Montana Wrangler (7 page)

“No, you both go on. I'll rest here. I'll be raring to go in a few minutes.”

Paige didn't like the idea of leaving him alone. She didn't like the way he was so pale yet sweating. Maybe she could get him in to see a doctor this afternoon. Over his strong objections, she imagined.

Just then a young woman she took to be a teacher stepped into the room. “Is everything all right here?”

Paige rested her hand on Grandpa's shoulder. “I think my grandfather may have gotten too much sun.”

“That can definitely happen,” the teacher said. “Let me get him some water.” From a nearby cabinet, she produced a bottle of water. “Here you go.”

“Thank you so much.” Paige twisted the cap off and handed the bottle to her grandfather.

He took a long drink. “Now, you two go on. You want to see the boy get his medals.”

Still reluctant, Paige hesitated.

The teacher said, “I'll keep an eye on him. Go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

“We won't be gone long, Henry.” Jay gestured for Paige to come with him. “You stay put and we'll be right back for you.”

Relieved the teacher had agreed to stay with Grandpa, Paige followed Jay out of the classroom. “He looks sick to me. It may be something more than too much sun. I think I ought to stay.”

“The teacher will watch out for him for few minutes. Henry gets extra tired these days when he has to stand for any length of time. That's why he sits to clean tack. I should've thought to bring a folding chair along today.” He took her hand and hurried them toward the crowd waiting for the awards to be presented.

Even as she was tantalizingly aware of Jay's large hand wrapped around hers, Paige prayed that Grandpa was simply feeling his age. That the problem wasn't more serious.

They reached the front of the stage as the last of the awards were handed out by the principal.

Bryan hopped down from the platform and ran toward Jay and Paige, his medals swinging on red, white and blue ribbons around his neck.

“Hey, buddy, you did good.” They high-fived.

Paige lifted the medals to get a better look. “If these were made out of real gold, you'd be a pretty rich kid.” Filled with pride at his success, she ruffled his sweaty blond hair.

“Where's Grandpa?” Bryan asked.

“He's resting in one of the classrooms,” Jay said. “He got too much sun. Let's go show him your medals.”

The school bell rang, announcing lunchtime. Children hastily told their parents good-bye and raced for the cafeteria.

“Okay. But I gotta get my lunch soon. It's pizza day. I don't want 'em to run out.”

“No problem. I'll race you.” Jay took off, giving himself a head start.

“Hey, wait!” Bryan pounded after him.

Paige followed, worry about Grandpa hurrying her pace. Although, by the time she reached the celebration in the classroom, he seemed to have recovered. His color looked good, his enthusiasm high for Bryan's accomplishments.

Bryan didn't hang around long before he dashed out to buy his lunch.

As Paige rode back home in Jay's truck, she relived the morning, etching every exciting moment in her memory.
This is what it feels like to be a parent. She wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Nor would she have missed the lingering warmth of Jay's hand as he held hers.

* * *

After lunch, Grandpa firmly refused to see a doctor. Instead he went to his room to take a nap. Despite her concern, Paige couldn't very well order him to be checked by a doctor.

So, with a sense of anticipation, Paige went out to the barn hoping for another horse grooming lesson from Jay.

To tamp down her bubbling excitement, she firmly reminded herself that in another week, after the guardianship hearing, she and Bryan would be in Seattle. She'd probably only see Jay once or twice a year, so there was no reason to expect more than a casual relationship during the remaining time she'd be in Bear Lake.

Inhaling the now familiar scents of horse, leather and hay, she walked to Peaches's stall and stopped abruptly. Her gaze skittered to Jay, who was saddling the horse. Disappointment took the fizz right out of her.

“I guess Peaches is going on a trail ride, huh?” Although she hadn't seen any would-be riders gathering at the corral and Nathan didn't seem to be around.

“Nope. No trail ride.” Jay made sure the saddle was firmly in place. “I figure you're ready for a short stroll around the corral.”

“On top of Peaches?” Her throat constricted.

His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Unless you'd prefer a piggyback ride.”

