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“Is Brace Caulfield unhappy with my work here? He hasn’t given me any grief up until now,” Hank said. “I’ve kept him up to date on everything that goes on.”
“He’s pleased the ranch is thriving, but he seems to want someone in charge who’ll have a vested interest in the ranch. And that’s me. I answer directly to Brace, with an eye to presenting a first-class operation to the boy when the time comes for him to take over.”
“He’s a Clark,” Hank said quietly, and yet Jamie caught a hint of bitterness in the words.
“Yeah, he is. And just what do you mean by that?” Jamie asked, on the alert for the man’s negative attitude toward Stephen. The boy might have been born a Clark, but Brace and Sarah had given him more than just a new name.
Hank shrugged, a slow movement of his wide shoulders. “Just that old man Clark was pretty much a rascal, and so were the sons. I suspect blood runs true in the family, at least from what I’ve seen for myself, and I don’t look for much in the boy.”
“The boy, as you call him, is named Stephen and is being brought up by Brace Caulfield and his wife, Sarah, Stephen’s aunt. Even though he came from a father who abused him, he has a good home and will have a top-notch upbringing. I don’t think he’ll be a disgrace to his folks, and one day he’s going to take over this ranch and run it well, contrary to what his heritage suggests might be the case. Sarah’s twin was his mother and he’s gonna do her proud.”
“You ever consider bein’ a lawyer?” Hank asked with a grin. “You do a dandy job of defending the boy.”
“I suspect he’s too honest to be a lawyer,” Alexis said quietly, the coffeepot in her hand as she approached the table and the two men sitting there. “More coffee, Mr. Webster?” she asked.
“Thanks, I believe I will,” Jamie said, careful not to pay any particular attention to the girl. Woman is more like it, he thought glancing down to where her booted feet stood beside his chair. It was understandable that the men on this ranch were squabbling for the chance to court her. Causing discord among the men was forbidden, though, and he would not stand for it.
“And what do you do with your time, Miss Alexis?” he asked, picking up his cup.
“I cook a bit, ride a lot and in general do whatever needs to be done. I’m more interested in the young foals, but that job is pretty well already taken by men probably more capable than I am. My father won’t let me work on the roundup or in the branding pens, but I lend a hand with the orphaned calves when necessary. I’m real handy with a bottle when the mama has lost the battle and a calf is left alone.”
“A lot of those for you to tend?” Jamie asked, looking up at her with bland interest. At least he hoped his look didn’t hold a shred of the attraction he felt for the girl.
“Usually several in the spring, only two this year. We were lucky.” She turned and set the coffeepot back on the stove and hesitated.
“What do you plan on doing with your time, Mr. Webster?”
“Can we make it Jamie, or James?” he asked with a bland smile. “Whichever you like will do.”
She turned then, gave him a long look as if she read his thoughts, and her answer was what he had expected. “If you’ll be informal enough to call me Alex or Alexis, whichever you like.”
“I can do that,” Jamie answered quickly. “If it’s all right with your pa.”
“She’s her own woman,” Hank said, leaning back in his chair and smiling at his daughter. “I quit tellin’ her what to do when she started puttin’ her hair up.”
Jamie looked at Alexis, whose hair hung in golden splendor around her shoulders and halfway down her back. “And when was that?” he asked.
“Well, most of the time she’s all gussied up with that mop of hair on top of her head or hanging in a braid down her back. It’s usually only at breakfast time that we see her this-a-way.” Hank laughed and shot a tender look at his daughter. “I kinda like breakfast,” he said softly.
Alexis left the stove to fend for itself and circled the table to stand next to her father. “He’s a bit prejudiced,” she told Jamie, bending to plant a kiss on her father’s temple.
“I can see why.” Jamie swallowed the rest of his coffee and stood, wondering how those lips would taste against his own. “I’m gonna take a look around, if you don’t mind,” he said to Hank. “Kinda get the feel of things.”
“No problem with that. It’s all yours now, Webster.”
“Not really,” Jamie said, contradicting the man. “You’ll still have a bundle of work to do, keeping up with all the numbers and giving me tips. Right now I’d like to meet the men who are working close-by.”
“I wrote to Caulfield and told him I’d give you my support. I’ll be happy to do whatever you have in mind for me.”
