A Father's Stake (11 page)

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Grace said. “Yes, this is my mother, Gabriella Michaels. Mom, Jack Carson.”

“Very nice to meet you,” she said pleasantly, then she frowned. “I am very sorry for the way this turned out for you, but I can promise you that this property will be in good hands.”

“That it is,” Parrish said as he came out of the stable. “Very good hands.”

Jack felt outnumbered and decided to forego a comment. “I brought a horse for you,” he said to Grace. “Gentle, a good ride. My mother rides her occasionally, but she needs exercise.”

He watched Grace eye her mount. “She looks fine.”

Parrish spoke to Gabriella. “Can you come and help me gather up the toys the child left down here yesterday? Don’t want that pretty horse to choke on a three-inch toy stallion.”

Gabriella laughed, and with a wave to Grace and Jack, she took off with Parrish into the stables. Grace went to check on her daughter, then came back out with a small bottle of sun block. Jack watched as she started to rub it into her arms and shoulders. As if she felt him watching her, she held the tube out to him. “Want some?”

He shook his head. “No, thanks.” He glanced at her bare head. “You’d do well to think about getting a hat, something light, maybe straw.”

Her hand went to her pale hair, touched by streaks of gold from the rising sun. “Oh, yes, I found one.” She ran back inside, reappearing with a floppy straw hat. She pulled it on, the wide brim all but hiding her face. “This will do.”

“Let’s get going,” he said and turned to the horses. He watched Grace approach her mount, cautiously reaching out to touch the animal’s muzzle. She jumped back when the horse shook its head and whinnied. “Just take it slow,” he told her.

She nodded, her eyes never leaving the horse. “What...what’s her name?”

“Lucy,” he said, but Grace didn’t make a move to get on her back. “Slowly go around to her left side, and get up in the saddle.”

“Sure,” she agreed, but without much conviction. Slowly, she made her way around the horse, grabbed the saddle horn and the back of the saddle, then tried to hoist herself up. She didn’t go more than a few inches before her boots hit the packed earth again.

Jack moved behind her. “Let me give you a boost,” he said, spanning her slender waist with both hands. “Now, pull,” he instructed her, at the same time swinging her up. She felt light as air, and he could feel her breathing. Then she was mounted, and the connection was gone.

“Okay, okay,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “Got it.”

“Good.” He stroked the horse’s neck. “Now, hold the reins loosely. She’ll follow my horse, just give her her head.”

“How?” she asked, her hands gripping the saddle horn.

He almost laughed at her question, but instead, he picked up the loose reins and held them out to her. “Just hold them loosely, and she’ll do what she needs to do.”

* * *

G
RACE
TOOK
A
deep breath, accepted the reins and tried to relax. Jack went to get his horse, swung up into the saddle in one easy motion, then came up beside her. “Ready?”

She really wished she’d told him she was allergic to horses or something like that, or maybe that she’d never ridden at all. The truth was, her only rides had been a disaster, but then again, she’d been very young, and scared to death of the horse. Now she just felt awkward and a little afraid. She didn’t know what she’d do if the horse suddenly took off. “Yes, I’m ready,” she lied, staring at her hands holding the reins.

“Grace,” Jack said.

She made herself turn and look at him. He was smiling at her, that dimple showing up again. “What’s so funny?”

“You. You look like you’re going to your execution. Just relax. Let your hands relax with the reins, and breathe. Just breathe. Your horse will go wherever mine does. I promise.”

She flushed, knowing her face had to be scarlet. She’d thought she could pull this off, but she’d been wrong. “Easy for you to say,” she muttered.

Jack clicked his tongue and his horse started off. Without any prompting, her horse followed Jack’s mount, even when Jack headed west. Maybe she would be okay, after all. She’d just act as if she knew what she was doing, but as they skirted the stand of trees and made their way into the open pastures, Grace felt every step the horse took. She tensed each time they came to a rise in the land and she began to wonder how long she could stand the pummeling against the saddle before she begged Jack to stop and let her walk.

