The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch (13 page)

     Dani scraped back her chair. "May I be
excused?" she asked. "I want to show Toby my room."

     "Go ahead," Lexie said. "Keep an
eye on him," she called as Dani skipped out of the kitchen with Toby on
her heels. "He isn't housebroken yet!"

     Lexie listened to her footsteps pound up the
stairs.

     Lexie tossed her napkin onto the table. "Look,
I appreciate what you're trying to do but I don't need charity."

     Mitch reached over and grasped her hand. "It
isn't a hand out," he stated with an edge in his voice. "Friends help
each other. You need a rest and I wanted to give it to you. That's all.” He
took his hand away, leaned back in his chair and looked at her.

     Suddenly, she felt lower than a slug. "I'm
sorry," she said in a grudging voice. "I don't mean to be ungrateful
it's just that...I've been taking care of things myself for a long time.” But
was that really the problem? Mitch had captured Dani's heart and he'd just
taken a burden of worry from her shoulders. It would be so easy for the two of
them to depend on him, to expect him to be around...but would he be around? She
looked at him. "How long do you plan to stay in Chimney Rock?"

     "That depends."

     "Oh what?"

     He stood up from his chair and reached for her.
Before she could blink his arms wrapped smoothly around her. "You and Dani.”
He lowered his head and gave her mouth a nip. She sucked in a breath at the
warmth of his lips, the lingering taste of pancakes and coffee. "As much
as I'd like to spend some serious time kissing you, I promised Dani I would
read her a story.” He looked around at the mess. "After I clean the
kitchen."

     "I'll take care of it. You go ahead
upstairs."

# # #

Lexie
stood in the alleyway of the barn and tightened the cinch on her saddle. Aspen
filled his stomach with air to keep the strap from gripping his girth. She gave
him a couple of pats on his belly. He released the breath and the girth
loosened.

Dani
had spent Saturday night with Mitch and Judson. She'd been in little girl
heaven having her father and grandfather to fawn over her and cater to her
every whim.

The
kiss she'd shared with Mitch in the kitchen still made her feel warm and tingly
all over. She couldn’t get the feel of him out of her mind. Or the way he'd
joked with Dani and laughed as they'd cooked breakfast. The gentle way he had
with her.

He
had changed during his time away from Chimney Rock but everybody changed. She'd
certainly done her share of changing. He was softer in some ways, the
recklessness of youth had calmed. He'd grown into a fine man. But despite all
that she knew he still intended to take the ranch. And what of Dani? Did Mitch
understand how badly their daughter could be hurt? He'd told her he had no
intention of hurting her and maybe he didn't. But people hurt the ones they
loved all the time not meaning too.

He
had sparked the mayor's interest with his talk of the hospital and the profits
it had the potential to bring to the area. She loved Tommy and Emily Flowers
but when those two got a whiff of money it went straight to their heads. She
knew they would be relentless in trying to convince her to sell. Now she had them
to fight in addition to Mitch.

But
they would be much easier to handle. She knew they only wanted the best for her
and Dani. When all was said and done, they would stand by her. No, fighting
alone wasn’t in her nature. She liked working as a team, getting her friends
involved and helping them in return. Her heart lifted in spite of her troubles.
She had ranching ingrained in her blood. All she needed was some fresh air to
clear the troubles from her mind.

Lexie
finished saddling Aspen and gave Morning Star an absent pat as she passed. The
black mare pricked her ears, bobbed her head and pawed the ground in her stall.
“I know. I’ll take you out next, I promise. If the weather holds,” Lexie said
to the mare.

A
brisk, northeasterly wind slapped at Lexie’s face and curled around her body in
icy fingers. She shivered slightly beneath her coat and dug out the gloves she
had stuffed in the pockets.

A
smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She climbed onto Aspen’s back and
turned him toward the farthest pasture that hugged the base of the mountains. She
knew she’d find Skinny and her other ranch hand checking the herd.

She
nudged Aspen into a slow canter. He didn't resist. He was always ready for a
good run. It felt wonderful to ride across the pastures with the wind rushing
around her. No way would she ever give this up. She loved it too much.

When
she topped the second hill, she saw Skinny first. He looked like a stick figure
sitting on his massive, gray gelding. Even his head was skinny. His features
were angular, his face thin as a reed and he was tall. He ate enough for three
men and never gained an ounce. That was enough reason for any woman who watched
her weight to hate him. Despite the way he felt about her, Lexie admired him
not only for his ranching skills but for the fact that he'd stuck with her after
Mason passed away.

He’d
been loyal to Mason Dare until the bitter end. He supported him though he
didn’t always agree with him, he stood by him, no matter how wrong her father
could be at times. This morning when she'd stepped out of the house he'd been
waiting for her to put in his notice. She’d tried talking him out of it, but as
usual, his sexist attitude toward working for a woman, got in the way.

Lexie
wasn’t about to give up. She couldn’t. Skinny couldn’t walk away now. She
needed him badly.

She’d
never be able to hire another foreman in her present financial state. Perhaps
she could use her father’s memory as leverage. She wasn’t Mason Dare's daughter
for nothing. She had inherited a lot of his grit and determination.    

Skinny
tipped back the brim of his battered hat as she rode up beside him.

“Lexie,” he
said in a deep, gravely voice.

“How’s it
going?”

He
settled deeper into his saddle, the leather creaking, the gelding shifting on
his feet. “We’ll start bringing em’ down in a while,” he said tightly. Her
pride felt the scrape of his tone but she pushed it down. Skinny never liked it
when she asked him questions about his job. Asking questions was a right that
had been reserved for her father only.
No wonder the man had never married.
No
woman would have been able to stand him. She wanted to tell him so, but
couldn’t afford to knock heads with him now because she needed him too much.

