Cowboy Kisses (6 page)

CHAPTER SIX

“
Uh—what’s a ranch-hand day?
”
Kenzie asked as she followed Sarah. Sarah didn’t answer. She just kept on walking until they reached Ali’s stall. The horse immediately stuck his head out over the door and greeted Kenzie with enthusiastic nudges. Outside the stall were a wheelbarrow and a shovel.

Sarah finally spoke.
“
During the week we each take turns cleaning the stalls. Hank keeps a schedule in the tack room.
”
Raising her eyes, she took in Kenzie’s floral blouse and clean jeans.
“
It’s a good idea to bring an extra set of clothes when it’s your day.
”

“
I wish I’d known in advance,
”
Kenzie grumbled, picking up the shovel.

Sarah’s face showed no expression as she went into the stall next to Ali’s. Kenzie watched her put a halter and a rope on the horse inside.

“
The back door of each stall opens into the paddock area,
”
Sarah explained, patting the horse’s neck.
“
Unsnap the rope after you’ve led the horse out so he can run around while you muck out the stall. And don’t put the white mare in the paddock with any of the other horses—she’s a biter.
”

Kenzie was surprised at the change in Silent Sarah. She was actually speaking clearly, and for once she didn’t seem nervous. Maybe being around horses relaxed her.

When Sarah returned from the paddock, she tossed the rope into Ali’s stall. Kenzie reached for it but missed, and as Sarah bent down to retrieve it, her hair fell forward. She quickly smoothed it back, but not before Kenzie caught sight of the hearing aids behind each ear. When Sarah glanced in Kenzie’s direction, Kenzie pretended she hadn’t noticed a thing.

“
See you at lunchtime,
”
Sarah said, leaving the stall.

Gazing after h
er, Kenzie realized that a hear
ing problem certa
inly explained Sarah Whit
man’s strange behavior. Maybe Sarah hadn’t ignored her. Hank’s loud whistle suddenly made sense,
too. He’d wanted to get Sarah’s
attention.

Kenzie
winced, remembering the rude re
marks she and the other kids at school always made behind Sarah’s back. She wished she could tak
e back every mean word. Unfortu
nately, she couldn’t change the past, but she could do something about the present by treating Sarah with understanding and respect from now on.

Shortly before noon, Kenzie had cleaned out only four of the stalls. She had just finished scrubbing her face and hands in the sink next to the tack room when Sarah arrived to escort her to the farmhouse for lunch.

They walked in silence to the small house shaded by willow trees, but it wasn’t an unfriendly silence.

“
Hi, Nora,
”
Sarah greeted the trim older woman
who stood on the front porch. “
This is Kenzie Sullivan. She’s new. Kenzie, this is Nora, Hank’s wife.
”

Nora wiped her hands on her apron, smiling.
“
Welcome to the Lucky R,
”
sh
e said to Kenzie.
“
Congratulations! You two are my first guinea pigs.
”
She led the way to a table at the far end of the porch and took the aluminum foil off two large plates in the center of the table.
“
Shrimp puffs,
”
she announced, pointing to one dish. The other h
eld lemon, chocolate, and straw
berry tarts.

Kenzie’s mouth was watering. “
They look
delicious!
”

“
Now I want your honest opinion,
”
Nora said.
“
Everything has to be perfect for my catering job on Friday night. I haven’t made these shrimp things before and if they don’t pass the Lucky R taste test
,
I won’t make ’em for the party.
”

When Nora went into the house, Sarah grinned.
“
Everything Nora makes is terrific.
”

Kenzie took a bite of a shrimp puff and discovered that Sarah was right. It
was
terrific, and so were the tarts. By the time the girls had finished taste-testing, Kenzie hardly had room for the tuna sandwich she’d brought with her.

“
How long has Nora been in the catering business?
”
she asked.

“
She had cards printed about a month ago,
”
Sarah replied, munching on an apple.
“
The job on Friday is her first.
”

“
If everything tastes this good,
”
Kenzie said,
taking another
one of the strawberry tarts,
“
she’ll be booked solid.
”

“
I hope so. Nora was really nervous about starting her own business,
but Hank,
Steve, and I
convinced her to give it a try,”
Sarah told her.
“
We’ve b
een raving about Nora’s cooking
for ages.
”

“
How long have you worked here?
”

“
Two years.
”
Sarah paused to munch on a shrimp puff.
“
Steve was here a year before I came.
”

“
Which horse is yours?
”
Kenzie asked.

“
I don’t have
one, but Hank lets me exercise
some of his. He also put me in full charge of the horses we use for riding therapy, so they seem like mine,
”
Sarah said, smiling.
“
Most of the horses have been donated to the program by people who don’t ride anymore or whose kids have lost interest or gone off to college.
”

After the girls had given Nora their verdict on her baked goods, they headed back to the stable. Kenzie saw Steve and two guys she didn’t know closing the gate by the nearest corral.

Sarah quickened her pace and Kenzie hurried to keep up with her. When they reached
the corral, Steve said,
“
Kenzie, I want you to meet Dennis and Greg, the rest of the Lucky R
crew.
”

Greg, the younger-looking of the two, nodded and looked shyly at Kenzie for a minute, then glanced at Sarah, who blushed and fiddled with her hair.

