Daisies in the Canyon (10 page)

She rounded the end of the truck and slid down beside Cooper, keeping a foot of space between them. “For a chance to sit down, I’d latch on to Lucifer’s tail. Draggin’ brush is backbreaking work. Is all ranchin’ like this?”

“Most of it. You ready to pack up your bags and go back to Galveston?” Cooper asked when she’d settled on the narrow ledge.

“Not yet, but it’s tempting,” she answered.

“Hey, Shiloh, this roast makes wonderful sandwiches,” he called.

“Thank you.” The response came from the running board on the other side.

“So,” Abby said softly, “you ready to talk?”

“Not here,” he said.

“What did you say, Abby?” Bonnie leaned around the end of the truck. “Were you askin’ me something?”

“No, I was asking Cooper about his day at the sheriff’s office,” she said quickly.

Cooper raised his voice so everyone could hear. “I was about to tell her what happened today. I lost a damn prisoner. We gave him yard duty, which means he was supposed to pick up trash and that kind of thing. And he walked off the courthouse lawn and disappeared.”

“What was he in jail for?” Abby asked.

“Drunk driving. I went out to the ranch where he’s a hired hand and they said he caught a ride, packed up his things, and was already headed back to Mexico. His cousin, a truck driver, runs a route from somewhere near El Paso to Amarillo, so they thought he caught a ride with him.”

“That happen often?” Bonnie asked.

“It’s the timing,” Rusty said. “It doesn’t look too good when this next year is an election year and there are rumors that Cooper’s deputy, Jim Westfall, is throwing his hat into the ring.”

“How long is a term?” Shiloh asked.

“Four years,” Cooper answered.

“You want to take it on for another four years?” Abby asked.

“Haven’t made up my mind, but I’d hate to lose due to mistakes in judgment.” Cooper changed the subject. “That’s burning fast out there. Y’all might get to go to the house by ten if it keeps on like this.”

“Ten?” Shiloh groaned.

“That’s better than midnight,” Rusty said.

“Ready for s’mores?” Abby asked.

“I’ll sharpen up five sticks,” Cooper answered. “You city girls know how to roast a marshmallow so it’s toasted on the outside and melted in the middle?”

“Who are you callin’ a city girl, cowboy?” Bonnie teased.

Cooper was the first one to get his cookie made and he held it out to Abby. When she reached for it, he shook his head. “No, ma’am, I don’t give my toys away. But you can have the first bite since you provided the stuff to make it.”

She was very careful to bite off a corner without letting her lips touch his fingers. The sparks flying off the burning mesquite bushes wouldn’t be anything compared to the sizzle if that happened.

Cooper had called the time just about right. The fires had burned down enough by ten o’clock that they could kick dirt over the ashes and call it a night.

“Now what?” Bonnie asked. “Want me to drive the tractor back to the barn?”

“No, it can stay here—we’ll plow the whole pasture tomorrow. It’s time to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be another long day,” Rusty said.

“Good night, everyone,” Cooper said.

“Thanks for the lesson,” Abby told him, wishing they had found a private moment to talk. Until they did, different ways that conversation could go would play through her mind on a continuous loop.

“You are very welcome. You’re a quick study, Abby.” Cooper slipped something in her hand when he passed by on his way to the fence. She quickly tucked the piece of paper into her pocket and joined the others at the truck.

Rusty dropped them at the house and went on to the bunkhouse. Abby made a mental note to walk back there sometime just to see where he did stay, but not tonight. As soon as she was in the house, she intended to call first shower and then fall into bed. Even a twenty-four-hour guard duty hadn’t worn her out like working out there in the fields all day long. She was so tired candy didn’t even sound good.

“I’m showering right now,” she said as soon as they were in the house.

“I want a bath,” Bonnie said. “Soon as you get finished in the shower, I’ll start it. When it’s done, Shiloh can get her shower while I’m in the tub. Organization is the key to getting to bed faster.”

