Mail Order Bride - Westward Secrets: A Clean Cowboy Romance Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 13) (6 page)

Rick laughed and said, “I’m just kidding.  There’s no alligator.  They can’t survive in this kind of climate.  But I do have some cute burros back here that they can ride.”

“Rick, I want to see them, but there’re snakes,” Gina said.

“What if you could get past them without walking?” Rick said.

“What am I supposed to do?  Fly?” she said a little irritably.

“Nope.” 

Rick picked her up before she comprehended what was happening and started walking with her.

              “Rick!  Put me down!” Gina said.

              “I don’t think you want me to do that,” he said.  “Two black snakes just went across in front of me.”

              Gina squealed and grabbed Rick around the neck and buried her face in his shoulder.  “What about the children?  Oh, where are they?”  Suddenly she started struggling to look to where the kids were.

              “They’re already down the path.  Listen a second,” Rick said as he stopped walking.

              Gina said, “I don’t hear anything.”

              “Close your eyes and calm down.  I’m not going to let anything happen to any of you.  Now, take a deep breath and listen,” he said.

              Gina followed his directions and, after a few moments, she was able to hear Ryan and Chloe laughing.  She smiled and opened her eyes.  It startled her a little to see Rick looking directly into her eyes.

              “Ok, it’s safe now,” he said as he moved to put her down.

              Gina said, “Are you sure?” and kept hanging on to his neck.

              “Positive.”

              “Ok,” she said and let him put her down.

              “I was right,” Rick said as he led her down the path again. 

              Gina looked at him.  “About what?”

              “Well, I said to myself the other day that you looked like the kind of woman who felt good in a man’s arms and I was right.  You definitely do.”

              Gina stopped and stared after him as he continued on.

              “Close your mouth, Gina,” Rick said.  “You don’t want to swallow any flies.”

              Gina shut her mouth and looked around her to make sure there were no snakes.  She trotted after Rick since he was getting farther away from her.

              The burros were adorable and the kids had a great time riding them around their small pasture.  Rick walked beside Ryan as he rode, but Chloe had no trouble riding her burro by herself.

When the ride was over, Rick said, “Ok, that’s it.  No more to see until I get my llamas in a couple of months.”

“You’re getting llamas?” Gina said.

“Yes.  My friend Miguel is shipping them to me from South America,” Rick said.

“What are you going to do with them?” Chloe asked.

“Breed them and sell their wool,” Rick said.

“I wanna see ’em when they get here,” Ryan said as they came back into Rick’s house.

Rick said, “You definitely will see them, then.”

“Me, too,” Chloe said.

Gina raised her hand and said, “Me, three.”

Rick smiled and said, “You can all see them.  Well, we’d better head out since I have to get to work soon.  I just have to wash up a little.  Mitch doesn’t like it when I show up smelling like animal.”

“We’ll wait out by the buggy,” Gina said.

“Ok.  I won’t be long,” Rick said.

He started taking off his shirt as they left.  Before closing the door, Gina saw a tantalizing glimpse of muscular male flesh.  As she followed Ryan and Chloe to the buggy, she wished that she’d paused just a little longer.  She almost laughed aloud at her naughty thoughts.

Rick opened the back door and whistled for Curtis.  His partner in peacekeeping took up his position in Rick’s duster and Rick left the house to drive Gina and the kids home.  He hadn’t enjoyed himself so much in a long time.  It was refreshing to meet a woman who wasn’t afraid of many animals.  The only one Gina had objected to was snakes, and that was understandable.

His friend Abby, Zach’s mother, didn’t mind Curtis or the other ferrets, but she didn’t like all the birds and definitely not the snakes.  She liked the burros, but didn’t want anything to do with the skunks. 

Rick helped Gina into the buggy and lifted the kids into the back.  As he jumped into the buggy and took up the reins, Gina caught the scent of the soap he used.  It was masculine and smelled heavenly.

“What is that scent?” she said.

“You like that, huh?  I’ll keep that in mind.  I made it.  I like to experiment with making different kinds of soap,” Rick said.

