Roz Denny Fox (8 page)

“Eat,” he said gently. “I’ll change the subject. You know, my mom’s scolded me for years about getting too personal too fast. So don’t be thinking she’s some sort of bad person for not teaching me manners. Poor woman had to raise two irreverent boys. Did the best she could.”

Hayley let her guard slip a bit at that disclosure. “This isn’t the first mention you’ve made of your mother. She’s important to you, I can tell. That’s nice, Jake.” Joe had so rarely mentioned his parents. The few times he had, his remarks hadn’t been at all nice.

Jake latched on to a note of sadness he heard in Hayley’s voice. “I’m not an expert on the subject, by any means. It seems to me a mother has about the toughest job in the whole world.”

Hayley’s stomach pitched. For a moment she panicked and worried that when her baby came she wouldn’t have what it took to be a good mother. In fact, there probably wasn’t a woman alive less equipped than she to step into that role.

“Are you all right?” Jake’s words came at her from a yawning distance. “I seem to stick my foot in my big mouth every time I open it around you. Usually I’m much better at breaking the ice.”

“It’s not you,” she said, clutching her cup between restless fingers. “I lost both of my parents when I was young. I grew up, well, unconventionally.”

So much was left unsaid, yet a whole range of emotions played across her face. Jake immediately wanted to know more, and at the same time it bothered him immensely that he’d unwittingly chosen yet another distressing topic.

Just how unconventional had her life been?

He took another slug of the tea, then made an inane remark about the brightness of the rising moon.

“More tea?” Hayley asked, shaking out of an odd mood. She rarely wasted time wishing for things life hadn’t seen fit to bestow on her. It wasn’t good that a man, literally a stranger, could make her yearn for experiences she’d never known.

“I still have plenty,” Jake said in a rush. He so quickly covered the cup with his hand, that they both laughed.

“You really don’t have to drink it,” Hayley said lightly. “I realize I didn’t make you feel very welcome. But I can’t help wondering why you’d go out of your way to drop in on me.”

The question was direct. Jake saw there were many more unasked ones in her wary eyes. He felt unaccountably guilty and got out of the chair, tossing the contents of his cup on the ground. “It’s a mystery to me, too. You’ve proved you can take care of yourself,” he said, pointing ruefully at his head.

“I feel bad about that. I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t apologize. You have a perfect right to protect yourself.”

She shivered and peered uneasily into the surrounding darkness. “I wish you’d stop making reference to vague dangers. I’m staying and that’s final.”

“Look. I’m not aiming to scare you.” Jake set the cup down and jammed his hat on his head. “Water equals life around here. You’re sitting next to the only good drinking water for miles. Ben recognized that. He allowed the Triple C and other local ranches to install the valve setup so we could water our herds.”

Hayley crossed her arms, studying his suddenly rigid stance. “If that was a satisfactory deal, I can probably go along with it, too.”

“It worked reasonably well,” Jake said, shifting his gaze from her penetrating stare. “Thing is, there are plans waiting for implementation.”

“What plans?”

“A real pumping station and a series of canals following the natural aquifers. The local cattlemen’s association is waiting to start construction.”

“Waiting for what?”

Jake backed away and unlooped Mojave’s reins. “For Ben to relinquish his claim. Any of five other ranches besides the Triple C would give a lot to own this chunk of land. Not all are as community-minded as my dad. Ben picked right up on that. He promised to transfer water and mineral rights to the Triple C when his claim ran out.”

“I see. My taking over his claim has thrown a wrench into everyone’s plans.”

“You could say that.” Jake stepped into the stirrup and was soon gazing down on Hayley’s worried moonlit face. “Some ranchers are tired of waiting.”

“This is the twenty-first century. People don’t jump claims anymore. Laws protect them.”

“Along the border people write their own laws.” Jake tugged on the brim of his hat.

“Are you threatening me?”

“Nope. I’m trying to make you understand the situation you’ve walked into.”

“Are you suggesting… I mean, I said I’d stand by the old agreement.”

“That’ll help. I’ll relay that to my dad. Even then, I hope you’ll give this some added thought. The way our deal works is that whenever a rancher passes a herd near here, a vaquero rides in and opens one of the valves. You’d close it after a set time. Follow me. I’ll show you how it works.”

“That doesn’t appear too difficult,” she said after two demonstrations.

