Her Hill Country Cowboy

Chapter Two

Seth kept the kids occupied helping Opi with simple barn chores until he was certain their new housekeeper had finished her business with Omi and had gone to her cabin. He couldn’t avoid Christina Hunter indefinitely, but he’d make sure she kept her dog well away from Eva. This being Christina’s first night on the place, Seth figured Omi would invite her to the house for supper, so he decided to take the kids down to the picnic area by the lake and grill something for just the three of them.

While he stood in the utility room digging through the chest-type freezer for franks or burgers, Omi came up behind him. “I know you’re mad, Seth, but you might as well get over it. Christina’s staying. And so is her dog.”

He nearly rammed his head on the freezer lid as he straightened to face his grandmother. “I don’t tell you how to run the ranch, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interfere in how I take care of my kids.”

“That’s a laugh!” Omi set her hands at her ample waist. “You’ve always got plenty to say about how we run things around here, and I’m right glad you do. But the truth is, somebody needs to tell you a thing or two about how you’re raising those youngsters. Georgia’s been gone three years now. You aren’t helping your kids one bit by mollycoddling them like you do.”

“You know as well as I do the heartache Joseph and Eva have suffered.” Seth fought to keep his voice level. “I’m just trying to give them the room they need to heal. What’s wrong with that?”

“Not a blasted thing. Except I worry all this room you’re giving them—without the benefit of some kind of counseling—is just more space to wallow in their grief and fear.”

“We tried counseling.” Returning his attention to his quest, Seth pushed aside some frozen pizzas. “If you remember, it was an interfering social worker who nearly lost me my kids.”

“You can’t write off the whole field of psychology because one dimwit couldn’t see past the end of her nose.”

Green beans, stir-fry mix, brown-and-serve rolls—there had to be franks and buns in here somewhere. Seth’s fingers were getting numb.

“What exactly are you looking for?” Omi snapped. When he told her his intentions, she scoffed. “No cause to run off and hide. Christina’s worn out from her trip. I’m sending a plate of food to her cabin.”

Nose in the air, Omi marched out of the utility room, leaving Seth to stew in his own lousy mood. Maybe he had grown too protective of his kids, but he wasn’t taking any more chances with their frail little spirits. When Georgia had left him, taking the kids with her, Seth had nearly gone off the deep end. To this day, he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been able to make his wife happy right here on the ranch.

But no, with a degree in urban design from Texas A&M, Georgia wanted more than Juniper Bluff had to offer. When a big-name architectural firm in Minneapolis offered her a position, she said yes first and informed Seth after the fact.

He should have seen right then that there were more problems in his marriage than Georgia’s need for career fulfillment.

And he should never have allowed her to take the kids. He could shoulder the blame for the upheaval they’d suffered, because if he’d swallowed his stupid male pride and followed Georgia to Minneapolis instead of staying put and waging the war for his marriage and his kids long distance, things might have turned out a whole lot differently.

Some things, anyway. A deep, throbbing ache rolled through him. He slammed down the freezer lid and leaned hard into it while he tried to shove the memories from his mind. The phone call from his mother-in-law saying Georgia had gotten sick. The unbearable wait for test results. The wondering, the questions, the prayers. Then the devastating cancer diagnosis that gave Georgia only weeks to live.

“Seth?” His grandfather’s voice sounded behind him. “You okay?”

He straightened and drew a hand down his face. The day’s growth of whiskers rasped beneath his palm. “Yeah, fine.”

“Omi’s got supper on the table. I had the kids wash up.”

“Be right there. I need to wash up, too.”

A splash of cold water soothed his stinging eyes. Joining his family at the table, he plucked a piece of straw from Eva’s hair as he sat down beside her. Leaning over to plant a kiss on her sweet blond head, he thought his heart would burst with all the love he felt for this child. For both his children.

Clearing his throat meaningfully, Opi reached for Eva’s hand on one side and Joseph’s on the other. Seth joined hands with Eva and Omi as his grandfather bowed his head to offer thanks.

Afterward, Joseph helped himself to a hefty serving of Omi’s seasoned pan fries. “Opi says tomorrow we can ride over to Mr. Nesbit’s farm and see his calves.”

Eva tugged on Seth’s sleeve and whispered, “You’ll come, too, won’t you, Daddy?”

“Sure, hon. Soon as chores are done, we’ll all go.” It would be a good excuse to get the kids away from the ranch and avoid running into the housekeeper and her dog.

Omi passed a platter of sliced ham to Seth, but before he could serve himself, a knock sounded on the back door. Omi offered a placid smile. “Seth, would you mind?”

He did mind, because the only other person on the place tonight was Christina Hunter. He forked a slab of ham onto his plate and smiled right back. “Maybe you should get it.”

“You’ll get there faster than I can. Let’s not keep our visitor waiting.”

