A Ranch to Call Home

by Leann Harris

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kaye sat by Gramps and Joel in the stands. The bareback riding was the next event up. Looking around at the overflowing stands and listening to the laughter and roar of approval, Kaye felt humbled. This rodeo exceeded her expectations.

  “Sis, you pulled it off.” Joel wrapped his arm around her and squeezed. “I knew you’d do a better job at this than me.” He wagged his eyebrows at her.

  “Right. And do you have a bridge you want to sell me, too?”

  Gramps elbowed Joel. “She’s got you there.”

  “Could be.” Joel stood.

  Kaye looked up at her brother. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to get ready. I’m going to be in the tie-down event.”

  She looked up at Joel. “When did you sign up for that? And why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I talked to Mike this afternoon and he said I could enter. I paid the entrance fee just like everyone else.” He looked away, but there was a smile on his lips. Before she could respond, he walked down the steps whistling and disappeared from view.

  The announcer came on the PA. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to start the bareback riding. Welcome our pick-up rider, Caleb Jensen, and his brother, Sawyer.”

  Kaye nearly fell off the aluminum bench in the stands. “Did you know Caleb and his brother were going to ride pick-up, Gramps?”

  “No. I’m as surprised as you.”

  Caleb rode into the arena. He nodded in acknowledgement of the applause.

  Kaye’s stomach tightened. Caleb had said he wanted to talk to her about something. Looking at Caleb’s face, there was a smile there. He was enjoying being back in the ring. Her hope splintered.

  As they watched the bareback riding, Caleb’s skills amazed her, always ready and always there for the cowboy. When the third rider made his time, Caleb positioned himself by the rider and the man grabbed on to Caleb and slid off the bucking horse, landing on his feet.

  Kaye’s fingers gripped the bench. By the fifth rider, Kaye felt like she’d been run over. She slipped out and walked down the steps.

  “Kaye.”

  Kaye looked for who called her name and saw Sophie McClure. Sophie had run the equine therapy ranch in Albuquerque where she’d spent the past few months strengthening her legs. A little boy sat by her and Sophie held a baby in her arms. Kaye moved to sit by Sophie. The women hugged.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Zach’s competing in team roping with his brother, Ethan. No one would know he lost his leg while in Iraq. Nothing stops him now. How are your legs?”

  “Good, but I’ll say that after today, they’re tired.” Kaye smiled down at the bundle in Sophie’s arms. “This is your new one?”

  “This is Kitty. She’s two months old.”

  The buzzer went off, and Kaye looked at the floor of the stadium, eager to see where Caleb was.

  “Which pick-up guy has your attention?”

  Kaye’s gaze snapped back to Sophie’s. “So it shows?”

  “I recognize the look. Saw it on the faces of both sisters-in-law. I probably wore that look, too. So which one is it?”

  “Caleb is on the bay horse.”

  “You’ll have to introduce us later.”

  The last rider in the event was announced. Kaye’s cell phone vibrated. It was Ken, the fairgrounds manager. “I need to see you now,” he said. “Let’s meet in the office.” With that she left the stands.

  When Kaye found Ken, he’d taken care of the problem, but he wanted to talk to her about the calf scramble. After that, other vendors caught her and she didn’t come up for air for the next hour and a half. She’d just stamped out the last problem and was walking to the office when she saw Sawyer.

  “You and your brother are good,” Kaye told him.

  “Thank you. And you’re Kaye. Caleb pointed you out as we passed earlier today. I’m Sawyer, the younger, better-looking brother.”

  She laughed. “It’s nice to meet you. Do you ride pick-up, too?”

  “Not usually. Me, I’m an events guy. I like shaking it up with the riding and roping, but Caleb’s the best at what he does. That skill fed us, kept a roof over our heads and helped put me through college.”

  “I know.”

  Sawyer stared at her, eyes wide. “Really?”

  “Was that a secret?”

  “No. It’s just that you’re the only person he’s told that.”

  “You mean the only girl.”

  “No, the only person.”

  Sawyer’s words rattled her, but they gave her hope.

  “I rodeoed summers, trying to get as much money as I could for school, and had a part-time job during the school year to help with expenses. But it was Caleb’s earnings that put me through.”

  Seeing Caleb from his brother’s eyes only added to the man’s appeal. He’d put others before himself, unlike the man she’d married who only knew his own needs.

  “He’s good.” Pride rang in Sawyer’s voice. “And he never complained about me getting the chance for a college degree. He wanted it for me.” He fell silent. “He’s always been the one who rescued me when—”

  “He hasn’t changed.” Her flashback came to mind.

  “What?”

  “I’ve been on the rescuing end of your brother’s attention a couple times.”

  Sawyer studied her, then nodded. “That I don’t doubt. Now that he doesn’t need to help me anymore, I know he has a dream to buy a ranch and settle down.”

  “You think he will?” If anyone knew Caleb, it would be this man.

  “If he had a good reason—” his gaze focused on her “—I think he will.”

  She hoped that was true. “Good to know, but with all this craziness, I haven’t even gotten to say hi to him.”

  “I think I know just where to find him.”

