A Cowboy to Kiss Page 8

  “I’m fine, Mom. I’m sorry if I’ve worried you or Dad the last couple of days, but I’m back together again. This is the last time I’ll be getting up late, I can assure you of that.”

  “Sweetheart, you’ve been getting up at dawn since you were a babe. Probably do you some good to sleep in every now and then.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s okay for other people, but not for me.”

  Kenzie reached for a sponge to mop up the spilled coffee, but her mom beat her to it. Then her mom proceeded to clean up the coffee grounds that had escaped the grinder and the water that had pooled on the counter when Kenzie had added it to the coffee maker.

  “I can do that, Mom.”

  “I’ve got it. Ya know, nobody’s perfect, honey. Sometimes you have to allow other people to help you, to show you an easier way. There’s no shame in that, sweetheart.”

  Kenzie decided to ignore her mom’s advice. Normally, she welcomed it, but on this subject, Kenzie knew what she had to do, and it didn’t include help from anyone.

  “I’m all grown up now, Mom. I don’t need you to be cleaning up after me.”

  She held out her hand for the sponge.

  “Well, maybe I like to clean up after you, to help you, to be here when you need me. You haven’t asked for my help or opinion in a long while. Maybe too long. I admire that you’re determined to do everything on your own terms. You have a lot of me in you, and I expected it when you were a teen and even when you went off to college. I knew you’d want to stand on your own. But goshdarnit, ever since you took over this ranch you’ve locked up your feelings so tight I don’t know who you are anymore. We hardly talk, and now that Coco has moved to town...well...unless I can get you to open up more, all my daughters will be on their own. Even you, and you’re just down the hall.”

  Kenzie’s eyes watered. She had no idea her mom had been feeling so left out. She’d been the family rock all of Kenzie’s life, even stronger than her dad in some ways. Kenzie had strived to be like her.

  Strong.

  Independent.

  A self-starter.

  She could handle any situation that was thrown at her, except perhaps her babies growing up and living on their own.

  Kenzie wrapped her arms around her mom. “I love you, Mom. You know that. You’re my hero, and I’ve always wanted to be just like you. I know all the stories of how you ran this ranch all by yourself when you were only seventeen while Dad was in Vietnam. You single-handedly made the ranch profitable, and when Dad came home, he couldn’t believe that his “city wife” had not only learned how to foal a horse, but could chop down a tree and split the logs to get her through the winter. You both waited until he came home to have a family because that was the responsible thing to do. I work as hard as I do because I know how much this place, our family legacy, means to you and Dad. I want to prove that I’m as responsible as you and dad were. I don’t want our family to lose it on my watch.”

  “You don’t have to prove anything to us, sweetheart. You mean more than this ranch ever could. You have to know that. All our kids do. We’d give it up in a heartbeat if it meant that you’d be happier doing something else, something that might be more fun. You need to have fun, child. Go out and laugh with your friends, with your sisters, with Jake. I haven’t seen you take a day or night off in months.”

  “I took a night off just last night, Mom, and Sweet Girl got hurt and I overslept...again.”

  Kenzie sipped the coffee, wanting to moan with delight. She couldn’t believe coffee could taste so good. She’d been drinking it for the caffeine rush, not the flavor. Even her mom’s coffee didn’t taste this good.

  Her mom pulled out one of the wooden chairs around the kitchen table. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You deserved a night off. Now, pour your mom a cup of that great-tasting coffee and tell me all about your night off. Where did you go?”

  “Just to Belly Up.”

  * * *

  KENZIE POURED COFFEE into her mom’s mug, added milk and brought over the bowl of sugar. Then she calmly sat down across from her.

  “Were you and Jake on a date?”

  “Mom, you know how I feel about Jake.”

  “I thought I did, but now I’m not so sure. It seems like you resent him, and I can’t understand why, exactly.”

  Kenzie drank down some of her delicious coffee.

  “Mom, I don’t resent him. I’m just not happy with the reason why he’s here, and if you’re wondering, nothing happened in the barn last night.”

  “That’s none of my business, but you’ve always had a soft spot for that boy, the way you used to follow him around when you were little. I always thought you two were perfect for each other...full of spit and fire.”

  Kenzie stood up. “Is that what all of this is about? You and dad...matchmakers? Is that the real reason why he’s here?”

  “Don’t be silly...but if it works out that way...well—”

  Kenzie didn’t like any of this. Was she falling for a guy her parents picked out for her? “I can’t believe that you and Dad would do this. And apparently Carson was in on it, as well. Probably my sisters, too. Well, I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.”

  Kenzie stood, poured more coffee into her mug, then turned and rested against the counter.

  “Yep. Spit and fire! Now give me your shirt and I’ll soak it.”

  Her mom held out her hand. Kenzie wanted to storm out, but this was her mom. Nobody in this family stormed out on Mom.

  She pulled off her shirt and handed it to her mother. Her mom left the room, with the dogs following close behind her while Kenzie added more milk to her cup then put it back in the refrigerator just as Jake Scott walked into the kitchen.