No, she didn't think that was a good idea, for far different reasons than her fear of getting on a horse—and falling off.

“I thought I'd still be grooming her,” she protested.

“You already wield the brush like an old pro. Unless you want to spend the time learning to clean hooves.”

She wrinkled her nose. That didn't sound like fun, and it meant she'd be within kicking distance of the horse.

He untied Peaches's lead rope. “Come on. I'll be right beside you the whole time. There's nothing to be afraid of.” He led the horse out of her stall.

Paige stood frozen in place for a moment. She could go back to the house. Maybe find something to read. Or she could go for a walk. She still hadn't strolled up the dirt road to see where it led.

But without her permission, her feet followed Jay instead of running the other way. It was as if Krissy's boots had a mind of their own and were determined to return to their old life stuffed into a pair of stirrups.

Jay had the horse tied to a railing. “Come on, I'll boost you up.”

He clasped his hands together. Grabbing the saddle horn, she placed her foot in his hands and up she went.

“Oh,” she cried, clinging tightly to the horn for fear she'd slip off. Memories of her fall off the horse as a child sent chills down her back and made her leg ache.

“You okay?”

No!
“It's so high up here.”

Chuckling, he fussed with the stirrups. “Wait 'til I get you up on Thunder Boy.”

She rolled her eyes. That was so not going to happen.

He checked to be sure the stirrups were the right length. “Now sit comfortably kind of back in the saddle. Squeeze your knees to hold on to the horse.”

Use her knees?
He had to be kidding. Her legs were bowed around Peaches's girth, only to have Paige's feet pointing in opposite directions, like an awkward plié; no way could she squeeze anything.

“Maybe Peaches needs to go on a diet,” she muttered.

His mouth quirked into an amused smile as he handed her the reins. “I want you to hold the reins loosely in your left hand. You're not going to do anything with them this time. Just hold them.”

“If I hold the reins, I'll have to let go of the saddle horn with that hand.” That seemed like the most obvious thing in the world to her. And, at the moment, the most dangerous.

“Seems that way, doesn't it?”

She closed her free hand so tightly around the horn her knuckles turned white.

He untied the lead rope from the railing and patted Peaches on the nose. “I'm going to walk you around the corral now just like you walked her yesterday.”

“Except I wasn't riding her then.”

Jay stepped away from the railing. She rocked in the saddle with each step Peaches took. Paige closed her eyes.
I do not like this. No, I don't. I do not like this at all.
In her head, she sounded like the Grinch in the land of Who.

“You're doing great, Paige. Open your eyes. Enjoy the view.”

She peeked. To her surprise they were halfway around the corral. The sun cast shadows from nearby trees, turning a part of the corral into a variegated pattern in shades of brown. She caught sight of the blue waters of Bear Lake down the hillside. But most of all, she saw Jay looking up at her. His rugged jaw relaxed into a smile. His eyes shone with encouragement.

Her heart did a tumble. Had anyone ever looked at her in quite that way? With approval? Pride? And something that seemed to be much more?

They reached the place where they had started.

“You want to go around again?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I think that's enough for today.”

“You're sure? I'll let you steer if you want.”

“Definitely not,” she said with a laugh.

He looped the lead line over the railing. “Down you come then.”

She swung her leg up over the horse's rump. His large hands closed around her waist, warm and strong, as he eased her to the ground. She turned to look up at him.

Their eyes met, and something electric sparked between them. Something that defied explanation. A snap. A connection.

“You were terrific.” Slowly, he lowered his head.

When his lips touched hers, a shiver of yearning quickened her heartbeat, and her breath lodged in her lungs. Excitement churned through her midsection. Dreams she had never dared to dream raced through her head. The kiss didn't last long. The quick brush of his lips on hers was almost like a reward for a job well done. Even so, she continued to feel the imprint of his warmth. The sweetness of his kiss.

He took a step back, leaving her slightly unsteady on her feet.

“How about we go around twice tomorrow?” His voice sounded raspy, breathless.

She didn't know how to answer. It didn't matter. No matter how hard she might try, his kiss had left her unable to form a coherent thought.