“What if I don’t want to be in the bathroom at the same time you are?” Shiloh asked.

“Your choice. I’m calling second and I’m going to soak some of this grime off my body,” Bonnie said.

Abby left them to their argument, gathered up her things from her room, and went straight for the bathroom. Ten minutes later she came out with a towel around her head and one around her body. She nodded at Bonnie, waiting in the hallway, and carried her dirty clothing toward the utility room, where she intended to start a load of laundry before she went to bed.

She crammed all of her things into the washer, added detergent, and was about to shut the lid when she noticed a piece of paper on the top of her camo jacket.

“Cooper’s note!” she mumbled as she grabbed for it.

The only thing on it was a line of ten numbers, presumably his cell phone number, since he’d said they needed to talk. Strange as it was, they’d had sex, but neither of them had the other’s phone number. That had to be the most ass-backward way of doing things.

She carried the number to her bedroom, where she dressed in plaid pajama bottoms and an army-green T-shirt, brushed her hair out, and sat down in the gold chair. The door squeaked when Martha pushed her way into the room. She curled up beside the recliner.

“Too late to call a man?” Abby dropped her hand over the side and rubbed the dog’s ears. “It’s only ten o’clock. What do you think, Miz Martha?”

The dog’s tail thumped against the floor.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Abby said.

Her phone was on the table beside the chair, so she picked it up and only hesitated a second before pushing the buttons. It startled her when he picked up on the first ring.

“I hoped you’d call tonight. Too tired to meet me at the cemetery?”

“Right now?”

“Or on your front porch?”

“Where are you?” she asked.

“I’m at home, but I can be on your porch in two minutes if I jump the fence and about seven if I drive over,” he answered.

“It’s cold and my hair is wet. We can talk in your truck,” she said.

“I’ll bring it in dark,” he said.

She smiled at the military lingo meaning he’d turn off the lights and coast into the driveway to avoid any noise. Not that he’d have to do that with all the music on and the shower running in the bathroom, but still, it was considerate of him.

The truck was sitting beside hers when she reached the porch. She eased out the door with Martha right beside her and hurried across the cold ground, wearing her combat boots loosely laced and flopping on her feet.

She hopped inside the truck, leaving Martha outside. The dog ducked her head and ambled back to the porch to wait.

“Sorry,” she said.

“For what?” Cooper asked.

“Martha came out with me. Now she has to wait in the cold.”

Cooper’s smile lit up the cab of the truck. “You could have put her in the backseat. Sometimes Delores—that’s my grandpa’s dog—rides back there.”

“I’ll remember that for next time,” she said. “You called this meeting, Cooper. What do we need to talk about?”

“The fact that we got the cart before the horse.”

“We sure did and it is making things weird. Do you have a girlfriend? If you do . . .”

He put up a palm and quickly said, “No, I’m not involved with anyone. I haven’t dated in a year because I’ve been so busy. Did you ask because you have a boyfriend?”

She shook her head. “No, not in a long time.”

“I really had a good time working with you tonight, but why are you learning to do any of this if you aren’t planning to stick around?” he asked.

“It’s in case I do decide to stay and become a rancher. I brought Mama’s ashes with me and I want to scatter them somewhere in the canyon before I leave, but I want to do it in the spring when the flowers are blooming. Past spring, Cooper, I don’t know what I’ll do,” she answered. “I want a place, but I want it to be the right place. I want to own property but I don’t even know if I want a ranch or just a big yard with a white picket fence around it. Can’t hurt to learn while I’m thinking about things.”

“I see,” he said.

“How could you? You were born and raised right here in the canyon. You’ve got roots so deep that a tornado couldn’t uproot you. How could you understand all these conflicting emotions I’m having?” She turned in the seat to see him better. The moonlight defined half his face; the other half remained in shadow.