  Her initial reaction was to hide and cover up. She didn’t really want to deal with him first thing in the morning, especially after last night, and more especially because she was seminude. But given Jake’s silly grin, she wasn’t about to cover anything. Did the man have some sort of sixth sense or what?

  She refused to blush, and instead ignored his presence.

  “If that’s what you’re wearing today, you might reconsider,” he said, grinning. “It’s a bit chilly out there this morning.”

  * * *

  JAKE WALKED OUT of the kitchen with a big smile on his face. It just kept getting more and more interesting as each day passed. Even if he’d wanted to stay away from Kenzie, fate seemed to be pushing them together with one situation after the next.

  He’d gotten up early to hose down Sweet Girl, then couldn’t go right back to sleep, so instead he’d worked with the cattle for a few hours using natural persuasion. He’d crashed again for a few hours in the loft next to Kenzie and as soon as he had, she’d snuggled right up next to him. It had taken all his restraint not to wake her with a kiss, but in truth he’d been dog tired after spending half the night tending to Sweet Girl, so he’d fallen asleep holding Kenzie close. A position he relished.

  He’d cleaned up in the guesthouse and was about ready to the pasture the livestock, but first he’d wanted to check to see if it was all right with Kenzie. He thought he’d give her a demonstration first of how he’d used gentling to get her cattle to trust him. He’d had no idea she’d be standing in the kitchen in her sexy little bra.

  “Don’t you ever knock?” Kenzie said as she caught up to him.

  “I didn’t think I needed to. I mean, you know I’m staying here, and until we completely finish up on that guesthouse, I’m living inside the main house. But what do I know, maybe you always run around in your underwear.”

  “I spilled coffee on my shirt and my mom went off to soak it.”

  “I guess I just have good timing.”

  She’d slipped on a black T-shirt, but he couldn’t repress the vision of her standing next to the counter in
a white lacy sheer bra. Then there was the memory of her body up against his last night and this morning. That memory tormented him, especially now. He really did not need to see her in her underwear, too.

  “I guess you do,” she said, with a slight smile. “Look, about last night. Thank you for taking such good care of Sweet Girl, but you should have woken me up. You didn’t need to do all of that by yourself.”

  He stopped walking and turned to look at her. “No problem. Besides, you looked too cute curled up next to me. I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

  Her face flushed. “About that, I’m sorry if I, um, used you for a pillow.”

  “Believe me, it was my pleasure.”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. I just didn’t mind, is all. You tucked in next to me like you belonged there, and I liked it. I think you did, too.”

  He caught the grin tugging at the corners of her sweet mouth. “I may have, but that doesn’t mean anything. I was just tired and I didn’t know what I was doing.”

  “Sure. Okay. That makes total sense, especially after that contented sigh I heard this morning right before you got up.”

  “You heard that?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Then why did you pretend to still be asleep?”

  “I wasn’t pretending exactly, it was more that I was dead tired and when you jumped up, I knew you weren’t in any mood to acknowledge that sigh. But it was real nice, and it wasn’t the only one. There had been several. I could only imagine what those sighs meant.”

  “Well, get your mind out of the gutter. I was dreaming about riding Sweet Girl.”

  He nodded, but he could tell by her face that there was much more going on in that dream than just a journey on her horse.

  He wanted to talk about the previous night, about the fun they had at Belly Up reminiscing about their lives. He wanted to get to know her better, confess his apprehensions about getting involved with a woman after coming off his bitter divorce. He wanted to spill everything and be honest with her, but she cut him off.

  “I don’t suppose you and Carson were able to move my heifers to the new pasture this morning?”

  He liked how she could change the subject so easily.

  “Um, no, but they’re ready for it now. I called Carson and told him my plans, but he had a few commitments at the riding school. I told him not to worry. You and I can move them, if that’s what you still want to do.”

  She shook her head. “It’s too late in the day. Their bellies are full. I won’t be able to lure them with food.”

  He figured she still used old methods to move small groups of cattle, old methods that depended on either aggressive movement or luring the cattle with hay loaded on the back of a pickup. He hoped she’d be excited to hear about natural persuasion, but he cautioned his enthusiasm. He reminded himself who he was dealing with: Kenzie Grant.

  Right then and there, he decided he needed a new approach, one more in tune with what he used when he worked with his animals.

  He needed to incorporate the methods of “gentling” with Kenzie.

  He backed up a bit and gave her some space. Then he smiled and hooked a thumb into a belt loop, wanting her to feel comfortable around him.

  At once he could see the change in her stance. Her shoulders went back, and the soft features of her beautiful face seemed to warm in the sunlight. He knew for certain he was on the right track.

  “I’ve got another way to move them, if you’re interested. I know you don’t want me to tell you how to do things on your ranch, and I respect that. Believe me, I appreciate where you’re coming from. I’ve known several small ranchers in Montana who had no choice but to sell their land to big corporations. I get it. But your mom liked what I showed her this morning, and suggested that I share it with you. Of course, you may feel differently about it. And that’s okay. I’m just following up on your mom’s suggestion.”

