Love in Romance Arkansas (2 page)

“Heavens no, I don’t like guns. I’ve never been around guns or anyone who liked them. I’ve seen too much damage caused by guns. They should be outlawed.”

Guess I should’ve expected an answer like that from a California city lawyer.
“My experience is the damage is caused by firearm misuse, not by the firearm. I agree that certain types of firearms don’t belong in everyone’s closet or behind the door, and certain types of individuals shouldn’t be able to purchase or own firearms.”
Think I better drop this conversation until a more opportune time
.

“We can take a tour of the ranch if you want. Any part can be reached on good roads—we can use ATVs, or we can take horses if you ride.”

“I love to ride, it is my favorite past time, but I don’t have any riding boots or clothes with me. I wish I could spend more time on horseback.”

“You are about the same size as Missy. Some of her riding gear might fit. All her stuff is just the way she left it. Everything related to riding is in the barn. She was a stickler about keeping her house clean and organized. Let’s go see if we can get you some gear.”
She said riding boots, not just boots.

* * * *

On the way to the barn, John opened a kennel and three black and white dogs stormed out and took off on a wild run around the house. “They’ll probably go around twice since they didn’t get to run yesterday.” Sure enough, the dogs rounded the corner of the house and didn’t break stride as they disappeared again, each running full-tilt. “That is part of their routine. This time they’ll stop and want to be petted.”

The dogs whipped around the corner again, dropped to the ground in front of John and watched him closely. “They won’t attempt to jump on anyone, but will wait to be petted. Watch this.”

He dropped to his knees to pet the dogs. The little dogs rolled on the ground and wiggled in happiness. When he stood up, they dropped back to the ground and looked at Jenny. “Want to pet them? It seems they want to make your acquaintance. Kneel down and brace yourself.”

She knelt down and the dogs looked at her expectantly.

“It’s okay guys, she is a friend.”

She was swarmed by black and white fur. The dogs tumbled over each other in an attempt to be the center of attention. She finally gathered them all into one big squirming mass of wagging tails and wet noses as she wrestled with them.
Why can’t people accept each other as readily as these little dogs accepted me?

“Goodness, what kind of dogs are these? They certainly are lively little fellows,” she said with a laugh. She felt a wave of pure joy wash over her as she petted the now semi-calm dogs.

“They are Border Collies. Each of those dogs is worth at least three people afoot when herding cows. Two of them, or one really good one, is worth a horse and rider. I breed, train and show them as a hobby. Also use them here on the ranch for herding cows. When the dogs are around, cows seem to be more willing to go where you want them instead of trying to run all over the place. Bulls are a royal pain to herd without them.”

* * * *

He watched her as they walked the short distance to the barn. Her purposeful stride and carriage impressed him. For the first time he really looked at her, not as someone with the power to completely destroy his world, but as a man looking at a woman
. This lady has a strong Oriental influence to her features. Her hair is pretty and glossy, black as a crow’s wing. Her complexion is beautiful and smooth. Body is on the nice side too, perhaps a bit slender, but nice anyway. She didn’t seem to get upset when the dogs greeted her. I would’ve thought she would have gotten get mad about getting that pretty skirt dirty. May not be the uptight city gal after all. Wonder why she isn’t married.
Surely some of the California men must have their sights on her. If they don’t, there is something wrong with the men out there.

* * * *

She opened the locker he pointed out to her. Inside were neatly arranged jeans and shirts. Several pairs of boots caught her attention. As she examined each pair, the quality of the leather and construction was evident. Inside was the logo of the Arizona Leather Craft Institute, one of the premier boot and saddle makers in the US. She selected a pair of black, low heeled riding boots to try. The fit was wonderful. It felt like no boots at all as her feet settled into the bed of soft leather with just the right amount of arch support. She selected a pair of soft leather gloves as well.

* * * *

When she joined him at the tack room, he did a double take.
She looks like a young, oriental version her grandmother, but her grandmother never looked that good. Gotta get a woman into tight jeans and shirt to see just what she looks like and this one has it all.
“You resemble Missy, who by the way was an attractive, charming woman.”