Yep, Marie Peterson definitely reigned supreme at Serenity Hills. Muttering under his breath, Seth wadded his napkin next to his plate and marched to the door. Through the glass pane, he glimpsed Christina standing on the porch, arms folded as she glanced right and left. The evening dusk was gathering, and something about the anxious look on her face made him swallow the caustic greeting on the tip of his tongue.

He opened the inner door and spoke through the screen. “Can I help you?”

“Oh. Hi.” She seemed surprised to see him standing there. “I—well—this is embarrassing, but I’ve already locked myself out of my cabin.”

“Hang on. I’ll get you another key.” Seth should have invited her inside, but it wasn’t happening while she had the dog with her. He slipped down the short hallway to the office, where he fetched a duplicate key.

On his return trip, his grandmother stopped him in the kitchen and handed him a tray covered with an oversize checkered napkin. “Here’s Christina’s supper. Tell her to come on over for breakfast in the morning, seven sharp.”

Seth ground his teeth. Good thing the kids rarely came downstairs before seven thirty. “You planning on having her eat with us every meal?”

“Of course not. Just till she settles in and has a chance to pick up some groceries for herself.”

Lips in a twist, Seth dropped the key onto the tray and continued to the back door. He nudged it open with his hip. “My grandmother sent this tray for you. The key’s right here.”

“Thanks. Sorry to cause so much trouble.” One hand on the dog’s head, Christina looked ready to jump out of her skin.

Seth figured he’d kick himself later, but his kindlier instincts kicked in. Nice to realize he still had a few. “Would you feel better if I walked you back to the cabin?”

“Please don’t bother. You already think little enough of me.” Her throat shifted. She reached for the tray. “I’ll just—”

“No, wait.” Rats, all he needed was to go soft over a woman in distress. Looked like his own supper would be getting cold. “The path can be tricky after dark, especially before all the vapor lights power up. I’ll make sure you get back safely.”

“You really don’t mind?”

Seth harrumphed. “Need to make sure the pasture gates got latched. Might as well see you to your cabin on the way.”

Christina looked at him sideways as if she didn’t quite believe him, but a little of her apprehension seemed to have lifted. They started down the path together, Seth carrying the tray and making sure to walk on the opposite side from her dog. No sense giving Christina the idea he’d softened his stance on the animal’s presence. Because he hadn’t and he wouldn’t.

The ranch had two staff cabins, located on the far side of the main house and secluded from the guest cabins. They had to walk past the garage and a couple of outbuildings, then through a copse of trees, and Christina kept her hand on the dog’s shoulder the whole way. Seth still hadn’t been told what her disability was that required a service animal, but if it caused this much anxiety, he could see why the shadowy trek to her cabin might be a problem.

All the more reason she didn’t belong on the ranch. He hoped it wouldn’t take long for his grandmother to come to the same conclusion, as well.

* * *

Christina was glad the cabin’s porch light operated on a sensor. The sun hadn’t quite set when she’d gone out earlier on a walk with Gracie. Stupidly, she hadn’t thought to take her key and discovered too late that the door locked automatically. She’d really, really hoped it would be Mrs. Peterson who answered her knock. Seeing Seth on the other side of the screen door had sent her misgivings soaring. How would she endure working here when his dislike was so palpable?

Except he was being pretty nice at the moment, and it didn’t help her nerves one bit now that she knew he was single. Mrs. Peterson hadn’t said much about Seth’s wife except that they’d separated and soon afterward she’d become ill and passed away.

He set the tray of food on one of the retro-style red metal porch chairs, then picked up the key and unlocked her door. “There you go. Need anything else?”

“I should be fine now. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, uh, breakfast at the house at seven. Omi’s orders.” He even smiled a tiny bit when he said it.

“Omi. What a cute name.” Tray in hand, Christina stood in the doorway. “Does it have special meaning?”

“It’s a German-family thing. My great-great-grandparents emigrated from Germany and settled in the Fredericksburg area.”

“I came through Fredericksburg on my way to Juniper Bluff. Looks like a fun town to visit.”

“Yeah.” Seth shifted, the need to escape evident in his darting eyes.

“Well. Thanks again.” Christina nodded toward the tray, then smiled up at him. “And thank your grandmother for the meal.”

He tipped an imaginary hat before retreating down the steps and disappearing into the trees.

With darkness rapidly closing in around the cabin, Christina once again succumbed to doubts. Until last night at the motel, she hadn’t been alone overnight since before the automobile accident. The whole time she’d been in the hospital, her mother hadn’t left her side except to shower, change clothes and eat. Not that Christina had been aware the first few weeks while she’d lain in a coma, but later, as she recovered, her father had confirmed her suspicions.

