A Cowboy Comes Home

Eight

Caleb gazed up and down the wide hallway of the main Terrell barn, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job in front of him. He’d had his secretary calling moving and storage companies this morning, but they all said they needed an estimate of the volume to be moved and stored. So Caleb had to figure out what to keep and store, and what to sell with the ranch.

He couldn’t see the point of keeping the saddles and tack. Those things they’d sell as is. They’d also sell the horses and livestock. Same with the equipment and the vehicles. Whoever bought the ranch would likely have a use for much of the equipment, and Caleb was inclined to give them a good deal if it meant streamlining the sale.

The office-now, that was a different story. His boots thumped against the wooden floor as he crossed the aisle to stare in the open door of the office. It held two desks, five file cabinets and a credenza that stretched under the window. Some of the paperwork would stay, but a lot of it would be personal and business records that would have to be kept for the family. Well, for Reed. And that meant sorting through everything.

Caleb let his shoulders slump, turning his back on that particular job and making his way farther into the barn. About twenty horses were stabled inside. He made a mental note to make sure the hands were exercising each of them every day. He’d spoken briefly to their half dozen full-time hands, the cook and with the two men who were up from the Jacobses’ place.

Everything was at least under temporary control.

A horse whinnied in one of the stalls, drawing Caleb’s attention. He took a step closer, squinting into the dim stall.

“Neesha?” he asked, recognizing the Appaloosa mare. “Is that really you?”

She bobbed her head, seeming to answer his question.

A beauty, she was chestnut in the front, with just a hint of a white blaze. Her hindquarters were mottled white above a long, sleek tail.

She lifted her head over the stall, and he scratched her nose, rubbing her ears. She’d been a two-year-old when he left, one of the prettiest foals ever born on the ranch. He glanced into tack room, realizing her saddle and bridle would be easy to find using his father’s ultra-organized system. He also realized he’d love to take her out for a ride.

Someone entered through the main door, heavy steps, long strides, booted feet, likely one of the hands.

“Caleb?” came Travis’s flat voice.

Caleb’s hands dropped to the top rail, fingers tensing around the rough board. He was under no illusion that Mandy could keep up a lie to her brother. So, if Travis had pressed her last night, he was likely here looking to take Caleb out behind the barn.

Caleb braced himself and turned.

Travis came to a halt, but when he spoke, there was no malice in his voice. “I guess it’s been a while since you saw Neesha.”

“It’s been a while,” Caleb agreed, watching Travis carefully. A sucker punch was no less than he deserved.

“You up to something?” asked Travis.

Caleb had no idea how to answer that question.

“Hear from any new buyers?” Travis tried again.

“Nothing so far.” Caleb allowed himself to relax ever so slightly. Perhaps Mandy was more devious than he’d given her credit for.

“I’m trying to get an estimate for moving and storage.” His gaze was drawn past the big double door, toward the ranch house. He couldn’t begin to imagine how big a job it would be sorting through the possessions in the house. In addition to the rooms, there was the attic, the basement. He’d like to think he was emotionally ready to tackle it, but a thread of uncertainty had lodged itself in his brain.

Travis nodded. “A lot of years’ worth of stuff in there.”

“It’s a bitch of a situation,” said Caleb.

“That it is,” Travis agreed. “We’ve got to ride the north meadow fence today. You up for it?”

“With you?”

“With me.”

For a brief second, Caleb wondered if Travis was luring him away from the homestead in order to do him harm. But he quickly dismissed the suspicion. If Travis wanted to take his head off, he’d have tried by now. From everything Caleb knew and had learned, the man was tough as nails, but he wasn’t devious.

“Sure,” Caleb agreed. The house could wait. It wasn’t as though it was going anywhere.

“I’ll take Rambler,” said Travis.

The two men tacked up the horses and exited into the cool morning sunshine. The meadow grass was lush green, yellow-and-purple wildflowers poking up between leaves and blades, insects buzzing from plant to plant, while several of the horses in the paddock whinnied their displeasure at being left behind.

They went north along the river trail, bringing back Caleb’s memories of his childhood, and especially his teenage years. He, Reed and Travis had spent hours and hours on horseback out in the pastures and rangeland. They’d had a special clearing by the river, where they’d hung a rope swing. There, they’d swam in the frigid water, drank beer they’d bribed the hands to bootleg for them, bragged about making out with the girls at school and contemplated their futures. Funny, that none of them ever planned to leave the valley.

