Cowgirl, Say Yes. Brenda Mott
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here, and you were the first person who came to mind.”
Shaky with relief, Tess ran a hand through her rumpled hair. “It’s okay. Where are they?”
“They’ve raced up my driveway from the road, and they keep circling the yard and outbuildings. My dog’s barking woke me up. There’re three of them—the horses, that is. I was going to pen them and call the sheriff later, but I can’t catch them. Bobby’s trying to keep them from running back out on the road. I’m really not all that good with horses. Shoot, maybe I should’ve just called the sheriff and not bothered you.”
“No, it’s no bother, Joy. I’ll be right there.”
Tess hung up the phone and hurried to the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face to help her wake up and ran a comb through her hair. Minutes later, she was dressed and heading down the road toward the Isleys’ place with a bucketful of grain and three halters and lead ropes. A single mother, Joy was a regular at the feed store. Her son, Bobby, raised rabbits and pygmy goats. Tess doubted their pens could hold a horse.
A short time later, she pulled her truck into Joy’s driveway, carefully bypassing twelve-year-old Bobby, who stood in the glare of the headlights, waving his arms anytime the stray horses drew near. Tess angled her truck across the driveway to help block their path and climbed out. She didn’t recognize any of the geldings. Two sorrels and a bay, they bore no distinctive markings or brands to differentiate them from the dozens of other horses Tess saw daily in neighboring pastures.
Excited by their strange surroundings, along with the darkness, wind and the bleating goats, the geldings raced in circles, threading their way between outbuildings and the house. One managed to escape onto the road, nearly running over Bobby in the process. Tess gathered two lariats from her truck and strung them from the pickup’s mirrors to the fence posts on either side of the driveway, foiling the escape attempt of the remaining geldings.
Wishing for her team-penning mare, she gave chase on foot after the bay, shaking the grain bucket in his wake. Once he realized his buddies weren’t joining him in his wild escapade, the horse circled back. All three horses bugled loud whinnies into the early-morning air, snorting and running until their coats were damp with sweat. By the time she managed to catch them and help Joy lock them inside some makeshift stalls in the barn, it was after five-thirty.
“I’ll place some calls and see if I can track down the owners,” Tess promised. “Maybe Dad will have an idea who they belong to.”
“Thanks so much, Tess,” Joy said. “I’ve got to go to work, but if you need help with the calls, I can do some on my lunch break.”
“It’s okay. I’ll phone you later and let you know what’s going on.” Tired, eyes burning, Tess undid the ropes from the fence posts and tucked them back behind the seat of her truck once more before driving away. She started to head home, then decided she might as well grab a bite of breakfast on her way through town. Why not? Ferguson lay halfway between Joy’s place and her own.
Yawning, Tess pulled into the parking lot of Audrey’s Café. The cowbell on the door clanged as she entered, but accustomed to the sound, no one looked up.
No one, that is, except Wade Darland.
To Tess’s surprise, he sat at a table with Macy and Jason. She hadn’t noticed his truck in the parking lot, but at any rate, she never would have figured him for the sort of father who would take his kids out to breakfast on a school day. He looked at her in a way that suddenly made Tess aware that her barely combed hair was stuffed under a ratty ball cap.
In a way that also made her notice he was even better-looking than she’d remembered.
Oh, brother.
She really needed to go home, go back to bed and start this day all over.
CHAPTER THREE
WADE NEARLY CHOKED on a piece of bacon when he glanced up and saw Tess walk into the café. He couldn’t believe that he’d run into her again so soon after their little talk last night. Had she seen him driving through town and followed him?
The expression on her face quickly dispelled that notion. She hesitated at the door, as though unsure whether to wave or simply take a seat. Her gaze scanned the crowded room, and she frowned when she saw that nearly all the tables were full. Before he could decide if he wanted to wave at her, Macy took matters out of his hands.
“Tess!” she called, motioning. “Over here.”
“Macy, I don’t think—”
“What’s wrong, Dad?” Jason grinned around a mouthful of blueberry pancakes. “Don’t you want her to sit with us?” The teasing spark in his son’s eyes said he was enjoying the opportunity to give his old dad a hard time.
“I don’t care one way or the other,” Wade said, ignoring Jason’s smirk as Tess approached the table.
“Hi, Macy,” she said. “Jason.” Then she turned to him. “I’m surprised to see you out and about today.”
“Why’s that?” Wade cut a slice of pancake with the side of his fork.
“I wouldn’t have thought you’d be here on a school day.”
“Why not?” He slid the pancake into his mouth and chewed deliberately, letting her squirm, though he’d pretty well figured what she meant. She didn’t consider him the sort of dad who would go to the trouble of waking up extra early to take his kids out to breakfast on a morning when getting ready for school was hectic enough in itself.
But before Tess could reply, Jason spoke up. “It’s $1.99 pancake day. Dad says it’s smart to take advantage of such a good deal.”
Wade squirmed. That made him sound cheap, but dang it, a single father had to cut corners wherever he could.
“It’s $3.50 if you get a side of bacon,” Macy added. Then she grinned. “But I guess you don’t have to worry about that, huh, Tess?”
“No, I guess not.” Tess folded her hands over the back of the empty chair next to Wade. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Go right ahead.” He gestured with his fork, feeling a little guilty for not having offered before she could ask. But only a little. He really didn’t relish the idea of sharing with Tess Vega his weekly morning out with the kids.
The waitress spotted Tess and hurried over. “What can I get for you, hon? Today’s our $1.99 pancake special. All you can eat.” She nodded toward the buffet table centered in the room. “Bacon or sausage is extra.”
“Just the pancakes will be fine. And a glass of orange juice, please.” Tess smiled, and Wade noticed she had dimples.
Well, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed them before. It was just that he’d never paid attention to how cute they made her look. He grimaced inwardly. Cute. Tess was that, all right, in an immature sort of way. Today her braids were gone, but it didn’t much matter. She’d crammed a ball cap over her hair, which looked as though it hadn’t seen much time with a comb of late, and she wore her usual bib overalls with a blue tank top underneath.
He’d just begun to study the freckles sprinkled across her nose when she turned and caught him staring. Quickly, he averted his gaze and focused once more on his breakfast. He said the first thing that came to mind. “So, what are you doing out and about so early?”
“I got a call from Joy Isley this morning. She had some stray horses wander onto her place.” Tess described the geldings. “Any idea who they might belong to?”
Wade shrugged. “Beats me. A lot of folks have bays and sorrels. Why don’t you ask your dad?”
“I intend to, and Doc Baker, as well. I just thought you might know.” She took a drink from the glass of water the waitress had set in front of her. “But, of course, I forgot that horses are simply working animals to you. I doubt you’d ever see the individuality in