Distraction (15 page)

Jackson sighed dramatically. “Too bad we had to leave
early. Now I’ll have to spend all night dreaming about what could
have been.”

“I think you would’ve been doing the same even if you
and Maryann had been the last people to leave.”

“You underestimate me, my friend. But I’ll forgive
the insult. It’s been a bad couple of days for you, what with
almost drowning in mud and missing an easy target.”

“Jackson,” I said.

“Yeah, boss?”

“Stop talking.”

A light was on in the kitchen as we rode up. Jackson
and I had not been dressed for a late night hunt, and the cold had
seeped through to our bones. The horses were all too pleased to get
home as well.

Samuel, Libby, and Poppy sat around the small kitchen
table picking at the cake Virginia had left. But the hot pot of
coffee was what held my interest.

“Did you kill it?” Samuel asked.

“Had it in our sights, didn’t we, Cade?” Jackson
poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.

Samuel looked confused. “But you didn’t shoot
it?”

I sat next to Poppy with my steaming cup. “Missed
it.”

Samuel looked at Jackson for confirmation. Jackson
took a sip and placed his cup on the table. “Biggest, blackest wolf
I’ve ever seen. And he just stood there like a picture waiting to
take a bullet.” Jackson took another long sip for effect. “Even I
could have shot it from the distance we were standing.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you?” I asked.

“Why? Because I was standing next to the best
rifleman in the valley, that’s why.”

I took a sip and slouched back. “Everyone has an off
day.” It had been a long evening and I was in no mood for Jackson’s
mocking. “How’s Charlotte?”

“I think it’s just a sprain,” Libby said. “But Samuel
is going to drive her into town tomorrow to see the doctor just in
case. So, was the animal rabid?” Apparently, we were not ready to
drop the wolf subject.

“Wasn’t acting like any rabid animal I’ve ever seen,”
I said. “I’m sure the drought has driven it from the mountains.
Plenty of fresh meat down here. I’m going to do a perimeter check
in the morning to make sure the fences are secure.”

Samuel chuckled into his cup of coffee. “I guess
that’s a chore you could have saved yourself if your aim had been
better.”

Jackson laughed over a mouthful of cake.

“And, my large-mouthed friend, you will ride through
every pasture to make sure the herd is all right,” I said.

Jackson sucked in some crumbs and coughed. Samuel
helped him out with a sharp smack on the back.

“Occasionally, we would spot a wolf in the
surrounding woods near home,” Poppy spoke up. She’d taken the pins
out of her hair, and it cascaded around her slim shoulders. “But
they were generally more interested in grabbing up chickens and
goats than harming people. It sounds as if they are more dangerous
here in Montana.”

“Only more dangerous to ranchers because they prey on
cattle,” I said. “And that costs money.”

“Of course. That makes sense,” she said. “Does anyone
else need more coffee?” She pushed up from the table.

I threw back the last drops of my coffee and followed
her to the stove. My fingers took the opportunity to caress her
hand as I passed her my empty cup. Her lips turned up in a sly grin
as she lifted the pot and poured the hot coffee.

“Whooee, that beast had the most wicked pair of
eyes.” Jackson was obviously still obsessing about the wolf. And I
was busy with my own obsession. Poppy handed the cup to me and I
placed it on the stove and grabbed her arm. I glanced back at the
table. Samuel and Libby were still enthralled by Jackson’s slightly
embellished, chilling details of the wolf hunt. I took the
opportunity to press Poppy’s wrist to my mouth. I kissed it firmly
and then released her hand. Her smiled widened as she picked up her
own cup to fill.

“Even in the yellow moonlight,” Jackson went on
dramatically, “it had the most intense, evil stare I’ve ever seen.
And here’s the strangest part— its eyes were icy blue.”

Poppy startled next to me, and her filled cup slipped
from her hands. Somehow, it managed to right itself and land coffee
side up on the stove without spilling a drop. We both stared down
at the amazingly acrobatic cup. Her fingers trembled as she reached
for it. A moment earlier she was gazing at me flirtatiously, and
now she kept her brown eyes averted.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like
that,” I said without hiding the suspicion in my tone. “First the
cow and then the cup. Things seem to be righting themselves very
easily these days.”