“I did a search on Active Equipment,” Travis offered, bringing Rambler to walk alongside Neesha. “You’ve been busy.”

“Had nothing better to do,” Caleb responded levelly, though he was proud of his business achievements.

Travis chuckled. “I bet you fly around the world in that jet, going to parties with continental beauties, while your minions bring in the millions.”

“That’s pretty much all there is to it.” Caleb pulled his hat down and bent his head as they passed beneath some low-hanging branches. He was surprise by how natural it felt to be in the saddle.

“Gotta get me a job like that.”

Caleb turned to look at Travis. “Are you thinking of leaving Lyndon Valley?”

“Nah, not really. Though I wouldn’t mind tagging along on one of your trips sometime, maybe Paris or Rome. I hear the women are gorgeous.”

“Open invitation. Though, I have to warn you, it’s mostly boardrooms and old men who like to pontificate about their social connections and their financial coups.”

“You’re bursting my bubble.”

“Sorry.”

They were silent while the horses made their way down a steep drop to a widening in the river. There, they waded hock-deep to pick up the trail at the other side, where they climbed to the flat.

“You remember the swing?” asked Travis.

“I remember,” Caleb acknowledged. If they turned north and followed the opposite riverbank, instead of veering across the meadow, they’d be there in about ten minutes.

“You remember when Reed dislocated his shoulder?”

Caleb found himself smiling. It was the year they were fifteen. Reed’s arm had snagged on the rope, yanking his shoulder out of his socket as he plummeted toward the deep spot in the river. He’d shrieked in pain as he splashed in, but he’d been able to swim one-armed through the frigid water back to shore.

Fresh off a first-aid course in high school, Caleb and Travis managed to pop the shoulder back into place.

“He never did tell my dad,” Caleb put in.

Caleb had helped his brother out with his chores as best he could for the next few weeks, but Reed had pretty much gritted his teeth and gutted it out.

“I thought it was funny at the time,” said Travis. “But five years ago, I dislocated my own shoulder. Codeine was my best friend for about three days. Your brother is one tough bugger.”

Caleb knew Reed was tough. Reed had been taller and stronger than Caleb for most of their lives. He’d uncomplainingly taken on the hardest jobs. When Caleb had become exhausted and wanted to quit, risking their father’s anger, Reed was the one who’d urged him on, one more hay bale, one more board, one more wheelbarrow load. He would not quit until he’d finished an entire job.

“And he never backed down from a fight,” said Travis.

Caleb stilled. He let his mind explore some more of the past, remembering the day he’d walked away from the ranch. For the first time, it occurred to him that Reed probably saw leaving as backing down, and staying behind as a way of holding his ground against their father. He’d wanted Caleb to stay, begged him to stay, asked Caleb to stand toe to toe with him when it came to Wilton.

“And he hasn’t changed,” Travis continued. “It’s a little harder to make him mad now, but once you do, stand back.”

Caleb knew he’d made Reed angry. Back then he’d done it by walking away. Now he’d done it all over again by inheriting the ranch. It didn’t matter that he was right. It didn’t matter that Reed was misguided. The damage was done.

An image of his brother’s mulish, teenage expression flashed into Caleb’s brain. His throat suddenly felt raw. He knew a line had been drawn in the dust. He also knew he was never going to see his brother again.

He pressed his heels into the mare and leaned forward in the saddle, urging her from a walk to a trot to a gallop. He heard Travis’s shout of surprise, and then Rambler’s hooves pounded behind them.

The world flashed past, Neesha’s long strides eating up the ground, her body strong beneath him, her lungs expanding, breaths blowing out. He settled into the rhythm, breathing deep, fighting to clear his mind of memories.

But the memories wouldn’t stop. He saw Reed when they were seven, wrestling on their beds when they were supposed to be asleep, their father’s shouts from the living room, the two of them diving under their covers, and lying stock-still while they waited to hear Wilton’s footsteps on the stairs.

