The Cowboy's Secret Read online

  “You wanted some sunshine, didn’t you?” He sat again, letting her bounce her feet on his thighs as he kept a firm grip under her arms. Funny, how natural holding her felt. And it was only his second time. “Do you know what? Your uncle Dylan has never been this tired and sore in his life. I rode Jethro for hours, and my legs feel like jelly. Watching you bouncing your little knees makes my joints ache.”

  She giggled, and on impulse, he hugged her to him. Who knew such a tiny baby could erase his troubles? She squirmed, so he moved her back to bounce on his legs. She jammed her fist into her mouth, drooling.

  “You know what else, smiley?” The entire day came back to him—the exhilaration of working with the men, the embarrassment of not knowing what he was doing—and he realized he needed to share it with someone, even if it was a baby. He used a gentle, singsong voice. “I was a real cowboy today. I helped move cattle from one pasture to the other. Some of those calves and their mamas were slow. Real slow. So we left them alone. Stu told me we’ll move them tomorrow. You know what else? I have my own cabin, and it’s teeny. As bitty as you are. In fact, I’ve never slept in something so small. I kind of like it, even if it is hotter than a furnace.”

  She let out a happy squeal.

  “I know, that’s how I feel, too. It’s good to be alive, isn’t it?” He closed his eyes as the words sank in.

  It was good to be alive. He wished Sam and Dad could still enjoy a perfect summer day.

  “Hey, sorry about that.” Gabby loped over to them.

  “No problem. Is everything all right?” He stood to set Phoebe back in the stroller. He had no idea how to get her strapped back in.

  She took Phoebe from him and kissed her cheek, then she lowered her back into the stroller and secured her. “Yeah, Nolan isn’t my favorite person. And unfortunately, I can’t ignore him. My boss might be selling the inn to him, so I have to be on my best behavior.”

  “Why?” He tucked away the information.

  “Why isn’t he my favorite person? Or why do I have to be on my best behavior?”

  “Both.”

  She pushed the stroller to the trail once more. “He thinks he’s a big shot, but he’d be nothing without his daddy’s money.”

  The words stabbed his heart. She could have been talking about him.

  “Anyway, I’ll leave it at that.” She fell into a fast pace. “How’s your cabin? Do you have everything you need?”

  “I’m getting there.” But he wasn’t. The bedding was threadbare, and he didn’t have even the basic items needed to live, like more than a day’s worth of food and supplies. “Has that guy bothered you?”

  “Yes and no. His attitude bothers me. Other than that, he’s harmless.” Her footstep faltered, but she adjusted her balance. “Don’t worry about Nolan. I certainly won’t.”

  He’d have to take her word for it. But it was obvious she wasn’t telling him the whole story. His spirits sank. Why would she confide in him? He was merely the uncle she was being forced to deal with.

  When they reached the end of the paved portion of the trail, they turned back. Gabby began telling him about how the town raised funds three years ago to pave the river trail, and although he enjoyed her enthusiasm, he listened with half an ear.

  She didn’t want to tell him about her personal life. He got it. The problem was besides Phoebe—who had no idea what he was talking about—Gabby was the only person he even remotely wanted to tell about his.

  Loneliness smacked him square in the middle.

  He finally had something worth sharing but no one to share it with.

  He was playing at being an uncle, playing at being a cowboy, playing at being part of a small town. Something told him he was going to walk away from Rendezvous disappointed if he played at being important to Gabby.

  He wasn’t important to anyone. The story of his life.

  Chapter Five

  “Everything is going off the rails, and I don’t know what to do.” Gabby hung her head Tuesday night. She’d told herself again and again to stay positive and not to flip out, but as soon as Nicole, Eden and Mason walked into the conference room for their weekly support group meeting, she’d lost it.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Eden immediately sat beside her, putting her arm around Gabby’s shoulders.

  She looked from one concerned face to another. Mason was frowning, and Nicole was massaging her very pregnant belly.