She shrugged nonchalantly but something had shaken
her. “I suppose some days are just unusual like that.”

Milking Libby’s cow brought on another pang of
homesickness. I rested my face against the animal’s warm belly and
sang the same song I used to sing for our cow, Charlotte. Nonni had
always thought me daft when I insisted the milk pail filled faster
when I sang. After a restless night of sleep, the warm, earthy
moisture of the cow barn and the rhythmic churnings of the cow’s
stomach made me drowsy.

I’d been so startled by Jackson’s vivid description
of the wolf’s blue eyes, I’d completely forgotten where I was
standing. And when the cup fell from my fingers, I’d instinctively
used my magic to keep it from spilling. And it hadn’t slipped
Cade’s attention. I’d made an oath to be more careful in the
future. I had, no doubt, been overreacting to Jackson’s
description, and halfway through a bout of wakefulness, I’d
convinced myself that it was the word wolf coupled with blue eyes
that had alarmed me. Angus was monstrously powerful, but I had no
idea if he the power to shape shift. I’d never seen him do it.

I closed my eyes and continued my song until
footsteps caused both the cow and me to raise our heads. Cade stood
in the open doorway looking down at me. As usual, the seriousness
of his expression was edged with a cocky, almost mischievous air
that always made me smile.

“No wonder the cream has tasted so much sweeter these
last few days,” he said. “You’ve been serenading the milk
cows.”

“I’m pretty sure my singing would have the opposite
effect on the flavor, but it does seem to lull them into giving the
milk more freely.”

“Once you’re done here,” he said, “I’m going to ride
around the perimeter of the fences. Would you like to come along?
It’s a pretty ride. Some of the wildflowers are starting to bloom.
And I think Red would love to get out of his stall.”

I took a fortifying breath, pulled the pail out from
under the cow, and faced him. “I would love to go, if I’m not too
much of a burden.”

Whenever we were alone, it seemed he somehow always
managed to put the least amount of space possible between us
without actually touching. And I never moved out of his reach.
“You’re the furthest thing from a burden, Poppy.”

There were times when his gaze was so intense, I
could not help but blush beneath it. “I’ll just get dressed
then.”

He reached down and took the pail from my hand,
making sure to first run his fingers over the skin on my arm. “I’ll
carry this in to Libby and meet you in the barn.”

Libby had kindly washed the mud from my riding
clothes. I pulled on the pants, and they felt no less foreign than
the first day I’d worn them. I’d decided the best solution for my
absurd mass of hair was a stout ribbon to hold it all back in one
place. I pulled on my boots and headed down to say good-bye to
Libby. She had sworn she wouldn’t need me to help in the kitchen
this morning and insisted that I should go and have a good time.
She seemed more than anxious for me to go.

“It is quite nippy out today. Here’s my coat,” Libby
handed me a thick, heavy coat with a texture that reminded me a bit
of a boat’s sail.

“You’ll be swimming in it, but it will keep you warm.
It’s oilskin and I use it for rainy days, but it hasn’t gotten much
use lately.”

I put my arms in the coat. The huge garment probably
fell just below Libby’s hips, but on me, it hung nearly to my
knees. The shoulder seams fell somewhere around mid arm, and the
sleeves hung way past my hands. But practical Libby had a solution
for everything. She picked up the edge of the sleeve and rolled it
back until my hand popped out and then repeated it on the other
side. Immediately after she’d freed my fingers, she covered them
with leather gloves. They were at least a closer match to my own
fingers. I felt rather like a small child as she tugged me around
in the massive coat adjusting the fit.

She pulled the front of the coat shut and leaned
back. Her head tilted from side to side as she admired her
handiwork, and I was not completely certain that I’d be able to
carry myself and my burdensome protective wear down the porch
steps, let alone up onto a horse.

“Now, hold on a minute, and I’ll make you a couple of
ham sandwiches to take along. The ride around the ranch is almost
two hours.”

“Cade will be waiting,” I said.

She waved off my comment and reached into the wooden
cabinet, she referred to as the icebox, where she stored eggs and
cream. She pulled out a small plate with ham slices. The back door
opened and Cade walked in.