  * * *

  Caleb walked Razor to his temporary stall. As he started rubbing Razor down, a woman appeared.

  “You were good out there, Caleb.”

  His head jerked up and stared at June Walker, the wife of the man his mistake put in the hospital. “June. How is Tag?”

  She stepped to the metal railing that made up Razor’s stall. “He’s healing quickly. He wants to start riding again and wants to compete in the September rodeo in Billings.”

  Walking around Razor, Caleb felt his mouth go dry. “So he’s doing okay?”

  She nodded. “I want you to know that the doctors said that you saved him from being paralyzed.”

  “But he had broken legs and a ruptured spleen.”

  “True.” Her lips quivered. “But he didn’t have a broken back or some of the other injuries the doctor talked about. I just wanted to thank you for saving him. You see, if you hadn’t saved my husband, he never would’ve seen the birth of his little girl.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Caleb opened the gate and walked to June’s side. She threw her arms around him. Her action took him by surprise, but she seemed so vulnerable. He gingerly patted her back, feeling like a duck in the middle of a pack of wolves.

  Pulling back, she wiped her eyes. “I didn’t mean to get sloppy on you.” She chuckled. “Tag complains that I’ve become a real waterworks.”

  “That’s okay, June. Sometimes guys are stupid.”

  She snorted a laugh. “Any woman could’ve told you that.”

  She wiped her eyes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “You’ll always be my hero.” With those parting words, she started off into the crowd. As she walked away, Caleb knew he needed to help Tag and June. “Wait, June.”

  She paused, turning toward him.

  He came to her side and pulled out his wallet. He had the cash that he was p
aid in Oklahoma City. “Here. I want you to have this.”

  She looked down at the four thousand dollars. When her eyes met his, they reflected her bewilderment. “I don’t understand.”

  “I know with Tag being laid up, you’ve had expenses, so this is for y’all.”

  June’s mouth quivered. “I can’t—”

  He shook his head. “Please, let me help. I had a wonderful church meet my needs when I needed it. I know you and Tag could probably use some extra money now.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

  Caleb felt a peace settle over his soul as June slipped into the crowd. Tag would ride again. And his wife credited him with saving her husband. He shook his head, but it was as if God was saying it was time to forgive himself.

  “Okay, Lord, I get the message.” As he turned to go back and finish grooming Razor, Sawyer appeared with Kaye.

  He didn’t say a word but walked to her and gave her a hug. “It’s about time I got to talk to you.” He pulled back and stared into her eyes.

  “I know. Each time I get near you, someone needs me for something.”

  “Me, too. I tried looking for you, but—”

  “So you rode pick-up with your brother.”

  “I wanted to do that for the charity rodeo. Besides, it was nice to have Sawyer work with me.” He smiled down at her, wishing he could take her someplace private and say a proper hello.

  Sawyer stood to the side, grinning like he couldn’t believe his eyes. Caleb threw his brother a meaningful look, but before Sawyer could move the mayor said, “There you are, Kaye. We need you.”

  She gave him an apologetic smile, turned and left.

  The mayor’s need was a quick interview on a local radio station. Afterward, as Kaye walked to the next event, she overheard a couple cowboys. Their words stopped her.

  “It was great to see Caleb riding again.”

  “I saw him last weekend in Oklahoma City. He’s lost none of his skill. I don’t know why he took off, but I think he’s got it straightened out because he’s in fine form.”

  “Ya think he’s going on to the rodeos in Waco, then San Antonio?”

  “Of course. He’s got rodeo in his blood.”

  As if a giant fist hit her in the stomach, Kaye fought to catch her breath as she grappled with the words she’d just heard.

  * * *

  At nine-thirty that night, Kaye, Joel, Mike, Laurie, Nan and the mayor stood in his office and counted the money from the ticket sales thus far. They were eighty percent of the way to having the money it took for buying all the grain.

  “If we’ve grossed that much, I bet we’ll sell more single-day tickets tomorrow,” Mike said.

  “And we don’t know what each of the booths made and will add to our total. Things look good,” Nan commented.

  “I think we’ll make our goal,” Asa said.

  The people in the room began to clap.

  “Let’s wait and see what the final totals are tomorrow night.” Kaye added the word of caution. So far, things were looking great, but who knew about tomorrow. The mayor locked the money in the safe in his office, then the group left the building.

  “Are you driving Gramps home?” Kaye asked Joel.

  “Yup. You coming home, too?”

  “No, I planned on staying with Billye so I could get here early and if anything happened in the middle of the night, I’d be close.”

  “Okay, sounds like a plan.” Joel stopped in front of her. “What’s wrong, Sis?”

  “What are you talking about? The rodeo looks to be a success beyond our wildest dreams.” She couldn’t look her brother in the eye.

  He gently raised her chin with his finger. “I know you. Something’s eating you.”

  She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for thinking about me.”

  He hesitated, studying her. Joel was one of the few people she couldn’t hide her feelings from. He read her like a book. He’d been a rock when she’d gone through her divorce, coming to Fort Drum and cheering her up. And he knew how she’d ached after their parents had been killed. But she wasn’t willing to talk about her fears.