  “Babs is selling the inn, one of the potential buyers is not my favorite person and I’ve seen Phoebe’s uncle three times in four days. It’s a bit much.”

  “I heard Nolan was in town asking about the inn.” Eden’s lips puckered like she’d sucked on a lemon. “He isn’t considering purchasing the place, is he?”

  “He might be.” She shouldn’t have said what she did. It wasn’t fair to Babs or Nolan. Her feelings weren’t a factor in the deal.

  “Are you worried you’ll lose your job?” Mason asked.

  “Yes.” And she was worried about more than that. “If I don’t like the owner, I’m even more worried about keeping it.”

  “I’m sorry, Gabby,” Nicole said. “Stella told me it was going up for sale. Thank you for hiring her. I think having a steady job is grounding her.”

  Gabby doubted it, but she wouldn’t disrespect Nicole. “I’m glad to have her at the front desk. Customers like her cheery smile.” If only she could inspire some ambition in Stella to want to actually perform her duties without Gabby nagging her.

  “You won’t move, will you?” Eden chewed the corner of her bottom lip.

  “Move? Of course not! Where would I go?”

  “To another town where you can manage another hotel. A nicer one.” Eden’s face fell. “You’re really good at it.”

  “You’d make more money if you moved to Jackson,” Nicole said. “Think of the swanky hotels they have.”

  “My home is here.” Gabby glanced at Eden, who looked unusually emotional. “I’ll make it work.”

  “You mentioned the uncle. How is he? What’s his name again?” Mason crossed his leg so his ankle rested on his knee.

  “Dylan Kingsley. And he’s working for Stu.”

  “He’s a ranch hand?” Mason sounded surprised.

  “He’s a cowboy.” She shouldn’t sound so disgusted, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Here we go...” Mason said under his breath as he averted his eyes. Eden actually rolled hers. Gabby didn’t care. They had no idea how much pain Carl had put her through, and she wasn’t going to enlighten them now.

  “What’s wrong with a cowboy?” Nicole’s cheeks were flushed.

  “Nothing.” Gabby raised her hands. “Everything.”

  “Well, which is it?” Nicole looked confused.

  “I don’t know. My daddy was a cowboy for hire, and let’s just say I thought the world of him until I realized he was cheating on my mom with women all over the state.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Nicole winced.

  “Don’t be.”

  “Not all cowboys are cheaters.” Nicole’s tone soothed the tension.

  Maybe not, but the ones she’d trusted had been. “I don’t have time in my life for a cheater or a liar.”

  “Let’s change the subject,” Eden said.

  “Sorry, guys, I’m superstressed.” Gabby slumped, overwhelmed by all the changes. “With losing Allison and raising the baby and now a mystery uncle and I might lose my job...”

  “I get it, Gabby.” Nicole’s sad eyes met hers. Shame zipped down her core. Her own problems were miniscule compared to Nicole’s. How could she complain when Nicole lost her husband and was pregnant with triplets? “I’ve been struggling, too. There are too many what-ifs for my taste. What if the babies come early? What if they come late? Will I be able to take care of them all? And then there’s Mom...she’s dating a new gu
y...not that it matters. Sorry to hijack the conversation. Is there anything we can do to help you?”

  “I’ll be fine. I have nothing to complain about.” Gabby shook her head. She hated indulging in pity parties. “We’ll all help with the babies in any way we can, so try not to stress about them too much. And what’s going on with your mom? Don’t you like the new boyfriend?”

  “He’s okay. She’s head over heels. As usual.” Nicole shifted, wincing. “Why don’t we get into our Bible reading?”

  “I’m dealing with some stuff, too.” Eden’s eyes had grown round.

  “What is it?” Mason leaned forward. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s nothing like what you’re all going through.” Eden’s face crumpled. “It’s just that Mom and Dad are making some changes, and I don’t know how I fit into them.”

