Page 8 of Rancher's Edge

“Mommy, you know it’s you. Don’t pretend. You say them all the time.” He shook his head and hid behind Griffin.

“Come on, Coop. We better get out of here before you get in trouble. We’ll take you out to get a head start on horse shopping.” Griffin grabbed Cooper’s hand, and they headed to the door. “Thanks for supper, Nora!” he shouted as he walked out the door. It was probably all she’d ever get from that bunch. I wasn’t sad for a moment alone with her, though.

“So the new cook has a potty mouth, does she?” I leaned up against the counter beside where she was rinsing dishes.

“No,” she said a little too exaggeratedly. “Fine, yes. I’m working on it, but some days aren’t easy.” She shoved a plate into the dishwasher, shaking her head. “You know if you’re going to stand here pestering me, you could clear the table.”

She nodded to the mess that was still sitting out. Pushing off the counter, I went to work, cleaning things up. “Why aren’t you out there with the others finding a horse?” she asked.

As she leaned down, her shirt gaped, and I froze, staring at the view of her breasts. They were perfect, and my palms started sweating, wanting to touch them. Averting my eyes as she stood, I handed her the lasagna dish and bread bowl.

“Too many people around. A boy picking out his first horse can be overwhelming with too many opinions. Right now, there’s probably three too many. He won’t remember a thing he saw, so when I take him out tomorrow, I can help him out. It’s good for those three to have a kid around. They act like children themselves for the most part.”

I wasn’t totally lying, but if I’d told her it was because I wanted to spend more time with her today, she would have hightailed it right back to town. I promised her nothing would happen here, and now here I was being no better than Fred. “So where’d you learn to ride?”

I took the dishcloth out of the water and wondered how she could stand the water being that hot. I wasn’t about to say something, but my stinging hands were making me want to.

“Oh, my cousin grew up on a ranch. I would go there in the summer and spend weeks with her. She was horse crazy, so if I wanted to do things with her, I had to learn how.” She shrugged like it was nothing.

“So if I saddled you a horse tomorrow, you’d be able to keep up with me?” The kitchen was looking more like it should, and I hopped up on the counter.

“I’d sure give it a try.” She looked over her shoulder at me and giggled. “It’s been a while since I’ve ridden. Cooper is four, and I haven’t done it since before I had him, so I might be a little rusty.”

She kicked the dishwasher door up and tossed in the wash tabs before shutting it and hitting start. I’d forgotten what it was like to end the day with someone, working together before turning the lights out. Rinsing her cloth, she wiped down the counters and turned to the island I was sitting on. “You’re going to have to move your ass off the counter if I’m going to clean it.”

“There it is. Miss Potty Mouth has already entered the building.” I laughed and hopped off. Before I could turn around, something had slapped my rear end, and now it was stinging. Spinning around, I saw her flipping her cloth again into a tight roll. “You didn’t just do what I think you did?”

“Yes, I did. You might be the boss here, but you have a tendency to get in the way. So move it or lose it, buster.” There was a fire in her eyes that was playful, but there was pain behind it. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a tea-towel and grabbed it. Spinning it like she’d done with hers, I held the advantage because mine was longer. She retreated to the other end of the island, and we stood there in a showdown. Her poker face would be fierce because she didn’t even give a signal about which way she was going. Before I knew it, she’d rounded the cupboards and made contact with my thigh. “Ahhh,” I growled as the sting subsided. She was open now, though, and the chairs weren’t pushed in, so they slowed her down, and I caught her on the back of her leg.

“Fuck,” she shouted.

“Twenty-five cents.” I laughed as she stared at me from across the table.

“Truce?” she asked, arching her brow.

“You’ve got me twice. Before we call a truce, I have one more shot to get in.” Frowning, I narrowed my gaze on her and waited. She couldn’t stay behind the table all night. She headed left. She switched direction to the right, but I caught her as she ran past me. The thwap of the towel reverberated in the kitchen, and she moved her hand to her ass cheek, mouth open. “You already owe a quarter, gonna make it two?”

“Mother fucker, son of a bitch.” She was still rubbing the spot on her butt.

“That’s three, going for an even dollar?” I laughed and watched her eyes dance as she shook her head.

“Ass.” She dug around in her pocket and pulled out four quarters. “That’s the tip you left me earlier. Looks like you’re going to get it back.” She slapped the money on the counter and dropped her cloth, holding up her hands. “Truce.”

“Just as I planned,” I said, dropping my towel and swiping the money off the counter before I dropped it in the jar.

CHAPTER EIGHT

NORA

Cooper had come in from the barn covered in straw. I wasn’t sure if I should hose him down in the yard before I brought him in or what. He laughed and jumped around while I was brushing off his clothes, telling me all about the horses he’d seen and which one he wanted for his very own. Bathed, teeth brushed, and out like a light in about thirty seconds. He talked until his words became garbled together.

“Mommy, this was the best day ever,” was the last coherent words he’d said. My nose started to tingle, and tears threatened to escape as I stood there watching him sleep. His entire life had been hard. There were very few days that were good. I tried my best to make his life fun, and not let him see how I was struggling, but he was attentive and knew things weren’t like normal homes. So today, for once, he’d had a good day. Quietly, I turned to the door that joined our rooms and flicked off the light.

“Sweet dreams, my prince,” I whispered as I closed the door. I’d left it open just a crack so I could hear him if he woke up. Tonight would be the first night I hadn’t slept on the floor by his bed or had him in bed with me.

Feeling safe was such a strange sensation. I knew in my heart I was trusting too easily, and I should be a little more wary of things here, but just once I wanted to feel carefree. Tomorrow I could go back to worrying, tonight I just wanted to sleep. Flopping down on the bed, I sank into the mattress and sighed.

A light knock on my door made me want to groan, but I peeled myself off the heavenly bed and opened the door. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted to go over a few things for tomorrow if that’s okay?”

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