Page 9 of Falling for the Cowgirl
“But what?”
“But you have to promise you won’t do any more Roman-style racing—”
“That’s not fair. I’m good at it. The best—”
“No more Roman-style,” he stated with as much stubbornness as an ornery bull. “It’s too dangerous.”
A long string of protests burned for release, but from the set of Jericho’s shoulders, she reckoned she had about as much of a chance of getting him to change his mind as she had in getting a cow to climb a tree.
“Fine,” she said.
“And only until the end of August.”
She started up the path again. “Anyone ever tell you how bossy you are?”
“Only you.” His words hinted at the memories of days gone by.
They’d had lots of good times, especially those months on the trail west when they’d been kids with nothing more to do than fish and hunt and learn new riding and roping tricks. Yep, the trip had been dangerous and tiring and long. But she’d loved every minute, mainly because she’d been able to spend as much time as she wanted with Jericho. He’d always been easy to talk to. And since they’d each lost a parent, they’d been able to confide in each other the frustration of having remaining parents abandon them, almost as if they’d died too.
She’d been disappointed when shortly after they arrived at Wyatt’s ranch, Nash and Jericho had gone up into the mountains to mine gold like so many other men, lured by the prospect of getting rich.
They’d only lasted a year before they returned to South Park completely broke, hungry, and in need of work. When Nash had taken over running Flynn’s place while he’d gone east to track down Brody after the war ended, she made up excuses to visit Jericho and work alongside him.
But by that point, the camaraderie from their trip was long gone. Jericho considered himself too grown-up to associate with her. After he took the foreman job at Elkhorn Ranch shortly after Nash’s accident, he snubbed her even more.
As much as her attraction to him was still very much alive and well—even after all she’d done to forget about him—she had to keep those feelings cinched up and on a short rope. She’d already let him trample her heart once. And she couldn’t throw her love out there only to have him stomp all over it again.
Chapter
4
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Ivy called out as she entered through the front door of Wyatt’s house.
Jericho hesitated at the threshold. He wasn’t sure he’d be welcome among the McQuaids after riding off with Dylan the way he had without a word all this time. But even if they were upset with him for the silence, he owed them an update on their brother—at least as much of an update as he could afford without ruining his cover.
The front room was brightly lit and a hub of activity like it had always been whenever he’d visited. The log walls belonged to the original cabin Wyatt had built, which he’d added to over the years. A table took up the center of the room, the benches on either side filled with Wyatt’s family finishing a late supper.
How many children did Wyatt have now? Jericho counted three little heads. From the way Greta’s abdomen rounded out beneath her apron, he guessed another child would soon join the household. Greta’s sister, Astrid, was also at thetable. A few years younger than Ivy, Astrid had become a good friend to her. Yet, it’d always been a sore spot of his that Ivy hadn’t made more female friends and instead gravitated toward the men.
From the end of the table, Wyatt’s eyes locked on him and filled with recognition. “Jericho Bliss.” Wyatt stood. “It’s been a long time.”
Jericho sized Wyatt up in an instant. The solidly built man not only had the same brown eyes as Ivy, but they shared the same dark hair color. Wyatt’s weathered face contained a thick layer of scruff that made him appear more mature. It fit him well. Thankfully, his expression contained only anticipation and not a hint of animosity.
“Wyatt.” Jericho reached out for a handshake. “Good to see you.”
Wyatt’s grip was firm but friendly. The oldest of the McQuaid brothers was even-tempered, which was why Jericho had decided to visit Wyatt first instead of Flynn. More like a father figure to the family, Flynn viewed life seriously and wouldn’t be as easy on him as Wyatt. Jericho couldn’t put off visiting Flynn for long, but he hoped to give his old friend a little time to get used to the idea he was here—without Dylan.
In no time, Jericho found himself seated at the big table with the family. Astrid insisted on Greta staying put and resting her feet while she went to the big kitchen in the next room and dished Jericho up a plate of beef with vegetables and gravy. The rich roasted scent mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread, and his mouth watered at the prospect of slathering his bread with some of Greta’s famous mountain-berry jam.
As he ate, Wyatt caught him up on the doings around the ranch, including the construction he’d begun on a new house and inn adjacent to the hot spring on his property. Apparently Greta had the idea of developing a resort for people who wanted to experience the fresh mountain air and the healing hot water of the spring. She planned to run the new business as well as continue to sell her wares.
Jericho didn’t see how Greta could possibly find the time or the energy for all her endeavors, not with her young ones underfoot. But she was a hard worker and a savvy businesswoman. In fact, all the McQuaid brothers had married smart women. Flynn had married Linnea, a botanist. And Brody had married Savannah, a veterinarian.
Jericho doubted Dylan would be as lucky, not with the type of women he spent time with. Dylan might have stopped his gambling, but he was still a heavy drinker and as wild as always.
“If you’re needing work,” Wyatt said, “I’m looking for a few more reliable fellas to help with the new building projects.”
Jericho nodded and scraped the last of the gravy from his plate. Maybe the temporary job would buy him time and give him more opportunities to investigate the newcomers to the community.
