A Rancher’s Surrender Page 4

  The sun had tumbled over the Gallatin mountain range a good hour ago but there was enough light lingering to recognize his friends.

  “Over here,” he called out.

  Bill and Robert looked over their shoulders, changed their direction. Steven had no idea what they were doing there as they didn’t normally stop by. Usually, whatever they had to talk about was done either at the feed mill or at Silver’s during their weekly poker game.

  It didn’t take long to learn the reason for their unexpected visit. They’d barely tied the horses before Robert turned from the rail.

  “Wade hired us a woman vet.”

  Steven opened his mouth. Then shut it and opened it again. He shook his head. “He did what?”

  “The vet Wade and Doc hired? It’s a woman. Wade was just at Silver’s talking about it.”

  He hadn’t had that much whiskey, but he might as well have been falling down drunk for all the sense these two were making. “How is that possible? There’s no such thing as a woman vet.” And he knew damn well he’d never agreed to hire one at the town meeting where—to his frustration—he’d had to side with the rest of the folks and leave Wade and Doc in charge of hiring Doc’s replacement.

  “Well, apparently there is,” Robert answered.

  Bill wasn’t tall; he was a brick of a man with thick shoulders and no neck to speak of. His eyes were like pistols, cold and hard, when they fixed on Steven. “I own the stable, what the hell am I supposed to do if an animal in my care needs a vet? I ain’t calling no woman doctor. Especially one who has already killed one animal.”

  Blood was beginning to thrum in Steven’s ears. “She killed an animal?”

  “According to Wade, she killed his cow,” Robert answered while Bill stood there, nostrils flaring and breath heaving like a raging bull.

  Steven spun back into the barn, knowing they’d follow. Figuring it couldn’t hurt at this point, he grabbed his bottle from the straw then dropped into the chair he used when oiling his tack. The whiskey sloshed in the bottle as he took a long drink. Bill and Robert strode in, Bill’s spurs jingling. They took up on the opposite side of the aisle.

  “How the hell did this happen?” Steven asked.

  “I don’t know,” Robert answered. “None of the telegrams I saw gave any indication it was a woman wanting the job,” Robert said, referring to his position at the post and telegraph office.

  “I don’t care if he knew or not,” Bill said, frothing at the mouth. “Animal doctoring’s a man’s job.”

  “I don’t rightly care, one way or the other, either. But he will fix this. Didn’t I say, when the town met to discuss replacing Doc, that I’d do the hiring? But, no, Wade had to step up and volunteer.” He sneered, remembering the day well.

  That was the day the town had trusted Wade over their own mayor. The day Steven had to graciously accept their majority decision all the while cursing the man who’d never stopped being a thorn in Steven’s side. Wasn’t it enough that Wade had had more friends in school? That he’d been better at ciphering and reading? That he’d turned Amy’s head just when Steven thought he’d finally gotten her attention?

  For years he’d lived in Wade Parker’s shadow. Until he’d become mayor. Then finally, he’d had a say; he’d had respect. Until he’d been made a fool of, yet again, by the town’s love for Wade. How humiliating it had been to hear them say, “Why don’t we let Wade and Doc look after it? After all, Wade’s a rancher and who better than a rancher and our own vet to know what we need?”

  Swallowing the anger and the hurt had nearly choked him. Well, now they’d see, wouldn’t they? They’d see just how bloody smart Wade was.

  *

  He’d forgotten all about paying her.

  Between the urgency of the surgery, the confusion of her being Doc’s replacement and the cow dying, it had slipped Wade’s mind. Regardless of his still being angry about being misled, he couldn’t, in good conscience, delay bringing her the money he owed her. He’d called for a vet and though he’d lost one animal, he could have lost both.

  Not that it made parting with the money any easier. He’d not only had to swallow his pride and ask James to make up the total amount since he hadn’t had enough on his own, but he’d also had to dip into the little money he had saved to go toward a quality breeding mare.

  James had offered to pay the whole amount and let Wade keep the money for the mare, but Wade had refused. As much as he could, he’d pay his own way.