* * * *

“Thanks, wish I could have gotten to know my grandparents. I knew nothing about any family until a few weeks ago. I would’ve loved to visit them and spend some time here. This is so different from my life in California, different in a good way. I can see why they loved it so much here.”

“This is Missy’s saddle. It was custom made for her with a shorter seat and a little less bulk on the sides. The lady saddle maker said it would be more comfortable. Most of her women clients preferred that style when they got a chance to try one. She made three or four trips to Arizona to have it fitted and adjusted just for her. She was fiercely protective of it—she cleaned and oiled it herself. If it got wet, she made sure it was properly dried so it didn’t crack. I think she sent it back to the maker at least twice to have it professionally checked and refurbished. She used that saddle hard for nearly twenty years, yet it is as good now as it was new.”

The horses came to his whistle and looked over the paddock fence to have their noses rubbed, hopefully seeking a handout. “That little black was Missy’s favorite. She was the first human he saw when he was born. She worked with him just about every day. The first time she put a saddle on him he acted as if it was nothing to get excited about. He never bucked or fought the reins. However, if you decide to ride him, be careful. He has been known to bite and he is quick on the takeoff.”

“Since I’m wearing my grandmother’s clothes and boots, using her saddle and tack, I might as well ride her horse.” This compact, stocky horse was different from her slim, elegant thoroughbred. It had an intelligent look as it watched closely, sizing her up as she was it. Remembering the caution about being somewhat of a biter, she declined assistance in saddling and adjusting the tack. The little horse cooperated nicely until she was ready to mount. In the blink of an eye, he took a nip on her left breast, to immediately be slapped by her gloves, followed by a gentle stroking on his nose. “We’ll have no more of that!”

* * * *

John looked around at the sound of the snapping of the gloves. “What happened?”

“You were right, he bites,” she said, rubbing the bitten area.

Trying to hide a grin he said, “At least he has good taste.”
Bet that hurt like the devil! Might like to take a nice, gentle bite of that myself. Nice looking woman even if she is a city girl.
He winked at her in an effort to defuse her embarrassment.

* * * *

“Yeah, right. I don’t plan to let him take any more samples. That hurt.” For some unknown reason and against her every inclination she added, “I don’t have enough to give samples.” She colored even more at the thought of what she had said.

“You’ll have a nice bruise. You better let me take a look at it. If the skin is broken, we’ll need to take care of it.”

While her mind screamed
no, no,
she unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it and her bra strap off her shoulder to reveal an ugly red mark on her left breast. Several drops of blood welled along the mark.

“Let’s go to the medical room and get some antiseptic cream on that bite. She followed him into a small room that resembled a clinic. Everything was stainless steel. Several refrigerators and freezers lined the walls. Cabinets held an amazing array of bottles and equipment. The entire room was spotless.

“This is my vet clinic, our kit is over here.” He slipped on a pair of latex gloves and gently checked the bite. “This is going to sting a bit.”

Sting a bit was an understatement! She sucked in a breath and clinched her teeth as he cleaned the area. She watched his eyes as he carefully worked. All she saw was warm care and concern.
At least he didn’t look at me like some type of lech.

“There now, all better. You’ll need to watch this for a few days to make sure no infection sets up.” He slipped the bra strap and shirt back onto the shoulder and buttoned her shirt. His knuckles brushing the bare skin of her tummy and chest ratcheted her arousal up several more notches.
What just happened here? A horse bites me on the boob and I let a man I barely know look at and touch my breast. I must be out of my mind, but that felt so good, well not the biting part. It seemed natural and right. Get a grip. You don’t need that, never have and don’t plan to anytime soon. Certainly not with some cowboy/caretaker I don’t even know. He’ll be a jerk just like all the rest.

“What is this about a vet clinic? I thought this was a ranch.”

