Chapter 9
As the ranch yard finally came into view after the day away in Corpus Christi, Jameson caught sight of Bo and Kace roping on the dummy cattle head he’d set up for them.
They were cute little fellows, and Jameson could admit they were growing on him with every passing day.
He didn’t mind that they followed him around whenever he was working in the barn or ranch yard.
He didn’t mind that they pestered him with questions and talked nonstop.
And he didn’t mind that they wanted him to teach them things about being a cowboy—like the roping.
They’d probably shared way more than Lottie would have wanted them to. Kace had talked openly about their father never being there when they were little and how he’d “run off” last summer and hadn’t come back because he’d died in an accident.
While they didn’t speak ill of him, they also didn’t harbor any fondness, almost as if he’d been a stranger to them.
During their oversharing, Jameson hadn’t been able to stop from wondering how Lottie felt about all of it. She hadn’t brought up her deceased husband even once. Had she loved him? Was she still grieving the loss?
Jameson reined in his horse and watched the boys, his heart pounding an extra beat. He didn’t know what that beat meant other than that maybe the boys were stirring up paternal feelings inside him.
After Sue Ellen’s death, he’d never expected to want to marry anyone else or to be ready for a family of his own. But maybe there would eventually come a day when he’d consider it after all.
At the very least, after living on the Longhorn Ranch for the past three weeks, he was fond of Bo and Kace.
Movement in the doorway of the house drew his gaze. Lottie stood there in her men’s clothing and cowboy hat, watching the boys, a smile lifting her lips.
Jameson’s heart thudded again, this time harder.
If she’d hoped to look like a man in the clothing, she was failing, because it only served to show off her long legs, gently rounded hips, fine backside, and generous bust. Not that he was paying heed to all that.
No, he was avoiding looking at her body—or trying to.
The reason he was glad to see her too was because she was growing on him the same way the boys were but in a sisterly way.
They’d spent hours together since he’d started riding out with her to tend the cattle.
They worked well with each other, almost intuitively, in rounding up the beeves and moving them.
He also liked that they could talk easily. Every day, they had deep and interesting conversations about ranch life, or things happening in Texas and the rest of the world, or about the conflicts in Texas that had been going on for decades.
He liked that she was a fighter and a hard worker, and he admired that she hadn’t given up on her ranch when most other men or women would have by now.
She was also a good mother to Bo and Kace. Even though most days she was busy with ranch duties from sunup to sundown, she always made time for the boys. She was patient with them, fair in her discipline and training, and tender but firm in her interactions.
He exhaled a long breath, not realizing how much tension had built inside while he’d been gone all day. But now that he was back and could see that everything was okay, he could feel the stress easing from his chest.
As if sensing someone watching her, Lottie’s attention shifted from the boys to the perimeter of the ranch yard before landing on the rise where he’d halted Cougar. The same rise where he’d been shot when he’d first arrived on her ranch.
The wound still ached at times—like now, after all the riding he’d just done. But he’d wanted to go get the boys the dog before he drifted on to a different ranch. He didn’t have a set date yet that he was leaving, but the end of the four weeks he’d agreed upon working was fast approaching.
Besides, he’d been teaching Lottie more shooting skills over the past week.
Every evening after supper, before it got dark, he’d taken her and the boys to the makeshift shooting range he’d erected.
He’d shown her how to aim better, take cleaner shots, and even how to shoot at a moving target.
He’d also started instructing the boys about gun safety and had let Kace practice a bit.
Lottie was peering at him intently now, and he couldn’t keep his heart from pumping another hard extra beat. It was a normal reaction, wasn’t it? Any man’s pulse would spike at the sight of her. That’s just the effect she had on men.
It wasn’t as if she was looking at him because she was glad he was back. She was probably wondering if he’d succeeded in his mission to get a dog or if they would have two very disappointed children tonight.
With her attention fixed on him, it took only another moment for Kace and Bo to follow her gaze and erupt with excited greetings. In the next instant, they’d abandoned their ropes and were racing across the grassy yard toward him, their faces filled with hope.
He gave a quick nod at Lottie before nudging Cougar forward. The boys were soon upon him and running alongside him as he finished crossing to the barn. Lottie was striding from the house toward him now too, and Mimmi had come to the door and was wiping her hands on her apron.
“Did you find us a dog?” Kace called.
“Where’s the doggie?” Bo asked.
Both boys were scanning him and Cougar.
Jameson finally reined in. “Yes. I found you a dog.”
The boys’ smiles widened.
Jameson had located the blacksmith near Corpus Christi easily enough, and the fellow had been more than willing to give him one of the pups, especially because Jameson offered him money for her.