  No matter how much it hurt.

  Yellow tulips marked the end of the lane. Old Doc Fletcher’s place—well, hers now—wasn’t more than a one-story house and a small barn. Two small corrals were nestled against the barn. One was empty; a beautiful chestnut mare grazed contentedly in the other. It didn’t seem troubled by the blazing sun that sent waves of heat shimmering along the ground. Just behind the corrals, within a small pasture, a cow and calf basked in the sun.

  Hearing them approach, the mare raised her head, pricked her ears, and pranced to the fence. With big brown eyes she watched as they walked by. Whiskey, smelling the mare, kept his eye on her as well, though he was well-mannered enough to keep to Wade’s direction.

  Wade didn’t see Jillian anywhere, but figuring she’d be inside where it was cooler, headed for the house. He’d no sooner tied Whiskey to her porch when he heard footsteps behind him.

  Her hair was once again folded into a thick braid and, like she’d worn in his barn, her sleeves were rolled to her elbows. She wore a dirty apron over her skirt and in her hand she carried a pitchfork.

  Her skirt scattered dust as she moved. Green eyes never left his as she came to stand before him. She poked the tines of the pitchfork into the dirt between them.

  “Mr. Parker.”

  He pushed his hat back. “Miss Matthews.”

  Freckles he hadn’t noticed the other day danced across her cheeks and bridged her nose. He had the most ridiculous urge to trace them with his fingers.

  Hell, Wade, you’ve got enough damn problems. A woman like Jillian—the likes of which he’d sworn off after Amy died—was the last thing he, or Annabelle, needed.

  “Before you say anything,” she said as he opened his mouth, “I’d like you to come with me.” She yanked the fork from the ground and headed toward the barn.

  His eyes fell to the sway of her hips. He couldn’t deny, despite the tension between them, the view was amazing. And it stirred blood that had gone far too long without being stirred. Whether he liked it or not.

  The damp coolness of the barn enveloped him as soon he stepped through the doors. He sighed in relief, tugged at the shirt that had clung to his back within moments of leaving the ranch.

  The barn smelled of straw and hay and a menagerie of animals, several of which shuffled in their pens at his presence. Wade blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. Since he’d never had reason to be inside Doc’s barn before, what he saw surprised him.

  “You couldn’t have possibly brought all these with you from Pennsylvania,” he said.

  “I didn’t. They were your Doc Fletcher’s and I agreed to keep them since he didn’t want to take them along.”

  The barn had a short aisle with stalls on either side. Jillian moved to the first one and Wade followed. The stall door was open and she stepped through it, lifted a cage off the ground and brought it forward. Inside a plump white rabbit twitched its nose incessantly. It backed to the far edge of the cage and thumped its back foot.

  “Mr. Fletcher named him Whiskers. He’s not used to me yet, but I’m working on bringing him ’round.”

  She poked her fingers through the cage. The rabbit thumped again. She put the cage down and moved to the next, slightly larger stall. A Billy goat came right over to the gate, its mouth reaching to nibble on her skirt.

  “This is Zeke. Mr. Fletcher warned me he eats everything in sight, so watch your clothes.” She gave the goat an affectionate scratch under the chin, then gently turned its face before it co
uld gnaw on her clothes.

  “You don’t keep him outside?”

  “I put all of them out during the day. I was about to move him when I heard you ride up.”

  A scuttling sound across the aisle drew their attention.

  “Hello, Rascal,” Jillian said. “According to Mr. Fletcher, Rascal here kept finding his way into the house and making a mess of things. He tried shooing him away but Rascal always came back. Miles figured the best way to keep his property intact was to keep the raccoon caged.”

  Jillian shrugged. “I’m thinking of letting him go. Doesn’t seem right to keep a wild animal penned up.”

  “And if he makes a mess of your house?” Wade asked.

  For the first time he saw a real smile from her and it knocked the breath from his lungs. Her hands were smudged with dirt, the bottom of her skirt was dusty and soiled from cleaning stalls, but her face glowed. Life filled her eyes and Wade couldn’t help but stare.

