His voice lowered. “I’ve watched them grow from boys to men. Watched them hang together through troubles that would have caused weaker men to break apart.”
He related the story that most of the people in Prosperous already knew. How Chance had given up an opportunity to go on to be a college football star in order to keep a promise to his father. How he had managed college, a few credits at a time, when he could squeeze them into his schedule. And how he’d insisted that both his brothers attend university, regardless of the cost in both time and money.
As the old cowboy talked, he saw tears come to Maggie’s eyes. In that instant he knew what he’d already begun to suspect. The lady might not know it herself yet, but she was hooked on Chance Wilde.
“I watched Chance give up momentary glory for the promise of long-term goals that seemed next to impossible. But he made them happen. He and his brothers, working together. Right now, you couldn’t put a price tag on this land his daddy won in a poker game.”
“You think a lot of Chance and his brothers, don’t you, Cody?”
The old cowboy stood, carefully replacing the chair before crossing to the door. His voice was gruff with emotion. “Yes’m. I guess they’re the sons I never had. And I’m as proud of them as though they were my own.”
Maggie watched as he stepped out the door before placing his hat on his head and striding toward the barn.
It occurred to her that the Wilde brothers were a whole lot more than she had first thought. Thelma wasn’t the only one who had only good things to say about them. Not one, but two old people were absolutely devoted to them. Both Agnes and Cody had watched them grow from boyhood to manhood. Knew all their flaws. And still loved them without question.
And Chance Wilde, despite his reputation for being a tough guy, could meet a lot of people’s definition of hero.
Chapter 7
“Another fine meal, Maggie.” Hazard leaned back, sipping his coffee and looking completely satisfied.
Maggie carved a slice of apple pie and offered it to him. She was surprised when he shook his head in refusal.
“I thought this was your favorite.”
“It is. But I can’t eat another bite. I guess I overindulged to make up for the day I put in with the herd.”
“Trouble?” She topped off Chance’s cup, then paused beside Hazard.
“You could say that.” He sighed and took another sip of coffee before pushing the cup away. “Got some sick cattle. Got to find out why. Now it’s back to reality. I’ll leave Cody in the barn while I head on up to the north ridge and check up on Peterson. He phoned earlier to say he’s laid up with a rotten cold. He assured me everything’s fine, but I’ll feel better after I’ve seen for myself.”
Chance put a hand on his brother’s arm. “Hold on. You’ve got enough to do. You stay and finish your work with Cody. I’ll check on Peterson.”
“You don’t mind?”
Chance shook his head. “It’s a nice, clear night for a ride. I’ll take the truck and be back in a couple of hours.” He glanced over at Maggie, who was loading the dishwasher. “Want to come along? There’s a terrific view of the ranch house from up there.”
She paused to consider. Except for a few brief tours of the surrounding area, she’d rarely set foot out of this house. And though she’d begun to consider it her safety net, she couldn’t see the harm in leaving for an hour or two.
She’d rather be going with Cody or Hazard. Those two overly courteous cowboys didn’t affect her the way Chance did. But it was only a quick ride and then back to the ranch. What could possibly be wrong with that?
“I guess I could go along. What’ll I need?”
“A warm parka.” Chance pointed to a room off the kitchen. “There ought to be several in there. See if one of them fits.”
She finished loading the dishes then dried her hands and left the room. Minutes later she returned wearing a cowhide jacket. “How’s this?”
Chance picked up the keys to the truck and studied her with a grin. “It looks a whole lot better on you than it does on Ace. Come on.”
Wearing a similar cowhide jacket and a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a rifle over his shoulder, he led the way outside.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the rifle. “Do you really need that?”
He shrugged. “I hope not. But it’s best to be prepared.”
He put a hand under her elbow as they crossed a wide expanse of lawn. Just that simple touch had her blood heating.
They stepped into a garage that housed half a dozen vehicles, most of them Jeeps and four-wheel-drive trucks, as well as several all-terrain vehicles.
“We’ll take this one.” Chance unlocked the door of a truck and helped Maggie inside, then walked around to the driver’s side and let himself in.
He stowed the rifle behind the seat, then turned the ignition and backed out. Within minutes they had left the ranch house behind and were headed into the hills.
“Oh. Just look at that sunset.” Maggie drew in a breath of pure appreciation as she stared at the sky, streaked with ribbons of red, pink and gold. “Why does everything here seem so much bigger and brighter, and clearer?”
“’Cause you’re in God’s country, ma’am. We just do everything better in Wyoming.”
She had to laugh at his perfect imitation of Cody’s drawl. “I guess I can’t argue with that. I’ve never seen anything quite so spectacular. Oh, and look at that.” She pointed to the billowing clouds hovering just above the peaks of the Bighorn Mountains in the distance. Each cloud was tipped with gold. “They don’t even look real. They look like a painting. You know the kind. A heavenly scene with angels coming down from the clouds.”
It occurred to Chance that she could be in a painting as well. There was a certain goodness, a sweetness about her, that he found most attractive. And a vulner ability that had him wanting to protect her from unnamed danger.