It was almost too easy, Jamie thought. Too slick a turnover, with a stranger coming in and the foreman stepping back without an argument. And yet, maybe Hank was tired of the hassle involved with dealing with men and a ranch of this size.
“I’ll come out with you and we can ride around to where the men are working,” Hank said. “You want a different horse, or are you planning to use your own?”
“My gelding is pretty worn-out from crossing Texas in the past few days,” Jamie said. “What do you have in the barn?”
“A couple of nice mares and a hot-blooded stallion that’ll give you a run for your money. I guess you get to choose any horse you want, boss.”
Jamie lifted an eyebrow and hitched up his trousers, feeling his gun as it thumped against his thigh. “I’m not much for being the bossy type, Hank. I hope you know right off the bat that I’m not here to make any sweeping changes or chop any heads off. I’m just doing a job for my boss. And that’s the man I answer to in the long run.”
“I’ve already exchanged ‘howdies’ with Chet,” Jamie said. “Just haven’t shaken his hand yet.”
“Here’s your chance then,” Hank said as their horses moved to stand beside that of the ranch hand in question.
Jamie stuck out his right hand and Chet did not hesitate, grasping it in a friendly manner. “Yes sir, I’ve taken a gander at this fella before, Hank. He rides a right pretty horse.”
“Pretty horse?” Hank repeated, lifting his eyebrow as if he mocked the phrase.
“You know what I’m sayin’,” Chet said with a laugh. “If it was a mare, I’d call her a beauty. Since he rides a gelding, and a nice-lookin’ pinto at that, he’s simply pretty.”
“Chet’s our number one hand around here,” Hank said with a grin in Jamie’s direction. “He’s an old-timer. Been around for more years than I have.”
“This is home,” Chet said, with a trace of smug satisfaction in his voice. “I was raised here by my pa after my mother died.”
“Who else do we have working out here?” Jamie asked, nodding at Chet’s words. “I’ll warrant there’s no one else with your record.”
“Nope. But Slim comes right close,” Chet told him. “He’s been here since he was sixteen or so. A good man with horses. He’s out back with the horses right now.”
The girl had mentioned horses, he remembered, stating her liking for them. “You’re running a big herd of horses, along with your cattle here?” Jamie asked.
Hank nodded. “If it’s a bad year for cattle, drought or flood conditions or whatever might happen along to give us problems, we can rely on the horses to take up the slack. We had a big storm a few years ago in February, snowed us in for three days, and all the time we had cows calving out in the back forty. Lost twelve of our heifers and most of their calves. We’d just as soon not see that happen again. Winter storms can be disasters for us.”
“Why hadn’t you brought the cows in closer to the barn, knowing they were at risk?” Jamie asked, his words a blunt criticism of Hank’s actions.
“The storm hit before we were prepared for it. It had been warming up right well for a couple of weeks, and no one looked for snow, least of all me.”
“Maybe we’ll bring the pregnant cows in close next winter and keep them within sight. I’d hate to see that sort of thing happen again,” Jamie said firmly.
“You’re right,” Hank told him. “In fact, I’m beginning to think you’ll be good for the Clark ranch. You’re young and you’re bound to have fresh ideas.”
“That’s another thing. We’re gonna change the name of the ranch,” Jamie told him. “Until I get other instructions from Brace Caulfield, we’ll call this place the Double C. I’d like to see a sign put together and hung down at the county road. What do you think?”
“Clark and Caulfield, huh? Sounds all right to me.”
“Who can make a sign? A big one on a slab of hardwood,” Jamie asked.
Chet spoke up quickly. “That would be Woody, and you get one guess why we call him that.” His chuckle was short and he underlined his words. “The man is a whiz with anything to do with building stuff or working with wood. He’s been around for years, and the big house has a bunch of his furniture inside. Take a look at the tables in the parlor, Webster,” he said, his pride audible, as if he were, in some way, responsible for Woody’s reputation.
“I’ll do that.” Jamie looked around, back toward the barn. “Where is he now?”
“Working on new mangers for the standing stalls,” Chet told him. “We went over the barn pretty good, and Woody said they needed to be replaced. And what Woody says, goes, as far as fixin’ up the barn is concerned.”
“Sounds like a handy fella to have around.” Jamie said, thinking he’d like to meet this paragon of woodworking today.