“I set up a small practice here for our stock and take care of the neighbor’s dogs and cats as a courtesy service. In fact, I even make barn calls for horses and cows. I usually don’t charge anything, most folks around here don’t have much excess money to spend on their animals. If I do charge, it’s just to cover whatever supplies are used. Most folks appreciate the service and are willing to return the help whenever needed—haying or repairing fence, for instance. It’s a good deal all the way around. One thing I do charge for is horse shoeing, and the horse has to be brought here. There are a couple of guys with pickups outfitted as mobile farrier shops that do most of the shoeing around here. I’m certainly not going into business to compete with them.”

Hmm, this guy is a cut above most.

“About ready to ride?”

As she swung into the saddle, the horse shot out of the barn at a dead run. Despite her skill, she pulled leather to keep upright. As she adjusted to the burst of speed, the horse stopped just as suddenly, almost unseating her again. “You’re a quick little devil aren’t you?” she said while stroking his neck. The horse looked back as if to say
OK, we’ll get along now
.

During the casual ride over the ranch, John pointed out several features of the operation. “Ms. Jones, you will notice the stream is fenced to keep cows out of the water. We protect the stream from the spring at the base of that bluff to the end of our property. The water is cleaner now than it was twenty five years ago. That steep hillside was reforested to help protect the spring and to keep silt out of the stream. We cleaned the spring and created a nice pool. Since it’s spring fed, it’s cool enough for a small population of trout in the spring itself and the first hundred yards or so downstream. The riparian zone was restored to native trees and grasses by eradicating Chinese privet from the property.”

“We pump water to tanks outside the flood plain, feed and hay in areas to avoid runoff into the stream. Holding pens, working pens and corrals are located high and dry to reduce chances of runoff. Doug wanted to protect the environment as much as possible and he didn’t mind spending money to do it. He worked closely with several agencies to that end and often hosted field days to demonstrate new techniques.”

“He figured out the lane and gate network. We can move any cow, or herd of cows, from any area to another without having to go through another pasture so we don’t have to move any cows before we move the ones we want to move. Best system I’ve ever seen.”

She seemed to have a natural ability on a horse. No matter the gait, she rode as smoothly and easily as anyone he had ever seen.
This is no ordinary city girl. Such a graceful, fluid rider, she has spent lots of time in the saddle. Cuts a right nice figure, her little butt looks cute cradled in that saddle.

“This is acknowledged as the finest Angus herd in Arkansas and one of the finest in North America. Doug devoted his life to developing this herd. We ship cattle all over North America and bull semen all over the world.”

“You ship what?”

“We supply bull semen for artificial insemination to cattlemen all over the world. AI allows a great bull to sire thousands of calves a year. That old bull I showed you has decedents just about anywhere in the world Angus cattle are bred. We can supply semen of bulls to produce small calves to ease calving problems with first calf heifers, and then use other bulls to produce bigger calves. Rancher vet bills are reduced and fewer cows and calves are lost at birth. These sales are a big part of the income stream for the ranch.”

“Next week is our annual bull sale. As the new owner, if you don’t mind, I’ll conduct the sale as in past years. I’m sure the transfer of ownership will be a big topic. Stick around if you can to meet some of the most influential people in the Angus business. This sale brings cattlemen from all over North America and so far we have guests registered from about fifteen foreign countries. Doug always let a few of the long time neighbors have first choice. These are people who grew up with him and supported him at different times. He could’ve brought in considerably more money if he sold everything at auction. With your permission, I’ll continue that tradition this year as well.”

“I’d like to stay, but I have a big case coming to trial and I can’t miss it. This operation fascinates me, though I know nothing about it. I would like to look at the books before I leave, help me decide what to do. What are your thoughts on the subject?”

“Well, I’m a bit biased, but I would like to see the operation continue with a few changes to meet changing market conditions, to be sure this herd remains as one of the best. Some developers have been pressuring Doug to sell. They will up the ante now and they can certainly paint a rosy picture. One of them has already had a planner draw out the design for a big community with high end homes, banks, food stores, community commons, the required golf course, recreation areas and other amenities. Looks real good on paper, but it certainly doesn’t appeal to me. My thoughts don’t really count—you’re the owner. Their plans can make you a wealthy woman.”