“Don’t underestimate me, Abby. That quickie was as unlike me as it was you. I don’t want you to think I’m a horndog. You don’t want me to think you are loose legged. I vote that we put our mistake behind us and be good neighbors and maybe work on a friendship.” He pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

“We’re already that. Only a friend and a good neighbor would spend his whole evening helping burn mesquite,” she said. He had no idea that his hands brushing against the side of her face sent quivers of desire to the depths of her insides. Or that sitting this close to him made her want to be more than a neighbor or a friend. But she couldn’t offer more and he didn’t appear to want more, so that’s all she was going to get.

“Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow at dinner?”

“Yes, Bonnie is cooking. If she can cook like she does everything else, it should be good.” She reached for the door handle, thankful the dark hid the slight trembling of her hands. “Good night, Cooper.”

“Good night, Abby. I’m glad we settled this.”

Chapter Eight

A
bby really wanted to get the hang of plowing down so that she could move on to the next lesson in ranching. That morning she checked everything three times before she fired up the engine. The first and most important thing was to know the machinery. That done, she’d work hard on technique.

“I can do this,” she declared as she started off with less of a grind than she had the night before.

Shiloh and Rusty had left her to do her job and gone off to walk the fencerow, tightening up the barbed wire where it sagged and making sure the posts were secure. She tried to keep the furrows straight as she drove from one end of the pasture to the other. Her corners left a lot to be desired, but by the time she’d plowed under all the ashes from the brush fires, the furrows were getting straighter. Pride filled her heart. She hoped Cooper stopped by so she could show him how much she’d improved after just one lesson.

Speak of the devil—or the cowboy, in this instance—and he shall appear. She looked out ahead of her to see Cooper leaning on the fence separating the two ranches. He waved and her hands got all sweaty inside her work gloves. She jerked them off and tossed them over on the passenger seat. The stocking hat came off next and joined the gloves. Too damn bad she couldn’t remove her boots and socks.

When she reached the end of the row, he jumped the fence and motioned for her to stop. When she did, he stepped up on the running board and waited for her to roll down the window.

“How does it look?” she asked.

“Doing a fine job. Little crooked there on the first run, but it won’t affect the way the wheat or the alfalfa seeds sprout. Rusty said you were going to plow this morning and I was out dropping hay off for my cattle, so I thought I’d stay long enough to make sure you remembered all the gears and basics. Looks like you took to this part of ranchin’ like a duck to water. See you later if I don’t get tied up at the office and have to stay through the noon hour.” He stepped off the running board.

She shut her eyes so that she couldn’t see him walking away, but it didn’t help one bit. That jittery feeling every time she was around him was still there. She opened them just in time to see him turn around and wave at her.

She waved back and started plowing again. Like she’d told Bonnie, it was complicated. Everything, it seemed, about her and Cooper was jam-packed full of twists and turns. One minute she thought she could be friends and neighbors with him; the next minute, when he was so close she could have leaned out the window and kissed him, she wanted so much more.

Cooper was getting out of the sheriff’s car when Rusty parked the work truck in the backyard. Cooper threw up a hand in a wave and headed for the front porch at the same time Rusty, Shiloh, and Abby went for the back one. They all met in the kitchen, where Bonnie was putting the final touches on dinner.

“I’m hungry,” Shiloh said.

The house smelled wonderful, like ginger and ham and fried potatoes with onions. Abby’s stomach growled loudly and she looked up to see Cooper smiling.

“Driving a tractor all morning is rougher work than it looks, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “And I forgot to load my pockets with snacks, so I hope Bonnie made a ton of food.”

“Y’all get washed up and I’ll put it on the table,” Bonnie said.

Rusty headed for the bathroom.

Shiloh raised an eyebrow at Abby. “Mind if I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, I’ll take the kitchen sink,” Abby said.

“Kitchen sink is big enough for two, don’t you think?” Cooper asked when the others had disappeared.

“Probably for four since it’s a double sink,” Bonnie answered.

