Page 18 of Cowboy Jeopardy

“Number one.” Dylan held up a finger. “You stay with Dani at all times.” He shook his head when the protests started. “We’re all working in teams, son. The three of you are a team. Two. No going into the cowboys’ bunkhouse. If your friends want to see it, they can peek in the window. Three. It’s eat what the ladies cook or go hungry. Four. No venturing into the woods without me or Buster. Got it?”

“That all?” Derrick glowered.

“That and the rules you already live with day by day.” He ruffled his son’s hair. “I mean it, boys. We are going to have strangers here, and I don’t want any trouble.” His gaze met Dani’s.

She nodded, recognizing the silent warning to be careful. “We’ll be following your schedule with the guests and nothing else.”

“Have fun.” He turned and left the way he’d come.

When a school bus turned up the road, the boys dashed off the porch. Dani sighed and set her cup on the railing. She didn’t mind two kids, but a whole classroom full was out of her comfort zone. Thankfully, two women and a man exited the bus before the kids.

The man strolled her way. “Hello. I’m the school principal, Mr. White.”

“White? Is your mother the cook here?” Dani tilted her head.

“That’s her. I’m going to pop in and say hi while you introduce yourself to the students.” He jogged up the stairs and into the house.

“I’m a teacher, Susan Snodgrass, and this is a volunteer, Amy Warner. We’re here to help.”

“God bless you. I’m Dani Cooper, the nanny of these two. They’re actually the ones in charge.” She asked all the students to follow the twins’ lead. “No wandering off. What a way to spend the first day of summer.”

Susan shrugged. “We would have done it one day this past week, but Mr. Wyatt wasn’t ready for us. The parents don’t mind another day of freedom. Guaranteed, you’ll see a lot of this bunch and others this summer.”

Hopefully, the ranch had enough hands to manage. “Let’s go to the barn. Boys?”

Heads up, chests puffed out, the twins led the group to the barn. Before they reached their destination, several vehicles pulled in front of the house, and Buster and a couple of the other cowboys greeted the arriving guests.

~

He scanned the area until his gaze landed on Dani Cooper entering the barn. The middle-aged cowboy standing on the steps droned on about all the ranch had to offer and how glad everyone was to see them, blah, blah, blah.

What he wanted to do was corner the woman and tell her to find a way to get his money. He needed funds in order to start his own empire. There was room for him now that the Robertos were gone.

The ranch owner took the other man’s place and welcomed them all to the Rocking W and let them know overnight camping tours would start in two weeks. Anyone interested could sign up via the website address pinned to the porch railing. Well, he’d be the first to put down his name. The more time on the ranch, the better his chances of getting to Dani.

He wouldn’t be as nice as the Robertos. Pay up or die. Those were the only options. Her death would show others he meant business.

~

After doing the ranch-owner task of greeting the guests, Dylan headed for the barn to check on the group of kids. With Dani, Mr. White, and the two women, he most likely wasn’t needed, but he still wanted to make an appearance.

A wide-eyed Dani glanced over when he entered, then she made a beeline to his side. “Eric is offering horseback rides. I can’t help with that.”

“I’ll ask a couple of the guys, don’t worry. Since we haven’t made time to complete your lessons yet—” something he needed to remedy, “there’s no way I’ll ask that of you. You need a lot more experience first.”

“Thank you.” She heaved a sigh. “It’s bad enough they all want to feed the horses. Which ones are safe?”

“Did the boys show them how to keep their fingers out of the way?”

She nodded.

“Then, they’re all safe. Even Lightning.” The horse pushed his head against Dylan’s shoulder. “He might be fearsome to ride, but otherwise, he’s like a big puppy.”

She gave the horse a timid pat on the muzzle, then rushed back to the group of children who had started throwing hay at each other. She clapped her hands three times, settling them down.

Impressive. Confident she had everything under control, Dylan went in search of a couple of men to give horseback rides.

Buster fell into step next to him. “Why do you think single men over the age of thirty-five would be interested in spending time on a ranch riding horses and camping? Kids I can understand.”

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