The Cowboy Meets His Match

“Get under it again,” she shouted over the noise from the tractor. “A little more to the right.”

Apparently he heard her, because he turned to look in their direction. He shook his head as if in disbelief, and then switched off the tractor before jumping down to the ground.

“Sollie, you rascal,” he said as he walked toward them, his mouth pulled down in a frown. He glanced at Erin, but his gaze didn’t linger. “Sorry he caused you the trouble of bringing him home. He knows better than to roam.”

She ran her hand down the dog’s back and patted his rump. “He’s a good dog. Smart, too.”

“Too smart sometimes. I guess I’ll have to tie him up when I’m working so he doesn’t bother you.”

“Oh, don’t do that!” She bit her lower lip, wishing she’d kept quiet. It wasn’t any of her business what he did with his dog. Besides, she wasn’t crazy about the idea of having to return Sollie after every visit. “He wasn’t bothering me,” she hurried to say. “I brought him back because I thought you’d wonder where he’d gone.”

“I had a pretty good idea.”

“What kind of dog is he?”

“He’s a bearded collie. Herding dog, both sheep and cattle. He’s pretty good at it.”

She nodded, not knowing what else to say. Wishing she had insisted her brothers return the dog themselves, she took a step back and realized she’d just met up with her past. If she’d thought there’d been too many memories at home, a single memory of one night here was even bigger than all of them.

“I guess I’ll be getting home,” she said, feeling uncomfortable.

“Hang on a minute.”

She slowed, then stopped and looked back at him. “Why?”

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of a pair of well-worn jeans that hugged his hips and muscled thighs. No smile broke the serious expression on his face, when he said, “Because we need to talk.”

Her heart stopped beating and her throat tightened. The moment she’d realized he was back, she’d been afraid he would want to talk about the past. The words fight or flight flitted through her mind, but she was frozen to the spot.

* * *

JAKE SQUINTED INTO the morning sunshine, watching Erin closely. Her curly, dark blond hair had been captured in a braid, but pieces of it had escaped around her face, and the sun behind her caused a halo effect.

This was the first chance he’d had to get a good look at her. The day before, the tree at the pond had cast shadows on her sleeping form—if she’d actually been asleep. And the tavern last night hadn’t provided the best lighting, either. But now he didn’t miss how pale she’d become when he’d mentioned they needed to talk.

He knew he’d hurt her in the past, but he’d hoped that time might have taken care of that. He’d been young, although not as young as she’d been, and he hadn’t had a choice. Sooner or later she would have gotten hurt, and he’d believed at the time that sooner would be better.

He wasn’t some kind of ogre, out to break her heart again. He really did need the help that she was more than qualified to give. And he suspected she could use the money. He could help her with that, and in turn she would be helping him. Sleep had evaded him for most of the night, as he’d thought about his long-ago dream of them working side by side at a ranch. It could come true now. Even if it was only as employer-employee, it would be something.

But he also knew he had to tread carefully. “I apologize for Sollie causing trouble. If it happens again, give me a call, and I’ll pick him up.”

She avoided looking directly at him. “It’s not a problem. I—I don’t get enough exercise as it is, so he did me a favor.”

Sollie had done them both a favor by getting her on his territory. Now he had the advantage. “Not exactly the kind of exercise you’re used to, but it’s always good to stay active.”

She nodded, shifting from one foot to the other. “The boys talked me into coming home more often, and here I am.”

He knew she meant her brothers. The Walkers had always been a close family. “How long do you plan to stay?”

“I haven’t decided.”

It was his turn to nod, and he thought hard about what he could say next that would keep her there long enough for him to repeat his job offer. She might turn it down again, but if he could calm her nerves first, she just might consider it.

Then he remembered what Luke had said about her horse. “What happened to Firewind?”

She lowered her head. “He had to be put down.”

Jake felt a heaviness in his chest. He could only imagine what that had done to her. She’d loved that horse. The two of them had won events across the country. He still remembered the day she’d gotten him for her fourteenth birthday.

