for Zeke’s hand for grace, Heath turned away, unwilling to pray.

  He pretended to join in most of the time. He took the boy to church, he stood and prayed or sat and prayed, because he wanted to set a good example.

  But he didn’t believe. He wasn’t like those placid sheep he tended each day, following one after the other, being led along.

  He was his own person. Hard work and honesty had gotten him this far. They’d get him the rest of the way.

  But when Lizzie finished saying grace with his son, when she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Zeke’s forehead, making him smile, Heath read the peace in her gaze, and a little part of him both wished for it and resented it at the same time.

  But that was his problem. Not hers.

  Chapter Five

  Heath Caufield was a major problem and Lizzie wasn’t sure how to fix it. The fact that her heart tipped into overdrive or slo-mo every time the man looked her way was no help at all, and she’d just determined to keep her distance when a text from him came through the next morning. There was a picture attached, of a solid, small sofa and chair, with an end table. For sale in town. Looks perfect for stable apartment. What do you think?

  What was he doing? Being nice? Worth a look, she texted back. When?

  Truck’s running.

  That made her smile, and when she looked out the window, there he was, with Zeke, standing oh-so-casual next to the running pickup truck. She waved, stuffed some cash and her phone into her pocket, and slipped her arms into her denim jacket as she walked toward the truck.

  He opened the door for Zeke, then her. The little guy climbed onto his booster seat, fastened his seat belt and grinned. “I had three pancakes for breakfast,” Zeke announced. He waggled three fingers to make his point. “And they were so delicious! Miss Corrie made them because Cookie had to go shopping and Miss Corrie said she’d throw on the feedbag.”

  She made a face at him, then lifted a brow to Heath once he took the driver’s seat. “Is Corrie trying to sound Western? Because that’s a little crazy.”

  “She did use the term feedbag. But then she laughed, so we let it go.”

  “Oh, man.” He turned the truck toward the road as she indicated the sheep barn. “I thought you were seeing the men off this morning.”

  “Five thirty a.m. Hence the empty upper pastures. We’ll rotate the new mothers onto the east pasture as the lambs drop. Give that one a rest.”

  “I can’t believe I slept through it.”

  “It was early.” Heath tapped a finger to the center console, an old habit. “There’s a spot where they cross the highway in a week, up north. We could take a ride up there to see it. They shut down traffic for a few hours and folks gather to take pictures.”

  “So it’s really a thing here,” she said, and he made a wry face.

  “Less of a thing now. Fewer farms, fewer sheep, limited grazing. But Idaho hay is a rising commodity and when Sean bought land, he made sure he offset every purchase with land for hay or grazing potential. He didn’t want to play the crop game. Too much risk in that for him, too weather dependent.”

  “A man who understood measured risk and return on investment.”

  “Exactly.” He took a left turn into a small town. An old green painted sign used to say Shepherd’s Crossing, Idaho, but a few of the letters had worn off over time.

  “This is the town?” She didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but she was. “Are there shops, Heath? Stores?”

  “That’s our church, Lizzie!” Heath shot him a look through the mirror and Zeke corrected himself. “I mean Miss Lizzie! That’s where we go tomorrow!”

  A worn stone-and-clapboard church sat tucked in a clutch of pines. It fit the setting, nestled into an alcove that allowed room for gathering outside in the grass, while a forested feel surrounded the setting. “That’s a sweet church, Zeke.” She shifted back toward Heath. “And is that the only church I see?”

  He ground his jaw, then raised his right shoulder. “Used to be two others. And there were shops when I first got here, but even then things were slowing down. Smitty does barbering in his basement. And we’ve got a retired pastor at the church. He came up from Boise a bunch of years back. There’s a gas station up ahead with a little store attached but I heard he’s looking to sell. Or just close it up.”

  Empty storefronts faced each other from opposite sides of the road. A tiny post office sat proud and alive in the middle of Main Street, with a bright, fresh American flag flying atop a silver pole. The brilliant flag was the only real symbol of life along the short passage. “No deli? No food? Where does Cookie go to shop?”

