Her Montana Cowboy

by Jeannie Watt

  * * *

  LILLIE JEAN GAVE herself points for (a) showing up to feed the cattle with Gus the next morning even though she’d gotten next to no sleep, and (b) acting as if they hadn’t argued about Carson Craig the night before. Gus did the same. They behaved with perfect politeness toward each other, but Lillie Jean figured it was only a matter of time before Craig’s name came up again. Mainly because she was going to see him, and she was going to give Gus a rundown on the results of the meeting. The first was in the name of not letting friendship sway her business decisions...and the second was because she’d promised Gus open communication.

  But that communication was temporarily on hold, judging from their silent morning.

  After Gus parked the tractor, he turned off the ignition, then waited until Lillie Jean had opened the door before saying, “I’ll be riding the fence in the high country today and tomorrow.”

  “Do you want me to come?”

  “I’m going on horseback. I’ll be back in the late afternoon.”

  “Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

  Lillie Jean jumped to the ground, and then headed to her house, where Henry waited at the gate. Not only could she wash clothes while Gus was gone, she could do the other things she had on her agenda.

  But before she did anything, she called Julie, Kate’s mom.

  “Were you not able to reach Kate on her phone?” Julie asked after saying hello.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” Lillie Jean said. “I want the straight story about Kate. How is she doing with the job hunt and all?”

  “Not well.”

  Lillie Jean’s heart sank. She’d half hoped for a miraculous “She’s been called in for an interview!”

  “I mean, she’s hopeful, but...it’s not a good market.” Julie’s voice grew suddenly stern. “And don’t you go blaming yourself for this, Lillie Jean. Kate took a risk when she quit her job, just as you took a risk when you started your business. If we’re going to blame anyone, it’s Andrew, and it looks like karma has come back on him bad.”

  “Did Kate tell you that Andrew might sell?”

  “She did. But he wants cashed out. I know, because I approached him.”

  “You did?”

  “I watch out for my girls,” Julie said primly. “And you know there’s no way any of us, I mean those of us in Texas, will be able to cash him out.”

  “It won’t be easy for me, either. Not unless the ranch sells instantly.”

  “I know, honey. You’ve got to wait for the right person to come along to buy that place. But if you leave it in the hands of the real estate agents and come home, then maybe the three of us can work something out. If nothing else, we can take turns babysitting and work in shifts at our minimum wage jobs.” Julie laughed, but it was a little too close to home for Lillie Jean to find it funny.

  “Thanks, Julie. I’ll be in touch. Give Kate and the kids a hug for me.”

  “Will do, honey. And you take care.”

  Lillie Jean hung up the phone and went to her newly painted dusky blue bedroom and picked up her bag of laundry. Gus had ridden by the window on a big bay horse as she’d spoken to Julie, looking every inch the cowboy he was.

  She wanted her business, and she wanted a chance to find out what was meant to happen between herself and Gus.

  The way things stood, she could have only one, short of some kind of miracle. But if she never talked with Carson Craig, she’d never know what her possibilities were.

  She picked up the card from the kitchen table and dialed Carson Craig’s number. He answered almost immediately and when she identified herself, he told her he’d hoped she’d call.

  “You said this could be done over the phone,” she reminded him when he suggested meeting in town for a nice lunch.

  “The first part can.”

  “What is this first part?” Lillie Jean asked.

  “I’ve heard you’re in the market to sell your interest in the H/H Ranch.”

  “If I were?”

  “I’d be interested.” He cleared his throat. “But I know that there might be issues with your partners. We’ve had some run-ins in the past.”

  Lillie Jean frowned down at the table. This must be what Gus had been talking about.

  Carson gave a self-conscious laugh. “My fault entirely. I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. I...messed up, I guess you could say. Gus and Thad tried to point me in the right direction, but I was stubborn.”

  “I see.” A lame response, but what else could she say as he poured out his soul?

  “I’ve learned a few things. Like let cowboys handle the cowboying. The H/H abuts my property and it would be the perfect way to expand, however, I’m more interested in using it as a tax write-off. My plan is to lease it back to Thad and Gus, let them make a living on it. As I see it, their lease wouldn’t be that much more than the property taxes they’re currently paying. I’d get my tax break, they’d have control of the land. And if I sold, I’d give them first right of refusal.”

  Lillie Jean let out a breath, hardly daring to think that this sounded...well...perfect. A win-win. And the guy admitted he’d messed up in the past.

  “I’ll need a little time to think this through.”

  “And to talk to Thad and Gus. I understand.” He gave another low laugh. “Try to look past their prejudices, because I promise you, I gave them cause. Thank goodness I learned a lot since those early days.”

  Lillie Jean hung up slowly, then picked up her basket and headed out the door to do her laundry. She couldn’t help it—she felt compelled to trust Carson Craig. Maybe this was a case of getting off on the wrong foot. Of Carson being arrogant in the beginning, as he’d confessed, and Gus never seeing enough of the man to get a second read on the matter.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  LILLIE JEAN DIDN’T see Gus that evening. He rode into the ranch in the very late afternoon, just before the sun set, and after turning his horse loose in the pasture, he got into his truck and headed down the long driveway. When he didn’t return within a reasonable amount of time, she knew that he’d gone to town, rather than for the mail. Last time he’d told her when he’d gone to town and wouldn’t be back until late. This time he must have assumed that if she was fine being alone then, she was still fine with it. And she was. It wasn’t as if she was his keeper.