“You’ll find out,” Chet told him flatly. “We all depend on Woody.”
Jamie turned his mount in a tight circle and headed back to the barn. “I’ll take a look here before we go any farther afield,” he told Hank. The stallion he’d chosen to ride was skittish, but Jamie held him in with a firm hand, and, once he’d dismounted, led him into the barn, seeking the man in question.
The sound of a hammer drew him down the aisle and toward the farthest stall. A big man, easily six inches or so past six feet tall, backed into the aisle ahead of him and turned to face Jamie.
“You must be Woody,” Jamie said. “I’ve been hearing about you.”
“Well, don’t believe everything you hear,” the big man said. “I don’t make magic with my saw and hammer. In fact, I just do what I enjoy most, and the boss thinks I’m a wonder child.”
“If the interior of this barn is a tribute to your skill, I’d have to agree with him,” Jamie said, surveying the well-built stalls. “Can you work as well with the livestock as you do with wood?”
“You better believe it,” Woody said. “I was raised on a horse by my pa. Been herding cattle for twenty years or so.”
Jamie stuck out his hand. “I think we’ll get along just fine, Woody.” In a few words, Jamie told the man what he wanted, measuring the length and width of the sign he had in mind with outstretched arms, and Woody only nodded agreeably. “Does that sound like something you can put together in a few days?” Jamie asked.
“Send Miss Alex out to print the letters you want on the sign, so I can chip them out and paint them black, and I’ll have it done by tonight.”
“Alexis?” Jamie was surprised by the request.
“Yeah, I don’t read or write real good and she’s always a good one to lend a hand.”
“I’ll ask her, then.”
“Ask me what?” From behind him, the woman’s voice spoke a challenge and Jamie turned to her.
“Will you give Woody a hand with a sign he’s about to make for the ranch?”
“He knows I will,” she said, shooting a wide smile in the ranch hand’s direction.
Woody was a bit old for her, but she obviously enjoyed practicing her feminine wiles on any handy male. “I’ll leave you to it, then,” Jamie said, leading his horse past the girl and out the door. She turned as he passed her by, and he was struck again by her eyes, which seemed as bright as the new leaves on a maple tree in the spring.
“Anybody ever tell you you’ve got eyes that could tempt a man to lose his head?” he asked her quietly, lest Woody hear him. It was bad enough he was flirting with the girl, but to let someone else be privy to his words was not quite the thing, he thought.
And as if she had heard such a flattering query on a daily basis, Alexis only nodded. “Among other things I’ve been told,” she said, “such as hair like sunshine and a face likely to draw men like flies. I’m not impressed.”
He’d never been scorned quite so readily, Jamie thought, and yet it made the pursuit all the sweeter, knowing he had to overcome the girl’s distrust of him and the male sex in general. At least that was the message he’d gotten from her remarks.
“I wasn’t trying to impress you,” he told her with a grin, “merely stating a fact.”
“It takes more than a smart remark about my green eyes to make me sit up and take notice of a man. I’m not much on men, and certainly cowhands aren’t my first choice as suitors.”
“Who said I was aiming to be a suitor? I had more in mind a few minutes in the moonlight or on the back porch, rocking the swing back and forth.”
“A few minutes in the moonlight? I don’t think so. I’m particular about who I spend my time with, and my nighttime hours are spent in the house.”
“Your pa watches over you pretty closely, I’ll bet,” Jamie said. “I could relieve him of the chore a couple of evenings a week. Maybe I’ll approach him and see what he thinks of the idea.”
“I think you’d better keep your ideas to yourself, and leave me alone. I’m not in the market for a man.”
Jamie tipped his hat and walked on, circling his horse and then springing into the saddle with an easy movement. “We’ll see,” he said, tipping his hat and offering a small salute in her direction.
Her mouth was drawn into a prim line and he was sorely tempted to pick her up and sling her across his saddle. His mouth twitched as he thought of kissing her into submission. She offered a challenge, and he was never one to turn his back on such a thing. Yet, making his way here with care was important. He couldn’t do anything to cause Brace’s temper to flare in his direction no matter how tempting the woman was.
This job was made for a man like James Webster, working with cows, horses and a handful of cowhands who were already in place and doing a good job. A woman could not be allowed to gain his attention to the extent that he neglected his duties here.