“You are an unusual man.  You have all of these different animals, you use a ferret in both lines of work, and you make your own soap,” Gina remarked.

“Is this a bad thing?”

Gina laughed.  “Not at all.”

Chloe leaned up close to Rick and sniffed him.  “Mmm.  You do smell good.”

“Thank you.  I’m glad you approve,” Rick said.

Chloe giggled and sat back again.  The remainder of the ride back to the Dwyers’ was spent talking about Rick’s pets.  Gina had such a good time that she was sorry when they arrived.  She and the children thanked Rick for a good time and watched him drive away again.

              Arriving at the sheriff’s office, Rick discovered that there had been a disturbance at the home of John and Pricilla Samuels, an elderly couple in Dawson.  Pricilla was disliked by many people but Rick didn’t mind her.  Jack, her grandnephew, wasn’t particularly fond of her, either.

              “What happened?” Rick asked him.

              “That cat again.  What else?” Jack said as he sat a cup of coffee in front of Rick.

              Rick took a sip and nodded his approval of the brew.  “Did it happen overnight?”

              “No.  It happened this morning after Aunt Pricilla went to the store and Uncle John went to work at the mill,” Jack said.

              “Hmm.  Is anyone home over there now?” Rick asked.

              “Yeah.  I told her I couldn’t leave at the moment because I was busy and no one else was around,” Jack said.

              “You don’t look busy,” Rick said with a smile.

              “I’m goin’ on patrol as soon as you get back, so go ahead and get her off my back.  Please?”

              “All right.  I’ll go settle her ruffled feathers,” Rick said.

              “Thanks,” Jack said.

              Rick got up again and put on his coat.  Curtis popped up from his pocket and looked around.  “You get back in there.  We’ve got work to do.”

              Jack gave Rick a questioning look.  “What’s he gonna do over there?”

              “Cat repellent,” Rick said.

              “I don’t know what you mean by that, but don’t let Aunt Pricilla see him or she’ll have a heart attack.  She hates animals except horses.”

              “Duly noted,” Rick said and left the office.

              “Well, hello, Rick,” Pricilla said pleasantly.  “Please come in.  How can I help you?”
              “It’s me that wants to help you.  I was sorry to hear you’re having cat problems again,” Rick said.

              Pricilla’s chin wobbled and Rick put a comforting arm around her.  “I couldn’t believe it when I came home from Elliot’s found that it had destroyed my rosebush again.  I know it’s late in the season, but still…”

              “It’s a shame, Pricilla.  Do you mind if I take a look around?” Rick asked in a kindly manner.

              “Certainly, if you think it’ll help,” Pricilla said.

              “I’m going to ask you to stay in the house for a little so I’m not interrupted.  Is that ok?  Give me fifteen minutes,” Rick said.

              “Oh.  All right,” Pricilla agreed.  She liked Rick.  He was always respectful and helpful to her.  “I’ll just get back to that pie I’m making for Sadie.”  She referred to Jack’s sister Sadie, who didn’t live too far down the street from them.

              “Ok.  Go ahead,” Rick said.

              Once back outside, Rick put Curtis to work.  He sat Curtis on the ground by the rosebush and coaxed him to run around a little.  Curtis did his business and Rick gave him a piece of
wasna
, the jerky that Reckless’ tribe made.  Curtis loved it.   

              Pricilla came out the front door and asked, “Is everything all right?”

              “Yes, Pricilla, it is,” Rick said as he put Curtis back in his pocket before she could see him. “I’ll come by tonight and put out some of that stuff I used the last time.  It’s best if you put it around after dark.  I won’t bother you since it’ll be late.  If that cat stays away from now on, I expect one of those apple pies of yours.”

              “You’ll have a lifetime’s supply of apple pie if you can keep it away,” Pricilla assured him.

              “I’ll hold you to that,” Rick said.

              Pricilla watched him go and said, “My, my, but he is a handsome man.”

              Rick heard and smiled as he walked away from her house.

              “Thanks for dealing with Pricilla,” Mitch said a little while later, as he watched Rick sit down at his desk.             

