The Cowboy Meets His Match (Fatherhood)

by Roxann Delaney

  Chapter Four

  “I guess you know Jake pretty well.”

  Erin, making up one of the small beds in the bunkhouse, looked up at Jonah. “What makes you say that?”

  The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. Just the way you talked to each other.”

  Returning her attention to the sheets Kelly had brought to them, she tried to think of an answer. She couldn’t tell the boy she didn’t want to talk about it. That might make him ask more questions. But she could give him simple answers.

  “We’ve known each other since we were kids,” she answered, “so, yes, we know each other well, as many neighbors do.”

  “You’re friends.”

  She pressed her lips together and glanced at him. “We were, long ago.”

  “But you still are, right?”

  “We haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

  “But you’re still friends. He knows a lot about you, too, I guess.”

  Her hands froze in the process of smoothing a wrinkle. He doesn’t know I got pregnant that night. But of course she wouldn’t say that. She couldn’t. Not to anyone.

  Straightening, she turned to look at him. “Why do you want to know all this?”

  “Just curious,” he said with a lift of one shoulder. “Isn’t it a good idea to know a little bit about your boss?”

  She accepted his reasoning. “I suppose it is.” His questions were innocent, so she had no valid reason not to answer them. “He only spent summers here—he didn’t live here year-round. His uncle owned this ranch, which is now his. When the time came for him to go off to college, he did. And then...” She shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”

  “Oh.”

  Working quickly, she finished the bed, ready to get back to ranch work. The chore of getting Jonah settled in wouldn’t have been her choice if she’d been asked. But if she would be working with him, she might as well try to make it as pleasant as possible for both of them.

  “If you need anything else—”

  “No, I’m good,” he answered. “Thanks. I know how to make up a bed, but it’s usually a mess.”

  “It’s not a problem,” she answered, and meant it. “Go ahead and put your things away, then come out to meet the rest of the wranglers. I’m sure Jake will introduce you. They’re a nice bunch, when you get to know them, and I’m sure they’ll answer any questions you might have.”

  He nodded when she started for the door. “Ms. Walker?”

  She looked back at him and smiled. He had nice manners. “Call me Erin. I’m not much for the formal stuff.”

  He seemed to relax a little. Poor kid. He was probably scared. She could relate. A new place, new people and the feeling of not yet belonging. She’d felt the same when she’d first started on the rodeo circuit.

  “Uh, Erin, I’ve been wondering...”

  She readied herself for another question, hoping it wouldn’t be personal. “About what?”

  “The guy who told me where I could find this place? His name was Walker, too.”

  “Dylan or Luke?” she asked, knowing either of them would help out a stranger, especially a teenage boy.

  “Dylan.”

  She smiled again. “He’s my brother. His ranch—the ranch where I grew up—borders this one on the east.”

  “Oh, yeah, well that makes sense. Is Luke your brother, too?”

  “Yes, he’s the youngest. I’m the oldest. Dylan hates that,” she said, almost laughing.

  “I don’t have any brothers,” Jonah said. “Or sisters, either.”

  “I envy you,” she said, sighing, but then shook her head. “No, I don’t mean that. My brothers are great. I don’t know what I’d do without them.” Her brothers might give her constant grief over some of her life choices, and they’d pestered her unmercifully, almost as much as Jake had, when they were kids. But she wouldn’t have wanted to live her life without them.

  Jonah sat on the new mattress of the bed next to his. “That’s a nice thing to say about them.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “Don’t tell them I said it. It would go to their heads.”

  Jonah laughed. “You must know a lot about horses. How long have you worked here?”

  “A week, so you’re not the only new one here.”

  “A week?”

  She shook her head and laughed “Okay, not quite. This is the end of my first week.”

  “Do you have a husband? I mean, are you married?”

  The question should have surprised her, but it wasn’t the first time some young kid had asked her, and she grinned at him. “Why? Are you planning to ask me for a date?”

  His face reddened, and he ducked his head. “No, just curious.”

  She didn’t blame him for asking. “A natural thing, I guess,” she admitted. “Most women my age would be. But I’ve been barrel racing in rodeos since I was younger than you.” In fact, she’d only been a few years older when she’d set out on her own, after Luke had graduated from high school and hadn’t returned, except for a few visits.

  “You’re a barrel racer?”

  “I was.” She didn’t add that she was only on a break. Until she knew she could win again—and had enough money to return—she wouldn’t go back.

  “Wow,” he said on a breath.

  At the sound of voices outside, she walked to the door and opened it to hear Jake asking the men where she’d gone. “I’m here, getting Jonah settled in,” she said, stepping outside and down the two steps. “Isn’t that what you wanted me to do?”

  “It’s my fault, not hers.”

  Erin turned to see Jonah standing in the doorway of the bunkhouse. “He wanted to know a little about the operation here,” she said, covering for the boy who’d covered for her. “I thought it would help to answer his questions.”

  Jake nodded. “Nobody’s at fault. But Kelly could use a hand in the barn. Erin, why don’t you take Jonah and introduce them to each other?”

