Sunday morning passed much too quickly. The other parents started arriving at noon, and the teens put on a show.
They started slowly, riding their horses around the ring, first walking, followed by a fast walk, a trot and a canter.
Under an increasingly ominous-looking sky, they then executed perfect figure eights, turning their mounts in various exercises. Best of all, the four looked proud and happy. It might have been parental pride, but Lauren thought her Julie outshone the others. That, though, wasn’t the purpose of the program.
The goal had been to build confidence in the riders, and she watched the results. There was an assurance about them that was impressive.
Her gaze kept moving toward Reese. He was everywhere, encouraging the kids as they went through their routines and then praising them when they finished.
She knew the next steps in the program from the information she’d received. They would continue to gain confidence, practice the different gaits and gain more control of their horses. They would leave the paddock for longer rides, both in groups, and with their buddy. And, more exciting to them, start working with the mustangs.
After the riding exhibition, Reese explained the next steps to the parents: the introduction of their teen to a mustang while continuing to build their horsemanship skills. “The mustangs will be in different pens. One teen will be assigned to each horse. They’ll spend a minimum of four hours a day with their mustang. Your son or daughter can read, sing or talk to the mustangs.
“The first success will come when the horse approaches their new friend and accepts carrots from them. There will always be a trained ranch hand nearby.
“So far,” he continued, “only myself and my foreman have interacted with the mustangs. We provided food and water but they still run from us. But for some reason no one really understands, the mustangs relate to younger humans.”
Lauren knew there was more to it than that. From all her reading on the subject, she learned wild horses seemed to respond especially well to humans with emotional or physical wounds. They sense a need that calms their fears.
Reese continued, “When the teen’s mustang loses the fear of him or her, it makes it easier for one of the experienced horsemen to start training the horse, first with the halter, followed by a blanket, then harness and saddle, then to walk on a lead and finally tolerate a rider. Your teen will be learning training techniques as well as riding ability.”
The families scattered then as each teen took his or her family to the stable to meet their horse.
After giving the families time to visit, it was nearly three when Reese announced the cookout was ready, after which there would be a brief ceremony awarding each of the students a silver horseshoe pin for succeeding in the first phase of basic horsemanship.
A buffet meal was set out on tables in front of the main house. As Lauren approached, she found a large pot of chili, a large salad heavily loaded with different greens, tomatoes, olives and other veggies, homemade fresh, hot bread and a giant platter of sliced roast beef. Apple pie rounded out the meal.
Lauren noted with amazement that her daughter took a big bowl of chili and turned back to her. “This is the best chili ever,” Julie said, as she dumped a pile of salad and roast beef onto her plate.
Lauren couldn’t remember when her daughter had selected so much, not even when she was running and needed calories, and especially not since the accident. Lauren heaped her plate as well and discovered why Julie’s appetite had improved.
Her daughter was already brimming over with horse lore as she ate. She’d always been a good student and now she was bursting with newly discovered information. “Did you know that you can tell whether a horse is in a relaxed, playful mood rather than an impulsive, survive-at-any-cost mood?” she asked her mother.
“I did not,” Lauren admitted.
“When he’s relaxed, his neck and head are level,” she said. “The eyes are soft and curious. When he’s scared, adrenaline rushes through him. His body is tense and braced, his head and neck are elevated, his nostrils are flared and his eyes are open wide. Our job,” she added proudly, “is to relax our horse so the trainer can work.”
Lauren hadn’t seen her daughter so animated since she’d won a major track race. Her eyes fairly sparkled. The change in her was startling. She saw similar conversations were transpiring between the other families.
She talked to several of the other families as they finished the meal. They had a lot in common. All were military families who had lost a husband or wife, mom or dad.
Tony’s mother was the most talkative. As soon as her son left the table to talk with another boy, she boasted about her son’s newly acquired skills. “I’m so glad he’s found something he likes,” the woman said. “He’s not one for schoolwork, but he’s real excited about working with horses.”
Reese joined the group then with a young man at his side. “This is Nathan,” he said. “My nephew. He was herding cattle last Sunday but he’s here to stay and help throughout the program now.”
Nathan nodded to her. “You have an equestrian here, Mrs. MacInnes,” he said to Lauren, “and that’s despite the fact she can’t really use her left leg with the horse. They seem to understand each other.”
Julie beamed as he smiled at her. He was a good-looking boy who had the same dark eyes and rangy build as his uncle.
