Count on a Cowboy Read online

  “Well said.” Mary Lou reached over and patted his arm. “I personally think you’ll be good for Jack. I only hope he’ll be good for you, too.”

  “We’ll see, Mary Lou. We’ll see.”

  After that they didn’t have time for philosophical discussions. Wyatt carried the folding banquet tables back down the hall and set them up while Mary Lou used his battery-operated lantern to light her work in the kitchen. Because the ranch was used to serving hot food outdoors for barbeques, Mary Lou had an assortment of warming pans heated by gel packs instead of electricity.

  As Wyatt helped her bring in the food, he laughed at his assumption that it would be finger sandwiches and tea cakes. This was hearty ranch fare — baked beans, ears of corn, coleslaw, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a giant platter of chocolate frosted brownies for dessert. The only nod to what Wyatt considered girlie food was a big bowl of salad and a plate of carrot sticks, celery, radishes, pickles, and green onions.

  Sarah told Wyatt where to find a highchair for little SB, and he brought that in along with an oil cloth he spread under it to catch food fallout. Then he helped Morgan settle the little red-headed girl into it, along with her stuffed dinosaur and a bowl full of dry Cheerios. He’d never spent much time around little kids, and he was surprised at how he instinctively took to it.

  Mary Lou announced the food was ready, and the women didn’t hold back. Laughing and talking, they loaded their plates and refilled their wine glasses. Wyatt, being gentlemanly and an uninvited guest, waited until they’d all gone through the line. That included Olivia, who’d finished Josie’s manicure.

  “I’ll fix your plate for you,” Olivia said to Josie. “You need to be careful of your fingernails.”

  “I can do it for Josie,” Wyatt said. “You go ahead and eat, Olivia.”

  “Why, thank you.” She gave him such a dazzling smile that he temporarily forgot what he’d volunteered for. He was fascinated by that tiny space between her front teeth. Adorable.

  “You’re making points fast,” Josie said to him. “Gallantry counts around here. Are you sure you’re not a cowboy?”

  When she spoke, he refocused on his task and picked up a plate. “My brother and I used to pretend to be cowboys when we were kids.” He grabbed a napkin and utensils, too. “Does that count?”

  “Absolutely.” She pointed to the steaming baked beans. “Lots of those, please. Light on the potatoes and heavy on the coleslaw.”

  Wyatt loaded Josie’s plate as instructed and carried it over to an empty chair next to the baby carrier sitting on the floor. Archie slept on, despite the racket.

  After making sure Josie was all set and hadn’t ruined her manicure, Wyatt crouched down next to the baby carrier. “Looks like he took after you more than Jack.”

  “I think so.” Josie gazed with fondness at her son. “He has Jack’s nose, though, and of course he’s only four months. His blond hair could get darker, but he definitely didn’t inherit Jack’s coloring.”

  Wyatt studied the tiny face, so sweet and soft. Something about the nose reminded him of Rafe’s baby pictures. “He looks… familiar.”

  “He should. You’re related to him.” Josie laid down her fork and looked at Wyatt. “I hope you’ll be patient with my husband. He puts his shields up when it comes to you, even though it’s not your fault that your mother… well…”

  “Abandoned him.” Wyatt met her gaze. “It’s okay. You can say it. There’s no good excuse for what she did, and I promise I won’t try to make any.”

  “I’m sure that will help. At one time I thought Jack had accepted his past, but meeting you has stirred it up again.”

  Guilt pricked him. “I don’t want to create problems.”

  “You’re not the one who created the problem. Diana did. Jack knows about you and your brother now, so you can’t put the toothpaste in the tube again. Coming back was the right move, in my opinion.”

  “Thanks, Josie. Jack’s a lucky guy to have you.”

  “We’re lucky to have each other,” she said softly. Then her glance shifted as she looked over his shoulder. “Too bad you can’t see the expression on Olivia’s face right now. Women get all mushy when they see a guy crouched down next to a baby.”

  Warmth crept up the back of his neck and he resisted the urge to turn around. “But I wasn’t doing it for—”

  “I know. I can see that you’re the real deal, Wyatt. Olivia can, too. We all can. Even Rodney.”