  “He makes the drive to Council. Or up to McCall. And he orders things online. He’s not afraid to fill the freezer with food, but the fresh stuff requires trips.”

  “That will make Corrie’s summer garden most welcome, I expect.”

  “Cookie will love it. Here we are.” He pulled into the address he’d put into his phone. “Let’s go see what we think.”

  A woman opened the door and let them in. Lizzie didn’t hesitate when she showed them the set. “It’s perfect. I’ll take it.”

  Zeke pushed down on the cushion closest to him as if testing it out. “Can I jump on it?” He tipped a grin up to Lizzie and she made a face at him.

  “Not if you want to live, darling. Jump outside. Or on a trampoline. Not on furniture. Got it?”

  He high-fived her. “Got it!”

  She pulled out her money to pay but Heath stopped her. “This is on the ranch, Liz. I should have done it before you got here, and I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

  A part of her heart melted right there, but she couldn’t afford to let down her guard. “I appreciate it, Heath. Thanks.”

  They loaded up the loveseat and chair, then the small lamp table. And when they were driving back to the ranch, Heath angled a look her way. “She’d have taken less for the furniture. But you knew that, didn’t you?”

  She’d suspected as much but didn’t want to take advantage of the situation. “And she needed more by the looks of things, so this works for both of us. She got a fair price and I’ve got a super cute set for the apartment.”

  “How bad is the bed up there?”

  “On a scale of one to ten, we’re into negative figures.”

  “I’ll order a new mattress and box spring from Boise. It’ll take a few days.”

  “It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” she answered. “And that would be nice. Thank you, Heath.” The too-soft mattress was already making her hips ache when she climbed out of bed in the morning.

  He started to say something, then stopped. Kept driving. As he turned down the long Pine Ridge Ranch drive, he glanced her way. “Anything else you need right away? Like a kitchen table? Chairs?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll eat with you guys when I can. I’m not planning on doing a lot of cooking or entertaining, but having a place to sit and a decent bed will be wonderful. And a small TV, but I can order that online.”

  �
��Don’t.” He rounded the stable and backed the truck up to the door closest to her apartment staircase. “Sean had one in his room. I’ll bring it over. We can mount it on the wall easy enough.”

  “That would be nice, Heath. Real nice.” She faced him over the hood of the truck. She wasn’t sure what inspired this kindness, but she welcomed it. “Thank you. Again.”

  Jace came around the corner just then. He and Heath hauled the furniture up the stairs, and only nicked the painted walls twice. When they got the three pieces settled, Heath looked around. “That’s better. Isn’t it?”

  She nodded. And when they showed up twenty minutes later with the television and mounted it on the wall, she realized he was really trying, because the last thing he had right now was time.

  “Done.” He grinned at Jace. “And with no extra holes in the wall.”

  “That’s because I’m here helping,” Jace answered. “Lizzie, you should be all set. I wrote down the password and account for the ranch’s channel service. If you have to update anything, you’ve got full access.”

  “Sweet.” She taped the code to the kitchenette wall. “That way I don’t lose it.”

  “Dad! Can I stay with Miss Lizzie for a little while? Just a tiny while? Like this much?” Zeke held his thumb and forefinger up to show a thin space. “I’ll be so good.”

  “Lizzie’s got horses to tend.”

  “But I’m letting them all out to graze, and then cleaning stalls, so he’s welcome to hang out with me. He might be able to spread fresh straw when I’m done.”

  “You don’t mind? You sure? Because he can tag along with us. That’s what he usually does on Saturdays.”

  “I’d love the company,” she replied as she exchanged grins with the boy. “I think we should get our work done, then see if Corrie’s got cookies in the kitchen. Because I know she brought along some of her signature macadamia nuts in case she couldn’t find them up here. And grits.”

  “I haven’t had grits in a long, long time.” Heath looked up at her, and they both knew why he hadn’t had grits in a long, long time. Her heart went tight. She wondered if his did, too, but then she put a hand on Zeke’s shoulder.