Lauren tried to push a sudden concern aside and move the conversation to new territory. “The food was delicious but there was a lot of it,” she said.
“Between the guests, the kids and the staff, it’ll be gone before you can blink,” Reese said. “There’s more that has gone to the bunkhouse.”
“How do the boys like the bunkhouse?” Lauren asked.
“They love it. Not too many kids can say they stayed in a real Western bunkhouse and trained mustangs.”
“It doesn’t bother your cowhands?”
He shook his head. “Gives them a chance to show off,” he said, “and be big brothers for a month.”
Just as he said the words, thunder roared through the valley and a few raindrops started falling.
“Let’s get everything inside,” Sally said. “Storms up here come fast and strong.” Without being asked, the teens and parents immediately started taking in food and stacking the chairs and taking them to the barn.
Tony’s and Jenny’s parents had driven up together from Denver and decided to leave immediately.
Heath’s uncle asked if he could stay overnight in the bunkhouse since he had a longer drive by himself. Reese readily agreed and turned to Lauren. “I think you should stay, too. That road can be slippery and difficult in a storm. We have several spare bedrooms.”
She hesitated. She didn’t have any clothes with her other than what she was wearing. But when she looked back at the angry sky, she knew she didn’t want to go down that winding road in a driving rain, particularly when it was dark.
That meant, though, spending more time with her daughter, and Reese. Not wise, but she didn’t have much of a choice. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll take you up on that, but I don’t have anything else with me.”
“I think we can fill in a few items,” Reese said. “We’ve been known to have guests snowed in, and we keep emergency packages for them. Just simple things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo. Sally has extra jackets you can use. It could get colder tonight. If you want to help, you can keep the kids occupied. All my people will be busy, and it can get scary in the house when the thunder roars.”
She wasn’t sure at all whether that was a good idea. Her only experience with kids was her daughter and she hadn’t been great at that. But she nodded her head. “I can do that. What about you?”
“I’m going to help my crew get the horses inside their stalls. Several of my guys will probably have to go out tonight to calm the cattle if the weather takes a turn for the worse,” Reese said as he pulled on a long yellow raincoat with a split in back.
“I should call the inn. The way news spreads in town, someone might worry if I simply disappear in a rainstorm. Apparently, everyone looks after everyone else, and since the poker game, I’m one of them.”
“I doubt there’s any cell service now. You can use the office computer to send an email. Hopefully, it will be working. We’ve been having some problems with it.”
“About the kids,” she reminded him, “the only game I know is poker.”
“So teach them,” he said. “It’s something every kid needs to know for future reference.”
“Can I keep the proceeds?”
He chuckled. “Depends on what you play for.”
“I have complete freedom?”
“I’ll trust your good judgment.”
“Do you have chips and cards?”
“That’s like asking a pro football player if he has a football.”
“You’re that good?”
“Remember I’ve played in Covenant Falls, too.”
“What about Heath’s uncle?” she asked.
“Sally will look after him.”
“And your nephew?”
“He’ll be working with us. Which reminds me I have to go.”
“Be careful!”
He nodded. It was obvious he was worried.
She went inside and watched from the window as ranch hands brought horses in from several paddocks situated around the ranch as the thunder grew louder and took them into two different stables. The mustangs had already been driven inside their stable earlier in the day because of the visitors.
Lauren went into the kitchen where Sally and Betty were putting food away and making a huge urn of coffee. “These sudden summer storms can be bad,” Sally said.
“Why put all the horses in the stables?”
“We always do when there’s thunder. Some are easily frightened by storms, particularly if there’s lightning. You get one running, and the others might follow and crash through fences.”
She nodded.
“Betty can finish up. Let me show you your room.”
Lauren followed Sally up a flight of stairs.
“Julie and Jenny—the boys are calling them the Two Js—are to the left,” Sally said. “They have adjoining rooms connected by a bathroom. You’ll be to the right. A bathroom is next door and you’ll be the only one using it.”
Sally opened a door and stood aside as Lauren went inside. The room was like much of the ranch. Simple. Homey. The large bed was covered with a thick comforter. A window overlooked the stables. The bathroom next door had both a bathtub with a shower fixture and plenty of fluffy towels.
It looked inviting. She only wished she had come prepared for an overnight stay, but how did you predict a sudden mountain storm? She did have her purse. After Sally left, Lauren washed her face and hands and wished she had something else to wear.