  Upon hearing his name, the dog padded over and pushed his nose against Wyatt’s leg. Wyatt ran a hand over the dog’s silky head. “Yeah, I know, Rod. I promised you we’d hang out and here I am ignoring you.”

  Josie chuckled. “Now Olivia’s really got a sappy look on her face. Kids and dogs. I’m telling you, Wyatt, you have a gift. Not that it’s any of my business, but is there a girl back home?”

  “No, actually, there’s not. I’ve been pretty busy getting my business up and running.”

  “In that case, I suggest you grab a plate of food and go sit by Olivia while she has a moment to herself.”

  Wyatt smiled. “Believe I will. Come on, Rod. Apparently you’re an asset to the cause.”

  As Wyatt headed to the buffet table, Mary Lou handed him a cold bottle of beer. “Most times the guys prefer this to wine,” she said.

  “Thanks, Mary Lou.”

  “There’s more where that came from. I brought in a small cooler and put it under the table. Consider it your reward for all your fine work.”

  “You’re a gem.” He tucked the beer in the crook of his arm, filled a plate with food, and walked over to where Olivia sat on a leather-covered ottoman.

  She glanced up, welcome in her blue eyes. “Hi, there. I’d offer you a seat, but there isn’t one.”

  “No worries.” Setting his plate on a nearby end table, he crouched down next to her. Rodney took a spot right by his feet. “I’m used to making do.” He unscrewed the cap on his beer and took a swallow. “That’s quite a spread Mary Lou put on.”

  “See, I told you to stay for the food.”

  He didn’t say what he was thinking, that he’d eat twigs and leaves if he could be near her while doing it. “You were right.” He noticed that Rodney was staring up at him as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in a week. “The dog thinks so, too.”

  “Don’t feed him anything. Sarah has him on a special diet. He’s overweight.”

  “How can you tell with a Bassett hound? They’re all sort of roly-poly.”

  “Beats me, but she wants him to be able to fit into his life vest, and it’s still a little tight.”

  Wyatt blinked. “His what?”

  “One reason she wanted to adopt him, besides the fact he’s adorable, was his tracking ability. Sarah’s always wanted a tracking dog on the ranch. Butch and Sundance, the two mixed breeds living down in the barn, aren’t particularly good trackers.”

  “So what’s that got to do with a life vest?”

  “There are streams and ponds all over the property, and Bassett hounds can’t swim. Their bones are too dense.”

  “They are?” Wyatt looked down at Rodney. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Me, either, but Sarah researched it. If she wants to turn him loose to do his tracking, he has to wear a life vest so he won’t accidentally fall in the water and drown.”

  Wyatt took another swig of his beer and glanced down at Rodney. “I’m getting quite a visual, here, Rod. I’m thinking Internet video star, aren’t you?”

  Olivia laughed. “I think you’re onto something. Definitely bring a camcorder next time you come to the ranch.” She picked up her empty plate and stood. “Well, time for me to get back to work. You can have the ottoman.”

  Wyatt rose, too. “Actually, I think I’ll take my plate, my beer, and the dog into the kitchen. I’ll just be in the way out here.”

  “I heard that.” Morgan, little SB on her hip, walked toward him. “Don’t think you can sneak out of here that easy. I’m sure
I speak for everyone when I say we’d love for you to hang around.”

  “Yes, we definitely would,” said Dominique from her spot on one of the couches.

  Wyatt wasn’t sure where this was headed. He glanced over at Olivia, but she was already settled into her chair and preparing for her next customer. “Hey, I’ll just cramp your style,” he said to the room in general. “Rodney and I will be fine in the kitchen, right, Rod?”

  The dog gave him a doleful look.

  “Our style isn’t that easily cramped,” Morgan said. “And we need somebody to tend the fire and add wood. We’ll all have fresh manicures and can’t do that.” She looked up at him. “Unless you’re planning to get a manicure, too, in which case, we—”

  “I’m not getting a manicure.”