Jake puffed out a breath. “The men aren’t always full-timers. Some are drifters. Ranchers don’t ask a lot of personal questions before roundup. Sometimes we scrape the bottom of the barrel.”

Hayley had lived around the mines all her life. It was the same situation. Yet how much difference did any of that make? Her slick-talking husband, for instance, had been employed by a company that prided itself on doing employee background checks. She also had grave reservations about Tilford, the deputy sheriff who’d befriended Joe. “I’ll take my chances,” she murmured. “I’m working this claim.”

“All right. By the way, do you have a cell phone? Then you could call me for help if you needed to. I’ll leave you my cell number and our number at the ranch.”

Hayley’s face broke into a huge grin. “I’m living on a shoestring. Sorry for laughing, but cell phones aren’t in my limited budget.”

Jake walked the restless gelding around in a circle and stopped, facing Hayley again. “Sometimes it pays to be safe rather than sorry.”

“Sometimes. But if I had extra money, I’d buy a few laying hens and maybe a cow. Tinned milk or recombined doesn’t compare to fresh.”

A surge of empathy washed over Jake. Then he brightened. She’d just given him an excuse to keep tabs on her. “I’ll see if I can round up some hens. Cows are harder to come by. We’re a long way from grocery stores. Folks tend to prize milk cows.”

“I doubt I can afford one, anyway.”

“If you don’t object to my stopping by, I can bring you a quart of milk now and again.”

“I dislike being beholden.”

“No strings attached.” Jake wanted to snatch back the words the minute they left his mouth. All favors came with strings. He wasn’t exactly sure how that related to his confused feelings about this foolishly brave woman who seemed so pitifully alone standing there in the clearing. He only knew he’d find excuses to look in on her.

“In that case—” Hayley flashed another grin “—I’ll try to be more gracious next time.”

“I’ll hold you to it. Well, I’ve got a ride ahead of me and you still haven’t had your supper. Warm up that hash. It’s not good for a hardworking woman to go to bed on an empty belly.”

Automatically Hayley clutched a belly that was far from empty. Jacob Cooper’s odd silver-gray eyes were far too penetrating—as if they could expose all her secrets. Not that she was ashamed of being pregnant. But it wasn’t something she felt comfortable disclosing. Not trusting herself to speak, Hayley bent and petted his dog, then lifted her hand to toss Jake a casual wave.

“Take care.” His words swirled around Hayley’s head in the wake of his leaving. She stood next to the firelight for some time after the sound of hoofbeats had faded. The call of night birds and the singing of cicadas had resumed before Hayley finally took her eyes off the shadowy scrub brush through which Jacob had disappeared.

She didn’t understand the wash of emptiness that assailed her whenever this man, a man she barely knew, rode out of her life. As a girl, and then as a woman, she’d spent untold hours left to her own devices. She didn’t scare easily. At least, she’d never imagined bogeymen behind every little noise.

Hayley uttered a snort of disgust loud enough to still all the night creatures for a moment. Knowing she had to keep up her strength for the sake of the baby, she deliberately finished the plate of unappetizing hash. Then she banked the fire and went to bed—and pushed aside visions of Jacob Cooper to lay careful plans for her first dig the next morning.

J
AKE SET A STRAIGHT COURSE
for the Triple C. He felt as if he’d gained some ground with Hayley Ryan with respect to the spring. Now he was interested in finding out what, if anything, his parents had learned about her in Tombstone.

The house was brightly lit when he rode in. Eden’s bright red Jeep Cherokee sat next to the front porch. That was good. He could deliver Dillon’s message and apologize for having given away the food Eden had lovingly prepared for her husband. Jacob preferred face-to-face repentance to stammering over the telephone; besides, telephone apologies always sounded insincere.

He made short work of Mojave’s evening care. Rushed he might be, but he never shirked caring for his horse. Besides, Jake had raised Mojave from a colt. The two had bonded as well as man and beast ever could.

Jake would have liked a shower next. He needed one after a long hot day on the dusty range. Afraid he’d miss Eden if he detoured past his quarters first, Jake marched straight to the kitchen.

Talk stopped. The three seated at the oak table greeted him with smiles.

“Well, it’s about time.” Eden got up from her chair and tossed back a fall of wheat-gold hair. “Did you see Dillon? Did you give him my letter and the tomatoes I picked? When’s he coming home?”

