Rachel's Cowboy (7 page)

Rachel followed him out of the house. “I only get to ride an hour?”

J.D. grinned. “By that time your body will be screaming for a hot bath.”

“I may have never ridden a horse before, J.D., but I am in good shape. At least I was.”

“Horseback riding uses different muscles, Rachel. We’ll see how you’re doing after an hour.”

She found herself gritting her teeth, determined to show him how capable she was, even if she ached in every muscle she had.

She followed him to a corral where only one horse waited. “Where’s your horse?”

J.D. looked at her. “My horse?”

“Well, yes, if we’re going to ride, you’ll need a horse, won’t you?”

J.D. laughed. “Honey, the only place you’ll be riding for several days will be in this corral.”

“You mean I’m just going to ride around in circles for an hour? That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”

“I don’t remember saying it was going to be fun. I said I would teach you to ride.”

She glared at him and waited silently for directions.

He climbed the fence and dropped down into the corral. “Are you going to stay out there, or are you going to join me and Mandy?”

Without a word, Rachel followed him.

“Mandy? Come here, girl.” J.D. had half an apple in his hand, holding it out to the horse, who ambled over to take it into her mouth. He petted her, slapping her shoulder affectionately.

Rachel coughed when a cloud of dust rose from the animal’s hide.

“Mandy likes to roll in the mud. Here, give her this when she finishes chewing.” He held out another piece of apple.

“But she might bite me,” Rachel protested.

“She won’t if you leave it lying in your palm with your hand straight. Let her take it when she’s ready.”

Rachel swallowed a lump in her throat and decided to trust J.D. She didn’t want him to know she was frightened.

But he obviously knew. “Relax. A horse can sense if you’re scared.”

“Then I’m in trouble,” she muttered as the animal moved toward her. She held her hand out as J.D. had told her. Much to her surprise, Mandy’s soft lips snuf
fled up the apple, barely touching Rachel’s hand. She stared at the horse in amazement.

“Rub her nose,” J.D. ordered.

“Won’t she object?”

“Nope. Talk to her like you talked to that danged calf and you’ll have a friend for life.”

So Rachel rubbed the horse’s velvety nose and cooed to her, and suddenly, she wasn’t frightened anymore.

Until Mandy tried to find more apple.

Rachel shrieked and jumped back.

J.D. stepped forward and pushed the mare’s head away. “Stop that, you rascal.”

“What was she doing?” Rachel asked, keeping a wary eye on the animal.

“I used to hide pieces of apple in my coat pocket and she’d take ’em out. It was a game we played. She was looking for more.”

“Oh.”

J.D. pulled a piece of equipment from the corral fence. “Now, this is a bridle, Rachel. Here’s the bit and we’re going to put it between Mandy’s teeth.”

“We?” Rachel didn’t sound enthusiastic.

“I’ll do it today, but you have to watch, because soon I’ll expect you to saddle and bridle your own horse.”

Rachel watched as he went through the steps of doing so. When he had her pick up the saddle to feel its weight, she almost fell to the ground. “How am I supposed to put it on Mandy’s back if I can’t even lift it?”

“We may have to work out with weights,” he said casually, and Rachel stared at him as if he were crazy.

He grinned at her. “I can help you most times, but you have to know how in case you ever have to do it by yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Now, see how the reins are dragging on the ground? All the horses on this ranch are trained to stop when the reins hit the ground. They’ll wait for a long time. So if you get thrown from the saddle, your horse will wait for you.”

“That’s good, I guess.”

“Sure is. You don’t want to have to walk back to the barn in pouring rain in cowboy boots.”

“Have you had to do that?”

“Once.”

“But I thought you said all the horses—”

“That’s when I made that rule, sweetheart. I didn’t want it to happen to me again.”

She giggled. “Did all the cowboys tease you about it?”

“Yes, they did.”

“We laughed for months about that,” Bluey announced from the other side of the fence, surprising both of them.

“Need any help, boss?” the old cowboy asked.

“No, I think we’re about ready for Rachel to get on Mandy and ride around the corral.”

“We are?” Rachel asked, her voice rising in surprise. “But I don’t know how to drive— I mean, ride a horse. How do I get her to stop?”

“I’ll show you once I get you in the saddle.”

“What if Mandy doesn’t wait for you to show me?”

“I promise she will. Trust me, honey.”

Rachel looked at Bluey. “Should I trust him?”

“I reckon,” the older man said with a charming grin.

Suddenly a thought struck her. Could it be…?

“Bluey, how did you get your name? It’s not your real name, is it?”