  But she did want to talk to him, and she didn’t get the chance until they fed the next morning. She’d fallen asleep early, which would have never happened in her old life, so she had no idea what time he’d returned to the ranch. He looked tired as he reached across the seat to pop open her door, and when she got inside she didn’t give him her usual sleepy half-smiling glance. She had things to say, and she wanted to say them when he wasn’t about to keel over from exhaustion.

  “Did you cover a shift last night?”

  “Yep.” He put the tractor in gear and it lurched forward. “Should be the last one. Our sub, Callie, is back in town, so I can focus on the ranch.”

  Yes...about the ranch.

  She’d talk after feeding, except that Gus had a phone call and headed to the house to get some tax numbers for Thad. Lillie Jean watched him cross the gravel, phone to his ear, then headed to her own house. She made a cup of tea and sipped it at the window until she saw Gus head back into the barn. Moment of reckoning.

  Lillie Jean found Gus saddling his horse. He looked over his shoulder as she approached, then back at the rigging he was fastening.

  She settled a hand on the horse’s neck. “He’s got a lot of hair.” The horse’s coat was so thick that she could ruffle it backward.

  “Which means we’re not done with winter yet.”

  It was April, but in Montana, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t snow. Lillie Jean, who’d at one time essentially ignored the weather, except during storm season, now checked d
aily. And yes, there was rain in the valleys, snow in the mountains in the forecast.

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “I’ll be home before dark. I’m starting on the west side of the allotment fence, where it joins our property today.”

  “Why not take the four-wheeler?”

  “Too many problem areas when it’s this muddy. Don’t want to rip up the ground.”

  It made perfect sense and Lillie Jean was out of small talk, which meant she had to push on to the big issue.

  “I talked to Carson Craig. On the phone. Yesterday.”

  Gus’s hand stilled on the cinch strap, and then he started pulling again. “Told him to jump in the lake, I hope.”

  “He wants to make me an offer on the ranch.”

  Gus instantly turned toward her, a hard expression on his face. “And you said...?”

  “I needed time to think.”

  He made a noise in his throat that sounded very much like a low growl, then gave the cinch one last pull before fastening it. “‘No’ would have been a better answer.”

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “Yeah? Well, how is it?”

  “He said he would be strictly hands-off. That he would lease the ranch back to you and Thad for a little more than the cost of the property taxes. He wants the write-off. He said he’d made mistakes in the past and that you were right and he was wrong.”

  Gus lowered his chin, shook his head. “He’s playing you.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked in a low voice. Because she hadn’t read it that way.

  “I’m only going to consider selling to him, if you can’t buy me out.” Her voice had risen defensively, and she took a breath before saying in a calmer tone, “This is business, Gus.”

  Gus set a hand on the seat of his saddle as he met her gaze. “Yeah. I get it. Business.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you honestly believe that Craig would lease this ranch back to me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I believe that?”

  He rolled his eyes as if the answer was beyond obvious, which it wasn’t. “Because he’ll tell you whatever you want to hear to get this place.”

  “I’ll have it written into the contract.”

  “You don’t get it, Lillie Jean. Once you sign your half away, you have no say.” Gus untied the horse and then expertly bridled him, leaving the halter on. He coiled the lead rope and tied it to the saddle, then led the horse out of the barn.

  “I didn’t make this situation.”

  He turned on her. “Yeah. You’ve pointed that out a time or two. And I agree. You didn’t. But that doesn’t mean you can put me in a bad situation and I have to take it with a smile on my face.” He put a foot in the stirrup and swung up into the saddle, gathering the reins. “I’ll take it, Lillie Jean. But no smile. You’ll just have to live with whatever bad feelings that dredges up.” He turned the horse toward the pasture, then looked back over his shoulder. “Nothing personal. Just business.”

  * * *

  SHE’S DOING WHAT she has to do. She owes you nothing.

  That didn’t change the fact that life as he knew it was probably pretty much over. He loved his ranch, but having Carson Craig as a partner was unacceptable. He couldn’t do it. Maybe Craig would lease his part of the place to Thad in the beginning, but the chances were good that when the lease came up for renewal, that the man would have other plans. Or he would sell.

  Gus pointed Red up the mountain and the gelding put his head down and started climbing. He was a good horse and Gus hoped he’d land in a place where he needed a horse. There were no guarantees. Ranch jobs paid next to nothing and he didn’t know that he’d pursue ranch work if they lost the H/H. Thad was married to his pub and chances were that if Gus sold his half, Thad would do exactly what Madison had suggested—expand into a restaurant, rather than sink his profits into another ranch. Gus wanted no part of a restaurant. He no longer wanted to be part of the bar.

  What you want and what you get...

  Yeah. Right.