  “What kind of changes?” Gabby asked. She couldn’t imagine the Pages doing anything other than what they’d always done. They owned a large cattle ranch outside Rendezvous, and Eden had gone away to college for a few years before moving back home to be near her sister, Mia—Mason’s late wife—while Mia had cancer treatments. After her death six months later, Eden had stayed at the ranch to babysit Noah for Mason. Eden never mentioned wanting to do anything else.

  “They’re talking about buying an RV and traveling around the country.” Her expression gave Gabby the impression of a lost little girl. “It’s bizarre.”

  “Would you go with them?” Nicole asked.

  “No.” She shook her head as if it was the last thing she’d ever do. “An RV sounds awful. I want to stay on the ranch. It’s my home.”

  “We’ll look after you,” Mason said.

  “Thanks,” Eden said. “I’ve gotten used to life back home. And now it’s going to change. Again.”

  “Well, one thing isn’t going to change. You’ll always have us.” Gabby reached over and squeezed Eden’s hand.

  “I want to believe you.” Eden sighed. “But it’s obvious things are changing for all of us. Mason, you’re married now. Nicole, you’re having triplets and starting over after years away. And, Gabby, the new uncle and possible job loss don’t reassure me you’ll be staying in town even if you want to.”

  “Hey, don’t get worked up, it will be all right. I’m not going anywhere.” Gabby squeezed Eden’s hand.

  “Remember what you’ve been telling me for years?” Mason leaned back in his chair. “God’s not going to desert us. He’s got this.”

  “I wish my faith was as strong as yours.” Nicole shifted in her seat. “Sometimes I feel like my life keeps going from bad to worse. I wish I could get a job. Then I could afford my own place. It’s...hard right now, living with Mom and Stella.”

  Gabby couldn’t imagine living with her mom again after so many years of independence.

  “We have a lot to pray about tonight,” Gabby said. “Where should we start?”

  Mason cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to share something I came across when I was reading my Bible this week. I think it fits well with what we’re talking about. It’s from John 14:27. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’”

  Gabby let the words sink in. The Lord didn’t give as the world did. She wanted His peace. But she didn’t know if she could prevent her heart from being troubled, not with her personal anxieties mounting. Thinking about her friends’ problems wasn’t helping, either. But that’s what prayer was for. Father, I need You. Give me Your peace. Help me lean on You. Help my friends, too.

  Dylan came to mind. It had been pleasant to walk with him last night even though they’d crossed paths with Nolan. In a strange way, she’d been glad Dylan had been by her side. His presence had been a buffer between her and the threat to her job Nolan represented. Afterward, she’d wanted to lean on Dylan, to share her worries about her job. But she hadn’t, and it was for the best.

  “Okay, where did we leave off last week? Philippians?” Gabby shoved everything out of her mind. Sharing with Dylan, opening up to him, would only lead to trouble. She had enough of that right now. Why ask for more?

  * * *

  “Haven’t you ever fished before?” Stu took a step back as Dylan held a fly-fishing rod in one hand and an empty spool in the other.

  “Can’t say that I have.” He had no clue what to do with any of the equipment Stu had brought. An hour ago, they’d finished checking the cattle and taking care of the horses, and Stu had told him they were going fishing—they’d earned it. Since Gabby had some meeting on Tuesday nights, Dylan hadn’t objected. But his stomach was roiling as once again he looked like a complete fool.

  “Don’t they have rivers in Texas?” Stu’s ever-present toothpick bobbed as he spoke.

  “They do. I’ve just never been fishing.”

  “Well, come on then. I’ll teach you. A man should know how to fish.” Stu dug around in his tackle box and tossed a few plastic containers Dylan’s way. “Attach the backing to the rod, then you can attach the line and the leader.”

  He shuffled the plastic containers until he found one with the backing label on it, then he stared at the reel. How was he supposed to attach this and whatever else Stu mentioned, and why were there so many things involved?

  “It snaps off.” Stu took the reel out of his hand and lifted one side. “The orange line is the backing. Wrap it around the reel twice, then tie it with an anchor knot. If you move it back and forth a few times, it’ll get nice and snug. Then you can attach the line.”