“What’s the dog like? When will we get it?” Kace asked in a rush.
Bo was hopping up and down and dancing in place.
Jameson stuck a hand into his coat, wrapped it around the soft, warm body, and lifted it out. “She’s right here.”
The pup had slept off and on the whole way back, tucked away into his coat out of the sun.
Both boys grew motionless. Wonder rounded their eyes as they stared at the black-and-white collie. The black fur surrounded her eyes, making her look like she was wearing a mask.
Lottie stopped behind them and was taking in the puppy now too, a gentle smile lighting up her face.
Jameson dismounted and then knelt and placed the puppy in the grass. The boys immediately dropped to their knees next to the creature.
She stretched, yawned, then took a wobbly step.
They both grinned.
“It’s just a baby,” Kace whispered.
“She’s eight weeks old.” Jameson gave the puppy a scratch on her back. “She’ll need lots of attention and training.” He’d almost waited a few more days to go after her, to let her get a little older, but he’d wanted to help the boys train her a little before he left the ranch.
“I can do that.” Kace hesitantly touched the puppy.
“Me too.” Bo reached for the puppy and began to scoop her up.
Kace batted his brother’s hand. “Leave her be, Bo. She needs to walk around after being cooped up in Jameson’s coat.”
“That’s right.” Jameson sat back on his heels. “She’s probably hungry by now too. So you’ll need to ask Mimmi for some food.”
Kace stood, his expression turning serious. “What kind of food?”
“A dish of milk and any table scraps will do.”
Kace tugged at Bo. “Come on, Bo. Let’s go get the food.”
Bo stood reluctantly.
“I’ll watch her while you’re gone,” Lottie offered.
She knelt in the grass as the boys scampered off, and she rubbed at the puppy’s head, earning an affectionate lick.
“She’s adorable, Jameson.” Lottie’s expression was carefree, as if the weight of the ranch and all its responsibilities had fallen away for a moment.
“Heard collies are good with livestock.”
“That’ll be nice.”
“She’ll be a fine watchdog too.”
“I’ll appreciate that.”
The puppy took a few more steps, then stopped and sniffed the air, probably catching the scent of whatever Mimmi was cooking for supper.
“Thank you for getting her.” Lottie glanced up at him, her pretty blue eyes alight with appreciation and even happiness. “I know it was a hassle.”
“Not much.”
Although he’d been hesitant to be away from the ranch for the day and didn’t want to chance Vinnie or anyone else coming and badgering Lottie, he hadn’t minded tracking the puppy down.
The truth was, he would have to leave soon enough anyway.
The other truth was that she’d gotten by without him before he’d arrived, and she would get along without him once he was gone.
She was a strong enough woman and didn’t need a man.
Even so, he didn’t like the thought of her having to fend off Vinnie again, and Jameson had the feeling the fellow would be back once he learned Lottie was alone. That prospect sent a strange protest through Jameson.
“This will be good for the boys,” she said. “I’m glad you thought of it.”
“I’m not an expert on dogs, but I’ll do my best to show them how to train her . . .”
“Before you leave?” She finished his sentence for him.
He didn’t respond. Over the past week of working long hours together, they hadn’t talked about his leaving, so it was bound to come up.
“We’ve got food!” Kace stepped out of the house, carefully carrying a saucer, while Bo raced forward with another dish.
“Where’s the doggie?” Bo shouted.
Kace caught his brother. “Slow down, Bo. You’re gonna spill.”
The puppy seemed to already know her two new pals, and she started waddling toward the boys. Or perhaps she once again smelled a meal.
Lottie glanced at Jameson with the smile of a parent who was tucking away a memory to keep forever. Even though Jameson wasn’t their father, he couldn’t keep from smiling back at Lottie and sharing the sweetness of the moment with her.
It was special. She was special. The boys were special. And he was glad he’d been here to be a part of this with them. He might tuck away the memory too and keep it for the lonely days to come.
Lonely.
Before, when he’d drifted from one place to another, he’d always been ready to move on, had looked forward to the next ranch. But here, listening to the boys talk and laugh and watching Lottie smile, the future stretched out lonely and barren.
His heart pinched. But why? What did he want?
He wasn’t ready for more than the drifter’s life, was he?
No. He gave a quick shake of his head and stood. He liked the drifter’s life and the freedom to go wherever he wanted without the weight of anyone or anything holding him down.
He could feel Lottie watching him as he reached for Cougar and started leading him toward the barn. Even though Jameson wasn’t ready to put an end to his wandering ways, he couldn’t deny that Lottie and her boys were making him think twice about it.