  Red continued to climb, zigzagging his way up the mountain, traveling down into brush-filled gullies where Gus could barely see the fence and back up the other side. The ground was muddy—too muddy for the four-wheeler, and the terrain they were on now was too steep and brushy. Red pushed his way through undergrowth and started climbing again. So far the fence was okay. It could use tightening, but there were no holes to put him in trespass when cows slipped through.

  He’d hit the first corner brace and was traveling north along the western boundary fence when the flurry hit. It was a quick little storm that barely laid any snow on the ground; there, then gone. As the flakes stopped swirling, Gus found the first downed wires. Gus dismounted and assessed. Definitely possible to do a patch job. He got the fencing pliers, staples and wire out of the saddlebags and started to work. His gloves soaked through in short order, but he got the job done before his fingers went numb.

  And so it went for the remainder of the morning. The long western boundary fence, which bore the brunt of the drifting during winter months, had a number of holes, and each one seemed to take a little longer to fix than the one before it.

  After eating a sandwich, Gus considered options. The repairs had taken longer than he’d expected, and if he kept riding north, he’d hit the snowline soon. He could turn around and go home or ride cross-country to the eastern boundary fence and check it out on the ride home. He should still get home before dark, and, truth be told, he wasn’t that interested in heading back to the ranch just yet. Cross-country it was.

  Swinging up into the saddle he turned east and started following a deer trail. The snow dipped lower in a few places and Red had to pick his way through the pristine white, his feet punching holes as he went. They entered a small meadow and a covey of Hungarian partridges hunkered down near a large boulder took to the sky. The horse bounded sideways as wings drummed and the birds rose around him, making it look like the boulder had come to life.

  Gus sat deep in the saddle, did his best to help the horse keep his head up and get his feet back under him, but Red went down. Gus rolled into the snow as the horse struggled and then lunged back to his feet. The gelding took one limping step forward and Gus knew he was in trouble.

  * * *

  LILLIE JEAN SPENT a good part of her day pacing. First because of the unsettled business between herself and Gus, and then because it was getting dark and Gus hadn’t yet returned to the ranch.

  Gus was a capable individual. He knew what he was doing.

  But even as she told herself Gus was an expert, Lillie Jean found herself flashing back on the cow incident. How they were both surprised by the calf stealer sailing over the fence. Accidents happened to experts as well as novices.

  At what point did she stop worrying and act?

  Exactly forty-five minutes after darkness fell.

  Lillie Jean bundled up and headed outside, leaving Henry standing on his back feet and looking out the front window. She stood in the middle of the wide gravel drive and debated strategy. Did she start the four-wheeler and follow the fence? Did she call for help?

  A gust of wind hit her and Lillie Jean tucked her chin into her coat as she headed back to the house and looked up the number for the Shamrock Pub. It took a few minutes to get hold of Thad.

  “Lillie Jean. Is everything okay?”

  “Gus rode the fence today and he’s not back yet.”

  “Which fence?”

  “The one where you put the cows out to graze this spring.”

  “The allotment.”

  “Yes.” In her stress the word had escaped her.

  “He was supposed to come back tonight, right?”

  “Where would he spend the night if he didn’t?”

  “Cow camp.”

  Lillie Jean didn’t bother asking for an explanation of what or
where cow camp was. “He said nothing about a cow camp.”

  “Well, if he got into trouble, that’s where he’d head.”

  If he was ambulatory after said trouble. Lillie Jean’s stomach tightened to the point of nausea. “How do I get there?”

  “You don’t.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll be out shortly. It’s snowing here, so it might take me a little extra time.”

  “It’s not snowing here.”

  “Good. Hang tough, Lillie Jean. Gus knows what he’s doing.”

  “Thank you.” Lillie Jean ended the call and paced to the window where she peered out into the darkness. Where was Gus? Why did this have to happen after they’d had a fight?

  Lillie Jean shoved the thought aside and put on her coat again. Henry tried to follow, but she closed the door before he could escape. The yard lights were dimmed by a low hanging fog moving in, chilling Lillie Jean, making her shudder uncontrollably. It would take Thad an hour to get there and then how long would it take to mount a search?

  What if Gus was lying out there in the snow and cold, developing hypothermia?

  Lillie Jean tried to believe he was at the cow camp, whatever it might be. That he was doing cowboy stuff, camped out near a fire out of the wind. Or perhaps in some rustic shack.

  A choking sob caught in her throat, startling her.

  She was losing it.

  Wrapping her coat more tightly around herself, she strode through the halo of light under the yard lampposts and into the darkness, stopping at the pasture gate that Gus should have ridden through more than an hour ago. Closer to two hours, really.

  “Gus!”

  His name ripped out of her lungs, splitting the dark silence and then seeming to echo through the night. Lillie Jean pushed her hands deep into her pockets and dipped her chin, only to have it snap back up again when she heard a call in the distance.

  Coyote?

  Missing cowboy?

  She was going with missing cowboy.

  Lillie Jean opened the gate and slipped through, taking a few hurried steps before she stopped and called Gus’s name again. This time she recognized his return call.