She
swallowed the words fighting to push out of her throat. “My father had every
faith in you and so do I.”

He
turned his head and lifted one corner of his mouth in a smirk. His hard black
eyes watched her like a hawk. “No use trying to sweet talk me into staying.”

Determination
welled inside her. Sweet talk wasn’t what she had in mind. Lexie reached into
the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a piece of paper. Without taking
her eyes from Skinny’s face, she handed it to him.

He
looked at the newspaper clipping fluttering in the wind, like it was a rattle
snake ready to strike. The paper made a rasping noise against the leather of
her gloves. Silence stretched between them. Only the sounds of the wind and the
cows cropping grass were heard.

     Skinny’s lips
thinned even more than they already were. He turned his head in a jerky motion
and gazed out at the herd. A soft growl rose from his throat. Lexie knew she
had him. Blackmail was such an ugly word but emotional blackmail was even worse.
She hated having to use it against him but now was not the time for her
conscience to overrule her heart. She had to keep the ranch no matter what and
Skinny was a major part of her keeping it.

Lexie
folded the article and put it back into her pocket. She didn’t have to remind
him what it said. If it weren’t for her father, Skinny Martin would be serving
time for manslaughter.

After
a moment, Skinny turned. He lifted his chin and grimaced. “Okay. But after
this, your daddy and I are even.” With those last words he turned his horse and
trotted away.

Lexie
heaved a sigh of relief. The cows moved at a steady pace across the pasture, the
low mooing filled the air; their massive hooves crushed the grass beneath their
feet.

She
clucked to Aspen and turned him south toward the barn. A cow swung her big head
around and rammed her leg. The force of the blow made Aspen shy and sent her
flying from his back.

Lexie
hit the ground hard. She rolled over onto her knees, pushed her hands into the
earth and lifted her gaze. A cow's chest, powerful legs and hooves headed
straight for her.

# # #

Mitch
brought the truck to an abrupt halt. He'd picked Dani up from school and left
her in Hattie's capable hands to see if he could help Lexie. What he didn’t
expect to see was her rolling away from a cow's path and pushing to her feet.

He
leaped from the truck and rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"

She
smiled. "I'm fine.” She brushed bits of grass and dirt from her jeans. "I
haven't fallen from a horse since I was eight.”

He
helped her to her feet but kept his arm around her until he was sure she was
steady on her pins. How could she be smiling at a time like this? She'd scared
the bejesus out of him. "When's the last time you were trampled by a
cow?"

She
threw him an amused look and shook her head. "Not for at least a week.” She
started toward Aspen who stood placidly by nipping at tufts of grass.

In
two steps he was at her side. Mitch laid a hand on her shoulder turning her
slightly toward him. "It's not funny. You could have been seriously hurt
or worse.” God, he didn't want to think about a cow's hooves bruising her body
or breaking some of her bones.

Lexie
frowned and searched his face. "I'm okay, really. Don't worry. Where's
Dani by the way?"

"With
Hattie. Would you like me to ride Aspen back and you take the truck?”  He
watched Lexie settle onto her horse. She winced as she plopped into the saddle.
Absently, she rubbed her thigh before she looked up and saw him. Cows milled
around them while Aspen stood quietly, his tail blowing in the stiffening
breeze.

"No,
I'm okay. I'll meet you back at the house."

Lexie
tugged on the reins of her bridle and started to move away. Mitch reached out
and clasped her hands holding the reins. They were covered in supple suede and
the warmth of her skin seeped through the leather into his palms. A shiver ran
down his spine and desire to feel his hands on her again curled in her stomach.

“Lexie,
I meant what I said. I want to help you."

Lexie
moved the horse back a few steps to dislodge her hands from his hold. "Are
you sure it's me you want--and not just the ranch?"

She whirled
Aspen around and trotted toward the barn.

The wind swept the hat from her head, but the
strings attached to the band kept it from being blown away. Her hair sprang
free and flew out from her head like a silken flag. He couldn't imagine her
living anywhere else but this ranch. So how did that affect his plans to buy it?

Chapter Eight

Lexie
stretched out her legs on Dani’s bed and kept reading, but anxiety danced up
her spine. Outside, a storm with driving wind and rain lashed the house. The
valley had been really dry during the summer and she’d worried about forest
fires from unexpected lightning strikes, or the toss of a cigarette onto dry
brush by a careless camper. But now, with all this rain there was a good chance
the Puma River that twisted and flowed across the ranch would rise and overflow
its banks.

The
cattle often panicked in weather like this, running blindly through fences or
getting caught in swift flowing streams. She shuddered. She couldn’t afford to
lose any cattle because she needed all of them to take to market if she
expected to keep the ranch.

After
Dani fell asleep, she’d get in the truck and go check on things. Hattie planned
to sleep over tonight anyway because of the storm. The light on Dani's
nightstand flickered several times.

"Mama,
what’s wrong with the light?"

She
reached over and touched Dani’s head then she lightly kissed her on the temple.
"Just the weather, honey. Don’t worry."

Toby
lay at the foot of the bed. He lifted his small head. His black eyes stared
anxiously at the window for a moment, before he lowered his head once again to
rest on his front paws. Lexie closed her book and lay it aside.

"Will
you stay with me for a little while?”  Dani asked and laid her head on Lexie’s shoulder.

Lexie
smiled and smoothed a hand over Dani's head. "Sure, honey.” She scrunched
down into the covers and pulled Dani close to her side.