  “Sure,” she answered as Jonah walked out to join them. “Barn’s over there,” she said, pointing to the barn where she and Jake had— “I’ll catch up with you. I need to talk to the boss.”

  “Erin—” Jake said.

  “Hang on a minute, Jake.” When she was sure Jonah had walked out of earshot, she turned to Jake. “What’s gotten into you, giving a kid—with no references and obviously no experience—a job?”

  Jake shrugged, watching Jonah walk toward the barn. “Everybody deserves a chance. He seems eager to learn, the same as I was. I can use him, no matter how inexperienced he might be. You wanted to know what your job is? Now you know. You’re his official trainer.”

  She blew out a breath to keep from giving him a piece of her mind she couldn’t afford. She couldn’t deny that she liked Jonah. He sure asked a lot of questions, though. She chalked that up to being young and, as he’d admitted, curious. “Okay,” she told Jake. “You’re the boss.”

  “Keep remembering that,” he said with a smile she couldn’t read.

  “I have a suggestion, though.”

  His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. “Do you now? About Jonah?”

  She shook her head. “No. And you can take it or leave it, but I’ve been thinking. You’ve been taking all of us to the café every day, and it’s a waste.”

  “A waste?”

  “Time and money,” she said, nodding. “Since this is a permanent operation, have you given any thought to hiring a cook?”

  His gray eyes sparkled, and he seemed to be fighting a smile. “Are you applying for the job?”

  She stared at him. “Me? Cook? Are you kidding? What makes you think I can cook?”

  “Come on, Erin. You haven’t been on a junk food diet all those years in the
rodeo. Not with that body.”

  Heat raced through her as he slowly looked her up and down. She needed to put a stop to her reactions to that. “That’s not an appropriate—”

  “And I doubt your brothers made do for themselves after your parents were gone.”

  “But I—”

  “I know you put your plans on hold, until Luke graduated.”

  It wouldn’t do any good to deny it. “That doesn’t mean—”

  “And I got a glimpse of that motor home of yours. No doubt it’s tricked out with a nice kitchen.”

  Sighing, she’d had enough, even knowing he was teasing. “I don’t want to apply for a job as a cook, here or anyplace else. I was only trying to be helpful, but if you—”

  “I’m open to any suggestions you might have. Do you know someone who might be interested?”

  She gave it some thought. “No, but I could ask around.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” he said, his expression serious.

  “You could put a flyer in the café, the way you did for the wrangler job. The grain elevator, too. Lots of people gather there, and someone might know about one.”

  “Good idea. I’ll give it a try.”

  She relaxed and gave a quick nod. “I’ll let you know if I hear about anyone you could hire.”

  “See?” he said, grinning at her. “That wasn’t so hard, after all.”

  Maybe not, she thought. But there were things he didn’t know that could change things in an instant if he learned about them. Not things. One thing. “I’ll go give Jonah and Kelly a hand,” she said as an excuse to get away. Getting along too well with Jake might not be the best thing to do.

  “Take it easy on him, Erin,” Jake said when she turned to walk away.

  “Yes, boss,” she said with a wave of her hand, and headed for the barn.

  * * *

  JAKE STOOD AT the counter inside the grain elevator office and signed his name to the bill of sale. But feed was the furthest thing from his mind. Instead, he kept thinking of Erin.

  “We’ll have that feed delivered first thing in the morning, Jake,” the elevator manager told him.

  The sound of the man’s voice dragged Jake from his thoughts, and he looked up. “Thanks, Tom. Anytime before Saturday will be fine. I’ll make a note to get it ordered earlier next time.”

  “Settin’ up a new ranch can take some doing,” Tom said, handing him a copy of the receipt. “What with new animals and new ranch hands... Say, I hear you hired the Walker girl.”

  Nodding, Jake answered, “She knows a lot about livestock.”

  “She was always a nice girl. Bit of a tomboy, but she took good care of those brothers of hers, after their parents died. Put her plans to join the rodeo on hold, until that youngest, Luke, graduated from high school.”

  “That’s what the boys told me. She’s a hard worker, too, not to mention she knows as much if not more than the rest of the hands.”

  “Heart of gold,” Tom said.

  Jake nodded. Except when it comes to me. He tucked the ticket into his shirt pocket, ready to leave, and remembered he’d brought Jonah with him.

  “Have you seen—” He spied Jonah on the platform, watching a truck full of wheat unloading, and remembered he’d been just as curious when he was a kid.

  “New wrangler?” Tom asked.

  Jake nodded and smiled. “About as green as they come, but he’s learning fast.”

  They watched as Jonah talked with one of the boys who worked at the elevator. Jake was pleased that he might be making friends in the area. Not only would he learn a lot from boys who’d been farming and ranching all their lives, but friends his own age would add some enjoyment to long days of ranching.

  As if he heard them talking about him, Jonah walked inside. “I never knew there was so much work to a wheat harvest. You’d think there’d be an easier way,” he said to the two men.