Chapter Seven

J
ay had no idea why he'd kissed Paige. He'd helped her off the horse. She'd felt so good right there in his arms. He'd been very proud of her courage. The way she'd swallowed her fears for one trip around the corral.

So he'd kissed her as if he'd had the right.

That one little kiss had rocked him all the way down to his boots.

Dumb idea, Red Elk.
She wasn't going to stick around. He might've gotten her on a horse once, but it wasn't like she'd be joining a Western mounted troupe and parade in a Fourth of July rodeo anytime soon.

Hours later, as he walked through the stable doing his last check of the horses for the night, he could still taste her sweet lips. Feel her slender figure in his arms. Smell the honeysuckle scent of her shampoo.

He and Bryan were taking a dozen riders on an all-day trail ride to Mount Thompson in the morning. He'd be well away from Paige. He'd forget about her lips and how he'd like to kiss her again.

That was the smart thing to do.

As he returned to his quarters, he glanced toward the house. The light was on in the room where Paige slept. He wondered what she was doing. If she was thinking about their kiss.

She'd looked as stunned as he had felt when they broke the kiss. She hadn't slapped him or seemed mad. For the longest time, neither of them had said a word.

Then Jay had led Peaches into her stall and unsaddled her. Standing silently in the middle of the barn, Paige had watched him.

“Bryan will be home soon,” she finally said, her whisper like the rustle of leaves on the ground blown along by a gentle breeze.

He'd nodded, and she'd left the stable, leaving Jay wondering when he'd turned into a mute. He hadn't been much more talkative at dinner, which worked out okay because Bryan kept yammering about Game Day and the race and baseball toss he'd won.

Jay kicked the gravel on the walkway between the house and his quarters. He'd get a good night's sleep and be on the trail early in the morning.

That's what he did for a living. That's who he was. Not some guy sitting at a desk in a downtown high-rise wearing a suit.

Not a man who got a second look from a woman like Paige.

* * *

First thing in the morning, Paige heard from Mr. Armstrong. The medical conference coordinator insisted he had arranged for a full breakfast for the attendees. Paige assured her boss that wasn't the case and emailed him the signed copy of the contract.

An hour later, Armstrong's secretary called to say they couldn't get the PowerPoint projector to work. Granted, the machine was sometimes temperamental, but how was Paige supposed to fix it from five hundred miles away? Someone, namely her assistant, should have checked it out yesterday before the conference started.

Guilt tweaked her conscience. If she had returned to Seattle when she'd planned, she would have taken care of that detail.

But seeing Bryan's excitement at Game Day was too special to have missed. And there was no sense to go streaking to Seattle at this late hour. She'd no more than arrive and she'd have to return to Bear Lake.

With Jay and Bryan on an all-day trail ride, and Nathan and Grandpa leading a group of riders on a two-hour trek, Paige found herself all alone in the quiet house.

She hadn't wanted Grandpa to go given his health. He waved off her concern, saying, “I've been riding horses since I was two. Not about to stop now.”

She really wished he'd see a doctor for a checkup.

Feeling at loose ends, she wandered outside. With most of the horses gone, only the breeze in the treetops and periodic bird calls interrupted the silence. Somewhere there was a woodpecker busily at work tap-tap-tapping. The faint sound of a motorboat on the lake barely reached her.

Archie trotted out of the barn, her feathery tail wagging. Her pregnancy seemed to make her belly grow every day, and Paige felt a twinge of envy. What would it be like to carry a child inside her? Jay's child.

She felt a rush of warmth flush her body, and firmly quashed that sensation.

She knelt to pet the dog. “Are you lonely, too? Bet you wish you'd gone with Bryan.”

Lifting her head, Archie licked her face. Giggling at the sensation, she recalled pleading with her parents to get her a puppy. Her mother had made it quite clear there was rarely anyone at home to take care of an animal, and there was no way she was going to clean up his messes after a long day at the hardware store.

Paige hadn't bothered to ask again.

With a resigned sigh, she walked toward the stables. Archie stayed right at her side.

