Chapter 7
“Are we almost there yet?” Bo asked for at least the tenth time in ten minutes as he wiggled in the saddle in front of Lottie.
She bit back a sigh. Maybe she should have left the boys at home. The half day’s ride to Turnersville was long, and she hadn’t brought them with her before. It had actually been a while since she’d been into town too. Not since Dray had left and she’d visited her lawyer.
But the boys had begged her to go along this time, mostly because they knew Jameson intended to look for a dog for them. She hadn’t been able to tell them no.
She pressed a kiss to Bo’s head. “It’s right around the bend ahead.”
On the horse beside her, Kace rode silently, glancing over his shoulder at Jameson and imitating him.
Just like Jameson, Kace held himself rigidly in the saddle, peered around, and narrowed his eyes.
He’d tilted his hat at the same angle and even rested one hand on his hip, despite not having a pistol handle to hold.
It was cute. But it was also concerning that the boys were forming an attachment to the man.
She supposed it was only natural that the boys would like Jameson since they’d spent so much time with him while he’d been recovering over the past two weeks.
He’d stayed back at the house and barn while she and Enrique had gone out to check on the cattle.
According to Mimmi, the boys followed Jameson around like puppies pattering after their papa.
Regardless of the instructions to Jameson to rest his arm, he’d worked anyway.
Not only had he repaired all the stalls in the barn that had needed fixing, but he’d mended the corral fence, bolstered the chicken coop and rewired it, replaced rotting boards in the barn roof, and built a new watering trough.
He was more than just handy with tools and repairs. He was an expert at it. That was easy to see. What was also easy to see was that he didn’t want to talk about his skills.
He actually didn’t like talking about much.
He was a man of few words and kept mostly to himself.
He’d insisted on sleeping in the barn, and only came into the house to let Mimmi tend his wound in the morning and to join them for supper in the evening.
The boys kept up most of the conversation at the table, and Jameson was polite enough to answer their questions and engage with them.
But it was also obvious that if he’d had his way, he would have taken his meal outside by himself.
It didn’t matter whether he was reclusive or not. All that really counted was that his presence on the ranch had kept Vinnie and his men away. She’d had a peaceful couple of weeks without any incidents, and she’d finally been able to relax a little.
If only she could have the peace forever. But was such a feat impossible as a lone woman rancher?
“Is Jameson gonna get our doggie right away?” Bo’s question was laced with excitement, and he twisted in the saddle to look back at Jameson.
She’d instructed the boys to address him as Mr. Noble, but Jameson had contradicted her and had the boys calling him by his given name. Even if it was too informal, she’d stopped trying to correct them.
“He’ll look for a doggie.” She wiped at the sweat forming on her brow beneath her bonnet. “But as I told you before we left, he might not be able to find one today.”
She’d donned a skirt, blouse, and bonnet for her ride into town. Since people already talked about her enough, she didn’t want to give them more gossip, which would happen if she showed up wearing men’s clothing.
As she’d walked out of the house at dawn before they’d left, she’d almost decided the outfit was worth the effort when Jameson had done a double-take at the sight of her.
She’d never liked it when ranch hands ogled her. But Jameson had hardly looked over the past couple of weeks, almost as if he was making a concerted effort not to notice she was a woman.
That was fine with her. It was what she wanted, wasn’t it?
Even so, she’d felt a small measure of satisfaction at his reaction to her earlier, perhaps in knowing that he wasn’t immune to her after all. She cleaned up well. More than that, she knew she was naturally beautiful. Like her mother.
Mother had always used her beauty to her advantage. She’d been stunning, with her blond hair, blue eyes, pretty face, and perfectly proportioned body. She’d attracted men like bees to sweet nectar.
Lottie hadn’t understood all that about her mother until recent years.
By that point, Lottie had realized she attracted men too.
Dray had cared about her only for her body.
Well, and because he’d thought he could get the land and money her father had left her.
But he’d realized soon enough that her father’s will was tied up tightly and that no one could have access to her land or money.
Once Dray had figured that out, he’d drifted in and out of her life for a couple of years before finally leaving her for good last year.
