Judy Christenberry - Never Let You Go

“We’ll see what you’re made of tomorrow morning,” he warned, as if he didn’t believe her words.

But Beth wasn’t about to show any fear. “You bet you will, cowboy.”

In spite of her brave words, Beth didn’t sleep well that night.

After a meal where her stomach rolled every time Jed spoke, which, fortunately, wasn’t often, she’d maintained her ground until the man had left the house. Then she’d hidden in her room, poring over the books she’d found on barrel racing. And any information she could find about Jedadiah Davis.

There was little written on Jed’s early years. He’d made his mark on the rodeo circuit as a roper. Twice he’d won the national championship. Three other times he’d been in the top five. Then he’d hurt his arm in an auto accident and had turned to training.

And never looked back.

For the past four years, he’d been the man in demand. All the reports said he was a stern taskmaster. But he got results.

If he believed in his pupil.

One moment she was holding her breath, hoping he’d believe in her. The next moment she’d find herself pleading he’d move on down the road, leaving her to find another trainer.

He made her nervous.

When she reached the breakfast table, Abby offered her the entire morning off from ranch work, so she could have plenty of time to give to her training. But Beth couldn’t be so selfish. She knew Abby was already shorthanded with Melissa working in the house all day.

“I haven’t set up a specific time with Jed, yet. I thought I’d put in three or four hours, then head back to the house. After lunch, I can ride out with you again.”

“That won’t be enough time for you to get much done,” Abby protested.

“Until you find another hand, Abby, I’m going to help.”

Abby sighed. “I admit it would make things easier. Even though we finished the roundup, we had to neglect the fences, and we’ve got to bale the hay, and I’d like to move the larger herd to the south pasture.”

“All in one day?” Melissa teased from the stove.

“If it’s possible,” Abby agreed with a grin.

“Seriously, I can ride out if it’ll help,” Melissa offered.

Abby and Beth exchanged grins. Though the two of them had taken to the saddle, Melissa, while able to ride, preferred to spend her time in the kitchen.

“We won’t ask for that much sacrifice,” Abby assured her sister. “Someone will come along looking for a job any day now. You just keep feeding us.”

“Yeah, last night’s dinner was terrific,” Beth added.

“How would you know?” Melissa returned. “You scarcely ate anything.” Before Beth could come up with excuses, Melissa said, “Ring the bell for the guys.”

Beth stepped to the back porch and banged on the triangle that hung from one rafter. Before the ringing had even stopped, three men emerged from the bunkhouse.

She didn’t have any difficulty picking out Jed Davis. His broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped figure topped the other two men by three or four inches. Drawing a deep breath, she waited for them to reach her.

As she’d expected, Jed let the other two go first. Before he could move past her with a nod, she touched his arm. He came to an abrupt halt, his gaze settling on her hand.

She jerked it back.

“Yeah?” he asked warily.

Her prepared speech flew out of her head. “Is it all right if we start about ten?”

“Ten? Is that your idea of an early start?”

The scorn in his voice flailed her—and made her so mad she wouldn’t have explained if he’d begged her. Taking on a drawl she’d heard other women affect, she replied, “That’s right, sugar. I need to get my nails done before I can get on a horse.”

Then she sashayed in front of him into the house.

She figured he’d be packed and gone before noon. And good riddance to him. When she didn’t hear footsteps behind her right away, she wondered if he’d even come in for breakfast.

“Where’s—” Abby began, but the sound of the back door opening again stopped her question. “There you are, Jed. I thought maybe you’d gotten lost.”

“No, ma’am.”

Melissa set a platter of scrambled eggs on the table where sausage and bacon already awaited eager hands. Then she pulled two pans of biscuits out of the oven.

Beth picked up the coffeepot and began filling cups, while Abby poured glasses of orange juice. As she carried the glasses to the table, Abby addressed Jed.

“I’m sure Beth explained about the late start this morning. I’m hoping we’ll find more men right away, but Beth is still willing to help out before she starts training.”

“Help out with what?” he asked, ignoring the plate of eggs Barney was offering him.

Everyone in the kitchen, except Beth, seemed surprised by his question. Abby, after shooting a look at Beth, said, “Whatever needs to be done. We work with Dirk and Barney, like anyone on a ranch.”

“All three of you?”

Melissa’s cheeks flushed. “Not me. I used to help some days, but I prefer the cooking and housework.”

Beth added, “We always felt meals like Melissa turns out are fair trade.”

Both hands, seated at the table, stuffing their faces, made grunts of approval.

“I can see why. Your cooking is the best, Miss Melissa.” Jed sent Melissa a smile that had Beth’s insides quivering with jealousy.

He turned to Abby. “I understand that there’s work that has to be done. How can I help?”

“Oh, no!” Abby protested. “Your time’s too valuable for—I mean, Beth didn’t hire you to do ranch work. We’ll manage.”

“I’ll help,” he said decisively, as if it was his decision. “Then maybe I’ll get an extra hour with my pupil, if she can work it in.”