“We’ll head toward the west,” Jack said over his shoulder. “Then north, toward that boundary near the mountains.”

She made herself look ahead, instead of at the ground passing beneath her. The mountains were impressive. She thought she caught sight of the Rez, but wasn’t sure. The distant shapes shimmered, almost floating into the turquoise sky. “How far is it to the boundary?” she asked, and could hear the breathlessness in her voice. Thank goodness Jack didn’t seem to notice.

“Not far. Once we get there, we’ll head along the boundary and see how far we can get before the heat gets too bad.” He turned to meet her gaze. “How are you doing?”

“Fine, fine,” she said, looking away from the man and his dark eyes before he could read the lies there.

“I have water if you need it,” he called back.

“Good to know.”

They rode in silence, Jack just a bit ahead as they kept to a narrow trail cutting through the weeds and scattered low shrubs. Grace watched Jack, the way his muscles rippled under his thin cotton shirt. He looked as assured and confident on his horse as she was uneasy. But he’d been riding most of his life. Maybe in a few years, Lilly would be a good rider, probably a lot better than Grace would ever be.

“We’re going to cut northwest,” Jack called back to her. “And there’s a bit of climbing, but the horses know the way.” He pointed into the distance. “That way.”

Her horse slowed as the ground got rockier, and Jack seemed to be getting farther and farther ahead. “Come on, get going,” she urged the Bay, but it didn’t alter its pace.

Jack twisted in the saddle to look back at her, obviously sensing the problem. “Just gently nudge her with your knees. Light touch. Hold the reins loosely, resting your hands on your thighs. And find the horse’s rhythm. Every horse has one, just find it and go with it.”

If her horse had a rhythm, Grace couldn’t find it, but after a bit, she felt herself give in to the jarring and rolling. Her misery was offset by the spectacular scenery, and as they got higher, she realized they were almost above the buttes and mesas, now far off in the distance behind them. “My property runs up this far?” she asked.

“No,” Jack called over his shoulder and kept going, almost circling the last butte, but the horses took the incline easily. Amazingly, as the sweetness of pine touched the air, she realized that she hadn’t worried about the horse, or staying on for a while. But when Jack slowed again and dismounted, she was more than a bit relieved.

He dropped his reins on the ground and his horse stayed put as he came back to her. “Let’s get off for a bit so I can show you some things around here. He looked up at her and when she didn’t move, mostly because she realized her legs were almost numb, he put up both hands. “Come on,” he said, spanning her waist and lifting her up and over, then off the horse.

Her legs were weak enough that if Jack let her go right then, she would probably have fallen on her face. But he didn’t let go, just shifted his hold on her to her shoulders, steadying her.

“You need your land legs,” he said with a wry smile.

Boy, did she ever. She tried to take a step, but found herself reaching to grab his forearms. “For Pete’s sake,” she muttered, “This is worse than the one and only time I was on a boat and got off on the dock.” She’d save the explanation that she had fallen to her knees and couldn’t get up.

“It happens to everyone when they haven’t ridden for a while,” he said. “We went a bit too long without stopping. I’m sorry.”

She tipped her head to look up into his face. He was sorry. Well, she was embarrassed, especially when she realized that she liked the feel of his hands at her waist, his touch on her shoulders. That was crazy! She shook her head. Even with a hat, maybe she had sunstroke.

“Let me know when you’re steady,” he said.

She tested her legs, felt they were more stable. “I think I’m okay. You can let me go.”

The instant Jack released her she felt an odd sense of loss. Immediately she pushed it aside. Her life was complicated enough right now.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“W
HERE
TO
NOW
?” she asked. She’d been so intent on the horse and riding, and Jack, that she had no idea where they were, other than closer to the mountains. They’d climbed quite high to get here, and massive rocks rose up out of the ground.