Around Christmas, she’d gotten the news from one of his friends that Dray had been tossed from his horse someplace in Kansas and had died.
She hadn’t been sad. She’d just been relieved that he was finally out of her life.
The boys hadn’t been sad either, since they’d barely known their father. He’d been gone so often during their short lives that they had only vague memories of him and couldn’t even remember what he’d looked like.
“Are we there yet?” Bo asked again, lifting up and straining to see beyond the bend.
“Right ahead, buddy.” Lottie kicked her horse into a faster trot. As the grassy wagon path leveled out, the first few buildings of Turnersville came into view.
“Is that it?” he called out.
“That’s it.”
With a wide grin, he hopped up and down in the saddle. “Where are we goin’ first?”
At his excitement, guilt pricked her. Maybe she should have brought the boys to town more often. Had she deprived them by staying so secluded on the ranch? “I need to stop in and talk to my lawyer for a few minutes. After that, we’ll head to the store and get the things on Mimmi’s list.”
“Then Jameson’s gonna get us a doggie?”
Jameson’s horse fell into step beside her and Bo. “We probably won’t be heading home with one today, Bo.”
“Why not?” His smile dimmed.
“Hopefully we’ll get a couple of names of farmers or ranchers in the area who have dogs. Then I’ll have to ride out and visit them another day.”
“Even then,” Lottie cut in, “there are no guarantees we’ll find a dog. Do you understand?”
Bo nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
The grassy path gave way to dirt and gravel on the outskirts of town. From the position of the sun and the growing heat, it would soon be midday. They would have time to shop and then stop by her house in town and rest before heading back.
As they started down Main Street, the familiar businesses and stores lined either side of the wide road. The same painted signs, the same dusty boardwalks, the same scraggly trees. Nothing had changed.
A shudder passed through her, as it usually did.
Beside her, Jameson tugged on his reins. “Everything all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” But was she? She didn’t have many good memories from her years of living in town.
In fact, most of her memories were bad ones.
Few people had liked her father. Even fewer had approved of her mother.
It was only natural that people hadn’t been warm to her either.
Wherever she’d gone, folks had avoided her or looked at her unkindly or spoken behind her back.
She’d never been included in events or parties, especially as she’d gotten older, and she’d never had friends, never had even acquaintances.
The truth was, she’d lived a lonely life. If not for Mimmi, Lottie wasn’t sure how she would have survived. She’d been all too happy to leave Turnersville behind. Now that she was back, she was reminded just why she wanted to stay on her ranch.
A fellow stepped out of the barbershop, smoothed a hand over his neatly trimmed hair, then paused mid-motion at the sight of her, or maybe at the sight of all of them.
His eyes rounded, and he stared a moment before putting on his hat.
Another woman walking with her child paused to gape at them riding past. An older lady at the bank door halted and frowned at Lottie.
The woman’s face was vaguely familiar, but Lottie had never learned many names.
Hadn’t needed to since she hadn’t associated with anyone.
At the sight of the lawyer’s office sign, she veered toward it, trying to ignore the curious attention she was drawing. As she reined in, she held Bo a little tighter than she needed to.
Was she hoping to shield him from her shame? The reputation that followed her everywhere she went?
Maybe that was why she hadn’t brought the children into town yet, because she wanted to protect them as long as possible from being shunned the same way she’d been.
Whatever the case, she was here now, and she had to make the best of the trip.
As she started to shift in her saddle, strong hands reached up and grasped Bo.
“I’ve got you, little man.” Jameson had already dismounted and lifted Bo down to the ground.
Lottie swung her leg like she usually did when wearing men’s trousers, and in the process, she tangled her foot. She’d forgotten she was in a skirt.
She tugged at the material but slipped off-balance.
In the next instant, Jameson gripped her waist and was assisting her down.
His hands on her body felt good. Too good. “I can do it myself.”
He didn’t say anything but gently lowered her the rest of the way. When her feet touched the street, he held on for a moment and steadied her.
Sensing his questioning gaze upon her, she couldn’t keep from glancing up at him.
His brown eyes were shadowed by his hat, but concern etched his features. “Do you want me to stay with you?”