“You know, if you fellas would use a little charm, you’d have her eating out of the palm of your hand,” Rick said.

              Jack gave Curtis a piece of leftover roast beef and asked, “Why would I want that?”

              “Because you can get rid of her quicker and get a delicious pie out of it at the same time,” Rick said.  “The woman makes a great apple pie.”

              “How do you manage that?” Mitch asked.

              “Because I help her and she thinks I am a very handsome man,” Rick said.

              Curtis started bouncing in front of Jack.  He wanted more meat.  Jack tore off another piece and gave it to him.  Curtis ate it and rolled over on his back.  Jack grinned and scratched his belly.  “I should take him to the ranch and let him loose in Uncle Seth’s house.”

              Much like Joe, Seth didn’t care for the ferret, which Jack found hilarious.  His Aunt Maddie wasn’t overly fond of Curtis, but she wasn’t petrified of him the way Seth was. 

              “No, you shouldn’t.  He’s not a toy, Jack,” Rick said. 

              “I didn’t say he was.  I just like watching Uncle Seth squirm.  Big, tough guy afraid of a ferret,” Jack said as Curtis tried to steal Jack’s badge from his vest.  “That’s attached, buddy.”

              Curtis yawned, scooted over to Rick, and looked up at his master.  “Don’t be lazy.  You know where you’re going,” Rick said.

              Curtis simply blinked at him.

              Rick rolled his eyes and picked Curtis up.  He deposited him into the bottom drawer of his desk where he had folded a blanket to act as bedding for the ferret.  Curtis burrowed under the blanket and went to sleep.

              “Nap time,” Rick said.  “Actually that sounds like a good idea.”  He propped up his feet and tipped his hat down over his face.

              Mitch said, “Aren’t you gonna go on patrol?”

              “In fifteen minutes,” Rick said.  “I was just out and about and everything looked fine.”

              “You’re not gonna take a nap,” Jack said.  “He’s gonna think about something new to train Curtis for.”

              “Right you are, young Jack,” Rick said.

              Jack smiled.  “You sound like Grandpa.  That’s what he calls me.  He has since I met him.”

              “That’s who I got it from,” Rick said as his stomach clenched a little bit.

              Jack’s step-grandfather, Geoffrey O’Connor, was the father of the three former O’Connor sisters, Tessa, Maddie, and Claire.  Tessa was Jack and Sadie’s stepmother, but both of them regarded her as their mother since Tessa had married their father, Dean, when they were both young children.

              Geoff, as he was widely known, and his wife, Maureen, had moved to Dawson from Pittsburgh after all three of their daughters had married men from Dawson.  They were lonely in Pittsburgh and wanted to be close to their daughters and their families.  So Geoff had sold most of his business interests and they’d come west.

              The O’Connors had been quickly adopted by Jack and Sadie and were very beloved by all of their various grandchildren, of which there were many.  There were also three great-grandchildren, so the O’Connors had a very full family life. 

              “Oh, Grandma wants to know if you’re comin’ to brunch Sunday,” Jack said.

              Upon moving to Dawson, Rick had struck up a friendship with Geoff and Maureen and especially enjoyed talking about books and other publications with them.  He sometimes had brunch with them on Sundays.  Elliot and Abby joined them on occasion.

              “Is your mother going?” Rick asked, hopefully.

              “Nope.  We’re having breakfast at their place and then going to camp for a while.  The twins are really excited.  They haven’t seen our tribe for a while again.  It’s really hard on them.”

              “Oh, ok.  I’ll catch her again sometime then.  I hope you guys have a good visit.  I’ll stop in and let Maureen know that I’ll be able to make it,” Rick said.  “Now leave me alone for a little while.  And, yes, Mitch, I’ll get to that patrol, boss.”

              Mitch shook his head at Rick’s slightly prickly statement and he and Jack exchanged a smile.

              After showing Joe the finished repairs on his blue vest, Gina was enveloped by the mayor in a grateful hug.

