Cowboy At Arms

The pond was some distance from where the cattle grazed. It was a nice drink of water stocked with plenty of fish. A wooden dock stretched out about eight feet and made a perfect place to sit and dangle a pole.

“I’m gonna have such fun,” Cooper exclaimed as Dusty pulled the cart to a halt.

“We’re all going to have fun,” Dusty replied.

It took only a few minutes for him to carry the cooler and a navy blue blanket into the shade of a nearby old oak tree. Together he and Trisha spread out the blanket and placed the cooler to one side while Cooper danced around them with an excitement that was contagious.

“And now, the main event,” Dusty said and motioned for them to follow him to the edge of the dock where he had fishing poles and foam cups of night crawlers awaiting them.

When he’d been in Bob’s Bait Shack earlier he’d picked up two things especially for Cooper. The first was a child’s fishing pole and the second was a bright orange life jacket.

“You’ve gone to so much trouble,” Trisha said soberly. “I’ll be glad to reimburse you for anything you bought.”

“Nonsense,” he replied. “It was my pleasure.” He picked up the life jacket and then crouched in front of Cooper. “And now, my little buddy, if you want to fish you have to wear this.”

“Why?” Cooper held his gaze intently.

“Because only the very best fisherman in the whole wide world wears this special orange vest,” he replied. “Can I put it on you?”

Cooper nodded. Dusty helped him into the vest and fastened it. The last thing he wanted for today was any kind of a tragic accident.

When he stood and looked at Trisha, a burst of warmth that had nothing to do with the sun overhead filled him. She gazed at him with a softness that almost took his breath away.

He cleared his throat and picked up a rod and thrust it into her hands and then handed Cooper his shorter, bright yellow rod complete with a red bobber already on the line.

“How do you feel about worms?” he asked Trisha as he picked up his own rod. “Are you the squeamish type?”

“I’ve changed dirty diapers. I think I can handle worms,” she said with a small laugh.

“Dusty, I don’t wear diapers anymore. I’m a big boy.” Cooper looked up at him with pride.

“That’s good, Cooper. But I could already tell that you’re a big boy. And now I think we’re ready to hit the dock and catch some fish.” Dusty placed a hand on Cooper’s shoulder and they all walked out onto the floating wooden structure.

For the next hour and a half Dusty gave lessons to Cooper about how to bait his hook and cast out and then the absolute importance of watching his bobber in the water.

They sat on the dock with Cooper between them and as the little boy focused solely on the task of waiting for a fish to bite, Dusty and Trisha talked about everything from their favorite foods to what crazy things people ordered at the café.

He discovered that she loved Chinese food and that her favorite color was purple. She confessed that she enjoyed watching reality television and was afraid of spiders. Each and every tidbit that he learned about her only made him like her more.

She caught the first fish, a crappie no bigger than his fingers. Cooper wanted to keep it, but Dusty explained that it needed to grow a bit more and the little boy helped him release it back into the water.

“How about we set down our poles for a while and see what Cookie packed for us to eat?” Dusty suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Trisha agreed and began to reel up her line.

“But I want to catch a fish.” Cooper’s bottom lip began to tremble ominously.

“We’ll take a break and eat and then we can fish some more,” Dusty said. He was rewarded by Cooper’s bright smile.

“Okay, and then I’ll catch a fish,” he replied happily.

The kid was definitely a little charmer. Trisha took off Cooper’s life jacket and when they sat on the blanket, Cooper planted himself nearly in Dusty’s lap. It was a strange feeling for Dusty, to feel Cooper’s utter trust in him, to know that the boy liked him.

It was equally heartwarming to see the approval in Trisha’s eyes. She obviously liked the interaction between him and Cooper.

“Let’s see what we have,” Dusty said and opened the top of the cooler. “Why don’t you help me unpack this thing, Cooper?”

“I can do it. Mommy says I’m a good helper,” he said eagerly and began to pull out the containers of food and set them on the blanket in front of them.

As he set them down, Dusty removed the tops to reveal fruit cut up in bite-size chunks, cubes of cheese, ham and cheese sandwiches, and three fat slices of chocolate cake. There was also bottled water and juice.