  “See? So you’d be perfect, then. Instead of a designated driver, we need a designated fire tender.”

  Wyatt had to hand it to these Chance women. They were very good at maneuvering a guy into doing what they wanted. “Then I’d be honored to watch the fire for you.”

  “Excellent.” Morgan beamed at him. “Besides, it’s not every day we get the opportunity to talk to a single guy without our husbands around to kibitz.”

  He gave her a wary look. “About what?”

  “What else?” Morgan’s green eyes twinkled. “Men!”

  Chapter Four

  Olivia almost felt sorry for Wyatt, who looked somewhat like a cornered animal. But he was a big boy, and besides, she was curious to see how this would turn out.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said.

  “Let me explain.” Morgan shifted SB to her other hip. “Most of us in this room are married, and the ones who aren’t are getting closer by the day.”

  “Not true,” Mary Lou said. “I’m never marrying that old fool Watkins, and you can quote me on that.”

  “Emmett still has a burr under his saddle about the size of my bank account,” Pam said. “So I don’t see us tying the knot anytime soon, either.”

  All attention focused on Sarah, the remaining single lady other than Olivia. Sarah was blushing.

  Morgan paused expectantly. “Well, Sarah? Do you have news at long last?”

  She cleared her throat. “I guess it’s okay to say something.”

  Dominique laughed. “At this point, I think it’s required to say something. We’re all dying of curiosity. Have been for months.”

  “Well, Pete and I have talked about it, but we haven’t set an actual—”

  Squeals of joy erupted as everyone ran over to hug Sarah. Olivia, who didn’t feel she knew Sarah quite well enough to be part of the hug fest, motioned Wyatt over to the manicure table so she could fill him in on the meaning of the uproar.

  He walked over, carrying his beer. “Who’s Pete?”

  “Peter Beckett. He’s a local philanthropist. He and Sarah put together a youth program that begins here in two weeks. They’ll be boarding several problem teens and giving them a chance to work at the ranch for the summer.”

  Wyatt’s eyes widened. “Hey, that’s cool.”

  “It is. Really cool. And everyone’s suspected a romance between Sarah and Peter, but Sarah always denied it before.”

  “She looks happy. Is this Peter guy good enough for her?”

  “Her sons all like him, so I’d say he has the Chance stamp of approval.”

  Emotion flickered in Wyatt’s soft gray eyes. “I have a feeling that’s not so easy to get.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll work out between you and Jack.” She gazed up at him. “You already have a lot of support right in this room.”

  “I hope so. I’d enjoy being part of life around here.”

  “Even when you’re about to be put on the hot seat?”

  “Yeah.” He massaged the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what that’s all about.”

  “After all my years as a beautician listening to women talk, I can make an educated guess. Husbands are more prone to say what they think their wives want to hear. These gals are hoping you might actually tell them the truth about what guys are thinking.”

  “But it’s only one point of view.”

  “Yes, but you’ve established yourself as one of the good guys and that makes your point of view worth exploring.” She pushed back her chair. “I’ll get you another beer. That should help.”

  Before he could protest, she’d hurried over to the buffet table and snagged another bottle out of the ice-filled cooler Mary Lou had brought in.

  “Here.” She handed it to him, and then stepped closer. “Listen, before I make a complete fool of myself, I need to ask you something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Are you involved with anyone?”

  He looked into her eyes, and his gaze was straightforward. “Nope, I’m not. Not at all. Are you?”

  “Not yet.” Rising up on tiptoe, she gave him another one of her drive-by kisses. She was fast becoming obsessed with his mouth, but she didn’t dare linger. “I have to refresh my soaking solution.” She picked up the crystal bowl she used for that purpose and headed toward a bathroom located just down the hall on the right.

  If she’d ever met a more adorable guy than Wyatt, she couldn’t recall who it might have been. If he truly wanted to relocate to Shoshone, Wyoming, she’d do whatever she could to help him make that happen.

  Once again, Olivia had gotten the drop on him. Wyatt vowed that the next time he’d be ready for her when she did that and he’d get in some lip pressure of his own. In the meantime, he stood there holding one full bottle of beer and one nearly empty one while he gazed after her like some love-struck adolescent. He finished off the almost-empty beer and looked for a place to put the bottle.