Abby squirted a small amount of liquid soap in her hands and rubbed them together. Cooper did the same, his side plastered against hers just like the last time they’d washed their hands together. He hip butted her to one side. She came back with her own hip and he chuckled.

“Bonnie, she’s not playing fair,” he tattled.

“You kids best behave or you won’t get dessert.”

Abby flipped water at him before she dried her hands. “What’s for dessert? Maybe it’s not good enough to be nice for.”

Bonnie pointed toward the bar. Abby squealed. “Hot damn! That’s pecan pie. What kind of cake is it? Doesn’t look like chocolate.”

“It’s gingerbread and there’s warm lemon sauce to go on top.”

“And I thought you were just a country girl who only knew how to make beans and potatoes,” Abby said.

Bonnie’s giggle sounded as high-pitched as a little girl’s. It didn’t match the gravel in her voice or the look in her blue eyes that said she’d seen far more than anyone ever should. “A pot of beans in our house was a delicacy, darlin’.”

“Ours, too. Mama made them in the slow cooker, but they weren’t as good as the ones that simmered all morning on the stove, like these,” Abby admitted.

“Do I smell something with ginger?” Rusty appeared in the doorway with his nose in the air.

“It’s gingerbread with lemon sauce,” Cooper answered. “I’m glad I didn’t have to give up dinner with y’all like I thought I would.”

“Why?” Rusty asked.

“Had a call that a rancher out between Silverton and Goodnight thought some kids were trying to run a meth lab out at the back of his property. My deputy and I went out there, but all we found was beer bottles and signs of lots of parties,” Cooper said.

As he talked, Abby scanned him from boot tips to pretty brown eyes, spending an extra second or two on his belt buckle. She was tired of apologizing to the voice in her head for wishing that his lips were on hers again or that his hands were splayed out on her back. Fiery heat put high color in her cheeks. She hoped everyone thought it was a combination of the cold wind outside and the hot kitchen inside rather than her scorching thoughts about Cooper.

Friends
, her inner voice reminded her.

With benefits?
she argued.

Don’t start something you can’t finish
.

“Abby, did you get that plowing down to an art?” Cooper dried his hands on the end of the same towel she used.

“Workin’ on gettin’ used to it. Don’t know that I’m learnin’ to enjoy it yet,” she said.

“Okay, folks, sit down and let’s get started. Noon hour is sixty minutes,” Bonnie said.

They took their chairs and started passing food around from one to the other. Since Cooper sat right next to Abby, every time he handed off a bowl or platter to her, their arms bumped against each other or their hands brushed. It was both misery and exciting at the same time every time a fresh new jolt shot through her.

“I’m feelin’ bad about comin’ here for dinner, so I’m goin’ to make y’all a deal. I’ll provide dinner on Sunday. Either steaks right here when you get home from church since that’s the only thing I can cook, or else I’ll take the whole bunch of you out to dinner up in Silverton at the little diner there,” Cooper said.

“Deal!” Abby stuck out her hand.

That way she’d cook on Wednesday and Saturday every week. Her days would be set and she’d never have to interrupt her Sunday sleep-in mornings to plan a meal.

“Deal,” Bonnie agreed. “Abby can shake for all of us since you are closest to Cooper.”

His hand engulfed hers and held a moment longer than necessary, even for a hearty shake. So she was special in his eyes now. He had to be crazy as an outhouse rat if he wanted to take friendship to a new level. Ezra was her father. That should tell him she’d make a lousy spouse and a horrible parent.

Cooper dropped her hand and smiled. “This is really good cookin’, Miz Bonnie. You ever think of puttin’ in a café of your own?”

“Hell, no!” Bonnie said quickly. “I can cook and I don’t mind doin’ it, but I damn sure don’t want to cook every day.”

“You want to make some extra money and cook for my poker night this Friday night?” Cooper asked.

Bonnie shook her head. “No, thank you. Pour up some chips and dip and put out the stuff for them to make sandwiches.”