“Cake!” Cooper exclaimed.

“After a sandwich,” Trisha quickly replied.

They ate and talked and laughed and Dusty couldn’t remember the last time he’d known such easy joy. Just as Trisha had tackled the worms for bait, she ate with a gusto he found refreshing.

Even with Cooper’s presence, Dusty couldn’t help the small burn of physical desire she wrought in him. As she slipped a slice of strawberry into her mouth he wanted to chase it with his mouth against hers.

His fingers fought the need to loosen her hair and rake through the silky strands. When she threw her head back to laugh, he wanted to rain kisses down the length of her slender neck. The pearly snaps on her blouse seemed to beg him to pop them open and explore.

Thank goodness Cooper is here to keep you in line, he thought. The last thing he wanted to do was move too fast with her and frighten her away. Still, he couldn’t control the hot images that continued to dance in his head.

He also regretted the fact that the day probably wasn’t going to yield any answers as to why she had reacted the way she had the night before to the flowers and note that had been left for her. But this obviously wasn’t the time or the place to discuss the topic.

All he knew for certain was that he liked Trisha...he liked her a lot. He admired the way she mothered Cooper and that the three-year-old was obviously secure and happy in his mother’s love. That was the way it was supposed to be, that was something Dusty had never known.

He knew she must be a hard worker, otherwise Daisy would have let her go. The brassy red-haired woman was known to be a demanding boss.

She was well liked among the people she served at the café, and he’d never heard a whisper of gossip about her that would send up any red flags in his head.

She was obviously a strong woman. She had no family to depend on and had taken off from her familiar home to build a new life for herself and her son after the tragic death of her boyfriend.

He hoped that this was the beginning of something special between them. And more than anything, he hoped that he could be the man she wanted, the man she could depend on in her life.

The phantom pain shot off in his ear and he fought the impulse to raise his hand to cover it. The only sound he ever heard in that ear was the echo of voices telling him that he would never be good enough for anyone.

* * *

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then the way to a single mother’s heart is definitely through her child, Trisha thought as Cooper and Dusty talked about the life of a cowboy.

Dusty had shown infinite patience throughout the afternoon. He hadn’t spoken down to Cooper or shown any kind of irritation at the boy with his million questions and abundant energy.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Dusty was definitely a piece of eye candy with his white T-shirt stretched taut across his broad shoulders and emphasizing his slim waist. And she’d never seen a man who wore a pair of faded jeans better than him.

He watched her lips when she spoke, as if he were contemplating another kiss. Far too many times the memory of the kiss they’d shared the night before intruded into her thoughts.

As the two of them snapped lids back on the food containers and returned them to the cooler, Cooper rolled over on his back and within seconds he was sound asleep.

Dusty gazed at Cooper and then grinned at her. “Ah, the action of a true cowboy who has indulged in the three major Fs of life,” he said softly.

“The three major Fs,” she repeated curiously.

“Fresh air, fishing and food,” he replied. With the last of the food put away, he stretched out on his side and propped his elbow up beneath him.

She smiled and mirrored his position on the blanket. “Add in a shortened nap in the afternoon and you get a little sleeping buckaroo.”

“He’s a great kid, Trisha.”

“Thanks. He’s definitely the magic in my life,” she replied.

“Are all kids his age as bright as he is?”

Trisha laughed. “I don’t know about all kids. I only know about Cooper, and I believe he’s incredibly smart for his age. I think a lot of it has to do with my babysitter, Juanita.”

“Juanita Gomez?” he asked. She nodded and he continued, “Her husband, Richard, worked on the Swanson ranch before he died of a heart attack. He was a good man.”

“Juanita has been a real gift to me. She’s been babysitting Cooper for the last year and a half, ever since I started working at the café.”

“The only kid I’ve ever spent any time around is Nicolette Kendall’s boy when she lived here at the ranch with Cassie.”

“Sammy,” she replied. “Nicolette, Lucas and Sammy come into the café occasionally. Lucas was one of the cowboys here before he met Nicolette and they moved to the ranch where they live now, right?”

