Coming Home To The Cattleman

CHAPTER TWO

SAM and Jason entered the kitchen before Rachel could say anything else.

Jennifer blinked several times, regretting their intimacy had ended. If only it was as easy to talk to her father!

“Jenny, what are you doing?” Sam demanded when he saw her at the counter with Rachel.

“Making creamed potatoes,” she said, trying to smile.

“You don’t have to work while you’re here!”

“I intend to eat, so it only seems fair that I pitch in with the work.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Jason said. “After all, she’ll be causing Rachel more work.”

Sam and Rachel both stared at Jason as if he’d committed a sin, but Jennifer simply looked at him and said, “I agree.”

“Really, Jason, she’s not going to cause me more work. I have to cook for you two. Why shouldn’t I cook for one more without a problem?” Rachel demanded.

“Rachel didn’t ask me to work. I insisted,” Jennifer said, not wanting Rachel to share in the blame. “I’m not here for a free ride.”

Jason and Sam looked at each other and left the kitchen, explaining that they had paperwork to do, and Jennifer and Rachel were left alone again.

“I’m sorry, Rachel. I didn’t want to cause any trouble,” Jennifer said hesitantly.

“You didn’t, Jenny. I can handle their complaints, and I appreciate your help, but it’s the companionship I’m enjoying. You’ve been gone a long time and it’s nice to get to know you again. “

“Me, too, Rachel. You’ve worked for Sam for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Actually, he hired me right after your mother got pregnant. She wasn’t very happy living on the ranch, and she didn’t want to clean the house.”

“I guess that’s something that never changed.”

“Not even in New York?”

“No, we had several maids who cleaned, and a nanny to watch over me and a chef in the kitchen.”

“What did your mother do all day?”

“I have no idea. The nanny took me to school every morning and picked me up in the afternoon. I did homework or spent my time in the kitchen with the chef.”

“Ah. I see. You must’ve been very lonely.”

Jennifer paused for a moment as she thought about her childhood in New York. Some people thought she had been privileged, but Rachel was right, it had been lonely.

“My grandmother thought it was the only way to live, the proper way, and she paid for all of it until she died. She left everything to my mother and she continued to live that kind of lifestyle. But it was so different from my early years here.”

Rachel listened and nodded along as Jennifer spoke, but there was a sad look in her eyes. “So do you still have maids and a chef at your home in New York?”

“No. I let them go and sold the house when Mom died. I didn’t want to live there anymore.”

“So you don’t have a home now?”

Jennifer stopped what she was doing and looked at the kitchen around her. So many memories assailed her, and she took in a deep breath as she thought about Rachel’s question. Did she have a home? New York had never felt like her home, but then she had been away from the ranch for so long that she couldn’t really say this was her home, either. Releasing her breath slowly, she turned to face the older woman, who was looking at her knowingly. “I guess right at this moment the answer to that would be no. But I’m hoping that might change very soon.”

“Well let’s hope so,” Rachel answered, touching the younger girl gently on the arm. “So does this mean you can stay here as long as you want?”

“I can stay as long as Sam will let me,” Jennifer replied, mixing dressing into the salad she’d been chopping.

“Just give him time, Jenny,” Rachel said, and both women smiled at each other. They worked in silence for a few moments, preparing the remainder of the meal. Jenny creamed the potatoes while Rachel finished cooking the meat and baked some fresh rolls. Within a short time lunch was ready. Rachel stepped to the kitchen door to summon Sam and Jason.

They all sat down at the table and Sam asked the blessing. Then Rachel began passing the various dishes.

“Jenny made the potatoes and the salad,” Rachel announced proudly as they were all filling their plates.

“That was very nice of her,” Sam said, not looking at his daughter.

“It’s the least I can do while I’m staying here,” she answered, tasting a mouthful of food.

“Does that mean you plan on staying awhile, Jennifer?” Sam asked in a detached voice.

“Yes. I’d like to, if you don’t mind, that is.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

“Do you…do you think it would be possible for me to ride out with you this afternoon?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ll be out until suppertime,” Sam answered. “I wouldn’t have time to show you how.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t have to show me. I’ve been taking riding lessons since I moved to New York. I rode on an English saddle, but I am used to riding for long periods of time.”

“Your mother permitted that?” Sam asked, his brows lowering in a frown.

“She didn’t want to, but I insisted.”

“I don’t remember your mother with a weak will.”

“No.”

“How did you convince her?”

Jennifer looked at her father. “I cried until she agreed. It was the only thing I could think of that would prepare me for coming home.”

“I see.” After a moment he looked at his daughter and said, “Okay, then, if you want to ride with us this afternoon, you can.”

“Thank you, Sam.” Jennifer smiled and her face lit up.