He nodded toward the distant mountains. “It’s funny. I’ve been all over the world. I’ve seen the most amazing sights. The Pyramids in Egypt. The ruins in Greece. I’ve ridden gondolas in Venice and camels in the Saudi desert. But nothing compares with this place. It’s still the only one that takes my breath away.”
Touched by the fire in his tone, she turned to stare at his profile as he maneuvered the truck across a rocky expanse of hillside. “It must be wonderful to love a place that much.”
He shot her a sideways glance. “Don’t you have anything that means this much to you?”
She looked away, avoiding his eyes. “I thought I did. But my feelings don’t even come close to what you’ve just described.”
“Tell me about your home in Chicago. Got any family there?”
“I did. A sister.”
“She moved?”
“She died.”
“I’m sorry.” He glanced over, noting the pain in her eyes. He had the most overpowering urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. Not that she’d accept it. She was so damnably independent. Another thing he couldn’t help admiring about her.
He forced his attention to the rocky path ahead of them. “Did she die recently?”
“It’s been three months now.” Three months. Hardly time to grieve. There’d been no time. She felt the beginnings of a lump forming in her throat.
“That’s really tough. No other family?”
She shook her head. “Our parents have been dead for years. Eve was the oldest by four years, and was really more of a mother to me than my own mother. I…” she turned to stare out the side window, so that he couldn’t see how deep the pain was “…I miss her a lot.”
He held his silence, remembering his own losses. Though the years had healed the wounds, the scars were still there. And sometimes, at the oddest times, he’d feel a twinge. He’d learned not to probe those scars too deeply.
To change the subject he pointed to a ranch house in the distance. “That’s Peterson’s place.”
“I thought all this land belon
gs to you and your brothers.”
“It does. But it’s too big to maintain alone. So we hire ranchers who are willing to help. If they’re single, they stay at a bunkhouse with the rest of the wranglers. We have eight, scattered across the ranch wherever the herds are concentrated. Then we have a few married ranchers as well. We build them a house, and pay them to live on the land in exchange for the care of a herd.”
“Do they have children?”
“A couple of them do.”
“Where do they go to school?”
“Most of them go to school in Prosperous. Especially if they’re in high school. A couple of them are home-schooled, just because it’s easier than spending hours on the road to school and back.”
“Don’t the women and children mind the isolation?”
He shrugged. “It comes with the territory. If you’re going to earn your living out here in cattle country, you’d better be prepared to like being alone. There are always trade-offs in life. For the cowboy, the opportunity to live the life he’s always wanted means he might have to spend a lot of hours alone with his thoughts. And his cattle.” He grinned. “Of course, they all have computers now. They chat on the internet, not only with each other, but with people halfway around the world.”
Maggie realized there might have been a time when such isolation would have seemed unendurable to her. Now, it sounded like a safe haven from the most troubling of worlds.
The truck pulled up in front of the darkened ranch house. Chance turned off the ignition. “I’ll be right back after I check on Peterson.”
For an instant a razor of fear sliced through her veins, and it was on the tip of her tongue to insist on going with him. Then she drew in a deep calming breath. She would not allow her imagination to run wild. There were no crazed gunmen lurking in the darkness.
Chance climbed down from the truck and made his way to the back door. Minutes later he disappeared inside. Maggie watched as light flooded the windows. A few minutes later the lights were extinguished and Chance returned.
“Peterson’s feeling lousy, but nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t cure. Nothing serious. Just a cold. He claims to have everything he needs.” He climbed into the truck and turned the key.
“Does he live alone here?”
Chance shook his head. “His wife and kids are in Casper, visiting her family. They’ll be back by the weekend. I told him I’d check on the herd and report back to Hazard.”
They left the ranch house behind and started off across the darkened hills. After nearly an hour of navigating rocky hills, they came to a stop. Below them, the land was black with cattle.
For several long minutes Chance studied the scene in silence. Finally he turned to Maggie. “This is something I never get tired of seeing. Isn’t it beautiful?”
She nodded, touched by the serenity of the animals and the land.
“How many cattle are here?” Maggie’s voice was hushed in the darkness.
“This herd is one of the smaller ones. Maybe a thousand head.”
“A thousand head. And you call it small.” She swiveled her head, straining to see through the darkness, and marveling at the sheer numbers. “It must make you proud, to know that you and your brothers accomplished all this.”
“I guess so. When I take the time to reflect on it. Most of the time I don’t even stop to think what we’ve done. There always seems to be one more fence to mend. One more ranch house to build. One more business to spin off and one more contract to sign. But at the end of the day, I have to admit, I’m just happy to be here, on my father’s land, doing what he always dreamed of.”
“What about your dreams?”
He turned to her. She was struck by the moonlight glinting in his smoky eyes. He looked dark and dangerous and mysterious.
“I’ve already accomplished most of them.” As he spoke, his fingers played with a strand of her hair curling at her neck.
She sat very still, fighting a rush of strange sensations.
