Certified Cowboy (8 page)

A smile curved his mouth. No, he’d toy with her first. Watch her squirm. Worry. Torment her with reminders of his love.

And that he would never let her go.

If she fought him, he’d end it once and for all.

Then he’d take Kenny and hightail it to Mexico, where he could live the good life. Away from anyone who might come after him.

The lights flicked off and he smiled, picturing Rachel undressing, naked, lying in bed.

She had been a bad girl by breaking her vows and stealing his son from him. A very bad girl.

And bad girls had to be punished.

Chapter Six

Johnny barely slept for thinking about Rachel and Kenny. Their situation triggered the recurring nightmares he’d suffered for years.

The beatings his old man had given him. The drunken rages where he’d broken furniture over Johnny’s head. Where he’d driven the car into the middle of the shack and caused it to set fire.

The time he’d come after Kim.

Johnny had grabbed a knife that time and stabbed his old man in the leg. That had earned him a broken arm and nose, several busted ribs, plus scars that he still had today. Scars and three weeks of barely having food.

Kim had tried to sneak him meals, but their father had caught her and thrown her against the wall. After that, Johnny had made her promise not to do anything to upset their old man.

Johnny had also vowed he’d kill the son of a bitch if he ever laid a hand on Kim again. He’d made the threat with one of his old man’s rifles pointed at his daddy’s head when his father had roused from one of his drunken stupors.

It was the first time his father had actually looked scared. And the first time Johnny had realized that he had it in him to kill a man.

Now he lay in bed sweating and staring at the wall.

He should have pushed Rachel for the truth about her name and her past.

But he hadn’t had the heart. Not after witnessing the terrified look on her face when she’d seen that snake.

Kenny troubled him even more.

The sun wove through the blinds and he rubbed his eyes, then climbed from bed and showered, tugged on jeans and a denim shirt, then headed to the dining hall. Since Rachel had started work at the ranch, he’d decided to eat with the other hands and campers instead of in the main house.

Building relationships and trust took time, and letting the boys and workers see him as accessible, not some wealthy rodeo star who just dropped in to make an appearance, was a first step.

Besides, the clock was ticking. His volunteer time on the ranch was limited. Soon he had to return to his own spread and take care of business. Spring roundup and breeding was upon them. And he had cattle to move.

When he stepped inside the dining hall, the scent of sizzling country-fried ham and red-eyed gravy wafted toward him. He damn near burst from the intoxicating smell.

Hiring Ms. Ellen was the best choice he’d made so far. It was a good thing he got his exercise working the ranch or he’d be blimping up from eating her homemade cinnamon rolls, gravies and pies.

He glimpsed Rachel heaping scrambled eggs into one of the serving bins underneath the warming lamps, and noticed dark circles beneath her eyes. She yawned, and he realized she hadn’t slept any better than he had.

Because of the snake, or whatever she was running from?

Anger knotted his stomach. Dammit. He wanted to know the truth, badly.

Laughter erupted in one corner, and he spotted Ricardo, the boy who’d been rude to her the night before, huddled at a table, a smirk on his face as he watched Rachel.

Suspicions reared their ugly head. Johnny had been a troubled kid himself—and a troublemaker. He recognized the signs of one in the making. And this one seemed to have his eyes set on picking on Rachel. Reining in his temper, he strode toward the table of boys.

Had he put the snake in her bed as some kind of prank to scare her?

Whether he had or hadn’t, he would set the boy straight.

He grabbed a cup of coffee, saw Kenny talking to some of the younger boys, then headed to the corner group. They were chowing down, talking about the rodeo.

He snapped his fingers. The rodeo—that was his bargaining chip.

“Hey, guys,” Johnny said as he slid into a seat. “Ready to start practicing?”

Three of the teens, Juan, Samuel and Devon, nodded.

“I want to learn how to pen,” Juan said.

Samuel poked Devon in the side. “And we want to barrel race.”

Johnny laughed. “Spoken like cowboys.”

Ricardo remained quiet, tearing off a piece of ham with his fingers and jamming it into his mouth.

“Listen, boys,” Johnny said. “We had a little problem last night. Do you know anything about it?”

A devil-may-care attitude colored Ricardo’s eyes, but the other boys looked away guiltily.

“What kind of trouble?” Ricardo asked, puffing up his chest.

“Ms. Simmons found a snake in her bed.” Johnny sipped his coffee but stared dead-on at Ricardo over the brim of his mug. “Funny thing is, I checked the cabin and didn’t see how it could have gotten in. Not unless someone put it there.”

Ricardo shrugged and wolfed down his biscuit.

“You know, Ms. Simmons is a nice lady. And she’s here to help, so if anyone hurts her or messes with her, they’ll answer to me.”

“What you gonna do?” Ricardo asked. “Beat up on us like our folks did?”

Johnny sucked in a sharp breath, wondering if this had been a test for him. “No,” he said calmly. “That’s not how we do things around here.” He gave him a pointed look. “But we also don’t condone harassing or frightening the employees, especially women.”

“It was just a dumb prank,” Ricardo muttered.

Johnny gripped his mug to keep from boxing the kid’s ears. “Maybe to you, but not to her. And in my book, any boy who gets his kicks out of scaring girls or women is not a man.”

The other boys looked contrite, and Ricardo’s tough-guy look crumbled.

“I realize you boys have suffered some hard knocks in your life.” He swept his gaze across the group. “So did I. I also made mistakes and some stupid choices, but we’re offering you a second chance.” He set his coffee mug on the table with a firm thunk. “What you do with it is up to you. But if you want to stay and participate in the rodeo, you’ll follow my rules. And you will respect the staff.”

“Yes, sir,” the other three boys said at once.

Ricardo chugged his orange juice.

“Do you understand?” Johnny said pointedly.

