The Cowboy Way

“Have you picked one out yet?” Jake said to Kevin. “Remember, you have to take care of the horse all week. That means brushing, feeding, watering and taking care of the tack. Got it?”

“I can do it, Jake. I promise!”

“Then who will it be, Kev?” Jake asked.

“Killer.”

Beth closed the distance between them. “Killer?”

“Actually, his full name is Killer Bee, but we call him Killer for short,” Jake explained.

That didn’t make her feel any better. She didn’t want Kevin riding on a horse named Killer, even if it was a cute black horse with soulful black eyes.

She would have called him Thunder, like another fictional horse of her childhood she’d discovered in a library book. Her Thunder was a shiny, black horse with four white socks. She read the book over and over again until she just about had it memorized.

She looked over the stall door to see if Killer Bee had white socks. He didn’t, but he was still a beautiful horse.

Kevin fidgeted in his chair. “Will you take him out of the stall, Jake? I want to look at him all over.”

“Okay, Kev.”

With Kevin on the edge of his seat, Jake led Killer Bee out of his stall.

The horse sniffed at Kevin’s shirt as the boy giggled and reached out to pet him. “Just think,” said Kevin, “he’s mine for a week.”

Jake raised an eyebrow, met Beth’s eyes and waited for her reply.

She took a deep breath and prayed that she wouldn’t regret her decision. Kevin’s doctor felt that the horseback riding would be good for him, would strengthen his muscles. That would be wonderful for his broken body, but she knew that the Gold Buckle Ranch experience would do even more for Kevin’s morale.

“Yes, Kevin. He’s yours while we are here. Make sure you listen to Mr. Dixon—Jake—and learn how to take care of him.”

Jake gave a slight nod, obviously pleased with her decision. “Well, buckaroo, I’d best get you and your mom back to the Trail Boss Cabin so you both can get some rest.”

He put Killer back into his stall. “If I have time tomorrow, we can get a riding lesson in and maybe even a roping lesson. You can get a jump on the rest of the kids.”

“Cool. I brought my official Jake Dixon rope with me.”

Jake shrugged. “Huh?”

“I bought it from your official Web site for Kevin’s ninth birthday,” Beth explained.

“Oh. I forgot about that. My fan club runs the Web site,” he mumbled, then said to Kevin, “I’m sure it’s a good rope if you bought it from my official Web site.” He grinned.

“Well, it’s time we went to bed, cowboy,” Beth said. “It’s been a long day.”

Jake did a double-take, raised an eyebrow and pushed back his hat with a thumb. His eyes twinkled in amusement.

“Kevin,” she clarified, grinning in spite of herself. It was hard not to like Jake. “It’s time for bed, Kevin.”

Chapter Three

B eth woke to the scent of pine. A breeze lightly tossed the lace curtains. Sunlight flickered on her face, and she smiled. What a nice way to wake up. But why wake up yet? She turned over, scrunched the pillow to the perfect shape under her head and closed her eyes again.

“That’s awesome, Jake.”

Jake. That name again. She had dreamed of the tall, lean cowboy with the lazy grin and the sexy blue eyes all night. Now she woke up to his name drifting on the breeze.

She even remembered saying the same phrase— “That’s awesome, Jake”—in her dream when he…when they…

“Totally cool, Jake.”

She had never said that in her dream.

“Kevin?” She shot up in bed. “Kevin?”

“Out here, Mom!”

“Where?” She tore out of the bedroom, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She ran into his bedroom, but he wasn’t there. She checked the bathroom. “Kevin?” Barely breathing, she raced to the door and tore it open.

“Hi, Mom!”

Her son was astride a big black horse—Killer Bee. He was belted into some kind of special saddle with a high back and sides. Jake Dixon was standing next to him with reins in his hand. They both were petting the horse and smiling like they hadn’t a care in the world.

When she caught something extra in Jake’s grin, she realized that she was barefoot on the front porch of the Trail Boss Cabin in her red satin nightgown with spaghetti straps, a buy-one-get-one-free special from WalMart.

She crossed her arms in front of her, sure that Jake could see how cold she actually was.

“Kevin,” she began in her scolding-mom tone.

“Aw…don’t be mad at me. I got up early and saw Jake at the corral. We had breakfast in the bunkhouse with all the cowboys. It was so cool, Mom. Joe Watley was there. And Gilbert. And Ty Watson, T.J., and Trace and…”

She held her hand up to stop him from naming every cowboy in the bunkhouse. “You should have asked me, Kevin. Also, I don’t think you should be taking up so much of Mr. Dixon’s time.”

She studied Jake. He was clean-shaven. She looked for signs of a hangover, but his eyes were bright and clear. He tipped his hat back with a thumb, a gesture she had seen more than once. It was as if he were saying “Look me over. I don’t care.”

So she looked.

“Kev’s not bothering me. I enjoy his company.”

“That may be true, but Kevin shouldn’t have left the cabin without letting me know.”

“He said he didn’t want to wake you, and that you were snoring up a storm.” Jake chuckled.

“I certainly do not snore!” Beth protested.

“Mom, you were sucking the walls in.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. Running a hand through her hair, she realized that it was tangled. In spite of the cold, she felt a warm flush as Jake Dixon’s blatant gaze swept over her again.