No matter that she was pretty. No, make that lovely, for her golden hair and tempting form were enough to bring James, or any man, he decided promptly, to attention. Features that might grace a statue formed her face, a trim nose, wide eyes that made his gaze veer back to her again, not to mention her lithe and lissome body that filled out the shirt and trousers she wore in an elegant fashion.
He felt an urge to lay his hands on her, and he turned aside, dousing it firmly. She was marriage material and he wasn’t ready yet. The memory of one girl in his past still haunted him. Loris, his first real love, a girl he had hurt, almost beyond repair. A woman he should have married. Now she was wed to his brother, and he could only ruefully regret his actions that had lost him her love.
He’d do well to keep his hands and his hungry eyes off Alexis. She was trouble.
Chapter Two
The stench of burning hair and the scorched flesh beneath it were familiar to Jamie, but still not welcome. He’d worked hard for two months, branding calves, cutting bullocks and herding cattle. But living with the odor of the branding iron doing its work was something he was not particularly fond of.
Yet, the other men were sweating as much as he, were at least as tired as his weary body proclaimed with aches and pains in every possible muscle he owned. And he would not rest while they labored. According to Hank, he had the right to oversee, observe and direct the work, but Jamie had learned from a master in Missouri, and found that the men respected a foreman more if he knew how to work alongside them, and did so without making a fuss over it.
They’d set up camp at the farthest north end of the ranch, sleeping on the ground, working long hours and striving to finish the job in record time. Jamie had gained the friendship of his men, found them to be loyal and honest, and most of all trustworthy. If one of them said he would do a chore, he did it. No dithering, no excuses, just a job well done.
“You tired, cowboy?” Alexis spoke from behind him as he sat close to the campfire. She’d shown up today, bedroll behind her saddle, and Cookie had told him that it was her usual habit to come in at the end of branding and lend a hand.
The men appreciated her slender form flitting around the camp, laughed at her remarks and seemed to perk up, their aching bodies forgotten for a while, as they worshipped at her feet. Figuratively speaking, of course, but it wasn’t too far a stretch of the imagination to visualize them surrounding her in such a manner.
Now she had approached him, and Jamie swallowed the sharp retort that hovered on his lips. If the girl thought he was the latest in her list of conquests, she was wrong. He’d managed to stay clear of her, and though she tempted him mightily, he’d forged a path that didn’t include dallying with Alexis Powers.
“We’re all tired, Alex,” he said moodily, staring into the smouldering coals before him. “Branding cattle is a hard job and these men have worked for ten days, nonstop.”
“They tell me you’re doing more than your share, Jamie.” She circled him and stood between his spot on the ground and the dying fire. “I suspect Brace Caulfield knew what he was doing when he sent you here. My father sure hasn’t found any fault with you, and that’s a rare one. He can always pick a man apart, given a while to watch him operate. You’ve passed the test, I suspect.”
Jamie nodded, looking up at the challenge that glittered in her eyes. “I’m sure I’m pleased about that, Alex. It’s always nice to gain appreciation for what you do. I’m no exception.”
“Can I sit down by you?” she asked, her voice lowering as though she didn’t want to be overheard.
“Sure. The ground’s kinda hard, but it beats standing there.” He felt a twinge of guilt at his offhanded invitation, but she seemed not to notice his words as anything but welcoming.
With a smooth, almost melting glide, she settled beside him, and he felt himself blinking at her method of movement. She’d gone from standing to sitting cross-legged next to him with one easy bend of legs and body. As if her bones were elastic, her muscles more flexible than was normal. “Graceful” was the word he chose to describe her.
Graceful and lovely. Quite a combination. Certainly enough to tempt a man almost beyond reason. And James Webster was a man. He fought the urge to wrap his arm around her waist and tug her closer. His eyes touched the bridge of her nose, the slope of her cheek and the soft pouting lines of her mouth. Unless he was mightily mistaken, the lady was trying to work her way under his skin.
“You haven’t paid much attention to me,” she said quietly, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, her chin cupped in her hands.
“I didn’t know that was a part of my job. I’d have thought you were wearing a ‘hands off’ sign around your neck, if your father’s attitude was anything to go by. You’re a flirt, Miss Powers, and on top of that I consider you forbidden territory.”