“No, ma’am. My real name is Scott Williams. But when I was a young guy, I favored the color blue. All my shirts were blue, my saddle blanket was blue, my coat was blue. Whatever I needed, if it came in blue, that’s what I bought.”

“You must’ve been easy to pick out at a distance,” Rachel said with a smile.

“I guess so.”

“Was it to match your eyes? Are they blue?” She took several steps closer to see his eyes clearly in the sunshine.

“No, ma’am, my eyes are part brown, part green. They change depending on what color I wear.”

“Oh, yes, they’re very pretty.”

The man’s cheeks turned red. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Call me Rachel, Bluey. There’s no need to be formal.”

“As soon as you finish socializing, we can continue with the lesson,” J.D. announced.

Rachel smiled at Bluey and moved back to J.D.’s side. “He’s the one,” she whispered.

“One what?” J.D. asked impatiently.

Rachel looked over her shoulder to make sure Bluey
was heading back to the barn, but still she whispered, “The cowboy with hazel eyes, the one Madge was buying the yarn for.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I’m not. I think he’s the one.”

“Well, I guess they’re the right age for each other, but…”

“But what?”

“Nothing, I guess. It’s time for you to get on Mandy’s back.”

J.D. intended to escort Rachel back to the house after her lesson, but one of his men called him away with a problem. He asked if Rachel could manage on her own.

“Oh, yes, of course,” she said, holding tightly to the corral fence. “I’ll be fine.”

She lied through her teeth.

When J.D. headed toward the barn, she drew a deep breath. How was she going to manage to get to the house on her wobbly legs? She couldn’t believe how she was trembling.

“You okay, Rachel?” Bluey asked from outside the corral.

“No, but don’t tell J.D. I don’t want him to know that I can hardly walk.”

“Want me to help you to the house?”

“Oh, Bluey, would you? I’d appreciate it so much. Maybe I could get Madge to offer you a cup of coffee to say thank you.” It struck Rachel that if she could see Madge and Bluey together, she might confirm her thoughts about them.

“I don’t know about that, but I’ll be glad to help you. Can you get over the fence?”

“I’ll try,” she said, drawing a deep breath. She managed to climb the fence, using her arms as much as her legs, and practically fell to the ground on the other side.

Bluey pulled her to her feet. “You all right?”

“Yes,” she said shakily.

“Now, I’m going to put my arm around you to support you, Rachel. Lean on me.”

They made slow progress toward the house. When they drew close, the back door flew open and Madge came rushing out.

“Rachel, are you all right?” she asked worriedly.

“Yes, Madge. I’m just really sore. Since J.D. had to go handle an emergency, I don’t have to hide how sore I am. Bluey offered to help me.”

“That was good of him,” Madge said, a little self-consciously, in Rachel’s opinion.

“I told him you’d offer him a cup of coffee for his efforts,” Rachel added, watching both of them.

“Well, of course. And a piece of cake, too. I just finished icing it.”

“Aw, I wouldn’t want you to cut it just for me,” Bluey said.

“I think I could use a piece of cake, too,” Rachel hurriedly said, determined to provide a romantic moment for Madge.

“Good. Come on in.” The woman hurried ahead of them, holding open the door.

“I’m not sure J.D. will approve of me taking a coffee break,” Bluey muttered.

“If he gives you any trouble, let me know and I’ll take care of it,” Rachel promised. She collapsed in a chair when they reached the table.

Madge poured her a glass of milk and Bluey a cup of coffee. Then she cut two generous slices of chocolate cake.

“Oh, Madge, this is so good,” Rachel said after her first bite. “Can I learn how to make a cake like this?”

“Sure you can, child. I’ll teach you.”

“It sure is good, Madge, I mean, Miz—”

“Madge is fine, Bluey. I don’t think we should be formal.”

“No, a’course not.”

“So how did the riding lesson go?” Madge asked after a moment.

“She did good,” Bluey said immediately.

“I survived…barely,” Rachel said. “I rode around and around that corral until I thought I’d scream. My legs were screaming.”

“It’ll be better next time,” Bluey offered.

“I’m not sure I’ll be ready in the morning to do it all over again.” Rachel shuddered at the thought.

“Best to get back on again right away,” the cowboy said.

“He’s right,” Madge agreed. “But you can take a hot bath and rub liniment on your muscles. That’ll help.”

“Okay, Madge, if you say so. I think this chocolate cake helps as much as anything.”

Bluey finished his cake and stood up to go, thanking Madge.

Rachel gave him her brightest smile. “Bluey, thank
you for coming to help me. I’m not sure I would’ve made it without your help.”

“No problem, Rachel. If you need help tomorrow, I’ll be around.”