He saw them chasing down an injured calf when they were thirteen, waving their arms, yelling until they were hoarse, corralling it where they could look at the gash on its shoulder. Reed had held it still, while Caleb applied antibiotic ointment and crudely stitched the wound.

Unfortunately, their efforts had only served to make their father angry. He told them they’d wasted far too much time and effort on a single calf and made them work an extra two hours before allowing them to come in for a cold dinner.

But there were also good times, when Wilton had been out on the range, sometimes for days at a time. When their mother would relax and smile, and they’d play board games, watch silly sitcoms and eat hamburgers on the living-room sofa. Reed had been there for the good times and the bad. They’d struggled through homework together, commiserated with each other over unfair punishments, drank illicit beer, raced horses and teased each other mercilessly at every opportunity.

Travis shouted from behind him, and Caleb saw they were coming up on the fence-line. He pulled back on the reins, slowing the mare to a walk, forcing deep breaths into his tight lungs.

“You going for a record?” Travis laughed as he caught up. Both horses were breathing hard, sweat foaming out on their haunches.

“Haven’t done that in years,” Caleb managed without looking in Travis’s direction.

“It’s like riding a bike.”

“Tell that to my ass.” Caleb adjusted his position.

Travis laughed at him. “And we’re going all the way around Miles Butte.”

“That’ll take all day.” And half the night. “We’ll be lucky to get home by midnight.”

“You got something you have to do?” Travis watched Caleb a little too carefully, waiting for his answer.

Yes, Caleb had something he wanted to do. He wanted to see Mandy again.

But, apparently, Travis wasn’t about to let that happen.

Mandy hadn’t seen Caleb in two days. She’d read in one of Abigail’s women’s magazines that if a man wasn’t into you, there was little you could do to attract him. But if a man was into you, he was like a heat-seeking missile, and nothing would slow him down.

Caleb definitely wasn’t a heat-seeking missile. And it had occurred to her more than once over the past two days that he might have got what he wanted from her and now moved on. Maybe Travis was right, and that was the way they did it in Chicago.

Even this morning, they were taking two vehicles from the ranch to Lyndon for the first water rights review meeting. Seth, Abby and Mandy ended up in the SUV, while Travis and Caleb drove the pickup truck. It wasn’t clear who had orchestrated the seating arrangements, but surely any self-respecting heat-seeking missile could have managed to get into a vehicle with her.

Mandy tried not to focus on Caleb as they turned off the highway onto Bainbridge. There was plenty to be optimistic about between her father’s continuing progress at the rehab clinic in Denver and Seth getting more and more excited about the upcoming campaign. He and Abigail had been discussing and debating political issues all the way from the ranch to Lyndon. And, with Seth and their father pretty much out of the picture, Travis seemed to be relishing his new role as de facto ranch manager.

Not that Mandy was jealous.

Though, now that she thought about it, everyone in her family seemed to be moving into some kind of new phase in their lives. Except for her. Other than supporting Travis at home, finding Reed and getting the Terrell family back on track, what was next for her?

“Mandy?” Abby interrupted her thoughts from the front passenger seat.

“Hmm?”

“Can you check my briefcase back there? I want to make sure I brought all five copies of the information package.”

Mandy reached for the briefcase where it was sitting on the SUV floor, pulling it by the handle to lay it flat on the seat beside her. She snapped the clasps and pulled it open.

“The green books?” she asked, thumbing her way through the rather professional-looking coil-bound, plastic-covered volumes.”

“Those are the ones.”

Mandy counted through the stack to five. “They’re all here.”

“Thanks,” Abby sang. Then she turned her attention to Seth. “I’ve got us all at the Sunburst. You’re sharing with Travis, and I’m with Mandy. I put Caleb on his own. I figured, you know, the big, bad, Chicago executive might not be used to sharing a bathroom.”

Seth laughed, but Mandy couldn’t help remembering that Caleb had shared a bathroom with her at the Rose Inn. He’d seemed perfectly fine with that. Then again, they’d been trapped in a storm. It could be considered an emergency situation. But he’d worked like a dog for the next three days. And he hadn’t complained in the slightest about the accommodation, the food or the hard work. He didn’t strike her as somebody who required creature comforts.