She went back downstairs. The living room was spacious and furnished for comfort rather than fashion. Big cushy chairs and a plush sofa large enough to comfortably seat six people occupied the center of the room. A huge fireplace took up one corner and a bookcase in another. Two game tables with chairs were placed next to large windows that looked out over the barn and meadow in back of the house.
She went to one of the windows. Although it was only a little after five, the room was darkening. Great bulbous clouds churned above, and rain was coming down hard now. She saw figures outside taking horses into the barn. In the distance she saw a streak of lightning.
“Reese said you wanted to contact the inn,” Sally said. She led Lauren out of the living room and two more doors down. “This is the office. The landline is working, so you might try that. The computer can be a little stubborn sometimes.”
Lauren looked around. It was a medium-size room. Lauren noted file cabinets covering one side and a bookcase filled with stimulating titles such as Ranch Management, Today’s Ranching and A Hard Look at Today’s Cowboy. There were also neatly stacked piles of folders on a table next to the computer.
“Thanks,” she said.
“When you get through, why don’t you join me in the kitchen for a cup of coffee.”
“Reese asked if I could help out with the teens.”
“That would be terrific. All the ranch hands are busy, and I’ll be, as well. Oh, and will you need any clothes tonight?”
She could live with what she had for a day or two. She’d certainly done it as a cadet and pilot.
“I’m fine with a new toothbrush,” she said. “But I do need a deck of cards or two if you have them.”
“Cards are in a compartment of the game table,” Sally replied. “As far as clothes go, I’ll put a duster in your room. We can wash your clothes tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“Good.”
After Sally left, Lauren tried the landline and reached the inn. She reported her situation. Then she tried the computer, and it worked. She found her purse, took out several bills along with a quarter, a nickel and a dime. She photographed each with her cell phone, and emailed the images to herself, then played with them on the computer. She made the coins larger. She added color, the coins being bronze and the bills being green. Then she printed copies of them. She cut out the dollar bills and then carefully cut the quarters into squares and the dimes and nickels into smaller squares to represent those coins.
They were paper, of course, but at least they represented the originals.
Sally returned with a cup of coffee. “Since you were busy, I thought I would bring coffee to you.” She glanced at the computer-produced money. “You did that? On the computer?”
“Sure. You want to join us? There’s more than enough money, and I can always make more.”
Sally grinned. “I’m tempted but I think it should just be the four. It should have been their night and I suspect you’ll make a great dealer. I also have a lot of cold, wet people needing coffee and food.”
“You think it’s okay to play poker?” Lauren asked. She’d worried that it might be inappropriate. It was, though, one of the few games she knew.
Sally shrugged. “It’s a game. You don’t keep people from watching football because people gamble on it. It might not hurt if you threw in a few precautionary notes.”
Lauren nodded. Sally left, and Lauren picked up the money and walked into the game room. The teens apparently had been told to meet there, and they looked up at her expectantly, all except her daughter, who looked as if she wanted to hide under the nearest cushion.
It was Tony who spoke first. “I heard you were a fighter pilot. Are there many women fighter pilots?”
“There’s a growing number of us,” she said.
“Why did you decide to be one?” Jenny asked softly.
“I liked to fly,” she said. “A very nice pilot took me up in a small plane one day when I was a bit younger than you, and I decided I belonged there. The best way to do that was through the Air Force Academy.”
“My mom was a helicopter pilot,” Jenny offered.
“You should be very proud of her,” Lauren said. “The chopper pilots have the most dangerous jobs and are incredibly brave,” she added. “They come and rescue us when we go down, no matter how dangerous it is. No one has more respect for chopper pilots than fixed wing pilots.” She looked around the table. “You all should be proud of your parents.” She brought them to a different topic. “Okay, who has the best horse here?”
As she expected they all raised their hands. “Okay, I know about Snowflake. Tony, who did you pick and why?”
“Andy,” he said. “He made little eager snorting noises, and he nuzzled me even before I picked him. It was kinda like ‘I want you.’”
She turned to Heath. “Heath?”
“My horse is Checkers,” he said. “I picked him because he was a black-and-white mustang. He’s a really good horse now. He was one of the wild mustangs the last kids worked with.”
“Jenny?”
“I picked Cindy for Cinderella. She looked...shy.”
“And quite pretty,” Lauren said. “I watched you today. You were really good. All of you were.”