Jack secured the horses to a small tree near a boulder as big as a car, then came back over to Grace. “Okay, let’s go,” he said.

She fell in step with him, her back and calf muscles sore as they climbed a rough trail that looked as if it had been well used over the years. Just when she thought she couldn’t go any further, Jack turned and held out a hand to her, pulling her gently up to a level lookout. When she turned back to see how far they’d come, the view almost overwhelmed her. She inhaled the sweetness of the air and gazed at the land below. The idea of it being hers was getting more and more real and she loved it.

Then she realized Jack had said they weren’t on her property now. Turning to him, she found him studying her. “Spectacular, isn’t it?” he said, his eyes narrowed to the glare of the sun.

“Yes, but you said we aren’t on my land anymore.”

“We cut off back a ways. I’ll show you the surveying stake when we go back down.”

“Then why are we up here?”

“Because we can see all of the ranch land from here.”

Jack pointed to the west and a huge pine, knotted and distorted by wind, heat and storms. “That’s the top northern edge of the ranch.” He walked in the opposite direction and stopped almost at the end of the level lookout, waiting for her to catch up. No trees or rock formations blocked the view from here. “Now you can see where you are.”

She looked down and she actually thought she could make out the old adobe far off in the distance. The tree stands, the dry pastures. “Is that the house?”

“Yes, it is.” He turned and pointed up toward the mountain behind them. “The Rez is up there, and the Rez land goes down the mountain and ends at my parents’ property line.”

She was staggered by the amount of land she now owned. More than she’d ever dreamed of. Then again, she’d hardly even imagined having a house of her own. Jack motioned her to the edge of the lookout and dropped to the ground, letting his feet dangle over the side. He indicated the spot beside him on the rock. “Sit,” he said.

Carefully, she inched forward, then slowly sat down. Lowering her legs to dangle over the side made her stomach lurch. She had no idea she was afraid of heights until she saw the sheer drop-off. Bracing herself, she sat very still, focusing her gaze up and away. No way could she look straight down.

“Over there,” Jack was saying, pointing to a huge spread with sprawling green pastures that flowed from a central grouping of buildings. She didn’t have to ask. It was his father’s ranch. She’d only gotten a quick glimpse on their earlier walk. Now she was stunned at the size of the operation.

“That’s incredible,” she said and meant it. “It’s like a piece of art, like
American Gothic
or something.”

He chuckled softly. “I think you’re right. It’s been totally transformed from the land Grandpa came down to claim. It was raw territory back then. It took three years before he could bring his kids and my grandmother down to live there. All the irrigation, the plowing, everything was done from that point on. He dug the wells, fenced everything, raised stock and seven kids. All on his own.”

* * *

J
ACK
COULD
FEEL
Grace watching him and listening closely. But he didn’t take his eyes off the ranch spread out below. “It was nothing but work for everyone. My mother used to follow the tractor and break up dirt clods along with my two uncles when she was about five years old. MawMaw, my grandmother, cleaned houses in the town before it was a town.” He felt himself drifting back, the stories of his grandfather flitting through his mind.

“You must have been really proud of your grandparents.”

That didn’t begin to explain how he’d felt. And still did. Or how devastating it had been when his father’s stupid actions had lost a huge chunk of that heritage. He pushed back and stood. “Are you up for a bit more climbing?” he asked.

Carefully she scuttled backward, away from the drop-off, then scrambled to her feet. “I guess.”

He moved off, and Grace followed him up the rough steps cut into the granite bluff. It was just a short climb to an area rimmed on three sides with huge boulders and sheer rock facings. Two or three charred areas held the remnants of recent campfires, and a torn piece of red fabric had been mounted like a flag on a long stick and shoved in a cleft in one of the boulders.

“Kids still come here,” Jack said as he kicked at some of the ashes.