  “I guess if he does it more than once I’ll have to rethink the decision to keep him caged. Come on, there’s one last thing I want you to see.”

  Wade followed her to the outside paddock and the pretty little chestnut mare he’d seen when he’d ridden up. The horse leaned her head against Jillian and was rewarded with a scratch on the neck.

  “This is the only animal I brought with me from home,” she began, “and her name is Hope.”

  He propped a boot on the lowest slat, braced his forearms on the rail. Though he had yet to figure out why she was doing this, he was interested. And despite himself, he enjoyed the sweet sound of her voice.

  “There was an old man who lived a few miles north of the city. He had a farm, a good one actually, at one time. But after his wife died, his own health started to deteriorate. He slowly began losing his mind. It was his doctor, a friend of my father’s, who said the man had animals and wasn’t looking after them properly. Honestly, most times I think he believed he’d fed them already. He had a few arguments about that when my father commented on how thin some of them were. He swore he’d only just come back from feeding them.

  “Anyhow, my father did his best to look in on him, but he had other people depending on him, clients as well as family. Time began to stretch between visits. He’d bring feed with him, but each time he brought more, it was to find the last bags he’d brought were still mostly full.

  “The last time we rolled into that yard, the stench was terrible. Animals lay rotting in the snow. We found the old man dead in his bed. We tried to save the animals that were left, but they were too far gone. Most had starved or were too close to death to bring them back.

  “Hope was the last standing and I took her home with me that day. It took a while, and there was a time we weren’t sure she’d ever recover, but she did.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Three.”

  Wade looked the filly over. She was gorgeous. Nice lines, solid confirmation. “Do you know her pedigree?”

  “Since she was born before his mind was too lost, he had all the papers in his house.” Jillian gave the horse another pat. “She has excellent breeding.”

  Had circumstances been different he’d have offered to buy the mare then and there. The picture of the colt that could come from this animal and Whiskey was clear as the Yellowstone River which ran through his property. Wade’s heart filled with longing. If only…

  “Why did you show me these animals?” he asked.

  “Because, Mr. Parker, I love them. All of them. And even though I’ve only been here a few days, I’d do anything to protect them and keep them healthy. It’s not only what I do, it’s who I am.”

  She squared her shoulders. Considering he knew he was in for a lecture, he shouldn’t have noted how it made the cotton stretch over her breasts.

  “I’m terribly sorry about your cow. I swear to you, I did everything right. Sometimes these things just happen, despite our best efforts. Medicine isn’t perfect, Mr. Parker. I know you think things may have been different had Mr. Fletcher been the one to operate, but this wasn’t my first cesarean. My father was well respected in veterinary medicine and I learned at his side. I’m not here to play at being a veterinarian; I am one.”

  Part of him admired the gumption it took to stand up and defend herself. Part of him thought she was damn pretty. The rest of him warned not to be swayed by either fact. She’d never be content with a man like him, a simple rancher.

  “I suppose I partly deserved that.”

  She raised her brows. “Partly?”

  Wade pushed away from the corral.

  “I stand behind the fact that you deliberately misled us when you accepted our position. Because of that, and due to the dire circumstances, I was angry and upset.”

  “You accused me of killing your animal.”

  “I know, and for that I’m sorry. I’ve cooled off since then. I know things could have been worse, that I could have lost them both if you hadn’t been there.”

  Her shoulders eased. He expected her to say something about how she was glad he’d come to his senses. How she’d told him from the beginning she knew what she was doing. Instead she simply nodded.

  “I know that I wasn’t completely honest when you hired me but, Mr. Parker, I can do this. I’ve trained for it my whole life. All I ask is that, despite what happened at your ranch, I be given a fair chance.”

  Wade took off his hat, clasped it between his hands. “I can’t speak for how folks around here will take the news of you being a woman.”

  “About as well as you did, I imagine,” she said with a smile.

  She really was a spitfire. His mouth curved. “More than likely. They’re not going to be happy with either one of us, I’m afraid.”

