Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 (18 page)

Mitch didn’t do grain-fed cattle. He believed cattle raised in the field on grasses produced better tasting and more tender beef. To keep the herd adequately supplied, he and Hobbs followed a field-rotation schedule that kept the cattle moving from area to area, providing fresh grass while allowing the previous field time to replenish. Moving cattle on a regular basis was time consuming and labor intensive, but all the extra work had paid off. The Lazy L produced the highest quality beef in the state.

“Let’s move them tomorrow. I’d like to get them a little closer. With the drought, the ocelots in the area will be hungry and thirsty. It’d be safer for our calves and the ocelots. I’d hate to have to shoot one of those fellers.”

“Right. What time you want to head out in the morning?”

Before Mitch could answer, the radio on the desk squawked. “Hobbs.”

Hobbs keyed the mike. “Yeah. Hobbs here.”

“We’ve got a cow down.”

“Damn it,” Hobbs muttered. “Where?”

“Section 320.”

“Ocelot?”

“Maybe. I’m thinking wild hogs though. She’s torn up pretty good.”

“Okay, let’s get the rest of the cattle moved out of that section and into…hold on a sec.” He pulled out his rotation schedule and glanced at Mitch. “Move ’em to Lakeland area?”

Mitch nodded. “That should work. Have the guys haul the carcass as far away from the rest of the cattle as possible.”

Hobbs keyed the mike. “I’ll be heading down your way shortly. Look around for any other lost cattle. Be there in about thirty.”

Mitch stood. “Give me ten to change clothes and I’ll head down there with you.”

Hobbs stood then shoved his chair under his desk. “You don’t have to come along. You got better things to do than clean up a dead cow.”

“Today, I think I’d rather deal with a dead cow than women.”

Hobbs snorted. “I feel that way every day.”

Mitch jogged back to the house. As was his habit, he let himself into the master suite entry hall using the French doors leading to his private deck. Since Joanna had moved out and vacated one of the walk-in closets, Magda had separated his clothes. His rough work clothes and boots were in the smaller closet adjacent to the master bedroom. His dress clothes had been moved to the larger walk-in closet adjacent to the master bath. Personally, he had no preference which closet was his, or if his work clothes shared space with his nicer things, but if the segregation of his work duds made Magda happy, then fine with him.

On reflex, he glanced into his bedroom as he passed. Olivia was asleep in his bed, a sight he’d never thought he’d see. One long slender leg curled outside the sheet covering the rest of her. His body tightened at the picture.

Then a little head popped up beside her. Adam grinned and waved.

Mitch waved back and crooked his finger in a come-here motion.

Adam checked his mother, slid from the bed and hurried across the floor, his sock-covered feet gliding silently on the wood flooring.

“Hey, buddy. What cha doing?” Mitch whispered.

“Taking a nap, but I’m not sleepy. I told Momma that, but she made me lay down anyway.” He motioned to Mitch to come closer. “I think she made me take a nap because she was sleepy.”

Mitch bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. Smart kid.

“What are you doing?” Adam asked.

“I’m changing my clothes and…” Mitch paused. Would telling a five-year-old about a dead cow scare him? He tried to remember about himself at that age. Would he have been scared or grossed out by a dead cow? Probably not. In fact, he’d have loved it, blood, guts and all. He made his mind up. “Remember Hobbs who drove us to the house?”

Adam nodded.

“Well, he and I are going down to Section 320. I have a, well, something killed a cow. The ranch hands are moving the rest of the cattle to another field for grazing tomorrow. Hobbs and I are going to drag the dead cow farther away and let the wild animals have it.”

Adam’s eyes lit up. “A dead cow. Cool. Can I come?”

