Jenny

by Bobbi Smith

  Jenny was deeply troubled as she made the trip back home. The news from the banker had not been good. She had to admit that even though she'd put on a good show for them in the office, she was more than a bit scared about what the future held for the Lazy S.There was only one thing she was sure of-no matter what path she chose to take, the next few years were not going to be easy.

  The main buildings of the Lazy S came into view in the distance then, and Jenny reined in. She sat there quietly in the buckboard, surveying the scene below with new eyes. The day before, she had seen only what her heart had wanted her to see. She had not taken the time to look at things critically, but had pictured the love and warmth she'd known existed there. Now, though, she was staring at the bunk houses, the stable, corrals, and the main house with a critical eye, and to her dismay, she found them wanting.

  It was all too obvious that her father had not kept up the property as he should have. Things were starting to look a bit run-down. The revelation was startling to her and reminded her that her father had kept so much hidden from her about their financial troubles, even while he'd been sending money to her back East to pay for her expenses. Guilt followed, knowing the ranch had suffered for her way of life.

  "I'm going to pay you back, Papa," she vowed out loud as she gazed down at the scene before her. "I promise."

  Urging her team on again, Jenny drove the rest of the way down to the stable. She left the buckboard with the hands and went up to the house. She greeted Evelyn and Frances, giving only vague answers to their questions about what had happened at the meeting in town. She didn't want to worry them yet. Then she secluded herself in the study, determined to make a plan for the future.

  As the hours passed and Jenny didn't emerge from the study, Evelyn began to worry. She sensed that something was terribly wrong, yet she wasn't sure how to approach Jenny and get her to talk about what had happened. Using dinner as an excuse to seek her out and engage her in conversation, Evelyn brought a tray of food to the study. It took her a few minutes to encourage her niece to open up and tell her the truth, but when she finally did, Evelyn was glad. The ranch's financial troubles were real, and Jenny was going to need all the help and support she could get.

  "What are we going to do?" Evelyn's concern was real.

  "You are so sweet," Jenny said with heartfelt emotion.

  "I am? Why?" She was surprised by niece's statement. She wondered what her being "sweet" had to do with saving the Lazy S.

  "You just said `we,' "Jenny answered.

  "Darling, you should know by now that I couldn't love you more if you were my own daughter. Anything I can do to help you, I'll do. I have some money put away in the bank, and you're more than welcome to use it."

  "No. I refuse to take your life savings." Jenny quickly dismissed that idea. "That money is all you've got in the world. Getting the Lazy S back in good financial shape is something I have to accomplish on my own. I can't rely on anyone else."

  "But how?"

  "I don't know yet. I only know that it's not going to be easy. I have to figure out the best way to turn the Lazy S into a money-maker again."

  "Did you ask Cole? Did he have any suggestions?"

  "I didn't ask, and he didn't offer. I think Judge Lawson, Mr. Stevens, and Mr. Marsden were all a little angry with me for refusing to sell the ranch to Cole."

  "That is the logical thing to do, you know," Evelyn pointed out.

  "When it comes to the Lazy S, I'm not logical. I love this place, Aunt Evelyn. It's like it's a living, breathing part of me. I don't want to lose it."

  "I knew you got homesick occasionally, but I always thought you enjoyed the life we led in Philadelphia."

  "I did. I enjoyed my time with you very much. I just didn't realize how much I missed Colorado until I came back. Now that I'm here, I don't ever want to leave again."

  "So how did things work out with Cole?"

  "I'm sure he would have preferred that I sell him the ranch so we wouldn't have to spend any time together," she answered.

  "Has he ever said anything about what happened between the two of you?"

  "Not a word, and I'm glad. That's all in the past. It's over. I'm sure he doesn't harbor any fond feelings for me, and I really can't blame him. The one thing I'm glad about is that after talking with him and the judge and lawyer today, I believe Cole and I should be able to work together to take care of ranch business."

  "Good. I'm glad it turned out that way. I know how worried you were about the possibility of just seeing Cole again, and then to find out that he was the executor Well, I was very concerned for you."

  "Everything will be fine once I think of a way for the Lazy S to make some money. Papa never told me how bad things really were. I wish he had. I might have been able to do something to help him sooner." She quickly explained about how her father had lost so many head of cattle to the blizzard and rustlers and how he'd been working to build things back up.

  "Are there any other ways to make money on a ranch besides running cattle?" Evelyn asked.

  "That's why I've been sitting here going over the books. I need to make some money a large amount, as quickly as possible."

  "You could sell some of your cattle," her aunt offered, trying to be helpful.

  "Yes, but I don't have enough head to make the kind of profit I need."

  "What else could you do here? Take in boarders like the Widow Harrison did in Philadelphia?" Evelyn laughed as she thought of how remote their location was and how few people would happen to ride by the ranch and decide to stay.

  "Or like Tessa does in Durango." Jenny thought of the young woman who ran a very successful boardinghouse in town. She frowned thoughtfully at her aunt's suggestion. "You know, you just may have something there."

  "Have something where?"

  "The boarder thing. Did I ever tell you how many of my friends back at school envied the fact that I grew up on a `real Western ranch'?"

