“HOWDY, JACK!” NAN waved at him from a table beside the windows lining one of the walls in the ranch’s private dining room for staffers. The thick, greasy scent of a breakfast buffet wafted in the room and a line of domed warming trays, overflowing with food, steamed at the far end. Staff sat shoulder to shoulder, chattering and laughing, at rectangular tables. Neither Sam nor Tanya were in sight. “Come join me.”
He ambled over, doing his best to ignore the forks pausing in midair as he passed, the wide eyes. Some of the wranglers he’d met yesterday gave him curt nods. “Good morning, Nan. You’re looking lovely.”
She swatted the air and shook her head. “Don’t waste your flattery on me.” She shot him a though-the-lashes look. “Though it is appreciated.”
He chuckled. Charmed, despite his unease at being around so many people. He’d hoped to grab something quick and head out to tack his horses. “Looks like a fine day.”
“Good weather to kick off the season.” Nan’s white topknot bobbed as she nodded, smiling. “Diane put on quite the spread for the employees on their first day. You should grab some corn bread.” She held up a golden square and the buttery smell made his stomach grumble.
“Now that I can’t refuse.” Suddenly the idea of sticking around gained merit.
Nan was a gold mine of information about the history of the dude ranch and its employees. He could probably learn more from listening to her than he could spending days pouring over employee records, a task high on his to-do list, and he needed help. He hadn’t picked up anyone’s trail as he’d finished searching the upper quadrant of the grid he’d made of the property. Something inside him screwed tighter, tighter at every minute that passed without him finding his quarry. “Can I get you anything?”
“Aren’t you sweet. I’m really quite full, but since you’re on your way, maybe just a little something.” Her lashes fluttered. “Three pieces of bacon, a couple of sausage links and a scoop of hash browns.”
“Is that all? Can’t let all that food go to waste, now,” he couldn’t help but add, keeping his face neutral. It’d been a long time since he’d talked for the fun of it; he’d forgotten how good it felt.
“Well…make that two scoops of hash browns!” She made a shooing motion and he joined the buffet line, beating back an impolite grin, and grabbed two plates.
A young woman, wearing the largest Stetson he’d ever seen, scooted ahead and turned. Her heavily made-up face reminded him of the ceramic dolls his mother collected, and her enormous blue eyes shone up at him, sincere and avid. No shrinking violet here. “You’re our new wrangler, right?”
“Jackson Cade.”
“Jori Lynn Daniels.” She held out a pair of tongs, laughed, then thrust her hand out, instead. He shook it. “I’m a wrangler, too, but in the off season I’m a student at CU Boulder. Planning on being an architect.”
She placed a few bacon strips on her plate and shuffled down the line. “Always knew that was what I wanted to be ever since we built this tree house that fell down on account of a tornado and broke my Barbie Jeep. I never did get another one, though I cried and cried. Maybe that’s why I plan on owning a pink car someday. I’ll sell Mary Kay if I have to. Hey, you ever build a tree house before?”
He felt a bit motion sick as she switched topics, and she rushed on without waiting for an answer. “They’re the best places in the world to be alone and just think. The silence. I just love it.” She chattered on without the least bit of irony.
After scooping up scrambled eggs, she handed him the serving spoon. “Yep. Peace and quiet—it can’t be beat.” She nudged a tall fellow ahead of her with a mess of hair that looked like it’d gotten into a fight with a brush and won. “Isn’t that right, Blake?”
He turned and rolled his eyes at her. “Wouldn’t know with you around.”
“Hey,” she protested, pouting. “Blake, this is Jack, our new wrangler.”
“Nice to meet you.” Blake flashed a peace sign, then his huge smile froze as his eyes lifted from Jori Lynn and settled on Jack’s face, sticking there for a long minute before the girl cleared her throat.
“Same,” Jack answered, ladling potatoes next to his bacon and eggs as well as onto the plate he was making for Nan. He turned away to hide his cheek, sparing the kid.
“Blake was at Oklahoma State, but he dropped out like an idiot because some dumb girl broke up with him. Why do men always go for the ones who don’t really want them?” She drew out the question and something seemed to pass between the youngsters, a charged silence. The young man muttered something under his breath and left the line.