“That’s right. Now that they’re married, Lucas told me they’re starting the legal proceedings so that he can adopt Sammy since his father is dead.”

“That’s nice. I hope that someday Cooper will have a father figure in his life.”

“Lucas was the first of us to find love. Then Nick Coleman wound up falling for Adrienne Bailey and Forest fell for Patience.”

“She had a pretty rough time here, didn’t she?”

Dusty nodded. “Yeah, her assistant wound up throwing her in the top of a corn silo in an attempt to kill her. It was a case of professional jealousy at its finest.” He shook his head. “Thank God Forest figured out she was in the silo and managed to get her out and in the process the two of them realized how much they loved each other.”

She eyed him with open speculation. “Tell me, Dusty, why don’t you already have a special woman in your life?” It had been something she’d wondered about for a while. He was handsome and sexy and kind, but she’d never heard any gossip about him and any woman. In fact, she’d never heard any negative gossip about Dusty at all.

His gaze held hers steadily. “I guess part of the reason is that for months I’ve had a secret crush on you and didn’t want to pursue anyone else.”

Her heart fluttered and a wave of warmth swept through her at his words. “Then why didn’t you ask me out sooner?”

“You don’t exactly have a reputation around town for being a dating fiend,” he replied dryly. “I know a lot of men have asked you out before and you’ve turned them all down. It took me forever to get up my nerve and brace myself for what I figured would be an instant rejection. So, why did you agree to go out with me?”

She gazed at her son and then looked back at Dusty. “For the past couple of years my focus has been exclusively on working hard and raising Cooper. It’s only been in the last couple of months that I realized I was ready for more in my life.” She offered him another smile. “I guess the easy answer is that you were the right man at the right time.”

“I’m glad. And speaking of secret crushes, last night you reacted pretty violently to those flowers that somebody left for you.” There was an unspoken question in his voice.

The warmth that had suffused her dissipated. She had reacted badly the night before and he deserved some sort of explanation. She also needed to assure him that she wasn’t a crazy drama queen.

“When I was younger I had a stalker,” she finally replied. “It was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever experienced. When I saw the flowers and the note, I guess I had a kind of flashback to that time.” It certainly wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth, either.

His gaze softened. “I’m sorry you went through something like that, but I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” She eyed him cautiously.

“I want you to promise me that if you get another mystery gift, before you freak out and do something impulsive like leave town, you’ll call me. I don’t want you to be afraid, Trisha, but I also don’t want you to go away.”

The inner cold that had threatened to grip her never took complete hold as she saw the strength, the sweet possibilities that shone from his eyes. “Okay, it’s a deal,” she replied.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed man was definitely getting beneath her defenses far more quickly than she could have ever imagined. For the next few minutes the conversation turned to her desire to move out of the motel.

“I’d really like to buy a house, but right now it just isn’t feasible,” she explained. “I did find two rentals in the paper this morning and I think I’m going to check them out before I go in to work tomorrow. I want to make a move out of that motel room soon.”

“I’d be glad to go with you to check them out,” he said. “You know, kick the foundation and check out the roof.”

“I wouldn’t want to take you away from your work here,” she replied, although she wouldn’t mind having a second pair of eyes to see any potential issues that might arise.

“Our work schedule here is fairly flexible. Cassie doesn’t care how many hours we work or when we work them, all she cares about is that the daily chores get done.”

“Then I’d love to have you tag along. I’m planning on heading out around eleven. I have to be at work at the café by two.”

“Then I’ll meet you at the motel at eleven,” he replied with an easy smile.

Trisha was slightly surprised by her pleasure at the idea of spending more time with him the next day. Things were definitely moving fast between them, but she wasn’t at all sure that she wanted them to slow down.

“Is it time to go fishing again?” Cooper asked as he popped up from his prone position and rubbed his eyes with the back of his fists.

Dusty laughed and sat up. “Yeah, I think maybe the fish are especially hungry by now.”

“Good, ’cause I ’specially want to catch a big fish,” Cooper replied.

“Before we go let me hit you with some sunscreen again,” Trisha said and pulled a tube of cream out of her purse.