“
I guess you’re anxious to get back to work,
”
Steve said, his amused eyes skimming Kenzie’s dirty jeans.
“
We all know how much fun ranch-
hand day is.
”
Greg and Dennis groaned in unison.

“
Come on, men.
”
Steve pointed to the house.
“
Nora needs our help.
”
He grinned slyly at Kenzie.
“
The only thing I like better than Nora’s food is pizza.
With
anchovies.
”

“
See you around, Kenzie,
”
Dennis said as he and Greg followed Steve.

Sarah had disappeared. Sighing, Kenzie went back into the
barn
and got to work.

Two hours later, Kenzie closed the gate on the last clean stall. Her back hurt, her arms ached, and her hands were blistered from gripping the shovel so tightly. Wondering what her next assignment would be, she went in search of Sarah.

Kenzie found her in the paddock with the
palomino whose name Kenzie had discovered was Nugget.
“
Hi,
”
Kenzie said loudly so Sarah could hear.
“
What do I do now?
”

“
How much d
o you know about riding ther
apy?
”
Sarah asked.

“
I read the article in the paper,
”
Kenzie told her,
“
but aside from that, not much.
”

“
Do you know about sidewalkers, spotters, and leaders?
”

“
No,
”
Kenzie admitted.

Sarah handed Kenzie the lead line attached to Nugget’s bridle.
“
Then I’ll teach you. You’ll have to fill in anywhere you’re needed, if there aren’t enough volunteers from the center. Good volunteers are really hard to find,
”
she added, swinging into the saddle.
“
Let me show you the basics,
”
Sarah went on.
“
The sidewalk
er’s job is to keep the rider secure on the horse.
”
She motioned for Kenzie to stand beside her left leg.
“
If the rider is kind of un
steady, put your hand on his leg.
”
She wobbled in the saddle, and Kenzie grabbed hold of her jeans.

“
Don’t pull,
”
Sarah instructed.
“
You might knock somebody off balance. Gently does it.
”

“
Sorry,
”
Kenzie replied, resetting her hand lightly on Sarah’s lower leg.

“
If your rider starts to fall, try pushing him back into the saddle...
”
But instead of demonstrating
,
Sarah suddenly dismounted and began mumbling about spotters and leaders. Confused by the change in her, Kenzie strained to understa
nd what she was saying and gath
ered that the spotters helped the riders mount the horses safely, while the main responsibility of the leaders was controlling the horses.

“
Practice leading Nugget around the paddock at a slow pace,
”
Sarah suggested, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“
Get used to his movements. When our riders are up to trotting, you’ll have to jog alongside.
”

Kenzie had a thousand questions, but before she could ask a single one, Sarah hurried off, head hanging,
just as Greg came into the pad
dock carrying a toolbox. Greeting Kenzie with another of his shy smiles and a half-wave, he got to work quickly, replacing a rusty hinge on the paddock gate.

Kenzie suddenly realized that Greg was the reason for the sudden change in Sarah.
“
I guess falling riders aren’t the only ones who need help around here,
”
she whispered in Nug
get’s ear.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The last thing Kenzie felt like doing when she got home that night was cooking. She was exhausted, and all she wanted was a lifetime soak in the bathtub.

Instead, after she washed quickly and changed clothes, she fixed macaroni and cheese, a green salad, and steamed carrots. Even Adam had to admit that it tasted pretty good.

Halfway through the meal and Kenzie’s description of her first day on the job, a call came for Mr. Sullivan. He c
ame back to the table looking de
pressed.
“
We didn’t get the bid on th
e Matson Com
pany job,
”
he said, pushing his unfinished dinner aside.

“
You still
have bids out on two other con
tracts, don’t you, Tim?
”
Mrs. Sullivan asked.

He nodded. “
But companies are cautious about dealing with an outfit that has financial problems. They’re afraid to take a chance on our pulling out of debt. Right now we’re still very close to involuntary bankruptcy.
”

His words made Kenzie’s appetite disappear. The thought that Sullivan Electronics might fail had never
occurred to her. She’d just as
sumed that wit
h her father’s electronics know-
how, the company would be successful very soon. She now knew how wrong she’d been.

Adam reached for Kenzie’s plate.
“
Are you finished?
”
He had dishwashing duty.
“
And by the way,
”
he added,
“
I’d appreciate your changing your clothes, or at least your boots, before I pick you up at night. No one’s going to buy a truck that smells like manure.
”

Kenzie shoved her chair back, ready to make an angry retort.

“
That’s enough. Adam,
”
Mr. Sullivan admon
ished sternly before she could speak.
“
Let’s get this table cleared.
”

After her long-awaited bath, Kenzie called Jeanette. When Jeanette answered, Kenzie hurried through the highlights of her work day. Then she asked,
“
Did I miss anything today at the club?
”

Jeanette snorted with disgust.
“
Not unless you enjoy watching Li
sa Gray throw herself at Paul.”

Kenzie raised her eyebrows.
“
I thought Lisa was going with some guy in college?
”

“
They broke up a few weeks ago. She spent most of the day flirting with Paul.
”

“
What did he do?
”

Jeanette hesitated.
“
Well, he didn’t exactly ignore her.
”

“
Lisa’s okay,
”
Kenzie said.
“
We had a class together last year.
”

Jeanette gasped.
“
Get a grip on yourself, Kenzie! You’re not letting Paul go without a fight.
”