He pointed to the far northwest, then moved his hand in a half circle in front of them. “If you stand right here, every acre of land you can see was once, or still is, Wolf land. Some of it went for the town, the rest was broken up into parcels for each of the seven Wolf kids. Three of them built on their land, my mother, and her two brothers, Aaron and Daniel. The other kids branched out, but kept the land. An uncle in Minnesota still has his and leases it out for grazing.” He didn’t add that the only piece that had been lost from the Wolf Grant was hers. Three hundred acres, the smallest spread, yet the most important to him.

He looked over at Grace. She had taken off her hat, and the light breeze lifted the stray tendrils of her pale hair, making them dance in the golden sun. “That’s incredible,” she breathed softly.

“Yes, it is.” He’d wanted to point out the hardships, the struggle it had been to build the ranch, and still would be to restore it to working order. But all he’d done was bring back the past, making him feel the loss of his grandfather’s land even more keenly.

He turned abruptly, his arm hitting Grace in the shoulder. He hadn’t realized she was so close. She grasped his arm to steady herself, and on impulse, he reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingertips. Her warm skin felt silky to him, and it stirred something inside him that made him jerk back as if he’d been burned.

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “You weren’t going to fall.”

“I know,” she whispered, then her face twisted in a grimace. “My hat. I dropped it.”

He looked around, but no hat was in sight, then he went to the edge and looked down. Far below, caught in a clump of wild sage growing out of a split in the granite, was her hat. “There it is,” he pointed out, but she didn’t move. When he turned, Grace stood hugging herself, just staring at him. Then it hit him. “You’re acrophobic, aren’t you?”

She shook her head no but stopped. “Yes.”

He walked over to her. “You should have told me.”

Finally, she looked at him, her eyes wide. “I didn’t know until now,” she said. “I’ve never sat on a ledge like that before.”

He should have felt that he’d scored a point. Her land included property with rocky cliffs at high altitudes, and she couldn’t avoid them. But that didn’t seem to matter right now. All he cared about was the fear he saw in her eyes.

“Let’s go back,” he said.

She turned almost before he’d finished speaking and headed down to the horses. He followed her and untied the animals, holding the reins out to Grace. She reached for them with an unsteady hand, and he was hit by a jolt of protectiveness that came out of nowhere. “No more rides up here,” he said.

She bit her lip, like a child who was trying to control their emotions. And all he could think of was comforting her some way. But that wasn’t up to him. Not even close. “It was just such a drop,” she finally said in a barely audible voice.

“Now I know about you and heights, we’ll rethink our rides, okay.”

“Yes, thank you,” she said, and turned to Lucy, trying again to get up in the saddle.

He was hesitant to help her the way he had before. But when she sighed with frustration, he went over to her and lifted her up. For a moment, her body was close to his and even when she was in the saddle and he moved away, her fresh scent lingered.

The day was over for him. He needed to get her back to the ranch, to get some distance from her. He looked down at his hand holding the reins and his gold wedding band glinted in the light. He really needed to rethink his plans.

He took the direct route back, not following the property lines, and by the time they got to the old ranch, he was edgy. Every sound from Grace ran riot with his nerves, and he was aware of her behind him every moment. After what seemed forever, the old adobe came into sight.

“Thank you again for doing this for me,” she said in a rush.

He didn’t answer her, just shrugged and urged his horse in the direction of the house.

* * *

G
RACE
FROWNED
AT
Jack’s back as he rode off. Part of being a good waitress was being able to read your customers accurately. But Jack Carson had her stumped. She thought he’d wanted the land more than anything, that he’d make an offer, then keep at her until she gave up and sold it to him.

But he hadn’t even mentioned buying back the place. He’d made a joke about being a “backup plan” for her, but since then he hadn’t brought up the subject. As they’d overlooked the panorama of his family’s land, he’d spoken about his grandparents and their hard work with obvious pride. But he’d never once reminded her that she had what he wanted. Not once. And since she’d told him about her decision to try to make a go of it, she’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Maybe that was why she felt so edgy now. Why she’d overreacted when he’d accidently bumped her. Why she’d let him steady her. She didn’t know, and found she didn’t want to spend time figuring it out. She had enough to worry about without wondering why Jack Carson acted the way he did.