She opened her mouth to defend him, but then changed her mind. She really shouldn’t be thinking so much about Caleb. She should be thinking about Reed, and how to find him, and how soon she could reasonably touch base with Enrico Rossi and check the status of his investigation. Or maybe she could call Danielle directly. Perhaps she’d heard something from Enrico.

Seth pulled into the parking lot at the side of the Sunburst Hotel. Travis’s pickup truck was already parked, and he and Caleb were getting out. Mandy watched Caleb’s rolling, economical movements as he pulled a small duffel bag from the box of the pickup truck. His gaze zeroed in on the SUV, finding hers as he strode across the parking lot toward them.

She quickly looked away and concentrated on climbing out the back door. He swung open the back hatch and began loading his arms with their luggage. Travis followed suit. Seth grabbed the last bag, and beeped the SUV lock button. Mandy was left with nothing but her shoulder bag to carry into the lobby.

Caleb fell into step beside her.

“How’re you doing?” he rumbled.

“Just fine,” she told him primly, concentrating her focus on the short set of concrete steps that led into the glass entrance.

A set of double glass doors slid silently open in front of them, welcoming them into the gleaming high-ceilinged, marble-floored, floral-decorated lobby. Pillars formed a big circle around a patterned tile floor, while the service desks formed an outer ring in front of the walls.

“I’ve got a copy of the confirmation,” Abby announced, slipping a sheaf of papers from a side pocket in her bag.

“Let me get the check-in.” Seth strode up to a uniformed woman at the registration desk.

Caleb lengthened his strides after Seth, leaving Mandy behind. He caught up and put his credit card on the counter. Seth immediately shoved the card back toward Caleb. The two men had a brief debate, and it looked like Seth was the one to back off.

Mandy positioned herself beside a pillar, out of the route of direct walking traffic, next to Abigail and the luggage.

A few minutes later, Caleb returned to them.

“Ladies.” He nodded. “I assume these are your bags?” He scooped up their suitcases.

“Those are ours,” Abigail confirmed.

“Then, right this way. You’re on the tenth floor. As am I, and Caleb and Seth are on seven.”

“One second,” said Abigail, finding a glass-topped table to set down her briefcase.

She opened it, pulled out two of the green packages and took a few steps across the lobby to hand them to Travis. “Lunch is at the Red Lion next door. The meeting starts at one o’clock. We have dinner reservations at the Riverfront Grill. And then I thought we’d go to the Weasel.” She did a little shimmy as she mentioned the name of the most popular dancing bar in Lyndon. “It’s Friday night, so they’ll have a band.”

Travis took the books from her hands, giving her a mock salute. “Works for me. See you guys in a few.”

Caleb headed for the elevator, and Mandy fell into step behind him.

On the tenth floor, they exited, finding their room five doors down. Abby inserted the key card, holding the door open for Caleb with the bags. Mandy brought up the rear.

“This looks nice,” Caleb noted politely, setting the bags on the padded benches at the foot of each of the queen-size beds. The room had a small sitting area near a bay window with a view of the town. The two beds looked thick and comfortable, and the bathroom appeared clean, modern and spacious.

“I’ll see you both at lunch,” he finished, heading for the door.

He opened it, got halfway out and then stopped, turning back. “Mandy? You have a minute? I’ve got something I want to ask you about, but it’s buried in the bottom of my bag.” He gestured into the hallway. “You mind?”

Surprised and confused, and worried it might have something to do with the sale of the ranch, Mandy nodded. “Uh, sure. No problem.” She moved after him, telling herself it couldn’t be a sale. Not this fast. Not without any warning.

“Great.” He flashed a smile at Abigail. “Thanks.”

Outside in the hallway, they moved three doors farther down. Caleb inserted his own key card, opening the door to a larger room with a king-size bed and a massive lounge area beside a pretty bay window.

They entered the room. He dropped his bag on the floor. The spring-loaded door swung shut and, before she knew what was happening, Mandy was up against the back of the closed door. Caleb’s hands had her pinned by her wrists, and he was kissing her hard and deep.

She was too stunned to move. “What the-”

“I’ve been going crazy,” he groaned between avid kisses. “You’re making me crazy. I thought we’d never get here. I thought we’d never get checked in. I thought we’d never get a second alone.”

Mandy recovered her wits enough to kiss him back. So, not the sale of the ranch. And okay, this was definitely a heat-seeking missile.

