Part 9 (1/2)
”You didn't throw food out here, did you?” he asked, knowing full well that she had.
”Food?” she repeated.
He watched her wet her lips, calling more attention to her mouth than he really needed her to do. She glanced after the bear, then at the eggsh.e.l.ls on the ground and the marks where the bear had torn up the earth. For a moment, she only chewed at that soft-looking plump lower lip.
”I wouldn't exactly call what I tossed out food, food,” she said slowly. ”Just some practice pancakes and a...few eggsh.e.l.ls.”
He shook his head at her. ”Reggie...” He took a breath, trying to control his temper. ”This is bear country. You put out food and you're going to attract bears and I don't think that's what you want to do.”
Her eyes came up to meet his. For a moment, he almost lost himself in all that sky-blue.
”Not only that, having bears in camp is real hard on pans,” he said, no longer able to hide a grin.
”Very funny.” She did not look amused.
He reminded himself that she was a city girl and as out of her element as she could get. If he went to L.A., there would probably be things that would scare him and make him look foolish.
He handed her the spoon and went to pick up the pan and clean up the garbage to keep the bear from coming back. As he did, he found himself fighting back a grin at just the memory of her charging through the woods, banging that pan. The woman was something, he'd give her that.
Men often underestimated women. Not that he thought any man was prepared for a woman like Reggie. Look what she'd done to poor unsuspecting Buck. Look what she'd done to him. He remembered the way she'd looked last night in the cabin, all doe-eyed and apologetic. It still annoyed him how she'd made him feel guilty as if it were his fault she was here.
He heard her behind him and turned to hand her the battered pan.
She glanced again in the direction where the bear had disappeared. ”What do I do if the bear comes back?”
He heard the worry in her voice. ”He shouldn't unless you cook up something for him again.”
She mugged a face at J.T. The color had come back into her cheeks and she no longer looked frightened, but her eyes were still large and bottomless and clear as a high mountain lake. It was hard not to take a dip in them.
He realized that the bear had been a blessing of sorts. ”But if I were you, I'd stay in the cabin just in case,” he said, knowing that's exactly what a city girl would do after seeing a bear. And at least with her locked in the cabin, he shouldn't have to worry about her. Unless she really did set the cabin on fire or tried to cook or- Best not to think about it.
”Just try to stay out of trouble,” he said, then turned and headed for his horse. His head hurt from where she'd hit him and he still had cattle to round up. He hoped to h.e.l.l Buck hurried back.
REGINA STOOD on the porch, torn between doing exactly what he'd said-locking herself in the cabin until he returned-and seeing him in the saddle.
She hurried to the edge of the porch, peered around the corner and watched as he strode back to where he'd left his huge horse. She watched him swing up into the saddle. If she'd had any doubts how his buns would look on a horse, she didn't anymore. He was perfect. The consummate cowboy keister.
Now all she had to do was find a way to get him to do the commercial, she thought as she watched him ride away. For the first time, she realized that might not happen. She might fail. She shoved the thought away. Over her dead body!
She stood at the edge of the porch watching him ride up the hillside, mentally willing him to turn, to look back. If he didn't turn, there was no way he was going to do the commercial. If he did- He was almost to a stand of white-barked trees, the golden leaves flickering in the morning breeze, when he looked back.
She quickly ducked behind the corner of the cabin, smiling. J. T. McCall wasn't as immune to her as he pretended. She was getting to him.
Feeling better, she turned, glad to see that there was no bear at the end of the porch. But as she started to take a step, she heard a sound. The crack of a twig off in the trees, then another. Something was out there. Something big enough to break a stick.
Heart pounding, she glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see the bear behind her. Or something worse, although she couldn't imagine what that would be.
Hearing the crack of another limb breaking, she turned, thinking it might be one of the men who'd come back for something.
She looked toward the tents, the trees blocking her view, then up the hillside toward the corrals. Nothing.
Listening, she waited, thinking that if it was one of the men he would say something to her. She heard no sounds of the men or the cows. She didn't know which direction they'd ridden off in or how far away they'd gone. Mostly, she realized, she was vulnerable out there for whatever might be in the woods.
She hurried back inside the cabin and locked the door. J.T. hadn't said when they'd be back. She tossed another log on the woodstove and eyed the lower bunk. It was the best she was going to do.
J.T. RODE TOWARD the sound of lowing cattle. As he came up over a rise, he saw the undulating herd below him in the wide pasture and stopped to get his feet back under him. This was what he had been born to do. Be a rancher. He loved the sight and sound of the herd, preferred to be on a horse than in a pickup and would fight any man-or woman-who tried to take it from him. And had.
He knew that was what was worrying him. That history was starting to repeat itself. The dead cow. Truck trouble. One cowhand already gone. It hadn't happened in the same way nine years ago but the similarity was enough to scare him. On top of that, there was Reggie. Maybe that worried him the most because he felt protective toward her. h.e.l.l, someone had to protect the woman.
Nevada rode toward him and J.T. knew at once that something was wrong. ”I found a dead cow I thought you might want to take a look at.”
J.T. nodded and followed Nevada back through the towering pines. It was cool and dark under the dense green boughs where the morning sun hadn't reached yet. He breathed in the pine scent, filling his nostrils with it, knowing that soon he would be smelling burned hide.
The cow lay on its side at the edge of a small ravine. It had been killed, its side slit open, its innards removed and then a fire built in the carca.s.s.
”Have you ever seen anything like this?” Nevada asked, sounding spooked.
Unfortunately J.T. had. ”It's someone's idea of a prank.”
Nevada looked at him as if he had to be insane. ”This isn't a prank. This is a warning.”
J.T. nodded and looked Nevada in the eyes. ”I think someone's trying to sabotage my roundup. Or at least make me think they are.”
”Rustlers?”
That would be anyone's first thought. ”Possibly. Could just be someone messing with me. I would prefer you didn't mention this to the others.”
Nevada held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded.
”I would also understand if you wanted to draw your pay and get the h.e.l.l out of here,” J.T. said.
Nevada seemed surprised. He laughed. ”Not a chance. I wouldn't mind meeting up with the fellow who did this.”
”Me, too,” J.T. said and listened for sounds of the other men. ”That's one reason I want everyone to keep an eye out for the other men.”
Nevada pushed back his hat and looked back through the pines toward the herd. ”You think it's one of your men.”
”I hope to h.e.l.l not, but I haven't seen any sign of anyone else around,” J.T. said, wondering if he was telling Nevada because he trusted him. Or because he didn't.
”I'll watch my back,” Nevada said and rode off to join the others.