The Rancher's Prospect (12 page)

And it was.

When the call was over, Josh took a deep breath and stood. He'd acted like an ass. Unfortunately it wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

CHAPTER TEN

T
HE
NEXT
S
ATURDAY
MORNING
Josh was busy dressing a wound on a cow brought in by Patch Standish. Range cattle didn't enjoy being corralled, and this one was turning a relatively minor case of first aid into a rodeo.

Dodging another kick, Josh saw Tara and his grandfather ride past.

What the devil is going on?

The moment of inattention cost him; the cow landed a hoof in his stomach. Patch snickered. They'd tied the animal well, so it wasn't able to do significant damage, but it had still put some oomph into its indignant kick. They would keep her confined until they were sure she was healing without infection, but in the meantime she was a very cranky gal.

When Josh had finished disinfecting the gash, he quickly went to the horse corral and saddled Lightfoot.

A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he rode in the direction Walt and Tara had gone. He'd stayed away from them both over the past week, but he couldn't ignore it when Walt was doing something unsafe.

What if Grandpa lost control of his horse? He could fall trying to dismount. His slowly healing ligaments and muscles could even be reinjured simply by mounting and stretching his leg over the saddle.

Josh urged his stallion along, praying he wouldn't find a disaster ahead of him.

At length he halted Lightfoot on a rise, gazing in every direction before finally spotting two figures. They seemed to have stopped beneath the shade of a black cottonwood tree and were looking toward the mountains.

Not wanting to thunder up and spook the other horses, Josh slowed Lightfoot to a walk when he got close. Through the rustling of leaves in the breeze, he heard Tara's low, sultry laugh.

Walt must have heard his grandson's approach, because he turned his head.

“Hey, Grandpa,” Josh called. Now that he could see everything was all right, he wondered if he'd overreacted.
Again.
“I was concerned when I saw you ride out. I didn't know the doctor had okayed you to ride.”

Irritation crossed the old man's face. “I don't need a babysitter. Anyway, I brought Tara along for company.”

“I see.” Josh knew his tone was dry. Despite the assistance Tara had given with Andrew, it was hard to think of her as adequate support in case of emergency. She probably couldn't even find her way back to the house.

“I'm perfectly all right,” Walt emphasized.

Josh hadn't missed that his grandfather was sidestepping the question about the doctor. “Didn't the orthopedist say to take it easy?”

“You don't see me roping cattle or branding them, do you?”

“Riding can be strenuous.”

“How? I'm on the finest fence-riding horse on the ranch.”

“Zelda is a sweetheart,” Josh admitted.

His grandfather
had
chosen well—Zelda was an unflappable mare with a sweet, even gait. Josh sighed, recalling what Tara had said about not treating Walt as if he was a child. It was all too easy to fudge on important things like dignity and pride, though his grandfather was equally guilty on that issue.

“Besides, Tara and I've gone out several times and nothing has happened,” Walt announced, his glare daring Josh to say something.

Several times?

How had he missed that? Josh glanced at Tara, but her face remained expressionless. His frustration flared again; it was unlikely his grandfather would have attempted to go riding if she hadn't been there.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked.

Walt shrugged, and she shook her head. They started moving again.

The silence was awkward, but Josh ignored it and kept a discreet watch on his grandfather. The tension on Walt's face suggested pain, though it could also stem from annoyance that he'd been caught doing something that would worry the family. It didn't take a psychologist to understand why he'd chosen Tara as his riding companion. After all, she wasn't as invested in keeping his activities within bounds the way his daughter and grandchildren were.

As Tara twisted in the saddle to look at something, Josh reined in his body's response. Her snug jeans and T-shirt revealed curves that reminded him of the minutes they had spent kissing.

Damn it all.
He wanted to pound his head on a rock.

As little as he'd wanted her there, he couldn't deny that order was emerging from the chaos in the ranch office. The paychecks were going out regularly, and he'd stopped getting polite calls to remind him about unpaid bills—bills he hadn't known were due because Walt had put them aside to “deal with later.”

The efficiency with which online bill paying had been established was amazing. Some of the companies in Schuyler had complicated processes, but Tara had gotten it done, even going in person to pick up authorization forms for him to sign. He'd heard that several were now offering her contracts.

It was hard to admit, but she had better skills for the job than anyone he could have hired locally. She'd even suggested looking into direct deposit for the cowhands' pay, which would save everyone time and money. She was very good at the technical end...if only she wasn't so determined to thwart him in every other way.

“Tara, what do you think of Montana?” he asked when the silence had continued for over a mile.

“As a tourist?” she asked. “Or as someone who doesn't love ranching as much as you?”

Josh clenched his jaw at the dig. “I'm asking your impressions as someone who has spent most of her adult life in foreign cities taking taxis,” he returned.

“I've gone into the countryside whenever I could,” she said. “The Australian outback is even vaster than Montana. It's compelling.”

“You took a tour?”

“Actually, I went on walkabout with an old Aborigine I met on vacation. I really had to join with the land. He sometimes went days without saying a word. But when he did speak, it was always to say something worth hearing. He's one of the wisest people I've ever met.”

“I'm surprised he'd take you.”

Tara nodded. “So was I, but it was a priceless three weeks. Eventually I had to get back to work, while he continued on his way.” She paused before adding reflectively, “I never did learn his name.”

Josh tried to picture such a cool, sophisticated woman spending weeks in the rugged circumstances that would have been part of an Aboriginal walkabout. His imagination failed him.

“That still doesn't tell me what you think of Montana.”

“It's a beautiful part of the United States. I understand why Lauren decided to move here after coming to Emily's wedding.”

It was a reminder that one of his sisters-in-law was close friends with Tara's newfound sister. He'd have to guard his tongue around the family. Their patience with him was already strained.