  “I’ll take that.” Morgan appeared at his elbow with her red-haired mini-me propped on her hip. “You need to finish your meal, because we really do have some burning questions.”

  If Wyatt had hoped Morgan had forgotten her original plan in the flurry of excitement over Sarah’s admission, that hope was now officially dashed. “I’m really not very knowledgeable about—”

  “Now don’t be modest, Wyatt. You’re eligible and you’re gorgeous, which puts you in the perfect position to give us some insight into how guys think these days.” She gestured to an empty chair. “That chair’s available. I’ll be right back.”

  Wyatt glanced over at Olivia, who’d just started working on Pam Mulholland’s nails. Olivia looked up with an encouraging smile. She’d told him he had support in this room, so maybe he should stick around. Retrieving his plate, he sat in the chair Morgan had indicated, and began to eat. He probably needed to keep up his strength.

  With a little doggie sigh, Rodney plopped down beside the chair.

  “Thanks for keeping me company, Rod.” Wyatt forked up a mouthful of baked beans. “Us guys gotta stick together.”

  Rodney’s tail thumped the floor.

  Kids and dogs. Wyatt realized he hadn’t had much to do with either because his mother hadn’t wanted any messes in her perfectly decorated house. All his playing as a kid had been at the playground or somebody else’s house.

  Pets hadn’t been an option, either. Once he became a wilderness guide, he’d given up any thoughts of getting a dog even though he no longer lived in his mother’s immaculate house. He traveled too much. But if he was based in Shoshone and was welcome at the ranch, he could interact with the dogs and horses here, at least.

  As he was polishing off the last of his dinner, Morgan sat in the chair next to his and settled her daughter, who was drifting off to sleep, against her shoulder. “Okay. I get the first question. Inquiring minds want to know… what’s the most important thing a man looks for in a woman?”

  “For what?” He thought hedging was a good tactic.

  “For anything. Conversation, working together, bedroom games, whatever.”

  “I can only speak for myself.”

  Tyler, Morgan’s dark-haired sister, plopped onto a sofa nearby. “Tonigh
t, my friend, you’re speaking for everyman.”

  “That’s a heavy responsibility you’re putting on him,” Olivia called from the other side of the room.

  Mary Lou carried her glass of wine over to the sofa and sat next to Tyler. “I think Wyatt can handle it. What is the most important thing a man looks for in a woman? I think that’s a very good question.”

  Wyatt took a fortifying sip of his beer, which bought him a little more time to think. Finally he settled on his answer. “Enthusiasm.”

  “Can you be more specific?” Tyler combed her dark hair back from her face. “Enthusiasm for what, exactly?”

  “I think he’s talking about sex,” Morgan said. “You are, aren’t you, Wyatt?”

  “Not just sex.” He slugged back some more beer. “It’s fun to be with someone who goes all in with whatever she’s doing. And sure, that goes for sex, too, but—”

  “I think he means sex,” Pam called over from the manicure station.

  “Not only sex.” Wyatt sat forward in his chair and gestured with his beer bottle. “I’m talking about enthusiasm for her work, and if she plays any sports, then I hope she plays them with all she’s got. If she has hobbies, then I hope she loves doing them. I want her to be passionate about whatever she’s doing.”

  “Okay,” Dominique said. “That sounds wonderful. But I’m here to tell you I’m not enthusiastic about housework.”

  “That’s something I think men should be enthusiastic about.” Josie held her hands out in front of her and gazed admiringly at her pink fingernails. “Then maybe this manicure would last a while.”

  “Yeah,” Morgan said. “There’s a great thing going around the Internet showing guys vacuuming and scrubbing. It’s called Internet porn for women.”

  “I saw that!” Emily grinned. “Loved it.”

  “Wyatt.” Morgan gazed at him. “Do you clean your own place?”

  “Uh, yeah.” He felt a trap was about to be sprung.

  “Enthusiastically?” Tyler asked.