Jason had been silent throughout this whole exchange and had wondered how Sam would handle his daughter’s request to go riding. She was a city girl and had been away from the ranch for a long time. They didn’t have time to hold her hand while she had a holiday away from her fancy city life, and Jason knew that she would go back to New York as soon as she was bored and leave Sam heartbroken again. Well he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit around and wait for that to happen!

“Tell me, Miss Watson, did you have a job in New York?” Jason asked.

She kept her gaze on her plate. “Yes, I did.”

Surprised at her response Jason continued, “What did you do?”

“Information services.”

Sam frowned. “What does that mean?”

Jennifer smiled as she explained, “It means computer work, I worked in an office all day long. I hated it.”

“So you don’t have that job anymore?” Jason asked. He was sure that Jenny was just here for Sam’s money, and if she had given up her job to come here then that was a sure sign.

“Actually, no. I resigned it when Mom died. There…there was a lot to do. It happened so suddenly I couldn’t face going back to a job I hated.” Jennifer stopped as sudden tears clogged her eyes and throat.

Jason paused as he saw how much Jennifer was suffering and felt a sudden guilty pang at asking his questions. It had been insensitive, and he knew firsthand how hard it was to lose a parent.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” he said, and continued with his meal.

“How did she die?” Sam asked.

Jenny sniffed and composed herself. “In a car accident, it was very quick. She had her faults, but…I miss her.”

“I see,” Sam said. “She never remarried?”

“No. She wasn’t a very warm person.”

“No, she wasn’t,” Sam agreed, smiling back.

They ate in silence the rest of the meal.

When Rachel began clearing the table, Jennifer got up to help her.

“You go ahead and change into your riding clothes, Jenny, so you won’t keep your father waiting.”

“All right, Rachel. Thank you,” Jennifer said with a brief smile and rushed upstairs.

“I’ll help you, Rachel,” Jason said, getting up to carry dishes to the sink.

“I might as well help, too, instead of just sitting here waiting,” Sam said.

Rachel got all flustered; she wasn’t used to the men helping her out at all. “Really! There’s no need.”

Neither man answered her, they just carried on bringing the dishes to the counter.

The dishes were almost all loaded into the dishwasher when Jennifer came back into the kitchen. “I’m ready,” she said.

Both men turned to stare at her. She was dressed in cream tights, plush coat and a riding hat.

“You’re wearing that?” Jason asked, trying hard not to laugh. She was going to stick out like a sore thumb with the other cowboys.

Jennifer looked down at her garb. “It’s what I always wore in New York. I don’t have any jeans. Will it be okay?”

“That’ll be fine,” Sam said, shooting a warning look at Jason. Before he walked to the door, he whispered to Jason to ride ahead and warn the other men not to laugh.

Jason buried his grin and excused himself and jogged off to the barn.

Sam gestured to the door to Jennifer. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, but…but are you sure my clothes will be all right?”

“Of course. Shall we go?”

“Thanks for lunch, Rachel,” Jennifer said, kissing her cheek.

“Uh, yeah, thanks, Rachel.” Sam held the door open for Jennifer and followed her to the barn.

Jennifer knew as soon as she had seen the smile on Jason’s face that she had made a mistake with her outfit, but it was all she’d had in New York to go riding in. Her mother had insisted that if she had to ride, then she would do it properly, dressed like a lady. Back in the city it had been acceptable, but Jenny knew that out here she’d need to buy some new clothes!

As if to prove to her father and Jason that she wasn’t just some silly city girl, Jenny insisted on saddling her own horse. She felt it was important to convince them she knew what she was doing. Of course, the saddle was much heavier than she was used to, but she managed to get it on top of the saddle blanket she’d already put on the young mare Jason had suggested she ride.

With dexterity, Jennifer buckled the saddle in place. She finished before Sam did. He looked over his shoulder. “You did that real fast. Are you sure she wasn’t holding her breath?”

“Yes, I’m sure. She seems well trained.”

“Jason trained her. He’s very good with the horses.”

“He seems to be a real help to you around here. How did you meet him?”

Sam paused in saddling his horse and looked off into the distance, as though remembering a darker time. “He met me. I was dead drunk in a bar and trying to find my keys to drive home. He stopped me. He told me I shouldn’t risk other peoples’ lives by driving.”

“That was good of him.”

“Yes, it was. I’d…I’d been drinking a lot. He stayed the night and talked to me the next day about what I was doing to myself and my property. I asked him to stay a few days with me.”

“And he stayed?”

“Yeah. And he showed me a lot of new ways to improve my ranch. He’d gotten his degree from Oklahoma State University. Until he could afford to get his own property, he was rodeoing to earn money.”