Madge followed him to the door and the two paused a moment to exchange a few words Rachel couldn’t hear.

When Madge came back to the table, Rachel said, “Bluey sure is nice.”

“Yes, he is.”

Rachel wasn’t satisfied with her response. “He seems to be in pretty good shape for a man his age.”

“He’s not that old. We’re almost the same age. I’m sixty and he’s sixty-two.”

“How do you know old how Bluey is?”

Madge’s cheeks reddened but she replied, “We’ve talked before on various occasions.”

“He seems smart,” Rachel added.

“Yes. I’ll get the liniment while you run your hot bathwater. The hotter the better,” she added as she left the kitchen.

Rachel carried her dishes to the sink and rinsed them off before loading them into the dishwasher. Then she slowly walked to the bathroom next to her bedroom. It had a generous-sized tub and she was looking forward to getting in it.

She had the tub half full when Madge arrived and poured some of the liniment into the water.

“Ooh, that smells!” Rachel protested.

“Yeah. It will really smell when I rub it on your legs after your bath, but it will help a lot,” she assured her.

“Well, I guess I can stand it if it means I don’t walk like someone a hundred years old. Then I can shower it off before dinner.”

“You really don’t want J.D. to know, do you?” Madge asked with a smile.

“Right. I really don’t.” Rachel would have a hard enough time facing him at dinner tonight and showing no effects of the riding lesson.

Not to mention side effects of the biscuit incident.

Even the thought of eating the biscuit from his hand made her flush. And licking his finger? Where had that come from? She’d never done anything so brazen in her life. But she had gotten caught up in the moment, caught up in trying to prove to J.D. that she could give as good as she got. He didn’t think she could learn to ride or be on time, take care of herself and eat right, and she was determined to show him up.

But she’d gone too far this morning.

She got into the tub, lay back and let her worries float away.

When she climbed out later, she was surprised to find her muscles didn’t ache quite so much. After Madge rubbed the back of her legs with the liniment, Rachel put on a robe and went to the kitchen to work on the computer.

As usual, she grew engrossed in her work, running through the stack of papers J.D. had left her.

“Rachel? If you’re going to take a shower before dinner, you’d better hurry,” Madge warned her a few hours later.

“Oh, my!” she exclaimed. She’d lost track of time.
She hurriedly clicked off the computer and rushed to her room to gather clean clothes for after her shower.

It wasn’t until she was standing under the hot spray of water that she realized she’d scarcely noticed any sore muscles on her trip to the bathroom. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

She’d just come back into the kitchen and was setting the table for supper when J.D. came in. He immediately looked at her. “Are you doing all right?”

Rachel gave him a surprised glance. “Why, yes, J.D., of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” She thought she’d carried her response off very well, but J.D. didn’t believe her.

“I suppose Madge rubbed you down with liniment,” he said with a grin. “Don’t worry. It will get easier.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “You are going to keep learning to ride, aren’t you?”

She considered saying no, just because the process had involved a lot of touching, something she needed to avoid with J.D. But she refused to give him the satisfaction of thinking she wasn’t tough enough to learn.

“Oh, I’m going to continue, but I’d like to know how long before I can ride outside the corral. I like a change of scenery.”

J.D. stared at her for a moment. Then he said, “Well, I think one more day on Mandy. Then I’ll bring in a faster horse for you to get used to.”

“A new horse? I can’t ride Mandy?”

“We wouldn’t get much change in scenery if you stay on her. She doesn’t go much faster than a walk. Don’t worry. I’ll get you a horse that minds her manners.”

“If you say so,” Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders as if unconcerned. In reality, her heart was racing at the thought of abandoning gentle Mandy for a faster horse. “I did a lot of work on the computer today. Be sure to gather what else you need inputted.”

“Damn! You’re fast, Rachel.”

She smiled but said nothing. “Shall I fix our drinks, Madge?”

“That would be nice, dear.”

When they were all seated and enjoying their meal, Rachel said, “Did you know Madge and Bluey are very close in age? He’s just two years older than her.”

“I didn’t realize that,” J.D. said, glancing at Madge before he looked back at Rachel.

Madge kept her head down, concentrating on her food.

“Bluey’s a good man. He’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know,” J.D. said.

“More potatoes, J.D.? They’re your favorite, aren’t they?” the housekeeper asked.

“Yes, thank you, Madge. What’s for dessert tonight? I don’t want to get too full if it’s something good.”

“Oh, it’s this unbelievable chocolate cake,” Rachel said.

“How do you know it’s that good?” J.D. asked suspiciously.

“Bluey and I had some after my— Uh, I mean, I had a piece earlier today.”