She turned her head and her smile was feline, like a cat who spies a mouse and is contemplating its capture. “I make the rules, Mr. Webster. And in case you’ve forgotten, my name is Alexis.”
“I forget very little, ma’am. I’m well aware of your name. And I’m aware that you’re about the most tempting little piece of womanhood I’ve run across in quite some time.”
“It doesn’t show,” she said flatly. “You’ve gone out of your way to ignore me.”
“Trust me. You don’t want me to pay any mind to you. I play for keeps.”
“For keeps? And what is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not sixteen years old, ma’am. I’m a full-grown man, with all the right equipment to enjoy myself with a woman. I don’t do things halfway. If you hang around me very long, you’re likely to find yourself in a heap of trouble.”
Alexis laughed, a buoyant sound that pleased him, and tempted him mightily.
“Do I look worried? You won’t be the first man to try frightening me. I learned a long time ago that men were only little boys, grown up. The only difference is that you’re bigger than I am, stronger and probably able to pick me up with one hand. All of that aside, I’m a woman who knows her own mind, and the fact that I sat down here to talk to you doesn’t make me available to you. Not in any other way than that of a friend.”
“You think I can pick you up in one hand?” He’d caught that part of her speech, smiled to himself as he gauged her height and weight and decided she was right. If she weighed much over a hundred pounds, he’d be surprised. And her height brought her just to his chin, probably an inch or two over five feet. A womanly little package indeed, with much to offer a man.
“Yeah, I do,” she answered, laughing again. “I’ve seen you roping and rassling calves to the ground, and a couple of good-sized bullocks, too. I’ll bet you’re a tough customer to cross, James Webster. And I have no intention of taking you on.”
“Don’t you, now?” he asked softly, looking down at her profile, at the line of her chin, her clasped hands beneath it, at the small dip at the bridge of her nose, not noticeable from the front view, but intriguing from where he was sitting.
She looked at him, a quick flash of green eyes, and sat up straight, her head lifting as if she scented something that appealed to her. “I’m no dummy, James. You’ve been around, I’ll bet. You’ve probably had women from here to yonder and back, and I’m not about to be added to your list.”
“How about adding me to your list, then?” he asked bluntly. “I understand that you’ve had the men here lined up for a smile from you for a long time now.”
“Who on earth told you that?” she asked, seeming indignant at his words.
“My boss. Said that you were the most popular creature on this ranch. Told me that all the hands were vying for your attention.”
“And have you seen me leading anyone on?” she asked smartly. “Do I come across as a woman of dubious virtue?”
Jamie grinned at her. “No, I’d say you were very much a virgin, sweetheart.” He watched as a dark flush rose to cover her cheeks. “You’re smart enough to keep the men at bay, at least until the right one comes along and is willing to pay the price for a spot in your bed.”
“Pay the price? What is that supposed to mean?” She looked stunned at his words, and he found himself rethinking the harsh statement he’d made.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Alex. Far from it, in fact. I think you’re a smart lady, not likely to fall for a line of blarney from any man. I expect one day you’ll marry well, and make your daddy proud of you.”
“And the price I’ll ask for that is?”
“A license to marry, a good bank account and the promise of a man who will cater to your every whim and follow you around like a faithful hound for the rest of your life.”
She turned away, and he swallowed hard. She was worth every bit of that, and he wondered if she had even considered what it would take for a man to come up to her father’s requirements for her hand in marriage.
“You don’t like me, do you?” she asked.
It was his turn to laugh, and he did so with pleasure. If the woman only knew! “I like you, sweetheart. Well enough to haul you off into the woods and make love to you till morning. But, of course, I’m not gonna do that. I’d be layin’ my head on a chopping block if I tried such a stunt.”
She turned back to him and her chin was lifted a bit, her eyes flashing green fire in his direction. “And you think I’d have nothing to say about that? You think I’d just go along with you without a protest?”
“If I wanted to cart you off, you wouldn’t have a word to say. At least you wouldn’t be saying anything. I’d have your mouth sufficiently covered to make sure you didn’t sound an alarm, and we’d be in the midst of those trees in seconds.” He grinned at her again. “But don’t get upset, I’m not plannin’ on any such a thing, Alex. When I take you to bed, it’ll be all aboveboard and legal.”