She relaxed into the passion of his kisses.

His lips moved to her neck, pulling aside her shirt. A rush of desire tightened her stomach, tingling her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head tipped back, coming to rest against the hard plane of the door as her toes curled inside her boots.

“I don’t understand,” she managed to mutter, clinging to his arms to balance herself. “You’ve ignored me for two days. I didn’t hear a word.”

“That was Travis. He used every trick in the book to keep me away from you.” Caleb pulled back. “What did you tell him, by the way?”

“I didn’t… Well, I mean, I didn’t tell him. But he knows.”

“Yeah, he knows,” Caleb agreed. “But can we talk about your brother later? I figured we’ve got about three minutes before they come looking for us.”

She blinked at him in astonishment. “You don’t mean?”

“Oh, man. I wish. But, no. I was only planning to kiss you some more.”

The regional water rights review meeting was shorter than Mandy had anticipated. The state representative introduced the process and told participants how they could provide written comments in advance of the next meeting. Having five people attend from the Jacobs and Terrell families, along with dozens of other ranchers from the Lyndon Valley area served its purpose in showing the organizers the level of interest from the valley and from the ranching community.

There were also a number of people representing nonranching interests. That had been one of Seth and Abigail’s concerns, that ranchers might be pushed out as the area tried to attract newer industries.

Caleb asked questions, and Mandy was impressed with both his understanding of the process and his ability to zero in on the significant details. If she found Reed, and if he returned to the ranch, she hoped Caleb would stay involved until the end of the review. Even if he had to do it from Chicago.

As the meeting broke up, and the group made their way toward the doors of the town hall, Abigail linked an arm with Mandy. “Did you bring along a dress for tonight?”

“A what?”

“A dress. You know, that thing that replaces pants on formal occasions.”

Mandy gave her sister a look of incredulity. “No, I didn’t bring a dress.” Why on earth would she bring a dress? This was a community meeting. In Lyndon.

“Well, we’ve got a couple of hours before dinner. Let’s go to the mall and be girls for a while.”

Mandy glanced over her shoulder at Caleb. She’d been hoping to steal a few more minutes alone with him before they all convened for dinner. “I’m not sure-”

“Come on. It’ll be fun.” Abigail raised her voice. “Wouldn’t you guys like to escort two gorgeous women out on the town tonight?”

Travis stepped up. “Why? You know some?”

She elbowed him. “Mandy and I are going for a makeover.”

“Great idea,” said Travis, voice hearty. “You two ladies take your time. Have fun.”

Mandy shot Caleb a helpless look.

He came back with a shrug that clearly stated “see what I mean?”

“Fine,” Mandy capitulated, mustering up some enthusiasm, even as she wondered whether Travis had co-opted her sister to the cause of keeping her and Caleb apart.

“I haven’t been in Blooms for ages,” said Abigail, towing Mandy toward the SUV. She called back over her shoulder. “You guys okay to walk back to the hotel?”

Seth waved them off. “We’ll see you at the restaurant.”

Abigail hit the unlock button for the vehicle, and its lights flashed twice. “They can go find a cigar bar or something.”

“Did Travis put you up to this?” Mandy asked across the roof of the vehicle.

Abigail gave her a blank look. “What do you mean? Why would Travis care what we do?”

Mandy peered closely at her sister. Abigail wasn’t the greatest liar in the world. And she always had been much more interested in hair, makeup and fashion than Mandy. Maybe this was some kind of a bizarre coincidence.

“So, you just want to go shopping?”

“No,” said Abigail. “I want to go shopping, hit the hair salon and get our makeup and nails done. I’d also suggest a facial, but I don’t think we have that kind of time.”

“Fine.” Mandy threw up her hands in defeat. “Let’s go be girls.”

Abigail grinned and hopped into the driver’s seat.

They drove the five miles to Springroad Mall, parked next to the main entrance, stopped to make sure the salon could fit them in later in the afternoon, then made their way through the main atrium to Blooms, the town’s biggest high-end ladies’ wear store. It occurred to Mandy that the last thing she’d purchased here was a prom dress.

“Something with a kick,” said Abby, leading the way past office wear and lingerie. “I want a little lift in my skirt when I’m dancing.”