“Well. Any who…” She speared a couple of sausage patties and handed over the fork. When he reached for the pan, his shirtsleeve rode up and he heard her gasp. “Hey! Nice ink.” She lowered her voice and poured batter into a waffle maker. “Though we’re not supposed to show them around here. The Mays are really conservative and Dani is…”
“Right here,” came the spunky voice that immediately made his pulse pick up. “You were saying?”
Dani’s freckled nose scrunched and for an insane moment, he wanted to dab a bit of the whipped cream sitting beside the waffle maker on its tip.
Jori Lynn waved at the steam rising off the waffle maker when she lifted its lid. “Oooh. It just got hot all up in here.”
“I bet,” drawled Dani, and she shot the cheeky wrangler an indulgent look as she hustled away. “Looks like you’re already making friends.”
“Getting my ear talked off, more like.” He felt himself staring into those hazel eyes that seemed to shift and change colors every time he looked at them. One minute they were green with some brown, the next a yellow-green, then olive, then green again with bronze-gold.
“That’s what makes Jori Lynn one of our best wranglers. You need to talk to people. As in more than one syllable at a time. Cough-cough.” Dani slid a sausage patty atop a mountain of eggs, the only feasible spot given that every inch of her plate was already full with the most outrageous combinations. Jelly on top of bacon…?
“Right.” He waited for his waffle to finish and caught her sprinkling something over her cream cheese bagel.
“Are those Froot Loops?”
“Yeah. You want some?” She grinned, unapologetic, that brash, in-your-face attitude of hers making the tension in his shoulders uncoil, his gut warm.
“What do you recommend I put them on?” The timer dinged and he retrieved his breakfast.
“They’d make a good waffle topping,” she proclaimed in that first-testament tone of hers that made him smile.
He placed the waffle on his plate, poured syrup over it and sprinkled fruit loops on top. Warm, sweet steam puffed around him. “Never considered the combination.”
“Stick with me, kid, and you’ll learn lots.” She twirled an imaginary moustache, the goofy gesture endearing, her shining eyes taking his breath away.
“About Froot Loops?” he repeated, skeptical, trying to keep her here, glad they’d be riding together later.
“You can never know enough about your basic breakfast cereals.” She shot him a sassy grin and strode away, cutlery in hand, napkins left behind.
“Hey, uh, you done with the cereal?”
“Oh,” he started, realized he’d been staring at Dani and moved off the line. “It’s yours.”
He watched Nan flag down Dani and the strawberry blonde slid into a seat opposite the woman. A moment later, he joined them, sitting close enough that the sides of their legs touched, knees bumping. Dani was saying something about not being able to find Tanya, and Nan looking concerned.
When she glanced over at him, the line between her brows lessened. “Oh, thank you, darlin’.” Nan took the plate he slid her and tucked into the hash browns.
“Is that unusual?” He handed Dani the napkins he’d grabbed. “Shouldn’t Tanya be here, cooking?”
Dani spread the paper on her lap, her movements jerky. “Sometimes she takes a break when the food comes out but I didn’t see her up at her house and she’s not in the kitchen.”
“Never known that girl to miss a day of work.” Nan fidgeted with her beaded necklace. “According to Diane, Tanya’s under the weather. Sure hope she’s okay.”
“I hope so, too.” Dani stared down at her plate. “I’ll check in on her when I get back from my tour this afternoon.”
Nan chewed off the end of a bacon slice, considering, then pointed the lower half at him. “So tell me a little about yourself, Jack. You look like a man of mystery and I love solving them. Always thought I would have made a good sleuth. No one ever notices the little old lady reading in the corner.”
She chortled to herself and Dani laughed. He was taken by the soft roundness of her face, at the way she smiled when she liked something, with her lips just turned up at the corners, at the way she smelled, like the Christmas cookies he used to snatch as a boy, warm off the pan.
Looks were the least interesting thing about her, though. She worked hard at her job, evidenced by the customized itinerary sheet she’d passed him, one of the many he spotted other wranglers stuffing into pockets or reading as they ate breakfast. Guest preferences took top priority, but she also considered her staff and even the horses, if the specific lineup she’d given him, matching mount to rider and putting them in order, was evidence. Despite what must be a hectic first day of the season, she’d also taken time to check in on her friend and sit with Nan.
He liked Dani Crawford, a woman who could go from goofy to deadly in the blink of an eye.
Yes. He liked her a lot.
But nothing could come of those feelings, he firmly reminded himself, crushing down the happiness she gave him. What right did he have to one moment of it with Jesse gone?