  “Combines and tractors keep gettin’ bigger,” Tom said, “but the work doesn’t change much. I remember back when none of them had cabs, much less air-conditioning.”

  “Before my time,” Jake said. “David Walker used to tell stories about it, though.” His uncle, on the other hand, didn’t talk much. Dinnertime had always been strained, except when Uncle Carl was giving orders or complaining. Thinking of those dinners reminded him of Erin’s suggestion.

  “Are we done?” Jonah asked.

  “In a minute,” Jake said, turning to the manager. “Say, Tom, do you know if there’s anybody around these parts that might be interested in cooking for a small group of ranch hands?”

  “Man or woman?”

  “Either. Just the noon dinner during the week.”

  Tom pulled off his gimme cap and scratched his head. “Not for sure, but Ada Sterling was looking for something to keep herself busy, now that the mister is gone.”

  “Sterling? I’m not familiar with the name.”

  “Ada ran the school cafeteria for thirty years or so. Ed, her husband, passed away a year or so ago, not long after she retired. The cooks at the school still use her recipes, and they’re some of the best.”

  “I’ll take that as a good reference and look into it. Thanks again, Tom.” Motioning for Jonah to follow, he left the grain elevator.

  Several people spoke to him on their way to the truck, and it took longer to get away than he’d thought it would. Climbing into his truck, he waited for Jonah, who’d stopped to talk to another boy. In the little time he’d been inside with Tom, the morning had warmed more than he’d expected. June was in full swing, and he wondered what the weather might do. It could be hot and dry, or wet and stormy, with an occasional tornado. No matter which, it promised to be a hot summer, and he hoped Erin kept an eye on the water tanks for the stock.

  What was he thinking? Erin would take better care of his stock than he would. It was second nature to her. She’d been born into a ranching family and done chores long before he met her. He recalled her racing to catch up with him and her brothers, because she’d stayed behind to feed the numerous cats the Walkers had always kept around. She’d worked beside her dad and her brothers for as long as he could remember. Whether she liked him or not, he had no doubt she would be sure the animals were well taken care of.

  Once Jonah got in the truck, he started the engine and headed for home. “I see you made a couple of friends,” he said, as they turned out of the town and onto the county road.

  “Yeah,” Jonah answered. “But they’re pretty busy right now. Did you know there’s a hayrack ride Saturday evening? Some community thing.”

  “Hayrack ride? No, I hadn’t heard.” Not that he cared.

  “Would it be okay if I go?”

  Jake glanced at him. “As long as it isn’t during the workday, you’re on your own time. I’ll give you a ride into town, if you need one.”

  “Thanks.”

  Determined to keep his focus on anything but Erin, he managed not to give much thought to her until he pulled into the driveway next to his house. From there, he could see her perched on the top fence railing of the big corral, the other hands standing around her, as if they were worshipping a goddess. He tried slamming the door of his truck loud enough to get their attention, but they didn’t even bother to look his way, so he walked toward them. To make matters worse, they didn’t notice when he stopped only a few feet from them.

  “While the boss is away, the boys will play?” he asked.

  Gary turned to look at him, then jabbed Bobby Ray with an elbow. “Just taking a water break,” Gary explained, pointing to the ten-gallon watercooler sitting nearby. “Erin’s been telling us about some of the rodeos she competed in.”

  Jake didn’t care that they’d taken a break. They didn’t punch a time clock at his place. And he was pleased they’d accepted h
er. He hadn’t been sure they would. But the sight of them gathered around Erin made his teeth hurt. Frowning, he looked directly at her. “Do the horses have water?”

  She started to answer, but Jonah, who had joined them, spoke first. “I made sure the tanks were full before we left for town.”

  With nothing else to ask or complain about, Jake nodded. “I’m sure Erin’s stories are fascinating, but let’s save some of them for another time. We’ve got work to do.”

  He waited until they hurried back to their chores, and then he turned to walk away. He’d said all that needed saying and doubted he would have to mention it again. The men just hadn’t gotten used to having her around. They would, but he wondered if he ever would.

  “Hey, wait up!”

  The voice was unmistakable, and he kept walking. Behind him, he heard boots hitting the ground at a trot.

  “Thanks for the jog,” Erin said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  When she caught up with him, he didn’t bother to look at her and kept walking. “Holding court, were you, Your Majesty?”

  “Five minutes, Jake, no more. We can’t take a five-minute break?”

  He tried to think of a plausible answer but couldn’t. Instead, he kept seeing her on that top rail, smiling down at everyone. And one of them had helped get her up there. He wanted to know who.

  He turned his head to look at her. “Who put you up on that fence?” he asked, imagining someone putting his hands on her. He didn’t like it one bit. And he wished it didn’t matter.

  Her eyes widened. “Is that it? Is that what has you growling at everybody?”

  “No,” he lied.

  “Because if it is, you need to know that I climbed up there by myself.”

  “Do you realize that if you’d fallen, it would be on my head?”

  Her braid whipped to her other shoulder when she tossed her head. “That’s ridiculous.”