“What happened to you in Denver?” Mandy couldn’t help asking.

“I realized life was short,” Abigail responded without hesitation. “I should be out there having fun and meeting people. So should you.” She stopped in front of a rack of dresses.

“I’m really interested in the campaign,” Abigail continued. “But I’ll admit, at first, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of spending so much time in Lyndon and Denver. But now I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going to stretch my wings.”

Suddenly, Mandy become worried. “You’re not planning to leave the ranch, are you?” They’d already lost one sister to the bright lights of a big city.

“Of course not. Not permanently, anyway. But I do want to test other waters. And this seems like a good time to do it.” She held up an emerald-green dress. “What do you think? Does the color go with my hair?”

Abigail’s hair was shoulder length and auburn. Colors could be challenging for her, but the green was perfect.

“Absolutely,” Mandy replied.

A salesclerk arrived, offering to start a dressing room for each of them. She took Abigail’s choice of the green dress, and they moved on to the next rack.

Abigail quickly selected another. “You should go for red,” she exclaimed, holding up a short, V-necked, cinnamon-red dress. It had black accents and a multilayered skirt that would swirl when she danced.

“Oh, sure,” Mandy drawled sarcastically. “That looks just like me.”

“That’s the point. ‘You’ are blue jeans and torn T-shirts. We need to find something that is completely not you.”

“My T-shirts aren’t torn,” Mandy protested. Okay, maybe one or two of them were, but she wore those only when she was mucking out stalls or painting a fence.

Abigail waved the dress at the salesclerk, who promptly took it from her arms and whisked it off to the dressing room.

Abigail’s next choice was basic black. She considered one with a sequined bodice, but discarded it. Mandy had to agree. They were going to the Weasel. It was a perfectly respectable cowboy bar, but it wasn’t a nightclub.

They ended up with four dresses each. Mandy considered they were all too formal, but her sister seemed to be having such a good time, she didn’t want to be the wet blanket.

In her dressing room, she put off the red dress to the very last. She tried a strapless, straight-skirted design in royal blue, but they all agreed the neckline didn’t work. Then a basic black cocktail dress, which was too close to one of the few she already owned. Then she tried a patterned, empire-waist, knee-length concoction, with cap sleeves and a hemline ruffle. It made her look about twelve. Abigail actually laughed when she walked out to model it.

Abigail had already decided to go with the green, so she was waiting in her regular clothes when Mandy exited the dressing room in the red dress.

Her grin was a mile wide. “It’s stunning,” she pronounced.

The salesclerk nodded her agreement. “I wish I had legs like that,” she commented, looking Mandy up and down. “It fits you perfectly.”

Mandy glanced to her legs. She didn’t see anything particularly interesting about them. They held her up, helped her balance on a horse and could walk or jog for miles when necessary. That’s all that counted.

“You probably want to shave them before we go out.”

“Thanks tons, sis.”

“But I’ve never seen you look so beautiful,” Abigail declared. “You absolutely have to get it.”

“I don’t know when I’ll ever wear it again,” Mandy glanced at the price tag. It was about three times as much as she’d ever spent on a dress before.

“Well, you’ll wear it tonight,” said Abigail.

“And after that?”

“After that, who knows. You’re about to become the sister of the Mayor of Lyndon.”

The salesclerk gave Abigail a curious look.

“Our brother Seth Jacobs is running for mayor this fall,” Abigail put in smoothly. “Make sure you vote.”

“There’ll be the swearing-in dance,” the clerk offered to Mandy. “And that’s always formal.”

“We’re only going to the Weasel tonight,” Mandy noted, considering different angles in the mirror.

Okay, so the dress did look pretty darn good. It accentuated her waist. It would twirl enticingly while she danced. And it showed just enough cleavage to be exotic without being tacky. She wouldn’t mind Caleb seeing her in this.

Behind her, in the mirror, the salesclerk waved a dismissive hand. “You can wear anything to the Weasel. Lots of the younger girls dress up to go there, especially on a Friday night.”

“There you go,” said Abigail. She glanced at her watch. “You’d better made a decision quick because we have to get to the Cut and Curl.”

Mandy drew a breath. Okay. The red dress it was. Her lips curled into an involuntary smile. “You talked me into it.”