  “Tell them you didn’t know I was a woman; that should leave you blameless.”

  Maybe he hadn’t known at the time, but he sure as hell couldn’t deny she was a woman now. Wade blew out his breath. “I’m not sure that’ll be enough to pacify them all. At any rate, I can’t force them to call on you.”

  “You’re acceptance would go a long way to reassure them.”

  “Well, that puts me in a hell of a position.”

  “Why? You just acknowledged that I wasn’t to blame for your cow. All you have to do is say the truth. That I did good work and you’d call on me again should the need arise.”

  A kick of breeze spun between them. It brought along Jillian’s scent, an intriguing mix of soap, sun and the unmistakable smell of a woman’s heated flesh. He swallowed hard as his heart lurched and his groin thickened. Well, the need was arising right now, but it wasn’t the one she was speaking of.

  She regarded him closely, her pretty green eyes probing his. “You do stand behind your decision to hire me, don’t you?”

  Hell. If he supported Jillian, he’d rile at least half the town. But how could he not support her, considering he’d brought her here? She’d moved across a country, for Pete’s sake. How could he simply tell her to turn around and go back? And, as he’d witnessed, she did appear to be a fine doctor. It was just as Shane had said, however, that his problems where the vet was concerned were just beginning.

  “Yes, Jillian. I stand behind my decision to hire you.”

  She blessed him with another smile, this one even more potent than the last. He needed to leave before he fooled himself into thinking it would be safe to explore the desire drumming through his blood. She was a woman hell-bent on following her dream regardless of the cost. Since Wade had already paid that price once, he refused to pay it again. No matter what his body wanted.

  Fishing into his pocket, he took the folded bills and handed them to her. “I never asked what your fees are, but James and I reckoned this should be close. If it’s not, let me know.” He jammed his hat back onto his head and crossed the yard to fetch his horse.

  He put his foot in the stirrup. Her small but firm hand closed around his arm. It was the first time she’d touched him and it grabbed him ’round the throat
. Slowly, he turned.

  Lord, she was close. Close enough to see the gold flecks in her green eyes. Close enough to hear her breathing. Close enough to grab and yank her against him. He cleared his throat, hoped to hell she didn’t look down.

  “What is it?”

  “When my father died, he left me a small inheritance, enough to get me here and, if I’m frugal, enough for the basic necessities for three to four months. This is my livelihood, Wade, I’ll do whatever it takes to get folks to accept me. It means a lot to me that you’re on my side.”

  Of all the things she could have said, those were the most effective. He may not want to get close to her but he couldn’t deny her words touched him. Wasn’t he, too, simply trying to earn a living? Trying to keep food on the table? While she might have lied, might have chosen an unconventional way of going about it, Wade knew how hard it was some days to just make ends meet. Who was he to make hers any harder?

  “I’ll stand behind my decision to hire you but, Jillian, I really don’t have time to seek out each rancher and farmer around these parts.”

  Her smile lit her face, captivated him until he had to remind himself to blink. The hand resting on his arm squeezed gently. For two, three beats, their eyes held, questioned. Wade shifted his gaze from to her hand and back again. Her eyes widened, almost as though she’d forgotten she was touching him.

  With a fresh, pink flush brightening her cheeks, Jillian lowered her hand. “Thank you.”

  Afraid if he opened his mouth he’d give in to the urge to wrap his arms around her small waist and pull her in for a kiss, he tipped his hat, mounted Whiskey, and headed for home.

  *

  Dazed and confounded by her reaction to Wade, Jillian wandered back to Hope’s corral. Animals didn’t talk, but she definitely understood them better than she understood herself. Jillian grabbed the brush from the bucket in the corner and, with long slow strokes that soothed Hope as much as they did her, brushed her horse.

  She’d gotten a silly flutter in her belly when she stepped from the barn and saw Wade at her porch. Considering his last words to her, she shouldn’t have felt anything toward him but anger. Not that she hadn’t felt that as well, but underneath the fury had been an undeniable, completely female and nonrational flicker of attraction.