Then five months in a rehabilitation hospital, where Christina had a talkative teenage roommate for the first several weeks, then a nosy grandmotherly type for the remainder of her stay. The past year and a half, she’d lived at home with her parents. And Gracie, of course. Christina blessed the day the service dog had come into her life. Gracie’s training included sensing Christina’s agitation whenever memories of the accident intruded or something else triggered an anxiety attack. A nudge with a wet nose would remind Christina to breathe again and to focus on the present, not the unchangeable past or the uncertain future.

Like now. As Christina sat at the small table in the kitchenette, Gracie’s soft whine alerted her to the fact that she’d scarcely eaten half of the delicious meal Mrs. Peterson had sent over. She tore off a piece of ham and offered it to the dog, who happily gobbled it down.

Concentrating on the tasty supper and Mrs. Peterson’s kindness helped Christina put the stress of the day behind her. After washing the dishes and stacking them on the tray to return in the morning, she unpacked a few things and arranged her daily medications in the bathroom medicine cabinet. She didn’t like having to depend on prescription meds and prayed the day would come when all these drugs for depression, anxiety and migraines would no longer be necessary.

She swallowed her nighttime pills, then changed into her pajamas and propped herself up in bed with the novel she’d brought along. Gracie hopped up beside her and snuggled in close, laying her head on Christina’s knee.

Before Christina had read two pages, her cell phone rang. Recognizing the chime she’d assigned to her mother, she snatched the phone off the nightstand. “Hi, Mom.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear from you.” Her mother couldn’t disguise a note of worry. “Where are you? Did you get there okay?”

“All tucked into my cozy little cabin. A day late, but I’m safely here.”

“I was worried after you called from the motel last night. You sounded so frazzled.”

“I told you, it was just travel stress. You were right—I had no business trying to drive straight through in one day.”

“Well, I’m glad you had sense enough to stop for the night and get some rest.” Mom sighed through the phone. “Honey, are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

Gracie crept closer and nuzzled Christina’s arm. Her expressive eyes seemed to say, You’re fine. I’m here. Just breathe.

“Mom, I told you, I need to do this. Yes, it’s going to be hard, but I’ve got to start depending on myself again.”

“But you could have done so right here in Little Rock, with Dad and me close by if you needed us.”

Christina combed her fingers through Gracie’s thick coat and sought the words to help her mother understand. “I love you, Mom. And I can never, ever thank you and Dad enough for how you’ve been there for me every step of the way. But if I’d stayed in Little Rock, it would be too easy to fall back on your support when any little thing went wrong.”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“No, of course not. But I wouldn’t be getting better. I need to get stronger, Mom.” Tears pricked Christina’s eyes. “And I need you to help me by giving me the space to do it.”

Her mother grew silent for a moment. “Are you telling me not to call? Not even to find out how you’re doing?”

Swallowing hard, Christina squeezed her eyes shut. “Just for a while, okay? I promise I’ll call you in a few days, after I’ve had a chance to learn my new job and...” She started to say, see if this is going to work, but that would only play into her mother’s concerns, not to mention feed her own.

“Chrissy...”

“I’m really tired, Mom, and I’ll be getting an early start in the morning, so I need to go.” Christina forced a smile into her voice. “Give Dad a hug for me. Love you both. Bye!”

She clicked off before her mother could wheedle another minute or two of conversation out of her. It was barely past eight, but two days on the road had taken their toll. After slipping on a robe and slippers and tucking the cabin key securely into her pocket, she took Gracie outside for one more trip before lights-out.

As she looked up into the night sky, a gasp caught in her throat. Never in her life had she seen so many stars! The words of a psalm bloomed in her thoughts and swelled her heart: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

She could do this. With God’s help, she’d get back into life and once again stand on her own two feet.

* * *

By noon the next day, those feet Christina was so insistent on standing on hurt like crazy. She’d trekked from the main house to the storage building to cabin after cabin with Marie Peterson.

Marie’s first request, gently worded but firm, was that Gracie remain outside the guest cabins, the public rooms in the main house and the kitchen food-preparation area. “Well-groomed and obedient as Gracie is,” Marie stated, “we have to abide by health department regulations and can’t risk complaints about dog hair or allergy issues.”

Christina understood perfectly, and at each cabin she asked Gracie to stay outside by the door. It was enough to know the dog waited nearby.

Learning what her housekeeping duties consisted of, where supplies were kept and how to find her way around the ranch had taken most of the morning. And not once had she caught a glimpse of Seth Austin. Since his macho-looking maroon truck was nowhere to be seen either, Christina guessed he’d gone off somewhere with his children and was intentionally avoiding her.

“So the soiled sheets and towels go in this bin,” Marie said as they stood in the workroom behind the garage. “And then a service picks them up once or twice a week as needed and delivers a fresh batch.”

“Got it.” Jotting the instructions in her pocket-size notebook, Christina glanced longingly at a metal folding chair propped against the wall. “You said you aren’t expecting guests until the weekend, right?”