Mitch hesitated. He glanced toward Olivia. Still asleep. Would she mind if he took Adam? But then, wasn’t that why he’d insisted she bring Adam to the Lazy L, so he could get to know his son? Mitch didn’t spend a lot of time hanging around the house, so if he wanted to spend time with his son, the boy would have to come out with him. Hell, truth be told, this place was way too fancy. He’d tried to tell Joanna they didn’t need anything like this, but she had really loved the plans. Guilt at not being with her when she’d miscarried James’s child had driven him to giving her carte blanche when it came to spending his money. She’d made a dent in his bank account, but he’d figured that if building this damn house would help with her post-pregnancy depression, then at least he’d been there for her this time. But now he was stuck with the palace, as his parents called it.

“Let’s go find Magda. I want her to know where you are in case your mom wakes up and looks for you. Okay?”

Adam’s grin lit up his face. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Mitch remembered feeling that way when his dad took him along on ranch chores, especially ones his mother thought too disgusting. Those were always his favorite. And a dead, chewed-up cow would have been the ideal chore for him and his dad.

They found Magda reading a magazine on the covered patio overlooking the swimming pool and adjacent whirlpool. She looked over her shoulder as Mitch and Adam walked through the French door. She frowned at Adam. “What are you doing up? I thought you were down for a nap.”

Adam crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest. “I’m too old for a nap. And I’m not sleepy.”

“I see.” Magda laid her magazine on the glass-top table in front of her and picked up her iced tea. She took a sip. “So what am I going to do with you the rest of the afternoon?” She checked her watch. “I have a load of towels coming out of the dryer in ten minutes. You want to help me fold them?”

He shook his head. “Me and Mitch are gonna move a dead cow.”

“Really?” She stood and motioned for both guys to follow her in the house. “Adam, I left a couple of cookies on the counter for you. You want them?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He took off for the kitchen in a run.

“You’re taking Adam with you to take care of a cow carcass?” Magda slugged Mitch’s arm. “Are you nuts?”

He rubbed the spot where she’d hit him. “He’ll love it. I did when I was his age.”

“Yes, but you grew up here. He’s a city kid and—” She broke off as Adam came back into the living room carrying a cookie in each hand. “Here, Mitch. I brought you one.”

Mitch took the cookie. “Thanks, pal.” He ate the cookie in one bite. “Magda thinks you’d rather stay here and help her.”

Adam shook his head vigorously. “No. I want to go with you.”

Mitch smiled. He wanted Adam with him. He wanted to show Adam the ranch and all the cattle and horses and… He laughed to himself. How sad. He was trying to impress a five-year-old boy. But this just wasn’t any boy. This was his son.

“Okay. You need to get some shoes on.”

Adam hurried from the room.

“If Olivia wakes up, let her know Adam is with me, okay?”

Magda snorted. “When Olivia finds out you’ve taken her son to see a dead cow, that cow may not be the only dead thing around here tonight.”

He shrugged. “I’ll handle Olivia.”

Chapter Nine

Olivia paced the kitchen. Thump of the crutches, stomp of her good foot. Thump. Stomp.

“I can’t believe he took Adam to see a dead cow. What was he thinking?”

Magda stopped kneading the bread dough and turned to look at Olivia. “Probably thinking he wanted to show Adam the ranch.” She went back to work on the dough. “Adam wanted to go, so Mitch took him. Besides, do you know a little boy who wouldn’t want to go out with the guys rather than take a nap?”

“I know, I know. It’s just that—”

The sound of running feet broke Olivia’s concentration.

“Momma?” Adam’s voice echoed in the living room.

Olivia released a sigh of relief.

“Back here, Adam. The kitchen.”

Adam’s tennis shoes squeaked on the tile as he skid to a stop in front of her. “Momma. Guess what I did?”

Olivia motioned for him to follow her to the breakfast nook where she could sit down. “Now, tell me what you did.”

“I helped Mitch drag a dead cow down a hill. We’re going to let all the wild animals eat it. Mitch said it wouldn’t be any good anymore for people. Mitch said it would feed lots of different animals.”

Olivia brushed Adam’s sweaty hair off his flushed face. “Did he?”

“Uh huh. And Mitch said I was a lot of help.”

“That you were, buddy. Lots of help.”