“I'm surprised you went riding today,” he commented. “I thought spending time with your sister was your top priority.”

Walt sent him a sour glance but remained silent.

Tara just smiled faintly. “It is, but Lauren is helping at the bloodmobile.”

Something on a fence caught Josh's eye. He hesitated before riding down to investigate. A wire had come loose. He dismounted—same as the ranch hands, he carried tools in his saddlebag, and it didn't take long to handle the repairs.

Clyde had just started as foreman, but no matter how good he might be, there would be times when a fence was down or something else had happened. Anyway, the first task Josh had given him was recruiting ranch hands to replace the ones who'd quit. Sad to say, but Clyde would probably be more successful at it than Josh had been.

Mounting again, he urged Lightfoot to trot in Walt and Tara's direction. When he caught up, Tara was alone and his grandfather was some forty feet away, gazing into the distance.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No, he just wanted to be alone for a while.”

“I stopped to mend a fence,” Josh explained unnecessarily.

“Right.”

“I promoted Clyde Hawes to foreman, so things are getting better. I, uh, should thank you for that. Until you pointed it out, I hadn't realized that I was trying to wear too many hats.”

Tara fingered Ringo's reins. “I'm sure you would have figured out what you needed to do before long.”

“It's nice you aren't rubbing it in.”

She laughed and Josh decided he should stop beating himself up for finding such a gorgeous woman attractive. The key was controlling how he handled it. Basically, while a no-strings affair would be pleasant, he doubted Tara was willing, and it probably wasn't a good idea in any case. He should just privately acknowledge his response to her and accept that nothing could come of it.

“The Boxing N is probably one of the largest ranches in Montana, though a lot of the acreage doesn't support many cattle,” he said, deciding to stick to something concrete. “We need a fair number of hands just to keep an eye on fence lines.”

Tara held up a hand. “Josh, we're riding on a beautiful day through a stunning piece of land. Do you ever just stop and enjoy what you're doing?”

It was a valid question, but she didn't understand. “Look, I've been waiting a long time for this. I have goals for the ranch, which include raising cattle for the organic market. It takes years to get certified and earn a reputation, and I'm already behind the curve.”

“There's more to life than ranching.”

Sighing, he gazed across the rolling grassland, the more rugged high country rising above it. This section had never been heavily utilized, and never for wintering cattle. Basically, it meant nonorganic feed had never been hauled in for the stock to eat. It was perfect for what he wanted, and in his mind's eye, he saw herds grazing within well-maintained fences. The dividing fences would be necessary to keep organic stock inside, though it was possible the entire ranch could eventually become certified. He'd even designed a special brand for his organic herd.

If he could just get started, in ten years, Boxing N cattle might become a market leader.

Might?

There wasn't any “might” about it.
Nothing
was going to stop him from making it a reality.

* * *

T
ARA
SAT
QUIETLY
in her saddle, recognizing that Josh was lost in his vision for the future. Although she had goaded him about it, she respected his goals, and they sounded financially viable.

Her goals were important to her, as well. In addition to her travels, she wanted to work hard, helping companies organize their record-keeping in accordance with regulations. It was a challenge she enjoyed. Perhaps it wasn't as lofty as growing healthy food, but her work could help people...perhaps a senior citizen with her life savings invested in a company's stock, or a customer who relied on a product for their livelihood.

Yet unlike Josh, she wanted to explore the world along the way.

Tara glanced from Walt to his grandson. The two men were more alike than either of them could admit. Josh was fixated on the future, planning to devote his life to building the kind of ranch he'd dreamed of owning. She wasn't sure he really even saw the beautiful view, only the number of cattle it would support. As for Walt? He was fixated on the past. He'd spent his entire life focused on the Boxing N instead of his family, and now he deeply regretted each of his lost opportunities.

She'd never realized how things could get passed down in families, including mistakes.

Maybe it was a good thing that Josh expected to wait on having a family. From what she'd picked up both from him and from things Walt had said, if he ever
did
get married it would be to a woman who shared his goals. Ultimately, that just meant there'd be another wife who got put last. If she loved ranching, perhaps she wouldn't mind.

With no real experience of what family meant, Tara didn't know what was right and what was wrong. It was hard enough figuring out how to be a sister to Lauren, so she didn't have a prayer of understanding the complicated dynamics of extended clans such as the Nelsons and McGregors.

Tara's mount snorted and tossed his head. “It's okay, Ringo,” she soothed, “we're just waiting for Walt.”

Josh glanced at her. “Did Grandpa say why he wanted to be alone?”

She bent and patted Ringo's neck, trying to decide what to say. It seemed certain that Walt was thinking about his wife, but Josh probably wouldn't believe her. The irony struck her. For once in her life she'd gotten insight into someone, and she couldn't do anything to help. She was convinced the two men could meet on common ground—their love for Evelyn Nelson. But saying something about it would just make Josh more stubborn.

“Walt has gone through major changes in the last few months,” she said carefully. “I'm sure both the past and future are on his mind.”

“He could think about those things at home. He's alone there, too, and it's safer.”

“Maybe too alone,” she said, despite her resolution.

Josh's sober expression seemed to dismiss the possibility. She didn't get it. How could his opinion about his grandparents' marriage be so different from her own?

“Why do you think your grandparents weren't close?” she asked curiously.

“Any number of reasons. They never kissed or held hands. They didn't talk with each other in a way that two people might if they were in love.”

“Which way is that?”

Josh looked at Walt, his face sad. “I'm not sure how to explain. Everyone could tell my oldest brother's first marriage was hopeless from the beginning. But it's different with Kayla. I'm sure they argue and have to work things out, but even after a couple of years, they still look at each other as if they've won the grand prize.”