Wedding Bells at Wandering Creek

Twenty minutes later Jack grabbed a straw cowboy hat off a peg and led a saddled Cisco out of the barn. So far so good, he thought. He was enjoying himself. Something he hadn’t done in a long time.

He found Willow in the corral. She was bending over, checking her horse’s front hoof. He couldn’t help but notice how nicely her jeans fit over her rounded bottom and legs.

He quickly shook away the direction of his thoughts. He needed to keep his focus on the job. That made Willow Kingsley off-limits.

Willow released the horse’s leg and straightened. “Well, that didn’t take too long.” She walked around Cisco, checking how well Jack had done saddling the animal.

She took hold of the stirrup and tossed it over the saddle to check the cinch. Pushing on the horse’s side, she tested to see if the strap was tight enough. It was.

She eyed him. “So, you learned Cisco’s trick.”

He adjusted his hat. “You mean when he holds his breath until you think the cinch is tight, then lets it’s out when you try to mount and your saddle slips? Yeah, I did. He isn’t the only horse who pulls that. So do I pass the test?”

“Let’s see how you handle him.”

Jack glanced around and found they had an audience. A few of the ranch hands had gathered to watch. Then Trevor came out of the barn and walked toward them. “Hey, Sullivan. I thought I left you cleaning tack.”

Willow stepped forward. “I’m the one who relieved Jack of the job.”

The foreman frowned. “Willow, do you think this is a good idea?”

“What’s so unusual about a ranch hand riding?” Willow asked. “Seems Jack already knows how.”

Adams looked angry. “You don’t say,” he said through clenched teeth.

Jack really didn’t want to make an enemy of the man, but he wasn’t about to back down, either. “It was a long time ago, so Willow offered to help me with a refresher lesson.”

The foreman turned back to Willow. “I can assign Larry to him.”

She shook her head. “They all have work to do today. And so do you. I thought you were going to the Carson place to check on the extra saddle horses.” She looked at Jack. “We have neighbors who are willing to loan us some mounts for the camp. We want to be sure we have enough horses for all the kids.”

“That’s a lot of animals to feed and care for.”

“And it’s the reason we can’t have any distractions,” Trevor told him. “Everything needs to be in place before the kids arrive at the end of next week.”

Willow stepped in between the two men. “Then you better get going, Trevor. And be sure to thank Mimi Carson for me.”

“Will do,” Trevor said, tossing another warning glare at Jack before he stalked off.

“He’s very protective of you,” Jack said.

Willow smiled. “I know. I used to be annoyed by it, but there have been times…that I’ve been grateful.”

“Like when I showed up.”

She tipped back her cowboy hat and exposed her face to the warm sun. “Maybe. If you’d done any research, you’d know that Trevor Adams is family. His father, Sligh Adams, was my dad’s stunt double and best friend. Trevor and I practically grew up together. He’s like a brother.”

“Are you sure Adams thinks of you as his sister?” Jack asked. And would the man’s loyalties go so far as to hide Dean? he added silently.

Her smile disappeared. “That’s an old tabloid story, Mr. Sullivan. So if you’re trying to dig up dirt—”

“No,” he interrupted her. “I apologize, I have no right to speculate on your private life.”

“That’s right, you don’t. You know nothing about who I am, or who any of the Kingsleys are.”

Seeing the hurt in her eyes, he wished for once he’d kept his mouth shut.

“Here’s another rule,” she began. “From now on, my personal life is off-limits…unless it pertains to finding Dean. If you can’t agree to that, our deal is off.”

She didn’t leave him much choice. He nodded. “I agree. Your personal life is off-limits.” He took a step closer. “But all bets are off if I discover you’re keeping information about Dean’s whereabouts from me.”

CHAPTER THREE

WILLOW HATED THE FACT that Jack could handle a horse so well. But no doubt the man was good at a lot of things.

“You never told me how a city kid ended up on a ranch,” she asked.

He gave her a sideways glance, and mostly kept his eye on what he was doing as they rode along the trail. “I thought we weren’t going to get personal.”

“I didn’t know asking you how you learned to ride was all that personal,” she said.

“Truth is, I’d gotten into some trouble in my youth. I was running around with some wild kids and we got caught shoplifting. I was offered camp for the summer.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So you were a budding juvenile delinquent.”

“You could say that. My mother was ready to give up on me.”

“What about your father?”

“Wasn’t in the picture…hadn’t been for a long time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not a big deal. I survived just fine.”

Willow wondered about that. She’d always taken her caring parents for granted. She also knew how much she missed her father now. How could a young boy cope with that kind of void in his life?

“Seems to me a child needs both parents,” she said.

His expression was stony. “Not all of us had a fairy-tale life.”

Her back straightened. “I really get tired of hearing that. You know appearances can be deceiving.” She kicked Dakota’s sides and shot off in a run. She needed time alone, time not filled with another man judging her.

Jack wanted to ride after her, but he’d never catch up, nor would she be happy if he tried. They both had probed a little too deep. He usually didn’t talk about his past. It was nobody’s business. He couldn’t change it, so no use crying about it. That was what Mike always told him when he’d start feeling sorry for himself. He missed his partner’s wisdom, their talks.

Jack watched Willow as she circled the meadow, letting Dakota run at will. No doubt she could handle the large stallion. He liked that about her. Her strength. She would use it to defend her family, too.

He suspected Dean hadn’t inherited the same trait. Was he guilty of a crime? Why would Matt Kingsley’s son have to steal? The family had to be loaded, or was it just a game to the computer wizard?