“You'll let me know if there's a bear around, won't you?”

Archie didn't comment, but Paige was pretty sure she'd sound the alert if she spied a big black bear lumbering through the neighborhood.

However, Archie did seem to be guiding her. When she started to turn into the barn Archie stepped in front of her, all but forcing her to change direction and head for the stables.

She laughed. Archie's border collie genes were showing. Apparently Paige was the only creature around she could herd.

To her surprise, she discovered Peaches and one other horse still in their stalls. While she had been helping Bryan clean tack, she had overheard Grandpa and Nathan talking about the other horse having a gimpy leg. They were going to rest him for a few days.

Peaches nickered and hung her head over the side of the stall.

“Hi, girl.” Paige rubbed the horse's velvet nose. “How come they left you behind? Weren't there any inexperienced riders today? Bet you and Archie both hate to miss out on all the fun.” Although Paige was sure she'd find a full day's ride excruciatingly painful and punctuated by moments of terror.

As though Archie had done her duty delivering Paige to the stables, she went into Peaches's stall and curled up in the corner.

Feeling particularly courageous, Paige found the grooming brush. With only the slightest nervous twinge, she entered the stall and began brushing Peaches's dusky-brown mane.

“You do like attention, don't you?” She kept brushing and stroking the horse. Peaches seemed to be enjoying Paige's efforts and, to her surprise, Paige was, too.

After a few minutes, she had a totally outlandish thought. No one was around to see her making a fool of herself. If she could manage to saddle Peaches, she might be able to mount her and ride her around the corral a time or two. She had watched both Jay and Bryan saddle a horse. Nathan, too.

Now that she thought about it, putting a saddle on the back of a horse didn't seem so hard. Or scary. Not when the horse was Peaches, anyway.

In the tack room, she found Peaches's saddle and blanket. She carried them back to her stall.

Okay, Lord, I'm going to need a little help here.

Drawing in a deep breath to build up her courage, she held the blanket out in front of her and stepped up to the horse.

“Now, Peaches, you have to be extra patient with me.” When she placed the blanket on Peaches's back, the horse didn't seem at all disturbed. “Good girl. I'll get the hang of this yet.”

Hefting the saddle was a different matter. She'd forgotten to hook up the stirrups to get them out of the way.

She tried again. This time she got the saddle settled. Facing the right way! She cinched the saddle into place and stood back to admire her work.

“Not so bad for a city girl, huh?”

Peaches nodded. Archie stood and stretched. It looked as though she was ready to go for a run.

After another moment appraising her success, she realized something was missing. Something important.

The bridle and reins.

Checking her watch, she found the trail ride wasn't due back for nearly an hour. If she could figure out how to get the bridle over the horse's head and the bit in her mouth, she'd still have time to go once around the corral all by herself.

What do you think about that, cowboy?

Fortunately, the tack for each horse was kept together. Even more fortunate, Peaches sensed Paige's inexperience and practically put the bit in her own mouth. Or maybe it was the Lord who was giving her a helping hand.

She led Peaches into the corral. Using a big rock to stand on, Paige leveraged herself onto the saddle.

“Sweetheart,” she crooned, patting the animal's neck. “You are the best horse in the entire world.”

The way Archie was watching, her head tilted to one side, Paige didn't think she was all that impressed with her horsemanship.

The reins in one hand, the saddle horn grasped by the other, Paige gave Peaches a little nudge with her heels. To her great delight, the horse started forward. If she'd been wearing a cowboy hat—and had a free hand—she would have waved it in the air.
Ride 'em, cowgirl!

With Peaches's cooperation, she took one turn around the corral. That went so well, she decided to try another one.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she sensed someone approaching the outfitting station. She turned in her saddle and saw Bryan walking toward her on the road leading a big gray horse that was limping.

“Aunt Paige! What are you doing?” he shouted.

Heat raced to her cheeks. Peaches decided on her own to trot over to meet Bryan by the fence. Paige gripped the saddle horn with all her strength as she bounced up and down, her feet coming out of the stirrups.

Peaches stopped abruptly.

