A Conard County Baby. Rachel Lee

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СКАЧАТЬ crunching of dried grass behind her and turned to see Cash walking toward her. In the almost eerie light of a world still bright with the sun in hiding behind the mountains, she thought he looked part and parcel of this ranch of his.

      “How’s it going and where’s your jacket?” He’d donned a denim one with lining.

      “I just stepped out for a minute.”

      “Clearly Texas girls don’t know how fast it gets cold here in the afternoon. Are you communing with my cows?”

      She looked back at the big black one that had been watching her. “I’m not sure. She’s been moving slowly closer, like she’s curious.”

      “She probably is. Cattle have more brains than most folks credit them. Did you see Angie again?”

      “We talked briefly.”

      “And?”

      “There might be a chance for rapport. It’s too soon to tell.”

      He flashed a small smile. “I’ll take that as a good sign. Come on, you need to get inside. I can see you’re shivering.”

      For the first time she realized she was. Wrapping her arms around herself, she walked with him toward the back of the house. “So do you give cows treats like horses?”

      “Some fresh alfalfa or corn makes ’em happy. But no sugar and stuff like that.” He gave a piercing whistle without warning and Hope’s ears winced.

      “What was that?” she asked.

      “Calling the dogs. It’s feeding time.”

      For an instant, she was almost overwhelmed as six dogs came racing from every direction, tongues lolling, feet pounding the ground. From behind her, a cow mooed loudly. For just an instant, she felt a flash of fear. What if they bit her?

      But then Cash gave another whistle and they fell in behind him like a troop of orderly soldiers.

      “They’re well behaved,” she couldn’t help saying.

      “They’re working dogs. No nonsense. But yes, you can pet them.”

      At that a laugh escaped her. She felt so good right now that she wished this moment would never end. She was in a new place with so much to learn, with a challenging girl to deal with and a job.

      And with Cash. Astonished, she almost missed a step. After Scott, she had thought she would never again feel attracted to any man. They couldn’t be trusted. But something about this man said differently.

      She hoped she wasn’t developing delusions. And to save herself from that train of thought, she hopped to another track. “I think Angie would like me to take her riding.”

      “Be my guest. I’ve got some good mounts in the barn, one gentle enough for her. One challenging enough for you, among others.”

      “What makes you think I need a challenge?” She looked up at him and found him smiling beneath the brim of his hat.

      “Background research. Dressage, huh?”

      “Well, yes, but that was a while ago, and I’m pregnant now. How about you suggest a mare so old and gentle she wouldn’t think about bucking me off.”

      He was still chuckling when they reached the house and he began filling a row of stainless-steel bowls with kibble for the dogs. Nearby was a huge tub of water.

      “Can they come inside?” she asked.

      “Sometimes. Generally I wait until they’re getting old and creaky before I make a habit of it. I figure they’re entitled to lie by a warm fire when they retire. Most of these guys are pretty young, though.”

      “Don’t want to spoil them?”

      “I don’t think I could. They love working. But they’re also dusty, dirty and full of grass and other things. Not exactly fit for the house.”

      “Do you groom them?”

      He laughed. “Of course. Much good it does, though. But yeah, I don’t leave them covered with burrs, ticks or fleas. I take good care of ’em, I just can’t keep them clean unless I keep them inside, and that’s not going to happen. Unless you’ve seen a dog flop on your couch and a cloud of dust arise from its coat, you can’t imagine.”

      She supposed she couldn’t. The only dogs in her life had been her mother’s cherished Yorkies, who never went outside, and the dogs at the horse stables.

      Inside, he announced that he was going up to shower. Before he vanished, however, he pulled three serving-size glass dishes from the freezer and popped them in the oven.

      “Lasagna for dinner in about an hour,” he said, then headed upstairs.

      Left at loose ends again, Hope helped herself to more tea. When she turned from the counter, mug in hand, she was startled to see Angie, who looked angry. The girl’s tone was sharp.

      “You’re spying on me for him!”

      Startled, all Hope could answer was, “No.”

      “Yes, you are. I saw you out there talking to him. What did you do? Tell him everything I said to you?”

      “The only thing I said about you was that you and I wanted to go riding.” Hope felt a spark of anger of her own. “He said he’d show me the horses in the morning so we could. Then we talked about the dogs. Am I going to have to report on every conversation we have to you? Because if so, life isn’t going to be pleasant for either of us. I don’t spy on anyone.”

      With that, tea in hand, she marched past Angie and went to sit in the living room. Almost as soon as her bottom met the seat, she regretted her anger. This was not a good start.

      But to her surprise, Angie followed her a minute later. “Those are designer jeans,” she said. “You don’t belong here.”

      “We’ll see.”

      “Are you some kind of rich bitch?”

      The word shocked Hope and she hoped she managed to hide her reaction. This girl was trying to push her buttons, and she couldn’t allow it or she’d be done here in a few days. “Not anymore,” she said flatly.

      “What happened?”

      “Maybe I’ll tell you someday, when I learn I can trust you.”

      Hope thought she glimpsed a tiny bit of uncertainty behind Angie’s angry expression, but it vanished quickly. She received another angry glare, then listened as the girl pounded back up the stairs to her bedroom.

      This was not going well. She felt a wave of near despair along with drowning fatigue. She reminded herself not to expect much. After all, she’d only been here a few hours. And the fatigue itself was to be expected. Not Angie’s fault, but the fault of a long, stress-filled day.

      Resting her hand over her stomach, she allowed her eyes to close. A little nap might help, she thought, letting her head fall backward СКАЧАТЬ