“That’s a hard life.”

“Yes, it was, but he was playing it straight. He didn’t drink because his parents had died in a wreck with a drunkard. He said that saved him. It’s hard to be foolish when you’re sober.”

“I can imagine,” Jennifer answered, and realized there was much more to the surly man she had shared lunch with only moments ago. He had a depth that surprised her and he had clearly been a good influence on her father.

“Ready?” Sam asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Jennifer nodded and swung up into the saddle. Lifting her reins, she guided the mare out of the barn. She felt like she’d come home once again.

“Where are we going?”

“Out to the north pasture.” After a minute Sam added,

“We’re going to separate the herd. It’s gotten so large it’s hard to handle, and we need to put the cows into two different pastures. Do you think you can herd cattle?”

“I think so,” Jenny answered, but the butterflies tumbled in her stomach.

“I guess we’ll find out.”

They rode at a lope—a nice, easy gait. Jennifer eventually relaxed in the saddle, looking around her at the green pasture. It all seemed so familiar to her, as though she had never been away. When they reached the north pasture the large herd was in and Jason already had the cowboys separating them by age. He looked so in control that Jenny just sat for a moment looking at him. He was certainly at home on a ranch. Jennifer watched for a moment longer and noticed how his tough working jeans molded to the muscles in his legs, and also his white cotton shirt accentuated the dark tan of his arms. Totally transfixed, Jenny didn’t notice that Jason was looking at her, too, and she blushed when they made eye contact.

Quickly trying to cover herself, Jenny turned to Sam and asked, “How do they know the age of the cows?”

“They’re guessing, but if the cow has a young calf, you figure she’s pretty young. We’re going to help maintain the herd until they finish dividing it up. Then we’ll push the new herd into the next pasture.”

“Okay.” She followed her father’s lead, slowly approaching the herd and trying hard not to look in Jason’s direction again.

Sam told a couple of the cowboys to join Jason in cutting out the cows he wanted while they took their places.

“Oh, Jennifer, I forgot to tell you your horse is trained for cutting, so she may make sudden moves. Just grab the saddle horn, if you need to.”

She nodded, but she vowed not to do such a thing. She’d been taught without a saddle horn, and she now managed by staying alert and moving with her horse most of the time. Only a couple of times did she have to resort to grabbing the saddle horn.

“Good job, Jenny,” Sam said, riding toward her. “Let’s join the others and move the other herd.”

She followed him, not tiring yet. It had been a pleasure to work the herd. Even more, she loved hearing praise from her father. She hadn’t expected that. Several of the cowboys they joined nodded to Jennifer. She nodded in return and continued to herd. She didn’t think anyone would remember her from when she was little. Cowboys moved around a lot, and she was sure that none of the current cowboys were still the same as when she’d been at the ranch as a youngster.

“Is that little Jenny?” a voice called.

Jennifer looked around and was amazed when she saw a face she did recognize, saying in amazement, “Is that you, Buster?”

“It sure is! How are you?”

“I’m good, all the better for being back here.”

“Them are mighty fancy duds you’re wearin’,” he said, scratching his head.

Jenny blushed, knowing for certain that her outfit wasn’t right, now. “I know. It’s what I wore in New York. I don’t have any jeans.”

“You’d better get some jeans if you’re going to stick around here, girl.”

“I will, but it’s good to see you. I didn’t think Sam would still have anyone around from when I was little.”

“Yeah, I refused to run off when he was drinkin’ so heavily. I figured he’d come to his senses sooner or later.”

He continued to ride alongside her. “Were you happy in New York, Jenny?”

“No, not really, but I didn’t exactly have a choice.”

“I figured you did when you turned eighteen. That was a while back, wasn’t it?”

Jenny swallowed hard, knowing that she was going to be faced with this kind of questioning while she was staying on the ranch, but how could she explain why she hadn’t gotten in touch with her father, because the thought of him rejecting her again had been too much for her still-young heart to take. It had been her mother’s death that had finally made her realize that she was truly alone in the world and that she needed to finally move on with her life.

She turned to face the man she’d known as a young girl and smiled at him fondly. “I…I can’t explain it, Buster. But all I know is I’m glad I’m back now.”

“I’m glad, too, little Jenny. Real glad.”

Jason kept his eye on Jennifer all afternoon. She was a good horsewoman, he’d have to admit. She’d handled the mare he’d trained beautifully, not being overly aggressive or too hesitant. He’d expected her to mess up a lot more.

They hadn’t spoken for most of the day, but Jason couldn’t shake the moment they had shared when he had caught Jenny staring at him. He had seen what was in her eyes, and her quick blush had given her away. There was a lot more to this city girl than first met the eye, and even in fancy clothes, Jason had to admit she was a beautiful young woman.