Olivia glanced from Adam’s glowing smile to Mitch’s grin. Her heart stuttered. It was as though she were looking at Adam thirty years from now.

“Yeah,” Adam said, pulling her attention back to him. “Mitch said that I really needed some cowboy boots like all the other cowboys have.” He held up one foot and looked at it disgustedly. “Tennis shoes are not right.”

“Well, you have some boots, remember? You left them at Uncle Travis’s house.”

“Well, I need some here too. Mitch said cowboys don’t wear tennis shoes.”

“I see.” Olivia bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep from smiling.

“Yeah. And I need cowboy pants too.”

“Cowboy pants?” She glanced toward Mitch, who’d continued standing in the kitchen doorway watching her and Adam. “Umm, what are cowboy pants?”

Mitch turned around and pointed to his butt. Too busy admiring the shape and firmness of Mitch’s rear, she missed the name of the brand.

When he turned back around, she cleared her throat. “Ah’hm. I couldn’t read it from here.”

“Wrangler,” Mitch said.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “I need real cowboy pants. Not these sissy shorts.”

Olivia glared at Mitch. “Sissy shorts?”

He shrugged and held up two hands. “I didn’t say it. Talk to Hobbs.”

Magda snorted.

“You don’t have sissy shorts. These are a perfectly good pair of khaki shorts.”

“And I need some chapstick to cover my legs.”

Mitch laughed. “I think you mean chaps.”

Adam looked toward Mitch. “That’s what I said. Chapstick.” He turned toward his mother again. “Mitch said that I need to protect my legs when I ride a horse tomorrow.”

“Excuse me?” Olivia snapped her gaze toward Mitch. “Horseback riding?” This time he gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged.

“Mitch and me are moving some cows tomorrow morning. He needs my help.”

“Really? I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, honey.” A little seed of fear sprouted in her gut. She wasn’t ready to ride again. And if Adam went, then…

Her little boy was too young to ride a horse on a cattle round-up, except he had ridden before with her brother, but Travis wasn’t Mitch. Her brother knew how to protect her child. She continued to glare in Mitch’s direction. “Mitch, I think as his mother this is something you should have discussed with me.”

Mitch strode toward them then draped his arm around Adam’s shoulders. “Hobbs mentioned moving cattle first thing in the morning and this cowboy volunteered to help. I told him we needed all the help we could get.”

“Mitch, I don’t think—”

Adam whirled toward her, dislodging Mitch’s arm. “Momma. I have to help. Mitch needs me. He said so.”

Mitch crossed his arms and watched the mother-son interaction with a hint of a grin.

“Oh, Adam. I’m sure Mitch can do this without your help.”

Adam crossed his arms in a defiant stance. She had to admit he was his father’s clone in looks and actions.

“Mitch said I could help and I want to.”

She pulled Adam close and hugged his stiff body. “I know, buddy, but tomorrow Mitch won’t be in his truck. Right, Mitch? You’ll be on horseback?”

“Right.”

“So, you see—”

Adam pushed away from her embrace. “I know how to ride.” Frustration tinted Adam’s voice. “Uncle Travis always lets me ride Patches at his ranch.”

Olivia sighed. Her brother strikes again. Patches was a Shetland pony that had to be older than dirt and wouldn’t move faster than a slow walk, not exactly the same as a cutting horse working cattle. She opened her mouth but Mitch cut her off.

“He’ll ride with me, Olivia. He’ll be fine.” When she lifted her head to argue, he shook his head. “Trust me. Nothing will happen.”

“Yeah, Momma. Nothing will happen.”

Olivia decided to try a different tactic to dissuade Adam. Actually more like a bribe than persuasion. “What about cowboy pants and cowboy boots? Wouldn’t you rather wait until you get those?”

Adam hopped from one foot to the other. “Nope. Don’t have to. Gettin’ ’em tonight.”

Olivia glanced at Mitch. “What is he talking about?”

Mitch’s face turned red. “Well, um, you see…”

“Hello? Where is everyone?” a female voice called from the front door. “Mitch?”