Her daughter raised her eyebrows with that “do you have to do that?” look.
Lauren ignored it. “Well, from what I saw today, you all picked winners. You looked great, a lot better than I looked a few days ago when I took a riding lesson.”
They were beginning to relax. She made her next pitch. “I know this was supposed to be a celebration tonight for all your hard work, but I guess the sky is celebrating for you with its fireworks,” she said.
“With a wet blanket,” quipped Heath.
“Ah, we have a comic,” Lauren said. She tipped her head. “That was really pretty clever.”
Heath beamed.
“Since the celebration is temporarily postponed,” she said, “does anyone have an idea of what game you want to play? Scrabble, maybe?”
As she expected, no one looked excited other than her daughter. She suspected Julie had already outplayed them all. “Or,” she added, “we can play hearts.”
“That’s lame,” Heath contributed. “What about something interesting like poker?”
He meant it as a joke. She’d hoped someone would pop up with it so she wouldn’t have to.
“That’s a possibility,” she said slowly. “I just happen to have some money with me.”
“I like hearts,” Jenny said.
“Poker,” Julie said. “My dad taught me.”
Lauren was stunned. It was said easily. Without tears. And with pride. It was the first time Julie had mentioned Dane without tearing up.
“Tony?” Lauren asked.
Tony glanced at Jenny, and Lauren wondered whether a teen relationship was forming. “I guess I have to say poker,” he finally said.
“That okay with you, Jenny?”
“I don’t know how to play.”
“I’ll help you, then,” Lauren said. “And since I would probably get arrested if you played with real money, I manufactured some on the computer down the hall. Just in case you wanted to play.” She passed out ten dollars in paper money to each of the teens.
“Whoever is the big winner,” she said, “has bragging rights.”
“That’s all?” Heath asked.
“And learn or improve a skill,” she added. “It comes in handy. The idea, though, is it’s a social game. I played Monday night in an all-veteran Covenant Falls poker game. I didn’t know anyone when I went in. I had fifteen friends when I came out. I modestly say I won. Guess how much?”
They went through numbers, ranging from fifty to a hundred.
“About seven dollars, but the real thing I won was three hours of pleasure and new friendships. Okay?”
As rain beat against the windows, and lightning darted across the sky, the four teenagers became absorbed in the game. Lauren played the role of dealer and helped Jenny. Sally brought in some munchies and lemonade, which seemed to be her go-to drink. The game broke up at ten when Reese came in, Leo by his side. The latter went around the table, greeting each one and shaking water all over them. No one seemed to mind.
Reese was soaked when he came into the room. Water dripped from his mussed hair. He’d taken off his boots but his socks were wet as were the legs of his jeans.
Reese looked at the fake money lying on the game table. “What is this?”
“We’re playing poker,” Heath said. “Mrs. MacInnes made the money on the computer.”
“You did this? How?” he asked her as he picked up one of the dollars.
“I used my cell phone to take photos of money in my wallet,” she said, “and played around with them on the computer. I hope that was okay. Sally thought it was a good idea.”
He furrowed his brows, uttered something that might have had a “damn” in it.
“I hope that wasn’t wrong,” she said anxiously.
“No,” he said. “I’m just surprised. Who’s winning?”
“I am,” Jenny said quietly. The boys looked abashed but, to Lauren’s delight, her daughter just nodded her head and smiled.
Lauren felt a satisfaction she’d not felt in a long time. The teens are turning into a team.
Reese stood there, dripping. “I have bad news,” he said.
They all looked at him.
“We’ll have to cancel meeting the mustangs tomorrow.”
Faces fell.
“The rain is beginning to flood one of our pastures. We have to take cattle to a higher one tonight. It’ll take most of the ranch hands and we’ll be out all night and most of tomorrow. They’re getting ready now.”
He paused, then looked at the boys and added, “You can sleep in the house tonight. You can get your stuff, and Sally will show you the room. The bunkhouse will be pretty busy. Heath, your dad will stay here, as well. He’s helping out in the kitchen.
“I’m not sure how we’ll handle tomorrow,” he continued. “I doubt the instructors will get here. I’m hoping Sally and Burt Ames, one of our best riders, can work with you in the riding barn in back of the house. It appears the rain will last most of tomorrow.”
The teens looked disappointed but nodded.
It was obviously a message to leave. The teens said good-night and filed out. Julie waited until the others left and grinned at her. “Good job, Mom,” she said as she left the room.