“As for the rest.” He shrugged. Allowed his movements to still. “Though I never thought I could say this about myself, I’ve learned that I’m a patient man.” He turned and pointed. “Look—way down there. See those lights?”
Maggie nodded, relieved to have his attention diverted for the moment.
“That’s the Double W.”
“And we’re still on your land?”
“Yeah. As far as the eye can see.” His tone softened. “I guess that was my first dream. Just to hold on to it. Then the dream got bigger and I decided I wanted more. I wanted to buy more land. Develop the land. Find its hidden riches and use them. And now…” he grew silent a moment “…now I guess I just want to make certain that my brothers and I can always live here, on the land we love.” His voice fairly trembled with emotion. “Doing the work we love.”
He leaned back, taking pleasure in the view before him. “Since I was a kid, I always thought this would be the place to build my home. High up on this hill, where I could be close enough to see the ranch house and far enough to have my own space, apart from my brothers.”
“Why don’t you do it?”
He shrugged. “It’s just never been the right time. And I’m not in any hurry to live alone. I guess I always thought I’d wait until I found the right person to share it with. But I can see it in my mind. The long, low house. Lots of windows. And a fireplace in every room. And maybe a couple of kids who loved this place as much as their old man.”
He glanced over at her, surprised by the depth of passion he’d revealed. “I guess we’d better get back.”
He turned the key in the ignition. When nothing happened, he looked puzzled as he tried it a second time. There was only silence.
He stepped out of the truck and lifted the hood, poking around the engine for several minutes. Then he called, “Try it now, Maggie.”
She did as he asked. There was no sound, except for his muttered curses.
He worked for several more minutes, then asked her to try the ignition again. When the engine remained dead, he snatched his cell phone from the truck and punched in some numbers. After a quick exchange of words, he pocketed the phone and picked up his rifle before opening her door and offering his hand.
“What now?” She slid from the truck, surprised by the blast of frigid air.
“There’s a range shack about a mile from here. It’ll be a lot warmer than the truck.”
Drawing her parka around her, she struggled to keep up with his long, impatient strides. “Anything would be warmer than this. What’s a range shack?”
“We have them scattered around the countryside for our wranglers. They’re equipped with bunks and food and plenty of wood for the fireplace.”
“Great.” She was already beginning to shiver from the bitter cold. The thought of a cozy fire and some hot food lifted her spirits considerably. “Will somebody come and pick us up there?”
“Yeah. Watch your step here.”
He pointed a flashlight at a rock, and she stepped around it before heaving a sigh of relief and accepting his hand. “That’s good. I was a little worried.”
“Nothing to worry about. Hazard said he can spare Cody to come by and pick us up first thing in the morning.”
She stopped dead in her tracks, tugging on his hand. “In the morning?”
He paused. Nodded.
“But what about tonight?”
“No such luck. If Peterson felt better, he’d come by for us. But with Peterson out sick, there’s nobody else who can do it. We’re just too far away from the main ranch, or from any of the bunkhouses. Come on.” When she ignored his hand, he turned.
“What about Peterson’s house?”
“It’d take us the better part of two hours on foot. You’d never make it.” He turned and started ahead.
She stayed where she was, staring at him until she could barely make out his form in the darkness.
His voice came from up ahead. “What’s the matter? Aren’t you
coming?”
She stalked toward him, fighting a wave of fury. “Do I have any choice?”
“Hey.” He put a hand on her arm and felt her stiffen. “I know you’re not happy about this, but from the tone of your voice, I’d guess that you think I’m somehow enjoying it.”
“Aren’t you?” She hated the note of sarcasm in her voice. But she was too angry to control it. “Of all the trucks you could have picked, you chose the one that won’t take us back to the ranch.”
“You think this was deliberate?”
“I think you’ll have a great time relaying this little joke to your brothers. You can have a couple of laughs over the night you and the ranch cook spent in the range shack.”
“Believe me…” he dropped his hand to his side and curled his fingers into a fist, annoyed that even now, in the heat of anger, she had the power to make him feel this way—like a jolt of electricity was shooting through his veins, “…it’s been a lot of years since I needed to fake engine trouble in order to have a girl spend the night with me. Now let’s get going. Before we both freeze to death.”
He turned away and started up the hill without bothering to see if she was following. For the space of a heartbeat she thought about making her way back to the truck and spending the night there just to spite him. But she rejected the idea at once. Not only was she too much of a coward to spend the night alone in a cold truck, she wasn’t a fool. If it got cold enough, she could actually freeze to death. She wasn’t about to pass up the comfort of a safe haven just to prove a point.
Though it galled her, she started forward, knowing she had no choice but to follow Chance, no matter where he led her.
The range shack was a small log building that had been set in a stand of trees to offer shelter from the wind. Because the night had turned bitterly cold, Maggie was grateful to step inside. She was even more pleased to see that the cabin had a generator for electricity. Along one wall were sturdy bunk beds made of logs. More logs were stacked on the hearth beside a stone fireplace. Above the fireplace was a shelf of stone that formed a mantel.