  "They did? I was afraid they were going to make fun of you for having come from Colorado-"

  "Not at all. Any number of the girls wanted to know what it was like to live in the `Wild West.' They were very excited about it." A slow, enigmatic smile curved Jenny's lips as an idea took shape in her mind.

  "What are you thinking, Jenny? I know that look of yours, and it usually means trouble."

  "Not this time. I think you're brilliant, Aunt Evelyn!" Jenny jumped up and ran around the desk to hug her aunt and plant a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks!"

  "For what? What did I do?"

  "It's not what you did, It's what you said! You gave me an idea!"

  "I did?"

  "Yes. About boarders."

  "What about boarders?" Evelyn was totally confused.

  "That's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to start taking in boarders-or maybe I should call them `guests.' I'll charge them a considerable sum to stay here on a `real ranch' and experience what it's like to live in the honest-to-gosh Wild West!"

  Evelyn stared at her niece as if she had lost her mind. "Who would you take in? Who would want to come here?"

  "Easterners!" Jenny was growing more excited with each passing minute as she considered the number of people who'd be interested. "It will work out perfectly. Of course, I'll have to come up with a plan on how to get the word out."

  "But where will you put the boarders once they arrive?" Evelyn was confused. There were only three bedrooms in the main ranch house, and she and Jenny were using two of them.

  "I can fix up that old bunkhouse that nobody's using right now. I can convert it into a cabin for our paying guests."

  "Even if you did get someone to come, how long would they want to stay, and what would they do while they were here?"

  "They could stay for as long as they wanted to. If they have the money, we've got room for them. We could take them out riding, and they could go on roundups. There might even be some who'd want to go hunting or fishing."

  "Do you really think anyone would come?"
Evelyn was still doubtful.

  "I'm positive. I'm going to write to my friend Rose right away. I know she would want to come for a visit, and probably her cousin Melanie, too. Rose always talked about how much she wanted to see the West. If I could get enough money together, I could run ads in the newspapers back East. I'm sure that would get people excited about coming." Jenny's mind was racing as she considered all the possibilities.

  "How long will it take to get things ready?"

  "I don't know. I'd better talk to Frances and Louie first and enlist their help. I'll need Frances to take care of all the extra cooking and cleaning, and Louie will have to be in charge of arranging the hunting and fishing trips."

  "You know, it just might work."

  "I know!" Jenny was truly excited. "First thing tomorrow morning, I'll take a closer look around that bunkhouse and see how much work needs to be done. I would think if everything goes all right, I could have the place ready for paying guests in less than a month."

  "But it's going to take a lot of money to fix everything up the way you want it. Have you got enough set aside in the bank?"

  "Yes, but I don't think the repairs will be that expensive, especially if I do them myself."

  "You know how to do that kind of work? Why, that's manual labor!" Evelyn was amazed.

  "Papa insisted I learn everything about running a ranch, and that included mending fences and fixing anything that was broken."

  "Well, I'm not too old to learn how to use a hammer. I'll help you with whatever you want me to do," she volunteered.

  "Thanks, Aunt Evelyn." She lifted her gaze to her aunt's. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

  Evelyn hugged her. "You're a smart young woman, Jenny. If anybody can make this work, you will. Should you notify Cole of your plans?"

  The thought of having to go to Cole to ask him for anything irked her, especially after the way they'd parted earlier that day. She had a feeling that he would probably try to argue with her and convince her that the idea wouldn't work. But she was going to show him. She was going to show all of them.

  "Not right away. I'll start repairing the bunkhouse and try to get that in order before I tell him anything about it."

  "That's going to be a big job. You'll need some building supplies, won't you?"

  "Yes, and if Cole asks about the bills, I'll tell him. But until he does, I'm not offering any information."

  "I'm sure he'll think it's a brilliant idea when he finds out," Evelyn said encouragingly.

  Jenny didn't agree with her, but said nothing. There would be plenty of time later to argue the point.

  "When do you want to get started?"

  "First thing in the morning," she said with determination. "The sooner I get to work on the repairs, the sooner the Lazy S Guest Ranch is going to be ready to open for customers."

  Tired as she was, Jenny stayed up late that night. She was too excited to think about sleeping. She wrote a long letter to her friend Rose, explaining everything and inviting her to come and visit. Rose was quite a force in her prestigious social set back in Philadelphia, and Jenny was sure that she could be instrumental in encouraging others to come to the Lazy S to enjoy a real Wild West adventure. Word of mouth was a powerful thing, and she had already learned how curious Easterners were about anything Western.

  Jenny was up with the dawn. She rummaged through the old clothes in the back of her closet until she'd found just what she was looking for-a pair of boy's pants and a work shirt. Before she'd gone away to school, she'd worn them regularly whenever she worked with her father around the ranch.

  Jenny tugged on the clothes and felt a sense of freedom at being so clad again. There was something very liberating about wearing pants, especially when she was riding astride. She wondered why more women didn't just defy convention and wear them. She thought of her friend Rose then and knew she would be scandalized at the thought of a female wearing men's pants. Jenny smiled, thinking of how much fun it would be to scandalize Rose when she came to the ranch.