There was a little sarcasm in those last words, Beth realized. Maybe she deserved it, since she’d given him a smart answer earlier. But he’d made her mad.

His blue gaze settled on her face, as if he expected her to comment.

She took a bite of eggs and chewed as though her life depended on it.

Abby, after looking at her, too, said, “I’m sure we can work that out.”

Okay, so he’d jumped to an erroneous conclusion. That didn’t mean the lady had to gull him with her response about a manicure. Jed studied her hands from under his lashes as he ate the fine breakfast Melissa Kennedy had prepared.

Beth’s nails were short, clean and unpolished. Working hands, as he’d earlier noted. And sexier than any of the red claws he’d seen on women who thought they were all dolled up. But that smart mouth of hers was going to cause trouble.

When he got up from the breakfast table, he carried his dishes to the sink. The other two men stared at him, then hurriedly did the same thing. Melissa rewarded them all with a grateful smile.

“Where do you want me, Miss Abby?” he asked, awaiting instructions from the lady boss.

“Are you any good at fence repairs?” she asked.

With a lopsided grin, he said, “I’ve ridden more fence lines than you can imagine.”

“Great. Why don’t you and Beth ride—”

“No!” Beth shrieked.

“No!” Jed said, quieter but just as determined. When Abby stared at him, he added, “I don’t need any help.”

“It will go faster with the two of you, and it will give you a chance to get to know each other. You can finish the fence on the south pasture by mid-morning, before Barney and Dirk get the herd over there.”

“You can’t start baling hay by yourself,” Beth protested. “What if something happens?”

“I’ll take the new cell phone. But I’ve done it before. It’s a boring job, but safe.” Abby stood and stared at the rest of the room. “It’s settled. I’ll see all of you at lunch.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Barney and Dirk shuffled out the back door. Jed stared at Beth. When she still sat at the table, her lips pressed tightly together, he prodded, “Are you waiting for your manicure? Or are you going to lead the way to the south pasture?”

“Manicure?” Melissa questioned.

“He’s teasing me, Missy. Don’t worry about it.” Beth stood and glared at him. “You got gloves?”

“Yeah. They’re at the bunkhouse.”

“Go get them and I’ll meet you at the barn.”

Beth breathed a sigh of relief when Jed left the house.

“Are you sure the two of you are going to get along?” Melissa asked.

“No.” Beth tried to paste a smile on her face, knowing her single answer reeked of despair. “I can’t seem to help putting up his back, Missy. I don’t intend to, but he made me so mad—”

“When?”

“Out on the porch, before breakfast. I was going to explain, truly, but I blurted out that we’d start at ten and he assumed I was going to go back to bed or something. So I told him we couldn’t start earlier because I had to get a manicure.”

Melissa laughed. “You’ve never had a manicure. I tried to paint your nails once, and you screamed as if I were torturing you.”

“Do you think you have to remind me? It was a silly answer, but it was the most decadent thing I could think of.”

“Well,” Melissa began, putting an arm around Beth’s shoulders, “I think you might need to do some fence-mending of your own, in addition to the real fences, while you’re out there with him this morning.”

“Yeah,” Beth agreed glumly, and went to fetch her hat and gloves.

Outside the barn, she selected two horses, one a sturdy, rawboned roan that could easily carry Jed’s big body. For herself, she chose a part Appaloosa mare she’d named Snowdrop. After putting bridles on them, she tied them to the corral fence and went into the barn to fetch the rest of the gear.

Much to her surprise, she almost ran into Jed in the shadowy interior. He was saddling one of his horses.

“You don’t need to ride him. I’ve got a horse in the corral for you.”

“I always ride my own horses.” His no-nonsense response irritated her again.

Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, “It’s your choice. Me, I wouldn’t work my horse after traveling with him, unless I had to.”

Without waiting for a response, she moved on to the tack room. Lifting down her saddle and the blan ket that went with it, she turned around to discover Jed standing in the doorway.

“You’ve got a point,” he said, though she heard the reluctance in his voice. “Okay if I use my own gear?”

“Of course.” She wasn’t about to let him see that she enjoyed his capitulation. He followed her back into the autumn sunshine and she indicated the roan.

“That’s Buster. He’s no racehorse, but he has a steady gait and he’s dependable.”

“Thanks.”

After throwing the blanket on Snowdrop, she put the saddle in place, then began buckling and cinching.

“You do that like you were born to it,” Jed offered after watching her.

“I was nine when we came here to live. Aunt Beulah didn’t waste any time teaching us about ranch life. And she didn’t suffer fools gladly.”

“Glad to hear it,” Jed returned, saddling Buster.

Beth almost burst into laughter. If he’d tried, he couldn’t have come closer to the dry retorts that had punctuated Beulah’s long silences.

It had taken the girls several years to realize what a softy Beulah was beneath that stern exterior. But she wasn’t one to wear her feelings on her sleeve. And she didn’t believe in spoiling children. They received practical gifts on their birthdays. And warm hugs.

That same behavior was repeated at Christmas.