When All My Dreams Come True (18 page)

“They filled in one of the saloon girls on their plan, offering to pay her to be a part of it. She accepted and sashayed her way over to my table. She leaned over, smiled and batted her long lashes, and said, ‘Need some company, cowboy?’”

Bobbie had altered her voice to sound like the saloon girl, all soft and sultry. The men roared with laughter.

“I shook my head at her and pulled my hat even lower. She wasn’t dissuaded. I wanted to run, but she had pushed the table out of the way with her hip, cutting off my escape. Then she said, ‘Aw, come on. Every cowboy needs a little fun,’ and she plopped herself down on my lap and lifted the hat off my head. I jumped up, which made her fall to the floor, but she was laughing along with everyone else in the place as I ran from the saloon. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. It took a long time to live that down.”

The men’s laughter rolled across the plains. Jace reined his horse next to hers. “What did your father do to you?”

“He scolded me for several minutes but that was all. He knew I was miserable and humiliated and that the men were going to give me a pretty bad time about it. I guess he thought that was punishment enough.”

Bobbie smiled at him. Jace shook his head. This woman was full of surprises, and he didn’t doubt they’d seen only the surface.

The men spent the rest of the day telling their embarrassing moments, making the time speed by. Before Jace knew it, they stopped to camp for the night. He climbed into his bedroll and pulled the blanket up to his chin. If they rode hard, maybe they’d make it home the next day.

He’d just drifted off to sleep when he heard a commotion around him.

“Stampede!”

The word echoed in his mind, bouncing him from deep sleep to sudden awareness. He jumped from the ground and felt for his boots, his heart racing.

“Where are my boots?” It was the question every person asked—all but one. Bobbie still lay in her bedding. Then it came to him. He had no cattle.

“Here they are,” Beans called out.

Jace looked toward the chuck wagon. Beans straddled a pile of dusty boots, his hands planted on his hips, before tossing them back to their owners.

Jace’s gaze went back to the only person still lying down. “Bobbie?”

“Hmm?” She rolled over. “What?”

She stifled a yawn he suspected was meant to cover a grin. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Oh, sorry. Bad dream.”

The men groaned and threw their boots at her as she pulled the blanket over her head.

The pelting finally ended, and Jace nudged Bobbie’s blanket with his toe. “How do you come up with this stuff?”

She moved the blanket and peeked up at him. “Why, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jace Kincaid.”

Jace shook his head. “How did your father ever control you?”

“He rarely tried.”

Jace watched her a moment longer before climbing back into his bedding. He had never paid her back for that first prank. With all that had happened to her on her watch, he lost any desire to get even. After this latest prank, he might have to come up with something just to keep pace before she moved on. That thought made him roll to his side to look at her. What would he do if Bobbie ever decided to leave the ranch? The notion hit him like a punch to the gut.

Jace rose early the next morning and rousted everyone but Bobbie
out of bed, motioning to the men to be quiet. They joined him several yards away, and he filled them in on his idea to get even.

Several minutes later, plan and men in place, Beans clanked his spoon on the pot. Jace kept his eye on Bobbie from under the rim of his hat as she sat up, stretched, and yawned. Tossing off her blanket, she reached for her boots and slid one on. In seconds, the boot went flying from her foot. A small snake slithered out and away.

Bobbie peered up at him, accusation in her eyes. Jace grinned before nodding his cue at the men. They turned to face Bobbie and chorused, “Good morning!” She burst into laughter when she saw their faces, all blackened with soot as she had described in her childhood story.

She rose to her feet shaking her finger at each of them. “As much as I hate snakes, it was worth putting my foot next to one just to see you all like this.”

Sonny stood and stretched before dumping the rest of his coffee. “Jace, can we make it home today? I don’t know if I can handle another night with this woman.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”

“I pity the poor man who marries you, Bobbie,” Sonny said. “He’ll have to be wary at all times.”

Bobbie finished rolling her blanket. “What gave you the idea I ever plan to marry?”

Bobbie’s voice was tinged with humor, but an uncomfortable silence followed. Beans gave Jace a questioning look, and the other men remained mute. Were his feelings for Bobbie that obvious?