  Heat rushed up his neck as he tried to process what Stu wanted him to do. What length of backing should he wrap around it? Did he cut it first? And what was an anchor knot?

  “Okay, so I gave you a good all-purpose size rod.” Stu opened the package and pulled out a few feet of backing. Then he wrapped it around the reel, leaving about three inches dangling. “Here, you can tie the knot now.”

  Was he sweating bullets? It was bad enough he revealed his ignorance about the ranch on a daily basis—how was he going to explain to Stu he didn’t know what an anchor knot was? For the first time in his life, he wished he’d had some wilderness training.

  Stu was busy preparing his own rod and reel. He finished attaching everything in what seemed like one minute flat.

  “Would you mind demonstrating the anchor knot?” He wanted to crawl under the rocks across the river and never come out. But more than that, he wanted to fish and try everything a ranch in Wyoming offered.

  “Didn’t your daddy teach you anything, son?” He didn’t look mad or even sarcastic. His expression was curious.

  Dylan winced. His dad had taught him things—to do his best in school, to not waste time on hobbies, to dominate at football, to network with the right people. Dylan had tried to live up to his standards, but he’d never met his expectations. Even working for Dad’s company had been a joke—the man had never seriously considered passing it on to him. He just wished he would have realized it before Dad sold it.

  “My father ran his own business and didn’t have much time for leisure.” The sad truth was, his dad had considered him unworthy to take his place. Why else wouldn’t he have had the decency to let him know he’d sold the company? Dad’s administrative assistant had told Dylan a solid thirty minutes before the news went public. He could still taste the metallic tang of the emotional sucker punch. His father should have warned him, not misled him into thinking he truly had a shot at running the company someday.

  “If you don’t have time for leisure, you’re not living. Life isn’t all work.” Stu gestured to the reel. “Hook it over like this...” As Stu demonstrated what to do, Dylan paid close attention to his instructions, and soon his rod was ready for fishing.

  “Now you want to get the rod to bend and stop twice. Once behind, once ahead. And yo
u want to keep the tip of your rod straight so you can get your line to follow a nice, straight path. When you bring the rod back, don’t go too far. You don’t want your line falling behind you in the grass.”

  It took several tries, but eventually Dylan was casting in a reasonably straight line. He stood on the riverbank and marveled at the clear water running over the rocky bottom.

  “Did your father teach you how to fish, Stu?” He glanced over as the man cast his line several feet upstream.

  “Yes, he did. I was a little tyke, and I remember tagging along with him everywhere. I might as well have been a burr on his side when I was a young’un. He taught me everything. How to ride my horse, how to rope a cow, how to work cattle, how to repair things around the ranch. Hunting, fishing, you name it, he taught it to me.”

  A sudden longing pinched his heart. It would have been nice to have had a father like that.

  “Do you have siblings?” Dylan asked.

  “Two sisters. One’s over in Cody, and the other’s in Florida. Ma and Pa both passed away.”

  “My dad died, too. A year ago.” The sound of line whizzing through the air mingled with the water rushing over the river rocks.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Your ma?”

  “Still alive. I don’t see her much.”

  Stu stared at him but didn’t ask questions. They continued fishing. Dylan tried to picture his own father showing him how to fish. The idea made him laugh. Even if Dad had taken him out here, he just would have pinpointed all the ways Dylan was doing it wrong. The only things Dylan had gotten right in his eyes were sports and, well, that was it. His father had been proud of Dylan’s high school football days. As a star receiver, his height and athleticism had served him well. He’d even been offered a scholarship to a small university in Arizona, but Dad had scoffed at him getting a degree from there, so he’d passed to attend a more well-known school.

  He gripped the rod tightly, casting it again, but the line arched over his head and landed in the water with a plop. Maybe his dad had been right not to consider him to take over the company. If Dylan couldn’t even stand up to him about what college he wanted to attend, he doubted he’d have had the steely strength to run the company the way Dad had. Now that he thought about it, King Energy had never quickened his pulse the way ranching with Stu did.