“Not much to tell.” He was always uncomfortable at recounting his life, wondering how to begin a story without a happy ending.
“Oh, Jack’s being modest.” Dani slapped him on the arm. “He’s a juggler. You should see him with apples, though I’d like to see what he could do with bigger fruits… Pineapples? Watermelons? Pomegranates?” She tapped her chin.
Nan lowered her glass of orange juice. “You mean professionally?”
“I think it’s more of a hobby.” Dani ignored the dirty look he shot her, shrugged, and bit into a peach. She was so pretty with her hair pulled up in a high ponytail that swung in a curl at her shoulder blades. “And he’s also a roper. He’s working with Milly and planning to ride her in the show this week if Mr. Graham doesn’t take her.”
“Well, now, that’s a thing.” Nan shot him an approving look that reminded him of how his mother used to look at him—before. He glanced down fast, his throat swelling. “I’m sure Larry and Diane will be appreciative, since I overheard Mr. Graham’s call this morning. Milly doesn’t have another home to go to. And since she’s too old to be bred, the Mays might have to make a tough call…” Nan sniffled and looked away.
“No!” Dani frowned and she smacked the side of her fist on the table, making her plate jump.
He steadied her tipping cup of juice. “I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Dani brought up her napkin and pressed it to her eyes, nodding, unable to speak, it seemed. The need to save Milly, for the horse’s sake, and Dani’s, powered through him.
Nan reached across the table and patted Dani’s arm. “See? Jack will take care of it.”
“Thank you, Jack,” Dani said, then lowered the napkin, her wobbly smile plucking at his heart.
He forced his eyes away from her. “Have you worked here a long time?” He cut into his waffle and lifted a dripping mouthful, Froot Loops sliding on top. The sweeter-than-sweet bite made his back teeth ache, but he forced it down when Dani hit him with an I-dare-you stare.
“All my life.” Nan nibbled on a corn bread slice, her expression far away. “My mother got into trouble, as they used to say in the day, and Larry’s parents were kind enough to take her on. Of course, it didn’t hurt that they’d just lost their cook and my mama made the best green chili this side of the Mexican border. I’ll make it for you one of these days when my arthritis isn’t bothering.”
“That’d be kind of you, though I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble.” Jack swallowed another bite of the cereal-covered waffles and followed it, fast, with a sausage chaser. It really was awful, but with Dani watching, he wouldn’t wimp out.
“No trouble at all,” promised Nan.
“The Mays sound like good people to work for.”
“Oh, yes. We’ve got a lot of return employees every season. Why, Smiley’s uncle, William, he worked here for over forty years.”
At the name, Jack perked up and Dani leaned forward. “I never knew that,” she said.
“Uh-huh. William was the salt of the earth. Smiley’s parents never could control him, or so they said, so they sent their son up here every summer to get him out in the fresh air.” She put a hand to the side of her mouth and lowered her voice. “Or to get him out of their hair. Anyways, he seemed happy enough, and Larry and Diane were glad for Ben to have a playmate. I guess they were a pair.”
“Well. We’d better get going,” Dani said as she stood. “But we’ll stop by and catch up again soon, okay?”
“Y’all have a good day.” Nan trotted out a smile and Jack returned it. He pushed back his chair and hustled after Dani.
He caught up to her at the duck pond.
“You’ll need to cover up that tattoo,” she said out of the side of her mouth, her eyes straight ahead, hair swinging as she walked.
The memory of his brother shot him straight in the chest, the way it should, when he looked at it. “You mentioned that.”
“And you haven’t complied.”
He rolled down his plaid shirtsleeve. “Anything else, ma’am?” he asked.
Her assessing eyes ran over him and every fiber of his nervous system leaped awake.
“You could use a haircut.”
He couldn’t resist pushing back the bangs that hid too much of her eyes. “So could you.”
She snorted as pink rose in her cheeks. “Are you ready for today? We’re heading to a more remote part of the property and into the Pike National Forest. We sometimes encounter park visitors or workers, so there’s no telling who we might see.”
“I intend on scouting for evidence of Smiley as we ride. It’ll give me a starting point for my search this afternoon.”
She studied him for a long moment and nodded slowly, as if coming to some weighty decision. “I’ll be on the lookout.” The corners of her lips twitched when his mouth dropped open.
After a few steps ahead, she turned, adding over her shoulder, “Partner.”