“They’ll start trickling in sometime tomorrow, but most won’t arrive till Friday afternoon. You’ll need to tidy their cabins each day while they’re at meals or out on excursions or whatever.”

Good, she needn’t worry about too many personal encounters, one huge reason why she’d initially thought this housekeeping position might be something she could handle.

What she hadn’t weighed into the equation was the amount of physical labor involved. Pushing a fully loaded maid’s cart from cabin to cabin would require the use of muscles Christina hadn’t called upon in longer than she cared to admit. At home, her parents paid for biweekly maid service, which had made it easy to grow lazy about everyday household chores. Mom’s hovering hadn’t helped, and she wouldn’t accept that babying Christina so much only prolonged her recovery.

Marie scanned her notes on a clipboard. “That about covers it. Ready for some lunch?”

“Starved!” Christina tucked away her notebook, already overflowing with the lists and reminders she relied upon daily, and fell in step with her employer on the path to the house. “I’m planning on picking up some groceries this afternoon, though.”

“No hurry. You’re welcome at our table anytime.”

“Thanks, but...” Christina’s voice faded as she caught sight of Seth leading a horse out of the barn. He moved with the same easy grace she’d observed yesterday when he’d carried the turtle across the road.

“Oh, good, Seth’s back.” Marie climbed the porch steps and yanked the cord of a big iron bell hanging from the eaves. The sharp clang made both Christina and Gracie jump. “Sorry,” Marie said with a chuckle. “Better get used to the sound of the dinner bell.”

Seth glanced their way and waved, but when he met Christina’s gaze, his smile stiffened and he abruptly turned away.

Following Marie inside, Christina said, “Maybe I should just take a sandwich back to my cabin.”

“Nonsense. We’re still getting acquainted.” Marie pointed through a door off the kitchen. “Powder room’s that way. Go wash up, and then you can help set the table.”

Clearly, no one argued with Marie Peterson. Besides, it was refreshing not to be pampered.

Hands washed, Christina returned to the kitchen with Gracie ambling alongside. Christina didn’t see Marie anywhere, but Seth stood at the counter, a jar of mayonnaise in one hand and a knife in the other.

A scuffling sound to Christina’s right alerted her to Seth’s little girl clambering up the farthest barstool. Stark terror widened Eva’s eyes as she stared at Gracie. “Daddy, the doggy’s in here!”

The look Seth shot Christina cut deeper than a knife ever could. “I told you to keep your dog away from my kids.”

“I—I’m sorry.” Hands trembling, she groped for Gracie’s collar, prepared to make a hasty exit.

Gracie had different ideas. The dog plopped down on her haunches and refused to budge.

“Come on, girl. Let’s go outside, okay?” Christina flicked a nervous glance at Seth.

He smirked. “I thought service dogs were supposed to be well trained.”

“She is. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Now the dog lay sprawled across the tile floor at the end of the bar. Her mouth opened wide in a yawn, then she rested her chin on her paws and her eyes drifted shut.

“Gracie! What are you doing?” Christina knelt and lifted the dog’s head. “Are you okay?”

Gracie responded by swiping her tongue across Christina’s nose. Nothing in those bright eyes suggested illness. In fact, Christina had the sudden suspicion that Gracie knew exactly what she was doing.

From the far side of the room came a tiny voice: “Daddy, is the doggy sick?”

“Not sure, sweetie.” Two scuffed boot toes appeared at Christina’s left. “What’s going on with your dog?”

“I don’t know. She’s never acted like this before.” Sitting on her heels, Christina looked up with a helpless shrug.

Marie returned through the door leading to the reception area. “Oh my, is your dog hurt?”

Just as quickly as she’d lain down, Gracie scrambled to her feet. Tail wagging, she trotted over and licked Marie’s hand.

Eva whimpered. “Omi, don’t let it bite you!”

“Oh, she’s fine, honey.” Marie gave the dog a scratch behind the ears. “Hey there, sweet thing. Are we friends now?”

Pushing up from the floor, Christina edged away from Seth, who looked ready to charge to his little girl’s defense. But Eva’s expression, though still fearful, now held a glimmer of curiosity.

Social worker instincts kicking in, Christina saw an opportunity. “Eva, I think Gracie may be a little bit scared, too.”

The child’s lower lip trembled. “Why?”

“Well, we’re both new here, and we both want very much to fit in. She’d be very sad if she thought you didn’t like her.” Christina scooted one of the barstools closer to Eva’s and climbed on so that they were both looking toward Gracie. The dog now sat quietly at Marie’s feet.

Marie cast Christina a knowing smile as she knelt and continued stroking Gracie’s head. “We like you just fine, Gracie, so don’t be scared. You’re a good dog, aren’t you?”