              “You’re my hero, Gina.  I can’t thank y’all enough.  You don’t know what it means to me that you could save it,” he told her.

              Gina smiled at him.  “I’m just happy that I could do it.  It’s the least I could do for all the kindness you and Lacey have shown me.”

              “We’re happy to have you.  You have a home here as long as you want,” Joe said and meant it.  “What do I owe you for doin’ that?”

              “I don’t know.  You bought the material and the machine,” Gina said.  She felt at a loss in naming a price.

              Joe said, “Ok.  Then we’re just gonna go with this,” as he handed her a twenty dollar bill.

              “I think that’s too much,” Gina said and tried to give it back to him.

              “Not for the kind of quality work you do.  I’ve seen tailors who didn’t do quite as nice a job as you did.  It’s worth it to me,” he said and curled her fingers around the bill.  He squeezed her fist a little and walked off.

              Gina looked down at the money in her hand and her eyes misted over a little as she thought of what she would be able to do with the money.  The first order of business was new shoes for Ryan and Chloe.  Maybe she would have enough to get them each a new outfit, too.  Grinning, Gina went to get her coat so she could join the kids outside.

              She went out the sunroom door and saw that they were in the paddock riding with Emily.  Lacey was giving them lessons.  As she ran to the paddock, Ryan and Chloe waved at her.

              “Mommy!  Look at us,” Chloe said with a big smile.

              Ryan waved and turned the little Shetland pony in her direction.  “Look what I can do,” he said.

              Gina clapped her hands.  “Look at my little cowboy and cowgirl,” she said.  “Thank you for teaching them, Lacey.”

              “I’m enjoying it.  Emily is just as helpful teaching them as I am,” Lacey said.  “I have a horse for you, too.”

              Gina gave her a startled look.  “What?  Oh, no.  I don’t want to ride.”

              “Gina, if you’re going to live around here, you have to ride or at least drive.  If there’s no one around to take you, you’re going to have to take yourself and the kids,” Lacey said.

              Gina gulped and looked back at the children who trotted after Emily as they circled the paddock.  The thought of riding such a big animal scared her to death.  She’d never had any contact with horses outside of sitting behind one as she was driven somewhere.

              Lacey said, “Stay here.  I’ll go get your horse.”

              She watched Lacey walk away and once again envied her that she was up around so soon after having a baby.  Turning back to the paddock, she saw Emily stop her pony to give Ryan some kind of instruction.  She marveled that a six-year-old girl knew more about riding a horse than she did.  Of course, it only made sense given what her parents did for a living. 

Joe and an Indian rode two horses up the lane and stopped at the top of it.  Suddenly they took off at a gallop and thundered away down the main road.  She watched them disappear and wondered what the hurry was.

Lacey came back leading a small bay gelding.  “This is Brutus.  He’s very tame and responsive.  He’s a good horse for you to learn on.”

“I don’t know about this,” Gina said.

“Just pet him for a few minutes so that you get used to him,” Lacey said.

Gina reached out a tentative hand and stroked Brutus’ neck.  His hair was soft and sleek.  Gina soon forgot her fear as Lacey showed her how to feed him pieces of carrot and a couple of sugar cubes.

“See?  Nothing to be afraid of,” Lacey said.  “Now we’ll get you up in the saddle.”

“Oh, boy.  Ok.  I guess there’s no time like the present,” Gina said.

“Nope.” 

Lacey taught Gina how to mount and dismount and had her do it several times.  Then she led Brutus into the paddock and walked beside him as she got Gina accustomed to the movements a horse made.  Gina adjusted to the swaying motion and started watching the kids as they rode close together. 

Suddenly Gina realized that Lacey wasn’t leading the horse anymore.  The other woman had slipped through the railing at some point and watched from there.

“Lacey, what are you doing?” she said.

“You were doing just fine on your own,” Lacey said.

Then Lacey started instructing her on how to turn the horse where she wanted him to go.  At one point, Lacey opened the gate.

“Emily, will you take Ryan and Chloe to the barn?  I think they’ve had enough for their first lesson.  I don’t want them to get saddle sore.”