Paige barely managed to hold her seat.

“I'm riding Peaches,” she gasped. “What does it look like?”

A big grin creased his face. “Looks like you're not as scared as you used to be.”

Paige took that as the finest compliment she'd ever received.

Now all she had to do was get off Peaches without breaking her neck. She dismounted with about as much grace as an ungainly kid belly flopping into a swimming pool.

It took her a minute to regain her breath. “So why are you back so early?”

“Sir Grayson threw a shoe. Jay had me trade horses with the guy who was riding him. I had to walk Grayson back home.” Bryan led the horse into the corral. “Jay said I should call the farrier, tell him we need a horse shod.”

Using the reins, Paige walked Peaches toward her stall.

“Jay and Grandpa will hoot when I tell 'em that you've been riding Peaches all by yourself,” Bryan said.

Paige grimaced. She didn't want them laughing at her again. “It probably isn't necessary to mention that, honey. It could be our little secret.”

Bryan glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Nah, that's too good a secret to keep.”

Tattletale!

* * *

Jay had his trail riders back to the stable by four o'clock. With the exception of Sir Grayson throwing a shoe, the ride had gone fine. Thanks to the riders who'd had some experience.

Bryan came out of the barn to help unsaddle and water the horses. “Guess what Aunt Paige was doing when I got here with Grayson?”

“I can't imagine.”
Probably packing to get back to Seattle as quickly as she could to avoid having him kiss her again.
He lifted the saddle off Thunder Boy.

“She was riding Peaches!” He giggled and grinned.

Jay nearly dropped the saddle. “All alone?”

“Yeah. She nearly fell off when I showed up, but she was sitting in the saddle.”

“Who saddled the horse for her?”

Bryan shrugged. “Dunno. Guess she did it herself. Nathan and Grandpa weren't back yet. They are now though.”

Surprised as a grasshopper about to get stepped on, Jay smiled to himself. That was worth a celebration.

Nathan came out of the barn to help with the horses. “What's so funny?”

Bryan told him.

“Whoa!” Nathan said. “That's awesome. Maybe she's more like Krissy that we thought.”

Jay didn't think so. Krissy never feared a thing. Paige had to overcome her fears. That took a whole lot more spirit and mental strength.

After they got the horses cooled down, fed and put away, Jay went over to the main house. He heard the piano playing as he walked into the mudroom and hung his hat on a peg. The music sounded familiar, but he couldn't name the tune.

He strolled as far as the door to the living room. Henry was dozing in his chair, so Jay leaned against the doorjamb to watch Paige play. She had pretty hands. Slender fingers. Graceful. Yet the music she was making was strong and confident.

She was that way on the inside, too. Strong. Confident. Willing to confront her fears. A pretty incredible combination.

She tapped the closing notes of the piece, then rested her hands in her lap.

“Very nice.” Jay walked into the room.

She turned and scowled. “You're doing your sneaking-up-on-people thing again.”

“Nope. You were concentrating so hard, you just didn't hear me.”

“Whatever.” She swiveled around on the piano bench.

“I hear we have something to celebrate,” he said.

Henry opened his eyes. “What's that?”

“Miss Paige Barclay saddled and rode Peaches all on her own today.”

Color flooded her cheeks. “Bryan doesn't know how to keep a secret.”

“You really rode her?” Henry asked. “By yourself?”

“Really, it's not like I climbed Mount Everest. You all ride horses every day.”

“Yeah, but you were scared spitless the other day.” Jay hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“I'm proud of you, girl,” Henry said. “I know you've never liked horses, but we'll make a wrangler out of you yet.”

Shaking her head, she stood. “That is so not going to happen, Grandpa.”

“Maybe not,” Jay said. “But I think we ought to celebrate your first solo ride. How 'bout you, Henry?”

“A celebration does seem to be in order.”

“Great. Then let's all go out to dinner at the Pine Tree Diner.” He turned to Paige. “They've got great steaks. Buffalo burgers served with a pile of skinny fries. Barbecued ribs. What do you say? Saturday night family dinner out?”