It was obvious that he was forcing back a smile when
he saw me being swallowed up by Libby’s coat.

“Libby, you get the strangest notions sometimes. How
is she gonna ride a horse with that coat on?”

Libby didn’t look up from her task of preparing
sandwiches. “She needed something to protect her from the
cold.”

“Are you sure that’s all your trying to protect her
from?” he asked.

Libby’s eyes widened with innocence as she pulled her
attention away from slicing bread. “What on earth are you
insinuating, Cade?”

Cade walked over and picked up a piece of ham. “I
think you know exactly what I mean.” He pushed the meat into his
mouth.

I found the whole exchange rather confusing. Libby
seemed to have no more to say on the matter. She quickly returned
her focus to the lunch. “Here are a couple of sandwiches to slide
into your saddle bag. You’ll both be hungry later.”

Cade’s expression was one of annoyance fringed with
humor as he took the sandwiches from Libby’s hand.

He nodded toward the door. “Come on, Lil’ Wrangler,
let’s see if we can lift you and that ridiculous coat up into the
saddle.”

My skills at mounting a horse were already less than
graceful, but wearing the unwieldy coat, I must have been nothing
short of comical. But with a bit of perseverance on my part,
patience on the horse’s part, and physical pushing on Cade’s part,
I was up and ready to ride around the ranch. . . on a horse. . .
with my knight. When I’d stepped out under the rosy skies on that
fateful day, never in a thousand centuries could I have pictured
the sequence of events that had followed. And while I longed for
home and for my family, I could not deny the excitement of this
adventure I’d fallen into.

Not one hundred yards into our ride, I was thankful
that Libby had draped me in her heavy coat. There were just enough
smoky colored clouds lurking above to mask any warmth from the sun,
and the breeze swirling up off the fields had a bitter snap to
it.

Cade held a rope that held the horse that held me as
we trotted out to the first pasture. The exhilaration of bumping
along on the horse in the brisk air made me laugh once again.

Cade’s green eyes smiled as he twisted around in his
saddle. “Every time I look back, you seem to be disappearing more
and more into that coat.” He slowed River to a walk and Red slowed
too.

My chin and mouth had dropped below the collar, and I
had not wanted to lift my face from the warmth of the coat. I
peered at him over the stiff edge. “Somehow the cold is different
out here,” my voice was muffled by the heavy fabric. “In Salem
there are many trees and buildings and even a continual blanket of
fog from the sea. So even when it is cold outside, we’re shielded
somewhat from freezing temperatures.” Not wanting to seem too much
of a weakling or have Cade regret bringing me along, I bravely
stretched up my neck, exposing the bottom half of my face to the
cold air. “Out here, it seems, there is nothing to absorb the cold.
It just dances freely across the land with nothing to impede its
movement or strength. And with the clouds blocking out the sun. . .
. Will those clouds help with the drought?”

His hat brim turned up as he squinted at the sky.
“Nah, those are just drifters. They aren’t holding enough moisture
for rain, and they’ll blow through before noon. The Farmer’s
Almanac has predicted a rainy spring though, so hopefully, we’ll
see an end to the drought soon.”

“What is the Farmer’s Almanac?”

He grinned back at me. “I guess you city folk don’t
pay the Almanac much attention, but it is sort of a bible out here
to us ranchers.”

My horse seemed stiff when we’d first left the barn,
but he seemed to move freely now and caught up with Cade’s horse.
“Well, I hope you get your rain this year. I can’t imagine the
damage a shortage of water would bring.”

“Yeah, it’s not an easy life out here in Montana, but
it’s the only life I know. I don’t think I’d ever leave.” He
pressed his hat down and the long ends of his hair turned up on the
collar of his coat. “I guess it’s a good thing Libby wrapped you up
in that oilskin today. It’s colder than I’d expected.” He pulled
River to a halt, and Red stopped as well. “We can turn back. I can
take you in if it’s too cold.” His fingers pushed down the collar
of my coat. “Although those lips aren’t blue yet.” His gaze
lingered on my mouth longer than necessary for the color
assessment.

“I’m fine. Once we get moving, I’m sure I’ll warm up
more.” Admittedly, it was uncomfortably cold out, but I definitely
wanted to continue.