  After eating a quick breakfast, Jenny headed out to the bunkhouse to assess the repairs that needed to be done and to make a list of the supplies she'd need to complete them. The deteriorating building definitely needed a substantial amount of work, but she felt she was up to it. The roof was in poor shape, and a window needed to be replaced. After serious consideration, Jenny decided she could partition the building off, giving the women their own private quarters. The bunkhouse was big enough to accommodate both the men and the women with separate entrances.

  Her decision made, Jenny wrote out the list of materials she needed. She sought out one of the hands and sent him into town to pick them up and to mail her letter off to Rose. With any luck, Jenny hoped that by the time she heard from her friend, the improvements to the bunkhouse would be completed.

  "Jenny! What in heaven's name are you wearing?" Evelyn exclaimed as Jenny came back inside the house. It was the first time Evelyn had seen her that morning, and she was shocked by the sight of her niece wearing pants.

  Jenny grinned at her. "I've got a lot of hard work to do today, so I dressed for it."

  "But pants? That's scandalous!" Evelyn was still staring at her, aghast.

  "In Philadelphia, yes, but here it's actually very practical, Aunt Evelyn. I used to wear them all the time."

  "Thank God you never wore them at school!"

  "I was tempted a few times, believe me," she laughed. "And after a few more weeks of living here with me, I bet I can convince you to start wearing them, too. They're really very comfortable."

  Evelyn only looked stricken at the thought of being caught wearing men's pants. "But aren't you the least concerned that someone might see you-"

  "No, Aunt Evelyn, I'm not," she said more gently as she kissed her aunt on the cheek. "I'm home now, and this is how I dress when I've got work to do. I don't have time to worry about what other people might say. I've got a ranch to run."

  Evelyn watched her walk off down the hall, and in spite of herself, she found she was smiling. Jenny had certainly grown into a woman who knew her own mind.

  Cole had no idea what was going on at the Lazy S, but he was bound and determined to find out. He'd thought he and Jenny had had an understanding about the way to handle things that she would come to him and clear any expenditures with him before she bought anything. It had only been a week since he'd spoken with her, but judging from the sizable bill he'd just received, she had decided to take care of things on her own without bothering to consult him.

  Cole couldn't imagine why Jenny thought she needed all the building supplies she'd purchased. Her house was in good shape, and so was the stable the last time he'd checked. He could think of no logical reason for the expenses she'd incurred.

  His mood was positively surly. He really didn't want to go to the Lazy S.He really didn't want to see her again.

  As the ranch house came into view, to Cole's surprise he spotted two people working on the roof of one of the outbuildings. He continued on, trying to make out who the people were and what they were doing. He reined in abruptly when he realized one of the workers was Jenny.

  There was no mistaking her.

  Even though it had been two years since he'd last seen her so clad, there was no forgetting the way she looked wearing pants. And that was what she had on today a tight-fitting pair of trousers just like she used to wear all the time before she'd gone back East to school.

  Unbidden heat surged through Cole. Watching her brought it all back the passion he had felt for her, the way he'd ached with wanting her-The way he'd denied himself waiting for their wedding night. He had loved her so...

  Cole swore to himself as he pushed those memories aside.

  What the hell was Jenny doing up on that roof? Was she trying to get herself killed?

  He urged his horse to a gallop and charged forward, determined to get her down before she fell and hurt herself.

  Jenny heard the sound of a rider coming and lo
oked up.

  "Looks like we've got some company," she told Tom Wilson, who was helping her. He was the youngest hand on the Lazy S, and Louis had delegated him to work with her on the roof repairs.

  "Isn't that Cole Randall?"

  "Yes, and I don't know why he's in such a hurry. I hope nothing's wrong."

  They both stopped their work and moved closer to the roof's edge to wait for him to draw near.

  "What are you doing up on the roof, woman?" Cole demanded harshly as he reined in before them. He ignored Tom, fixing his angry gaze directly on Jenny.

  His unprovoked verbal assault irritated Jenny. She faced him defiantly, glaring down at him.

  "I'm working," she answered sarcastically. "What did you think I was doing?"

  Had he been in a more conciliatory mood, Cole would have thought she looked like an avenging angel, but he was too furious to harbor any gentler thoughts.

  "That's what you've got hired help for! Get down from there right now!" It was an order.

  Jenny bristled at his tone of command. He had no authority over her. He might be the executor of the will, but he wasn't her boss. She was her own boss. She was the one running the Lazy S, and she was doing what needed to be done to save the place. That was all that mattered to her.

  "Tom's been helping me," she answered. "He was the only hand Louie could spare, and we both know there's no extra money to hire more help."

  "Well, get down and I'll finish it for you," he dictated as he dismounted and started toward the ladder.

  "There's no need for you to help. Tom and I can do it. In fact, we're almost done. This is our second day."

  Cole stood near the foot of the ladder and looked the building over. It was in poor condition. It was very obvious no one had lived in it for quite a while.

  "Why are you wasting your time and money fixing this place up? You don't need it for anything."

  "Oh, yes, I do," she told him. Then she looked at her helper. "Tom, why don't you go get us another bucket of nails? I left them just inside the barn door."