Sonny handed his plate to Beans, then reached down and touched Bobbie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean nothing by that.”

“It’s all right, Sonny. I took no offense. I’ve just always accepted it as fact.”

They cleared camp as fast as they could. They rode hard and arrived home after dark, dusty and exhausted. Annie met them at the kitchen door, her smile aimed at Bobbie. “It’s so good to see you.
You have no idea how much I missed you.” Annie reached to give her a hug, but Bobbie stopped her by raising a hand.

“You may not want to do that. I’m filthy, and I’m sure I smell bad.”

“I don’t care.” Annie wrapped her arms around Bobbie. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

Bobbie returned the hug. “You’re a sight for sore eyes yourself. A week with a bunch of men is more than any woman should have to bear.”

“I heard that.” Jace waited on the steps. Bobbie tossed a smile over her shoulder as she threw her belongings into her room.

Annie pulled him into a hug. “Jace, have you talked to Coop?”

He took in the look on his sister’s face, and his heart sank. “No.”

“More of your cattle are missing.”

   FOURTEEN   

B
obbie sat on Mack’s back as Jace swung his arm to keep the horses from scattering and escaping. “Get that gate open, Adam!”

They’d spent the morning rounding up every horse Jace owned. He wanted them near the ranch, hoping to keep them from getting stolen like his cattle. Eighty head had been rustled. A blow for any rancher, but Jace had just sold off over twice that amount, leaving him with a small herd.

An ache formed in her chest for Jace. How would he be able to survive the loss?

He’d gotten upset, angry even, hollering Coop’s name all the way out to the barn the night they returned from the drive. Bobbie followed him at what she hoped was a safe distance. Sheriff Morgan Thomas stood between the two men as if he expected trouble. Coop blubbered that he couldn’t be everywhere at once—that there was no way for him to stop the thief.

Jace amazed her. After the initial shock, he’d calmed down and spoke of ways to preserve what he had left.

The next morning, she had walked into the barn looking for Jace. She’d wanted to encourage him but stopped when she heard his voice. At first she thought he was talking to one of the wranglers, but what she heard let her know he was praying, thanking God it wasn’t worse.

Bobbie shook her head at the memory. Time and again he’d proven his faith was strong. Something like that would have sent her running even further from God, but Jace seemed to draw closer to Him, as if God was all he had left. Maybe that’s exactly how Jace felt.

Bobbie eyed the beautiful black stallion in the first corral as she reined Mack in and wiped the sweat from her brow. Summer hadn’t arrived yet, but the temperature gave a foretaste of what was to come. The stallion tossed his head at the arrival of possible mates. She hadn’t had as much time to work with him lately, but she’d been able to ride him around the corral the last time. He was nearly broken.

She heard someone yelling behind her and looked toward the house. Annie came running, skirts flying.

“Ben!”

Bobbie turned Mack in that direction and urged him into a gallop. “What’s wrong, Annie?”

“I can’t find Ben.” Annie’s dark hair clung to her face and tears coursed down her cheeks. “I left him alone long enough to put Sara down for a nap, and now he’s gone. He’s just disappeared.” Annie took off at a run again calling Ben’s name.

“Annie, wait!” Either the call went unheard or Annie didn’t want to stop.

Fear gripped Bobbie’s heart. With all that’d been going on around the ranch, she didn’t even want to think about what could have happened to the boy. Tears filled her eyes as she went for Jace.

“Ben’s missing.”

Jace rushed toward the house. She followed and continued to scan the area while Jace went after Annie.

Where could he be? Did someone take him or did he run off?
In between the wranglers’ shouts and Annie’s frightened calls, Bobbie heard the water running over the rocks in the creek. She spurred Mack toward the sound.

Ben was squatting at the edge of the creek, playing in the water. He’d waded in too far, getting his shoes wet. His hand darted into
the water, then pulled back. He opened his hand and his shoulders slumped.

Bobbie dismounted quietly so as not to scare him and walked near him before she crouched down. “What are you doing down here, Ben?”

“I like the water.” He dipped his hand into the creek again. “Turtles are in here. Baby fish too.” He pointed one out to her, the end of his finger dripping creek-bottom slime.

“Did you ask your mama if you could come down here?”