Reese lingered as they left. “Well, that poker game was obviously a big hit,” he said, sitting next to her. “It was better than anything I would propose. I would have gone with some kid’s game...and they would have been bored to death and worried about the horses.”
She felt better about her choice. “It’s going to be a rough night for you, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “I’m afraid so,” he said. “It’s going to be a hard rain all night. That damn thunder’s the big problem, though, particularly with the cattle. They’re apt to run and crash through fences and then there’s the flooding. I’m just sorry for the kids. I know how much they’ve been anticipating meeting their mustangs.”
“I could see the disappointment on their faces when you told them, but you did want them to experience ranch life,” Lauren said. “They should know this is part of it.”
He hesitated. “I hate to ask, but can you stay over tomorrow and look after them? Sally and Betty will be busy getting food to us, and you seem to have a way with the kids.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Not that I know of,” she said. “Julie was always her father’s daughter. She and I have never...communicated like she did with Dane.”
“That’s not what I’ve seen,” he said. “She talks about you frequently. She’s very proud of you.”
That can’t be right. “That’s good to hear, but...”
He put a finger on her lips, then put his arms around her, his fingers kneading the back of her neck. She found herself leaning into him. She looked up into his face, unable to take her gaze away.
“You have no idea how delectable you looked when you were concentrating on that poker game with the kids.”
She furrowed her brow in puzzlement. “Why?”
“You give everything in you to whatever you’re doing at the time. Even a poker game with kids. You went to the trouble of creating the money, and damn, I’m still not sure how you did it.”
Her heart beat faster. He’d seemed the essence of strength and confidence, and yet in the past few minutes he’d seemed somehow vulnerable. He bent his head, and his lips met hers. Every nerve in her started to tingle. The kiss deepened, taking on a wild, fierce quality that made everything else fade into nothingness.
She closed her eyes, letting herself know sensuality again for the first time in more than sixteen months. It felt right. But was it right? How could she feel so strongly about a man she barely knew? She swallowed hard and eased back.
His dark eyes searched hers. “Too soon?” he asked as he dropped his hands from her back and pushed back a curl that had fallen on her forehead.
She didn’t reply. His warmth felt too good, the concern in his eyes too caring. Instead, she leaned into him to feel the hard planes of his body, the strength that was there. She stayed there as his arms went around her again.
“I don’t know,” she said bluntly. “I’m attracted to you. Obviously. But I feel like I’m jumping off a cliff without knowing how deep the chasm is.”
“It can be very deep,” he replied slowly as he played with a ringlet of her hair. “I love this ranch and I love the mountains. I love the winters, but they can be long, cold and lonely for someone who is accustomed to living in a city.”
It was then she saw grief engraved in his face.
It disappeared so quickly she thought she might have imagined it. He stood and gave her a hand up. “I like you, Mrs. MacInnes. I like you very much. Too much, I’m afraid. It confuses me,” he added with a crooked smile.
“Me, too,” she said. “When the storm clears, I should leave...”
“Don’t make any decisions now,” he said. He reached down and kissed her forehead. Gently. Comfortingly. “I should get back. We have a long night ahead.”
She was wordless as he moved away. She didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay and persuade her. Hells bells, she didn’t know what she wanted. Her feelings were all mixed up.
So much for the cool, confident pilot she had been.
“Thanks for what you did with the kids tonight,” he said gently. “They will be telling their friends for years that they played poker with a fighter pilot.”
She smiled. “You’re going now?”
“We’ll grab something to eat,” he said. “Both Chet and I will be out all night. If there’s as much thunder and lightning as I’m afraid there might be, it’s going to be rough. Cows don’t like thunder, and the flooding looks bad.”
He touched her chin and their gazes met. She felt hypnotized by his dark eyes. “We really do need you for the next several days.”
“I...I’ll do what I can. But you...”
“You’ll stay?”
“As long as I’m needed,” she said. “Stay safe.”
She caught herself then. It was always what she and Dane told each other when scheduled for a flight.
“I will.” He gave her a crooked smile, then walked out. The room suddenly felt cold.
She walked over and peered out a window. She watched for several minutes before she saw him leave the house and mount a horse Chet was holding for him. He was in the long rain duster with the brim of his hat pulled down to protect his eyes from the rain that was driving down steadily.
She kept watching while he and seven other men disappeared into the rain.