“So we’re still on for poker and at your place later this week?” Rusty asked.

“Seven sharp,” Cooper answered.

“Waylon and Travis?” Rusty asked.

Cooper nodded. “And Jackson if he can drag himself away from Loretta. I swear he’s so happy about those twin girls, it’s unreal.”

“I could bring the leftover gingerbread to the poker game,” Rusty said.

“Like hell you will,” Abby declared. “If we don’t get to play cards with the boys, then the boys don’t get our gingerbread.”

“Y’all play poker?” Cooper asked.

Bonnie giggled.

“What?” Shiloh asked.

“I would bet dollars to cow patties that she’s played before and that she’s damn good at it. She might own your ranch and maybe even your boots before the night was over if you played with her,” Abby said.

Bonnie beamed. “I’m not that good.”

“We’ll take y’all on Saturday night, right here at this table,” Rusty said.

“I’ll bring the dessert for that night,” Abby said.

Cooper laid a hand on her shoulder and their eyes locked across the space between them. “I thought Frito pies was all you knew how to cook.”

“I know how to open a container of ice cream, squirt caramel sauce on it, add a dollop of whipped cream, and put a cherry on top.” Abby smiled sweetly.

He quickly removed his hand and cleared his throat. “Saturday night it is. Seven o’clock unless I have an emergency. You ladies best go on and bring your Friday paychecks. You can just sign the backs when I win them from you. Rusty, did you tell them why Ezra’s land is set so far back off the road?”

Rusty put a thick slab of ham on his plate and passed the ham to Cooper. “Story has it that Ezra and Jackson’s grandpa got into a poker game. They were the only two left and Ezra thought he had a good hand, so he bet half his ranch on the win. Grandpa Bailey put up half of his, which was a damn sight more acreage than Ezra had. Ezra spread out a straight flush and figured he’d just landed half of Lonesome Canyon. Grandpa Bailey had a royal flush and gave Ezra a choice. Front half or back half of Malloy Ranch. Ezra chose the back half because it was better land and had the house and the family cemetery on it. Grandpa Bailey gave him the easement if he kept up the road, so he could get back here to his ranch.”

“And story has it that was the last time Ezra played cards. If you got his card-playin’ genes, y’all might do well to leave the poker to the big dogs,” Cooper said.

“Maybe none of us got our poker faces from Ezra. Maybe we got them from our mamas,” Shiloh said.

“Or our maternal grandpas,” Bonnie piped up.

Everyone looked at Abby, who shrugged. “Who said I have poker sense? I just offered to bring dessert, not wipe out the whole lot of you.”

“That one will bear watching,” Bonnie said.

“I agree,” Cooper nodded. “Fantastic dinner, Miz Bonnie. I still think that you and Shiloh could put a restaurant in either Claude or Silverton and make a fine living.”

“Haven’t got time,” Shiloh said. “I’ve got a ranch to run.”

“And I done told you, I’m not interested,” Bonnie said.

Abby felt eyes on her again as she reached for a second helping of ham. “What? I’m hungry. It takes a lot of food to make enough energy to work like we do.”

“Chili pie for real? Twice a week?” Rusty said.

“It’s kind of like poker, Rusty. Sometimes you’ll get a good hand. Sometimes it’ll be a real bitch. Pass the cucumber salad, please. We didn’t get much of this kind of fresh stuff where I’ve been for three years.”

“What was your job over there?” Shiloh asked.

“I commanded a company of soldiers. Only two people on base were higher ranked than I was.”

“Wow! Now that would be a dream job, to get to command men and make them do what you said,” Bonnie said.

“It was male and female soldiers,” Abby said.

“I guess I just normally think of soldiers as men.”

“Times have changed,” Abby said.

Cooper cocked his head to one side. “Did you ever make decisions that you regretted later?”

“Of course,” she said. The little girl in the window of that building came back to haunt her. In an instant her life was wiped out, but she would live forever in Abby’s mind and in her dreams.