“I’m sorry, Erin. I know how much he meant to you. Was he sick?”

Without looking up, she shook her head. “Just old. Tired and worn out. Putting him down was the kindest and best thing to do for him.”

Every cell in his body urged him to take the few steps needed to pull her into his arms and comfort her. But he knew it would be wrong. Instead, he simply said, “It’s a hard thing to do.”

Slowly lifting her head, she met his gaze. “I’ve been training another horse. It’s slow going, though.” She breathed a tired sigh. “We haven’t connected the way Firewind and I did.”

“It can take time. Do you miss him?”

A sad smile lifted one corner of her mouth. “Every day.”

She’d relaxed some, but he wasn’t quite ready to bring up the job yet. “You always had a good eye when it came to horses.”

Looking down again, she shrugged, as if the praise embarrassed her. “Maybe. But I must’ve misjudged with Lord MacDuff.”

Jake chuckled at the name. “Do you call him Lord or Your Grace?”

She glanced at him, wrinkling her nose. “Neither. It’s MacDuff, and His Grace is questionable.”

So she’d taken a break because her horse didn’t respond the way she needed it to. That would have made sense to him, if she had been anyone else. When it came to animals, Erin had a gift that few people possessed. Sollie had obviously taken to her immediately, and he wasn’t always that way with strangers. Horses, though, had always been her specialty. Maybe she’d misjudged this new horse because she’d been mourning Firewind, and that had brought on a lack of belief in herself.

Would working with other horses help? He was willing to let her try...if she was. “Have you worked with other horses?”

She tilted her head to one side. “Since Firewind?” she asked, and he nodded. “Some.”

“How did it go?”

“Good.”

Hope sank its hooks into him, and he had to hold back a smile. “No problems? They responded to you well?”

“Yes, very well, in fact.”

“Maybe working with a few more horses would give you some distance and then working with MacDuff would go better.” He waited, watching her press her lips together.

“I suppose it could,” she finally said. “But—”

“I have plenty of horses here you could work with. In fact, the ranch needs someone like you.” He’d made sure he hadn’t said that he needed her. “With your talent...”

He knew the instant she realized what he was doing and was certain he’d blown his chance.

She tugged at her ear as if weighing the pros and cons of working for him, then looked him square in the eye. “You pay pretty well, right?”

He searched for the right words, knowing he couldn’t push. “No one’s complained.”

“Cutting horses and roping?”

His heart beat faster. This might work, after all. “Yeah.”

“You’re offering me a job. Again.”

Hoping he didn’t sound desperate, he answered, “I am.”

Seconds that seemed like hours ticked by as a range of emotions moved across her face. Indecision, apprehension and then capitulation. “All right,” she said. “I’ll take it.”

He looked down, fighting a smile of victory. When he had it under control, he looked up. “You’re sure?”

She locked her gaze with his, determination turning her blue-green eyes darker. “I’m sure.”

Nodding, he allowed a small smile. “Welcome to the team, then. When can you start?”

“Whenever you want me.”

His imagination ran wild, but he kept a straight face. “Is that so?”

She seemed to be fighting a snappy comeback and then sobered. “There’s just one thing.”

“What’s that?” he asked, shoving lusty images from his mind.

“Treat me the same as you do the other wranglers.”

This time, he didn’t try to hide his smile. “You mean we shouldn’t be intimate friends?”

She drew herself up and looked him in the eye. “Don’t start, Jake, or I’m gone.”

Ready to agree to just about anything, he dipped his head in a quick nod. “Whatever you say.”

After telling Sollie goodbye, while pointedly avoiding making eye contact with Jake, she turned for home.

“Monday morning, eight o’clock,” he called to her. “And don’t be late.”

She waved a hand without looking back and kept going.

He watched her, hardly believing she’d accepted. He’d won. But how long would his victory last? Only time would tell, and he had plenty of that.

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