When they dismounted at the end of the day, she didn’t ask for any help with her mare. After she unsaddled her, she rubbed her down before turning her out into the pasture. With a final pat, she watched the mare gallop to the other horses in the field.

“Did you enjoy riding her?” Jason asked behind her.

She whirled around. “Yes, yes, I did. Sam said you trained her. You did a good job.”

“Feel free to ride her while you’re here.”

“Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”

“No, you’re a good rider. Otherwise, I wouldn’t offer her to you. She’s a quality horse and deserves to be treated well.”

“Well, I appreciate that. Thanks.” For a moment they both just stood staring at each other. Then, without waiting for either him or Sam, she walked off back to the house.

By the time Jason and Sam got to the house, Jennifer wasn’t in sight. Rachel was busy preparing dinner.

“Evening, Rachel,” Sam said.

She turned and smiled at him fondly. “Good evening, Sam, Jason.”

“Did Jennifer come through here?” Jason asked.

“Yes. She went to take a quick shower. You have time to take one, too, if you’d like.”

An image of Jenny taking a shower flashed into Jason’s mind. Quickly he shook his head to dispel it, but the heat that flared inside him was going to need some cooling down.

“Actually, a shower sounds good,” Jason answered, and it was going to be nice and cold!

Jennifer changed into slacks and a blouse and drew her hair back in a ponytail. Then she headed downstairs to help Rachel prepare dinner.

Without asking, she set the table and then asked Rachel what else needed taking care of. “Put the rolls in the oven if you don’t mind, honey. That should make them ready when the meal is.”

“Shall I start pouring tea for everyone?”

“Yes, please. Goodness, you don’t even have to ask what I need you to do, do you?” Rachel asked with a smile.

“I hope not! I can figure out setting the table and fixing drinks. I’ll get used to fixing the bread, too. I guess the guys need those carbohydrates, with all the work they do.”

“Yes, they do. They put in a long day. How did you manage today, by the way? Was it too hard for you?”

Jennifer looked up in surprise. “No, I had a lovely afternoon. It was so relaxing being out in the fresh air and feeling useful. And Buster is still working here! I was quite surprised.”

“Yes, Buster stuck through the bad times,” Rachel said.

“I’m glad.”

“You’re glad about what?” Sam asked as he came in the kitchen.

“I was saying I was glad to see Buster today.”

“You recognized him?”

“Yes, of course. He used to help take care of me sometimes when I was little. Don’t you remember?”

She knew she’d said the wrong thing, though she didn’t know what exactly.

“I remember,” Sam said sharply, a sudden frown on his face.

Jason walked into the kitchen at that moment and, looking at Sam, saw the dark look on his face. Immediately, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Sam told him and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Jason studied first Sam and then Jennifer. She, too, had a strange, nervous look on her face, but since neither said anything, he joined Sam at the table. He’d find out what was going on later.

“We’re having T-bones tonight,” Rachel announced, with a smile, trying to dispel the dark mood that had suddenly fallen across the group.

Jennifer opened the oven and took out the bread. The rolls were a golden brown. She put them in the napkin-lined basket and covered them up.

When she put the basket on the table, Rachel brought the steaks to the table, followed by a dish of broccoli covered in cheese and another salad.

“We’re ready,” Rachel announced.

Jennifer sat down across from Jason and her father, but remained silent. She didn’t know why Sam had been upset over the mention of Buster, but something had certainly unsettled him. The last thing she wanted was to cause problems with the other cowboys on the ranch, especially when they hadn’t even sorted out their own relationship yet. Jennifer decided that she would try to talk to Rachel about it later.

Sam said the prayer and began passing the dishes around.

“How did the work go today?” Rachel asked Sam.

“Fine. We divided that herd and moved the second group to a fresh pasture.”

“Jennifer rode well,” Jason added.

Jennifer didn’t look up. She was cutting her steak and eating. Somehow, she had to find out what had upset her father earlier, and make sure she didn’t do it again. Maybe Jason would know.

“She said she’d been taking lessons for years,” Rachel added.

“It showed,” Jason said, which surprised Jennifer, but still she kept her head down. She liked hearing his compliments, but she knew that there was still a lot of ground to make up between them. Jason had made it clear he didn’t trust her, and a day riding with him wasn’t going to change that.

“Are you riding out with us in the morning?” Sam asked.

Jennifer hesitated before she said, “No, I’d like to spend some time with Rachel in the morning, if you don’t mind.”

“No.”

No elaboration, no coaxing her to come out with them. Nothing. Just no.

No one said anything else. Once the meal was finished, Sam got up and left the kitchen without a word. Jason looked at Rachel.

“What upset Sam, Rachel?”