  Thankfully, he didn’t push, but kissed her cheek and walked off to find Gramps.

  * * *

  Caleb and Sawyer stood by Caleb’s trailer, and Gramps sat on the foldout steps.

  “There you are, Joel. You ready to leave?” Gramps stood. “Where’s your sister?”

  “She’s staying in town with Billye. Good news. We’ve almost made enough to purchase all the seed.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Caleb said. “The people in this area are generous.”

  Joel pulled out his keys. “We’ll be here as soon as we care for the stock. The pancake breakfast the church is planning is here on the fairgrounds.”

  “See you then,” Caleb called out.

  Once they were alone, Sawyer slapped Caleb on the back. “I like Kaye. She’s impressive. Tell me, what are your plans?”

  Caleb stepped up into the trailer and pulled off his hat. “You want to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag or the bed?”

  Sawyer’s eyebrow arched. “You’re not going to answer my question?”

  Caleb sat on his bunk. He could ignore his brother’s question, but oddly enough, he needed to talk, and Sawyer was the right man. “You remember when we were kids, before Dad died, what was your dream?”

  Sawyer stepped back, as if surprised by the question. He leaned back against the trailer wall. He frowned. “Why?”

  “Humor me.”

  Sawyer studied his brother. “I remember watching Dad work his heart out, but it was never for his own place, and I didn’t want any part of that. I wanted to be a rich oil man who was the head of his company, running the operations and telling folks what to do.”

  “But what was your dream, Sawyer? What did you really want to do with your life?”

  He tilted his head and considered the question. “I saw problems at the ranch and stockyards where they loaded the cattle onto the railcars. I could see ways to make the cowboys’ work easier and wanted to tell the guys in the stockyard. I did one summer, and the man just shook his head and went back to loading the cattle. But the guy with him paid attention and the next week, he implemented my suggestion. I guess that’s why I got my degree in business management, specializing in turning companies around.”

  “Did you ever see yourself with a family?”

  Sawyer took the three steps across the trailer and sat next to Caleb on the bunk. “Maybe before Dad died. Afterward, no. I didn’t want anything like what we grew up with.”

  Sawyer had received the most beatings because he would never keep his mouth shut and go along with garbage their mom’s boyfriends dished out.

  Caleb knew that his brother would need heaven’s intervention to heal. “I remembered more of what life was before Dad died. Mom was good then. I wanted a family, but after what we went through, I didn’t want to gamble.” He started to tell Sawyer about wanting to become an astronomer but knew he couldn’t burden his brother with that spoiled dream. “Lately, I’ve found God’s changed my attitude.”

  “You sure it wasn’t an ex-army captain?”

  “You’re right, but God can use others. You remember the hours Pastor Garvey helped us, talked to us and took us fishing and camping, quietly showing us what a real family is like? Watching those families in the church that helped us, I saw the vision of family the way we used to be. I want to try that with Kaye but wanted to make sure it was okay with you.”

  Sawyer grinned. “Absolutely. I think you need someone to share your ranch who’s not your kid brother.”

  “Yeah, you’re not as attractive as Kaye.” He elbowed Sawyer, drawing a laugh. “When
I saw Kaye, something happened. The woman is a force unto herself.” Except when he’d held her in his arms, walking with her through the terror. “You’ve watched her today. Was she indecisive or did she need anyone else to tell her what to do?”

  “No, it appeared she told them.”

  “You’ve got it. That woman’s been through a lot, but there’s a quiet strength in her. I always wanted a woman who was strong, and Kaye’s that woman. It kinda made me nervous, getting what I wanted and not knowing how to deal with it, but it’s wonderful, having a woman with strength. She covers for me when I screw up.

  “I used to think when you met the woman it would be lightness and music. It was more like running into a brick wall, losing all my senses. I told her things about us growing up I’ve never told anyone else. She understood and didn’t condemn. And she told me things, too, I’m sure she hasn’t told anyone else.

  “I wondered if I could settle down, but doing this last job in OKC, I knew I could give up the rodeo and vagabond life. I want to stay in one place. I want to marry Kaye.”

  Sawyer’s eyes widened. “You’re jumping into this with both feet—or boots.” He smiled, amused at his clever pun.

  “I am. I got the ring from a jeweler I know there in OKC. The lady and her husband raise horses. I found a little beauty I wanted to be my first horse for my ranch, besides Razor, and bought her. I thought I’d give that horse to Kaye as a wedding gift.”

  Sawyer’s expression, eyes wide and mouth open, nearly made Caleb laugh.

  “You’re serious? Really?”

  “I’m going to pop the question when this shindig is finished and she doesn’t have a million things to think about.”

  Sitting forward, his elbows on his knees, Sawyer looked at his brother. “I’m glad for you, bro. You’ve given up so much for me, and I want you to enjoy your life.” He stood and pulled Caleb into a bear hug, slapping him on his back. “I knew something was up when you looked at Kaye. I almost fell over when I saw the expression on your face. It nearly scrambled my brain.”

  Caleb couldn’t help but grin. “I’d hoped for someone, but never expected.”

  “It’s amazing what God can do.”