  Kenzie took a sip of coffee from her travel mug, as she seemed to be pondering his proposal. He wondered if she had her awful instant brew in that mug, or if she bothered to make his. The way he had it figured, if she’d made his, the chances of her saying yes right now, were pretty good.

  On the other hand, if what she drank was her instant, no way would she agree to give him even one more minute of her time.

  She swallowed and said, “Sure, show me what you’ve got.”

  “Darlin’, you’re going to love this!” He tried not to get too excited about the breakthrough, but he couldn’t help himself. He took off like someone lit a match under him and headed for the round corral where he’d been working with her American Brahmans.

  “And I’m not your darlin’,” she yelled after him, but he couldn’t help himself. At that moment, Kenzie was most certainly his darlin’.

  * * *

  THE RANCH SEEMED to be deserted except for her mares in the corrals, along with Jake’s stallions that were now segregated in their own corral away from her mares.

  Jake stood in the middle of a round fenced enclosure that was off on its own. The twenty-two American Brahman heifers that were supposed to have been moved at the crack of dawn now surrounded him. And even more surprising was the way they seemed to love Jake. She hadn’t been able to get within three feet of any of them, ever. There were a little over a hundred American Brahmans all told on the ranch, but these were the only heifers. Eight calves had already been born, and eighteen more were due anytime in the next couple of weeks. She felt really proud of the herd she’d increased twofold in just a little under three years.

  For the next half hour, Jake demonstrated “gentling” to Kenzie while he held on to his rope, holding it out now and then as a guide. She’d heard the term gentling before, but always thought it was more trouble than what it was worth. She’d even tried it a few times, with no success.

  What she couldn’t believe was how her heifers seemed to love him, and nudged him to pet them, even the young bull.

  What was he? Some sort of cow whisperer?

  “Okay, you’ve got me interested,” she told him as she stood on the outside of the metal corral. “How are you able to get so close to them? And now that you can, how are you ever going to get them to move where you want them to?”

  “By making kissing sounds instead of harsh tsking noises. Kissing sounds keeps them calm. Plus, I never raise my voice, and I show them respect. I also try to remain mellow and show them acceptance for what they want to do.”

  The heifers kept moving around the corral, but not once did they walk over to her side, which was usual for them. She had always used a harsher persuasion method that worked on their fears. It was what she knew.

  “Okay, but how will you get them to move to the new pasture? They seem pretty content right here.”

  “Well, why don’t you open that gate, and I’ll show you.”

  Kenzie hesitated. If the heifers scattered, it could be difficult and dangerous getting them all contained once again. Of course, if they did scatter, then she’d win her argument against Jake’s “gentling” philosophy without saying one more word about it.

  She walked into the tack shed next to the corrals, replaced her mug with a rope, walked back out and unlatched the gate. She wasn’t taking any chances.

  “They’re going to be afraid of you, so it might work best if you follow for a while.”

  She agreed, and in less time than it took for her to settle her rope in her hands, Jake had all twenty-two heifers and one agreeable bull out of the gate, herded together and following the sound of his kisses. Not only did they stay right with him, but he could slow them down and speed them up with simple movements. Not once on the half-mile walk did they run or stray from their tight little formation, with Jake walking right alongside of them for most of the trek. And not once did any of the
m lag behind. No doubt due to her continuous pressure from shoring up the rear.

  She tried the kissing sounds in order to keep them going, and to her amazement, the heifers reacted much more positively.

  When they were all safely secured behind the fence that surrounded the pasture, Kenzie had to admit she never would have believed it if she hadn’t seen it for herself. Not only had the move gone smoother than any of her other pasture moves had gone, but the animals seemed eager to please Jake, as if they’d been trained for months.

  “How long did it take you to get them to react to you like this?” she asked as they stood together watching the heifers meander to their own spots in the pasture. She loved watching her animals graze. Usually she was on horseback when she led them to the next pasture and didn’t hang around much after they were secured. This had been an entirely different experience.

  She remembered her dad and mom leading cattle around using a similar way when she was a kid, before they’d expanded their land holdings, before the ranch began to lose money and they had to sell off most of their cattle at a loss.

  “I’ve been working with them on and off since early this morning. Maybe about five or six hours.”

  These heifers and the young bull had been in this pasture a few times before, but it had always been stressful getting them here. This had been as easy as walking a trained dog in a park.

  “This is fine for a small group of heifers. They’re young and pliable. What happens when you have an entire herd of several hundred and they’ve been around for awhile, cows that are four or five years old?”

  “Same method, only on a grander scale. And obviously, I wouldn’t do it alone, and I wouldn’t do it without a horse under me. But I can get the same results. We use it all the time on my ranch.”

  She didn’t fully believe what he was saying. It seemed impossible.