“You and Bluey had a piece?” J.D. frowned at her.

“Well, he—he helped me to the house after my riding lesson.” Rachel stared at him, challenging him to say something about her weakness.

“You said you were fine!” J.D. exclaimed. “If I’d known you needed help, I wouldn’t have left you.”

Rachel’s chin jutted out. “I didn’t want you to know. I figured you’d make fun of me.”

“I wouldn’t have.” J.D. relented when Rachel stared at him. “Well, not much,” he added with a grin.

“That’s what I thought,” she retorted, her tone telling him how much she hated that possibility.

“It happens to everyone, honey. Your legs feel like rubber and you can hardly walk. But you hid it well.”

“Madge and Bluey said it would get easier. Is that the truth?” she asked.

“Definitely,” J.D. assured her.

Rachel released a big sigh. “Well, at least I don’t have to pretend any longer. I’m not very good at that.”

“That’s good to hear,” J.D. said with a grin.

The phone rang and Madge got up to answer it. Then she called Rachel to the phone.

“Hello?” Rachel said.

“Hi, Rach, it’s Rebecca.”

“Rebecca! I just e-mailed you today.”

“I know. That’s why I called. It made me want to hear your voice. Are you really doing better?”

“Yes. I had my first riding lesson today.”

“But, Rach, if you’re that well, why aren’t you coming home?” Rebecca asked.

“Madge said I need to gain weight before I’ll be strong enough to leave.”

“But Betty can help you with that.”

“I don’t know, Becca. I’m learning a lot and—”

“But, Rachel, we miss you.”

“You’re doing all right, aren’t you? Do you still have morning sickness?”

“No, I’m doing fine now. Vivian’s feeling good, too. Vanessa sends her love. But we all miss you.”

“I miss you, too, but… I’ll see,” Rachel finally promised. They said their goodbyes and she went back to the table.

“That was Rebecca. She wants me to come home.” Rachel watched Madge’s and J.D.’s reactions.

“But Madge said you needed to gain weight before you could go back to work,” J.D. reminded her with a frown.

“I could go back to Dallas and not go to work.” As she said the words, she considered the suggestion.

“I think you’d be too tempted to return to work,” J.D. said abruptly.

Rachel didn’t respond.

Madge said, “It’s up to you, Rachel. We certainly wouldn’t keep you here against your wishes.”

J.D. glowered at his housekeeper.

Rachel relented. “Maybe I’ll give it another couple of weeks, then go back. After all, I want to be there for Vivian’s delivery.”

“Why?” J.D. barked.

“Because I love her. She’s a wonderful person and this will be an important time for her and Will.”

J.D. got up from the table and walked out of the house.

“J.D., wait. You didn’t have dessert,” Rachel called, confused by his behavior. “Madge? What did I say wrong?”

But this time the housekeeper didn’t have all the answers. “I reckon you’ll have to ask J.D. that question.”

W
HEN
J.D.
RETURNED
to the house several hours later, Madge was still in the kitchen, knitting.

“Welcome back,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“Ready for some chocolate cake? It might sweeten you up.”

“I’ll take some cake, but I don’t think it will help my mood. Where’s Rachel?”

“She went to her bedroom after supper. Said she was going to have an early night.” Madge kept knitting.

J.D. went to the cake tin on the cabinet and lifted off the cover. “Do you want a piece of cake, too?”

“Yes. Will you cut me one?”

J.D. hung his head. “You were waiting for me to come in before you had your cake, weren’t you, Madge?”

“I like eating with others. Makes it more festive,” she agreed.

“I’m sorry. I lost my cool and thought I’d best clear out before I said something I shouldn’t.”

“I know, dear. But we can’t control other people’s lives.”

“Yes, I know.” He carried two plates to the table. “This cake looks really good,” he said as he turned to pour two mugs of freshly brewed coffee.

“Rachel liked it this morning,” Madge explained, “but she wouldn’t eat any tonight.”

“Think she’d want to join us now?”

“No, I think she’s asleep, J.D.”

“Oh. Do you think she’ll come out for another lesson in the morning?”

“I assume so. She didn’t say she was going to sleep late in the morning.”

J.D. concentrated on his cake after that question. He did remember to praise Madge’s baking, but that was the extent of his conversation.

Just before he retired for the night, Madge said, “Bluey didn’t get into trouble coming in for a piece of cake this morning, did he?”

“No, of course not, Madge. I thanked him for helping Rachel.”

“Thank you, J.D. Good night.”

“Good night.” J.D. stood there finishing his coffee as Madge retired for the night. He rinsed out his mug and put it in the dishwasher. Then he stood at the sink, staring out into the darkness.