Jake fit two knuckles over her upturned nose and pretended to twist. “Dillon and I met on schedule. He’s coming home Saturday as planned. About that letter, my pocket still smells like roses. Poor Dillon had to air out the pages before he read them or risk an allergic reaction.”

“It was gardenia, you doofus. Not roses. No wonder you’re still single. A woman likes a man to be able to distinguish between her favorite scent and that of all the other females around.”

Jake blinked, then buried his nose in her hair and sniffed. “Mint, with a hint of rosemary. Am I right?”

His sister-in-law batted his nose away. “Guess there’s hope for you yet.”

Nell pulled a pot of stew off the back of the stove and ladled a generous portion into a bowl. Taking a pan of biscuits from the oven, she motioned her younger son into a chair, which he declined for the moment.

Wade tilted his own chair back and tucked his thumbs under his belt. “How’s the beef count coming, son? Do the numbers tally?”

After washing and drying his hands, Jake slid in next to his dad. “We came up about five hundred short. Reason I’m late is that I rode over to the J & B to ask John to be on the lookout for strays. I’ve still got some territory to cover tomorrow, but not enough to make up for such a large discrepancy.”

Eden jammed an elbow in Jake’s ribs and rolled her eyes. “It makes a good excuse to visit little Miss Bright Eyes, doesn’t it.”

Jake scowled. “Lay off, Eden. Dillon gave me the same song and dance. I’m not interested in Ginalyn Westin, all right?”

His denial sounded so ferocious Eden reared back.

“Sorry for snapping,” he muttered. “Dillon got in his licks, too. It didn’t set well. You’ll probably hear in town how rude I was to Ginalyn.”

“Rude? Jacob Cooper? The rangeland Romeo who makes every unattached woman’s heart go pitty-pat, pitty-pat with his special line of schmaltz?”

“Come on, Eden. It’s been a long day.”

She grinned devilishly, but did drop the teasing.

Jake tasted the stew, then broke and buttered a biscuit before he asked his father casually, “What did you and Mom find out about Ben O’Dell in Tombstone?”

“’Bout what we expected. He was a private old duffer. Died unexpectedly. The Ryan woman is his granddaughter.”

“So why do you suppose he never mentioned her?” Jake stopped with the spoon halfway to his mouth.

“Could be because there was bad blood between Ben and the girl’s husband,” Wade said. “At least that would explain why he didn’t say anything in the last year or two.”

Nell poured coffee all around. “The town was full of her story.”

“What
is
her story?” Jake tried to act nonchalant, but tension showed in the grip he maintained on his spoon.

Nell’s gaze traveled the table before settling on her son. “Now, Jake, your father and I don’t know how much is truth and how much was embellished for our benefit.”

“Give it to me straight.”

“Mrs. Ryan’s husband sold Ben’s silver mine and left town with another woman. That much folks agreed on. Whether or not Mrs. Ryan signed papers giving him the Silver Cloud mine was subject to conjecture. It was obvious she didn’t tell anyone in Tombstone where she was going or what she planned to do when she left. According to the few people we asked, Hayley Ryan packed up all her worldly possessions one day and disappeared the next.”

“Well, I hope you didn’t let on where she went.”

Wade held up a staying hand. “Jacob, there’s no call to snap at your mother. I don’t recall anyone asking. But what difference does it make? We checked with the county recorder and she filed right and proper. Her claim to the Blue Cameo is legal.”

Jake would be hard-pressed to say why he felt so protective of a woman he barely knew. Perhaps it was the sadness he’d glimpsed in her eyes. Or the comment she’d let slip about losing her parents. Nor could he discount her being so alone—or the telltale white mark circling her ring finger. Jake did know he wouldn’t stand by and let anyone harass her further. Which must have showed on his face when he cut Wade off with a stabbed spoon in the air. “She’s agreed to give us the same water privileges as you negotiated with Ben. You told me to handle it and I did. There’s no reason for her to find out we’ve poked into her private affairs. No reason at all.”

Wade, Nell and Eden all stared at him in bewilderment. Nell was the first to react. She reached across the table and curved cool fingers around her son’s taut wrist. “That’s fine news, Jacob. But remember, we still don’t know much about Mrs. Ryan, other than that she’s Ben’s granddaughter.” Casually tightening her fingers on Jake’s arm, she turned to her husband. “Wade, as head of the Triple C, you’d better ride out to the Blue Cameo tomorrow and firm up the deal Jake made.”