“Yeah, sure,” Ricardo said.

“Yes, sir,” Johnny corrected.

Ricardo shifted. “Yes, sir.”

Johnny nodded. “Do you want to participate in the rodeo?”

Ricardo’s defiant expression faded. “Yes, sir.”

“Then apologize to Ms. Simmons.”

Ricardo picked up his tray. “Yes, sir.”

Maybe the kid just needed a little extra attention. He’d do what he could.

But if Ricardo pulled another stunt, he’d send him back to the orphanage. It would be a hard lesson, but some kids were like him. They had to learn the hard way or it didn’t stick.

Johnny’s cell phone buzzed, and he checked the number. Brody.

He stepped away from the table for a moment, then clicked to answer. “What’s up?”

“Trouble at the north end. Fencing is down, looks like it’s been cut.”

Johnny glanced at Ricardo as he emptied his trash and wondered if he was responsible for this trouble, too.

“I’ll round up some boys to help repair it,” Johnny said.

Ricardo was heading toward Rachel, but he caught up to him. “Ricardo, hold up.”

The teen looked at him with an anxious expression.

Johnny cleared his throat. “Some fencing was cut in the north pasture. Do you know anything about that?”

Ricardo’s eyes sharpened defensively. “No, sir.”

Johnny narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure, son? This wasn’t another one of your stunts?”

Ricardo gave a vigorous shake of his head. “I’m sure, I put the snake in Ms. Simmons’s bed, but I swear I didn’t tear up no fence.” Ricardo stuffed his hands in his pockets, and Johnny couldn’t help but notice they were scarred and shaking. “I’ll help you fix it, though, if you want.”

Johnny studied him for a moment, but realized he believed the kid. “Thanks. Now make that apology and we’ll ride out to the pasture together.”

Ricardo looked relieved, then headed over to Rachel. Johnny remembered seeing that truck parked on the hill in the distance the night before. He’d thought it seemed odd but dismissed it.

Maybe whoever had been in that vehicle had vandalized the property. But who?

Brody’s concerns about their neighbor Copeland needled him.

What if Copeland had hired someone to cause trouble?

R
ACHEL WATCHED
sixteen-year-old Ricardo approach with a sense of dread. She’d seen Johnny talking with him, and wondered what was going on.

“Ms. Simmons?” Ricardo shifted back and forth from side to side.

Johnny stood by the wall, quiet but watching, arms folded.

“Did you need something, Ricardo?” Rachel indicated the trays of bacon, ham and eggs. “Another serving?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I…” He cut his eyes toward the floor. “I’m sorry. I put that snake in your cabin.”

His statement took her by surprise. She’d contemplated packing up and leaving today for fear Rex had found her. But then Kenny had jumped out of bed talking about his first riding lesson today, and she hadn’t had the heart. Still, most of her clothes remained packed.

“You did?” she finally asked.

He nodded, then lifted his gaze to hers, his eyes wary. “It was just a prank, but Mr. J. said it wasn’t funny and I had to apologize.”

“Maybe it was funny to you, but it’s not fun to be on the other end of a joke.” She paused, caught Johnny’s worried look, realized she sounded harsh, then softened her voice. After all, Ricardo was just a kid. No telling what he’d been through. And if this was Kenny, she’d want someone to give him a break. But they couldn’t allow him to get away with it either. “Has that ever happened to you?”

He nodded, then gripped his hands together in front of him and stared at his feet.

Rachel’s heart softened at his body language. According to Ms. Ellen, Ricardo lived in an orphanage and had been shuffled in and out of foster care since he was three.

Probably where he’d received those nasty scars on his hands. Abusers manipulated their victims to the point that Ricardo probably blamed himself and suffered from low self-esteem. Maybe he’d thought pranking her would earn him attention from the other boys.

“It takes a big man to admit his mistakes, Ricardo.” Rachel patted his shoulder. “Now, how about an extra muffin?”

A small smile touched his mouth, revealing a missing tooth in the front. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

She handed him a blueberry muffin, and he wrapped it in a napkin, then tucked it in his pocket.

Was he storing it for later because he’d gone hungry before? Her chest tightened. She’d make sure he received generous portions from now on.

As soon as Ricardo disappeared outside, Johnny approached her.

“You talked to him?” Rachel asked.

Johnny nodded. “I don’t think he’ll mess with you again.”

Rachel nodded, then glanced at Kenny, who was emptying his tray.

“Is something else bothering you, Rachel? You don’t look like you slept well.”

Rachel bit her lip. She would have slept better if Johnny had stayed last night. But then, she might not have wanted to sleep.

And the thought of letting a man touch her, get close to her, scared her more than the snake.

“If you’re in trouble, Rachel,” Johnny said in a deep voice, “let me help.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. Why did his gruff voice make her want to open up?

But Kenny raced toward her with an excited gleam in his eyes, and she clammed up. How could she tell Johnny that she was wanted by the law?

He’d call the police, then she’d go to jail and lose Kenny for good.

Kenny tugged at her hand, saving her from answering. “Mom, I’m gonna practice tying knots with the day troopers.” He turned hopeful eyes at Johnny. “Then we’ll have the riding lesson?”

Johnny tipped the brim of Kenny’s hat. “Yep, this afternoon. I have to mend some fences this morning.”

Rachel noticed the hero worship in Kenny’s eyes and wondered if she’d made a mistake by coming here. “Have fun, Kenny. But remember, do what the counselor says.”

He nodded and beamed a smile, then jogged to catch up with Blair, the camp counselor leading the group.

“Rachel?” Johnny asked.

Torn over wanting to accept his offer to help and the need to protect herself, she averted her gaze.

“Ms. Ellen and I need to clean up. But I’d like to watch the lesson with you and Kenny later.”