They passed the house and rode down to the stables. Grace half expected Jack just to keep going.

She managed to get off the horse herself, lifting her right leg over the saddle, then sliding down until her boots hit the ground. Not graceful, but she’d done it.

Jack dismounted, too. “Let’s leave Lucy here until we’ve finished the perimeter rides. Is that okay with you?”

“I guess so. Parrish has some stalls cleaned.”

“Okay.” He dropped his horse’s reins and took Lucy’s from Grace.

She followed him and the horse into the hushed stables. No one was around, not Lilly, or Grace’s mother, or Parrish. She thought they were probably in the house. Jack led the horse back near the tack area, lightly looped her leads over a wooden rail and methodically unsaddled her. Quietly, he went about rubbing her down, talking to her in a low voice as he worked, then spoke without turning to Grace.

“The Paint’s gone.”

She looked around. He was right. Mosi’s stall was empty. “I didn’t see them outside anywhere, did you?”

“No,” he said, putting the brushes back on their hooks.

“You don’t suppose they’d let Lilly try to ride the horse, do you?”

“You got it for her to ride,” he pointed out as he tossed the saddle blanket over the side of the nearest stall.

“Yes, but—” She backed up against the wall as Jack led the horse over to an empty stall. “Lilly needs lessons and—” All she could think of was her own first horseback ride, and how it had left her with bad memories.

His dark eyes met hers with an intensity that took her aback. “If you’re going to live this life, sometimes you just have to let things happen,” he said, then reached for the stall door and led Lucy inside.

He came out, secured the door, then Grace said, “So they just let kids do anything they want out here, even things that can hurt them.” She hated the way her tone got louder and accusatory.

Jack shook his head. “Of course not, but ease up. She’s with your mother, obviously, and probably Parrish, who seems to be very capable. So, things are good until you find out they aren’t.”

She actually heard herself say, “You have to have a child to understand what it feels like to be a parent.”

She literally wanted to put a hand over her mouth, hating the way Jack’s features tightened, his eyes narrowed. He hit the lock on the stall door, the sound of metal on metal clanging in the air. “Then I don’t understand,” he muttered.

Why had she said that, knowing what Mallory had told her about Jack and his wife. She couldn’t believe how callous her comment was, how out of line. But just one look at Jack’s face and she knew an apology wouldn’t amount to anything. Instead, all she could think of was a vague generality that was better than nothing. “I’m just a bit overprotective.”

“She’s your responsibility,” he said and walked out.

She hurried after him, and by the time she caught up, he was on his horse, starting toward the driveway. She didn’t get a chance to say or do anything else before he said over his shoulder, “See you in the morning.”

“Wait, I’m not sure about the morning.”

That stopped him. He reined his horse around, looking back at her. “What?”

“I got Lilly registered at school yesterday,” she called without going over to him. “She starts tomorrow. I can’t leave until she’s in school.”

He was very still, then nodded. Okay, we’ll wait until then.” Without another word he turned, riding off down the driveway.

Grace stared after him, still feeling badly about what she’d said. Then she realized he didn’t know what time Lilly started school. Maybe he wouldn’t be back tomorrow. She almost couldn’t blame him if he didn’t show up.

Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, she thought as she headed to the house, hurting all over with each step. She needed a long, hot bath, but first she had to find her mother and Lilly. As she went inside, she took out her cell phone and called her mother.

Gabriella picked up on the third ring. “Hi, Grace,” she said in a slightly breathless voice.

She stopped. “Mom, where are you and Lilly?”

The rush of wind sounded in the background, and she could hear Lilly laughing. “Out by the water station for the eastern grazing area.”

She sounded as if she had been on the land all her life. Without asking what a “water station” was, Grace got to the most important question. “What’s going on with the horse? It’s not in its stall.”