Minutes later Cooper once again wore his life jacket and the three of them were back on the dock with fishing poles in hand. Trisha watched in amusement how Cooper imitated not only Dusty’s stance but his facial expressions and actions, as well.

There was definitely a little bit of hero worship going on. Did she worry that Dusty might break her son’s heart? Absolutely, but she also wouldn’t take this wonderful experience away from Cooper for the world.

As they waited for a bite, Cooper asked a hundred more questions. Did fish have ears? Did they play games in the water? Did Dusty like fish sticks? Did he like fish sticks with ketchup?

Dusty answered each and every question with thoughtful consideration. And then it happened... Cooper’s bobber took a dive. He squealed and vibrated with excitement as Dusty hurriedly set down his own pole and helped Cooper reel in his catch.

Cooper whooped and hollered until they had the tiny perch on the dock. “I catched a fish! I catched a fish!”

“You sure did,” Dusty replied and crouched down next to the dancing boy.

Cooper grabbed Dusty by the face and kissed him on the cheek. Trisha didn’t know who was more surprised, herself or Dusty. He looked up at her with a stunned expression and then quickly gazed back down at the flopping fish on the dock.

“Ah, it’s just a baby,” Cooper said with disappointment. “It wouldn’t even make one fish stick, so I guess we’d better put it back and let it grow bigger.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Trisha said.

“Now I wanna catch a bigger one,” Cooper said once the fish had been returned to the water and his hook was once again baited and ready.

For the next half an hour nobody got any bites and Cooper showed all indications of becoming bored. Trisha had been surprised by how attentive he’d been throughout the day, but now that focus had been lost.

A glance at her wristwatch let her know it was almost seven. She was surprised by how quickly the hours had flown by. She was just about to tell Dusty that it was probably time for them to head back to the motel when he ripped up his pole and his line went taut.

“You got a fish, Dusty?” Cooper asked excitedly.

“I think so.” Dusty began to reel in with effort. Trisha couldn’t help but notice how his biceps popped with his exertion. Sunlight danced in his hair and she wondered how those golden strands would feel against her fingers.

Get a grip, she told herself even as the memory of their kiss played provocatively in her head once again. They were still early in their courtship—or whatever they were doing together.

“Is it big, Dusty? Is it a big fish?” Cooper asked.

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think it’s a fish after all,” Dusty said with a frown. “It feels like I’m reeling in a tree branch or a big stick.” He continued to reel in a little more easily.

Ripples appeared in the water and suddenly something bobbed to the surface. Smooth and covered with algae, the object shot a wave of horror through her. Was it...was it really...?

“Trisha, take Cooper over to the blanket.” Dusty’s voice registered a terse alarm.

“But I wanna see the big stick,” Cooper protested.

“Come on, son,” she said and grabbed him by his shoulder. “You’ve seen plenty of sticks before.” She hurried him away from the dock.

It wasn’t until they were seated on the blanket that she fully processed what had been on the end of Dusty’s line...a human skull.

Chapter 5

“I’m sorry about the way the day ended,” Dusty said two and a half hours later when they were finally in his truck and headed back to the motel. Cooper was sound asleep in his car seat and the deep shadows of night had moved in.

“You don’t have to apologize,” she replied easily. “I’m sure you didn’t plan for this to happen.”

He grimaced. No, there was no way in hell he would plan to fish up a human skull from the depths of the pond. The horror of the unexpected catch still rose up in the back of his throat.

“Thank goodness Chief Bowie was already on the property,” Trisha said.

Dusty didn’t reply. He knew why Dillon had been at the ranch. He’d been conducting more interviews with the men. If the skull turned out to be the one missing from one of the skeletons, it would only make the lawman look more closely at the cowboys on the Holiday ranch. And Dusty couldn’t imagine that the skull didn’t belong to the skeleton from the burial site.

“I’m just glad Dillon spoke to me away from you and Cooper and removed the...uh...item before Cooper got a glimpse of it,” he finally said. “I’d hate to be responsible for him having nightmares.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, surprised by the surge of protectiveness that rose up inside him as he thought of the little boy.

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